Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
) Yet here we are: Dont Look Up has become one of those topical consensus hits. Were living in a time and a world, rife with real-world catastrophe both viral and political, where McKays jittery apocalyptic joke reflex is really hitting the sweet spot. Some of these same friends of mine who love Dont Look Up had no patience with The Lost Daughter, also on Netflix, because its too unsettling. We can handle the end of the world, apparently, as long as the right, reassuring lessons about family and community are learned before the comet hits. We just cant handle a movie about the challenges of motherhood. Dont Look Up captures this riven divide in American and global life in more ways than one. On the review aggregation site metacritic.com, its scoring a dead-middle 50 out of 100, without a lot of actual mixed reviews. Satire so lumbering that its enough to turn a tree hugger in to a pro-fracker, wrote Alonso Duralde, critic for The Wrap. On the other hand, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post: When its on-pace, it feels absolutely on point in an era awash in mutual mistrust and willed disbelief. One popular Chicago area master of deadpan satire, who declined to express any specific opinions on Dont Look Up, offered some thoughts on effective black comedy and satire in broader terms. I think once you get into actual advocacy its the death of satire, said Peter Sagal, host of the National Public Radio news quiz Wait Wait Dont Tell Me! Satires great for a lot of things, but its not good at inspiring people to action. Theres nothing funny about advocacy. Also, condescending outrage only takes you so far, Sagal added: You cant make someone agree with you by calling them an idiot. What weve got here, as Strother Martin said to Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, is failure to communicate. McKays perfect satire for our current moment, as one critical essay-adjacent posted on Netflixs self-promotional website Tudum headlines it, reminds us that well be the architects of our own downfall. While theres time to change, that change feels extraordinarily unlikely. Thats the dire message, in McKays hands, that goes down very, very easily. The films second-week streaming metrics prove as much. Advertisement The timing is just atrocious, Streeps fictional U.S. president moans early on in Dont Look Up, given the comets arrival so close to midterm elections. For McKays movie, on the other hand, the timing is perfect. Were here, stuck, divided and up for a couple of hours offering some massive talents, a few laughs, a profoundly serious point to make and a frustratingly glib and hectoring way of making it. Dont Look Up is streaming on Netflix. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic. mjphillips@chicagotribune.com Twitter @phillipstribune Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. Samia Errazouki, a US-Moroccan citizen and former journalist, used Foreign Policy to spit her venom on its motherland (Morocco) paying lip service to the inaudible Algerian lobby in Washington. In a hateful article entitled, Moroccos Diplomatic Morass, Errazouki usurped the position of a Foreign Policy journalist in seeking comments from the anti-Moroccan Algerian lobby in Washington. Foreign Policy is a magazine that is known for publishing op-eds that only reflect the stands of their writers. But Errazouki chose to attribute her hatred to her homeland to a privileged US publication as shown in the paragraph below. There is a general consensus among former and current diplomats that the state of Moroccan diplomacy has reached its lowest point since independence, said a veteran Moroccan diplomat, who spoke to Foreign Policy on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, wrote Errazouki. She talked to Algerian lobbyists including Republican Senator Jim Inhofe and former pro-Polisario UN envoy Christopher Ross. The only pro-separatist figurehead who was missing in her diatribe was Jhon Bolton. She downplayed all Moroccos inroads to win international support for its sovereignty over the Sahara territory echoing the views of Inhofe and Ross, while deploring that the Biden administration maintained the Presidential proclamation under the Trump administration recognizing Moroccos sovereignty over the southern provinces. She claimed that Moroccan diplomacy is isolated, in denial of a momentum in favor of Moroccos territorial integrity. Someone has to remind her that over 20 countries opened consulates in the southern provinces. A quick check in US official documents on the region shows Moroccos full Map with the Sahara territory included. The US State Department has made it clear recently that the autonomy plan is the only solution and that the Sahara conflict is a Moroccan-Algerian issue, a position in support of Moroccos official stand on the dispute. The only pro-Morocco figure Errazouki sites was Rabbi Haim Pinto. She only mentioned him in her story/diatribe for defamation purposes. Errazouki mentions a rift with Germany and failed to update herself on the standoff with Berlin, which has recently expressed support for Moroccos autonomy initiative and lauded the countrys contribution towards finding a solution to the conflict within the framework of the UN. She failed to read the most recent UN Security Council resolution that describes the autonomy plan as serious and credible. She defends colonial borders denying Morocco its rights as a nation that did not wait for a colonial power to define it. In adamantly sidelining with Algeria and the Polisario, Errazouki is not only betraying her homeland, she also defends the colonial legacy. Blinded by a visceral loathing of the homeland of her parents, Errazouki blames Morocco for the recent tension with Algeria and accuses Rabat of steering the region to a future of conflict and instability. She could have criticized aspects of Moroccos diplomatic action without paying lip service to Algeria and its Polisario puppets, had she been a fair and unbiased journalist. But a look at her twitter shows her pro-Polisario positions and her advocacy of the separatist makes her an enemy of Moroccos territorial integrity and a mouthpiece serving the Algerian military regime. Fourteen area communities will benefit from grants to increase the availability of high-speed internet across Nebraska. The 60 grants awarded statewide Tuesday total nearly $18 million and are part of the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program, according to a Nebraska Public Service Commission media release. Created by the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Act, the program provides up to $40 million over two grant cycles for the deployment of broadband networks capable of at least 100/100 Mbps in unserved and underserved areas of the state. In the 2021 grant cycle, the PSC received 76 applications for funding through the NBBP. Sixty grants, submitted by 19 providers, were ultimately awarded for a total of $17,771,964.39. Applicants that were denied due to a challenge to only part of the project area will be given the chance to apply for the remaining $2.02 million in funding for the 2022 grant cycle. Projects funded through Tuesdays awards must be completed by July 5, 2023. Providers may apply for one six-month extension. The area grants were awarded to: ATC Communications Big Springs ($259,775). Consolidated Telco Inc. Madrid ($93,585), Maywood ($93,585), Wallace ($139,101). Consolidated Telecom, Inc. Eustis ($140,799) Consolidated Telephone Co. Hyannis ($129,667), Mullen ($253,069), Thedford ($111,439). Elsie Communications Inc. Elsie and Grainton ($255,827). Nebraska Central Telephone Company Ansley ($131,673), Sargent ($143,012). Pinpoint Communications, Inc. Gothenburg East ($222,159), McCook North East ($181,141.25). The exponential growth of Trego-Dugan Aviation has prompted a move of its corporate operations to the First National Bank of Omaha building in downtown North Platte. The company currently operates in 42 locations throughout the country and employs 1,800 with plans to grow. The company was founded in North Platte 55 years ago. President Vince Dugan said the company could no longer run its operations from its offices at the North Platte Regional Airport. This is now our world headquarters, Dugan said. What happened is that we had offices that were attached to one of the hangars at the airport. Over the last two years as the company grew, Dugan said, there just wasnt enough room. The problem is that we want to have as many jobs here (in North Platte) as possible, Dugan said, centralized to run our corporation. He said the company had to base people in other cities because of the lack of space. As part of everything thats happening at the airport, we were in a position where we had to do something different, Dugan said. The city is considering annexation of the airport, and Dugan said the plans would impact the company in terms of space. We will be building a new hangar and offices out there, Dugan said, but there would still not be enough space for the corporate operations. He said the North Platte Chamber & Development Corp. and the city strongly indicated they wanted Trego-Dugan to keep its headquarters in North Platte. They were not necessarily directly involved, Dugan said, but they wanted us to stay. Trego-Dugan is leasing half of the top floor of the bank at 201 N. Dewey St., with options to grow more, Dugan said. We currently have 13-14 people in the office here, but we intend to double that in the next 18 months. As people based in other cities move on, Dugan said, the company will bring their replacements into the new offices. We want to move those positions to North Platte, which is great for the community, Dugan said. Its great for the company as well. Dugan said there is a challenge, however, in hiring at this time. Weve had three people who took jobs but were looking for suitable housing, and they couldnt find anything and they are not coming, Dugan said. Its catastrophic because were wanting to grow and wanting to add jobs here and we are stymied because of the housing shortage. Its a real issue. The positions being offered pay in the six-figure range, and the potential employees are looking at housing in the $300,000 to $400,000 market. Were adding people in the $45,000 to $100,000 range too, Dugan said. We have room for 30 employees, so were just going to have to work through the housing thing. He said the company is excited to be able to keep its headquarters in North Platte. We just love our new location, Dugan said. This is not a short-term thing; this is long-term. More by Job Vigil Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HOLDREGE The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation Districts board of directors approved an agreement Monday to accept a grant award from the Nebraska Water Sustainability Fund and to move forward on a project to install a new siphon on the E-65 Canal to convey water into Elwood Reservoir. A new siphon alignment has been designed to replace the original infrastructure at an estimated cost of $16 million, according to a press release. Central sought funding assistance from the states Water Sustainability Fund and was awarded a grant of $8,982,946. Central will be responsible for the balance of the cost. The current three siphons, part of the original project construction in the late 1930s, have been in service since 1941. They are essential to conveying water to 150 irrigation customers at 414 separate turn-out points serving more than 42,000 acres, according to CNPPID. After 80 years of service, the existing siphons are deteriorating, requiring numerous expensive repairs. The new siphon will be approximately 5,400 feet long and consist of high-density polyethylene pipe. Another approximately 5,300 feet of open canal sections will be part of the project. Installation of this new siphon will secure uninterrupted long-term delivery of water in the E-65 system and ensure that irrigation, recharge, recreation and wildlife benefits are sustained in the future, CNPPID says. The new siphon will also eliminate the need for costly pumping into Elwood Reservoir. Central General Manager Devin Brundage told the board, This project is one major piece of a thoughtful, progressive approach to continuing to maintain and develop the infrastructure necessary for our district to maximize all the benefits we provide, not only today but into the future. Timeline of the project begins right away with landowner discussions and the selection of engineering firms. It is expected that the bidding will be completed this year and construction finished the following year. Also at Mondays meeting: The directors approved an agreement with HDR Engineering of Omaha to develop a Section 404 Clean Water Act permit application. The permit is necessary to assist in maintenance dredging at Centrals diversion dam. The board awarded bids to Murphy Tractor of North Platte to furnish a 2020 John Deere track loader for $288,437; and to Road Builders of Grand Island to furnish a new Crawler dozer for $365,880. Hydraulic Project Operations Manager Cory Steinke told the board that painting of the outlet structures at Lake McConaughy will be wrapping up for the winter this week and traffic control will be removed. He expects workers to return late February or early March to complete the project. The board approved the inclusion of 1,157 acres in the 2022 Water Leasing Program. In exchange for payment of $100 an acre, irrigation customers who submit acres for the program agree to not irrigate the acres. Instead, the Platte River Recovery Program leases the water, which is added to the Environmental Account in Lake McConaughy and is available to benefit wildlife habitat along the Platte River Civil engineer Tyler Thulin reported that Lake McConaughys elevation as of Monday morning was 3,239.7 feet (1.08 million acre-feet and 62% capacity) which is up 1 foot in the last month. Current releases were about 420 cubic feet per second with inflow readings unavailable due to frozen river gauges. He added that snowpack accumulation in the South Platte River Basin was about 108% of average, the Upper North Platte River Basin at 115%, 54% in the Lower North Platte Basin and 107% in the Laramie Basin. Snowmelt runoff in these basins is an important part of the water supply for Centrals hydro-irrigation project. Nebraskans wanting to keep close tabs on the Legislature face one adjustment as the 2022 session opens Wednesday. People wanting to submit comments as part of a bills public hearing record now must do so through that bills webpage at nebraskalegislature.gov, Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln said last week. That ends a longtime practice of accepting hand-delivered or emailed letters or comments to be included in Unicameral committees hearing records. State residents still may use those methods as a viable option for communicating your views with an individual senator, says a note on the Public Hearings page of the Unicameral website. But their names and views wont be included in official hearing records unless they either testify in person or use the online submission method, it adds. Heres how to do the latter: Go to Search Current Bills in the upper right-hand corner of the Legislatures homepage. Enter the number of the measure youre interested in. Use drop-down menus on either side to specify its type. Then click the search button. Most measures are legislative bills (LB), but some bill numbers are followed by an A to show theyre an appropriation bill tied to the main bill. Legislative resolutions (LR) usually are nonbinding statements, not would-be laws. (When senators acknowledge a state champion team, for example, they usually do so through such a resolution.) Proposed state constitutional amendments, however, have LR before their number and CA after it. Each bills web page includes records of official votes and links to copies of the bill, proposed amendments, debate transcripts and other related documents. Click on Submit Written Comments to bring up a page for typing your comments, stating your position (for, against or neutral) and choosing whether you want your name and comments in the official hearing record. Comments are limited to 500 words. The Legislatures other methods of keeping up with its doings from outside Lincoln remain in place, too. Nebraska Public Media offers live coverage of floor debates through the Unicameral website and its NE-W (formerly NET2) cable channel (Allo Communications Channel 11 or Spectrum Channel 190 in North Platte). Committee hearings and floor debates may be viewed via NPMs Live Video Streaming box on the website. Click there for daily schedules. The nebraskalegislature.gov page offers links to even more information, including quick link pages tailored to citizens, students and teachers, lawyers, lobbyists and state employees. The Find Your Senator link lets you identify your lawmaker by entering your street address. Each senator has an individual webpage with contact information, links to his or her bills and columns for constituents. Search Laws lets anyone look up a current Nebraska law by keyword or statute number. Unicameral Update offers articles summarizing committee and floor action on various bills. Online users can arrange to have stories emailed to them. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon expects to take on two controversial issues with national overtones once lawmakers begin introducing new 2022 bills Wednesday. The District 43 senator and retired U.S. Army colonel said hell push for a statewide constitutional carry firearms law and offer another bill to ensure the security of Nebraskas election machinery. Both likely will face obstacles, Brewer said, though he himself chairs the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee that will take them up first. Highlights among west central Nebraska senators 2022 bill agendas also include a fresh push by Bayard Sen. Steve Erdman to replace the states three major taxes with state and local consumption taxes. Erdman and North Platte Sen. Mike Groene, both veterans of the Legislatures hottest rhetorical battles, both said theyll engage again on behalf of issues such as Brewers. With only the new 60-day session left to him, however, Groene said hell focus on improving his 2020 microTIF law, seeking more state funds for Lincoln County economic projects and taking final shots at issues on which success has been elusive. Groene said hes glad his eight Unicameral years are almost over. Ive never backstabbed anybody (in the Legislature), which has happened to me, he said. Though hes ready for a change of scenery away from Lincoln, Ill be a citizen of the area after his District 42 term ends next January, he said. He and his wife, Barb, currently rent a home in North Platte. Brewer said his gun bill reworks the original language of Legislative Bill 236, which he introduced as the 2021 session began. It would have let Nebraskas 90 nonmetro counties allow residents to carry firearms without permits whether concealed or in the open unless theyre personally banned from doing so under state or federal law. Brewer set aside LB 236s original text after a state attorney generals opinion said it would unconstitutionally delegate state authority to counties. The bill was rewritten to address other firearms matters and passed. His new bill, Brewer said, simply would let eligible Nebraskans carry weapons without permits. People now must clear a criminal background check, pay $100 and complete an eight- to 16-hour class on safe gun handling to get a concealed-weapon permit. This is the Second Amendment, Brewer said. Its a constitutional right. But he said his bill wouldnt let Nebraskans take concealed weapons into public places where theyre banned notably bars, schools, hospitals and courtrooms. It also would require people carrying firearms to notify law enforcement officers or first responders of that fact when contacted by them, Brewer said. The election bill hes considering, he said, would aim to ensure that Nebraskas election machines especially at the state level are not affected by outside electronics with which hackers could alter vote tallies. There needs to be a bit more transparency about how that works, he said. Brewer added that he believes elections are being run by the book by Nebraskas nonmetro county clerks, who typically double as election commissioners. But Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties account for the majority of the vote in Nebraska, he said. Obviously theres a concern there. Groene said he may introduce his own election bills just to give people a platform so they can come down and testify about their concerns in public hearings. I dont agree with the stolen election, he added, meaning ongoing allegations by former President Donald Trump that voter fraud enabled current President Joe Biden to defeat him in 2020. But nothings hurt by making people feel more secure about elections, Groene added. Regarding other bills planned by west central Nebraska senators: Erdman said hell introduce a fresh constitutional amendment and companion bill to replace income, sales and property taxes with state and local consumption taxes. His previous constitutional amendment (LR11CA) fell two votes short of first-round approval last spring, while its companion bill (LB 133) never left committee. Erdman said his new versions will incorporate an attorney generals opinion on whether his originals violate the Nebraska Constitutions requirement that each legislative measure cover just one subject. He remains ready to launch a consumption-tax petition drive, he added. When people sit down and see how it will work, they support it. Groene said the follow-up to his microTIF law, approved 49-0 in 2020, would raise its maximum taxable values for rehabilitated older single-family, multifamily and business buildings and add more time to recapture property taxes from rehab projects. It also would allow microTIF when building on vacant lots, he said. Ive got a lot of communities where a house burned down 40 years ago and theyve been vacant since. Groene said hell also introduce a bill favored by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry to allocate more state matching funds for helping Nebraska cities building industrial rail parks. His LB 40, which won 49-0 final approval last May, provided an initial $10 million over two years. The North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp., which worked with Groene on LB 40, submitted its application Monday for matching funds for its rail-park project just outside Hershey. Sens. Dan Hughes of Venango and Matt Williams of Gothenburg said theyll mostly introduce bills related to their respective roles as chairmen of the Executive Board and the Banking, Insurance and Commerce Committee. Williams said hell also offer a bill to solidify long-term funding for the Rural Workforce Housing Fund, created when lawmakers passed his LB 518 in 2017. Like Groene, Hughes and Williams both were initially elected in 2014 and are term-limited after the 2022 session. Williams is running to succeed the retiring Bob Phares of North Platte on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Hughes, however, said he doesnt plan to seek another elective office. I do have a full-time job that I truly enjoy, he said, meaning his Perkins County farm. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. Justin Smith and Ben Smith. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer. Photos: Getty Images Ben Smith was only there for a good time, not for a long time. I do think theres probably some limit to the length of time you can write a media column, because youre stewing in your own juices, he tells me, although I didnt feel Id hit that limit or anything, but I do think if you arent David Carr, its probably like, it shouldnt be a tenure. And yet the New York Times masthead was gobsmacked by Smiths departure after two years for a news start-up cooked up by and, for now, funded by another Smith Justin B. Smith, who was CEO of Bloomberg Media. Some top editors, such as Dean Baquet and Carolyn Ryan, were told shortly in advance of today, but others were astonished to find out this morning. It wasnt just the leadership. The Times where I worked for four years, albeit far from Smith, in the Washington bureau had become a juggernaut in the Trump years, floated along by a subscription boom, while many VC-backed media start-ups Ben Smith had come over from BuzzFeed struggled. Top-level defections, once common, have become rare. Institutionalists at the Gray Lady were predictably disapproving of his lack of loyalty: The paper throws a life raft to a new-media pirate steering a sinking sloop, who then comes aboard, uses the vaunted pages to polish his brand, and promptly jumps ship. Some speculated that perhaps he only did so because of a deadline which had been extended by the Times until February 2022 to divest his BuzzFeed stock options. The paper and Smith denied the timing was related to the options. He just wanted to get back into the pirate game. I had an incredible experience at the Times and Im just so totally grateful to them, says Smith. Ive had the opportunity and luck to start things at a couple stages in my career, and I just think there are huge advantages to starting from scratch. Such as? You get to sort of take a breath and think about the world as it is right now and not as it was when your institution was founded, meaning what are the important stories, how do people consume news, things like that, in a world thats changing really fast. He says, Justin and I honestly have been talking not planning this but talking for years about the news business and where opportunities are and what we could do, but it got really serious in the last couple of months. The other Mr. Smith, who speaks French and once worked for the U.S. State Department in West Africa, began his media career at the International Herald Tribune (then co-published by the Times and the Washington Post). Next he worked at The Economist and then The Week, founded Breaking Media (whose websites include Above the Law and Dealbreaker), and ran Atlantic Media (where he launched Quartz) and, finally, Bloomberg. When he departed Atlantic Media, David Bradley wrote in a note to staff, Like Mary Poppins, if a little more euro, Justin came, changed the family and, when the work was done, moved on. I will miss him. Justin tells me this new venture has been a lifelong dream. When he was running The Atlantic, he says he tried to hire Ben away from Politico but was unsuccessful. Howd he woo him this time? He saw my vision, and he helped me make my vision better, and I said, Do you want to be editor-in-chief? Justin splits his time between New York and Washington he has dated Uma Thurman, lives in the same neighborhood as the postWhite House Obamas, and throws a hell of a dinner party and his new operation will as well with an international bureau or two thrown in. Who is paying for this thing? Ill be personally funding the business and will be funding it for the near future, says Justin. Were also talking to a number of key investors, but since Im funding it, were really being very careful and deliberate about who we want to bring on as investors. And I would say its a project thats defined by its long-term perspective. The North Star down the line, the end state vision, is the worlds leading global news brand. That cant happen overnight. Thats going to take a decade or more, and Ben and I are committed to that, so were looking for investors who have a similar mind-set. He wants it to be general interest, not strictly financial news, and sees it competing with the Times or CNN or the Washington Post or the BBC. But he says the problem with news outlets in that space now is that they have increasingly been polarized politically, theyve been increasingly partisan, and are also very regional in their outlook. They are really domestic brands that are sort of repackaging their domestic content for a global audience in an unthoughtful way. Ben Smith says, Social media really radically changed news over the last decade in complicated ways, for better and for worse, but I think were kind of leaving that era. He adds: The values of social media have bled really deeply into a lot of media institutions. Curious, coming from someone who surfed those values at BuzzFeed and critiqued institutionalists like the Washington Posts former editor Marty Baron for not being able to understand them. Twitter raised a collective eyebrow at a quote Smith gave to the Times while announcing his exit: There are 200 million people who are college educated, who read in English, but who no one is really treating like an audience, but who talk to each other and talk to us Thats who we see as our audience. (Anyone else confused by this? asked his soon-to-be-erstwhile colleague Nikole Hannah-Jones.) But nobody, really, thought Smith was going to be a Times lifer. Smith gets bored easily, Clare Malone wrote in this magazine when she profiled him in 2020. As the Times deputy managing editor, Carolyn Ryan, who directly edits Ben, told me: Ben has been a phenomenal columnist, and were proud of the fact that the Times is a place where people can come and elevate their careers, and I congratulate him on returning to his passion of working at a start-up. Alice Sara Ott, the lively young German-Japanese pianist, made her Chicago debut Sunday afternoon at Orchestra Hall in a short program that showed an unruffled virtuoso sprinting. She dispatched a set of Mozart variations and a Schubert sonata so briskly that it suggested she scarcely could wait to begin barnstorming in an all-Liszt second half. Advertisement But guess what? Ott played Liszt's six "Grandes etudes de Paganini" with a finesse that went beyond the rush we were primed to expect. And, suddenly, the 24-year-old revealed herself an artist instead of the I-can-do-anything technician content with crowd-rousing thunder. Ott's etudes were still some distance from conveying the teasing, self-amused quality that shows a player's enjoyment in making so much empty noise so brilliantly. They also had little of the demonic sweep that carries away listeners despite better judgment. However, what they did have, in addition to impeccable cleanliness and fine tone, was a sensitivity to gentler expressive markings that shade the race over the keyboard, bringing touches of sentiment to what otherwise is mechanical mastery. Advertisement Where Ott's Mozart and Schubert had a dispassionate sense of getting-on, her Liszt showed more affectionate ebb and flow. The variety of her touch in the Third and Sixth Etudes gave different degrees of warmth. And if you don't go to these pieces for delicacy, once Ott fulfilled Liszt's demands for lightness and sweetness, you realized just how much delicacy is there, seductively singing. The lack of a singing quality marred Ott's D-major Sonata by Schubert, particularly in the wistful, musing second movement. There and in the following Scherzo, she seemed intent on crispness and an absolute clarity of rhythm that urged the music forward. Had she observed any of the repeats, the impression of streamlining might have been tempered at least a little. Her opening Mozart "Duport" Variations, without repeats, had finely chiseled runs and crystalline grace notes but also some unmarked ritards. They went, momentarily and unconvincingly, against the animation that made for a generally chill purity. Ott's single encore, Beethoven's "Fur Elise," was showy about simplicity, presenting the miniature as a series of polished effects that drew more attention to the performer's realization than the invention of the composer. ctc-arts@tribune.com Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Jason Scott Jones/THE CITY It took only a few days before Rachel Ramirez started feeling sick after a nearby co-worker came down with COVID this past fall. Ramirez has lupus, which weakens her immune system, so she sought out a testing site near her Queens apartment that took her insurance. After a little bit of searching, she made an appointment at an upstart doctors office that recently opened between a discount pet-supply store and a bubble-tea joint on Steinway Street: CareCube. While sitting in the waiting room, Ramirez noticed two receptionists were giving different rates to patients as they walked in. They were telling people $175. It was outrageous. One person came in, and the representative looked at this persons insurance card and said $275. The number kept varying for people, she recalled. When it was her turn, however, the receptionist told Ramirez she didnt owe anything: As with most COVID tests, insurance would cover it. After getting swabbed, Ramirez asked for a bill in writing that said she owed nothing out of pocket but was told it wasnt necessary, so she left. Ramirez didnt think much about CareCube after she got her negative test result until the company sent her a $125 invoice a few weeks later. You provide us your Insurance policy which was not covered covid-19 testing at the date of service, the email said. An insurance representative told her that, contrary to the email, her insurance did cover a test for exposure it was just that CareCube had told the insurance company that the reason she got tested was to return to work. That seemingly small distinction just so happens to be one of the few reasons that exempts insurers from paying for the tests. For the next 16 days, Ramirezs attempts to get the charge reversed were met with varying levels of resistance and silence, including, she said, a CareCube representative wrongly telling her she wont get the money back because the CDC doesnt recommend tests for vaccinated patients. It wasnt until after she left a bad review online and sent an email threatening to tell the media about the incident that her charge was zeroed out. I dont want to pay this money to these folks, she said. Theyre clearly scamming people, and theyre not very transparent about their pricing, or how theyre billing your insurance, or how they even work with your insurance company. Getting surprise medical bills is one of the many grim realities of the U.S. health-care system and one that was legal until recently. Three former CareCube employees say, however, that the company crossed the line by purposely lying to insurers and customers like Ramirez in order to charge them unnecessary payments. The employees, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution, say CareCube management conspired to use complicated billing procedures to exploit little-known exemptions in federal law, which requires that most COVID tests be given free of cost to patients, and then charged both parties for the same test. They say customers and insurers complained of fraudulent billing practices and that upper management has been aware of the complaints, which go back more than a year. The allegations have quietly drawn attention from federal investigators, who have interviewed at least one former employee about the alleged scheme. The U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan declined to comment, and neither CareCube nor any of its employees has been charged with a crime. Health-care billing is a maddeningly complicated business even when everything is done correctly. At the core of it, a provider negotiates rates with insurers for a range of procedures, and those prices can vary widely depending on the insurer and how much leverage the provider has. When it comes to COVID treatment, things were supposed to be much simpler. In 2020, President Trump signed into law two bills that required insurance companies to pay all costs for COVID testing, with two exceptions: if people need to test to return to work or as part of a general virus-surveillance requirement, like international airline passengers. The majority of such tests costs insurers $149 or less, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, but because rates are negotiated, prices can vary to wild extremes, with some testing regimens having cost as much as a year of tuition at a private university. While the amount of money brought in per test is typically small, the sheer volume of tests can be a boon. So when the pandemic struck, businesses such as CareCube found themselves in the middle of an unexpected gold rush: All of a sudden, millions of people needed tests. CareCube got into the business last March and over the next nine months performed more than 72,000 tests, according to the states health department. CareCube multiplied from one location in Brooklyn three years ago to 20 locations throughout the city and just about as quickly gained a reputation for surprise billing, as The City reported in August. That month, thenCity Councilmember Brad Lander asked State Attorney General Letitia James to thoroughly investigate CareCubes practices to ensure that they cannot mislead the public. (On January 6, the day after this story was originally published, Jamess office announced that it was investigating CareCube for wrongfully billing patients.) There is little public information about who owns CareCube, but public records and former employees say its run by a physician named Dr. Niranjan K. Mittal, a cardiologist educated in India and licensed to practice medicine in New York since 1985. A former clinical instructor at Mount Sinai, he opened his own practice in Bay Ridge. He has also been hit with lawsuits in state court that go back to at least 2008, accusing him of malpractice, stiffing employees out of their wages, and firing a woman for being pregnant all claims he is still fighting, though he has previously paid $100,000 on summary judgment in another suit for unspecified damages and had a case for wrongful death dismissed with prejudice. Under Mittal, former employees detailed a business driven by getting as much revenue and keeping expenses as low as possible. Employees accused CareCube in lawsuits and interviews of skimming their pay by denying them overtime. I point blank was upset because I was working over 70 hours a week and was not paid overtime, one former employee said in a declaration in a related discrimination suit. One former receptionist said she was pressured to swab patients but declined to do so since she had no medical training. And two ex-employees said Mittal would also pressure staff to perform other invasive, and lucrative, procedures, like peripheral angiograms, which typically require inserting a catheter into the groin to check for arterial blockages. They said patients were referred from several CareCube sites in the Bronx and Brooklyn to a related practice, CareCube Cardiology in Bay Ridge, and would bring in about $7,000 to $10,000 per procedure. A lot of patients always complained, I dont want to do the procedure; the last time I had the procedure, my leg was still hurting. I dont want to go back there anymore, another former employee said. When it came to COVID testing, CareCube allegedly doubled its profits by taking advantage of loopholes in the law to charge both patients and insurers for the same test, with patients billed after insurers had paid CareCube. The former receptionist said she was required to send photos of patients insurance cards via Slack to a team in India that would send back a price to charge the patient. (Another employee who was aware of the practice said this was to save money, but its not clear why a receptionist wasnt able to do this like at other medical offices.) Patients and insurers frequently raised on phone calls and in letters how tests were coded on official forms, employees said. While Ramirezs forms were mislabeled for returning to work rather than for exposure, CareCube allegedly did the opposite in some cases, charging others up front and then submitting paperwork saying something different that would trigger a payout from insurance companies. If the patient is exposed to COVID through someone they know, the insurance is responsible for paying, one ex-employee said. Even after the patient said that they were traveling, they will bill the insurance, but they also charged the patient. When patients complained, they were usually directed to a billing department that didnt respond to queries. Another ex-employee said a separate team of ten in a call center would hear about 30 complaints a day about over- and double billing. (Medicare and Medicaid patients were never charged.) Three former employees told me the companys management has been aware of the persistent double-billing complaints, with some going back over a year. They know that this was a fraud. They knew it because they were getting letters from patients and not only patients but also insurance, one ex-employee said. I remember opening up letters coming from the insurance stating that they were billing the insurance, but the patient had reached out to the insurance saying that they knew that they paid for a COVID test. CareCube has previously defended its billing practices by saying that patients are not being charged for tests but rather being charged for doctors visits, which it says are medically necessary for determining the reason for a test. (The Biden administration updated guidance last year that would prevent doctors from doing that.) On the companys website, a chatbot said plans and issuers are not required to provide coverage of testing such as for public health surveillance or employment purposes and that rates for tests can vary from $200 to $225 each. A woman who answered the phone at the Bay Ridge office declined to make Mittal available for an interview and demanded that I pass along questions to her when I identified myself as a reporter. How would you like somebody writing a story about you? she asked. A lawyer for Mittal didnt return requests for comment. This past summer, law enforcement had started to look into CareCubes practices. FBI agents went to one former employees house and asked about Mittal as well as two other administrators, according to text messages reviewed by Intelligencer. I am aware that the U.S. Attorneys office in the Southern District of New York is conducting some kind of investigation, Joel Glaser, an attorney for a man who is suing Mittal for malpractice unrelated to COVID testing, told Intelligencer. Theyve been calling around to various individuals who have claims against Dr. Mittal, myself included. Its unclear if the Justice Department is still investigating Mittal or CareCube. However, the companys billing practices appear to be ongoing. After The City published its report about CareCubes billing practices, the company temporarily stopped double billing patients, another ex-employee said, but soon started back up again: They were saying, Okay, no matter the insurance, all of that is going to be fully covered by insurance. But that was just for two weeks. After two weeks, I guess they thought that everything was calmed down. They started to charge again. Photo: Getty Images Former president Donald Trump hasnt historically been too keen on listening to non-legislative critiques from Senate Republicans. This time around, the grumbling has to do with his press conference scheduled for January 6, the anniversary of the insurrection he incited that briefly made him a pariah within the GOP. Politico on Tuesday published an omnibus of polite comments from lawmakers suggesting that Trump maybe not draw attention to the event that resulted in his second impeachment and the lowest-ever approval rating for a president exiting office. I dont think thats a good idea, said West Virginias Shelley Moore Capito. Its a free country, said John Cornyn, invoking the spirit of his home state, Texas. Pennsylvanias Pat Toomey was a little more pensive, saying that it was not a terribly good idea, but what am I going to do about it? Apparently, the airing of grievances may have helped. On Tuesday night, Trump took to his non-Twitter to announce: In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday. Instead, he will discuss many of those important topics he intended to touch on during the address at a rally scheduled in Arizona on January 15. While the senators concerns that Trumps comments on the anniversary would be a distraction may have influenced the former presidents decision, the New York Times reported a reason for cancellation TV ratings that is more consistent with past behavior. Realizing that the presser would not attract full-on cable-news coverage, his advisers recommended he call the whole thing off. Digital money has become more and more popular in the past three years. (Source: Getty) Mexicos central bank will have its own digital currency by 2024, the Mexican government announced on social media, although the development was not confirmed by the monetary authority, known locally as Banxico. This development is likely to happen towards 2024, putting the country on the list of nations studying, or planning to release, their own central bank digital currency (CBDC). "Banxico reports that by 2024 it will have its own digital currency in circulation, considering these new technologies and the next-generation payment infrastructure are extremely important as options of great value to advance financial inclusion in the country," the government tweeted. However, an anonymous senior central bank source told Reuters last week the government announcement was not official". Neither Banxico nor the Mexican government replied to Reuters' requests for comment. In a report published on December 17, Banxico said it was, "working on the study and development of a platform aimed at the implementation of a digital currency, but it gave no details on timing. The project has among its objectives the opening of accounts for the registration of a digital currency for both banked and unbanked people, thereby contributing to financial inclusion, the report added. So far, Ecuador, Senegal, Singapore, Tunisia, Estonia, Japan, Palestine, Russia and Sweden have launched their own digital currencies. China is also moving closer to its own launch of a digital currency. According to the South China Morning Post, the country launched a second trial of electronic cash with more than $3 million worth of e-yuan distributed among 100,000 residents in the tech hub of Shenzhen. The residents have until 17 January to use a phone app to spend the digital cash at selected stores and on some online platforms. Story continues Digital currencies are the future (Source: Getty) Several more central banks worldwide are exploring the launch of digital currencies, concerned that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin could weaken government control of monetary policy. These include Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Cambodia. These countries have also announced they are looking at introducing digital currencies in the near future. Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to the free Fully Briefed daily newsletter. Rapid antigen tests are offered through different schemes around the world. (Sources: Getty) Rapid antigen tests can provide results indicating whether a person has COVID-19 within 15 minutes, however Australians are finding it increasingly difficult to find and afford the tests. Shoppers have complained of retailers running out of test stock, while others have reported suspected price gouging as individual tests sell for up to $55. Despite pushes from the Australian Medical Association, unions and social services groups, the Federal Government has so far resisted calls to make the diagnostic instruments free for all. More on rapid antigen tests: Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he doesnt want to undercut businesses, and that Australia was at the stage of the pandemic where the Government cant make everything free. Morrison has since proposed a system in which welfare recipients apply through an online portal for a payment to cover the cost of some tests. Heres how six other countries reduce rapid test costs, or provide them for free: UK: Free rapid tests and people register results The UK offers free tests from pharmacies, schools and other community collection hubs, and tests are also mailed out to homes. People who use the tests are encouraged to register results with the National Health System. However, the UK has also struggled with supply as the Omicron variant swept across the country. Germany: People eligible for one free test a week In Germany, people are eligible for one free rapid test a week following an announcement in November by Health Minister Jens Spahn. Germany has more than 15,000 pop-up rapid test centres people can visit, while Germans can also pick up rapid tests for around 1.50 ($2.30). However, the country has faced its own shortages. Portugal: Four free rapid tests a month Portugal offers everyone four free rapid tests a month, which are carried out at pharmacies. Story continues People can also pick up rapid tests for around 2.805 ($4.40$7.80), with profit margins capped at 15 per cent for retailers. In Lisbon I went out for a meal. I had to have proof of a Covid test *that day*, but didnt. So the restaurant sold me a Lateral flow test for 2.50. I went in & enjoyed my meal, with all the other tested customers. Pretty simple really. No fuss and no arguing about freedoms. pic.twitter.com/dLqXPIL7CU Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) January 2, 2022 France: Price caps French people can buy tests from supermarkets, which are subject to price caps keeping them 6 (AU$9.40) or cheaper per test. Singapore: Three free tests for close contacts People who have been deemed close contacts can access up to three free testing kits from one of the 100 test-kit vending machines. Singapore has also provided two rounds of free rapid testing to households, and people can pick up tests for around $6 a kit. The government has also supplied free tests to employers who then pass them onto workers, with more than 11,000 businesses now having signed up to the scheme. USA: Plans to send 500 million kits to households US President Joe Biden said the government will distribute the 500 million kits to households free of charge, although the first delivery isnt expected until later this month. The USA has experienced similar shortages to Australia, as Omicron and holiday travel strained the supply chain. Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to the free Fully Briefed daily newsletter. Grayton on Dean Apartments in Auburn has been sold to Brookhaven Property Group from New Jersey for $30.25 million. The previous owner, Brentwood Real Estate Capital (BRECAP) from Tennessee, has another investment in Alabama, Brixworth at Bridge Street in Huntsville. Grayton on Dean is a 240-unit multi-family property with each unit selling for $126,042, according to a press release from Cushman & Wakefield, the Chicago-based real estate firm that represented BRECAP in the transaction. The apartments, located on 420 North Dean Road in Auburn, were built in 1964, 1984 and 1986. At the time of sale, Cushman & Wakefield said the apartment complex was 95% leased. The property was sold to Brookhaven Property Group from Lakewood, N.J., which will be the companys eighth asset in Alabama. Grayton on Dean came to market fully renovated with high-end finishes, new interiors, a new clubhouse and a very high rent growth, positioning it to perform well in the future, Jimmy Adams, Executive Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, said in the release. The recent renovations of the property include walk-in closets, modern kitchens and new amenities. The apartment community offers a pickleball court, a fitness center, two swimming pools, a barbeque area and on-site laundry. The property is also in the Auburn market, which has experience in credible momentum in recent years fueled by a highly educated workforce and the renowned University, Adams said. Auburns plan to redistrict its voting wards has been delayed again, to the City Councils next meeting, as the city evaluates an alternative map from the local NAACP branch, but this time the plan wasnt without new concern from some residents. Multiple Auburn residents voiced their worries at Tuesdays City Council about two things: the redistricting consultant on retainer by the city attorney and the existence of multiple polling places per voter. The comments came as council members voted unanimously to postpone both the public hearing and the vote on redistricting to their Jan. 18 meeting. Auburn City Attorney Rick Davidson brought on Balch and Bingham attorney Dorman Walker to act as a consultant for Auburns redistricting, but Walkers past correspondence with the late Thomas Hofeller was raised at the council meeting. Hofeller was a political strategist who gained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by gerrymandering to allegedly reduce Black voter power and simplify elections for Republicans, according to the New York Times. Hofeller contacted Walker during Alabamas state redistricting process in 2011, which saw federal courts rule against the state as legislators had applied race in drawing a dozen voting districts, per a Montgomery Advertiser article in 2019. Warren Tidwell, community resilence and outreach director for the Hometown Organizing Project, spoke before the City Council to say Walkers past associations with Hofeller muddy the nonpartisan aim of the citys redistricting. I have followed the state governments redistricting process closely this year and have been appalled at the lack of transparency, accountability and brazen partisanship, Tidwell told council members on Tuesday. One committee member said they didnt think it was possible to have a nonpartisan redistricting effort and not have politics be a part of it. That committee member was attorney Dorman Walker. City Manager Megan Crouch said in a rebuttal to Tidwells comments that Walker had no role in drawing the City of Auburns proposed redistricted map and that it was drawn internally by city staff. The staff drew the districts based on data and data only in the federal law that I have repeatedly informed the council that we have followed, Crouch told the council. The only role Walker has played is being on retainer of the city attorney, which we retain consultants every day of the week to do city business. His role has been to tell us whether the districts meet the law. Crouch said the redistricting plan is not her offices plan but is the citys plan by state law which the City Council is considering. She added that the council does not have the ability to fire consultants. The retention of Walker is only through the city attorney, she said. I did not surf the internet and seek out redistricting consultants this was based on a discussion that happened over the summer about getting it right, and I believe we have gotten it right and proposed an absolute, very solid redistricting plan in meeting the law. On the voting effects of redistricting, Carolyn Carr, an Auburn resident with a history of serving as a chief inspector of local polling places, told council members she wants the city to better collaborate with Lee County to ensure citizens can have more consistency in where they vote. She said citizens are often assigned to a different polling location depending on whether an election is local, county, state or federal. Ten years ago, the city redistricted our wards without working with the county to shim up the lines between the beats and the boxes and the actual ward boundaries so they no longer matched. This led to some real problems, Carr told the council. In the first election after that redistricting, we had so many people coming in confused about where they were supposed to be voting. Carr said she and other concerned citizens have brought up the issue to city officials since 2010 but it hadnt been addressed as late as the 2020 presidential election. She said in this years redistricting, shes more concerned about the city and county working together to ensure the situation is resolved over the boundaries of the wards. I really have a feeling that weve lived through a stupid decision 10 years ago and we may be heading into another similar decision of having these various polling places, Carr said. Crouch later addressed Carr and said the City of Auburn has been in touch with Judge Bill English, chair of the Lee County Commission, in its handling of the citys redistricting after the commission adopted a county redistricting in late November. However, she said the city cant base city ward boundaries on the county map and has to finish its redistricting process before evaluating polling places. Were growing rapidly and things in Auburn are changing, Crouch said. People may think Joe Lovvorn represents them, (but) it now may be Pebblin Warren or it may be other things. As best we can well do multiple postcard mailings, (but) I cannot guarantee polling locations are going to align. The city is working with Auburn University to set up a polling location on campus for future elections, which Crouch said may help alignment with the county in joining voters in multiple wards. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Students in Alabama can study to be physical therapy assistants at seven community colleges across the state, with one now being Southern Union State, which has launched its PTA program this year and begins classes Wednesday after an orientation Tuesday. The community colleges Valley campus has begun offering associates degrees in physical therapy assistance following an accreditation process that Dr. Jeff Leatherman, director of the new program, described as rigorous. The program spans a full year and includes technical classes and clinical work after students complete their core classes their first year of college. PTA is a career choice, much like a physicians assistant. You can treat your own caseload, you can go out and work with folks in home health (but) you just cant do an initial (physical therapy) evaluation and you dont do the discharge visit, said Leatherman, who is a licensed physical therapist. With everything else in between, PTAs are fully capable (and) we know several PTAs around here who are directors of rehab facilities. Southern Union graduated 17 students in a trial program that ended last semester and served as a final hurdle to accreditation, and it now has 22 moving through the fully accredited program this year, according to Leatherman. Leatherman said the recent graduates have already had job offers from local medical facilities like Hughston Clinic as well as hospital and rehab facility offers in Columbus, Ga., and Newnan, Ga. Southern Union says PTAs often help patients whose abilities have been impaired by an accident, injury, illness, disease or other health-related conditions that limit movement and functional abilities. In Southern Unions program, students will take classes instructing them on exercise programs, gait training, functional activities and patient education among other topics, according to the community college. Students can come straight out of high school and take 29 hours of prerequisites in their first two semesters, Leatherman said. Then, they can apply to our program and we go straight through, not taking any breaks or anything like that. We start in January and they graduate in December. Leatherman said the PTAs can anticipate earning about $40,000-45,000 a year after receiving their associates degree in physical therapy assistance, with the national average for the career at about $59,000 a year. Previously, anyone interested in becoming a PTA in east Alabama would have had to enroll at South University in Montgomery, a private institution, or Wallace Community College in Dothan, so Leatherman said the program helps to fill an educational void as systems such as East Alabama Health are expanding. It was such a need in this area (and) were really glad to serve that need, Leatherman said. People are living longer and getting joint replacements, and the growth of health care in the area has been huge. Southern Unions physical therapy assistant program is now training its second cohort of students to complete their degrees in December, and applications for current Southern Union students to enter the third cohort of students in 2023 will open Oct. 15. Tuition and fees for the year-long program cost about $11,500, according to the community college. Those interested in reading more about the program may visit Southern Unions website at https://www.suscc.edu/programs/ptaprograminfo.cms. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Washington, PA (15301) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 47F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Vietnamese field hospital, MSF save lives in South Sudan Staff members of Vietnam's third level-two field hospital at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have recently assisted doctors at a hospital run by the Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in conducting a successful caesarean section for a mother with severe kyphosis. Staff member of level-two field hospital No. 3 in a training session. (Photo: VNA) Receiving a request from the MSF hospital for support on January 3, an operation team of four Vietnamese doctors was immediately sent to the scene. The 35-week pregnant woman, 22, was having a fetal distress. Her kyphosis condition as the sequelae of spinal tuberculosis made it hard for doctors to perform the surgical operation. The patient could neither lie on her back in the normal position nor receive spinal anesthesia. Therefore, doctors decided to employ endotracheal anesthesia using a rudimentary ventilator system, with the anesthesiologist team continuously squeezing the balloon by hand during the nearly two hour surgery. The surgical team delivered a 4kg baby boy who did not cry. After 15 minutes of active neonatal resuscitation, he finally cried out, filling the operation room with joy. The 4kg South Sudanese baby boy is crying following 15 minutes of active neonatal resuscitation after his birth. (Source: Vietnam's third level-two field hospital at UNMISS) According to Nguyen Thanh Nam, head of the surgical department of the third level-two field hospital, his hospital was facing many challenges due to a shortage of human resources. Some members with COVID-19 were being isolated for treatment and one quarter of the staff was on leave. Pou James, a staff member at the operating room of the MSF hospital, said he is very impressed with the Vietnamese surgical team for their professional manner and willingness to save the lives of local people. The UNMISS Chief Medical Officer sent a letter to acknowledge the contribution of Vietnam's level-two field hospital No. 3, asking the facility to continue assisting the MSF hospital in other surgeries. On October 1, 2018, Vietnam deployed its first level-two field hospital with 63 staff members to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in October 2018. The third hospital of this kind began their mission in April last year. The Goodman Theatre said Wednesday that it is postponing its planned world-premiere production of The Outsiders, a musical based on the novel by S.E. Hinton and the Francis Ford Coppola movie. With a book by Adam Rapp and music by Jamestown Revival, the show has Broadway aspirations. A Goodman spokesman said it is now expected next season. As a new addition to the current season, the Goodman said it will stage the world premiere of Swing State, a timely new play by Rebecca Gilman set in Wisconsin. Running just from April 1 through May 1 in the Owen Theatre, the show will be directed by artistic director Robert Falls. Advertisement The Goodman also will stage the Canadian musical Life After, a piece with book, music and lyrics by Britta Johnson and centered on a young woman searching for the truth about her family. The 95-minute Life After was seen at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 2019; the new Goodman production, under the direction of Annie Tippe, will run from June 11 to July 17 on the Albert mainstage. The postponement of Outsiders is due to scheduling issues related to COVID. One more show is still to be announced for the current season. Advertisement Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@chicagotribune.com Ugh, just ban this man from everywhere Reply Thread Link Someone take a tennis racket to his backside until he sees sense. Reply Thread Link What kills me in all of this is if he had shut up and pretended to be vaccinated when he got the exemption, he would have had no backlash. Reply Parent Thread Link Really too dumb to wipe his own nose. Reply Parent Thread Link He 100 percent wanted to flex that he was not vaxxed and still allowed entry. Reply Parent Thread Link does this man have to idk stage a daylight bank robbery in Melbourne city centre without a disguise to get booted from that fucking tournament? Why is he so speciaaaal. Reply Thread Link The Victorian Government. I'm imaging these people are denying the visa like 'No good sir, you may not enter' Also unrelated but I'm fully cackling at. I'm imaging these people are denying the visa like 'No good sir, you may not enter' Reply Thread Link Aye and the people that live in that state are called Victorians so those there in the 1800s were Victorian Victorians. Reply Parent Thread Link Hard time and place to be a girl named after Queen Vic Reply Parent Thread Expand Link If Novaxx was granted the exemption for having Covid in the last six months, that means this mf has had it twice at least already. He first had it in April 2020 when he staged a tournament in Serbia with no social distancing, most of the players who went also caught Covid. Reply Thread Link I don't get why that would be grounds for exemption since you can get reinfected. Also, does he plan to keep getting COVID in six month intervals to skirt the vaxx requirements of some countries? Reply Parent Thread Link I think after you get it you can 'delay' getting the vaccine which is where this comes from. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I believe that most countries will grant you entry if you show a vaccination certificate or a recovery certificate thats within 6 months. I think 6 months is like the norm? That antidotes are still in your body or something?? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link "If Novaxx was granted the exemption for having Covid in the last six months, that means this mf has had it twice at least already." or he paid a doctor to make it look like he had it. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think people should boycott watching his ass. Reply Thread Link Hes playing in their face and theyre letting him Reply Thread Link I hope the Australian crowds boo him tbh. He sucks so bad. Reply Thread Link Oh they will. Reply Parent Thread Link They will, but unfortunately he'll use that to motivate himself. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh Im sure in his head he makes himself out to be the martyr, the poor victim, the underdog, etc etc. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm still amazed that when he had the crowd on his side at USO after all that wanting to be loved, he fell to pieces. Reply Parent Thread Link his father is threatening to fight them in the street. I want to see THAT. Reply Parent Thread Link I could not hate that fucking man more, honestly. Reply Thread Link Dear Orthodox Santa, please let this man slip on a banana peel or something. Thank you, me Reply Thread Link Vaistinu hahahaha Reply Parent Thread Link This is so bizarre. I have no other words. Don't let the man play, simple as that. Reply Thread Link ffs Reply Thread Link How many more mistakes and bad decisions will he be allowed to bypass because he's a champion? Reply Thread Link The Omicron Variant is now Accounting for 95 Percent of new U.S. Covid-19 Cases Statistics from several countries prove Omicron is taking over. The Omicron variant caused 95.4 percent of new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. last week significantly higher than the previous week, according to estimates posted Tuesday by the CDC. The Delta variant makes up almost all of the rest of cases. A fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine boosts a persons antibodies in the space of a weeks, a study shows. According to an article,* the study is preliminary and has yet to be peer reviewed or published in a medical journal. This is good news, said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who embraced the decision to recommend it. Thats an indicator of a very high likelihood that the fourth dose will protect vaccinated people to a great degree against infection [and] to some degree against severe symptoms. Data suggests that about to 10 to 15 percent of Omicron cases in the United Kingdom are reinfections, according to the country's top scientist Dr. Neil Ferguson, who is a member of the UK government's Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE). The fact that the variant is "substantially less severe" has helped the UK "undoubtedly. "We would be seeing much higher case numbers in hospital otherwise. And vaccines are holding up against severe disease and against severe outcomes well, but that doesnt mean its not going to be difficult few weeks for the NHS," he said. Ferguson also said he is "cautiously optimistic" that cases in London may have plateaued. He added that it is too early to say fully whether cases are going down. The cities of Mumbai and New Delhi collectively recorded at least 16,341 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to officials. New Delhi currently has a positivity rate of 8.37 percent with 5,481 new cases and the government announced further restrictions Tuesday afternoon. Beyond charging speed, a massive buildout in EV charging capacity will require more power and more grid capacity to supply them. Fast chargers are needed, because the amount of time it takes to charge a vehicle is another factor influencing the decision to purchase an electric vehicle. Last month the Biden administration released a plan to build a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country. President Biden considers this an essential part of the fight against climate change by enabling the continued rollout of electric vehicles. In announcing the plan, Vice President Kamala Harris noted, When we ask people what is the biggest barrier for them to buy an electric car, the answer is almost always figuring out where and how to charge it. The plan emphasizes standardization as the charging network expands from the current patchwork of 100,000 public charging outlets. EV owners are well aware of the challenges of navigating the current fractured EV charging network, which have different outlets, payment options, and hardware hookups. President Biden had sought $15 billion for the plan, but Congress cut that amount in half in the recently-passed infrastructure bill. Nevertheless, the Administration has stuck to the original plan, with $5 billion deployed to states, territories and the District of Columbia. The remaining $2.5 billion will be targeted at putting charging stations in rural areas. Faster Charging Required Fast chargers are needed, because the amount of time it takes to charge a vehicle is another factor influencing the decision to purchase an electric vehicle. But the reduced funding likely means more slower charging stations. Level 2 charging stations require 2-10 hours to fully recharge a depleted battery. Higher power and more expensive Level 3 charging stations can achieve this in 30 minutes. This means most EV customers will likely need to do most of their charging overnight at home. But the faster Level 3 charging stations will need to be strategically located along major highways and interstates to serve drivers on long-distance trips a necessity especially if EVs are to play a larger role in commercial transportation. Presently there are vast stretches of EV deserts across the U.S. Midwest and South, and that is a major hindrance for those wanting to buy an EV. A Strain on the Grid Beyond the charging speed, a massive buildout in EV charging capacity will require more power and more grid capacity to supply them. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that by 2030 EVs could require between 525 terawatt-hours (TWh) and 860 TWh of electricity globally, up from 80 TWh last year. This is equivalent to more than three times the current power consumption of California. The California state government is facing a formidable challenge, given its increasing reliance on renewables while facing extreme climate conditions that severely strain the grid. Current rates of new power plant commissioning are slower than what would be needed to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2045, as set out by the California Energy Commission, while not all power plants newly in operation are using clean resources. A case in point are the temporary gas plants to avoid blackouts during summer. Innovative Solutions are Coming Even so, California home to nearly half of all EVs in the U.S. is at the forefront of vehicle-grid integration. The state intends to stop selling gasoline-powered passenger cars by 2035, so it has launched a number of initiatives to ensure that EVs dont overwhelm the states electric utility infrastructure. Southern California Edison has launched a $436 million program to install 38,000 electric car chargers over the next five years. The program will incentivize smart charging during the day when solar energy is at its peak, and power is cheapest as a result. But there are other innovative solutions being developed by several start-ups, which could help. L-Charge, for example, has developed a charging station thats off the grid entirely and can charge 100 km (roughly 60 miles) in just 5-10 minutes. The company has developed both a stationary and mobile version of its chargers. The stationary version can be located in conventional locations, but the mobile version can actually travel around a city and charge vehicles on demand. Meanwhile, Amazon-backed startup Span has developed a smart electrical panel, capable of being paired with a Level 2 EV charger. Span panel can be paired with Amazons voice recognition interface, Alexa. This integration will make it easier for homeowners to identify the largest power users in the home at any given time. In turn, that could help balance the energy load and charge EVs only when theres spare electricity capacity. In many areas, tapping into the grid means charging an EV with fossil fuel-generated power. But the mobile charging station developed by L-Charge, which runs on relatively low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) or hydrogen, also offers a solution that doesnt involve additional strain on the grid. This is an important innovation in a world in which demands on the grid are expected to grow rapidly over the next decade. In the long run, electric vehicles may both accelerate the shift to renewable energy and help stabilize the grid. Many homeowners will increasingly rely on solar power they generate themselves to charge their EVs, and this could displace significant fossil fuel power sources over the next decade. But if this transition is going to proceed on an aggressive schedule, the Biden administrations plan will need to be supplemented by investment in faster-charging stations and in bolstering the electrical grid or developing off-grid solutions. By Robert Rapier More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A new law passed by the country aims to attract new investment while also ensuring Guyanas citizens and local economy benefit from its oil boom Guyanas recent oil discoveries could not have come at a better time for the country, with international companies looking to move away from traditional oil-producing states The context for oil in Guyana is looking even more favorable thanks to the passing of a landmark local content law last week. With greater opportunities for exploration in Guyanas waters, as well as already strong investments by some of the worlds supermajors, the Caribbean is set to be the oil-producing region of the future. Many companies have started their movement away from traditional oil-producing states, particularly in Europe and North America for several reasons. Firstly, several countries in these regions are currently developing policies for the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives, leading to unfavorable regulatory frameworks for new exploration projects. Secondly, many companies have been driven to Africa and the Caribbean thanks to new oil discoveries and the prospect of lower-cost operations. And, thirdly, while oil in some regions is drying up, these new oil regions offer the possibility of large untapped resources where oil firms can commence long-term, lower-carbon operations. And last week, Guyana made it that much easier for international oil firms to gain access to these resources. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali signed a local content bill into law at the end of 2021, which will offer international oil companies the opportunity to bid on several exploration blocks in the second half of 2022. The Guyanese president hopes this will help the country to benefit from its new oil discoveries, rather than losing out to international players. Ali stated, This local content bill gives us the opportunity to win. It sets the framework for Guyanese to win and that is what we are interested in. The law also makes it compulsory for certain goods and services to be provided by Guyanese companies, including engineering and machinery as well as immigration and environmental services. The government also intends to promote associated social and economic development through the law, such as supporting the tourism and real estate sectors. Since the first sale of its oil by ExxonMobil in 2019, the citizens of the country have been asking the government to ensure the oil revenues are pumped back into the national economy, benefitting the whole country. The new law aims to fulfill this objective. Related: Oil Tops $80 After OPEC+ Sticks To Plan To Ease Cuts To date, international oil companies have made discoveries of 10 billion barrels of oil and gas. In a country of just 800,000, this could have a huge economic impact. Its GDP grew over 43 percent last year alone, while most other states were battling Covid-related economic downturns. Much like oil-rich countries like Norway and the UAE, Guyana has set up a Natural Resources Fund to manage oil revenues as high as a projected $130 billion over the next two decades. While Guyana stands to profit from the new law, greater exploration adds to the already promising outlook for international investors. In December, Exxon moved ahead with new exploration drilling activities in the Stabroek block. The oil major hopes to find more hydrocarbons in the Fangtooth-1 and Lau Lau-1 wells. Exxon is also carrying out appraisal drilling through the Tripletail-2 and Turbot-2 wells in the same block. ExxonMobil is currently seeing output of around 120,000 barrels per day from its Liza oilfield in the Stabroek block. The firm contracted a second floating production system, the Liza Unity FPSO, to support operations in the field, which set sail from the Keppel shipyard in Singapore in September. With the potential to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day, this will significantly enhance Exxons operations in the region. The facility will also be capable of storing 2 million barrels of crude oil. A third vessel, Prosperity FPSO, currently under construction, will join the others by 2024. Guyana can expect an oil output as high as 750,000 barrels per day by 2026, according to Exxon. While American oil firm Hess believes production could total 1 million bpd by 2027. In December, Exxon also announced the construction of a supply depot, which would bring its total investment to $30 billion. It hopes that this supply base will support the creation of local construction and long-term oil-related jobs. The firm has also hinted at other developments in the country, such as a gas-to-energy project, which would decrease the cost of electricity. An Exxon-led consortium, alongside Hess Corp and CNOOC, currently employs 3,200 national workers across its operations. It seems that Exxon is putting all its eggs in one basket, moving the vast majority of its offshore operations to Guyana from previous projects in the United States, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago. This is largely due to the reasons stated earlier, with Guyana offering brighter prospects for the future of low-cost, lower carbon oil operations that will not dry up any time soon. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The UK government believes it has until April to find a solution to ease the burden of surging natural gas and energy prices on utilities and households, although no immediate fixes have been adopted. As a result of the energy crunch, households in the UK will face much higher electricity prices beginning in April, as the government prepares to raise the so-called cap on utility bills. The UKs energy regulator Ofgem is expected to announce the new price cap on energy prices in early February, but the effect on household bills will be felt as of April 1. The UK government believes it has two more months after February to assess whether some consumers will need assistance or relief to blunt the impact of the surge in energy bills, a source with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. Earlier this month, 20 Conservative Members of Parliament and peers called on the UKs Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a letter to Sunday Telegraph to have the value added tax (VAT) and the environmental levies on energy bills removed. Johnson, however, dismissed on Tuesday those calls, despite a pledge during the Brexit Leave campaign that without the EU, the UK would be able to scrap the VAT on energy bills. Removing VAT on utility bills could result in assisting a lot of people who perhaps dont need the support, he said. While UK households face steep rises in energy bills, energy providers are going out of business by the dozens. Two dozen power and gas suppliers in the UK had already exited the retail energy market as of the end of November, and more are likely to do so. Another 20 energy providers in the UK could go bust in what looks like a massacre in the coming months unless the government reviews the energy price cap, Keith Anderson, chief executive at one of the largest providers, ScottishPower, said in November. The energy cap will be reviewed and raised as of April 1, but this will significantly increase the cost of living for Britons. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: European benchmark natural gas prices rose on Wednesday for the third day in a row, as gas deliveries from Russia via Ukraine and Poland continue to be low while another cold snap is headed to Europe. On Wednesday, natural gas prices at the Dutch TTF hub, the benchmark for European gas, rose by 6 percent by mid-day, following a 30-percent jump on Tuesday. European gas prices reflect growing concerns that Russian natural gas flows to Europe via Ukraine and Poland have been abnormally low in recent days. Russian gas supply to Europe via Ukraine dropped earlier this week to the lowest daily volume since January 2020. Daily gas transit flows from Russia westward to Europe via Ukraine on Monday were half the amount Russia had booked for that day, Sergiy Makogon, chief executive officer at Ukraine's transmission system operator Gas TSO wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, adding that the drop in transit gas volumes was expected to continue. This is the lowest transit volume of gas Russia has sent via Ukraine since January 2020, Makogon said. Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately withholding gas supplies to Europe during the winter months to try to force an approval of the controversial Gazprom-led gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2. At the end of December, Ukraine's transmission system operator sent a letter to the German Ministry of Economy, in which it says, "we firmly believe that Nord Stream 2 endangers the security of the European Union's gas supply." Nord Stream 2 awaits approval in Germany and then a review from the EU, which will likely push the in-service date of the pipeline well beyond the current winter heating season in Europe. Meanwhile, due to the lower transit volumes via Ukraine and the 16th consecutive day on which gas the Yamal-Europe pipeline via Belarus to Poland and Germany flows in the reverse direction from Germany to Poland, natural gas prices in Europe continued to rise on Wednesday. "There is growing nervousness on the European gas market again... This is chiefly due to faltering pipeline deliveries via Ukraine from Russia," Barbara Lambrecht, an analyst at Commerzbank, wrote in a note cited by Reuters. "EU gas trades higher for a third day on weak supplies from Russia's Gazprom via Poland and Ukraine, just as temperatures has started to fall again. Watch the March-April TTF spread for signs of storage stress," said Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Unrest in oil and gas-rich Kazakhstan continued on Wednesday, even after the government resigned on Tuesday following protests over increased fuel prices. In a rare protest in tightly-controlled Kazakhstana major oil producer and part of the non-OPEC group in the OPEC+ alliancepeople took to the streets earlier this week to protest against higher fuel prices. The government had lifted price controls on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which many Kazakhs use to fuel their LPG-converted vehicles because its cheaper than gasoline. The rise in fuel prices also resulted in a surge in consumer goods. The rise in fuel prices sparked violent protests on Tuesday in which almost 100 police officers were injured, and police used tear gas and stun grenades to dispel hundreds of protesters out of the main square in Kazakhstans biggest city Almaty. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Tuesday that the government had decided to decrease the price of LPG in the western province of Mangistau in order to ensure stability in the country. Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government on Wednesday and said the lower price of LPG would be restored. The president also declared a state of emergency in Almaty and in the Mangistau province. Despite the governments resignation and the state of emergency, protests and violence continued on Wednesday as protesters stormed the mayors office. Government buildings in cities other than Almaty, such as Shymkent and Taraz in the south, were also attacked by protesters. During the two days of clashes, cars have been burnt, while attacks on shops, restaurants, and banks have also been reported in Almaty. Authorities in the city have urged residents to stay at home. Kazakhstan produces around 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, and it was called out by the OPEC+ meeting on Tuesday for low compliance with the cuts. For February, the quota for Kazakhstan is 1.589 million bpd, per the groups decision and production table. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: ExxonMobil has made two more discoveries in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana, which add to the previously announced 10 billion oil-equivalent barrels recoverable resource estimate for the block, the U.S. supermajor said on Wednesday. Exxon struck high-quality oil and hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone reservoirs at the Fangtooth-1 and Lau Lau-1 wells in the block off Guyana, which continues to be one of the U.S. corporations priority exploration and production areas for the next few years. Both discoveries increase our understanding of the resource, our continued confidence in the blocks exploration potential, and our view that the many discoveries to date could result in up to 10 development projects, said Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil. Since 2015, when it first struck oil offshore Guyana, Exxon has made more than 20 discoveries in the waters of the South American nation. Now Guyana wants to capitalize on the large oil and gas discoveries over the past half-decade to build up an economy powered by its own energy resources. The South American nation became a crude oil exporter in early 2020, thanks to Exxons huge discoveries offshore Guyana. Over the past two years, the U.S. supermajor and Hess Corp, its partner in the prolific Stabroek Block, have made a dozen more discoveries, while the Liza Phase 1 project is very profitable for the oil corporations and for Guyana. Liza Phase 1 and 2 developments break even at around $35 a barrel and $25 per barrel Brent, respectively, Hess says. Liza Phase 2 start-up is expected in the middle of 2022 via a floating, production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) designed to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd). Exxon also said today that the hull for the Prosperity FPSO vessel, the third project on the Stabroek block at the Payara field, is complete, and topside construction activities are ongoing in Singapore for planned production start-up in 2024. The Field Development Plan and Environmental Impact Assessment for the fourth potential project, Yellowtail, have been submitted for government and regulatory review. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The United States became the worlds largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in December as deliveries of the superchilled fuel to energy-starved Europe surged. According to Bloomberg calculations, the U.S. dethroned Qatar as the top LNG exporter in the world after a substantial jump in LNG production from Cheniere Energys Sabine Pass plant, which in turn followed the launch of a new liquefaction unit. A veritable fleet of U.S. LNG cargo carriers sailed for Europe last month as the price differentials between the continent and Asia became more favorable to Europe, motivating U.S. exporters to send cargos there. The U.S. is seen retaining the top spot in LNG exports this year as well, but in the medium term, Qatar may overtake it as it boosts its LNG production capacity from 77 million tons annually to over 100 million tons. Qatar and the U.S. will be vying for being the largest LNG producers in the world over the next decade, said Muqsit Ashraf, senior managing director of global energy practice at Accenture. Thanks to a growing number of U.S. LNG export projects coming into service, by the end of 2022, U.S. nominal capacity will increase to 11.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) and peak capacity to 13.9 Bcf/d across 7 LNG export facilities and 44 liquefaction trains, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in December last year. Thanks to liquefaction trains at Sabine Pass, Cove Point, Corpus Christi, Cameron, Elba Island, Freeport, and Calcasieu Pass, Americas export capacity will exceed in 2022 that of the two current largest global LNG exporters, Australia (11.4 Bcf/d) and Qatar (10.3 Bcf/d). The current increase in LNG exports even caused a stir in Congress, with Senator Elizabeth Warren accusing the industry of keeping production of natural gas low and hiking exports, and gaming the system. This corporate greed is inexcusable, and represents the results of a rigged system that enriches energy company executives and investors, and leaves American families struggling to pay the bills, Senator Warren wrote in a letter to several energy companies last year. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The White House applauded OPEC+s decision to continue adding 400,000 bpd to global supply next month as well, with Reuters reporting the administration cited close coordination with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. OPEC and its partners, led by Russia, yesterday decided to stay the course of adding oil production in line with original intentions after the worst of the pandemic was over. The cartel remains confident that demand for crude is strong enough to keep prices elevated even with the supply additions. However, many members of the group have been struggling to add as much production as their quotas call for. In November 2021, the members of the OPEC+ agreement complied with the production cuts at 117 percent, Amena Bakr, Deputy Bureau Chief and Chief Opec Correspondent at Energy Intelligence, reported on Tuesday, quoting delegates at the monthly OPEC+ meeting. The high conformity level with the cutsover 100 percentsuggests that OPEC+ is actually producing lower volumes overall than the collective quotas. The ten OPEC members bound by the OPEC+ pactand excluding exempted producers Iran, Venezuela, and Libyacomplied with the cuts at a massive 122 percent, while the conformity level of the non-OPEC members led by Russia was 107 percent, Energy Intelligences Bakr notes. Other analysts have also expressed slight worry that OPEC is overcomplying with the cuts, therefore undercomplying with output addition quotas. The reasons for this are the lack of field and equipment maintenance in some members who have had other problems to tackle over the last few years, including Iraq, Nigeria, and Angola. The bigger worry is that with these members struggling to boost production, the spare capacity of those who can produce more will run out more quickly than previously anticipated with the regular production additions. This means that the White Houses enthusiasm about the continuance of OPEC+s policy may be a little premature if demand remains strong throughout the year. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: It is with some trepidation that I gaze upon the 2022 dance calendar. As the omicron variant rips through the performing arts scene, COVID-19 rears its ugly head (again), forcing cancellations and even closures this winter. But the promise of spring draws thoughts of hope and rejuvenation. With cautious optimism and fingers crossed, here are the top dance happenings in early 2022. Trinity Irish Dance Company: Far more than jigs and reels, this hometown troupe is the standard-bearer for theatrical Irish dance. In recent seasons, founder Mark Howard and associate director (and heir apparent) Chelsea Hoy have effectively pushed a message of female empowerment and cross-cultural connections in their rep themes that have always been present as a meaningful undercurrent to the glitz and glam of Trinitys high-quality productions. Youll want to buy tickets early this one almost always sells out. Feb. 5 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets $38-$84 at 312-341-2310 and auditoriumtheatre.org Advertisement Ballet Folklorico de Amalia Hernandez: Lovingly preserved Mexican folkloric and theatrical dances, created decades ago by the late cultural ambassador Amalia Hernandez, are as fresh and vibrant as the day they were made. Ballet Folkloricos invigorating repertoire spans ancient Azteca to the modern era, and everything in between. Dont be surprised to discover a few mariachis in the aisles! Feb. 12-13 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets $38-$88 at 312-341-2310 and auditoriumtheatre.org Amanda Assucena and Alberto Velazquez in Joffrey Ballets "Don Quixote." (Todd Rosenberg photo / HANDOUT) Joffrey Ballets Don Quixote: Yuri Possokhovs playful interpretation of the classic ballet Don Quixote takes audiences for a ride along with the Man of La Mancha and his bumbling, lovable sidekick Sancho Panza. The pair embark on a fantastically fun and funny journey, backed by Ludwig Minkus rousing score. Feb. 16-27 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; tickets $35-$184 at 312-386-8905 and joffrey.org Advertisement Chicago Tap Theatres For the Love of Tap: A stripped down repertory concert features new works by Mark Yonally, Sterling Harris and Molly Smith, plus returning favorites like Yonallys percussive take on Beethovens Moonlight Sonata. The evenings cornerstone is tap icon Brenda Bufalinos Flying Turtles, revived after a decade on the shelf. Flying Turtles is inspired by how turtles look as they swim. That sounds silly, but Turtles is a sophisticated modern masterpiece of layered meters and beats flourished by CTTs fantastic hoofers. Feb. 19 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave.; tickets $26-$65 at chicagotaptheatre.com Jeffrey Cirio and Akram Khan in a rehearsal for English National Ballets "Creature." (Laurent Liotardo photo / HANDOUT) English National Ballets Creature: A cargo backlog bungled what was to be Akram Khans Xenos at the Harris last fall more reason to secure your seats for his latest full-length work, performed by English National Ballets indescribably adept dancers. If you loved Khans Giselle in 2019, you are likely to fall for Creature too, although the two ballets are remarkably distinct. Here, Khan dives deeper (and darker) into the psyche, pulling from Promethean tales by Mary Shelley and Georg Buchner. Feb. 24-26 at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St.; tickets $35-$140 at 312-334-7777 and harristheaterchicago.org Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Aileys annual Chicago pilgrimage resumes with three programs dedicated to key figures from the companys history. An all-Ailey evening includes fresh new productions of Reflections in D and The River, while a retrospective of Robert Battles works celebrates his 10th anniversary as artistic director. Rennie Harris joyful noise, Lazarus, caps the series, with Revelations, as the closer, every time. March 2-6 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets $48-$112 at 312-341-2310 and auditoriumtheatre.org Hubbard Street dancers Kevin J. Shannon, Alyssa Allen, Alysia Johnson, and Andrew Murdock in "Jardi Tancat" by Nacho Duato. (Michelle Reid photo / HANDOUT) Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Hubbard Street returns to the MCA after a five-year absence from one of the citys best small dance venues. Jardi Tancat and The Seen, from Novembers gorgeous season opener, are joined by new works from two highly sought choreographers, Darrell Grand Moultrie and Amy Hall Garner both making their Hubbard Street debuts. Lar Lubovitchs Little Rhapsodies is the cherry atop this sweet two-program set, last seen here in 2019 and among the prolific Chicago natives best short works. March 2-13 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; tickets $15-$110 at hubbardstreetdance.com Ballet Hispanicos Dona Peron: Chicago appearances from this powerhouse company are rare; that is reason enough to buy tickets. Even better, theyre bringing Annabelle Lopez Ochoas Dona Peron, a choreographic sketch on Eva Perons unlikely rise to power, becoming Argentinas most recognized (and outspoken) first lady. Ochoa is routinely masterful at folding dazzling movement invention into unique narratives. With these dancers as her muse, its hard to imagine the evening will be anything other than extraordinary. March 26-27 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets $37-$83 at 312-341-2310 and auditoriumtheatre.org Onjelee Phomthirath, Rosario Guillen and Erina Ueda in "Take a Gambol" (2018) by Giordano Dance Chicago. (Todd Rosenberg photo / HANDOUT) Giordano Dance Chicago: You could think of a Giordano evening like the dance version of your favorite power ballad you know, the kind that makes you run for your hairbrush and burst into enthusiastic air guitar. Ramping up toward their 60th season, the legacy jazz dance company sticks to its roots with feel-good fun and full-tilt dancing, including Ray Leepers Feelin Good Sweet, Kiesha Lalamas Alegria, and new works by Joshua Blake Carter and Autumn Eckman. April 1-2 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; tickets $20-$90 at 312-334-7777 and harristheaterchicago.org Sara Julis Burnt-Out Wife: Performer Juli made her solo show Burnt-Out Wife before the pandemic, but this homage to marriage fatigue and burn out of all kinds sure feels apropos after lockdowns with our loved ones. Her sardonic take is laugh-out-loud funny, but pokes at universal truths to which all can relate married or not. April 22-23 at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.; tickets $30 at 312-369-8330 and dance.colum.edu In the last few weeks, some people have scrambled to find rapid at-home tests to screen for COVID-19. The tests can be hard to come by. Several popular brands are listed as out of stock on Amazon.com and pharmacy websites. To help meet demand for the tests, President Joe Bidens administration announced late last month that it would give away a half-million test kits to households that request them beginning sometime this month. But one concern with the at-home tests is that most of the results positive or negative are not reported to or recorded by local and state health departments. Teresa Anderson, director of the Grand Island-based Central District Health Department, said she and her staff have no way of knowing the results of most at-home tests because there is no mechanism to report them to Nebraskas disease-tracking system. One exception, she said, is the results of the Abbott BinaxNOW tests used by long-term care facilities. The facilities results are reported to the state through the Nebraska Infection Control Assessment and Promotion Program. But if residents of the district, which includes Hall, Hamilton and Merrick Counties, call to report results from their tests as some occasionally do Andersons staff cant add them to state systems. We really just dont know whats going on in the home-testing world, she said. Dr. Anne OKeefe, the Douglas County Health Departments senior epidemiologist, said no mechanism exists to add the results to health departments systems. The department likely would have to track at-home tests separately so that they dont skew the positivity rates used to help determine testing needs and case trends. (While people may call with positive results, theyre not likely to do so with negative ones.) OKeefe said in most cases, the tests should not be used as a substitute for a lab test. The best use may be in situations where its difficult to quickly find a lab-run test. But she and Anderson said the at-home tests do offer people an opportunity to find out whether theyre COVID positive so they can take the appropriate steps to avoid infecting others. At least the people doing them know and can act on the information, OKeefe said. Both health districts are seeing increased demand for testing and an increase in positive cases. Anderson said the Nomi Health testing site in Grand Island, which she can see from her office window, conducted 280 tests Monday. The Douglas County department reported 1,038 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday from tests collected Monday. The department reported its highest weekly count of the pandemic for the week ending Saturday. Previously, some experts have raised concerns that at-home tests dont allow for contact tracing because of the lack of reporting. But OKeefe said the health department currently doesnt have the capacity to do all the contact tracing it conducted last year, even with a contract in place for contact tracing services. Case counts, she said, are too high. Instead, she said, the health department has focused on providing more information about what people should do if they have a positive test. That includes how to quarantine and isolate, how to determine when people may have exposed others, and what to tell close contacts. Douglas County residents who test positive at home or at a testing center and have questions should call the health departments COVID information line at 402-444-3400. Thats good information to get out because were not able to do it one on one, OKeefe said. Those who test positive on a home test dont need to have the results confirmed with another test, she said. But those who get negative results, either after an exposure or before or after a gathering, should repeat the test within 24 to 48 hours, OKeefe said. Many of the tests come in two-packs and instruct users to repeat the initial test at a prescribed interval. It will be much more predictive if you do the serial testing, she said. A person planning a visit to a relative in a nursing home, for instance, could test a couple of days beforehand and then repeat the test right before the visit. Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, said the U.S. has had issues throughout the pandemic with accurately assessing case numbers, with cases undercounted throughout. Now, in addition to most home test results not being reported, he said, many of the at-home tests available in the United States are less sensitive in picking up the omicron variant. The Food and Drug Administration noted Dec. 28 that early data, based on lab tests on patient samples conducted by National Institutes of Health researchers, indicate that the tests detect omicron but may have reduced sensitivity. More research is underway. Most of the rapid at-home tests available in the U.S. are antigen tests, which detect viral proteins. Using them typically involves swirling a nasal swab inside the nasal cavities. The swabs are shorter and dont go as far back as those typically used to collect samples for PCR tests, which amplify and detect the viruss genetic material. Nationally, some experts have suggested swabbing the nose and the throat as a way to increase the sensitivity of the at-home tests. Lawler said the suggestion makes sense intuitively, as it appears the omicron virus may be concentrated more in saliva. But tests are optimized for the samples they are designed to test. He advised caution in using the tests in ways other than their approved use until data are available to back that up. Omicron accounted for 52% of the positive samples sequenced over the past two weeks in Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. While the incidence of omicron varies across the state, health officials wrote, it is likely the variant soon will become predominant. Lawler said the next concern will be fielding enough testing to keep up with omicron. Were about to take off like a rocket, he said. Were clearly not going to have enough access to testing over the next month. Our health system is already close to a tipping point, and its not going to take much to push us over. OKeefe said it will be good to have the Biden at-home tests available. In addition, testing companies are expanding and hiring more people. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An Omaha man who set fire to his familys home, critically injuring his wife, which led to her death years later, pleaded guilty to two felony charges Wednesday. Carl Bohm, now 68, pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and attempted first-degree assault. He faces a maximum of 70 years in prison when he is sentenced in February. On Feb. 25, 2019, Bohm started a fire at the family home near 39th Street and Himebaugh Avenue. I will hurt you more than you ever will know, Amanda Bohm has recounted that her father said before he flicked a lighter onto a puddle of gasoline on the garage floor. Amanda, then an Omaha North High senior, suffered second-degree burns. Her mother, Janet Franks-Bohm, was required to have at least 30 surgeries to repair third-degree burns that covered more than 60% of her body. Franks-Bohm died in October, and a coroner in Colorado concluded that her death was directly related to the injuries she suffered in the fire. Because of that, she is recorded in police records as one of the 32 homicides in 2021. She was 59 years old. Bohm has faced charges of arson and two counts of assault since July 2019, when he was released from the hospital. The start of his trial had been delayed until Monday, as prosecutors considered upgrading charges after learning of Franks-Bohms death. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said his office met with Franks-Bohms family, and they wanted to reach a plea deal so that no one would have to testify at trial and without restarting the process to add a murder charge. They were appreciative and thankful we got the case to plea, and satisfied with that, Kleine said. Amanda Bohm couldnt immediately be reached for comment. If you ask anyone, my moms my best friend, Amanda said in 2019 when her mom was still recovering in the burn unit at a Lincoln hospital. Its really hard, and I miss her a lot. Kleine didnt provide an exact number of years in prison that prosecutors will seek at sentencing, but said they want to make sure the case is treated as a homicide. Carl Bohm appeared at the hearing Wednesday in a wheelchair and was medically transported to the courthouse, Kleine said. Were going to ask for a sentence that would keep him in prison for the rest of his life, Kleine said. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The last inhabitant of one of Omahas largest homeless encampments sat in his tent and tarp shelter Tuesday as the sound of heavy machinery rolled closer. He refused to leave the campsite hed shared with a handful of others, set at the bottom of a steep incline among snow-covered brush, even as Union Pacific began to clear its property Tuesday morning. Homeless individuals have for years sheltered on the property, which spans multiple blocks along railroad tracks beyond a thicket of brush and trees east of 16th Street and south of Locust Street. Signs along the propertys perimeter mark the site as closed with a warning that trespassers could be prosecuted. The population there fluctuates throughout the year. At its peak from March to October, more than 30 people were living at the site full time, according to a local advocacy group. On Monday afternoon, only three men remained. All three said they were unaware of a sign found posted on the property and shared on Twitter that stated Union Pacific planned to remove all items from the area, including trees and brush. Tuesday morning, a private contractor hired by Union Pacific to clear the property used heavy equipment to scoop up debris and belongings scattered among the brush and the snow. By 2 p.m., Omaha police officers were called to remove the only person who remained in his makeshift shelter. The man was arrested on outstanding warrants, an officer at the scene said. Robynn Tysver, a Union Pacific spokesperson, cited safety concerns, complaints from area residents and dangerously cold temperatures as reasons for the clear-out. But the advocacy group Omaha Autonomous, which has provided aid to people in the encampment since March, expressed concern over the timing of the cleanup. This is a space outside of public view and allows unhoused people the ability to keep warm by a fire as well as providing a sense of safety that comes from a chosen community among others in similar situations, the group said in a written statement. By choosing to sweep this area during the coldest months of the year, it demonstrates a clear lack of compassion on the part of Union Pacific. The encampment was a source of contention in the fall as Omaha police cleared people out after receiving complaints from nearby businesses and homeowners. Keith Williamson, who at the time was captain of Omahas Northeast precinct, called for Union Pacific to take steps to deter homeless people from camping on the property. Advocates argued that clearing the camp wouldnt solve the underlying issues leading to homelessness, nor would it help the individuals from being displaced to other locations in the city. Its unclear how long the clear-out will take, Tysver said. Tuesday afternoon, two large dumpsters were dropped off in the area, soon to be loaded with debris left behind by homeless individuals and furniture and tires illegally dumped down the incline. As officers removed the last inhabitant of the encampment, members of Omaha Autonomous gathered the mans belongings before they could be swept away by contractors. We will never not be disappointed at the lack of compassion and empathy in these decisions, the group said in a statement. Before the cleanup began, Union Pacific worked with police to help individuals find safer alternatives to the encampment, Tysver said. Homelessness is a challenging issue for not only Union Pacific, but for city, county and state agencies, Tysver said. Due to the wintry weather, many have already left the site. Jay Leavitt, captain of Omahas Northeast police precinct, said Union Pacific advised police of the cleanup before it began. The area is registered as closed property under a city ordinance, which allows police to respond to trespassers on the property. Our intent will be to ensure they are aware of local shelters in the area and would only make arrests as a last resort, Leavitt said. Supporting initiatives that work to provide affordable housing is the most impactful way to prevent homelessness, said Lisa Fox, interim executive director of the Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless (MACCH). Its always very scary when you have a large group of people that are unsheltered, Fox said. Especially this time of year. In October, MACCH estimated that about 900 people on any given day are on a list seeking housing in Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie Counties, and of those 300 to 400 are chronically homeless. The situation, Fox said, emphasizes that the lack of affordable housing in our community is a critical issue. World-Herald photographer Anna Reed contributed to this report. Omaha World-Herald: Afternoon Update The latest headlines sent at 4:45 p.m. daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Jessica Wade Jessica Wade covers breaking news, crime and the Omaha zoo. Follow her on Twitter @Jess_Wade_OWH. Phone: 402-444-1067 Follow Jessica Wade Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Subconsciously, I'll wager, they felt threatened. Here was a writer who could throw around references to Margaret Mead and Joan Baez, Fidel Castro and Jean Genet, Willy Loman and Daniel Boone, who could spit out a line like "You like the wrong part of Thoreau." Here was a playwright who was a master of dramatic structure but would not let it contain her. Watching this piece Monday, it felt to me like Hansberry herself whose work, as you may have noticed, I deeply admire was about to bust out of her own play half a century after her death, an Englewood High School graduate posthumously receiving the key to the city of her youth. Her presence is that vivid in Kauffman's loving production. LINCOLN Saying that now is the time for big ideas and assertive leadership, two North Omaha state senators unveiled a plan Tuesday to use nearly $440 million of federal COVID relief money to help their neighborhoods emerge stronger after the pandemic. In a statement, State Sens. Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne said their North Omaha 2022 Recovery Plan would take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime funding opportunity to help North Omaha recover from the pandemic and improve the lives of all area residents. When were dealing with problems that started before my lifetime, we understand that change will not happen overnight, but we cannot wait any longer, McKinney said. This plan is a pro-wealth building recovery plan that ensures North Omaha emerges from this pandemic as a more vibrant and resilient community. Wayne said he looks forward to getting support from the City of Omaha and from Douglas County for projects that will make tangible and measurable progress in North Omaha. Now is the time to act decisively, he said, adding that the federal American Rescue Plan Act offers transformational funding. Nebraska is in line to get $1.04 billion from that federal legislation. Deciding how to use those funds will be a major focus of the 2022 legislative session, which kicks off Wednesday. Leaders have said the money needs to go for one-time uses, rather than ongoing programs that would have to rely on state funds to continue. The North Omaha proposal likely will face fierce competition. At a public hearing in the fall, representatives of business, agriculture, education and numerous other interests offered ideas and proposals that totaled well over the amount available. But McKinney and Wayne said studies show that the pandemic hit particularly hard on communities like North Omaha, where people with low incomes and people of color have disproportionately experienced job loss and severe health challenges during the pandemic. While Nebraska as a whole recorded its lowest ever unemployment rate in November, at 1.8%, the unemployment rate for Black Omaha residents remained at nearly 12%, or levels not seen since the 2008 recession. Black Nebraska residents are disproportionately likely to have gotten COVID and been hospitalized with it. The North Omaha plan details 39 projects addressing sectors of the community hardest hit by COVID-19, including housing and homelessness, community and small-business recovery, community well-being, and community assistance and programming. Some of the projects call for matching funds from the city, county or private sources. Among the proposals: Building 100 homes, rehabbing 200 more and constructing two mixed use developments. Getting 500 people graduated from high-demand job training programs and providing financial support for 1,000 interns to help them graduate on time. Stabilizing and assisting 100 small businesses, creating an industrial park adjacent to the existing Airport Business Park and creating a North Omaha business generator. Developing a state-of-the-art mental health treatment center and supporting crime and gang prevention and violence intervention programs Expanding access to parks and trails and making improvements to tourism sites. McKinney represents Legislative District 11, which runs from about California Street north to Redick Avenue and from North 48th Street east to Carter Lake. Waynes District 13 extends north from Redick Avenue to the Douglas County line and encompasses neighborhoods between North 96th Street and the Missouri River. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LINCOLN Nebraska lawmakers will launch a session Wednesday that some predict could be transformative for the state, but others suspect it could devolve into a forum for grandstanding and political theater. During the next 60 legislative days, state senators will weigh proposals to allocate more than $1 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money, along with deciding what to do with flush state coffers. Theyll consider measures related to criminal justice reform, tax relief and education funding. Theyll entertain hot-button issues like abortion, vaccine mandates and whether to call for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution. Theyll do it with the latest COVID-19 variant pushing case numbers higher. And theyll do it with 12 term-limited senators facing the end of their legislative careers, eight running for other political offices and as many as a dozen others seeking reelection. That will add a little bit of intrigue, said State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, longtime chair of the Appropriations Committee. It should be really interesting, and it might even be entertaining. Stinner is among the senators, many of whom have built reputations for their nonpartisanship and willingness to compromise, who will leave the Legislature at the end of the year. Legislators are limited to two consecutive four-year terms, but can return after sitting out at least one term. Theres been talk of extending those limits another term, and theres a proposed constitutional amendment that would do so sitting in the Legislatures Executive Board. Heading into this session, Nebraskas 49 lawmakers have 248 years of combined experience just over five years, on average. Losing a wealth of institutional knowledge at once causes consternation for some. I think it points out the problem with term limits, said Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg, who is term-limited. Theres a significant amount of leadership among those 12. Some legislators see the impending loss of these senators as a call to action. Among them, Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont said lawmakers need to take advantage of the departing senators experience and willingness to work across party lines to get things done. We better make this a session to remember, said Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, adding that the Legislature is going to lose some really incredible minds. Veteran lobbyist Walt Radcliffe said he expects some senators will be looking to leave their mark, given how many legislators are facing either term limits or reelection. Itll be a fun year, he said. There will be a lot of people with big agendas. But Stinner said the legislation most important to him has already been passed. Term-limited Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, who chairs the Executive Board, similarly said hes approaching this session like any other. Im not gonna have a big push to do some special legislation, he said. If I havent got it done by now, what have I been doing the last seven years? But many point to office-seekers as a potential source of drama. The session is going to be a platform for some campaigning, said Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings. Perre Neilan, a Lincoln-based lobbyist, predicted that everything that happens in the 2022 session will be viewed through a political lens. Legislators running for higher office include Sens. Carol Blood of Bellevue and Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who are campaigning for governor. Blood is the lone Democratic candidate so far, while Lindstrom faces a crowded GOP primary. Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha is running as a Democrat for U.S. Rep. Don Bacons 2nd District seat, while Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln looks to unseat U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in the 1st District. Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, speaker of the Legislature, has announced a bid for attorney general AG Doug Peterson is not seeking reelection. Sens. Matt Hansen and Adam Morfeld, both of Lincoln, are running for positions in Lancaster County, and Williams is running for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Up to a dozen others could run to keep their seats. Not all have announced their intentions yet. They have until Feb. 15 to file. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha predicted itll prompt people to either go big or clam up. Its either gonna make people be bold or too scared to do anything, he said. There wont be people sitting on the fence like there usually are. Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, whos running for reelection, said he wouldnt be surprised if theres some posturing as senators try to drive home that theyre fighting for their district. It does put a little extra zeal into some senators to try to do more, and that could slow things down quite a bit, he said. One issue that Hilgers doesnt expect to slow the Legislature down this session: the pandemic. At the advent of COVID-19, the 2020 session was suspended for four months in mid-March. Lawmakers reconvened later in the year but with plastic dividers between their desks, limits on access to the legislative chamber, restrictions on lobbying activities and daily temperature screenings. Those measures carried over into the 2021 session, but eased a bit for the special session held for redistricting in the fall. Hilgers announced last week that operations will edge even closer to normal this session, though some restrictions will stay in place. One pandemic-driven innovation an online public comment system on bills will remain and people can choose whether those comments become part of the official record. The pandemic is in a vastly different state than it was in early 2020 chiefly, there are vaccines that have proven effective at protecting people from the most severe effects of COVID-19. Its not clear how many of the states lawmakers are vaccinated. Hilgers said senators are entitled to keep that information private, but he has a general sense from conversations with lawmakers that a large percentage of them are vaccinated. However, cases are climbing in Nebraska and elsewhere, with the delta and omicron variants of the coronavirus causing particular concern. Nebraska just recorded its highest COVID-19 caseload in more than a year for the week ending Saturday. Hilgers said the most important factor here is for the Legislature to be able to continue its work. Twenty-five legislators are required for the Legislature to get anything done if the pandemic prevents them from meeting that mark, that could trigger a suspension, he said. Directed health measures from the state also could have an influence. And he expects to continue consulting with Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez. But Hilgers doesnt anticipate an interruption. I expect us to be able to get through the session this year, Hilgers said. We were able to do it last year, and last year we did not have vaccines for a good portion of our population for a good portion of the session. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sara Gentzler State Government reporter Follow Sara Gentzler Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today What if the federal government took your land, paid your neighbor for the land it just took from you, then let your neighbor use it? That is bad enough, but what if your ancestors already paid for that land with their lives and despair? The average American would lose their mind and could not even conceive of this happening to them, but this is exactly what is happening right now to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Most people know that tribes did not exactly get a fair deal when it comes to the land in our country. The Winnebago Tribe once held a large portion of Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The ceded land now includes the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay. Between the 1830s and 1860s, the Winnebago Tribe was forced to sign a series of one-sided treaties, but had finally found a home in the rich farming land of southern Minnesota. However, in 1863, the Winnebago people were forced by the military to leave our home after the Sioux had an uprising in the state. We arent the Sioux and did not have anything to do with the uprising, but that really didnt matter. The land we occupied was very valuable and coveted by non-Indian farmers. The uprising became a pretext to take our land. Our people were placed on a riverboat and dropped off in central South Dakota right before winter. Hundreds of our people died from starvation and disease. In desperation, we ended up seeking refuge with the Omaha Tribe in Nebraska. Official federal reports from the era casually discuss the level of poverty and specifically mention how we survived the cold winter by living in ravines and ditches with tree branches over our heads. In 1865, we purchased the northern half of present-day Thurston County from the Omaha Tribe and we have lived here since. Our land extended to the Missouri River, but back then, the river meandered after floods. Large amounts of our land ended up on the Iowa side of the river. In the 1950s, the Army Corps of Engineers began condemning land all along the Missouri River to control flooding. It is not a coincidence that the dams along the Missouri River were built on tribal lands. Tribal land was easy and convenient to take because tribes did not have a powerful voice. In 1970, the Army Corps of Engineers took a few thousand acres of our land on both the Iowa and Nebraska sides of the river. After 16 years of legal fighting, we won our land back on the Nebraska side, but not the parcels in Iowa, which total roughly 1,500 acres. The court actually said the Corps did not have the right to take the land from the tribe in the first place. But because the appeal on these Iowa parcels was not filed in time, we still lost it due to a legal technicality. Thirty years after we lost our legal battle we are still fighting for our land. Even if the Army Corps wanted to give our land back, it couldnt. The problem is that the Army Corps easily took our land but has no power to give it back. This is not a metaphor: It literally takes an act of Congress to get our land back. For over 15 years, we have been trying to get Congress to pass a law to return our land. It was introduced a couple of times by former Iowa Congressmen Steve King, but he left office without getting it done. The bill to return our land has been introduced again by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry from Nebraska, and is co-sponsored by Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa and others, but not much more has happened. I am 53 years old. We have been fighting this particular injustice for 51 of those years. The land is just sandy earth covered in timber, and serves as a large habitat for wildlife. We dont plan on changing anything and have promised to let non-Indians continue to use it for hunting and recreational use. This land has no great value to anyone but us. It is our land. It was paid for in blood and tears. It was legally stolen from us in the modern era. Justice demands its return to the Winnebago people. Lance Morgan is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and the CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Harvard Law School. Andy Cohen "really regrets" criticising Ryan Seacrest's New Year's Eve show on live TV. The 53-year-old star caused a stir with his drunken comments while co-hosting CNN's 'New Year's Eve Live' special on Friday (31.12.21) with his friend Anderson Cooper and although it was his rant against New York City's outgoing mayor, Bill de Blasio, that attracted the most attention, the 'Watch What Happens Live' star admitted the only thing he wishes he hadn't done was launch a barrage of negative remarks about ABC's rival programme 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve' and its host. He said on his SiriusXM show 'Andy Cohen Live': "The only thing that I regret saying, the only thing is that I slammed the ABC broadcast and I really like Ryan Seacrest and he's a great guy. And I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it." During the broadcast, Andy criticised the "group of losers" performing on ABC's show, including Journey, Ashanti and Ja Rule. He said: "There's lots of smoke coming from Ryan Seacrest's group of losers that are performing behind us. I mean, with all due [respect] if you've been watching ABC tonight, you've seen nothing. I'm sorry. It's true. "I just got doused in confetti from the fake Journey appearing on ABC. If its not Steve Perry, it doesnt count! You get it? Its not Journey! Its propaganda! Its propaganda! Its not Journey! Its not Journey! No, that was not Journey. Steve Perry is Journey. No!" And on reflection, the Bravo star admitted he got carried away. He said on his radio programme: "I was continuing the Journey rant and I just kept talking and I shouldn't have. I felt bad about that. So that is the only thing. It's the only thing... That is what I really regret. I really do." Andy's co-host, John Hill, noted the "headline was what sucked" in the subsequent coverage of his pal's rant because it appeared he was taking aim at Ryan himself. He noted: "I thought in the moment you understood the context." Andy agreed: "Exactly, that's the problem. Yeah. The headlines about Ryan Seacrest are all like I trash Ryan Seacrest. I hope he hears the clip." Throughout the New Year's Eve broadcast, Andy and Anderson sank tequila shots and he joked afterwards he had been "over-served", even though he was helping himself. He wrote on Instagram on Saturday (01.01.22): "I was a hair over-served last night, but man, did I have fun! I hope you did too. Happy New Year everybody." Meanwhile, a CNN spokesperson has dismissed speculation Andy won't be covering the occasion for them next year following his performance. The representative said: "I can confirm that Andy Cohen will be back to co-host NYE on CNN next year." Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. Gal Gadot says her version of Cleopatra will be both "sexy" and "smart". The 36-year-old star will play the ruler of Ancient Egypt in a new movie that will be producer by her 'Wonder Woman' director Patty Jenkins and gave fans a teaser of what to expect from her take on the character. Speaking to InStyle magazine, Gal said: "I can't reveal a lot, but I can tell you that we're going to celebrate the Cleopatra story. We're going to show not just how sexy and appealing she was, but how strategic and smart, and how much impact she had and still has on the world we're living in today." The historical figure has been portrayed on the big screen a number of times most notably by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 movie 'Cleopatra' but Gal says that Kari Skogland's project will be different from those that have come before. She explained: "I've watched all the Cleopatra movies throughout history but I feel like we're telling the story the world needs to hear now." The casting of the Israeli actress caused a backlash when it was announced, as people argued that an Arab or African star should have taken on the part. Gal hit back at the critics by insisting that Cleopatra whose race has been subject to debate amongst historians was actually from Macedonia but the right Macedonian actress "wasn't there". The 'Red Notice' star said: "First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian. "We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasnt there. And I was very passionate about Cleopatra. "I have friends from across the globe, whether theyre Muslims or Christian or Catholic or atheist or Buddhist, or Jewish, of course People are people. And with me, I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honour this amazing historic icon that I admire so much." Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. BLOOMINGTON A 20-year-old Bloomington man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for firearm charges stemming from an August 2020 shooting in Bloomington. Nathaniel A. Butler pleaded guilty in September to aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied building, a Class 1 felony, and unlawful possession of a firearm without a valid firearm owners identification card, a Class 3 felony. Those charges derive from about a 1 a.m. shooting Aug. 20, 2020, in the 600 block of West Mulberry Street, Bloomington, when a house was struck by gunfire. Bloomington police Det. Curt Maas testified Tuesday that police located 11 shell casings at the scene of that shooting. The detective said there were four shootings reported between Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, 2020, and that one of which struck a driver in the arm. He said Butler and others quickly became suspects of the shootings. Butler was arrested Aug. 23, 2020, with co-defendant, Tony E. Powell, 21. Powell was sentenced in December 2020 to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count each of attempted aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Butler was initially charged with one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied building, aggravated discharge of a gun into an occupied vehicle, aggravated assault, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, mob action, and two counts of battery. Also part of the seven-year prison sentence imposed Tuesday was one count of unlawful possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card, which was charged in March 2020. McLean County Assistant States Attorney Emily Young asked the court to impose a total 10-year prison sentence, while defense attorney Michael Doubet asked the judge to impose a total of four years in prison and a term of probation. Judge Casey Costigan said probation would be inconsistent with the ends of justice. The judge agreed with the prosecutor, saying Butlers conduct caused and threatened serious harm. This wasnt about a group or rivalries that was taking place, but it was about the community as a whole, and when those shots were fired, the entire community was jeopardized and it created serious threat and harm to the entire community, as well as those individuals who were in the direct line of fire, Costigan said. Butler received credit for 475 days already served in jail for one of the FOID card violations and 502 days previously served in jail for the discharge of a firearm and other FOID card violation charges. Contact Kade Heather at 309-820-3256. Follow him on Twitter: @kadeheather Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LINCOLN Lincoln College is adding a week to its winter break due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Logan County and Illinois, the school announced on Tuesday. Traditional courses will now resume on Jan. 18, rather than next Monday as originally planned. The schools Accelerated Bridge to Education classes will start as planned via online learning on Jan. 10. Offices and facilities will remain open under normal operating hours. We have significant concerns the highly-transmissible Omicron variant could overwhelm our campus community, said President David Gerlach in the schools press release. Our number one priority is the health and safety of our students and employees. Lincoln College joins Illinois State University in delaying the start of in-person classes. Illinois State announced last month that it would use remote learning for the first two weeks of its semester, starting on Jan. 10 with classes expected to start in-person on Jan. 24. Peoria's K-12 district announced on Monday that it would be extending its winter break due to the COVID surge as well. Illinois Wesleyan University classes are expected to resume in-person on Wednesday. The school is requiring testing before students return to campus and has given professors the option to use remote learning if their content allows. Students who are unable to be tested before they return to campus are being asked to not attend in-person classes until they have a negative test. Lincoln is following the state mandate for unvaccinated students and employees to be tested at least weekly, said spokesperson Lauren Grenlund. Testing is not being required before students return to campus, but is available for students and employees as desired. Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A southwestern Illinois state representative has proposed legislation to create a special license plate for United States Space Force members. Founded in 2019, the force is the space branch of the U.S. armed services organized under the Air Force. It has ties to Scott Air Force Base, where guardians the name for members of the Space Force have been stationed. State Rep. David Friess, R-Red Bud, said it was a constituent's idea to make a Space Force license plate for Illinoisans. "They're very proud of their service and that's how they want people to know either they're serving or have served," Friess said. If the bill (HB 4325) passes, the Illinois Secretary of State would ultimately have control over how the license plate appears, but Friess is sure people will have suggestions. "I guarantee there's going to be a lot of ideas," he said. "I'm excited about it." The legislature meets this week for an abbreviated session, but Friess said he wasn't sure if his bill would be considered. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SOUTH ROXANA, Ill. The police chief of a village in Madison County has asked the Illinois State Police to investigate after a police officer shot and wounded a man Tuesday. South Roxana Police Chief Bob Coles said the man is expected to survive. "I can't get into why he was shot," the chief said in a brief phone interview Wednesday. The unidentified man was shot about 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of Rose Avenue, east of Highway 111 and along South Roxana's northern border. Coles said the man was shot after a disturbance but he declined to elaborate. A woman had called 911 to report that someone was at the home on Rose "hunting someone," according to a dispatchers, who alerted officers that a man was barricaded in the back of a home on Rose and had access to knives. Police haven't said what happened next or why police shot the man. Dispatchers then updated surrounding agencies to say that shots were fired and that South Roxana needed backup. As police from neighboring jurisdictions learned about the shooting, officers rushed to a staging area near Jarrett Industries, at Rose Avenue and Madison Street. A woman who lives two houses away said she saw police running up and down the street. She said she heard the gunfire but didn't see what happened. The chief said Wednesday that everything he's seen so far tells him that police were justified in shooting the man, but he's asked the Illinois State Police to handle the investigation. Officers suffered sprains and other injuries while arresting the man, the chief said. He said "multiple departments" were involved in the arrest but he declined to say more. Elbert Jennings, a master sergeant with the Illinois State Police, referred a reporter Wednesday to the Illinois State Police public information office, which has not yet released any details. South Roxana is a village of about 2,000 residents in Madison County, Illinois. Kim Bell 314-340-8115 @kbellpd on Twitter kbell@post-dispatch.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Naperville marijuana shops generated roughly $1.7 million in sales tax revenue for the city in 2021, $700,000 more than budgeted, according to estimates from the mayor. Because of the strong showing, Mayor Steve Chirico said he'd consider adding a fourth dispensary. The sale of adult use marijuana in Illinois more than doubled from $669 million in 2020 to $1.38 billion in 2021. Determining Naperville's share of the heavily taxed consumable has been a challenge for city officials when budgeting because the state does not provide municipalities with a detailed breakdown of sales tax revenue for marijuana sales, saying that to do so would be a breach of confidentiality. "It'd be nice if we were actually given a breakout, but that's just not how it works," Chirico said. But it is possible to extrapolate a ballpark amount by using available data, he said. Given that Illinois' 109 dispensaries broke $1.3 billion mark for adult use cannabis sales for 2021, Naperville's three dispensaries likely contributed 2.75%, or about $35.8 million, he said. Applying the city's cannabis tax rate of 4.75% to $35.8 million, Chirico calculated the city should clear at least $1.7 million in 2021. "It's not exact science," he said. "You have to make a couple of assumptions, one of them being that we're average. But other than that, the numbers are pretty accurate." The city budgeted $1 million in sales tax revenue from pot sales in 2021 and 2022. Chirico said when the state legalized marijuana he saw the financial benefit for Naperville. "A lot of people questioned it, didn't believe it was going to be as large as what we were predicting," he said. By comparison, sales tax revenue generated by one Costco warehouse is about $2 million and all of Naperville's Downtown Business District is about $1.7 million, Chirico said. Opponents say the revenue boon isn't worth the harm marijuana, which is illegal at the federal level, is causing to the community. Kevin Coyne, founder of the political action committee Safe Suburbs USA and a former councilman, said public safety concerns have risen across the state and country and Naperville isn't immune. Marijuana use often precedes of other harder, addictive drugs, Coyne said. If the pot stores have contributed to public safety or health issues in even a marginal way, the revenue received from the dispensaries isn't worth the cost, he said. "Is a million bucks worth that trade off? I would say that it's not," Coyne said. "I would say that any parent that has had a kid get addicted to drugs would say that it's not." Chirico said fears that the dispensaries would create a crime wave never materialized. "If you just look at the crime data, it's down. The only item that's actually up in the last couple years is internet crimes, and it's up a lot," he said. In order to open a fourth shop in the city, the Naperville City Council would need to raise the current cap of three, the mayor said. Additionally, the locations available to a four dispensary business would be limited because of the restrictions in place, he said. Those restrictions dictate that dispensaries cannot operate with a mile distance of each other and must be at least 1,000 feet from a primary or secondary school and 250 feet from a residential area. Additionally, they can only operate in areas zoned for business or for office, commercial and institutional space and in districts created for industrial, health services, and research and development use. "There are only couple of locations that would fit those criteria, and that's on Route 59 in south Naperville," Chirico said. Both Bolingbrook and Plainfield, the communities to the south, do not allow the sale of marijuana. "That, for sure, would be a draw," he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Dear Amy: My friend is a drunk. This is disgusting to watch. At several points over the years, when I have traveled with her, she has found ways to drink while a passenger in my car often from a water bottle that has vodka in it. Advertisement If I were stopped by police and they found open liquor within reach inside my car, I would be immediately fired from my job. I have discussed this with my friend, but she has still violated my trust. Advertisement She has gone to rehab, tried cold turkey, and been hospitalized. She lost her job due to her alcoholism. She is an educated, vivacious, loving, caring friend who stood at my side when life kicked me in the head and heart as I dealt with the loss of my mother, and as other friends backed away. I love our friendship. I recently hosted a holiday celebration. I thought I was on alert, but I didnt notice how much she was drinking. I looked across the table and saw (once again) the half-mast eyes, mouth agape with food dribbling out, down her dress, and onto the floor. Her face was almost in her plate. She spent the night passed out on my couch. I have reached my limit. I spoke with her the next morning. She apologized profusely, but I realize that means nothing. I would be mortified to be in that state of inebriation, but she doesnt seem to have any shame at all. I want to include her when I entertain or go out with other friends, but I dont want to watch her get drunk or have to take care of a drunk. Advertisement I dont want to have to lock up my liquor when she is at my home. I shouldnt have to be the liquor police with her. What is there left to do? Disgusted Dear Disgusted: You say that your friend has no shame, and yet you seem determined to shame her. Think of her as an addict, not a drunk. Shelve your disgust and replace it with compassion for someone who has a disorder which is currently raging out of control. Look at all she has lost! Advertisement Yes, you should lock up your liquor when she is at your home. You should not drink in front of her or with her. You should not serve alcohol to her, or have it accessible, and expect her to be able to control her drinking. Because she obviously cannot. You cannot save her from her addiction. But you neednt enable it, either. Stop chastising her. Tell her that you love her and that you value the gift of her friendship, but that she has relapsed, and you are worried about her. (Relapse is extremely common). She needs professional help and rehab, as well as your ongoing compassion. Offer to research options with her and encourage her to enter a program. Dear Amy: I am blessed to have retired before the age of 50. I am now in my mid-50s, and my life is great, but my in-laws think I should go back to work. Advertisement We had a fairly OK relationship before my retirement, but now when I am around them, they tell me I am too young to retire, and this has caused a disconnect in our relationship. I didnt know there was an age requirement on retiring, as long as you are financially secure. How can I respond to this? Enjoying Retirement Dear Enjoying: I suggest you respond with a version of, Arent you sweet? before transitioning your in-laws away from you as the topic of conversation. One way to do this is to ask a question, Do you remember how old your own parents were when they retired? They might say, Our folks never retired! which would give you some insight into their backstory and point of view. Advertisement There is nothing wrong with a little disconnect between the generations, but I hope you wont let this difference of opinion grow into anything more than that. Dear Amy: Thank you for your Book on Every Bed column. I love this idea. I recently returned to the workforce, working with low-income preschoolers. Each day before rest time I read the same very sweet book. Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist for $5. > For the holidays, I gave each of my students their own copy. Advertisement I hope I have helped instill the love of reading and a good book. Happy With my Little Ones Dear Happy: Your preschoolers will treasure this book. Thank you for encouraging literacy. Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and well send it to her. Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time get the book "Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist" for $5. 2021 Amy Dickinson. The global impact of the Jan. 6 insurrection is still growing one year after the attack. Most Americans dont realize the shock felt by our foreign friends, and the glee of our adversaries, at watching mobs of MAGA vandals storm the Capitol of the worlds greatest democracy. Even when European and Asian allies disagreed with American policies, they still looked to the United States as the leader of the community of democratic nations. Especially given the growing strength of China and the muscle-flexing of Russia. The coup attempt on Jan. 6, along with its continuing reverberations, has shaken our allies faith in Americas future. Despite the Biden administrations success in strengthening alliances Trump rebuffed and building new ones in Asia foreign officials now worry about the stability of the United States. They watch with astonishment as the former president continues to promote his Big Lie about election fraud in 2020 and as most GOP leaders support his falsehoods. They wonder whether Trump will try again to steal the election in 2024, and whether more of his supporters will use violence. No NATO ally could have conceived of such a scenario before Trump incited the coup attempt at the Capitol on Jan. 6. This is a year in which the crisis of American democracy has become incredibly visible to all, the noted British columnist Martin Wolf told a Financial Times podcast in late December. And that is a singularly disturbing fact for those of us who live in what we used to think of as the free world. European and Asian leaders wonder whether the partisan madness eating away at Americas democratic institutions will undercut any effective U.S. foreign policy. This is a time when our country needs to be united against Chinas advances and Russias aggression. Moreover, NATO allies know they cant handle these threats alone, and are looking for solid U.S. leadership in pushing back against Moscow and Beijing. Instead, foreigners watch with amazement (or glee in Beijing) as Trump, his congressional acolytes and pro-Trump media shatter the most sacred principle of democracy: the commitment to free and fair elections in which the candidate who gets the most votes wins and the loser steps aside. Never mind that audit after audit, court decision after court decision, debunks GOP claims that votes were altered, voting machines fixed, or absentee ballots misused. Never mind that a monthslong study by The Associated Press of every potential case of voter fraud in six key battleground states found fewer than 475 individual cases of potential fraud out of 25.5 million votes cast. In foreign capitals, they are already imagining the domestic U.S. political chaos if the GOP refuses to accept the results in the 2024 presidential ballot. They also worry about bitter U.S. domestic conflicts in the long run-up to 2024 elections, especially if the GOP wins a House majority in 2022 and makes clear its plans to upend 2024 results it dislikes. No wonder Americas friends wonder whether our country is on its way to destroying itself. No wonder our adversaries believe this to be the case. Indeed, Chinese state media, and political leaders, point to the chaos of Jan. 6 at the Capitol as proof their system of governance is superior to Americas. The divisiveness that paralyzes American politics increases their self-confidence in their authoritarian order, and their conviction that the United States is in decline. Trudy Rubin is a columnist for the The Philadelphia Inquirer. trubin@phillynews.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Pressure is mounting on the Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly to pull down its newly constructed office complex situated on a reserved zone at Dansoman Sharp Curve in Accra. The Department of Urban Roads (DUR) and the National Engineering Coordinating Team (NECT) have asked the assembly to comply with their orders to pull down the building situated on the reserved shoulder of the road. Last Thursday, officials from the NECT stormed the assembly to demand the demolition of the building. But the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Kofi Ofori, said the assembly would hold a management meeting next week to take a decision on the demand by the two bodies. If we have to demolish, we will demolish, but since the structure is government property, we have to meet to take that decision, he said in an interview. The assembly had been served twice by the NECT to pull down the building, but they have not been complied with. 150 feet distance According to the NECT, the problem was widespread, as all assemblies were flouting the 150-feet distance rule set by the government. We wrote to the assembly in 2020 to demolish the building, and again wrote to it in 2021, but neither of the letters was acknowledged by the assembly, Mr Alex Kwadwo Asamoah, the officer in charge of Acquisition and Utilities Coordination at the DUR, said. The Chairman of the NECT, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, said it was a shame that the assembly was flouting its own laws. The NECT, which was established 25 years ago, is made up of 37 institutions, including the utility companies and other government institutions, ministries, departments and agencies. A meeting was held on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 between the various agencies and the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, on the action of the assemblies, including the Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly. According to Mr Ashigbey, the minister had promised to remedy the situation. Rezoning He cautioned against the rezoning of road reservations by metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. He said the rezoning and encroachment on reserved spaces had rendered future development and expansion of roads difficult, for which the government had paid compensation. Mr Ashigbey noted that between 2020 and 2021, over GH100 million was paid as compensation by the utility companies to individuals who had encroached on their space. He said the widespread encroachment on reservations had affected underground utility lines, including those built by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the telecom companies. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Members of Parliament (MPs) must trust one another to build consensus and reconcile the House, the Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, has said. He expressed regret over chaotic incidents that characterised some proceedings of the House last year and said consensus building was the surest way to redeem the image of the House. "Ghana will not burn. Our Parliament will reconcile," he said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the Watch Night Service of the Calvary Methodist Church, Adabraka,last Saturday dawn. Chaos Parliament has come under fierce criticisms following the chaos that broke out on the night of Monday, December 20, 2021 during deliberations on the Electronic Transfer Levy Bill, 2021. The incident has been widely condemned by all, including the international community, with Parliament itself expressing regret over the conduct of the House. Deliberations on the bill, which seeks to impose a 1.75 per cent levy on electronic transactions, have since been suspended by the House. The deliberation has been halted to allow for broader consultations on the proposed electronic transaction levy, announced during the 2022 Budget presentation by the Finance Minister on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. Differences In a New Year message, Most Rev. Dr Boafo said MPs must move beyond their differences and party affiliations and help build consensus in the interest of national development. I believe that they should sit down and look at what has happened so it doesnt reoccur. ...We should trust one another, bring them on board, respect one another so that together whatever bill is to be debated, we all agree for the good of the nation, Most Rev. Dr Boafo said. He urged the citizenry to eschew bad practices such as bribery and corruption that impeded the progress of the nation last year. 2022 He said the Year 2022 presented an opportunity for the nation to move away from the old ways of work and develop new working ethics that would be for the good of the nation. We must move away from the evil that we did; corruption, bribery and all the things that we talked about as a nation, which are impeding our progress. These are new opportunities. Lets move away from it (evil) and move into the New Year so that our nation can grow and grow well, he said. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Founder and Leader of Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie says he is ready to go "blow for blow" with the Member of Parliament(MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong. The renowned Prophet has invited Hon. Kennedy Agyapong to bring it on this year 2022 as he won't sit idle for the politician cum business mogul to run his name through the mud, stressing "if he says one thing this year, I will reply with a thousand words''. Prophet Nigel Gaisie, in a corrosive tone during an interview with Kofi Adoma on Kofi TV, alluded to some disparaging remarks and lies that he says Hon. Kennedy Agyapong said about him last year, where the former claimed he (Nigel Gaisie) had murdered a certain female member of his church and also held him responsible for the death of the late Ebony among other allegations. Without mincing words, he stated emphatically that he has cursed Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, his family and all his generations. "Tell Kennedy Agyapong that I pray against him each day that I wake up. I pour oil on him and rise against him because he has laid his hands on me when I have done nothing to him. I was silent because it was election year. If he tries to come at me again, we will wear one pair of shorts in this country . . . I have cursed him!", he warned. Watch video below: Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Actress Lydia Forson has been slammed for having double standards for failing to put Shatta Wale in check over rape comments on Twitter. This emanated during the ongoing feud between the dancehall artiste and Nigerias Burna Boy when he (Shatta Wale) admitted a rape act in his tweet. Shatta tweeted and accused the Nigerian act of rape, stating, Because he is a rapist. He is jealous I did the same to his girl cuz thats his job. Raping jealousy. Social media users did not take his tweet likely as they came at him for laughing when confessing to being a rapist. Others called on the Inspector General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare, to take the dancehall act on for such condemning utterance. Since rape has been one of the issues being tackled in the country. Actress Lydia Forson, on the other hand, was accused of failing to put Shatta Wale in check over the rape comment for her advocacy role for rape victims and against rape culture. Lydia, over the years, has reiterated that rapists should not be made to justify their actions, adding that she will block any of such individuals. Rape apologists. Rape Jokes. BLOCK. You dont even get to defend yourself. Block Block Block. She said in a tweet in 2018. However, Tweeps were surprised when the same Lydia revealed details of her conversation with Shatta Wale concerning his rape tweet. She said: I just got off the phone with @shattawalegh- We spoke at length about his tweets, especially on rape. Its been a long conversation. Whiles, were not entirely on the same page (hopefully, we will be eventually). It was important to me that I spoke to him about this; he listened. She continued, I was very deliberate about my tweet because and didnt want to say too much because I understand how easily people run with things here. The rape tweets from both sides triggered me (Ive stated as much). It wasnt enough to just tweet it-I needed a conversation. Last on this-those tweets were problematic, triggering, to say the least. I tweeted as much. (for those who care to go through) But if you have access to anyone, you believe has disturbing views, you go beyond registering your displeasure online-you say it to them too! Source: twitter/3news.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video " " John Dillinger and his gang were responsible for 10 deaths, three jail breaks and more than 20 bank robberies before he was finally gunned down by law enforcement on July 22, 1934, just two months after Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed and killed by law enforcement in Louisiana. Wikimedia Commons/HowStuffWorks They had John Dillinger behind bars in the Lake County jail in Crown Point, Indiana. His jailers boasted that their facility was escape-proof. But Dillinger hadn't become a successful criminal by accident. Ruthless, ingenious and hard-boiled, he whiled away his time carving a piece of wood into a replica of a small handgun and painting it with shoe polish. Unbelievably, he was able to use the fake gun to trick his captors and managed to escape. By the time he was done, Dillinger's gang was responsible for 10 deaths, three jail breaks and more than 20 bank robberies. He became America's first true celebrity criminal and was named the country's Public Enemy No. 1. Advertisement Dillinger liked fast cars a lot. He stole or bought them at regular intervals and used them to outrun the cops in their four-cylinder rattletraps. There's some evidence that he even penned a letter of appreciation to Henry Ford for building such fast machines. Roaring across state borders, he covered vast territories and left local law enforcement in the dust. In an interview, Dary Matera, the author of "John Dillinger: The Life and Death of America's First Celebrity Criminal" says that at the time, J. Edgar Hoover was trying to convince the government to give him the money to turn the Bureau of Investigation into a truly effective national police force. He used Dillinger's interstate outrages to point out the need and his campaign worked. Hoover's first order of business was to deal with Dillinger. But how? He caught a break when a woman named Ana Cumpanas contacted the Bureau. Cumpanas was Romanian immigrant who ran a brothel in Gary, Indiana. One of the prostitutes who worked for her was dating Dillinger. Threatened with deportation, Cumpanas wanted to cut a deal with the FBI. She would tell them where Dillinger was if they would make sure she wasn't sent back to Romania. The FBI agreed to help her as best they could and Cumpanas decided to work with them. On July 22, 1934, FBI agents staked out the Biograph Theater in Chicago. According to Matera, most FBI agents were "pencil pushers, or, as I like to call them, Hoover's army of geeks. They couldn't shoot, so Hoover hired a couple of military assassins." Together, says Matera, the geeks and the assassins loitered outside the theater until the show was over and Dillinger emerged. He'd recently had plastic surgery and believed himself so unrecognizable he could wander the streets with impunity. But he'd also been in and out of prison for much of his life and it took him no time at all to clock the law. He headed into an alley to evade them and, according to the FBI agents, drew a weapon as he ran. One of the geeks fired wildly and hit two women in the crowd that was emerging from the movie theater. "The assassins got Dillinger in their sights. The bullet that killed him entered the back of his neck and exited under his right eye," Matera says. It was "an execution shot. They'd been sent there with orders to kill Dillinger and that's what they did. Hoover had no intention of putting him on trial." " " The crowd was in a celebratory mood outside Chicago's Biograph Theater on the night John Dillinger was killed there by police. Wikimedia Commons One reason for this, Matera believes, is that a trial could have been very messy. Not only was Dillinger an admired folk hero by the time he died, he might also have had information that some powerful people didn't want to emerge. There were undoubtedly policemen and politicians he'd bribed, not to mention bank officials who might have hired him. One widely believed rumor, says Matera, is that in some cases bank officials would hire Dillinger to rob their banks. He might steal $10,000, but they would claim he'd taken $50,000 and keep the difference when their insurance claim came through. One way or another, says Matera, it really was Dillinger they got. As with many celebrity deaths, rumors persist that the man they killed that night was actually a double. But, Matera says, doubles never run. They don't want to get shot. Also, he points out, Dillinger was enamored of his celebrity. "He couldn't live without his fame. If he'd truly survived, he would have resurfaced somewhere in Mexico and thumbed his nose at the FBI." That said, two of Dillingers descendants claim that they doubt it's really his body that's buried under his headstone. In September 2019 they plan to disinter the corpse and use DNA to determine its true identity. As far as Matera is concerned, "It's just a publicity stunt." Time will tell. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Despite her collaboration with Hoover's FBI, Ana Cumpanas was deported anyway. As for Hoover, he might have forgotten to help out his key informant, but he never forgot the man he used to build the FBI. A death mask was made of Dillinger's face and, according to Matera, it hung outside Hoover's office, not unlike a hunting trophy, for the rest of his very long career. Dillinger's brain, however, has gone missing. A tunnel inside the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility is seen in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Jan. 26, 2018. U.S. public health officials on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, began investigating how civilians have been affected by the leakage of petroleum into Pearl Harbor's tap water from a Navy fuel storage facility. The Hawaii state Department of Health said it asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to conduct the study. Credit: U.S. Navy via AP, File U.S. public health officials on Tuesday began investigating how civilians have been affected by the leakage of petroleum into Pearl Harbor's tap water from a Navy fuel storage facility. The Hawaii state Department of Health said it asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to conduct the study. The department said the officials will survey civilians living in homes served by the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water distribution system. They will also try to reach people who may have been exposed to contaminated water at work or school. The Navy's water system serves some 93,000 people in residential homes, offices, elementary schools and businesses in and around Pearl Harbor. Starting in late November, about 1,000 people complained that their tap water smelled like fuel or reported physical ailments like nausea and rashes after ingesting it. Shortly after the Navy said it detected petroleum in a drinking well that serves its water system. Navy officials say they believe leaks from its Red Hill tank farm near Pearl Harbor polluted the well. Dr. Diana Felton, the state toxicologist, said it's vital that authorities track how the incident affected all Hawaii residents. Meanwhile, Hawaii's congressional delegation urged the Navy to comply with a Monday order from the Hawaii Department of Health to drain fuel from the tanks to protect Oahu's drinking water. "Defueling safely will require a coordinated effort, and the delegation will do everything possible to support this effort," they said in a statement. "Clean drinking water is essential to our health and safety, and our futurewe all agree this cannot be compromised for anything." The delegation consists of four members, all Democrats: U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Kaiali'i Kahele. So far only the Navy's water system has been affected by the contamination. But Honolulu's water utility draws from the same aquifer as the Navy, and Hawaii officials are concerned leaks will contaminate its water too. The Red Hill facility holds 20 giant underground tanks built into the side of a mountain during World War II. Each tank is roughly the height of a 25-story building. Collectively, they can hold up to 250 million gallons (946 million liters) of fuel, though two of the tanks are now empty. The tank farm sits just 100 feet (30 meters) above the aquifer shared by the Navy and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. It supplies petroleum to all branches of the military. Explore further Huge Navy fuel tanks worry Hawaii farmers, utility officials 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: CC0 Public Domain As part of an experiment to measureto an extremely precise degreethe charge-to-mass ratios of protons and antiprotons, the RIKEN-led BASE collaboration at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, has found that, within the uncertainty of the experiment, matter and antimatter respond to gravity in the same way. Matter and antimatter create some of the most interesting problems in physics today. They are essentially equivalent, except that where a particle has a positive charge its antiparticle has a negative one. In other respects they seem equivalent. However, one of the great mysteries of physics today, known as "baryon asymmetry," is that, despite the fact that they seem equivalent, the universe seems made up entirely of matter, with very little antimatter. Naturally, scientists around the world are trying hard to find something different between the two, which could explain why we exist. As part of this quest, scientists have explored whether matter and antimatter interact similarly with gravity, or whether antimatter would experience gravity in a different way than matter, which would violate Einstein's weak equivalence principle. Now, the BASE collaboration has shown, within strict boundaries, that antimatter does in fact respond to gravity in the same way as matter. The finding, published in Nature, actually came from a different experiment, which was examining the charge-to-mass ratios of protons and antiprotons, one of the other important measurements that could determine the key difference between the two. This work involved 18 months of work at CERN's antimatter factory. To make the measurements, the team confined antiprotons and negatively charged hydrogen ions, which they used as a proxy for protons, in a Penning trap. In this device, a particle follows a cyclical trajectory with a frequency, close to the cyclotron frequency, that scales with the trap's magnetic-field strength and the particle's charge-to-mass ratio. By feeding antiprotons and negatively charged hydrogen ions into the trap, one at a time, they were able to measure, under identical conditions, the cyclotron frequencies of the two particle types, comparing their charge-to-mass ratios. According to Stefan Ulmer, the leader of the project, "By doing this, we were able to obtain a result that they are essentially equivalent, to a degree four times more precise than previous measures. To this level of CPT invariance, causality and locality hold in the relativistic quantum field theories of the Standard Model." Interestingly, the group used the measurements to test a fundamental physics law known as the weak equivalence principle. According to this principle, different bodies in the same gravitational field should undergo the same acceleration in the absence of frictional forces. Because the BASE experiment was placed on the surface of the Earth, the proton and antiproton cyclotron-frequency measurements were made in the gravitational field on the Earth's surface, and any difference between the gravitational interaction of protons and antiprotons would result in a difference between the cyclotron frequencies. By sampling the gravitational field of the Earth as the planet orbited the Sun, the scientists found that matter and antimatter responded to gravity in the same way up to a degree of three parts in 100, which means that the gravitational acceleration of matter and antimatter are identical within 97% of the experienced acceleration. Ulmer adds that these measurements could lead to new physics. He says, "The 3% accuracy of the gravitational interaction obtained in this study is comparable to the accuracy goal of the gravitational interaction between antimatter and matter that other research groups plan to measure using free-falling anti-hydrogen atoms. If the results of our study differ from those of the other groups, it could lead to the dawn of a completely new physics." Explore further Protons and antiprotons appear to be true mirror images More information: Stefan Ulmer, A 16-parts-per-trillion measurement of the antiproton-to-proton chargemass ratio, Nature (2022). Journal information: Nature Stefan Ulmer, A 16-parts-per-trillion measurement of the antiproton-to-proton chargemass ratio,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04203-w Farmers may be able to promote insect-eating species like this tree swallow by installing nest boxes without increasing food safety risks. Credit: Daniel Karp/UC Davis Concerns over foodborne risk from birds may not be as severe as once thought by produce farmers, according to research from the University of California, Davis, that found low instances of E. coli and Salmonella prevalence. While the research found that the risk is often low, it varies depending on species. Birds like starlings that flock in large numbers and forage on the ground near cattle are more likely to spread pathogenic bacteria to crops like lettuce, spinach and broccoli, according to the study of food safety risk and bird pathogens. In contrast, insect-eating species were less likely to carry pathogens. The findings, published in the journal Ecological Applications, suggest that current practice of removing bird habitats around produce growers' farms over concerns the animals could bring foodborne pathogens into their fields may not solve the problem. "Farmers are increasingly concerned that birds may be spreading foodborne diseases to their crops," said Daniel Karp, the senior author on the study and an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology. "Yet not all bird species are equally risky." Only one foodborne disease outbreak in produce has been conclusively traced to birds: a Campylobacter outbreak in peas from Alaska. While the bacteria can cause diarrhea and other foodborne illness in humans, it's less of a concern to growers than E. coli and Salmonella, which have been responsible for multiple outbreaks across the nation. In this study, researchers compiled more than 11,000 bacteria tests of wild bird feces and found that Campylobacter was detected in 8 percent of samples. But pathogenic E. Coli and Salmonella were only found in very rare cases (less than 0.5%). In addition to the bacteria tests, researchers conducted roughly 1,500 bird surveys across 350 fresh produce fields in Western states and collected more than 1,200 fecal samples from fields. They then modeled the prevalence of pathogens in feces, interactions with crops, and the likelihood of different bird species to defecate on crops to determine risk. Insect-eating birds pose lower risk Based on the data, insect-eating birds, such as swallows, present a lower risk, while birds that flock near livestock, such as blackbirds and starlings, are more likely to transmit pathogens. The data can help the agricultural industry determine risk and take action, such as separating produce crops from cattle lands. They also don't need to treat all birds the same. "Maybe farmers don't need to be quite as concerned about all types of birds," Karp said. "Our data suggest that some of the pest-eating birds that can really benefit crop production may not be so risky from a food-safety perspective." Removing habitat can backfire This study and the authors' prior work indicate that removing habitat around farms may actually benefit the species that pose more risk and harm the beneficial, pest-eating ones that are less risky to food safety. This is because many prolific insect-eaters may visit crop fields to eat pests but need nearby natural habitats to survive. In contrast, many of the bird species that most commonly carry foodborne pathogens readily thrive on both cattle farms and produce farms without natural habitat nearby. Other findings Insect-eating birds that forage in the tree canopy pose minimal threat because they are less likely to carry foodborne pathogens and come into direct contact with produce. They can also be valuable parts of the ecosystem, particularly if they eat pests that can harm crops. Installing bird boxes could attract the pest-eaters, as well as help with conservation efforts. "We basically didn't know which birds were problematic," said lead author Olivia Smith, a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University who was at University of Georgia when the paper was written. "I think this is a good step forward for the field." More information: Olivia M. Smith et al, A traitbased framework for predicting foodborne pathogen risk from wild birds, Ecological Applications (2021). Journal information: Ecological Applications Olivia M. Smith et al, A traitbased framework for predicting foodborne pathogen risk from wild birds,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/eap.2523 Scientists have long believed that today's snakes, like the one pictured, lost their limbs through evolution. Credit: Donald Tong/Pexels It all started with a grand claim: scientists had discovered the first known four-legged snake fossil from Brazil. The specimen, named Tetrapodophis amplectus, was smallabout the size of a pencilwith tiny limbs. It was considered a significant discovery that offered paleontologists a major clue into the link between lizards and snakes. Scientists have long believed that snakes lost their limbs through evolution, and UTM biology professor Robert Reisz says there is a very rich fossil record of snakes that have the cranial adaptations of a snake, and still have remnants of limbs. But the conclusion of this latest discovery didn't sit well with him and his colleagues. "I was so upset about this kind of poor science making it into a top journal in the sciences," says Reisz, who along with Michael Caldwell from the University of Alberta, demanded to see the fossil in-person. "Soon after the original publication (in 2015), we secured access to the specimen by raising hell and then we were able to study it. And we basically went and did our detective work properly and we came up with a much more plausible alternative explanation that this is not a snake, but a little lizard." Reisz says the way in which the fossil was first obtained raised red flags. Around the mid-20th century, Brazil had outlawed fossil exportsbut this artifact was illegally exported and bought by a private collector who allowed researchers to publish the article about it. "It was quite unethical," he says. "There are laws in place now to protect (these national treasures) and we should respect those and work within the system rather than be tempted by the attraction of an exciting fossil you get through unethical means." Reisz and Caldwell went to Germany to look over the artifact, which was housed in a small, private museum that exhibits materials from the region, including Jurassic reptiles and dinosaurs. "We re-studied it, spent a couple days with it, and found that the available evidence was much better than was presented by (the authors) because in addition to the actual fossil, there was also extensive impression," Reisz says, adding that he and Caldwell got a lot of information from the impression of the specimen's skull. He explains that when a fossil forms, it forms between layers of rock. The impression it creates as it becomes rock, together with sediments, is extremely valuable because of its precision. Fossil of Tetrapodophis amplectus. Credit: Robert Reisz In this case, the rock that the fossil was extracted from was splitwith the skeleton and skull on opposite sides of the slab. The shape of each was preserved as an impression on the opposite side. The original study overlooked the natural impression that showed that the skull was "more lizard-like than snake-like." Reisz says snakes have an extremely mobile skull where many bones are reduced and others are loosely connected to each otherparticularly around the back end of the skull and jaw joint. He adds that snakes can also move several bones out of the way, while still connected to each other in the skull, to swallow prey whole. Reisz and Caldwell also discovered that the original authors' claims about the arrangement of the specimen's teeth were false. He explains that a snake's teeth are designed to allow prey to go in one direction down the mouth, but they are strongly curved to prevent any movement of the mouth. "The way they interpreted the fossil was wrong in the way they interpreted the teeth as well," Reisz says. "So not only was the skull more lizard-like than snake-like, but the teeth were more lizard-like than snake-like." While he and his colleagues found that the Tetrapodophis amplectus wasn't a snake, Reisz says it's still a significant fossil in a way. The team found that the anatomy was consistent with the anatomy of dolichosaursan extinct marine lizard from the Cretaceous period. It shows yet another example of the way lizards evolved and reduced their limbs to adapt to their environment, he says. Reisz adds that the story also serves as a reminder that "science is a quest for truth, and the closer we get to the truth, the better. "We want to find out, and get as close to, the truth as possible," he says. "Every time we find yet another interesting fossil, it gets us closer to that. We find out more about life before us." Explore further Paleontologists debunk fossil thought to be missing link between lizards and first snakes WASHINGTON The 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump did so with the same conviction that a president of their party deserved to be charged with inciting insurrection Jan. 6, 2021 and the same hope that his role in doing so would finally persuade the GOP to repudiate him. But in the year since the deadliest attack on the Capitol in centuries, none of the 10 lawmakers have been able to avoid the consequences of a fundamental miscalculation about the direction of their party. The former president is very much the leader of the Republicans, and it is those who stood against him whom the party has thrust into the role of pariah. Advertisement Since they cast their impeachment votes Jan. 13, Reps. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois have announced their retirements amid death threats from voters and hostility from colleagues. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has gone from a star in the House Republican leadership to an exiled party gadfly and truth teller. Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Peter Meijer of Michigan and Fred Upton of Michigan have Trump-endorsed primary challengers on their heels and uncertain political futures. Four others John Katko of New York, Dan Newhouse of Washington, Tom Rice of South Carolina and David Valadao of California have gone to ground, silent if not silenced, in the apparent hope that the entire episode will be forgotten. Advertisement The fate of the 10 over the past year has offered a bracing reality check about the nature of todays Republican Party, one that has fully embraced the lie of a stolen election and its main purveyor, and sidelined the few remaining members who have dared to publicly question Trump or his actions. Theres been this waiting game and an arbitrage between an individuals political future and the trajectory of that guy, assuming the apex has passed, Meijer said in a lengthy interview, referring to Trump. The view among some was that this would be essentially a self-correcting issue and that Trumps power would fade. I think thats proven overly optimistic, Meijer added. The 10 could be forgiven for believing that their votes last January would not leave them so exposed. In the immediate aftermath of the Capitol riot, some of Trumps most stalwart allies quit the government in disgust. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, voted against impeachment but declared, The president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters. Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), left, and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) participate in the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 19, 2021. (Al Drago/The New York Times) The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, orchestrated Trumps acquittal after a hasty Senate impeachment trial. But he had let it be known that he considered the president culpable and said as much in a scathing speech afterward: Theres no question none that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. But the rhetorical cover fire proved as ephemeral as it was useless. Gonzalez, deluged with threats and fearing for the safety of his wife and children, announced in September that he would not seek reelection and called Trump a cancer for the country. A Cuban American who starred as a wide receiver at Ohio State University, Gonzalez had been considered the kind of politician who would ensure the Republican Partys future in a multiethnic, multiracial country after his election in 2018. But he found little support from the party that recruited him into politics once Trump endorsed a primary challenger and the threats began. Kinzinger, who announced his retirement in October, has faced similar threats. But he has turned his opposition to Trump into a capstone of his career, defying Republican leaders to join the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, laying into Trump and his defenders at every opportunity, and promising not to leave the political stage once his House career ends this year. Advertisement The 2020 election was not stolen, Kinzinger said in a lengthy video message Wednesday for the anniversary of Jan. 6. Joe Biden won, and Donald Trump lost. We have to admit it. But the leadership of the Republican Party wont. They lied to the American people and continue to push the big lie and echo the conspiracy theories that line their pockets, keeping them in power. Upton has never been one for flash, yet his future is no more secure, despite 35 years in the House. He could face Steve Carra, a state representative endorsed by Trump, who would have to move homes to mount a primary challenge against Upton because of new congressional maps drafted by a bipartisan commission. Im 100% running for Congress, its an honor to have President Trumps endorsement, and Fred Upton will not be a congressman in 2023, Carra said in a text message. Even if Upton does not have to face Carra, his impeachment vote has placed him at risk. The new map pushed Upton into the same district as Bill Huizenga, a more conservative congressman who voted against impeachment. Under the circumstances, Upton is showing clear signs of fatigue. Youve got metal detectors now going on the House floor. We get really nasty threats at home. The tone gets, you know, tougher and tougher, and its a pretty toxic place, he said last month on CNN. Ive never seen anything like this before. Advertisement None of the 10 have fallen so far in the Republican firmament as Cheney nor risen so high in the esteem of many in both parties who fear and loathe Trump. The daughter of a former vice president who was once the embodiment of confrontational conservatism, for better or worse, Cheney started 2021 as the chair of the House Republican Conference, a political knife fighter believed by many to be destined for the speakership. Her vote to impeach and her outspoken denunciations of the lie pushed by Trump and embraced by many of her colleagues that the 2020 election was stolen, cost her dearly. She was ousted from her leadership post, ejected from the Wyoming Republican Party and targeted repeatedly by the former president, who has tried to unite Wyoming voters around the primary opponent he has endorsed, Harriet Hageman. Cheney has soldiered on, becoming the vice chair of the House select committee investigating the riot, the face of Republican resistance to Trumpism and a one-woman wrecking crew for McCarthys ambitions to become speaker next year if the party retakes control of the House. Looking back, Cheney said that her fall from Republican leadership was inevitable as long as she had to share the stage with McCarthy, whose brief denunciation of Trump after Jan. 6 quickly gave way to a resumption of fealty. It was increasingly clear that staying as conference chair was going to require me to perpetuate the lie about the election, Cheney said. I was simply not willing to look the other way and accept what he did. McCarthy, by contrast, visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, near the end of January, making it pretty clear the path that he had chosen, Cheney added. It was one that was not faithful to the Constitution. Advertisement Never one to let bygones be bygones, Trump has relentlessly pursued retribution against those who voted to impeach him. In September, he endorsed a square-jawed, Army Special Forces veteran, Joe Kent, to challenge Herrera Beutler, who before her vote had revealed one of the most damning vignettes of Jan. 6 for Trump. She recounted a phone call in which McCarthy had personally pleaded with the president to call off the rioters during the assault. Trump had responded, Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are. Kent has heartily embraced the lie that Trump won the 2020 election and has said that the former president bears no responsibility for the attack. Hageman, the candidate whom Trump endorsed to unseat Cheney, is more of a political insider: She was part of the Republican resistance to his ascent in 2016. But she has since embraced him, calling Trump the greatest president of her lifetime and claiming that there are legitimate questions about the outcome of the 2020 election. John Gibbs, Trumps choice to unseat Meijer, was the former presidents pick to lead the Office of Personnel Management. But his nomination stalled after CNN uncovered tweets that he posted promoting the conspiracy theory that John Podesta, Hillary Rodham Clintons 2016 presidential campaign chair, took part in a satanic ritual and defending the antisemitic Twitter account of alt-right figure Ricky Vaughn. Despite the threat, Meijer a political neophyte who cast what may prove to be the most consequential vote of his career days after he was sworn in says he has no regrets about his vote to impeach. He has spoken frankly about the sinister forces in his party that gave rise to the Capitol riot. Advertisement Based on demonstrated public behavior, of course Jan. 6 was a step toward authoritarianism, Meijer said. But he has tempered such statements with criticism of Democrats, saying, authoritarian populism is alive and well in both parties. The system is not providing the recourse that we need, Meijer said, tying together Jan. 6 and racial justice protests in 2020 that sometimes turned violent. Thats the throughline between the riots of last summer, Jan. 6 and now. The system itself has been delegitimized. Cheney, by contrast, laid the responsibility with Republicans alone. Our party has to choose, Cheney said. We can either be loyal to Donald Trump, or we can be loyal to the Constitution, but we cannot be both. And right now, there are far too many Republicans who are trying to enable the former president, embrace the former president, look the other way and hope that the former president goes away. For now, he is very much present. Senate Republicans had an opportunity to banish Trump permanently from politics; if 17 of them had joined Democrats in voting to convict him at this impeachment trial, it would have yielded the two-thirds majority needed to remove him and paved the way for a separate vote to bar him from office. But only seven Republicans voted to convict. One of them, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, lamented that in her partys haste to get this behind us, Republicans lost the opportunity to do just that. Advertisement Like so many of her House Republican counterparts, Murkowski is facing a primary challenge this year from a Trump-endorsed candidate. I am ever the optimist when it comes to the greatness of our country, and I want to continue to have that level of optimism, that when we get too close to the brink, we have the ability to pull ourselves back, she said. Thats one of the reasons that Im signing up to run again because I feel its important to be one of those voices that hopefully can pull us back. c.2021 The New York Times Company Dairy farmsespecially in the Northeastare increasingly subject to more stringent regulations to reduce nutrient losses. With expected warmer conditions that will result in increased ammonia volatilization from manure and more frequent and more severe storms that will cause more soluble phosphorus runoff, new strategies such as manure injection (shown) are needed to limit nitrogen and phosphorus losses from crop fields. Credit: Robert Meinen Dairy farmers in the Northeastfacing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing seasoncan reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting manure into the soil, rather than broadcasting it. That's the conclusion of a team of researchers, led by Penn State agroecologists, whose new study evaluated whole-farm production and the environmental and economic impacts of adopting these practices on a representative dairy farm in central Pennsylvania under recent historical and projected mid-century climate. The research is important, according to Heather Karsten, associate professor of crop production/ecology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, because dairy farmsespecially in the Northeastare increasingly subject to more stringent regulations to reduce nutrient losses. With expected warmer conditions that will result in increased ammonia volatilization from manure and more frequent and more severe storms that will cause more soluble phosphorus runoff, new strategies are needed to limit nitrogen and phosphorus losses from crop fields. To reach their conclusions, researchers simulated farm management strategies using the Integrated Farm System Model developed by C. Alan Rotz, an agricultural engineer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. The strategies were informed by a long-running, dairy cropping systems experiment at Penn State's Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, supported by the USDA. That simulation enabled the scientists to determine the effects on crop yields, feed production, nitrogen losses, sediment erosion, sediment-bound and soluble losses of phosphorus, greenhouse gas emissions, fossil energy use, and production costs. The difference between a field treated with injected liquid manure (left) and broadcasted manure is obvious in this comparison photo. Injecting manure reduces ammonia volatilization and soluble phosphorus runoff from crop fields. Credit: Robert Meinen, Penn State In findings recently published in Agricultural Systems, the researchers reported that double cropping and subsurface injection of manure reduced total nitrogen losses by 12%-18% and total phosphorus losses by 16%-19%. Adoption of these strategies, they noted, provided a feasible adaptation and mitigation approach for future climate by reducing projected increases in soluble phosphorus runoff and ammonia emissions caused by warmer temperatures and greater precipitation. Significantly, these benefits can be achieved while maintaining and potentially reducing total farm-production costs, Karsten pointed out. Environmental benefits of double cropping and manure injection can be achieved while maintaining and potentially reducing total farm-production costs. Credit: Heather Karsten, Penn State "There's a lot of interest in double cropping among Northeast dairy farmers," she said. "I think farmers are realizing they have a longer growing season, and there are more precipitation events in spring that make getting into the field to do any operation more challenging. Our results demonstrate that adoption of these strategies can help mitigate dairy farm environmental impacts now and even more in the future." Jose Castano-Sanchez, former postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Plant Science at Penn State, currently a postdoctoral research associate at New Mexico State University and the USDA, and Rotz contributed to the research. Explore further Manure application changes with winter crop can cut nitrogen loss, boost profits More information: Jose P. Castano-Sanchez et al, Double cropping and manure management mitigate the environmental impact of a dairy farm under present and future climate, Agricultural Systems (2021). Jose P. Castano-Sanchez et al, Double cropping and manure management mitigate the environmental impact of a dairy farm under present and future climate,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103326 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Yet more earthquakes have struck near South Carolina's capital city, the ninth and tenth in a series of rumblings that have caused geologists to wonder how long the convulsions might last, or if they could possibly portend future, more serious seismic activity. Early Wednesday, a 2.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Elgin, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Columbia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was measured at a depth of 0.5 kilometers, officials said. About 7 hours later, another earthquake hit the area, this one with a magnitude of 1.5, according to officials. That area, a community of fewer than 2,000 residents near the border of Richland and Kershaw counties, has become the epicenter of a spate of recent seismic activity, starting with a 3.3-magnitude earthquake on Dec. 27. That quake clattered glass windows and doors in their frames, sounding like a heavy piece of construction equipment or concrete truck rumbling down the road. Since then, a total of nine more earthquakes have been recorded nearby, ranging from 1.5 to Wednesday morning's 2.6 quake. No injuries or damage have been reported. According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, the state typically averages up to 20 quakes each year. Clusters often happen, like six small earthquakes in just more than a week last year near Jenkinsville, about 38 miles (61 kilometers) west of the most recent group of tremors. Earthquakes are nothing new to South Carolina, although most tend to happen closer to the coast. According to emergency management officials, about 70% of South Carolina earthquakes are located in the Middleton Place-Summerville Seismic Zone, about 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of Charleston. In 1886, that historic coastal city was home to the largest recorded earthquake in the history of the southeastern United States, according to seismic officials. The quake, thought to have had a magnitude of at least 7, left dozens of people dead and destroyed hundreds of buildings. That event was preceded by a series of smaller tremors over several days, although it was not known that the foreshocks were necessarily leading up to something more catastrophic until after the major quake. Frustratingly, there's no way to know if smaller quakes are foreshadowing something more dire, according to Steven Jaume, a College of Charleston geology professor who characterized the foreshocks ahead of Charleston's 1886 disaster as "rare." "You can't see it coming," Jaume told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "There isn't anything obvious moving or changing that you can put your finger on that you can say, 'This is leading to this.'" Typically, Jaume said that the recent quakes near Elginwhich lies along a large fault system that extends from Georgia through the Carolinas and into Virginiawould be characterized as aftershocks of the Dec. 27 event, since the subsequent quakes have all been smaller than the first. But the fact that the events keep popping up more than a week after the initial one, Jaume said, has caused consternation among the experts who study these events. "They're not dying away the way we would expect them to," Jaume said. "What does that mean? I don't know." Explore further Strong quake hits off Taiwan's eastern coast 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Set amidst a bitter, divisive U.S. presidential election and a steadily-growing Black Lives Matter movement, actor Jussie Smollett exploded onto center stage in early 2019 after claiming he was the target of a late-night beating at the hands two racist, homophobic Trump supporters. The former "Empire" TV star awaits sentencing after a Chicago jury found him guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct for staging the attack, which could mean up to three years in prison. Even as the details emerge, many are still confused as to why the 39-year-old lied about a vicious hate crime, something that remains a constant reality for those in the LGBTQ community and those who are Black or Asian. "As humans, we like to look for certain types of explanations of behavior. It's something that we engage in all the time," says Rory Smead, an associate professor of philosophy at Northeastern who studies spite. "There are really only two kinds of explanations that people find satisfying. Either they did it out of some ethical or moral good, like when somebody jumps in the river to save somebody. The only other reason we find compelling is a selfish reason, that there's some kind of personal gain or something," Smead says. Smollett claimed he was attacked at 2 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2019 by two men wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats, the ones often sported by backers of former President Donald Trump. Smollett said they poured bleach on him, put a noose around his neck, and beat him up while yelling homophobic and racist slurs. When Chicago police arrived at his apartment more than six hours later, the police bodycam footage showed Smollett wearing the noose. Andre Hope, the lone Black juror in Smollett's trial, told WLS-TV that Smollett's claims defied common sense. He remains baffled as to why the actor faked the attack. "I still have not figured out a motive for why he did it, why this even had to happen. He was a star," Hope says. The noose Smollett claimed his attackers put around his neck became a sticking point for both Hope and former Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson. "As an African American person, I'm not putting that noose back on at all," says Hope. Smollett maintains his innocence and his attorney said he will appeal the jury's decision. Smollett's high-profile staged attack and subsequent conviction makes him the latest in a list of headline-grabbing people who have pretended to be victims. Some do it in order to obtain some sort of personal or financial gain. Others claim to have a deadly illness, such as cancer. One woman pretended to be a 9/11 victim, although she never took any money from the many 9/11 victims' funds. "It's common to use well-known events or items like the 'Make America Great Again' hat because there's instant recognition. Everybody knows about 9/11, and everybody knows about MAGA caps," says Marc Feldman, a psychologist who specializes in a personality disorder called factitious disorder, which he believes Smollett could have. "It's a shortcut to getting the attention that these people are after and the sympathy, because there's that immediate recognition," says Feldman, who has not met or treated Smollett. Those who fake victimization for personal gain such as money can be diagnosed as malingerers, says Hilmar von Strunck, visiting associate teaching professor of psychology at Northeastern. The medical diagnosis describes people who deceive others, usually physicians, for tangible, understandable gains, such as avoiding military duty or work. But those with factitious disorder, a similar psychological diagnosis, don't appear to get financial or personal gainwhich is a little harder to understand. "As humans, we really are very social animals, and we need that human touch and connection. Sometimes when they don't get that attention, factitious disorder emerges so they can get that care they're seeking," says von Strunck, who commented on the disorder and not on Smollett's particular case. People with factitious disorder are often looking for intangible things like attention, sympathy, and care that they feel unable to get in other, more appropriate ways, says von Strunck. "This shows a lot of the conditioning that happens in psychology, like making associations between two stimuli. The person with factitious disorder connects being sick in a hospital with getting a lot of attention," says von Strunck. The fact that Smollet continues to claim his innocence is also in line with the disorder, says Feldman, who has written five books about factitious disorder. "I'm aware of literally a couple dozen factitious cancer cases, and most of them don't ever confess to telling a lie. They'll change their claims over time. One year they'll say they have terminal cancer, and three years later they're still posting about it. Sometimes they'll claim a miraculous cure. They evoke God, and say God cured them, and to question their story is to question God," says Feldman. "That's how people have wormed their way out of these lies in a surprising number of cases." Brooks Ayers, a man who dated one of the women on the "Real Housewives of Orange County," claimed to be diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013. Despite later admitting he faked chemotherapy bills that he had used as proof of his illness, Ayers continues to suggest that he was diagnosed with cancer. "There's no face-saving way for them to exit a situation like this," says Feldman, pointing out that Smollett had no logical alternative explanation for his actions. "So, barring any other avenue for escape, he's sticking to his story. And it seems that he may have repeated the story so many times, with so much detail, that it's become what I've called quasi-delusional. He may start to believe elements of it himself." That leaves former celebrity defenders of Smollett, such as CNN's Don Lemon, to try and distance themselves from the star's dizzying tangle of tall tales. "He had to make up too many lies," in order to explain his assault story to police, said Lemon on "Don Lemon Tonight" shortly after Smollett's conviction. Lemon, who's been criticized for his involvement in the case, pivoted to another damaging aspect of Smollett's claims. "Here's what folks are concerned aboutthat what he did might undermine future victims, legitimate victims of hate crimes," says Lemon. D. Sarah Stamps. Credit: Mike Lee The Earth's surface is ever incrementally moving and changing shape, breaking apart and forming new land masses and oceans. In the billions of years of history of planet Earth there have been 10 supercontinents, the most famous and recent being Pangaea breaking apart about 175 million years ago. Africa itself is slowly separating into several large and small tectonic blocks along the diverging East African Rift System, which includes Madagascarthe long island just off the coast of Southeast Africathat itself will also break apart into smaller islands. The culprit is the region's rich and deep intrusions of magma. Yet, Africa is also seeing continental rifts, the separations, in areas where there is no evidence of magma intrusions. These types of continent rifts are known as magma-poor or "dry" rifts. In short, if this were a mystery the culprit's identity is unknown. D. Sarah Stamps, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences, part of the Virginia Tech College of Science wants to put her expertise in continental rifting to find the villain. Stamps recently was awarded a $3 million National Science Foundation grant for the DRIAR project (that's short for Dry Rifting In the Albertine-Rhino Graben, Uganda) to help spur her efforts. "You can think of the breakup of eastern Africa as the continuation of the breakup of Pangaea," said Stamps, leader of the Geodesy and Tectonophysics Laboratory. "Eastern Africa is actively breaking up, and if it continues, we'll see new oceans forming. In the northern parts of East Africa, like in Ethiopia and the Afar region, it's already extended to the point of forming baby oceanic areas. The spreading has already created new oceanic crust. The land is subsiding, and the first stages of new ocean basin formation is underway." Further south in the central East African Rift System, the breakup of the continent is less intense. This is where Stamps has spent much of her research career. For this effort, Stamps is leading a large team of experts. From the U.S., her collaborators come from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the University of Kansas, Northwestern University, the University of California, Davis, and Midwestern State University in Texas. In Uganda, the team is working directly with the government's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and with Makerere University in Uganda. "This team and I are very interested in understanding the physics of how a continent can break apart when there's no surface expression of magma as volcanoes," Stamps said. The team will focus on the Northern Western Branch of the East African Rift System located in Uganda, East Africa where magma-poor rifting is taking place. A wide range of geophysical, geological, and geochemical observations will be collected, and numerical modeling of the region will be performed to understand how the magma-poor rifts form and evolve. Among the answers Stamps and her collaborators seek to answer: In magma-rich rifts, is strain accommodated through lithospheric weakening from melt?; In magma-poor rifts, is melt present below the surface weakening the lithosphere such that strain is accommodated during upper crustal extension?; And in magma-poor rifts, what if there is no melt at depth and strain is accommodated along fluid-filled faults or pre-existing structures such as inherited compositional, structural, and rheological lithospheric heterogeneities? "I hope there will definitely be impacts on our understanding of the physics of continental rifting," Stamps said. "But we also have a lot of broader impacts with respect to capacity building in Uganda. So, we're going to conduct field schools in Uganda to teach people how to use the equipment and analyze the data." Working with Stamps are three scientists, a Ph.D. student in geosciences and a native of Uganda, Asenath Kwagalakwe, and two undergraduate students from the Academy of Data Sciences' computational modeling and data analytics program, Esha Islam, a third-year student, and third-year student Crystal Lee. The Academy of Data Science is also part of the College of Science. "I am working on the Albertine-Rhino Graben, which is the northernmost rift in the Western branch of the East African Rift System. My research interests are in investigating the physics of strain accommodation in the magma-poor Albertine-Rhino Graben of the East African Rift System using geodynamic modeling and GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] geodesy," said Kwagalakwe. Islam, for her part, took an elective geosciences course, and greatly enjoyed Stamps' presence as a professor in the classroom. Islam asked Stamps about research opportunities. "Data science is very flexible in what it can be applied to and coding is used in most STEM-related fields, so even though I didn't have any notable geoscience background, Dr. Stamps was willing to offer me a spot," she said. "Currently, my job is to rerun test models of other graduate students to determine that we all get the same results." Added Lee, "I was brought into the project through my friend, Esha Islam, who has been working with Dr. Stamps for some time and is also a peer in my major. I was interested in joining the project when she talked to me about it because I wanted to expand upon my experience with data processing and modeling." Lee will be analyzing GNSS data collected in Uganda. Among the benefits from the study, in addition to better understanding continental rifting, Stamps points to improving estimates of carbon dioxide transfer into the atmosphere that occurs during continental rifting, advancing rifting models used for exploring natural resources, and creating new insights into seismic hazards associated with active faulting. Explore further East African Rift System is slowly breaking away, with Madagascar splitting into pieces Credit: Peter Griffin/public domain Studies suggest that religion can help prisoners cope with prison life and that it may affect the likelihood of recidivism. A new longitudinal study examined how male prisoners' religious beliefs affected their reentry into the community. The study found that men with stable or increasing religious beliefs did not have better reentry-related outcomes than men with decreasing religious beliefs. The study, by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University and Florida State University (FSU), appears in Justice Quarterly, a publication of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. "Numerous barriers, including finding and maintaining jobs, securing housing, renewing ties with family and others, prevent religion from effectively supporting the reentry process for many incarcerated men, which can encourage relapse," says Iman Said, a doctoral candidate in sociology and criminology at Penn State, who led the study. "Our findings call into question prison-based religious programs as the sole way to reduce recidivism and boost post-release success and suggest a lack of a relationship between religious beliefs and recidivism." Studies on religion and prisoners have focused on religion as a possible catalyst for transforming identityhelping individuals come to terms with their prior criminal self and move toward an aspirational future self, which inspires them to not reoffend. Other studies have looked at religion as a source of informal social control, with its influence stemming from being part of a religious group and having religious friends, which can lessen the likelihood of reoffending. Scholars have begun merging these two pathways, recognizing that network ties are often the impetus for transforming identity and that the influence of informal social control relies on some degree of agency and identity change. In this study, researchers used longitudinal data from men in a therapeutic community (a program for men with substance-use disorders) in a Pennsylvania prison, as well as information from in-prison and post-prison life, to explore the impact of religion on reentry (for the quantitative analysis, 174 men were studied; for the qualitative, 51). They examined how religion acts on behavior in and out of prison, the protective effect of religion on recidivism, and the usefulness of religion in surmounting structural barriers upon reentry. Religiosity was measured through interviews that included questions about frequency of participation in religious activities before, during, and after prison. The relationship between religion and desistance (stopping offending or other antisocial behavior) may be complicated by structural barriers to reentry and high rates of substance use among incarcerated populations. The study also examined the effect of substance use among incarcerated populations and the difficulty of simultaneous reentry and recovery, an important issue given the prevalence of religion in recovery programs. At various points in the history of the U.S. criminal justice system, faith-based programming accounted for most programs; the men in this study had regular access to religious services, faith-based programs, and a full-time chaplain. The study found that incarcerated people with stable or increasing religious beliefs used religion to reconcile past mistakes and create an aspirational future self; this is consistent with studies that have identified religion as a potential catalyst for transforming identity. Many respondents said they practiced religion independent of organized programs, with some spending time reading the Bible or engaging in self-reflection, for example. Incarcerated people with decreasing religious beliefs had a more despairing attitude toward their imprisonment and did not trust other incarcerated people. They tended not to see religion as a personal experience but as something that could be used to fill time. Therefore, religion's role during prison may depend on individuals' initial openness to positive change, the authors suggest. Regarding post-release outcomes, the potential for religion to spur identity transformation lies in its use as a signal to family members that the individual is ready to change and as a driver that motivates the individual to stick to his goalsbut even this becomes insufficient over time, the study found. Despite the importance of religious beliefs in motivating incarcerated people to transform their identity and lead a more prosocial life, religion was insufficient for overcoming barriers to successful reentry and recovery, the study found. Thus, contrary to expectations, individuals who reported increasing or stable religious beliefs did not have better reentry outcomes than individuals who reported decreasing religious beliefs. Many found they did not have time to attend religious services or take part in self-reflection, and many returned to substance use. The study also identified some prisoners as stably nonreligious. These men were more likely to be White and younger, to report opioid use, and to recidivate. They had lower levels of engagement in their prison-based treatment program and had a fatalistic view of their capacity to change. Coming of age in the opioid crisis, suggest the authors, made these men lose their faith in the capacity for effective intervention. Although analyses showed that increased or stable religiosity could reduce the likelihood of recidivism, these categories did not reach statistical significance in this study. In contrast, men in the stably nonreligious group had a greater likelihood of recidivating, and this relationship was the only one that was statistically significant. But in other analyses, none of the men in the religious group had a strong statistical relationship with recidivism, suggesting that there is no relationship between religion and reoffending. "The study's findings have implications for prison-based programming," according to Kim Davidson, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at FSU, who coauthored the study. "Religious programs are popular with the public and with policymakers, many of whom believe that religion can change the disposition of incarcerated people, resulting in a prosocial person who will successfully reenter society. But these programs may not improve individuals' reentry into the community." Among the study's limitations are that its data come from one institution and from a small number of participants in a therapeutic community, and that it did not address potential differences between religiosity and spirituality. Explore further Domestic violence goes unrecognized in faith communities More information: Iman Said et al, A Mixed-Method Evaluation of the Role of Religion in Desistance and Reentry, Justice Quarterly (2022). Journal information: Justice Quarterly Iman Said et al, A Mixed-Method Evaluation of the Role of Religion in Desistance and Reentry,(2022). Provided by Crime and Justice Research Alliance Credit: CC0 Public Domain Many companies today use experiments to gather the data that drives their strategies. That's how Facebook knows whether a newsfeed change increased user engagement, or how a bank knows whether its new promotional strategy increased deposits. But a phenomenon called interference has always made getting to that clear cause-and-effect difficult. Now researchers at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin have designed a new method that illuminates how interference affects the results of these randomized control trials, enabling social and behavioral researchers to account for interference across a broad range of applications. Whenever an experimental treatment can change the behavior of the units outside the treatment group, there's interference, and it muddies causal inferencethe important cause-and-effect conclusions researchers draw. "This phenomenon occurs any time I run a randomized experiment and my experimental units are connected with each other in some wayin social networks, friend groups, households, trade networks, and city streets," said lead researcher David Puelz, UT McCombs School of Business clinical assistant professor of finance. In social media research, people in the treatment and control groups may be friends. In e-commerce research, people in each study group may live in the same household. "Without accounting for interference, estimates of causal effects will be very wrong," Puelz said. "But if incorporated into a statistical analysis in the right way, interference can be a blessing. So we designed a method that has network interference directly baked in." The findings are published online in advance in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. The research team included Guillaume Basse of Stanford University, Avi Feller of the University of California-Berkeley, and Panos Toulis of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. The new method can test directly for interference effects, such as spillovers and peer effects in social networks. For example, Facebook can test whether a newsfeed change affects not only the user, but also friends of that user. Policymakers can test whether mask wearing alters viral spread within and across households, and human resources divisions in companies can investigate whether wellness programs change health outcomes among groups of employees. The research focused on spatial interference, drawing on data from a large-scale policing experiment conducted by a separate team in Medellin, Colombia, in 2015. That team measured crime on all the city's streets, identified hotspots, and then asked whether extra police patrols on hotspot streets affected crime on adjacent streets. Did the intervention reduce crime or just shift it to another street? To find out, the researchers constructed a graph that encoded information about the interference structure of Medellin's street segments and every possible combination of policing assignments. Their method then uses this novel graph construct with a new algorithm to break it up into two relevant subsets: Spillover units that weren't treated but may be linked to a treated unit, and pure control units that weren't treated or linked. On this smaller graph, they can then perform what's called a Fisher randomization test to determine whether there is a spillover effectwhether crime on streets near policed streets differed from those far away from policed streets. The research confirmed previous findings that extra patrolling on one street reduces crime on adjacent streets. But beyond crime in Medellin, the computational approach Puelz and team created has application potential for any research that is confounded by network interference. "It can also be used at Facebook and Google in all of the thousands of experiments that they're conducting every single day, or at any other company conducting A/B tests and internal experiments to improve operations," Puelz said. Explore further Research team demonstrates angular-spectrum-dependent interference More information: David Puelz et al, A graphtheoretic approach to randomization tests of causal effects under general interference, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology) (2021). David Puelz et al, A graphtheoretic approach to randomization tests of causal effects under general interference,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/rssb.12478 The reed warbler is one of many birds that use the Earths magnetic field to navigate. Credit: Gary Tate/Wikimedia At Christmas, thousands of greetings cards feature the iconic winter plumage of the robin. But not all the robins you might find in your backyard are permanent natives to your country. In the UK, for example, some will have migrated from Germany and Russia, and like millions of other animals all over the world, will return back to their breeding grounds next spring. This ebb and flow of birds, mammals, fish and insects is a key part of the Earth's biodiversity. Migration is a challenging strategy. For small animals like songbirds to be able to return from Africa or southern Europe to areas where they can successfully breed, they need to be able to repeatedly navigate to precisely the same place. How they do this is a question that has vexed scientists for over 60 years. But recent evidence is shedding light on how tiny animalswith correspondingly tiny brainscan cross mountains, oceans and deserts without getting lost. It seems that birds use external cues available in their environment, like the stars and the Earth's magnetic field, to provide them with the equivalent of a map and a compass. But how they combine these cues is only now starting to become clear. Our research group's recent paper focuses on how reed warblers, a small Eurasian songbird, navigate. First, we disrupted the birds' ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field by attaching a small magnet to their forehead. We found that when we also obscured their view of the stars, the birds were unable to find the right direction to migrate in. Once their view of the stars was returned, however, they were able to find their way again. Like a careful engineer, the evolutionary process of natural selection has built in a fail-safe to birds' navigation systems, making sure there are backup orientation devices available for when the skies are cloudy. This is an example of a funnel used to test birds orientation. Birds feet leave ink marks on the funnel paper when taking off, indicating their flight direction. Credit: L Shyamal/Wikipedia Magnetic fields Another study by our research group has shown how these same reed warblers can work out exactly where they are when migrating, as well as how they deal with being blown off course or needing to detour around barriers like the Alps. We put reed warblers in an artificial magnetic field that matched the natural magnetic field of a place far northwest of the birds' migration route. We then tested their sense of direction in an orientation cagea small funnel 30cm in diameter that allows us to measure the direction a bird wants to take off in by analyzing where it hops inside the cage. We found that when placed in this artificial field, birds changed their orientation from southeast to southwest, suggesting they had recognized the magnetic field signature as foreign and were trying to get back to their route. We call this technique "virtual displacement", as the bird itself never actually leaves the site where it's captured for testing. It's become a new tool for understanding how animals sense and use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation. What was even more remarkable was that the artificial magnetic field we created is not one that the birds would have previously encountered on their migrations. That means they weren't reacting to magnetic field cues that they had learned. Instead, the birds had used their instinctive awareness of how the Earth's magnetic field changes with distance to work out that they were northwest of their route. Not bad for those tiny bird brains. Clearly, both the starfield and the magnetic field are important cues for birds to migrate. But human activity has the potential to disrupt these. Artificial light at night from cities reduces visibility of the stars and moon. In other animals, such as dung beetles and sandhoppers, this has been shown to negatively affect navigation abilities. What's more, artificial electromagnetic signalssuch as those coming from radio towers or even from electric currents that power everyday devices such as kettlescan also confuse birds' ability to detect the natural magnetic field. We may be giving birds a double dose of pollution that even their fail-safe systems can't overcome. We don't fully understand how these pollutants affect migratory birds yet, but as we come to understand more about nature's GPS, it's vital to understand the risks human activity poses to this remarkable system of navigation. Explore further Birds use massive magnetic maps to migratesome could cover the whole world More information: Florian Packmor et al, A magnet attached to the forehead disrupts magnetic compass orientation in a migratory songbird, Journal of Experimental Biology (2021). Journal information: Journal of Experimental Biology Florian Packmor et al, A magnet attached to the forehead disrupts magnetic compass orientation in a migratory songbird,(2021). DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243337 This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A rock sample used to reexamine Earth's pre-GOE "whiff of oxygen" spans the Archean and Paleoproterozoic time periods. This illustration depicts what the Earth might have looked like billions of years ago. Credit: Ozark Museum of Natural History Evidence arguing for a "whiff of oxygen" before the Earth's Great Oxygenation Event 2.3 billion years ago are chemical signatures that were probably introduced at a much later time, according to research published in Science Advances. The result rewinds previous research findings that atmospheric oxygen existed prior to the so-called Great Oxygenation Eventknown to researchers as "GOE" and has the potential to rewrite what is known of the planet's past. "Without the whiff of oxygen reported by a series of earlier studies, the scientific community needs to critically reevaluate its understanding of the first half of Earth's history," said Sarah Slotznick, an assistant professor of earth sciences at Dartmouth and first author of the study. The study indicates that the chemical data originally determined to suggest atmospheric oxygen earlier in Earth's history may have been introduced by events hundreds of millions of years later. Additional analysis conducted as part of the study reconfirms that Earth's atmosphere featured exceedingly low oxygen levels prior to 2.3 billion years ago. "We used new tools to investigate the origins of the signals of trace oxygen," said Jena Johnson, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan and co-author of the study. "We found that a series of changes after the sediments were deposited on the seafloor were likely responsible for the chemical evidence of oxygen." The Initiation of Oxygenation For decades, scientists have debated when measurable levels of oxygen first appeared in Earth's atmosphere. The idea of the Great Oxygenation Event has developed over the last century and is thought to be when oxygen levels began to increase over 2 billion years ago, paving the way for the rise of complex cells, animals, and eventually humans. More recently, however, research on chemical signals correlated to oxygen has suggested earlier transient appearances of oxygen, known as "whiffs." In 2007, two parallel studies found evidence of such a whiff of oxygen based on samples of the 2.5-billion-year-old Mount McRae Shale, part of a heavily studied 2004 drill core collected in Western Australia by the NASA Astrobiology Drilling Program. "When the results came out a decade ago, they were startling," said Joseph Kirschvink, professor of geobiology at Caltech, a member of the Earth-Life Science Institute at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and a co-author of the new study. "The findings seemed to contradict abundant evidence from other geological indicators that argued against the presence of free oxygen before the Great Oxygenation Event." A Research Origin Story The 2007 studies were based on evidence of oxidation and reduction of molybdenum and sulfur, two elements that are widely used to test for the presence of atmospheric oxygen since it cannot be measured directly in rock. The findings raised fundamental questions about the early evolution of life on Earth. The observation of early oxygen was taken by some research groups to support earlier findings that microscopic cyanobacteriaearly innovators in photosynthesispumped oxygen into the ancient atmosphere but that other Earth processes kept oxygen levels low. The 2007 studies, including their implications about the origin of life and its evolution, have been widely accepted and have served as the basis for a series of other research papers over the last 14 years. Electron microscopy revealed that the Mount McRae Shale is made of volcanic glass shards (light grey, left), which could be a source of the molybdenum concentrated in the whiff interval during later fluid flow events that have previously been taken to indicate early atmospheric oxygen. These events are recorded in the iron-sulfur mineral pyrite within the dark grey shale of the whiff interval; here a scanned image (right) shows both early-formed round nodules with diffuse halos and parallel lines of tiny crystals that formed during later fluid flow. Credit: From Science Advances, Slotznick et al., Re-examination of 2.5 Ga Whiff of Oxygen Interval Points to Anoxic Ocean Before GOE, January 5, 2022. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). The new study dates back to 2009, when a Caltech-led team began efforts to conduct additional analysis. The team, some of whom have since moved to other institutions, took over a decade to collect and analyze data, resulting now in the first published study that directly refutes the finding of a whiff of early oxygen. "Rocks this old tell a complicated story that goes beyond what the world was like when the mud was deposited," said Woodward Fischer, a professor of geobiology at Caltech and co-author of the study. "These samples also contain minerals that formed long after their deposition when ancient environmental signals were mixed with younger ones, confusing interpretations of the conditions on ancient Earth." A Matter of Approach The 2007 research papers that found the whiff of oxygen prior to Earth's full oxygenation used bulk analysis techniques featuring geochemical assessments of powdered samples sourced from throughout the Mount McRae Shale. Rather than conducting a chemical analysis on powder, the new research inspected specimens of the rock using a series of high-resolution techniques. For the new study, the research team recorded images of the 2004 drill core on a flatbed optical scanner. Based on those observations, they then collected thin samples for additional analyses. The suite of approaches used on the physical specimens, including synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, gave the team additional insight into the geology and chemistry of the samples as well as the relative timing of processes that were identified. According to the research paper: "Our collective observations suggest that the bulk chemical datasets pointing toward a 'whiff' of oxygen developed during post-depositional events." The new analysis shows that the Mount McRae Shale formed from organic carbon and volcanic dust. The research indicates that molybdenum came from volcanoes and subsequently concentrated during what has been previously characterized as the whiff interval. During a series of chemical and physical changes that turned these sediments into rock, fracturing created pathways for several distinct fluids to carry in signals of oxidation hundreds of millions of years after the rocks formed. "Our observations of abundant pyroclastic glass shards and intercalated tuff beds, paired with the recent insight that volcanic glass is a major host of [molybdenum], offers a new explanation for the [molybdenum] enrichments in the 'whiff' interval," the paper says. Looking Back to Point a Way Forward If the molybdenum was not from oxygen-based weathering of rocks on land and concentration in the ocean, its presence does not support the original finding of early atmospheric oxygen. By using a totally different methodology than that used in the first studies that found a whiff of oxygen, the new research also calls into question research that followed from those studies using the same style of bulk techniques. "Our new, high-resolution data clearly indicates that the sedimentary context of chemical signals has to be carefully considered in all ancient records," said Johnson. In addition to providing an alternate explanation for oxygen proxies that were found in the Mount McRae Shale, the team confirmed that the level of atmospheric oxygen at the time before the Great Oxygenation Event was very low, calling it "negligible" in the approximate period 150 million years before the abrupt change. The findings call into question the early existence of cyanobacteria, instead supporting other hypotheses that oxygen-generating photosynthesis evolved only shortly before the Great Oxygenation Event. "We expect that our research will generate interest both from those studying Earth and those looking beyond at other planets," said Slotznick. "We hope that it stimulates further conversation and thought about how we analyze chemical signatures in rocks that are billions of years old." Birger Rasmussen, of the University of Western Australia and China University of Geosciences; Timothy D. Raub, of the University of St Andrews and the Geoheritage Research Institute; Samuel Webb, of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; and Jian-Wei Zi, of the China University of Geosciences, all contributed to the study. More information: Sarah P. Slotznick, Reexamination of 2.5-Ga "whiff" of oxygen interval points to anoxic ocean before GOE, Science Advances (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj7190 Sarah P. Slotznick, Reexamination of 2.5-Ga "whiff" of oxygen interval points to anoxic ocean before GOE,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj7190 Original 2007 research papers suggesting a "whiff of oxygen": A. D. Anbar, Y. Duan, T.W. Lyons, G. L. Arnold, B. Kendall, R. A. Creaser, A. J. Kaufman, G. W. Gordon, C. Scott, J. Garvin, R. Buick, "A whiff of oxygen before the great oxidation event?" Science 317, 1903-1906 (2007). A. J. Kaufman, D. T. Johnston, J. Farquhar, A. L. Masterson, T. W. Lyons, S. Bates, A. D. Anbar, G. L. Arnold, J. Garvin, R. Buick, "Late archean biospheric oxygenation and atmospheric evolution." Science 317, 1900-1903 (2007). Journal information: Science Advances , Science Mohsen Hosseini and William Ducker's contest-winning image, titled "Lotus on Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Coating." Credit: Mohsen Hosseini and William Ducker At extremely small scales, looks can be deceiving. While at first glance you might see lily pads floating on a tranquil pond, this image is actually a clever adaptation of a snapshot taken on a scanning electron microscope. In reality, the green spots are only a few micrometers acrosssmaller than width of a human hair. They make up a surface coating that was developed to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The coating is composed of a silver-based material applied to a glass surface. The lotus flower, though, was some added artistic flair courtesy of image-editing software. Mohsen Hosseini, Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering, and William Ducker, professor of chemical engineering, recently won an award in the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) image contest with this image. Both Hosseini and Ducker are affiliated with the Macromolecules Innovation Institute (MII). Their win was in the category "most whimsical." "As part of the rigor involved in scientific research, I am always careful to maintain the accuracy of my original results," said Hosseini. "However, this competition was very freeing. It gave me a chance to take my scanning electron microscopy results and legitimately alter it in any way that I chose. It was liberating and fun to express my artistic style. The result isn't a Monet, but I am glad people liked it." The image contest, titled "Plenty of Beauty at the Bottom," is hosted annually by NNCI in celebration of National Nano Day, which occurred on Oct. 9, 2021. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the NNCI is a network of 16 sites around the country that are dedicated to supporting nanoscience and nanotechnology research and development. Virginia Tech's NanoEarth center is part of that network, working to advance earth and environmental nanotechnology infrastructure. This image was captured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that is part of the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory (NCFL) in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. This SEM is the latest addition to the instrument suite at the NCFL, which is an initiative of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. The NCFL gives researchers across the University access to advanced instrumentation including state-of-the-art electron microscopes, optical microscopes, and several spectroscopic techniques. Mohsen Hosseini views the images produced by the JEOL IT500 scanning electron microscope, located in the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory. Photo by Reilly Henson for Virginia Tech. The development of the protective surface coating began more than a year ago, when the coronavirus pandemic was in its early stages. Working on a team that included another doctoral student, Saeed Behzadinasab, the researchers' goal was to find a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 via contaminated surfaces. The coating they produced can successfully inactivate the virus (SARS-CoV-2) when it lands on a solid surface, so that when a person later touches the surface, the virus is unable to infect them. In studying how their surface coating behaves and performs, the researchers captured images of it at the micro scale. Hosseini explained, "The NNCI contest invitation motivated me to select one of the scanning electron microscope images of my coatings, and edit it according to the contest's criteria. My brain was filled with ideas since I had recently designed a front cover that was awarded to our paper published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. I came up with a lotus idea in minutes and that worked very well." Interestingly, the researchers had originally developed a brown coating that showed a great deal of promise. However, after conducting tests with consumers, it became clear that the public would be more likely to use a coating that was clear, instead of brown. Ducker's research group was inspired to produce another coating, which this time would be transparent. As Hosseini put it, "It's ironic that the invisible coating ended up being the subject of visual art, and even got an award for it." Ducker and Hosseini teamed up with Joseph Falkinham and Myra Williams from the Department of Biological Sciences to test the coating on a variety of other illness-causing microorganisms. It proved particularly effective against several bacteria including MRSA, a troublesome antibiotic-resistant bacterium that plagues hospitals. With its transparent appearance and its broad antimicrobial effectiveness, the coating is now a strong candidate for commercialization. Indeed, Ducker has founded a company dedicated to pursuing the production of this surface coating on a larger scale. Hosseini and Ducker are proud to have their image shared with the national nanoscience community. The recognition shows an appreciation for their hard work, in addition to their whimsical perspective. According to NanoEarth assistant director Tonya Pruitt, "Virginia Tech has had some excellent submissions to the NNCI image contest over the years, but this is the first year we've had a winner." More information: Mohsen Hosseini et al, Reduction of Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 by Zinc Oxide Coatings, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering (2021). Mohsen Hosseini et al, Reduction of Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 by Zinc Oxide Coatings,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01076 Artists rendering of Sedna. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC-Caltech) Object 90377 Sednaa distant trans-Neptunian object known best for its highly elliptical, 11,390-year long orbitis currently on its way toward perihelion (its closest approach to the sun) in 2076. After that, Sedna will swing out into deep space again and won't be back for millennia, making this flyby a once-in-a-lifetime (or, once in ~113 lifetimes) opportunity to study an object from the far reaches of our solar system. There are no missions to Sedna in the works just yet, but astronomers are beginning to plan for the possibility, and the ideal launch date for such a mission is approaching fast, with two of the best launch windows coming up in 2029 and 2034. Sedna was discovered in 2003 by Caltech astronomer Mike Brown and his team, and was one of a series of potential dwarf planets (alongside similar-sized bodies like Haumea, Makemake, and Eris) whose discovery led to the demotion of Pluto in 2006. As best we can tell from a distance, Sedna is about the same size as Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, but its composition and origins are different. Its chemical makeup suggests it may be covered in deep reddish organic compounds known as tholins, the same material seen on Pluto and other Kuiper belt objects. Unlike Pluto, it is usually too cold for the methane abundant on its surface to evaporate and fall back as snow, though Sedna may briefly gain an atmosphere of nitrogen as it approaches the sun. What really sets Sedna apart from the other known dwarf planet candidates is its enormous orbit, which takes it out toward the inner edge of the Oort cloud, the most distant region of the solar system, where long-period comets lurk. There are several competing theories to explain how Sedna ended up in this position. Perhaps the most high-profile theory is the possibility that a yet unknown ninth planet, perhaps 10 times the size of Earth, disrupted Sedna's orbit and swept it and several other objects out into highly elongated orbits. Visiting Sedna probably won't solve this particular mystery, but it will tell us a lot about the composition of these extreme trans-Neptunian objects. The orbit of dwarf planet candidate 90377 Sedna (red) compared to Jupiter (orange), Saturn (yellow), Uranus (green), Neptune (blue), and Pluto (purple). Credit: Szczureq/kheider/NASA Reaching Sedna with a spacecraft won't be a simple task. Even at its closest approach, Sedna will only come about 76AU from the sun. For comparison, Neptune is about 30AU, and the Voyager missions, launched in 1977, are just now crossing 150AU and 125AU respectively. That means the time to launch is sooner, rather than later. In planning a mission to Sedna, the Voyager spacecraft are not bad places to look for inspiration. They famously took advantage of a lucky alignment of planets to take a grand tour of the outer solar system, stealing energy from Jupiter to pick up speed and reach their more distant targets. Similar gravity assists will be required to make the trip to Sedna manageable. A team of scientists led by Vladislav Zubko from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences recently modeled a series of possible trajectories to Sedna, favoring a 2029 launch date as the most feasible option. The 2029 trajectory, they determined, would take the spacecraft to Venus first, then back to Earth (twice), before passing Jupiter on the way to Sedna, with flight times as short as 20 years, but more optimally in the 30-year range. The longer flight time would increase the altitude of the spacecraft over Jupiter during the gravity assist, reducing the time spent exposed to the gas giant's harmful radiation. 90377 Sedna as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004. Credit: NASA A 30-year flight plan would also mean passing by Sedna more slowly, providing more time to gather data on the object. Choosing this option would give the spacecraft a relative velocity of 13.70km/s as it passed Sedna, comparable to the speed at which New Horizons approached Pluto in 2015. As a bonus, this trajectory would also take the spacecraft past a 145-km diameter asteroid named Massalia, providing the team with an additional scientific target to study, as well as a chance to test the spacecraft's systems. A second trajectory proposed by the team would consist of a 2034 launch, and would provide a similar additional flyby, this time of the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. At the moment, it's unclear whether a mission to Sedna will actually make it to the launch pad with all the competing options available to mission planners in the coming decade, but as it's our only chance in the next 11,000 years, the idea is sure to be given due diligence. More information: Vladislav Zubko et al, Analysis of Mission Opportunities to Sedna in 20292034. arXiv:2112.13017v1 [astro-ph.EP], Vladislav Zubko et al, Analysis of Mission Opportunities to Sedna in 20292034. arXiv:2112.13017v1 [astro-ph.EP], arxiv.org/abs/2112.13017 Bradley Police Department Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic, 49, of Kankakee, Illinois, was killed in the line-of-duty on Dec. 29, 2021 at the Comfort Inn on Rt 50 in Bradley, Illinois. (Bradley Police Department) Two suspects in the shooting death of a Bradley police sergeant and the wounding of another officer, may face the death penalty if convicted, Kankakee County prosecutors said Wednesday. Darius Sullivan, 25, and Xandria Harris 26, were being held without bond in the death of Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and wounding of Officer Tyler Bailey, said Illinois State Police Capt. Richard Wilk during a briefing at the Bradley police station. Advertisement Kankakee County States Attorney Jim Rowe said his office is pursuing a federal death penalty case against both defendants. Additionally, the state is looking to prosecute anyone else involved in assisting the suspects, Rowe said. In 2011, Illinois became the 16th state to stop using capital punishment, but Rowes request would have the cases reviewed at the federal level. Advertisement They should feel the full force and weight of the law, Rowe said in the company of several Bradley and state law enforcement officials. Sullivan has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated battery with a firearm while Harris has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, Rowe said. Bailey, 27, has continued to fight for his life since the shooting, and is progressing in a positive manner, though he remains in critical condition, Bradley Deputy Chief Craig Anderson said. Rittmanic, 49, and Bailey were shot at a hotel in Bradley last week. Bradley police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic was killed while on duty on Dec. 29, 2021. (Bradley Police Department) Rittmanic died at a nearby hospital. Authorities arrested Sullivan in Indiana on Friday, and Harris later turned herself into police, according to earlier reports. The officers death was the most unnecessary, heartbreaking, painful, deplorable, tragic loss of our lives, her family said in a statement read during the briefing. These alleged acts, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said, were cowardly acts of evil. Advertisement oolander@chicagotribune.com GLENS FALLS On the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Saratoga-Warren-Washington Progressive Action group will hold a vigil at Centennial Circle. The vigil will take place on Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The vigil will be one of more than 150 similar events that will take place across the country, including in Albany and at the U.S. Capitol, according to a news release. Joe Seeman, co-chair of the group and co-organizer of the vigil, said it has taken the year since the event for peoples concerns to take shape. But everyone involved with putting the vigil together has been working for about a month. Its been almost a year since an attack, an attempt to overthrow the republic itself, Seeman said. He said that to frame peoples thoughts about the insurrection as concerns is not a strong enough way to say it. There was an assault on the democracy and that may be taken for granted from time to time, he said. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, was putting fuel on the fire just days before Jan. 6 by pushing the so-called big lie about the presidential election outcome, Seeman said. She issues a statement full of lies claiming that there were 140,000 dead or illegal votes in one county in Georgia, and all kinds of lies that have been refuted, that have been thrown out by all of the judges, he said. Seeman said that to this day Stefanik is still pushing the big lie. He also called her the biggest ally in the House of Representatives to former President Donald Trump. The vigil will be a nonviolent, respectful calling out of Stefanik for her role in the events of Jan. 6, Seeman said. Stefaniks office on Tuesday did not respond to a Post-Star email seeking comment. A news release sent out by Christine Nicols, co-chair of the Saratoga-Warren-Washington Progressive Action, said the vigil will also serve as a remembrance of Capital Police Officer Brian Sicknick who lost his life on the day. The vigil will also serve as a calling out of all accomplices of the attack to be held accountable and for Congress as a whole to take action to protect voting rights. We will be out there nonviolently and respectfully calling out Stefanik for her role, and demanding that Congress take action to stop the ongoing efforts that are going on across America to be able to overturn the will of the voters, Seeman said. Seeman said that everyone will wear face masks and will be socially distant outdoors for the vigil. Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at (518) 742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com. Love 4 Funny 15 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GLENS FALLS Jody Tanner was crocheting a scarf in the dining room at the Open Door Mission during Code Blue hours. She used to have a studio called Twisted Sisters on Cooper Street with a friend of hers. Tanner loves to crochet. She will make anything from hats to scarves, booties to mittens and even blankets. Her friend would make jewelry and Tanner would crochet. She said that they would bring her crocheted items to the hospital to donate. When her friend moved to Florida, Tanner couldnt afford the rent for the studio by herself so she ended up losing the space about seven years ago. Tanner was in a relationship for nine years. She said that everything was perfect, until she found out that the man she was with was in another relationship. I was in love with this man. Ridiculously in love, she said. She gave him another chance, but it didnt work out. They separated around two years ago, and after a period of time Tanner realized that she wouldnt be able to afford her rent of $750 per month, which she said included no utilities. She started cutting back to save for her rent. That meant no air conditioning, no cable. You know, cut some corners, Tanner said. She said that she couldnt find something smaller, citing the winter as being a difficult time to find a new place and move. Tanner is still good friends with her ex. She said that he brings her dog, which stays with him sometimes while she is at the shelter, at dinnertime. He also helps her out when she needs it. I can call him right now and say I need yarn, and hed bring it over, she said. Tanner has been using the Open Door Mission for Code Blue for a few months after she used the remainder of her funds to stay at places like the Budget Inn. She said she has friends who have helped her out during these difficult times. Before going to the mission, Tanner would sleep on the streets. She would hang out at the library until it closed. You just kind of hang out, and its really cold out right now, she said as tears began to fall from her eyes. She pointed to one of the men in the Open Door Mission dining room who wished to remain anonymous and said that one time he split a room with her at a hotel because she didnt have enough money for herself. It was awesome; we ate popcorn, watched horror movies. They had a pool. It was all right, Tanner said. A hot tub, the man said in response. Yes, a hot tub, Tanner replied. Open Door Mission President and CEO Kim Cook described Code Blue as a policy. The mission began offering Code Blue in 2014. When the temperature drops to 32 degrees or colder, or there is a foot of precipitation, the mission allows anyone to enter and have a roof over their head. (Shelters) suspend some of their rules and let people in just to keep them alive, she said. Cook said in an interview in November that in Albany every shelter abides by Code Blue. Locally, Open Door Mission is the only shelter that participates in Code Blue. On average, the mission has had 12 people per night for Code Blue, but Cook said that number will increase during January and February as the nights continue to get colder. The most the shelter has had in a single night so far this season was 22. The most they have ever had in a single night was 32, which Cook said was two years ago. Code Blue is separate from the program that the Open Door Mission offers. For Code Blue, anyone can come in. For the missions program you have to remain sober. We take them whether theyre under the influence or whatever, Cook said in November. They can come in, they get a mat on the floor, a hot meal. We give them whatever services we can. Cook said that the mission starts talking about and preparing for Code Blue in August or September. In Glens Falls. Code Blue typically goes into effect starting in late October, but starts becoming more frequent in November and runs until the colder months come to a close. We were well prepared for that this year, she said. Tanner had been seeing a therapist prior to walking into Open Door Mission for the first time. Tanner said that her therapist helped her get back to church. Her therapist recommended that she check out the mission. Tanner began seeing the therapist because she was depressed. She said that everything was happening to her in a row. One thing led into another, and it was too much for her. The brain, the heart and the soul cannot handle all of that at one time, she said. Having a place locally for the people who need it when the temperature gets too cold or there is too much precipitation means the world to Tanner. Having that support is important to her. The staff is wonderful. You can get up in the middle of the night and say, I cant be alone right now, and theyll say, Well sit here and read a book. Ill go get your crochet stuff or Ill open up the kitchen and well have a cup of tea, she said. It isnt just the staff. Tanner has met people through the mission and she said that she can talk to them any time. She said that things may not have been going her way in the past year, but she has high hopes for the future. Something good will happen. It already happened, she said as she knocked on the dining room table she was sitting at. Because I have a roof over my head, people to talk to any time, and Ive met wonderful people here. Cook sat at one of the dining room tables talking with some of the people there for Code Blue. She doesnt usually have the opportunity to speak with them and hear their stories. She said when she hears some of their stories she cant imagine living through what they have. She listened as Tanner told her story. She also listened as a woman talked about how the people and staff at the mission came through for her during Christmas. Through the holidays Ive really tried to connect with more and more of the people that are here and I keep hearing, The staff is so good to me, or, The food is so great, and that just warms my heart because it really is what we are trying to do here, she said. Its important to start there and build relationships. Its building trust. Tanners relationship with God helps her keep a positive outlook on things. God didnt put me on this earth to stick me in this corner. Everybodys gotta sit in the corner once in a while, but its up to you to get out of it, she said. Hes not gonna do it all for ya. Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at (518) 742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Ben Rogers, president and director of local sales and marketing at The Post-Star, has been appointed president of a South Dakota-based media group by Lee Enterprises, The Post-Stars parent company. Chris White, president of Lees Western Media Group, made the announcement Wednesday. Rogers will serve as president of the Rapid City Media Group and will work with market leadership at Lee news properties in Bismarck, North Dakota; Casper, Wyoming; and Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Rogers joined The Post-Star in October 2019. Prior to joining Lee, he was with Swift Communications, where he served in multiple leadership roles including publisher of the Sierra Sun and North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. Under Rogers leadership, Glens Falls transitioned from a traditional sales approach to a full-service strategic marketing team. A search is ongoing and we expect to announce a new president in Glens Falls in the near future, said Cathy Hughes, president of the Lee Enterprises Community Media Group. Brian Corcoran, former publisher of The Post-Star and current senior finance director for Lee Enterprises, is still based in Glens Falls and will be overseeing day-to-day operations until Rogers successor is named. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Warren and Washington counties reported COVID-related deaths on Tuesday. The Washington County Public Health Department reported a COVID-related death of a 74-year-old resident. The county stated the resident died on Monday after being hospitalized with the virus and was vaccinated. Washington County officials sent their thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of the deceased, in a news release. Warren County Health Services reported the COVID-related death of a resident in their 50s. The county stated the person lived at home before being hospitalized with the virus. This individual was fully vaccinated, according to the report. The Warren County Board of Supervisors offered condolences to the loved ones of the deceased resident, in a news release. Warren County Warren County Health Services reported a new record high in daily COVID cases, with 157 cases on Tuesday. The county also reported 49 additional recoveries. Of the new cases, 90 involved vaccinated individuals. Health Services is now monitoring 989 active cases, with 965 experiencing mild illness. Warren County now has 1,214 residents under mandatory quarantine for COVID exposure. The news release stated 10 Warren County residents are now hospitalized, with three patients in the ICU. All of the critically ill patients are unvaccinated. Overall, five out of 10 of the hospitalized patients are unvaccinated. The report stated 13 residents are moderately ill outside of the hospital and one person is critically ill. Glens Falls Hospital spokesman Ray Agnew reported on Tuesday morning 21 COVID patients, with two in the ICU and five now off isolation. As of Tuesday, 50,500 Warren County residents have received one dose of the vaccine series and 46,928 residents, or 73% of the population, have been fully vaccinated. Health Services stated 1,434 Warren County children under 11 have received one dose of the vaccine series. The seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 14.5% on Tuesday, compared to the Capital Regions 16.1% positivity rate. Washington County The Washington County Public Health Department on Tuesday reported 85 new COVID cases that were received on Monday, as well as 51 recoveries. The Public Health Department is now monitoring 338 active cases, with 1,385 persons under monitoring due to COVID exposure. Washington County reported an extreme surge in new cases in the news release and urged residents to consider vaccination. County officials stated they have not yet received the community allotment of at-home test kits from the state, but each school in the county has received test kits to be distributed to students. Currently, Washington County has 10 residents in the hospital. The seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 13.4% on Tuesday morning. Love 0 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. QUEENSBURY Warren County will receive $380,338 through state grants for four projects to help protect the countys environment, determine housing needs and promote recreation. According to a news release, $40,000 of the funding will be used toward an $80,000 project to develop an Organics Management Plan. The plan will be designed to increase collection of organic material to keep it out of the waste stream. The goal with that project is to reduce the solid waste stream in Warren County. The second project will assess housing needs across the county. A total of $46,000 of the state funding will be used for a joint project involving Warren County Planning, the Economic Development Corp. of Warren County and the Warren County Local Development Corp. to undertake an assessment of housing needs in the county. According to the news release, the information will be integral in determining how to move forward to improve housing opportunities for residents in Warren County. There will be a grant of $251,838 that will help fund a collaborative effort that includes $50,000 in local funding to help purchase a mobile boat decontamination unit and expand outreach to Schroon Lake visitors. This will improve boat inspection and decontamination programs on the lake. The fourth project will create a plan to leverage growth in the countys outdoor recreation economy. A total of $42,500 of the state funding will go toward the $100,000 project to develop a countywide plan to maximize the use of recreational opportunities, including identifying underutilized assets in order to grow the industry. The Warren County Planning Department applied for the grants. The countys planning director, Wayne Lamothe, said he was happy to see the state recognize the value of the four projects. He believes that the funding reflects an accomplishment in addressing needs in Warren County. These awards through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application program represent the culmination of many hours of staff time across multiple departments here in Warren County, Lamothe said. Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at (518) 742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 8 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. New Jerseyans likely will not have to worry about at-home testing shortages from Vault Health after a supply strain forced the company to limit its usual daily cap. Over the holiday weekend, Vault, which is partnering with the state Department of Health to offer at-home tests, temporarily capped its daily test supply at 10,000 because UPS halted shipping over the weekend. Tests are usually capped at 30,000 daily per state, company spokesperson Kate Brickman said. New Jersey wasnt the only state affected by the change, Brickman said. Utilizing a daily cap to manage orders overwhelming the shipping system is something we do from time to time to ensure we can continue to deliver all tests next-day and dont create a bottleneck, said. Vault monitors its cap limits and demand daily. If demand outpaces the cap, the companys limit will be adjusted to meet it. Vineland students return to classrooms Wednesday VINELAND City schools will return to in-person instruction Wednesday after their students The caps are only for at-home testing since theyre dependent on shipping. The companys in-person testing sites will continue, with additional sites forthcoming, Brickman said. State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli acknowledged the cap Monday. Persichilli advised New Jersey residents seeking at-home tests from Vault to request to try again the following day if they encounter Vaults cap limit. The state Department of Health announced its partnership with Vault, a medical supply company, last month as a way to help more New Jerseyans get tested for COVID-19, especially as the omicron variant continues to infect more residents, leading to an increase in daily cases. Vault typically provides results for its at-home tests within 24 to 48 hours, Persichilli has said. New Jerseyans seeking a test through Vault can visit learn.vaulthealth.com/nj. New Jersey stresses vigilance as 'omicron tsunami' continues State health officials say New Jersey may be only one week away from the peak of the COVID-1 State health administrators last week unveiled the location of a new surge testing site in East Orange, Essex County, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gov. Phil Murphy, during his Monday media briefing on the pandemic, said he and others hope another could be set up in the state, particularly in the southern region. Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ATLANTIC CITY City Council will hold a special meeting Friday to consider the possible removal of Municipal Utilities Authority Chairman John Devlin over misconduct allegations. If passed, a resolution on the agenda would authorize a hearing be held on the allegations and Devlin would be notified 10 days ahead of the hearing date. This is a far-fetched plan to unseat a political rival, Devlin said Wednesday. Devlin is also a longtime school board member and an admitted foe of Mayor Marty Small Sr. I dont agree with his (Smalls) government, and I dont support him, said Devlin, who is about halfway through a five-year appointment to the ACMUA board. Small declined comment Wednesday. ACMUA board members are paid, not volunteers. According to a resolution posted on the citys website, misconduct allegations have been made to the state Department of Community Affairs, claiming Devlin has interfered with ACMUA employees and contractors. A spokesperson from the DCA could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. Devlin said he has heard nothing about any misconduct allegations from the city or state, and he will retain counsel and fight if the resolution passes. This to me is retaliation. The mayor does not like me. Im not a rubber stamp, said Devlin, who said he has been on the school board for about 17 years. They didnt like what I did at the school board level. Devlin, a retired Atlantic City police officer, has been critical of the school districts handling of the child pornography case involving substitute teacher Kayan Frazier, who is a cousin of Smalls wife, LaQuetta. LaQuetta Small, formerly a principal at district schools, began her new job as the Atlantic City schools superintendent Jan. 1. They couldnt vote me out from the school board, now they come up with this, Devlin said. Sixth ward Councilman Jesse Kurtz, who appointed Devlin to the ACMUA, also declined comment Wednesday. Kurtz said he is still gathering information. Devlin is not the first official to claim retaliation. Last week, Councilwoman LaToya Dunston filed a $1 million tort claim against the state, claiming Small and other council members conspired against her in an illegal meeting unknown to the public and have harassed her in various ways. Dunston, who represents the 2nd Ward, seeks general, compensatory and punitive damages over deprivation of my constitutional due process rights under the 14th Amendment and the rights afforded me under the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act. In the claim, Dunston alleges that on Nov. 23, Small and other members of the council met at Mortons The Steakhouse at Caesars Atlantic City to discuss how to remove Dunston from council without providing legally required notice either to the public or to her. It was no meeting. I held a holiday party for supporters, Small said Sunday in a text answer to questions. REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-272-7219 mpost@pressofac.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ATLANTIC CITY Travis Lunn, a veteran casino executive, was named Wednesday as the new president of Atlantic Citys Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. He most recently served as the southeast group president and chief operating officer for MGM Resorts, where he led Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Mississippi. Lunn succeeds former Borgata President Melonie Johnson, who is returning to MGMs National Harbor casino as president and chief operating officer, a job she held before joining Borgata in 2020. The move reduces the number of women in charge of Atlantic City casinos to one; less than a year and a half ago, there were four. The lone remaining female casino boss here is Jacqueline Grace at Tropicana Atlantic City, where she serves as senior vice president and general manager. MGM said the two Mississippi casinos Lund oversaw last year achieved record gambling revenue for multiple months while instituting strict COVID-19-related health and safety protocols. Its an honor to be joining this incredibly talented team, Lunn said in a statement. Borgata is a world-class resort destination with a brand recognized nationwide for its spectacular accommodations, culinary program and entertainment offerings. I cant wait to jump in and connect with all of the employees, guests and local community members. Borgata is Atlantic Citys top-performing casino. Over the first 11 months of last year, it won more than $1 billion in total gambling revenue, including in-person table and slot winnings, internet gambling and sports betting. That is more than twice the revenue of its closest competitor. Lunn previously led MGM Grand Las Vegas as general manager and senior vice president of operations. Before joining MGM Resorts, he served as vice president of operations for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and general manager of hotel operations for The Venetian and The Palazzo resorts. Lunn holds a bachelors degree in hotel administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Mayor Lori Lightfoot addresses news media about COVID-19 and Chicago Public Schools during a news conference at City Hall on Jan. 5, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Classes are canceled in Chicago Public Schools on Thursday after district officials and the teachers union again failed to come to terms on COVID-19 safety measures. It will be the second day of what Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday angrily called an unlawful, unilateral strike by the Chicago Teachers Union a reference to the unions vote earlier this week to refuse in-person learning until its demands for enhanced coronavirus mitigations are implemented. Advertisement If you care about our students, if you care about our families, as we do, we will not relent. Enough is enough. We are standing firm and we are going to fight to get our kids back to in-person learning. Period. Full stop, Lightfoot said Wednesday, again insisting schools are safe despite spiking case numbers in the city. We owe that to our children who suffered learning loss. As for the prospect of in-person classes Friday, the district said thats going to be determined on a school-by-school basis. Advertisement Some schools have enough staff reporting to work to return to in-person instruction as soon as Friday, CPS said in a letter released late Wednesday. Other schools have more limited capacity, and may provide learning packets and other materials for students to use during this illegal work stoppage. Individual principals will communicate those plans with families, the letter said. Officials noted absenteeism is already high because of students and staff members who have COVID-19 or are quarantining because of a close contact, and that some schools may need to make a full return to remote learning depending on their numbers. District officials had canceled Wednesday classes after the union endorsed the work action Tuesday to refuse to work in person during a city spike in infections. The union, using the hashtag #LoriLockout, tweeted Wednesday that its been inundated with calls and emails this morning from educators who say theyve been unable to log into their CPS accounts to teach remotely, as was the CTUs stated intention. Teacher Stuart Abram holds a sign in support of the Chicago Teachers Union before a caravan from Union Park to City Hall on Jan. 5, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) CPS have not confirmed whether staff members have been locked out or how many, though Lightfoot had warned late Tuesday that teachers who did not show up will be docked pay. Until Wednesday evening, it remained unclear if classes in person or otherwise would take place Thursday. In an impassioned speech late Wednesday, Lightfoot said she opposes any plan that closes Chicago schools systemwide and that she wants to focus on handling outbreaks classroom by classroom. She also ripped the teachers union for the dispute, which she said is hurting families, and vowed to get students back to in-person learning. Lightfoot also said the union isnt bargaining with enough urgency, a recurring criticism shes made of the union and vice versa during the districts labor disputes. Advertisement Lightfoot has also accused the union, which supported her opponent in the 2019 election, of politically motivated opposition. I will not allow them to take our children hostage. ... Why are we here again when we know that the safest place for our children is in school? Why are we here again when we know that our schools are safe? Lightfoot said, citing the school districts spending on COVID mitigation strategies. The stalemate made national news Wednesday, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki saying the nation is more than equipped to ensure schools are open ... including in Chicago. Former President Donald Trump said that what is happening in Chicago with all the school closures is devastating. Educate our children in person or give every dollar spent on education directly to the students so they can get out of these failing government schools! Trump said in a statement. [ Friction with the Chicago Teachers Union has been a hallmark of Mayor Lori Lightfoots term often at the expense of put-out parents ] At a virtual news conference Wednesday morning, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said negotiators were headed back to the bargaining table. Advertisement We are going to talk to them as much as we need to, around the clock when necessary, he said. The CTU measure, which won 73% of the vote, is to work remotely from Wednesday to Jan. 18 unless a safety agreement with CPS is reached or the omicron-fueled COVID-19 surge subsides. Sharkey said nearly 20,000 of the unions 25,000 rank-and-file members submitted an electronic ballot Tuesday. Students and parents leave Darwin Elementary in Logan Square on Monday, the first day back to school from winter break for Chicago Public Schools. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) CPS and CTU did not negotiate a safety agreement for this school year after having one in place last year. The sides have yet to come to terms on a metric that would move an individual school to remote learning; expanded testing in schools; and the distribution of N95 masks. Advertisement We are being inundated with calls and emails this morning from educators who attempted to log into their platforms to connect with their students and teach remotely, and safely, but are being locked out by Mayor Lightfoot. #LoriLockout ChicagoTeachersUnion (@CTULocal1) January 5, 2022 CTUs proposal submitted last week called for a negative test result to return to buildings and an expansion of the in-school weekly testing program thats mandatory for unvaccinated staff members and voluntary for students. About 33,000 tests were administered the last week of school before winter break, with district officials promising for months that capacity would reach 40,000 weekly tests. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez expressed frustration again Wednesday that the testing program has not grown faster. Lightfoot said Wednesday that the CTU wants the program mandatory for all, unless parents opt out, a plan she opposes because its morally repugnant to take the decision out of parents hands. COVID testing, she said, is a quasi-medical procedure. As of late last month, 41,690 students and 24,933 staff members were registered for the testing program, according to the district. CPS officials said some students may have registered before getting vaccinated in the fall and decided later not to show up for weekly testing. The union also asked for N95 or equivalent masks to be provided to students and staff members and an increase in vaccination opportunities at schools. Short of that, the CTU demanded the district transition to remote learning for two weeks. Signs in support of the Chicago Teachers Union are handed out before a caravan from Union Park to City Hall on Jan. 5, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) CPS submitted a proposal to the union Tuesday promising to provide 200,000 KN95 masks to staff members, and Martinez said Wednesday students will receive similar masks as well. Under the CPS proposal, the district would offer at least 30,000 screening tests in schools per week; and transition a school to virtual instruction if 40% or more of a schools classroom teachers are absent for two consecutive days because they tested positive for COVID, among other scenarios. Advertisement What Im trying to understand is, how many adults need to be in the school building in order for education and supervision to be adequate? All this week we have been getting reports of classes being doubled up, tripled up in large spaces, cafeterias, auditoriums with a warm body. We dont have staffing, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said at Wednesdays news conference. Their proposal still falls short, to be perfectly honest with you, because it says that you could be missing 40% of grown-ups in the school building and you can still be in session. How does that work? Thats almost half. CPS students and staff members returned to school buildings Monday after a two-week winter break. District representatives said 82% of teachers reported to work Monday and 84% of teachers on Tuesday. Martinez said 200,000 children attended schools on Monday, with that number rising quite a bit on Tuesday. Martinez said about 10% of teachers came to buildings Wednesday. A survey of 225 schools by the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association determined more than half the kids were absent Monday at 24 of these schools. The district runs around 515 schools. The principals group recommends the district go remote for one or two weeks this month to ensure a safe return to in-person learning. More than 20% of staff was absent at 61 of the surveyed schools, with one school reporting 85% of its staff absent. Advertisement Martinez on Wednesday drew attention to Park Manor Elementary School, a South Side school that struggled with COVID-19 cases just before winter break. Some teachers vowed not to work in person early this week as part of a CTU press event. Martinez said 20 out of 21 teachers did not show up to work, and nearly all of the schools 250 students were absent. Five kids in kindergarten was the largest Park Manor class at one point, he said. Imagine if that kind of power was used to help our children get vaccinated, Martinez said about the unions strength at Park Manor. As of Wednesday evening, about 9,000 CPS students and a record 2,300 staff members were in isolation because they tested positive for COVID-19 or quarantine because they came in close contact with someone who had. Fully vaccinated, asymptomatic staff members and students are not required to quarantine. About 11% of the 11,000 people who participated in the in-school testing program this week have tested positive, according to district data, a much higher percentage than usual. CPS says about 91% of its staff is fully vaccinated. Just over half of CPS students aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the district, with about a quarter of the students 5 to 11 years old having received at least one dose. More than 330,000 students are enrolled in CPS, the nations third-largest school district. The Illinois State Board of Education says school districts may not pause in-person learning without first consulting with their local health department. Remote learning days must be offered for the duration. City public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Wednesday that CPS has taken a conservative approach to COVID-19. The risk of in-school transmission remains low and few Chicago kids are hospitalized with COVID-19, she said. Advertisement tswartz@tribpub.com gpratt@chicagotribune.com PLEASANTVILLE People from across the city came together Tuesday night to put students on the path to success and find solutions to what many consider long-standing problems born of systemic inequality, violence and, of late, the COVID-19 pandemic. About 100 people attended a virtual town hall to discuss the issues facing the local school district. The event was organized in collaboration with Mount Zion Baptist Church and held via Zoom. Tamar LaSure-Owens, a first-grade teacher at Leeds Avenue Elementary School, moderated the event. She said it was important to gather city stakeholders in one setting where they could openly discuss how to improve Pleasantville schools and advance the interests of their students. The Rev. Willie Francois III, the senior pastor at Mount Zion Baptist, emphasized the need for speakers to find ways to provide students with community support. It has been part of my mantra as a leader here, as a part of this community, that all children belong to all of us, and that is really whats at the heart of why we are here, Francois said. Parents and residents asked school officials about educational outcomes, academic resources and outbreaks of violence that injure and traumatize students during the past few school board meetings. Speakers at the town hall, which lasted about two hours, were asked how they would work to improve opportunities and school safety for the citys youth. Pleasantville teacher wins award for promotion of equity in education A Pleasantville teacher is leading the way on state efforts to make New Jersey education mor Mayor Judy Ward, answering a question about how to boost student engagement, said two students from Pleasantville High School would be attending City Council meetings. The students, to be appointed by Pleasantville High School Principal Lapell Chapman, will act as liaisons for the district and help ensure student voices are represented in the public policy process. I think thats really important, because we need to know what the youth are thinking, Ward said. A lot of the times we make decisions because we think we know what they want, but in their minds, its something completely different. Christine Ruth, founder of the Atlantic County Collaborative for Educational Equity, said local and state governments would need to intervene to expand opportunity for Pleasantville students. There was a particularly important need, she said, for students to access honors courses that give them the confidence to apply for college. Dawn Rice-Bivens, a co-founder of the Future Leaders Organization, talked about the need to ensure students are connected to affordable opportunities to attend college as well as vocational schools where they can learn a trade. These calls for more expansive opportunities were echoed by religious leaders at the town hall. We must give them as many opportunities and choice, so that they will be able to have those areas that will be available to them, so they can be successful in whatever field or endeavor that they feel like they want to pursue, said the Rev. John Martin, a pastor at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Snowstorm forcing several schools to close Tuesday as well The snow storm Monday is continuing to impact school schedules across South Jersey. In addition to expanding educational opportunities, speakers addressed strategies for keeping students safe from violence. Acting police Chief James Williams said he was authorized to place Class III officers within schools and on school grounds. The officers are intended as a deterrent to violent behavior and as a network keeping police informed about potential school conflicts that could escalate into violence. Capt. Matthew Hartman said stationing police within the school helps the force keep the finger on the pulse of the school environment. He said the force stations officers around school grounds during drop-off and dismissal, going on patrol as students make their way to and from school. Pleasantville parents were recently alarmed by a Dec. 2 sexual assault on a girl on her way to school. Horece McZeke, 44, of Galloway Township, was charged in that case later that month. School board President Julio Sanchez, while not opposed to the idea of stationing police in school, said final approval for stationing officers in school would have to be given by the board. Hartman said he did not believe the police could provide the best response in all scenarios. There was a crucial role for community leaders and others in preventing violence. I think it will go a lot further than just a bunch of police cars and officers showing up every day at dismissal, Hartman said. Galloway council set for shift to GOP in Tuesday reorganization meeting GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP In an area where the partisan makeup of local governing bodies can stay Francois said both violence and poor education outcomes are driven by poverty and inequality, which in turn are driven by structural racism. He said popular pressure needed to be applied to change a statewide education system that has deprived schools with predominantly Black and Hispanic student bodies of resources. We have to also start having these conversations around the structural inequalities and the structural problems that are actually dashing opportunities, Francois said. He insisted that sufficient mental-health treatment be made available, both in light of outbreaks of violence and the ongoing pandemic. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a December report warning about the effects the pandemic and attendant school shutdowns have had on the mental health of American youth. Francois encouraged those who wanted to effect change to embrace radical, nonviolent protest to place pressure on elected officials. Other panelists encouraged people to make sure they vote in state elections as well as local school board contests. LaSure-Owens, who recently won an NJEA Urban Education Activist award, said plans to improve the lives of students in Pleasantville could be discussed in more depth at future meetings. This is not the last town hall, but this is just the first of those to come, because this is something that the community has asked for, LaSure-Owens said. Contact Chris Doyle cdoyle@pressofac.com Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Augustana College is encouraging vaccinated members of its community to get the COVID-19 booster in anticipation of public health officials adding it to the definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated. Steve Bahls, the colleges president, spoke about the expectation during a briefing Wednesday about Augustanas efforts to mitigate the COVID-19s impact on its campus. We anticipate that the CDC will soon change its definition of fully vaccinated to include a requirement of boosters for those who are six months out from their original vaccination, Bahls said. When the definition is changed, Augustana will require those boosters, Bahls said. So get those boosters now if you are eligible, Bahls said. Vaccinations and boosters are effective in minimizing the effects of COVID-19, Wes Brooks, Augustanas vice president and dean of student life, said. They help keep you out of the emergency room and the ICU, Brooks said. Mitigation strategies were still in place on campus, including limitations on gathering sizes and a mask requirement, Brooks said. Brooks said that some face coverings are better than others for limiting the spread of coronavirus. For those wearing cloth masks, Brooks suggested double masking but said that was not a requirement as of Wednesday. The college has ordered 10,000 KN95 masks and plans to make them available free to the campus community, Brooks said. The college tested 155 people on Monday, almost all unvaccinated, and 18 students and two staff were positive, Bahls said. Rock Island County health officials have reported 651 new cases of COVID-19 between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3, Bahls said. As of Monday, 91 people in the county were in the hospital because of the coronavirus. The number of hospitalizations is concerning to me and concerning to local healthcare partners, Bahls said. While patients are not being turned away with coronavirus hospitalizations at that level, the healthcare infrastructure was being strained by it, Bahls said. Numbers in the Chicago area, where many Augustana students are from, were also high, he said. Public health officials from around the country report that more than 90% of those requiring hospitalization for COVID-19 are unvaccinated, Bahls said. Bahls asked unvaccinated members of the campus community to get vaccinated. We are proud of our 92% vaccination rate, but there is room for improvement, Bahls said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The reaction by local Republicans to last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol largely reflected divisions in the party nationally. While many members of the GOP continue to support former president Donald Trump, others resent his influence, especially related to the insurrection. Dave Millage was chairman of the Scott County Republican Party on Jan. 6, 2021, and instantly was appalled by the violence that erupted at the capitol. "I was working at Republican headquarters that day. I sat there dumbfounded," he said this week. "Another person in the office that day was also watching and said, 'This needed to happen.' "Republicans are supposed to be the party of law and order." ICKES: Congresswoman Bustos: 'It was a bleak, horrible moment in our history' Until he got the text message Wednesday afternoon, the sheriff had no idea his congresswoman wife was hiding from armed rioters on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. By the following day, Millage had called for Trump's impeachment. "I got about 20 notes from people who were glad I stood up and asked, 'When are we going to take the party back?'" he said. "There were more people who were upset. "Those who were upset wanted me to apologize. That's why I resigned." Millage left the county chairmanship, which he already planned to do when his term was set to expire the following month. He doesn't regret it. "To have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump, that's what they're going to need," he said. "He's a cancer to the party. I'm still partisan. I'm still a Republican. "I was appalled by what occurred on 1-6, and I couldn't believe everyone else wasn't appalled." Millage's counterpart in Rock Island County, Republican Party Chairman Drue Mielke, referred to those who attacked the capitol as "terrorists." He said it was "infiltrators, possibly antifa," that were responsible. Short for anti-fascists, antifa is a group of far-left-leaning activists who endorse peaceful political protest as well as confrontation against racism. A year later, Mielke continues to deny the direct involvement of Trump supporters in the siege. While more than 700 people have been identified and charged with breaching the capitol and with other crimes, Mielke maintains he hasn't seen connections between those people and the former president. "I want to know who those 725 people are," he said. "Do we know they're not antifa? I don't know that." In the weeks following the riot, the FBI directly denied the conspiracy theory and said there was "no indication" that antifa was involved. Some of those who have been charged have specifically indicated in court that they took part in the attack at the behest of the former president. It appeared from Mielke's comments the day after the insurrection that he was aware that Trump supporters had likely led the charge. In response to Millage's call for impeachment, Mielke said, "If we want to divide the country and anger the Trump supporters more, then that's what we should do." In addition to denying the role of Trump or his supporters in the January 6 attack, Mielke also continues to bolster the belief some supporters had legitimate election-related grounds to lash out. He said, "there was a lot of voter fraud," especially in DuPage County, Illinois, and in Georgia. But he said he and other Rock Island County Republicans do not endorse the claims by others in the party that the election was stolen. "I'm not working on the 2020 election; we have a new election to win," he said this week. "My solution has always been to work toward reform." However, Mielke continued to assert there was widespread voter fraud in 2020. When asked for specific instances in which fraud has been proven, he said, "I can't go into detail now. "I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid. I'm just saying it's a concern." For Millage, the repeatedly disproved stolen-election theories that continue to circulate in his party are another reason to discredit the former president. "I think Trump has succeeded in brainwashing people into thinking the election was stolen," he said. "Four dead people voted in Georgia. That doesn't change the outcome." The two local Republicans agree on one aspect of the capitol riots: An investigation should have followed, but the January 6 commission as it stands is a partisan body with partisan intent. Two Republicans sit on the commission, including Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who represents Illinois' 16th Congressional district. "It's become a Democrat witch hunt," Millage said. However, Millage said he is relieved that an increasing number of other Republicans now are willing to acknowledge the riot at the capitol complex took place, which has been widely denied. "The problem is, people are still trying to sweep it under the rug," he said. "(The attack) has dimmed in the memory. We haven't learned anything, even though Trump's been a crook all his life." Mielke said some of the rioters may have been Trump supporters, but that doesn't make them Republicans. "Some are viewed as radicalized," he said. "Those people were acting out of anger. Our party doesn't act out of anger." Love 0 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Easter Bunny was representing the prosecution in several hundred Polk County criminal cases.At least thats what Iowa Courts Online, the court systems official, statewide web-based repository of court records, indicated for most of April.On April 4, the online docket sheets for hundreds of Polk County cases primarily misdemeanors and drunken-driving cases were revised to indicate the prosecution of those cases had been transferred from one particular assistant county attorney, Kailey Gray, to another prosecutor in the county attorneys office by the name of Easter Santa Bunny.And thats where the cases remained as of Thursday morning.Bret Lucas, an assistant county attorney, said Thursday the situation stemmed from a recent realignment of cases within the county attorneys office. Gray took over a colleagues cases, and Iowa Courts Online accurately reflects the transfer of those cases. But Grays old cases, he said, were transferred to the Easter Bunny until all of the work on the digital case transfer could be completed.We had contacted the Judicial Branch and they worked with their information technology department to facilitate the mass transfer of cases, Lucas said. Apparently, the Judicial Branch and the IT department decided to put that placeholder in there because, obviously, no one else would have that name. So they were all aware of that, and it sounds like they must still be in the middle of that transfer process.Stacy Curtis, a supervisor for the criminal division of the Polk County Clerk of Courts Office, said the references to the Easter Bunny should not be visible to the public either through a name search or in the docket sheets for the individual cases. She said the office took extra steps to make sure members of the public didnt see any reference to the Easter Bunny and only clerks, lawyers, judges and others with higher security clearance could see it. It appears that the opposite may have occurred, as the Easter Bunny references could be seen by members of the public who werent even logged into the site.This has been a nightmare for me, Curtis said. We moved everything from Kaylie to the Easter Bunny, and those should have all been cleaned up so you wouldnt be able to see that.Many of the cases that were publicly assigned to the Easter Bunny are open, active cases, but hundreds of others are dormant, though not technically closed because of probationary sentences that have yet to be completed or fines that have yet to be paid.The only practical effect of the Easter Bunny designation is that some defendants may see that information online and not know who to contact at the county attorneys office about their case.After being contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Thursday, court officials were working to erase from the website any mention of the Easter Bunny, and by late afternoon it appeared they had succeeded.Santa bailed out by RudolphThe Easter Bunny cases are not the only criminal matters listed on the court systems official website to have featured nonexistent lawyers or defendants. In what appear to be training exercises for clerical staff, fictitious test cases are sometimes created and then posted to the public website but never removed.For example, a December 1997 case shows Santa Claus being convicted of felony burglary and kidnapping, with a charge of assault on a peace officer dismissed by the court. The court records indicate a sentence of 999 years in prison was imposed.As part of that same test case, the court imposed a no-contact order prohibiting Santa from having any contact with Mickey Mouse. Santas bail listed as one million bucks in a possible punning reference to Santas reindeer is stated to have been posted by Rudolph.In 2014, Santa Claus was charged with second-degree robbery in Scott County, according to the Iowa Courts Online site. Although theres no record of a conviction in that case, Claus right to carry a gun was revoked.The court systems website also shows that in 2014, Mickey Mouse filed a small claims case against Donald Duck in Marion County.For more information, visit iowacapitaldispatch.com. A cyberattack at an obscure, quasi-state agency over the summer stripped millions of dollars from the accounts of two auto insurance companies under liquidation through wrongful wire transfers, Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administration confirmed. The breach, which is under investigation by the FBI, led to losses of $6.85 million, although a portion of that has been recovered, administration officials said. The cyberattack was carried out at the little-known Office of the Special Deputy Receiver, a nonprofit that works with the director of the Illinois Department of Insurance and exists largely to protect creditors and policyholders of financially troubled or insolvent insurance companies. While state officials were saying little about the cyberattack, the offices former chief financial officer, Douglas Harrell, told the Chicago Tribune that his email was hijacked by hackers who then directed others how to invest money with what appeared to be approval of his superiors. Harrell said a quick call to bank officials blocked a significant amount of the $6.85 million from being lost before all transactions became final. The agency learned of the breach July 15 and contacted the Pritzker administration and the Illinois State Police, Harrell said. The Department of Insurance places financially troubled or insolvent insurance companies with the Office of the Special Deputy Receiver to oversee receiverships, where remaining assets and distributions are handled with court oversight. The special deputy receiver was formed as a nonprofit in 1991 to administer the estates of insolvent or financially troubled Illinois insurance companies placed in judicially supervised receiverships, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance. The basic leftover pieces of these companies and their policyholders are put into what are called estates. The estates of two car insurance companies Gateway Insurance Co. and Affirmative Insurance Co. were victims of the cyberattack by a criminal actor, said Caron Brookens, insurance department spokeswoman. The Gateway Insurance estate suffered a loss of $2,148,728 resulting from wrongful wire transfers, officials said. The Affirmative Insurance estate initially suffered a loss of $4,700,500 as a result of wrongful wire transfers, but $2,870,500 of Affirmatives money has been recovered, according to state officials and a company report. The theft is the latest example of how online scammers see agencies in and around state government as fertile targets. Cyberattacks may have diverted more than a billion dollars in unemployment checks intended for people laid off during the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois alone. A ransomware attack in April crippled computer systems in Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raouls office, costing taxpayers millions to upgrade the office as it sought to regain its footing. Other attacks have involved whats known as SMS phishing or smishing, in which fake messages went to cellphones seeking to lure Illinois residents into clicking on phony warnings about drivers licenses so they would unwittingly fall victim to computer viruses. In an interview, Harrell said an internal review of what happened at the Office of the Special Deputy Receiver showed that cybercriminals had taken over his email and spied on him for two or three weeks. They controlled my email and gave directions, Harrell said. My folks thought I was directing them to invest in a certain way and that his bosses had approved the transactions, he said. Harrell said he spotted the wrongful transactions right away and called everybody within two minutes to address the matter with senior management, including the top technology officials and lawyers. He said he quickly called bankers handling the transactions and was able to halt the activity for some of the wires, allowing them to recall some of the funds before transactions were completed. Whats really a shame is criminals just taking advantage of COVID, said Harrell, saying he and others were working from home because of the virus. Without a cybersecurity expert at our shop ... we werent prepared. We just didnt know how to protect ourselves properly from cyberhackers, particularly away from the office. Its just fraud through and through, Harrell said. Had Harrell and others been working in the office, he said, their face-to-face communication could have prevented the fraudulent activity the cybercriminals directed by using fake emails. I was a victim, Harrell said. Harrell said he stayed with the agency a few months to help address the matter but also eventually offered, as the highest-ranking financial person, to resign along with another top official, Joe Harris, who was controller. The Department of Insurance declined to give any details of the cyberattack, and would not say how the money was recovered, saying it could compromise any investigation. Brookens confirmed Harrell and Harris no longer worked at the Office of Special Deputy Receiver but declined to give any more information on why they had left the agency. People familiar with the way the agency has worked over the years said one person would be able to initiate a wire transfer, but the process would take several steps on an account protected by a password. Another person would have to confirm the transaction. Gateway sold commercial auto insurance, such as for taxis and limousines, and Affirmative sold personal auto insurance, Brookens wrote in response to Tribune inquiries. Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Despite the cyberattack, policyholders may come out OK. The majority of the policyholders claims are covered under the Illinois or other state guaranty funds and will therefore not be impacted, Brookens wrote. Because the companies are in receivership and determination of final policyholder liability will take several years, the total number of policyholders potentially impacted is unknown. Insurance companies under liquidation are backed by a guaranty fund that gets its money from active insurance companies, which are generally obliged to make up for losses from insolvent firms. This guaranty fund covers consumers insurance related-losses. The Office of the Special Deputy Receiver has insurance for cyber fraud, and recovery efforts are ongoing, Brookens said. Any exposed vulnerability has been assessed and (the receivers office) has added additional protocol and controls to ensure that it can best safeguard against any future criminal cyberattacks, Brookens said. Brookens also said the Office of Special Deputy Receiver has taken appropriate steps to mitigate the breach and prevent it from happening again. Even so, Rockford Republican Sen. Dave Syverson, minority spokesman for the upper chambers Insurance Committee, said hearings should be held to review how the cyberattack happened and what can be done to prevent future problems. Buckle Corp. of Jersey City, New Jersey, bought the charter of Gateway Insurance Co. for $4.2 million in 2020 through a court-supervised auction in Cook County, according to Marty Young, Buckles co-founder and CEO. The new company did not take over the assets or the liabilities of the Gateway estate, giving a fresh start to the new firm. As of its Sept. 30 report, company officials said, the new Gateway Insurance Co. has 20,000 to 25,000 customers, across the country, including about 2% in Illinois. Only about 100 of the old companys customers are among the current customers in the new company, according to Buckle. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush receives applause after announcing that he will not be running for reelection when his term ends next year after 30 years in Congress, Jan. 4, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announced Tuesday he will conclude a three-decade congressional career next January, but said he would continue a lifetime in public service and activism by turning to his higher calling as a Baptist pastor to help shape minds and hearts. You can own your public service, but you can never own public office, said the South Side Democrat who started out as a political activist by cofounding the Illinois Black Panther party before winning a City Council seat in 1983 and becoming a member of Congress a decade later. Advertisement For me, I have a higher calling and I am answering that calling, said Rush, dean of the states congressional delegation. The calling of my faith predominates my entire being. The decision by Rush to step down at the end of his 15th term set off a scramble among the South Side and south suburban elected officials in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District, which runs from Chicagos South Side through south and southwest suburbs and continues nearly to Kankakee. Advertisement An open seat in Congress is a rare event and the districts solid Democratic demographics virtually ensures the winner can serve for years without challenge. U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announces that he will not be running for reelection when his term ends next year after 30 years in Congress, Jan. 4, 2022. Rush, 75, made his announcement at Bronzevilles Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ where the funeral for Emmett Till, the Black teenager from Chicago who was killed in Mississippi, was held in 1955. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Rush said he would make an endorsement of a potential successor in the June 28 Democratic primary but did not name a preferred candidate. He said making an endorsement was a show of leadership and that I think my appeal to my voters will have an affect on their decision when they go to the polls. Rush made his announcement at the historic Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where the mutilated body of 14-year-old Emmett Till was displayed in an open casket after he was lynched while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. Rush said he chose the church because it was a sacred place that shaped the contours of my own life and the lives of generations. He said he would continue to pursue a federal anti-lynching law as a top priority in his remaining days in Congress. The 75-year-old Rush said his decision to leave Congress was not a matter of cutting and running and that he would continue to speak out from the pulpit of his Beloved Community Christian Church of God in Christ on the South Side. The battlefield is my home and I will remain on the front lines of the battlefield, the congressman said, adding that he would preach with a priority on commonality over division. Rush criticized the polarized political climate in Washington but said it, like other aspects of life, has become rooted in an unending quest for power. Its not just Congress. Its in our faith community. Its in the business community. Everybody is looking for their advantage and the other person, disadvantage. Its all about whos in power, who isnt in power, he said. Advertisement U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, right, and his son Flynn Rush greet people after announcing that he will not be running for reelection when his term ends next year after 30 years in Congress, Jan. 4, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) This power, narcotic, drug, that we find ourselves lapping up every day in our media and our lives and our culture, thats leading to the demise of our nation, he said. I lament the fact that we are such a partisan power-drunk government institution and thats one of the things that I want to try to do is to prioritize our commonality rather than our division. At the same time, Rush said that, away from the glare of TV cameras, we are some awesome people in Congress, and that he considers Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia one of my best friends in the Republican Party. Rush famously handed future President Barack Obama his only election loss in 2000 when the university professor and community activist challenged the veteran congressman. Rush said that knowing Obama was a better orator and perhaps more handsome, he avoided debating the young state senator during that campaign, which preceded an election he won by 30 percentage points. But noting that Obama is a former president with significant personal wealth, Rush jokingly asked, Who really won? Rush also spent some time talking about his early years in public life, saying he thought he would be dead before I was 30 as a result of his activism in the Black Panthers. He said he was supposed to have been at the groups West Side headquarters on Dec. 4, 1969, when a raid led by local prosecutors and state and federal law enforcement led to the assassinations of Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. Advertisement In a nod to the citys latest surge in violent crime, Rush said he plans to take a message to the gangways and alleyways and the streets of the city and tell young people, Dont give up hope, that you can survive, that there is a life in front of you. While the 1st Congressional District has been redrawn significantly over the decades, it has a storied place in Chicago and Illinois political history. Rush defeated labor leader Charles Hayes to take the seat. Hayes succeeded Harold Washington, later Chicagos first Black mayor. Others to represent the district include Ralph Metcalfe and William Dawson. The names of more than a dozen prospective candidates to succeed Rush have surfaced. Among them are members of the legislature and Chicago City Council. Legislative candidates face a greater risk in going for the seat, since all seats in the General Assembly are up for election this year and a state legislator would have to give up a chance for reelection to run in the congressional primary. Chicago aldermen arent up for reelection until 2023. Chris Mooney, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the safest political seats in the nation are typically U.S. House seats in reasonably homogenous urban or rural districts. The reelection rate for U.S. House members has long been over 90% often well over, Mooney said. As a result of long-term incumbency, it creates a pent-up demand among politicos living in a given congressional district. Advertisement Each district holds countless school board members, mayors, city councilpersons, state legislators and other government officials who have demonstrated political ambition. In addition, there is also an unknown number of leaders of business, labor, social movements, etc., who might want to run for Congress, he said. And when a longtime member of Congress retires or dies, each of these people knows that it is perhaps now or never for their congressional ambitions. Mooney said he expects a full-blown scrum of contenders. Even if Rush backs a candidate later, the momentum of those other ambitious candidates will mean that the district is likely going to see a large, bloody and unpredictable primary for this seat, he said. rap30@aol.com Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. SPRINGFIELD We live in a society that extols the virtues of degrees and diplomas but not life-long learning. In Springfield, we honor Abraham Lincoln, our state's native son, who despite having little formal schooling was able to teach himself and become our greatest president. But today when it comes to politicians, Americans have a different standard. We haven't had a president without a college diploma since Harry Truman. In 2020, the New York Times reported 95% of todays House members and 100% of the Senates have a bachelors degree or higher. But only about one-third of Americans are college graduates. According to the Congressional Research Service, more than one third of the House and more than half the Senate have law degrees. Roughly a fifth of senators and representatives have their masters. Four senators and 21 House members have medical degrees and an identical number in each body (four, 21) have some kind of doctoral degree. Does that mean we have a really good Congress? Well, I have seen little evidence over the past decade to support such a proposition. Whether led by Republicans or Democrats, our nations legislative bodies have few independent thinkers. Group think and deadlock seem to prevail. Things arent much different in Illinois. We havent had a governor without a bachelors degree since 1932 when Louis Lincoln Emmerson left office. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison rose to be titans of high tech without obtaining a college degree. Movie director Steven Spielberg didn't receive his college degree until 35 years after he started at California State University in Long Beach. He was famous and successful by the time he was handed his sheepskin. Unfortunately, a college diploma has become a litmus test for some voters on whether they will support a candidate. This year, two of the four Republicans seeking their partys nomination havent earned a bachelors degree. If either state Sen. Darren Bailey, of Xenia, or Gary Rabine, of Bull Valley, were to win the governorship, it would be the first time in 88 years that someone without at least a bachelors degree held that office. Rabine has only a high school diploma and Bailey has an associates degree in agriculture production from Lake Land College. Their opponents in the primary not only have degrees, but ones dripping with prestige. Former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo graduated from Annapolis and later snagged a law degree from Southern Illinois University. And Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg has masters degrees from Oxford and Stanford. There are things I like about Bailey and Rabine and plenty I dont. But one thing I wouldnt lose a moment's sleep over is their lack of academic credentials. I'm much more concerned about a person's willingness to learn and their life experiences. Look no further than the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois. He never held a college degree but had a long and honorable career in politics and higher education. Even without a college degree, Simon was able to found the graduate program where I received my master's degree. He later went on to found what is now the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. While Simon didn't have a diploma nailed to his wall, he was well educated. He read Greek philosophers in his free time. As a young man, he went into business for himself and eventually owned a chain of 14 newspapers. That's an education in its own right. He was someone who not only read books but wrote them. Before Joe Biden, we had five consecutive presidents with degrees from Ivy League universities. And we still managed to get enmeshed in stupid wars, make staggeringly stupid economic decisions and witness personal moral lapses in the White House that had the rest of us shaking our heads. Do I care if a politician has a college diploma? Nope. But should they be educated? You betcha. Scott Reeder is a longtime statehouse reporter. He lives in the Springfield area and can be reached at scottreeder1965@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Time for you to ask these questions with a truthful answer! Do you believe everything Biden and his administration tell you? Is it time for Biden to resign? Is the border safe or we in danger of more crime? Why should student loan debt be cancelled; is it fair for those who paid for their children's education? Have we ventured extremely into climate control without proper knowledge of the consequences? Do you believe in the extreme left Democrat party and their beliefs? Is Biden capable to turn around inflation? Should the oil pipelines be turned-on and America becomes energy independent? Will you buy an electric car in the next 2 years at a cost of over $50,000? Do you want term limits in all government? Do you like WOKE? Can you vote for what is good for America rather than be a party junkie? Should the crazy state of California leave the union? Would we be better off if it did leave the union? Do you want definition of sex to be male or female, not some made-up definition? Do you want parents to voice their opinion to schools, colleges, on what is appropriate subjects? You need to count the positives and the negatives within yourself with truth and integrity. There are many philosophies, but what is of basic importance is compassion for others, concern for others suffering, and reduction of selfishness! Vote your conscience for the good of all that is true and safe for all Americans! The reaction by local Republicans to last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol largely reflected divisions in the party nationally. While many members of the GOP continue to support former president Donald Trump, others resent his influence, especially related to the insurrection. Dave Millage was chairman of the Scott County Republican Party on Jan. 6, 2021, and instantly was appalled by the violence that erupted at the capitol. "I was working at Republican headquarters that day. I sat there dumbfounded," he said this week. "Another person in the office that day was also watching and said, 'This needed to happen.' "Republicans are supposed to be the party of law and order." By the following day, Millage had called for Trump's impeachment. "I got about 20 notes from people who were glad I stood up and asked, 'When are we going to take the party back?'" he said. "There were more people who were upset. "Those who were upset wanted me to apologize. That's why I resigned." Millage left the county chairmanship, which he already planned to do when his term was set to expire the following month. He doesn't regret it. "To have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump, that's what they're going to need," he said. "He's a cancer to the party. I'm still partisan. I'm still a Republican. "I was appalled by what occurred on 1-6, and I couldn't believe everyone else wasn't appalled." Millage's counterpart in Rock Island County, Republican Party Chairman Drue Mielke, referred to those who attacked the capitol as "terrorists." He said it was "infiltrators, possibly antifa," that were responsible. Short for anti-fascists, antifa is a group of far-left-leaning activists who endorse peaceful political protest as well as confrontation against racism. A year later, Mielke continues to deny the direct involvement of Trump supporters in the siege. While more than 700 people have been identified and charged with breaching the capitol and with other crimes, Mielke maintains he hasn't seen connections between those people and the former president. "I want to know who those 725 people are," he said. "Do we know they're not antifa? I don't know that." In the weeks following the riot, the FBI directly denied the conspiracy theory and said there was "no indication" that antifa was involved. Some of those who have been charged have specifically indicated in court that they took part in the attack at the behest of the former president. It appeared from Mielke's comments the day after the insurrection that he was aware that Trump supporters had likely led the charge. In response to Millage's call for impeachment, Mielke said, "If we want to divide the country and anger the Trump supporters more, then that's what we should do." In addition to denying the role of Trump or his supporters in the January 6 attack, Mielke also continues to bolster the belief some supporters had legitimate election-related grounds to lash out. He said, "there was a lot of voter fraud," especially in DuPage County, Illinois, and in Georgia. But he said he and other Rock Island County Republicans do not endorse the claims by others in the party that the election was stolen. "I'm not working on the 2020 election; we have a new election to win," he said this week. "My solution has always been to work toward reform." However, Mielke continued to assert there was widespread voter fraud in 2020. When asked for specific instances in which fraud has been proven, he said, "I can't go into detail now. "I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid. I'm just saying it's a concern." For Millage, the repeatedly disproved stolen-election theories that continue to circulate in his party are another reason to discredit the former president. "I think Trump has succeeded in brainwashing people into thinking the election was stolen," he said. "Four dead people voted in Georgia. That doesn't change the outcome." The two local Republicans agree on one aspect of the capitol riots: An investigation should have followed, but the January 6 commission as it stands is a partisan body with partisan intent. Two Republicans sit on the commission, including Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who represents Illinois' 16th Congressional district. "It's become a Democrat witch hunt," Millage said. However, Millage said he is relieved that an increasing number of other Republicans now are willing to acknowledge the riot at the capitol complex took place, which has been widely denied. "The problem is, people are still trying to sweep it under the rug," he said. "(The attack) has dimmed in the memory. We haven't learned anything, even though Trump's been a crook all his life." Mielke said some of the rioters may have been Trump supporters, but that doesn't make them Republicans. "Some are viewed as radicalized," he said. "Those people were acting out of anger. Our party doesn't act out of anger." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 11 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After Chicago experienced its worst year of violent crime in more than two decades, Mayor Lori Lightfoot again sought to reassure residents that their safety is her top priority while also criticizing Cook County judges for pretrial releases of some alleged offenders. We must do more, Lightfoot said at police headquarters, after meeting with the Chicago Police Departments top brass. Our residents have a right to expect that they are gonna be safe in their home, in their car, while theyre at work, while theyre shopping, and while theyre living their daily lives. Lightfoot has repeatedly acknowledged that many Chicagoans dont feel safe, a dynamic that threatens public safety, residents mental health and the citys economy. But the mayors comments, which largely echoed a December address she gave on crime, did not break new ground or offer fresh strategies. Instead, Lightfoot and Chicago police Superintendent David Brown hit a series of familiar themes as they discussed spiking violence. In a 75-minute news conference, Lightfoot and Brown talked about the need to improve living conditions in neighborhoods, hire detectives to help solve crimes and work more closely with federal agents on investigations. Lightfoot also repeatedly criticized Cook County judges and bond reform, saying that there are too many violent criminals being let out on the street and reoffending, repeating her call from her December address for a moratorium on the use of electronic monitoring. That form of pretrial release uses ankle bracelets to keep track of defendants in criminal cases, some of whom the mayor has described as violent dangerous offenders. When is the criminal justice system in this county going to wake up? Lightfoot said. The mayor followed up on the request in a letter to Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, which was obtained Tuesday by the Tribune. In the letter, dated Dec. 29, Lightfoot argues that while a mix of tactics must be used to address what causes violence, the ballooning release of violent and dangerous people on EM (electronic monitoring) is definitely one of those drivers. When Lightfoot first announced her request for the moratorium, the idea was immediately decried as unconstitutional by leaders in the criminal justice system, who also raised doubts that targeting this population of offenders would address Chicagos deeply entrenched crime problem, which is also understood to be a public health crisis. Those criticisms continued Tuesday. Evans, who said he received the letter over the holidays, issued his first public response, citing constitutional concerns around listing certain charges for which charged defendants could not be released. The mayors request seems to suggest that those who currently are put on electronic monitoring for certain accusations should instead be held in jail until trial, Evans said. Under the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions, a judge cannot hold someone pretrial without a finding that the defendant poses a real and present threat to the physical safety of any person. This must be found by clear and convincing evidence and the burden of proof is on the prosecution. The mayors proposal seems to require that defendants facing certain allegations be considered guilty until proven innocent. In the letter, Lightfoot, citing the most recent information available from the sheriffs office, said 3,400 people are currently released on electronic monitoring and that 2,300 have a crime of violence as their lead offense, including 90 accused of murder and 40 of attempted murder. The breakdown of charges also includes 1,480 gun possession cases, though most appear to include aggravating circumstances like being a felon in possession of a weapon. The letter also states that since the start of 2021, Chicago police have counted 130 cases in which people charged with violent crimes were released on monitoring and charged with another act of violence, including murder and vehicular carjacking. Included in that total is the person accused in the murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams. Evans, in his response, said he has asked Lightfoot for details on the 130 cases. But he also said that assuming that these numbers are accurate, they represent about 1 percent of all cases filings for violent and weapons offenses in Chicago in 2021. Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell also issued a statement. This idea that people on electronic monitoring are responsible for the violence in the city is just untrue, Mitchell said. The vast majority of people on electronic monitoring in Cook County are successful. They show up for their court appearances. They dont violate the terms of their pretrial release. They are not rearrested. Lightfoots meeting with police leaders and her subsequent speech on Tuesday were an attempt to hit the reset button after a bloody 2021. At police headquarters, Lightfoot said she told the departments leaders, No one can be comfortable with the way we ended the year. Lightfoot started last year with a similar message to the departments brass after an especially violent 2020. On New Years Day last year, Lightfoot sent an email expressing support for police leadership and a pledge to reduce crime. I think we all know that we must do exponentially better in this new year, and I am confident we will. My confidence is grounded in many things, but fundamentally it is grounded in my confidence in all of you, Lightfoot wrote in the email to Brown and other police officials, previously reported on by the Tribune. Far from improving, however, the city recorded even worse numbers in 2021. According to case data from the medical examiner released Monday, that office handled more than 1,000 homicides last year, including 836 in the city of Chicago. It was the first time the office had handled that many homicides since 1994. According to CPD, a total of 797 people were killed in the city, a figure not seen since 798 were slain in 1996. But that figure did not include cases of people shot and killed on city expressways, which are the jurisdiction of the Illinois State Police, a number that pushed the Chicago statistic to the 800 mark at least. All told, there were at least 4,300 gunshot victims in the city in 2021, including those who suffered both fatal and nonfatal injuries, according to CPD data. Chicago aldermen have repeatedly expressed concerns , though they have sometimes clashed over how to best address the issue. Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly texted Lightfoot in September that the city is losing downtown. The mayor has also faced pressure from high-ranking staff. Susan Lee, a top adviser to Lightfoot and former deputy mayor for public safety, resigned in August while raising concerns about the citys ability to keep moving the ball forward on its violence prevention efforts and the Police Departments consent-decree implementation. A month after Lee resigned, she co-wrote an article with Southwest Side Ald. Matt OShea in which they declared Chicago a city in crisis. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHICAGO Leaders of Chicago Public Schools canceled classes Wednesday after the teachers union voted to refuse in-person instruction and switch to remote learning due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the latest development in an escalating battle over pandemic safety protocols in the nation's third-largest school district. Chicago has rejected a districtwide return to remote instruction, saying it was disastrous for children's learning and mental health, and the status of instruction for the rest of the week was in limbo. The union argued that the district's safety protocols are lacking, and teachers and students are vulnerable. Children in the roughly 350,000-student district returned to class Monday after a two-week winter break with COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations fueled by the omicron variant at record levels. School districts nationwide have grappled with the same issue, with most opting to stay open while ramping up virus testing, tweaking protocols and making other real-time adjustments in response to the shifting pandemic. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said the union planned to meet with district officials Wednesday afternoon. But he said teachers don't want to return to in-person instruction until the current surge has subsided. "We'd rather be in our classes teaching, we'd rather have the schools open. What we are saying though is that right now we're in the middle of a major surge, it is breaking all the records and hospitals are full," he said during a Wednesday morning news conference with other union officials, teachers and parents. The union's action, approved by 73% of members, called for remote instruction until "cases substantially subside" or union leaders approve an agreement for safety protocols with the district. The district said early Tuesday that classes would be canceled Wednesday if the union voted not to return to in-person instruction. Devices were not distributed to students ahead of the union vote, which was announced just before 11 p.m. Tuesday. Union members who tried to log into teaching systems Wednesday said they were locked out. District officials blamed the union for the late cancellation, saying despite safety measures including a high teacher vaccination rate, "our teachers are not willing to report to work." "We are deeply concerned about this decision but even more concerned about its impact on the health, safety, and well-being of our students and families," the district said in a statement. CPS leaders said a plan would come later Wednesday to "continue student learning" in the district, where students are largely low income and Black and Latino. School officials labeled the union action an "illegal work stoppage" and said those who did not report to schools Wednesday would not be compensated. Last year during a similar debate, the district punished teachers who did not come to schools. Keyonna Payton, a teacher at Park Manor Elementary School who also chairs its safety committee, said she taught remotely Monday and Tuesday because most of her students were at home under quarantine. Payton said she is vaccinated and boosted, and she has a child who attends classes in the district who is also vaccinated, but she's fearful of the variant spreading to her family, including her 91-year-old grandmother. "I'm doing my part to try to protect my children. However, I am afraid of this virus and variant because of how fast it is moving and spreading," she said during the Wednesday news conference. Danelda Craig, a parent who also spoke at the news conference, said she was "taken aback" by a suggestion from the city's public health commissioner that people could wear two masks to improve protection. Craig said most children struggle with one. "We want them to go to school," she said. "What we don't want is COVID with it." Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday that an increase in hospitalizations due to COVID has been driven by unvaccinated adults, and child hospitalizations remain "very rare." In a city with roughly 550,000 residents age 17 or younger, there was an average of seven daily hospitalizations in that age group between Thanksgiving and Dec. 29, she said. Of the 55 people age 5 to 17 hospitalized during that time, 46 were unvaccinated. There were no vaccinated youths age 5 to 11 hospitalized and no child deaths, Arwady said. Roughly 100,000 students and 91% of CPS' more than 47,000 staff in the district are vaccinated, according to the district. In Illinois, masks are required in indoor settings, including schools. While some significantly smaller, neighboring school districts have returned or plan to return to class this week, others have temporarily returned to remote learning. Niles Township High School District 219 in Skokie, just north of Chicago, switched to remote learning for the first two weeks of January due to staffing shortages, while the Lincoln Way district southwest of Chicago did so for one week, also due to staffing. In Chicago, the district proposed guidelines for individual school closures, saying safety measures like required masks, availability of vaccines and improved ventilation make schools among the safest places for kids to be. But the union, with roughly 25,000 members, has proposed metrics for districtwide closure, citing risks to students and teachers. A fierce battle took place last January over similar issues. The district said it has provided 200,000 KN95 masks to teachers, would allow schools to resume daily health screening questions for students and building visitors and would spell out metrics for closing individual schools. Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said buildings would remain open for "essential services," but not instruction. The district said food service and COVID-19 testing would be available at schools but after-school activities would be canceled. Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago and Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DES MOINES With Iowas workforce still lagging behind the pre-pandemic level of filling jobs, lawmakers feel compelled to take action when they return next week to the Capitol for the 2022 legislative session but just how theyll do that is yet unknown. Legislative leaders acknowledged the need for more workers, which is an issue not unique to Iowa. They also acknowledged many different ways they could attempt to help address it: job training and preparation programs, boosting access to affordable housing and child care, cutting taxes or coaxing Iowans off unemployment and food assistance programs. But details were scarce in interviews with the governor and legislative leaders on how to proceed. Any plans, apparently, will have to wait to cement during the legislative session. I dont go anywhere, and the members of the (Iowa House Republican) caucus dont go anywhere, where that isnt probably the No. 1 topic of conversation Republican, Democrat, independent all across the state, said Pat Grassley, the Republican House speaker from New Hartford. Ive said any idea that anyone has needs to be looked at, Grassley said. That doesnt mean theyre all going to happen. That doesnt mean theyre all good ideas. But we have to be putting ideas on the table. While a shortage in filling jobs is not unique to Iowa, the issue persists here. In January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there were 1.68 million Iowans in the workforce, and the share of Iowans working was 70 percent, according to state workforce data. In November 2021, the last month for which state workforce data is available, there were 85,600 fewer Iowans in the workforce, and the share of Iowans working was down more than 3 percentage points, to 66.8 percent. It is a No. 1 issue that we hear when we travel the state, when we talk to Iowans, and we certainly want to do whatever we can from a legislative perspective to help that, said Jack Whitver, the Republican Senate majority leader from Ankeny. Whatever we can do to try to help those that dont have jobs get into the workforce, into jobs that are not just jobs but careers, that they can be successful. Gov. Kim Reynolds said she plans to introduce what she called a comprehensive bill to address the states workforce. That is all business and industry talked to me about when traveling the state, and in communities, I dont care what size, small, medium or large, Reynolds said. Workforce is by far their biggest issue. Reynolds announced her pending legislative proposal Tuesday during a session forum hosted by the Iowa Capitol Press Association. But said she does not intend to offer any details until next Tuesdays annual Condition of the State address. Its just an overall theme, because its impacting everything we do, Reynolds said. Reynolds did say her plan will involve working with refugee communities; helping underrepresented Iowans get job skills; supporting adult education; addressing access to affordable child care, housing and broadband internet; and making further changes to the states unemployment system. Reynolds and the state workforce development department already have implemented some changes to the unemployment system. Iowans receiving jobless benefits must now conduct more work search activities and work with a case manager, who will help Iowans receiving benefits conduct those work searches. A spokesman for Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend said the department will defer to Reynolds on potential legislative solutions until after the governors address. Our goal with (the new unemployment program) is to give unemployed workers both extra help and extra incentive to find a new career path as quickly as possible, Townsend said in a statement issued with the earlier changes. Iowa needs its people working, and well do whatever we can to help get you there. Whitver said one way Senate Republicans will attempt to address a shortage is through the groups ongoing effort to get Iowans off government assistance and into the workforce. Republicans say the changes will help employers find workers and help those Iowans get jobs that will improve their lives. But critics contend changes to those programs could push out people who need that assistance in order to survive. Thats one thing that weve been big on for five years now, but its even more appropriate now, or more needed now with the lack of workers in almost every field, Whitver said. Jennifer Konfrst, the Democratic House minority leader from Windsor Heights, said lawmakers should put more funding into programs designed to help child care centers create more openings, support child care workers and create more access to affordable housing. Konfrst also criticized majority Republicans for over the past five years pursuing a conservative agenda that, she alleges, has made Iowa appear unwelcoming to people from other states who may have considered moving here. Workforce isnt something that gets fixed by one magic bullet solution. It gets fixed by making Iowa a place people want to move and people want to work, Konfrst said. Its not just one thing. And over the years, especially recently, the Legislature has introduced bills that make Iowa an unwelcoming place. Zach Wahls, the Democratic Senate minority leader from Coralville, also highlighted housing issues including at mobile home parks where rent has increased dramatically in recent years and child care. He also said Senate Democrats will advocate for continued investment in job training and preparation programs. Were going to focus on career and technical education, apprenticeships, making sure that we are investing in the last-dollar scholarship and community colleges, Wahls said. Those job preparation (programs), that bucket is a big one. The 2022 session of the Iowa Legislature is scheduled to begin Monday. The session does not have a defined end date, but funding for legislators travel and lodging expenses expires after April 19, the 100th day of the session. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 KANKAKEE A police officer who was killed at a northern Illinois hotel pleaded for her life before a man allegedly shot her with her own gun after she was disarmed during a struggle, a prosecutor said. Bradley police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, were shot on Dec. 29 while investigating a noise complaint regarding dogs barking in a parked car outside a Comfort Inn. Bailey remained hospitalized Monday and is fighting for his life, Kankakee County States Attorney Jim Rowe said during a bond hearing for Xandria Harris. Rowe said during Monday's hearing that Harris' co-defendant, 25-year-old Darius Sullivan, had his own gun and used it to shoot Bailey in the head after the officers knocked on the pair's hotel room door, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Rowe said Sullivan then allegedly shot at Rittmanic as she tried to run away before he chased her down a hallway and pinned her against a door. As Sullivan and Rittmanic scuffled, he said Sullivan called out to Harris and she helped him disarm Rittmanic. Rowe said the encounter was captured on Rittmanics body camera. He said Sullivan and Harris then allegedly stood over Rittmanic pointing guns at her as she lay on the floor, already shot once. Sgt. Rittmanic was pleading with them to, Just leave, you dont have to do this, please just go, please dont, please dont, Rowe said. She was desperately pleading for her life. While Harris held Sullivans gun, Sullivan allegedly fired two shots from what prosecutors believe to be Rittmanics gun, striking the sergeant in the neck area, Rowe said. Sullivan and Harris are charged with fatally shooting Rittmanic, 49, and critically wounding Bailey, 27. Sullivan, who was arrested in Indiana, is fighting extradition to Illinois. Rowe said his office will seek life sentences on the state charges. He has asked the Justice Department to review the case with the intention of pursuing federal death penalty charges. Illinois is not a death penalty state. Rowe said in a news release that there is recent precedent" for pursuing the federal death penalty for the murder of a law enforcement officer and also precedent for pursuing it in non-death penalty states. A message seeking additional comment was left for Rowe on Tuesday by The Associated Press. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 After Chicago experienced its worst year of violent crime in more than two decades, Mayor Lori Lightfoot again sought to reassure residents that their safety is her top priority while also criticizing Cook County judges for pretrial releases of some alleged offenders. We must do more, Lightfoot said at police headquarters, after meeting with the Chicago Police Departments top brass. Our residents have a right to expect that they are gonna be safe in their home, in their car, while theyre at work, while theyre shopping, and while theyre living their daily lives. Advertisement Lightfoot has repeatedly acknowledged that many Chicagoans dont feel safe, a dynamic that threatens public safety, residents mental health and the citys economy. But the mayors comments, which largely echoed a December address she gave on crime, did not break new ground or offer fresh strategies. Instead, Lightfoot and Chicago police Superintendent David Brown hit a series of familiar themes as they discussed spiking violence. In a 75-minute news conference, Lightfoot and Brown talked about the need to improve living conditions in neighborhoods, hire detectives to help solve crimes and work more closely with federal agents on investigations. Advertisement Lightfoot also repeatedly criticized Cook County judges and bond reform, saying that there are too many violent criminals being let out on the street and reoffending, repeating her call from her December address for a moratorium on the use of electronic monitoring. That form of pretrial release uses ankle bracelets to keep track of defendants in criminal cases, some of whom the mayor has described as violent dangerous offenders. Chicago police Superintendent David Brown speaks on Jan. 4, 2022, at Chicago Police headquarters. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) When is the criminal justice system in this county going to wake up? Lightfoot said. The mayor followed up on the request in a letter to Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, which was obtained Tuesday by the Tribune. In the letter, dated Dec. 29, Lightfoot argues that while a mix of tactics must be used to address what causes violence, the ballooning release of violent and dangerous people on EM (electronic monitoring) is definitely one of those drivers. When Lightfoot first announced her request for the moratorium, the idea was immediately decried as unconstitutional by leaders in the criminal justice system, who also raised doubts that targeting this population of offenders would address Chicagos deeply entrenched crime problem, which is also understood to be a public health crisis. Those criticisms continued Tuesday. Evans, who said he received the letter over the holidays, issued his first public response, citing constitutional concerns around listing certain charges for which charged defendants could not be released. The mayors request seems to suggest that those who currently are put on electronic monitoring for certain accusations should instead be held in jail until trial, Evans said. Under the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions, a judge cannot hold someone pretrial without a finding that the defendant poses a real and present threat to the physical safety of any person. This must be found by clear and convincing evidence and the burden of proof is on the prosecution. The mayors proposal seems to require that defendants facing certain allegations be considered guilty until proven innocent. Advertisement In the letter, Lightfoot, citing the most recent information available from the sheriffs office, said 3,400 people are currently released on electronic monitoring and that 2,300 have a crime of violence as their lead offense, including 90 accused of murder and 40 of attempted murder. The breakdown of charges also includes 1,480 gun possession cases, though most appear to include aggravating circumstances like being a felon in possession of a weapon. The letter also states that since the start of 2021, Chicago police have counted 130 cases in which people charged with violent crimes were released on monitoring and charged with another act of violence, including murder and vehicular carjacking. Included in that total is the person accused in the murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams. Evans, in his response, said he has asked Lightfoot for details on the 130 cases. But he also said that assuming that these numbers are accurate, they represent about 1 percent of all cases filings for violent and weapons offenses in Chicago in 2021. Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell also issued a statement. This idea that people on electronic monitoring are responsible for the violence in the city is just untrue, Mitchell said. The vast majority of people on electronic monitoring in Cook County are successful. They show up for their court appearances. They dont violate the terms of their pretrial release. They are not rearrested. Advertisement Lightfoots meeting with police leaders and her subsequent speech on Tuesday were an attempt to hit the reset button after a bloody 2021. At police headquarters, Lightfoot said she told the departments leaders, No one can be comfortable with the way we ended the year. Lightfoot started last year with a similar message to the departments brass after an especially violent 2020. On New Years Day last year, Lightfoot sent an email expressing support for police leadership and a pledge to reduce crime. I think we all know that we must do exponentially better in this new year, and I am confident we will. My confidence is grounded in many things, but fundamentally it is grounded in my confidence in all of you, Lightfoot wrote in the email to Brown and other police officials, previously reported on by the Tribune. Far from improving, however, the city recorded even worse numbers in 2021. According to case data from the medical examiner released Monday, that office handled more than 1,000 homicides last year, including 836 in the city of Chicago. It was the first time the office had handled that many homicides since 1994. Advertisement According to CPD, a total of 797 people were killed in the city, a figure not seen since 798 were slain in 1996. But that figure did not include cases of people shot and killed on city expressways, which are the jurisdiction of the Illinois State Police, a number that pushed the Chicago statistic to the 800 mark at least. All told, there were at least 4,300 gunshot victims in the city in 2021, including those who suffered both fatal and nonfatal injuries, according to CPD data. Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Advertisement Chicago aldermen have repeatedly expressed concerns , though they have sometimes clashed over how to best address the issue. Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly texted Lightfoot in September that the city is losing downtown. The mayor has also faced pressure from high-ranking staff. Susan Lee, a top adviser to Lightfoot and former deputy mayor for public safety, resigned in August while raising concerns about the citys ability to keep moving the ball forward on its violence prevention efforts and the Police Departments consent-decree implementation. A month after Lee resigned, she co-wrote an article with Southwest Side Ald. Matt OShea in which they declared Chicago a city in crisis. DES MOINES Expressing frustration and overwhelming disappointment with the process, Ras Smith on Wednesday announced he was ending his campaign for governor of Iowa. Smith, a Democratic state legislator from Waterloo, in June 2021 became the first person to announce his bid to become the partys nominee to face Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds in this falls general election. In his official campaign statement announcing the suspension of his campaign, Smith cited a drastic disconnect between the current political system and the people. I think frustration (with the process) may be like a symptom of the overwhelming disappointment, Smith said in an interview later Wednesday. Smith expressed frustration with the need to raise, at bare minimum, tens of thousands of dollars to run a statewide campaign, and how that requires a candidate to have access to donors who can contribute large sums of money to a campaign. That creates a system in which a small number of donors play an outsized role in determining which statewide candidates are given an opportunity to be competitive in a campaign, he said. Folks do not want the donor class making all the decisions as to whos viable, whos not, what race is worth investing in, Smith said. For me, what weve seen are things you can only see from the ground in a campaign. Smith said the process especially frustrated him as a Democrat because, he said, the party proclaims to have policies that support the working class and desires to produce working-class candidates for office. The people have to have a say, and it cant be pay-to-play, otherwise well find ourselves in circumstances where were not connecting with people, he said. It excludes so many people from not only the table, but from the story. We cant just have a few decision-makers at the table deciding whos winnable and whos not. It leaves no space at the table for new people or new ideas. Smiths exit leaves Deidre DeJear, a Des Moines businessperson and former candidate for Iowa secretary of state, as the lone Democratic candidate with statewide name recognition. Other candidates include Kim West, a lawyer and Democrat from Des Moines, and Robert Bond, an independent from Des Moines. While working with (Smith) over the past few years, I have seen his incredible commitment to public service and creating a better Iowa for all. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Ras has dedicated his life to public service and through his campaign he invited Iowans in and lifted up the voices of so many in our state, DeJear said Wednesday in a series of social media posts. As Ras heads back to the legislature next week, I am looking forward to the great work I know he will continue to do to move our state forward. Reynolds, the states first female governor, was promoted to the post in 2017 and won a full term in 2018 by just less than 3 percentage points. National political forecasters consider the race to start in her favor. Smith said he will turn his immediate focus to the 2022 session of the Iowa Legislature, which will begin Monday. He said he will decide his political future at a later date. Through redistricting, Smith was drawn into the same statehouse district as fellow Democratic Iowa Rep. Timi Brown-Powers. The next thing is cooking dinner for my family tonight. Ive got quite a bit of husband, dad and dad-dog duty to catch up on, Smith said. Ill spend some time with my family, have those conversations and figure out whats next. Chris Hall, a Democratic state legislator from Sioux City, has been rumored to be considering a run for governor. When reached Wednesday, Hall praised Smith but declined to comment on his own political plans. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announced Tuesday he will conclude a three-decade congressional career next January, but said he would continue a lifetime in public service and activism by turning to his higher calling as a Baptist pastor to help shape minds and hearts. You can own your public service, but you can never own public office, said the South Side Democrat who started out as a political activist by cofounding the Illinois Black Panther party before winning a City Council seat in 1983 and becoming a member of Congress a decade later. For me, I have a higher calling and I am answering that calling, said Rush, dean of the states congressional delegation. The calling of my faith predominates my entire being. The decision by Rush to step down at the end of his 15th term set off a scramble among the South Side and south suburban elected officials in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District, which runs from Chicagos South Side through south and southwest suburbs and continues nearly to Kankakee. An open seat in Congress is a rare event and the districts solid Democratic demographics virtually ensures the winner can serve for years without challenge. Rush said he would make an endorsement of a potential successor in the June 28 Democratic primary but did not name a preferred candidate. He said making an endorsement was a show of leadership and that I think my appeal to my voters will have an affect on their decision when they go to the polls. Rush made his announcement at the historic Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where the mutilated body of 14-year-old Emmett Till was displayed in an open casket after he was lynched while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. Rush said he chose the church because it was a sacred place that shaped the contours of my own life and the lives of generations. He said he would continue to pursue a federal anti-lynching law as a top priority in his remaining days in Congress. The 75-year-old Rush said his decision to leave Congress was not a matter of cutting and running and that he would continue to speak out from the pulpit of his Beloved Community Christian Church of God in Christ on the South Side. The battlefield is my home and I will remain on the front lines of the battlefield, the congressman said, adding that he would preach with a priority on commonality over division. Rush criticized the polarized political climate in Washington but said it, like other aspects of life, has become rooted in an unending quest for power. Its not just Congress. Its in our faith community. Its in the business community. Everybody is looking for their advantage and the other person, disadvantage. Its all about whos in power, who isnt in power, he said. This power, narcotic, drug, that we find ourselves lapping up every day in our media and our lives and our culture, thats leading to the demise of our nation, he said. I lament the fact that we are such a partisan power-drunk government institution and thats one of the things that I want to try to do is to prioritize our commonality rather than our division. At the same time, Rush said that, away from the glare of TV cameras, we are some awesome people in Congress, and that he considers Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia one of my best friends in the Republican Party. Rush famously handed future President Barack Obama his only election loss in 2000 when the university professor and community activist challenged the veteran congressman. Rush said that knowing Obama was a better orator and perhaps more handsome, he avoided debating the young state senator during that campaign, which preceded an election he won by 30 percentage points. But noting that Obama is a former president with significant personal wealth, Rush jokingly asked, Who really won? Rush also spent some time talking about his early years in public life, saying he thought he would be dead before I was 30 as a result of his activism in the Black Panthers. He said he was supposed to have been at the groups West Side headquarters on Dec. 4, 1969, when a raid led by local prosecutors and state and federal law enforcement led to the assassinations of Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. In a nod to the citys latest surge in violent crime, Rush said he plans to take a message to the gangways and alleyways and the streets of the city and tell young people, Dont give up hope, that you can survive, that there is a life in front of you. While the 1st Congressional District has been redrawn significantly over the decades, it has a storied place in Chicago and Illinois political history. Rush defeated labor leader Charles Hayes to take the seat. Hayes succeeded Harold Washington, later Chicagos first Black mayor. Others to represent the district include Ralph Metcalfe and William Dawson. The names of more than a dozen prospective candidates to succeed Rush have surfaced. Among them are members of the legislature and Chicago City Council. Legislative candidates face a greater risk in going for the seat, since all seats in the General Assembly are up for election this year and a state legislator would have to give up a chance for reelection to run in the congressional primary. Chicago aldermen arent up for reelection until 2023. Chris Mooney, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the safest political seats in the nation are typically U.S. House seats in reasonably homogenous urban or rural districts. The reelection rate for U.S. House members has long been over 90% often well over, Mooney said. As a result of long-term incumbency, it creates a pent-up demand among politicos living in a given congressional district. Each district holds countless school board members, mayors, city councilpersons, state legislators and other government officials who have demonstrated political ambition. In addition, there is also an unknown number of leaders of business, labor, social movements, etc., who might want to run for Congress, he said. And when a longtime member of Congress retires or dies, each of these people knows that it is perhaps now or never for their congressional ambitions. Mooney said he expects a full-blown scrum of contenders. Even if Rush backs a candidate later, the momentum of those other ambitious candidates will mean that the district is likely going to see a large, bloody and unpredictable primary for this seat, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SPRINGFIELD Former U.S. Attorney John Milhiser announced Tuesday that he will seek the Republican nomination for Illinois Secretary of State, becoming the second member of his party and sixth candidate overall to jump into the race to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Jesse White. Milhiser is believed to have the backing of billionaire Ken Griffin and other wealthy GOP donors, who plan to finance a slate of statewide candidates against Democratic incumbents in the 2022 election. "I am running because we can do better in Illinois," Milhiser said in a news release. "We can have good government. We can have safe communities, and we can rebuild trust in our leaders. As the next Secretary of State, I will continue to work to end the culture of corruption that has been fostered for decades in this state." Prior to that, Milhiser was the twice-elected Sangamon County state's attorney. He started his legal career in that office in 1997 and spent time in the juvenile, civil and felony divisions before entering private practice in 2003. He returned to the states attorneys office in 2008 as the first assistant. He was appointed to the top job in 2010 and elected in 2012 and 2016. Milhiser's entry means that both party's nominations for the office will now be contested. State Rep. Dan Brady, a Bloomington Republican, announced his candidacy for the office in November. In response to Milhiser's entry, Brady released a list of more than 40 Republican state lawmakers who have endorsed his campaign. Brady also has the backing of U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville; and Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap. Having Republican lawmakers support and guidance behind me is significant, Brady said. Their support will allow us to build an effective campaign infrastructure from Cairo to Waukegan as I prepare to share my message with voters in the months ahead. On the other side, four Democrats are vying for their party's nomination. They are former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias; Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia; Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell and Chicago Ald. David Moore. Valencia announced Tuesday that U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has endorsed her campaign, giving her the support of both of Illinois' senators. Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorsed her campaign last July. "Anna is an exceptional candidate, and I trust her to effectively lead an office which touches all of our lives," Durbin said. It's a boost for Valencia, who has fallen behind Giannoulias in money and endorsements from major unions and elected officials. But it isn't a huge surprise she was Durbin's campaign manager in 2014. Historically, the Secretary of State's office has been a stepping stone position for candidates seeking higher office, with two former officeholders, Republicans Jim Edgar and George Ryan, going on to become governor. Another, Democrat Alan Dixon, went on to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate. It is the most prominent statewide office outside the governors office, controlling more than 4,000 jobs and touching the lives of nearly every Illinois resident by issuing drivers licenses and registering motor vehicles. Other responsibilities include keeping official state records, maintaining the 20-building Capitol Complex and overseeing the state library. White has held the office since 1999, an unprecedented run. Though he considered retirement previously, the popular Democrat was convinced to stay on a few times, thus saving his party from an expensive open statewide race. Democrats, eager to hold the office this coming year, were quick to pounce on Milhiser's entry, calling the former prosecutor "the first pawn in the latest political game from Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin." "Rauner and Griffin are most famous for waging a disastrous four-year war on good government in Illinois, decimating our social safety net and nearly plunging our state into junk status," said Abby Witt, executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. "Rauner and Griffin are now back, choosing their own slate of handpicked puppets instead of letting voters to have their say." Lee Enterprises and other outlets reported last month that Griffin has agreed to help fund a slate of candidates to the tune of $200 million to $300 million. A spokesman for Griffin did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday. Milhiser will likely lean into his prosecutorial background in the campaign, which could be an effective strategy as several Illinois elected officials as well as people connected with former House Speaker Michael Madigan stand trial on various corruption charges this year. Last year, Milhiser's office brought forward a litany charges against former state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Plainview, related to his alleged misuse of campaign money for personal expenses. McCann pleaded not guilty and will likely stand trial in 2022. State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, who succeeded McCann and previously worked under Milhiser in the state's attorney's office, said his former boss is "not afraid of confrontation for the public good." "John is definitely a skilled attorney and he was a very good boss," McClure said. "We're friends and he's done a lot of really great things including going after corruption in state government. The most prime example that, of course, is Sam McCann." McClure, however, is among the majority of Republican state elected officials who has endorsed Brady, saying he was not aware Milhiser planned to run before pledging his support. Milhiser did not return requests for additional comment Tuesday. He has yet to open a fundraising account for his latest campaign. Candidates for office can begin gathering signatures to get on the June 28 primary ballot later this month. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Former Iowa Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa of Council Bluffs has ended her Congressional bid and will instead run for state auditor. "With the encouragement of many Iowans, today Im announcing my campaign for state auditor, the Republican said in a release. I will be a taxpayer watchdog for Iowans and make sure that governments across our great state are using funds appropriately." State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, announced in December that he would run for a second term. Hanusa had been running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District seat, currently held by Democrat Rep. Cindy Axne. With redistricting moving Council Bluffs to the 4th District, a seat held by Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, Hanusa said she ultimately decided to shift her focus. "After the lines were redrawn, I had people who said they wanted me to run in the 3rd. I did look at the possibility of moving into the 3rd," Hanusa said. "But for a variety of reasons, it wasn't going to work. It just wasn't a good fit." Hanusa said she was approached in the fall about running for auditor and after talking to a number of people in local and state politics, she "decided this was something I'd be qualified for." Hanusa pointed to her 10 years in the Iowa Legislature when asked about the experience that's prepared her for the auditor role. Her time in office included two years on the House Government Oversight Committee, and in announcing her run she also pointed to work helping balance the state budget, working to increase transparency and supporting those with mental health needs. "The Auditor's Office is one of oversight of state government. There are a team of folks who perform audits on state and local and county governmental entities. It's a matter of having someone there that will watch carefully, oversee a team that makes sure Iowans' tax dollars are well spent and spent appropriately," she said. "Iowans work hard. We want those dollars to be used wisely." In announcing her run for state auditor, Hanusa highlighted endorsements from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. In the release, Reynolds commended Hanusa for working "hard fighting for the people of Iowa," while Grassley said, "She will work hard to protect Iowans' hard-earned money and help make sure government is accountable to the people." Ernst said Hanusa is "a proven leader when it comes to protecting Iowans' taxpayer dollars." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 (CNN) Pope Francis has criticized couples who choose to have pets instead of children as selfish, arguing that their decision to forgo parenthood leads to a loss of "humanity" and is a detriment to civilization. The pope made the comments Wednesday while speaking to a general audience about Saint Joseph, Jesus' earthly father. Francis was lauding Joseph's decision to bring up Jesus as "among the highest forms of love" when he veered into the topic of adoption and orphaned children today. He then turned his focus to couples who opt for animals instead of children. "We see that people do not want to have children, or just one and no more. And many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one, but they have two dogs, two cats ... Yes, dogs and cats take the place of children," the pope said. "Yes, it's funny, I understand, but it is the reality. And this denial of fatherhood or motherhood diminishes us, it takes away our humanity. And in this way civilization becomes aged and without humanity, because it loses the richness of fatherhood and motherhood. And our homeland suffers, as it does not have children." The pope's remarks, though surprising coming from a progressive pontiff, echo the Catholic Church's teachings about the importance of couples either bearing or raising children and the potential demographic consequences of not doing so. Francis said that couples who cannot biologically have children should consider adoption. "How many children in the world are waiting for someone to take care of them," Francis said. "Having a child is always a risk, either naturally or by adoption. But it is riskier not to have them. It is riskier to deny fatherhood, or to deny motherhood, be it real or spiritual." Francis has had several animal-related dust-ups during his papacy. He made similar remarks about couples prioritizing pets in 2014. Comments he made in 2016 were interpreted as a pronouncement that animals go to heaven, but that analysis was later called into question. The pope has, however, been photographed with many animals over the years. He's been seen petting dogs, a koala and a tiger, holding birds and carrying a lamb on his shoulders. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Iowans are growing more frustrated with high property taxes. A majority of Iowans, 63.4%, believe that property taxes are too high. The concern over property taxes surpasses the rural-urban divide and political party identification. Taxpayers are often left wondering why they never see property tax relief or why their inquiries about high taxation go answered. Policymakers have an opportunity to finally address high property taxes and deliver tax relief by implementing a Truth-in-Taxation law. Utah and Kansas serve as the gold standard for taxpayer friendly Truth-in-Taxation laws. Kansas, which passed their law in 2021, is already seeing amazing results. Instead of collecting big increases from valuation changes, local officials must vote on and take responsibility for the entire tax increase they impose. Each year, the mill rate is reduced so that the new valuations deliver the same dollar amount of property tax revenue to local governments. If they want more, they must notify taxpayers of their intent in a mailing, hold a hearing to get public feedback, and then they must vote for the entire tax increase they impose. More than half of all cities, counties, townships, school districts, and special tax districts in Kansas decided to not increase property tax this year. Now that they must be honest about tax increases, officials presiding over 1,900 local government entities suddenly decided they could provide services a little more efficiently. Thats the power of honesty and transparency. There are no exceptions and no loopholes in the Kansas law. Local officials must go on record voting for a property tax increase if they want one. Iowa taxpayers will save hundreds of millions over time, just like taxpayers in Utah. According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the owner of a commercial property in Des Moines valued at $1 million pays about $41,000 in property tax; that same property in Salt Lake City only pays $14,000. The owner of a $150,000 home in rural Hampton pays over $2,800 but that same home in rural Utah pays a little over $1,000. Too often, local governments claim a windfall from increased assessments, and the taxpayer is left wondering why their tax bill is higher. When questioned, local government officials argue that they are not to blame because they have not increased property tax rates. Too often blame is shifted to assessors and the true culprit in driving high property taxes is local government spending. Truth-in-Taxation corrects the "honesty gap" and forces local governments to justify why they need to increase taxes for higher spending. Prior to the passage of Truth-in-Taxation, Kansas had a property tax "lid," which was intended to control spending and tax increases, but too many budget lines were exempt, which made it inconsequential. Now, the new law prohibits backdoor increases from valuation and does not allow any exceptions or loopholes. This even includes new growth. In 2019, Iowa passed a property tax transparency and accountability measure, which was unfortunately referred to as a Truth-in-Taxation law. This law was a good reform, but in the most charitable form it could be considered a weak version of Truth-in-Taxation. The law only slightly improved transparency, while creating a low threshold for counties and cities to surpass the 2% soft budget cap. School districts were also exempt, which are the leading driver of property tax bills. Truth-in-Taxation applies to all local taxing authorities in Kansas and Utah. For too long property taxpayers have been ignored. It is time to restore honesty to the property tax process. Local officials will offer up a lot of objections to Truth-in-Taxation, but they are surely at least as capable as officials in Kansas, and they can make this work if they want. Ask them this: why shouldnt you have to be honest about the entire property tax increase you impose? John Hendrickson serves as policy director for Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation and Dave Trabert is the chief executive officer of the Kansas Policy Institute and author of "What was Really the Matter with the Kansas Tax Plan." Love 7 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A bill for the upcoming legislative session gives students the ability to take school districts to court if they encounter someone of the opposite sex in a multi-occupancy shower room, changing room or restroom. District 4 Rep. Fred Deutsch, R-Florence, is the prime sponsor of the bill. Rapid City state legislators District 33 Rep. Taffy Howard, District 35 Rep. Tina Mulally and District 30 Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller are three of the nine lawmakers listed as sponsors of HB 1005. The bill would give students the ability to sue a school district if: The student encounters a member of the opposite sex in a multi-occupancy shower room, changing room, or restroom located in a public school building that has been designated for exclusive use by members of the students sex. An employee of the district gave the member of the opposite sex express permission to use the shower room, changing room, or restroom. The use was permitted in accordance with a school district policy. If a student were to prevail in court, they would be entitled to recover economic and non-economic damages, together with costs and reasonable attorney's fees, the bill reads. The same concept would apply to hotel rooms used during school activities. If students are required to be provided overnight sleeping accommodations for a school district sponsored or sanctioned event, rooms must be designated for use by members of the same sex. If any student is unable or unwilling, for any reason, to use a multi-occupancy room for overnight sleeping accommodations, in accordance with the designation set forth in this section, that student may file, with the school administrator, a request for reasonable accommodation. For purposes of this section, a reasonable accommodation includes assigning the student to a single room for overnight sleeping accommodations, the bill states. Nothing in this section precludes the use of a room for overnight accommodations by members of the same immediate family. HB 1005 gives a student private cause of action against a school district (that) expressly permits a student of the opposite sex to utilize, for overnight sleeping accommodations, a room that has been designated for use exclusively by members of the same sex. The bill states that any student unable or unwilling to use one of the designated multi-occupancy (spaces) has the option to file a request for a reasonable accommodation, which includes access to a single-occupancy shower room, changing room, or restroom, but does not include access to a multi-occupancy shower room, changing room, or rest room, which has been designated for the exclusive use of members of the opposite sex. Students whose requests for a reasonable accommodation are denied may appeal the decision to the school districts superintendent, then further appeal that decision to the school board. When contacted for comment on the proposed legislation, neither Deutsch, Howard, Mulally or Frye-Mueller could be reached. The legislative session begins on Jan.11. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 7 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A teacher and counselor at a high school for students with special needs is charged with sexually assaulting a girl after being discovered in a vehicle with her behind a vacant building in Arlington Heights, police announced in a news release Tuesday. Paul Castelli, 45, of the 1300 block of Carol Lane, Des Plaines, is charged with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, both Class 1 felonies, according to the release from the Arlington Heights Police Department. Advertisement On Jan. 2, Arlington Heights police officers were patrolling the area of Algonquin and Arlington Heights roads at approximately 6:45 p.m. when they saw a suspicious vehicle behind a vacant office building, the release states. Officers approached the vehicle and observed a man in the drivers seat, and also noticed a female in the back seat who appeared to be crying while in a state of undress, according to the release. Advertisement Police learned the man was 45 years old and the female was a minor, and immediately took the man into custody, the release states. We dont know what preceded this incident, said police Commander Joseph Pinnello. We dont have information on how long inappropriate relations went on between the teacher and the student. A Glenbrook High School District 225 official confirmed that Castelli works at the districts Glenbrook Off Campus School described on the SD225 website as a small day school for students with special needs. As of Tuesday afternoon, the site listed Castelli among eight Teachers/Case Managers at the school. A district spokeswoman told Pioneer Press that Superintendent Charles Johns sent a notice to GBOC parents stating that SD225 was made aware of the arrest by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Jan. 3 and immediately began an investigation. The superintendent stated in the notification the District is disturbed by this incident and arrest. The teacher has worked for the District for 5 years and has not been on campus since the incident and is currently on administrative leave. Staff is currently reaching out to all GBOC families by phone, Johns said in the notification. In addition, our school psychologists plan to meet with students to provide guidance and support. Pinnello said the girl had no other physical injuries that required medical attention. We dont have any other information to lead us to believe there are any other victims, Pinnello said when asked if this was an isolated incident. Advertisement Bond for Castelli was set at $50,000, and Cook County sheriffs office officials said he posted 10% and was released from jail. He is scheduled to appear in court again Jan. 28 at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse. The superintendent said in the statement that SD225 is currently conducting its own internal investigation. In hiring employees, the District conducts a thorough review process that includes both state and federal background and fingerprinting checks. District 225 will continue to review its hiring and staff training processes to ensure that staff is fully aware of the Districts professional expectations, the law and their ethical obligation to safeguard children, Johns said in the notification. Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer. A second person has died from injuries sustained in a single vehicle crash on Christmas Day. Jade Fenhaus, 20, died Jan. 2. He was one of three occupants in an SUV when it crashed into a pole after leaving the roadway near the intersection of E. Highway 44 and Center Street. Another Rapid City man, 31-year-old Jamie Sayler, was also killed in the crash. Sayler was deceased upon arrival, according to the Rapid City Police Department. A third occupant was seriously injured in the crash and was transported to a hospital. The crash is under investigation and it is believed that alcohol and drugs are factors, according to a news release from the Rapid City Police Department. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Tucker Bedford will leave behind his wife of six months to spend almost a year with prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Bedford, a military police specialist with the South Dakota National Guard from Rapid City, will go on his first deployment with 110 other soldiers Thursday to take care of prisoners and be internal security at the detention facility in Cuba. Theres a lot of changes in my life, I moved and got married in June, so Im getting all that stuff prepared, Bedford said. Its hard with family stuff, trying to say goodbyes, but everybodys so supportive and it makes it so much easier with a lot of support. The soldiers will start their mission in Fort Bliss, Texas, and stay for about a month to get validated. The troops will spend about nine months in Guantanamo Bay, then head back to Fort Bliss for another month to check on the soldiers physical and mental health, and if they are ready to reenter the civilian world or the National Guard with "off of active duty" orders. Unit commander Capt. Patrick Moran said they received orders about 16 months ago and went into training. During a deployment ceremony Wednesday morning at The Monument in Rapid City, Moran said the 235th Military Police Company has been busy since 2020. The company prepared to deploy in June 2020 to assist in Minneapolis, but were not sent. They ended up providing security for riot control in Pierre, Sioux Falls and Rapid City. In July, they worked with the Air National Guard security forces and local law enforcement for President Donald Trumps July 3 visit. Moran said thats the first time South Dakota National Guard soldiers were armed in the United States since the 1970s. The company was also placed on active duties for medical transport teams and vaccination mission teams in November, then deployed to the presidential inauguration in January 2021. Moran said no South Dakota unit has ever gone on mission to Guantanamo Bay, but knows theres no task too difficult the 235th Company, which has the motto "Guardians Over Glory," cant handle. Gov. Kristi Noem, along with U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender, spoke at the ceremony. Noem said she knows the company will serve with excellence and treat people with respect. You will do your job and you will make sure that you never lose sight of the fact that what youre doing by securing that location is that youre keeping America safe and youre keeping South Dakota safe, she said. Noem, Johnson and Allender all thanked the soldiers for their service, and thanked employers and families for their support. Were sitting amongst warriors, were sitting amongst patriots who are going and willing to sacrifice everything for us, Noem said. Lets find what we can do in the next several months to go above and beyond to be warriors for the people around us to serve them, to help support them and support the family members who will be missing a very important part of their family through these coming months. Johnson said he knows no words can fully convey the depth of his gratitude, but hopes the soldiers can sense how thankful and appreciative he is for their service. Moran said the companys mission wont involve dodging bullets across the battlefield, but it will involve battling complacency, mental health challenges, striving for attention to detail, and awareness on a daily basis. Were down there by ourselves, you cant have visitors, you cant have a cell phone when youre in the facility, youre disconnected from all the technology (in the) world that we live in, he said. That plays a little bit on soldiers nowadays and we have to kind of battle that complacency of doing the same thing over and over again. Bedford said he heard it will be a difficult deployment, but knows the 235th is a good unit that has close friendships. That really helps, and theres always people to talk through any hard feelings or any hard times that youre having, he said. The 235th is anticipated to return to South Dakota in November. Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Makayla Oligmueller, a registered nurse at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital Pediatrics, has received the national DAISY Award, according to a news release from Monument Health. The award is presented to nurses who go above and beyond for their patients and community. She was nominated by a patient. During the patients stay in the hospital, she felt like she was in a very dark place, according to the account from Monument Health. The patient had been going through some difficult times, and her daughter called the nurses' station to express her concern. Makayla spoke with the patient, listening as she explained some of her experiences, then opening up about some of her own. She told me she was off the next three days, but if I needed her, I just had to tell one of the nurses and she would come in, wrote the patient. The fact that someone that didnt even know me would do that for me made me reach way down and find the strength to find my way back. The patient also went on to write, Ive had several surgeries and Ive never had nurses that made me feel so cared for. The DAISY Award recognizes the outstanding professionalism and compassion that nurses bring to patients and families every day. It was established by the DAISY Foundation in California in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of an autoimmune disease. DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system. Nurses in Rapid City are selected 12 times a year for this recognition. Nurses are also honored in Custer, Lead-Deadwood, Spearfish and Sturgis. To nominate someone, visit monument.health/daisy. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to move to a 10-point grading scale beginning next school year. The vote followed comments from five members of the public about the impending vote, four of whom expressed support for the change. The boards two current student representatives, Abby Rutan from Rapid City High School and Hayden Bentz from Stevens High School, also expressed support for the new grading scale. Student representatives are not voting members of the board. The new scale will replace the districts current seven-point grading scale. A 10-point grading scale will mean that a student moves into the "A" range with a 90%, a "B" range with an 80%, and so on. It is what the majority of students, parents and staff would like to go to, said board member Amy Policky. And as I have researched, it seems like the 10-point scale is more common across the United States. The district has reported surveys conducted last school year and this past fall indicating a majority of teachers in favor of the change. Addressing one of the arguments against the 10-point scale, Policky added: I dont think changing our grading scale necessarily changes our desire for a culture of excellence. I think changing the way we think about learning and helping students learn and using grades to inform their learning is really what creates a culture of excellence. Rutan said that the 10-point scale offered more clarity than the current seven-point scale. Its easier to follow and understand, she said. Talking with learners at Rapid City High School, Ive heard a lot of support for this change. Bentz said the change could fuel greater motivation among students whose performance lies on the border, between grades. In terms of motivation, perhaps theres a case to be made that theres more motivation for a student who was maybe a B student but who could now be an A student, he said. They may now have motivation to reach that level of academic excellence. Several board members, referring to a discussion last fall about grading, expressed a desire to go beyond the movement to a 10-point scale and also to examine grading practices. Valerie Seales, director of teaching, learning, and innovation for the district, told the board that the decision regarding the grading scale provided a necessary first step for further changes. She said she intended, with other district staff members, to address a broader set of grading practices. We wanted to have a final answer on the grading scale before we went on to the rest of the policy, which is the grading practices, as I would call it, she said. After the meeting, Seales explained more about the next steps. Practices under consideration, she said, included the ways in which late or missing work is handled. A more expansive approach to such work may be necessary, she said, especially considering the extended illnesses weve been experiencing. She also cited a re-examination of assigning zeroes for assignments. Both issues along with several others were discussed at a Board of Education study session last fall. Well try to implement those into the policy, Seales said on Tuesday. Ill take them to my senior leadership team first for review, and then it goes to a board policy committee. She said such changes may appear on a Board of Education agenda in about a month, now that the movement to a 10-point grading scale has been established. The changes, she said, will take place at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. The board passed a number of other measures Tuesday, including the establishment of the upcoming school board election for June 7. These positions are scheduled to be up for a vote: the representative for Area 3 for a 3-year term, the representative for Area 6 for a 3-year term, and the representative for Area 2 for a 2-year term. Nominating petitions may be obtained from the school business office between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. beginning March 1, according to a report from the school district thats attached to Tuesdays meeting agenda. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. What started out as a routine traffic stop for an expired dealer's tag turned into a potentially life-threatening situation for a Rapid City police officer, who was dragged by the vehicle for a short distance after one of the vehicle's occupants attempted to flee the scene. The incident happened around 2:50 p.m. on Sunday in the area of E. Boulevard and Omaha Street after officers pulled over an SUV, according to a news release from the Rapid City Police Department. The officers then asked the driver of the SUV, Amanda Hoftiernan of Rapid City, and her passenger, John Challender of Box Elder, to exit the vehicle after discovering vehicle's registration to be altered and forged. Hoftiernan refused to exit the vehicle and had to be removed by officers, at which time Challender slid into the driver's seat and attempted to flee, according to the release. "While trying to stop the male from fleeing, the officer was dragged by the vehicle a short distance," the release states. "The officer was able to free himself from the vehicle when it struck a curb; however, the vehicle ran over the officer's legs." The vehicle was stopped a short distance away where officers arrested Challender for aggravated assault on law enforcement, obstruction, impersonation to deceive law enforcement, and two counts of possession of a methamphetamine. Challender also had six outstanding arrest warrants. Hoftiernan was also arrested for obstruction, alteration of registration card, and no proof of insurance. Brendyn Medina, spokesperson for the Rapid City Police Department, said the injured officer escaped with only a few scratches from the incident. "This is another example of just how quickly a routine traffic stop can escalate to a life-or-death scenario for our officers," Medina said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 7 Sad 0 Angry 7 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The United Way of the Black Hills has extended its fundraising deadline to Jan. 31 for its 2021-2022 campaign. The campaigns goal is to raise $2,112,000 to benefit nonprofit organizations in the Black Hills. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Black Hills community in their support of our campaign thus far. Right now, we are $150,000 short of our goal for the year, which means we wont be able to help as many organizations that serve our friends and neighbors in the Black Hills every day, said Jamie Toennies, UWBH executive director. UWBH serves Rapid City, Sturgis, Northern Hills (Belle Fourche, Deadwood/Lead and Spearfish) and the Southern Hills (Custer, Edgemont, Hill City, Hot Springs and Keystone). By region, UWBHs 2021-2022 fundraising goals are: Rapid City $1,800,000; Sturgis $93,000; Northern Hills $130,000; and Southern Hills $89,000. All funds raised stay in the Black Hills. Donations to UWBHs 2021-2022 fundraising campaign can be made online at unitedwayblackhills.org/, by mailing donations to the UWBH office, 621 6th St., Suite 100, Rapid City, SD 57701, by calling 605-343-5872 to make a donation over the phone, or by texting UWBH to 40403 to donate. If theyd like to make a pledge they pay off (in 2022), they can call us or send in a note to that effect and we can bill them monthly, quarterly or annually. Theres several ways to give to help support the community, Toennies said. Donations to UWBH support more than 50 organizations and resources that serve the Black Hills area through mental health services, affordable housing, financial education and literacy, access to quality and affordable early childhood education, emergency shelter for domestic violence victims and more. These are community dollars we reinvest back into our local community. We support nonprofit organizations and libraries and schools who are helping meet our communitys greatest needs, Toennies said. Funds raised aid individuals and families in the Black Hills such as Melissa. Melissa visited the Community Health Center of the Black Hills because of a health issue. At the time, she was unemployed and homeless sometimes staying in a tent, in her car and or a motel with her multiple children. In addition to helping with her health, CHC staff connected her with resources at other nonprofits like Feeding South Dakota. Today, Melissa has an apartment, a job, and shes started receiving consistent medical care at CHC. We recognize this has been a unique and trying year for so many, and we want to be able to help as much as we can. This is only possible if we hit our fundraising goal, so we have extended our campaign deadline to Jan. 31 in the hopes that individuals will find it in their hearts to give just a bit more to make a difference in someones life, like Melissa, Toennies said. After nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits continue to adapt and find new ways to fulfill their missions and serve their clients, Toennies said. The strain of the uncertainties are still there (for nonprofits and clients). Many nonprofits are still seeing an increase in demand for services. Its a lingering impact. The nonprofits are amazingly resilient. They are finding innovative and amazing ways to serve communities in spite of the pandemic, she said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Canada geese perch on ice shelves along the Clark Fork River and fluff up their down jackets against the cold. Its been quieter in recent weeks for geese and men along the stretch of river near Perkins Lane. Phase 3 of Superfund cleanup began there in spring and will move incrementally along the river and eventually end about half-way to the Galen Road. Phase 3 work continued through summer and fall and just recently paused for the Christmas and New Years holidays. The project is said to be ahead of schedule, but with a lot of excavation and hauling remaining. During summer and fall, trucks fitted with side dump trailers waited as excavator operators filled the trailers with contaminated soils. The trailer loads were hauled a comparatively short distance and dumped in a repository in the Opportunity Ponds. The company doing the work was Missouri River Contractors and its employees labored long hours during the summer days of prolonged light. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is the lead agency for the Clark Fork site. It consults with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and coordinates with the state Natural Resource Damage Program. Tim Reilly, an environmental scientist with DEQ, is the new project manager for the upper Clark Fork cleanup. He reported Tuesday that about 260,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils and materials have been transported to the repository in the Opportunity Ponds. Roughly 300,000 cubic yards remain to be removed, Reilly reported. The contractor is currently ahead of schedule, he said. DEQ anticipates completing Phase 3 cleanup in 2022. Longtime DEQ employee Joel Chavez has served as project manager of the Clark Fork cleanup. He also supervised the remediation of Silver Bow Creek west of Butte, a project whose outcome was generally celebrated transforming a nearly lifeless stream to a recovering ecosystem. Chavez retired Dec. 31. There has been controversy about previously completed cleanup work along the Clark Fork River. Some observers have felt the DEQs approach has been too aggressive, leading to removal of metals-tolerant riparian vegetation and of stream bank structures favored by the rivers declining population of brown trout. The DEQ has responded by saying the agency saves vegetation and river structures conducive to trout habitat when and where it can, noting, however, that its primary mission is to remove contamination. The EPAs Clark Fork River Operable Unit stretches from the rivers headwaters near Warm Springs to the former Milltown Reservoir east of Missoula. But the majority of the cleanup will occur from Warm Springs downstream to Garrison a section of roughly 45 miles referred to as Reach A. Pollutants include heavy metals cadmium, copper, zinc and lead and arsenic. A catastrophic flood in 1908 washed contaminants downstream. The target is removal of tailings in the streambanks and floodplain that harbor the contamination from historic mining, milling and smelting activities upstream by the Anaconda Company. The tailings and toxic sediments have accumulated along the river for more than 100 years. Atlantic Richfield purchased the Anaconda Co. in 1977. Three years later, Congress passed the legislation creating the federal Superfund program. And Atlantic Richfield became responsible for addressing the massive pollution left behind by the once-powerful company that mined and smelted ore. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A lack of signatures has ended an effort to reverse a new state law and once again require any proposed nuclear power project to be put to a public vote. Carole Mackin of the Peoples Power League, which was the driving force behind Ballot issue #7, IR-126, filed in May with the Montana secretary of states office, said there was not simply enough time to gather the nearly 35,000 signatures needed to get the referendum on the November ballot. The referendum was found insufficient Oct. 29, the Montana secretary of states office said. Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, the sponsor of House Bill 273 that the Peoples Power League opposed, said he would like to meet with Mackin to discuss nuclear power, adding he shares some of her concerns. He said he opposes uranium or plutonium reactors as well. It is win-win, and the winner there is Montana, he said. Mackin said Tuesday in an email that Republican legislators apparently had no idea that in repealing I-80, they were repealing the 50-megawatt exception it contained. She said I-80 was designed to regulate mega-Three Mile Island-type reactors. She did not comment on Skees' offer to talk. In 1978, the People's Power League got a ballot referendum passed that put proposed nuclear power plants up to a public vote. It was overturned by HB 273 in the 2021 Legislature, and the governor signed the bill into law. Skees, in arguing for HB 273, said it still leaves the decision of nuclear power plants in the hands of the Montana citizenry, but through its elected officials. He said lawmakers could have more deliberative, focused discussion. Those who opposed HB 732 said it was overreaching and went against the will of the people. He said the proposed referendum by the Peoples Power League was an example of the very thing he warned about while arguing in favor of HB 732, that radical elements on the both sides would spend money to sway voters. Mackin said in an earlier interview she had suspected from the beginning there was not enough time to get all the signatures. She also said she would focus on making nuclear reactors an election talking point, noting that Skees is running for a Public Service Commission seat. Also running for that seat are Republican Joe Dooling and Democrat Kevin Hamm, both of Helena. "I will make sure this comes up during the election," she said. Skees said Monday the nuclear power industry has made great strides in terms of safety. HB 273 was often mentioned in the same breath during the legislative session as Senate Resolution 3, sponsored by Sen. Terry Gauthier, R-Helena, which required a legislative committee to review over the interim the possibility of small modular nuclear reactors. Gauthier has said the small modular nuclear reactors will fit into the footprint of the coal-fueled Colstrip Power Plant and the turbines can be fitted with the new reactors. Talen Energy and Puget Sound Energy shut down Colstrip units 1 and 2 in early 2020 because they were no longer economically viable. Units 3 and 4 remain in operation, though four of the power plant's owners face coal power bans in Washington and Oregon beginning in 2025. Gauthier's resolution states the closure of coal-fired power plants will result in negative impacts on the Colstrip community, and coal-fired boilers could be replaced by an advanced nuclear reactor that would provide clean, well-paying jobs. Skees said Colstrip is a community begging for a new type of industry and he is working with federal lawmakers on getting a federal grant to build a small, modular nuclear reactor. Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 China to practice list-based management for all items requiring administrative approval, implement category-based management of corporate credit risks Xinhua) 08:30, January 05, 2022 BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China will practice list-based management for all items requiring administrative approval, to regulate the exercise of power and provide more benefits for enterprises and more accessible services to the public, as decided at the State Council's Executive Meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday. The meeting also decided to implement category-based management of corporate credit risks to make oversight fairer and more efficient. "Both decisions are aimed at fostering a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment, continuing to deepen the reform of government functions and lowering government-imposed transaction costs, which are of great significance," Li said. "They are also required by the urgent needs at present as the market expectations now are relatively weak." The meeting adopted the List of Items Requiring Administrative Approval Stipulated by Laws, Administrative Regulations and State Council Decisions (2022 Edition). The meeting required all provinces, cities and counties to complete compiling their own lists of items by the end of the year, which shall put on the lists all the items requiring administrative approval as stipulated by law. The essential information elements covered by the lists should be broadly unified across the country to see that the same approval item will be processed according to the same standards across different regions. The list compiled by a locality should not go beyond the scope of the list made by its higher authorities. The meeting stressed that governments at all levels and competent departments must strictly follow the lists in exercising administrative approval. Procedures will be open and transparent, to allow companies to shape sound expectations. Implementation protocols shall be formulated for each and every item on the lists. Approval requirements, application materials, approval procedures and charging rates shall be clearly identified and released to the public. No additional conditions or restrictions should be imposed during implementation. No administrative approval shall be required or implemented against the law over any item outside the lists. Disguised approval requirements in various names shall be overhauled, and the people responsible will be held to account. Oversight will be intensified as stipulated by laws and regulations. Efforts will be made to specify, under each administrative approval item on the lists, the overseeing entities, key links, regulatory rules and standards. Priority will be given to oversight in the areas directly concerning public safety and health or possessing major potential risks. Service efficiency will be bolstered. Practices including notification and commitment, integrated services and one-stop on-line services will be promoted in implementing administrative approval, to make it easier for businesses and citizens to access government services. "Lower and predictable government-imposed transaction costs will enhance public confidence in the market and better unlock market vitality and social creativity. Rolling out these two polices now are enabled by the groundwork laid in the past," Li said. "We must stringently implement list-based management and ensure that market players are not disturbed over any item outside the lists, so that they can compete on a level-playing field in an open and transparent market environment." To foster a market climate of honesty, good faith and fair competition, category-based management of corporate credit risks will be pursued in accordance with laws and regulations. Well-calibrated regulatory measures including oversight conducted through the random selection of both inspectors and inspection targets and the prompt release of results will be adopted to see that regulation will not stand in the way of honest businesses while making those of bad faith pay the price. "Credit is the cornerstone of a market economy. Regulation will not stand in the way of honest businesses. Market entities of bad faith or with a poor credit record will face more frequent and stringent regulation and supervision," Li said. A sound system of indicators for categorizing corporate credit risks will be formulated. Information will be collected in a timely manner involving business registration, record filing, administrative approval, administrative penalties and inclusion in the catalogue of business anomalies and the list of entities with serious acts of bad faith. On that basis, enterprises of all forms of ownership will be categorized according to their levels of credit risks on an equal basis. The results of categorization will be used to make regulation more effective and to guard against behaving irresponsibly and arbitrary law enforcement. The proportion and frequency of sampled inspections will be reduced for enterprises with low risks, while those with high risks or with poor credit records will face targeted, increased random checks and on-site inspections. Inter-agency coordination will be intensified, to exercise whole-process supervision on a priority basis over sectors that bear on public health and safety, such as food, drug and special equipment. Sound and effective oversight of new industries and new business forms and models will be explored, to leave room for their growth while ensuring full safety and security. Risk monitoring and early warning will be enhanced. Big data analysis, monitoring of key indicators and other methods will be employed to identify anomalies and risks of enterprises as early as possible, alert the enterprises concerned as appropriate and front-load regulation and supervision, to defuse latent risks. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) Sunlight shines through sheets of ice on the shore of Jackson Park Outer Harbor in Chicago on Jan. 11, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Bundle up, Chicago. A cold front on Wednesday will bring temperatures in the upper teens and a wind chill factor in the single digits that will last until the weekend, forecasters say. Wind gusts of 25 to 30 mph and temperatures around 32 degrees were expected Tuesday evening, but by Wednesday morning, temperatures will drop into the upper teens, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Leatherwood. Advertisement The cold front coming overnight Wednesday may also bring snow flurries. The main concern is that we have possible blowing snow that may cause restrictions to visibility, Leatherwood said. Advertisement Though the temperatures will be in the upper teens on Wednesday, Leatherwood said some wind chill factors will bring temperatures down to the lower single digits, possibly approaching zero. The cold temperatures are going to be here awhile in the single digits, Leatherwood said. Towards Rockford, there may be wind chills around minus 5 to 7 (degrees). On Thursday, temperatures will remain in the single digits with a high in the midteens, according to Leatherwood. Winds and cold air will continue. By Friday morning, the temperature will be zero and may fall below zero, with high temperatures in the lower teens, according to Leatherwood. A lot of cold air is going to be moving in over the next few days into the weekend, Leatherwood said. There may be a slight warming trend and when I say slight, I mean temperatures that may be barely above freezing. Richmond police seized 12 firearms and made 10 arrests on New Years Eve as part of a larger operation aimed at stopping violent crime. Operation Red Ball, the designation given to the 90-day initiative, was prompted by a drive-by shooting in November that killed 14-year-old Rahquan Ompa Logan and 9-year-old Abdul Bani-Ahmad and wounded two men outside OMG Convenience Store at the corner of Creighton and Nine Mile roads. So far, the operation has netted 87 felony charges, 19 misdemeanors and 40 guns, according to Maj. Ronnie Armstead, including those from the various incidents on Dec. 31. All we did was go from hotspot to hotspot, to different locations, targeting violent individuals, targeting violent crimes, targeting weapons, Armstead said in a Zoom interview Tuesday explaining the operations name, Red Ball, which has been used by the department in the past for similar targeted enforcement efforts. Idea was to put a stop to it ... like a red light. Armstead said the 12-officer task force has worked 20 days of the 90-day period, which continues into 2022. Richmond ended 2021 with the highest number of homicides 91 in 17 years, according to law enforcement officials. However, the total number of slayings in 2021 is 101, including what police consider justified or self-defense killings or accidental deaths. In an interview last month, Police Chief Gerald Smith said the operation would focus on combating retaliatory violence between neighborhoods. The deadly quadruple shooting that launched the operation involved conflict between Mosby and Creighton courts, according to law enforcement officials. The New Years Eve incidents show a broader reach into neighborhoods across the city. At least three of the arrests stemmed from calls for celebratory gunfire, Armstead said. Locations ranged from Walmsley Boulevard and Hillside Court in South Richmond to Creighton and Whitcomb courts, public housing neighborhoods in Richmonds East End. These are high-crime areas, high-violence areas, said Armstead, adding that they would continue to target these areas for the duration of the operation. AR-style rifles and multiple handguns, some equipped with extended magazines and clips, as well as drugs and cash were seized on Dec. 31, according to the department. Charges ranged from carrying a concealed weapon and reckless handling of a firearm to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possessing a firearm while in the possession of narcotics, Armstead said. But police would not provide the names of those charged, nor list all of the specific charges, citing the ongoing investigation. Armstead encouraged community members to report illegal firearms to the police, and said tipsters could earn up to $1,000 through the GUN250 program. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. After allowing some unvaccinated students to remain on campus last semester, Virginia Commonwealth University is starting the spring semester with a tougher policy: Students must be vaccinated against COVID-19, including booster shots, unless they have an exemption. Last fall, VCU allowed unvaccinated, unexempt students to take in-person classes and live in dormitories if they completed weekly testing. But that option wont be available this semester when classes start Jan. 18. Students who arent fully vaccinated and dont have a religious or medical exemption are barred from registering for classes. Though most colleges across the states are planning to start the spring semester on time and in person, the omicron variant is challenging their ability to do so. Some classes may begin remotely if students or professors cant attend in person, and schedules are subject to change. When VCU announced a vaccine mandate for students and employees last summer, it came with a caveat: Students who didnt comply with the policy wouldnt be withdrawn from the school. Instead, a hold would be placed on their account, restricting them from adding or dropping classes. Student who had their schedule set could continue with fall classes unvaccinated. This move generated some pushback from faculty, some of whom said they were hesitant to enter a classroom with unvaccinated students. In response, VCU adjusted its policy, allowing noncompliant students to stay on campus if they completed weekly COVID testing. In early September, there were 450 students who either lived on campus or attended in-person classes who also did not have a vaccine or approved medical or religious exemption, which is less than 2% of the school population. Still, not every student agreed to be tested, and VCU withdrew 70 students from the university for not completing testing, university spokesperson Michael Porter said this week. Those students are eligible to return if they agree to the universitys vaccine and testing policies. About 200 students stayed in compliance throughout the fall semester by undergoing mandatory testing, Porter said. When the fall semester ended, 95% of students were fully vaccinated, and 4% had received exemptions. The university announced last week that students and staff eligible for booster shots must receive one and report it to VCU by Feb. 1. Evidence suggests that patients who receive booster shots experience a more mild illness than those without boosters. This semester, masks will still be required indoors, and unvaccinated, exempt students will have to undergo weekly tests. Adding a booster requirement was a popular move made by Virginia colleges. The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, the College of William & Mary and Virginia State University added the requirement in the past two weeks. Virginia Union has not announced a booster requirement. As we shift from a pandemic to an endemic state, we will need to retool in a way that allows us to live with the reality of the virus, said Amy Sebring, chief operating officer of William & Mary. Academic schedules arent set in stone. Randolph-Macon College, which originally planned to begin in-person classes for its January term Wednesday, pushed back its schedule by a week. To make matters worse, the snow impeded the university from receiving all its COVID test results on time. The aggressive, highly contagious omicron variant is proving to be as formidable as we feared, already causing our best-laid plans to go somewhat awry, Macon president Bob Lindgren wrote to the community. Macon said recently it is still considering a booster requirement. While John Tyler Community College, which is changing its name to Brightpoint, wont begin its semester until Jan. 18, it plans to operate largely in a remote fashion until then, the college announced Wednesday. The University of Richmond is not requiring boosters for all students, but it is asking students who have gotten one to report it to the university. While UR says it requires students and employees to be vaccinated, it allows an exemption based on personal convictions strongly and sincerely held by the person seeking the exemption. UR will require students to test negative before moving on campus. It will accept a PCR test taken within three days of arriving to campus or a rapid antigen test taken within two days of arrival. URs spring semester begins Monday, and the university acknowledged that obtaining a COVID test can be difficult now. Rapid take-home tests are hard to find in Richmond-area stores, PCR tests at pharmacies often must be scheduled a week in advance, and mass testing events sometimes requiring waiting in an hours-long line. We do not want access to a test to prevent students from returning to campus on time, three administrators wrote to students this week. Students unable to find a test, despite their best efforts can contact the school for help. And because the positivity rate is so high right now currently above 30% its possible students wont be able to immediately attend in-person classes. Classes might have so many students absent that remote teaching may be the better option for a particular class session, the administrators wrote. UR also asked students to limit their social gatherings and not attend off-campus events for at least three weeks into the semester. Team Henry Enterprises, the Newport News-based contractor that recently finished dismantling the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond, will soon take down the A.P. Hill statue and up to nine other monument pedestals in the city. After issuing a request for bids last month, the city on Wednesday published a notice saying it will award the contract to Team Henry, which bid $1.5 million on the project. Procurement records say the project will involve the removal of the A.P. Hill monument, his buried remains underneath it, and up to nine other monument pedestals. The documents specifically mention the monuments of Confederate Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, the Soldiers and Sailors monument in Libby Hill Park and the statue of Williams Carter Wickham that protesters toppled in Monroe Park in 2020. Monuments and pedestals to be removed A.P. Hill Monument Stonewall Jackson Monument Jefferson Davis Monument Confederate Cannons - Cannon delineating the inner defensive ring of the city located in the median east of the intersection of Monument Avenue and North Davis Avenue; and - Cannon delineating the outer defensive ring of the city located in the median west of the intersection of Monument Avenue and Roseneath Road. J.E.B. Stuart Monument The Soldiers and Sailors Monument 1st Virginia Regiment Monument Williams Carter Wickham Monument Another company, Washington-based contractor Stratified Inc., said it could do the job for $1 million. The city was preparing to award the company the contract, but later found that it did not have a Class A contractors license with the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. A city official familiar with the procurement process said Team Henry protested the citys plans to award the contract to the lower bidder, citing the state license. Stratified CEO Clive Diaz said Wednesday that he had intended to acquire the state contractor license immediately, but that lawyers he consulted told him that the city had the right to reject his bid without it. The city in 2020 awarded a $1.8 million contract to a shell company associated with Team Henry to take down the citys Confederate statues, shortly after Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Gov. Ralph Northam ordered their removal following weeks of protests over the police killing of George Floyd. The move led to a state police investigation after former Councilwoman Kim Gray raised concerns about how the contract was awarded to the company, whose owner, Devon Henry, had previously donated $4,000 to Stoneys election campaign and political action committee. A special prosecutor assigned to the case ended the investigation last summer after finding no evidence of public corruption. Lincoln Saunders, the citys chief administrative officer, said Wednesday that state officials in the summer of 2020 had suggested Henry as a potential contractor for the project, as they had already engaged him to remove the Lee monument. Saunders said the recommendation came as the city was struggling to find a contractor willing to accept the controversial job. Thats how they first came to our attention as a contractor for this work, he said. Team Henry wasnt someone our team had thought to call prior to the state identifying them. Henry has said that he formed a shell company for the city contract as a safety matter, as contractors involved in the removal of Confederate monuments elsewhere had been threatened or subject to violence. Saunders said the mayor and administration officials last year were reluctant to explain how the state had recommended Henry, fearing that it would paint a brighter target on him. State and city officials last week announced that Richmond will take ownership of the Lee monument before transferring it and the other Confederate monuments to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. Spokespeople for Northam and the Department of General Services did not respond to questions Wednesday about how much the state paid Team Henry for the removal of the Lee monument. Television stations WRIC and WWBT in October reported that state officials projected it would cost $2 million. The Black History Museum, according to officials, will work with the Valentine museum and other local cultural institutions to engage the public and decide the final disposition of the monuments. The city in 2020 received about two dozen offers for the monuments from a variety of museums and institutions. Council staff working with the mayors administration, however, had been slow to act, as other localities weathered public criticism over where they sent their Confederate monuments. The Charlottesville City Council, for example, is facing legal action after voting last month to give its own statue of Robert E. Lee to a local museum that plans to melt it down for a new public art project. In neighboring Albemarle County, area residents criticized the county government when it gave its own Confederate tribute to a battlefield association in Shenandoah, alleging that it would be used to present a narrative that neglects the Confederacys intention to maintain the enslavement of Black people. In a special Richmond City Council meeting Wednesday evening, where legislation to accept the Lee monument from the state was introduced, 8th Councilwoman Reva Trammell questioned why officials had suddenly announced the transfer plans right as Northams term as governor nears its end. Why dont we just wait for the new governor to come in and decide what to do with these statues? Trammell said. Why dont we let him decide rather than us doing it? Why not let the mayor decide? Sources close to the governor and mayor have said that both officials feel it is important to finalize the transfer of the Lee monument prior to Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkins inauguration. In an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch last month, Stoney did not deny that officials are hurrying out of fear that Youngkin would pursue an objectionable plan for the Lee monument. The City Council is set to formally accept the Lee monument in a meeting next Wednesday, three days before Youngkin is slated to be sworn into office. With a change of power looming in Richmond, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, is asking Gov. Ralph Northam and Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin for a state investigation of a nearly 50-mile backup that left travelers stranded for more than a day on an ice-bound section of Interstate 95 in the heart of the newly created congressional district she is running to represent. Spanberger urged the current and incoming governors on Wednesday to conduct a full-scale, multi-agency After Action Report detailing the events, decisions, factors, and challenges leading up to and following the storm, with a full accounting of what went wrong and what went right, and recommendations for process improvement. The two-term congresswoman, who is running for re-election this year in a radically different 7th Congressional District, jumped squarely into the public furor over what went wrong to cause the backup that began during an unexpectedly heavy snowstorm on Monday morning and lasted until Tuesday night, with thousands of people stuck in their vehicles in sub-freezing temperatures. While we cannot prevent or change the weather, we can take active steps to learn from this weeks worst-case scenario realize and ensure we know what caused, predicated and/or allowed this catastrophe on I-95 to occur so that we can prevent it from happening again, she said in a one-page letter to Northam and Youngkin. The Department of Transportation already is preparing to begin a rapid review of the entire incident, and Northams office promised a thorough investigation of what happened. The Virginia emergency response team does exhaustive after-action reviews of these types of incidents to determine what went well and what could have been done differently the governor has made it clear he expects that will happen in this case, spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said Wednesday in response to the letter. As the governor has said repeatedly, he recognizes the fear and frustration of these drivers and is deeply grateful to the first responders for ensuring there were zero injuries, Yarmosky said. Right now, she said, Initial reports indicate that this was caused by trucks jackknifing in quickly escalating weather conditions, which caused a chain reaction and made it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through. The backup occurred between the Dumfries exit on I-95 in eastern Prince William County and the Ruther Glen exit in Caroline County, with the Fredericksburg area in the middle. All of it lies within the new 7th Congressional District that the Virginia Supreme Court approved last month, moving the boundaries far north of Spanbergers current home in western Henrico County. Spanberger announced last week that she intends to run for re-election in the new 7th, rather than challenge Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, who now represents western Henrico and western Chesterfield County constituents who currently reside in the 7th. The new 7th District includes Caroline, Spotsylvania, King George and Stafford counties, the city of Fredericksburg and part of Prince William County. To the west it also includes Greene, Madison, Orange and Culpeper counties. In her letter, she expressed my grave concerns over the immense and egregious delays along the nearly 50-mile stretch of interstate and recounted harrowing stories from Seventh District constituents stranded in these conditions. Among those trapped included families with infants, Virginians on their way to parents funerals, and commuters just trying to get to or home from work, she wrote. During this ordeal, they reported receiving no guidance, information, or support for hours; as they attempted to ration gas, stay warm, and calm their scared children. With Youngkin to be inaugurated on Jan. 15, Spanberger asked him and Northam to work together to ensure there is a clear understanding of what events and decisions led to or created the circumstances whereby a major transportation artery along the East Coast of the United States was at a standstill for more than 24 hours. In July 2011, Liu Yelong, a then 22-year-old student who had just graduated from Nanjing Agricultural University, arrived in Meigu county of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan province. His trip to the remote mountainous area had nothing to do with rest or recreation. With a major in labor and social security under his belt, Liu had participated in some charity work and did research on rural development. During his second year at university, he went to a school in rural Anhui province as a volunteer teacher, which inspired him to continue the role after graduation. He had planned to teach at a school in Meigu county for two years and then either return to academia to further his study and gain a master's degree or prepare for the civil servant exam and get a stable job. However, Liu didn't expect that, 10 years later, he would still be teaching in the county. He also didn't expect to uncover the musical talent of his students, nor that he would found a band, called Shiguangzhe Jihua, comprised of six high school studentsthree boys and three girls. On Nov 25, during the New Year of the Yi ethnic group, which was celebrated from Nov 23 to 27, the band released an album, titled Shiguangde Shengyin, or The Sounds of Time. It features four original songs written by the band members that express their thoughts and emotions about growing up, and two songs adapted from Yi folk songs, one of which is about a traditional wedding and the other a ballad about a shepherd. Since July 2019, when Liu first shared their music on social media, the band has gained a large fan base. Their first video, which saw Liu's students singing Yi folk songs while playing the guitar and hand drums, sitting by a campfire dressed in traditional garb, earned the band over 10,000 fans in one day and has been viewed 250,000 times. To date, the band has performed over 100 Yi folk songs, sharing them online with their 180,000 followers. In July, the band was crowned champions of the fifth season of China Yi Singing Competition, produced by the TV Station of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture. Advocates for jobless Virginians have reached an agreement with the Virginia Employment Commission on ending a federal lawsuit against the state for failing to promptly settle unemployment claims and pay benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five legal advocacy groups that sued the state agency last April filed a motion in U.S. District Court on Wednesday to dismiss the case at the direction of Judge Henry Hudson, who has actively monitored efforts to speed the settlement of claims, improve state communication with those seeking help and bolster a system overwhelmed during the pandemic. Hudson, who has not yet signed the dismissal, directed the groups and the state to prepare an order to dismiss the case during a telephone conference meeting with the parties on Dec. 14. Pat Levy-Lavelle, an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center, acknowledged that the pending dismissal of the lawsuit does not end efforts by his and the other advocacy organizations to help Virginians still struggling to return to the workforce or receive jobless benefits during the ongoing pandemic. It doesnt take away at all from the fact that a lot of people are still out there suffering, Levy-Lavelle said. We know there is a lot of unfinished business. The VEC declined to comment until the judge signs the order. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission concluded in early November that the VEC was unprepared for the pandemic and slow to respond to a surge of almost 2 million claims for unemployment assistance. Significant weaknesses in VECs operations particularly its deficient staffing levels, antiquated UI [unemployment insurance] IT system, performance monitoring, and oversight were revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, states the 200-page report by JLARC, the states legislative watchdog agency over government agencies and operations. The result was backlogs of tens of thousands of unemployed Virginians awaiting adjudication of claims deemed ineligible, primarily because employers hadnt reported why they lost their jobs, or waiting on hearings on appeals of their claims. Millions of calls went unanswered from frantic people seeking answers about their claims because they were unable to find them online in the states outdated IT system. The proposed order filed in federal court finds that the disputed issues have been substantially resolved, and says the court has been encouraged and satisfied with the changes made and actions taken during the long dispute it mediated. The order commends the state for meeting performance goals established in a settlement agreement last May that required the VEC to eliminate a backlog of more than 92,000 cases awaiting adjudication to determine eligibility for benefits. The settlement also required the state to expand and improve operations of customer service centers overwhelmed by calls from tens of thousands of people seeking information about the status of their claims for benefits. The order would dismiss the claims of five Virginia women named in the lawsuit because the VEC promptly settled them, while leaving open potential litigation for others in similar situations that have not been resolved. The proposed order praises the work of the advocacy organizations three nonprofit legal advocates and two private law firms as instrumental in raising awareness about the obstacles facing Virginians seeking state and federal unemployment insurance benefits. It also credits them for encouraging improvements in the processing of unemployment claims. It credits the VEC for significant progress in processing and adjudicating unemployment claims, including taking additional steps to improve communication with claimants and hiring additional agency or contract staff to address pending claims. The proposed order does not resolve one disputed issue whether the three nonprofit advocacy groups are entitled to recover attorneys fees and other costs. In addition to the Legal Aid Justice Center, the suit was filed by the Virginia Poverty Law Center in Richmond and Legal Aid Works in Fredericksburg, and two private law firms, Consumer Litigation Associates in Newport News and Kelly Guzzo PLC of Fairfax. The private firms have agreed to donate their work on a pro bono basis and will not seek attorneys fees or costs for themselves. The court does not here decide that issue, states the proposed order, which sets a Feb. 1 deadline for the organizations to file further motions on the issue and a March 1 deadline for the VEC to file a formal response. The order also cites a joint status report, filed by advocates and the VEC on Nov. 5, as a guide that set forth a path to resolve remaining issues and established appropriate benchmarks. The joint status report documents that VEC had completed adjudication of all unpaid unemployment claims that were part of the settlement in May and committed to resolving unpaid claims filed with the agency since then. It commends the states decision to contract with Deloitte, a national management consulting firm, to establish an additional customer call center, staffed with 300 employees. These new call center agents, which are in addition to the approximately 200 VEC employees assigned to the call centers, have improved customer service, and made it more accessible to the public, the report states. One of the continuing concerns is a backlog of cases awaiting the first level of appeal after claims were denied. The VEC committed to hiring more examiners to handle appeals and promised to use best efforts to improve the resolution rate for pending first-level appeals. The VEC also agreed to continue meeting with advocates on a regular basis through July 31 to exchange information and facilitate communication regarding these remaining issues. Levy-Lavelle acknowledges that the leadership of the agency is likely to change under the administration of Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 15. Youngkin was critical of the VEC during the campaign. He has not announced whom he will appoint to lead the agency or serve as secretary of labor in his Cabinet. Our north star is working toward justice for claimants, Levy-Lavelle said, and were willing to talk to anybody to get there. Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver, who has led the states health agency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, will step down from the post next week at the urging of Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin. Oliver, who in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch had expressed interest in continuing to run the Virginia Department of Health into the new administration, told staffers during a call Wednesday that he had been formally notified of Youngkins decision by the incoming governors transition. Oliver will leave his post on Jan. 14, the day before Youngkins inauguration, according to two people familiar with the call. Its not clear who will replace Oliver, or who will serve as the next health secretary. Youngkins transition did not respond to a request for comment. Virginia, like the rest of the nation, is facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths fueled by the highly infectious omicron variant. The decision is not entirely surprising given Youngkins criticisms of the states handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he has described as heavy-handed. Youngkin opposes vaccine mandates and has criticized mask mandates, public restrictions on businesses and curfews. Oliver was a key adviser to Gov. Ralph Northam as the administration weighed its public restrictions. In line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oliver in August issued a mask mandate for the states K-12 schools, which Youngkin has criticized and vowed to undo even as COVID-19 cases surge. Despite their differences, Oliver said in an interview last month that he wished to remain in his job to provide continuity at the VDH as the pandemic continues to rage, and to finish overseeing key operational improvements at the agency, including technical improvements in the way it analyzes public health data. Were now in a position where that work really needs to continue with the pandemic still raging, Oliver said last month. Were also thinking about ways to improve public health and build the public health system that this state deserves. I feel thats work I started and that Id like to see through to the end. Oliver and the states health agency have fielded significant criticism over the handling of the pandemic. Still, Virginia has fared better than other states, particularly its neighbors to the south when it comes to rates of infection and death. Early on, 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 the spread of the virus and about deadly consequences in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Throughout 2020, the state faced criticism from the business community over restrictions that it thought changed too suddenly, and without much clarity. The state later stumbled as it began to distribute vaccines at a slower rate than any of its neighbors and almost every other state delaying safety for vulnerable Virginians. Consistently, people of color had a harder time accessing resources and information to fend off illness or economic struggle. Among its successes, Virginia now ranks 10th among states in people who are fully vaccinated, and hospitals in the state have not overflowed to the point of deploying the states emergency plan for alternate health care facilities. In a statement, Oliver said it had been an honor to serve as commissioner. For the past two years, Virginia has faced the biggest public health crisis of our lifetime, he said. My sincerest thanks to the thousands of Virginia Department of Health employees who have labored day in and day out during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the Commonwealth safe. My sincerest thanks to Governor Northam for his leadership and for making sure we had the tools to do our job. We are working with Governor-elect Youngkins team to ensure an orderly transition. Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday named Andrew Wheeler, who rolled back environmental safeguards as head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump, as secretary of natural resources. The choice drew outrage from Democrats and environmental groups. Youngkin, who takes office on Jan. 15, also announced he wants Michael Rolband, founder of the company Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc., as his choice to head the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, which is under the natural resources secretary. Andrew and Michael share my vision in finding new ways to innovate and use our natural resources to provide Virginia with a stable, dependable, and growing power supply that will meet Virginias power demands without passing the costs on to the consumer, Youngkin said in a statement. One Democratic senator, Scott Surovell of Fairfax County, suggested that Republicans should join Democrats in the Senate in killing the nomination, the incoming GOP governors first Cabinet pick to draw controversy. First reaction is its an outright oddity to appoint an inside-the-D.C.-Beltway coal lobbyist in a state that produces virtually zero coal, said Walton Shepherd, a senior staff attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Virginia. Governor-elect Youngkin could accelerate progress on clean air, clean water, clean energy, but this is a ham-handed appointment that only assures hell get nothing done. ... It really is over the top. Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement: Youngkins pick for Secretary of Natural Resources is simply unacceptable. As head of EPA under former President Trump, Wheeler did nothing more than cater to corporate polluter interests time and time again, putting their welfare ahead of our environment and Americans health. This is hands down the most extreme nomination for an environmental post in Virginias history and the absolute worst pick that the Governor-elect could make. Surovell tweeted: I know hes new to Virginia government and all but @GlennYoungkin does understand cabinet secretaries require General Assembly approval right? In an interview, Surovell noted that three former EPA administrators who served under Republican presidents expressed concerns in 2019 about the agencys close ties to industry, including Wheelers status as a former coal lobbyist in charge of the agency. I would hope in Virginia there would be bipartisan opposition to choosing him, Surovell said. Kate West, director of the Sierra Clubs Virginia chapter, urged Democrats to block Wheeler if Youngkin does not withdraw the nomination, saying: A vote for Andrew Wheeler is a vote against Virginians clean air, safe drinking water and sustainable energy. Democrats hold a 21-19 edge in the state Senate. Republicans will take control of the House on Jan. 12, with a 52-48 edge. Wheeler is on Youngkins natural resources transition committee, which is chaired by Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland. Stuart said he didnt know much about Wheeler but found him qualified through their personal interactions in working on the committee. He is incredibly competent, smart and very qualified, Stuart said. Now, Ive already heard from some of my Democratic colleagues and friends on the other side of the aisle. But it seems to me their objection is he worked for President Trump. Id like to hear the objections about his character, qualifications, ability vs. that he was appointed by Trump to the EPA. Im impressed with him. I cant speak to his background because I really dont know anything about his background. It is rare, but not unprecedented, for the legislature to reject a governors appointee. In 2006, House Republicans rejected Gov. Tim Kaines choice of Daniel LeBlanc, former head of the state AFL-CIO, as secretary of the commonwealth. LeBlanc opposed the states right-to-work law. In February 2014, Republicans in the legislature rejected Gov. Terry McAuliffes nomination of Boyd Marcus for a spot on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Marcus, a longtime GOP strategist, worked for Democrat McAuliffes campaign in 2013. Matthew Strickler was the natural resources secretary during most of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northams term. Rolband will replace David Paylor as DEQ director. Environmentalists frequently complained that the DEQ under Paylor was a rubber stamp for permit requests, including from the now-defunct Atlantic Coast Pipeline natural gas project and the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. Paylor was first appointed to the job in 2006 by Kaine and served under four governors. Youngkin, in his statement, commended Paylor as an invaluable public servant and wished him well. Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th, was among Democrats upset by the Wheeler announcement. Andrew Wheeler is one of the worst people the Governor-elect could have chosen for this job, Beyer said in a statement. Wheeler led the implementation of an EPA dirty air initiative his own agency estimated would lead to 1,400 premature deaths and breathing problems in thousands of people, many of them children. He led the Trump Administrations efforts to dismantle environmental protections, selling out the American people and the EPAs very mission to benefit corporate polluters. Virginias outgoing attorney general, Democrat Mark Herring, joined in at least six lawsuits against the EPA and Wheeler over environmental rollbacks. Those include lawsuits over Chesapeake Bay protections, clean car standards, and a rule that sought to allow power plants to release more mercury and toxins into the air. The Union of Concerned Scientists in 2019 created a list of 80 Trump administration attacks on science and called Wheeler a driving force behind many. Youngkin in December announced that he wants to use executive power to withdraw Virginia from a program called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, although its unclear if he could legally do that without legislative approval. Youngkin has said he wants Virginia to fight sea level rise and coastal flooding, but that he finds the Virginia Clean Economy Act unworkable. Youngkin has said he wants to embrace all aspects of power generation, including wind, solar, nuclear and natural gas. pwilson@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6061 Twitter: @patrickmwilson Staff writer Andrew Cain contributed to this report. An attorney for Earl Washington Jr., who came within days of being executed in Virginia for a murder he didnt commit, filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against a state agency on Tuesday because it is withholding records the attorney believes will show that authorities at the time could have gotten the right suspect. Fairfax attorney Robert T. Hall filed the lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court against the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, which refused to turn over the documents that Hall believes are the last set of facts that need to be revealed in how the state came close to killing an innocent man. Washington, with an IQ of 69, narrowly escaped being executed in 1985 after police led him into a false confession by giving him details of a killing. Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Frank Green reported last year that undoing Washingtons conviction took an all-star team of experts from across the country who donated years of legal, scientific, psychiatric and other assistance; and the intervention of three sitting governors. DNA proved that another man, and not Washington, raped and murdered Rebecca Lynn Williams in her Culpeper apartment in 1982. Gov. Ralph Northam last year cited the case when signing legislation to abolish the death penalty in Virginia. Hall has represented Washington since August 1985. Theres an open question hes trying to answer, and it relates to the man who actually killed Williams, Kenneth Maurice Tinsley, who is now deceased. The Department of Forensic Science has documents that could answer that question, and Hall wants the public to have access to them. According to Halls lawsuit: Police found a bloodstain on a baby blanket at the crime scene which they believed came from the killer. Investigators and state lab technicians found that the bloodstain contained a unique blood marker. After Washingtons arrest in 1983, a blood test showed he did not have this unique marker. The state lab then amended its records to say that testing for the unique blood marker on the baby blanket was inconclusive. Washington was convicted and sentenced to death in 1984. Tinsley, the actual killer, was charged and convicted for a separate rape in 1984. The state lab tested Tinsleys blood that year. According to a news release issued by Halls attorney, Hall suspects that those test results will show that Tinsley had the unique blood marker found on the baby blanket, which investigators knew Washington did not have. Hall believes the lab results were changed for the convenience of prosecutors and that deprived law enforcement of a 1984 opportunity to connect Tinsley to the Williams murder at a time Mr. Washington was awaiting his 1985 execution. So Hall sent a FOIA request to the Department of Forensic Science in January 2021 asking for the blood results that were done on Tinsley. Amy C. Jenkins, the departments general counsel, wrote back to Hall to say that the department had documents on Tinsleys blood results, but was opting not to release them because of a FOIA exemption for criminal records. In other words, the state could release the records if it wanted, but the law also allowed the state to withhold those records at its discretion, and the department was choosing not to provide them. But later in 2021, the General Assembly passed a bill that opened up closed investigative files that police agencies generally withheld from the public. The new law took effect July 1 and expanded the type of records that must be released. Hall made another FOIA request in November to the Department of Forensic Science for the records he wants. This time, the department denied the request by saying it doesnt have to turn over the records because its not a law enforcement agency. Hall wrote in his lawsuit that the new law doesnt just apply to law enforcement agencies but to all public bodies, and called the departments position wholly without merit. Asked for this news story why she didnt turn over the records since nothing in the law prevented release, Linda Jackson, director of the Department of Forensic Science, declined to answer. A deputy responded that she had no comment. Attorney General Mark Herrings office is now representing the agency in its desire to keep the records secret, and a court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11. Herring leaves office on Jan. 15. The lawsuit asks a judge to find that Jenkins and Jackson violated the Freedom of Information Act, order them to stop claiming they are exempt from the section of FOIA in question, order them to turn over the records, award attorneys fees, and impose a civil penalty of $2,000 on each, as allowed by law. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the nonprofit Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said it was mind-boggling that the state would be trying to hide the information. In a case that has such a long history of injustice, it just seems so strange to prolong the story even further by not releasing the records, she said. Halls attorney, Mark Dix, said it was unfortunate Herring wouldnt simply tell the agency to release the records. Herring has made many public statements about the importance of shining a light on Virginias dark history, and its a shame that as hes leaving office, hes not following through on such statements but is instead seeking to sweep this under the rug. A Virginia Tech student found guilty of cheating in one of his engineering classes by the universitys honor system is taking his case to a higher court. Identified only as John Doe in lawsuit filed in Roanokes federal court, the student is asking a judge to overturn an F he received in the class and to remove a finding of academic misconduct from his record. In taking the rare step of filing a legal challenge to a failing grade, the student argues that he is the victim of unclear policies regarding the use of online sources for a class taught remotely via Zoom during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The student was one of about 60 members of a computer coding class who were accused of cheating in December 2020, in part through their use of Chegg.com, an online learning platform designed to help students with their homework. In the rush to accuse so many students, Mr. Doe was lumped together with others who had signed up with a Chegg.com account, according to the lawsuit filed Dec. 27. Doe admitted that he used Chegg to check his answer on one of his virtual assignments, but denied cheating or plagiarizing. Chegg is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The publicly held company based in Santa Clara, California, says it offers legitimate help to millions of students through a variety of online platforms. We take any attempts to cheat, or otherwise use our platform improperly, seriously, Candace Sue, director of academic relations, wrote in an email Monday. But with surge of online teaching, the company has faced criticism of its homework help website, which allows users to post a question and receive an answer from a Chegg-identified expert within half a hour. A study published by the International Journal for Academic Integrity found that questions submitted from students in five fields of study computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics and chemistry increased by nearly 200% from April to August of 2020, compared to the same time period a year earlier. The growing number of requests indicates that students are using Chegg for assessment and exam help frequently and in a way that is not considered permissible by universities, an abstract of the study posted on the journals website states. In Does case, Tech professor Brian Vick filed a complaint with the Office of Undergraduate Academic Integrity. Doe contested the cheating allegation. But he was denied a fair hearing, the lawsuit contends, in part because Vick did not appear at the proceeding and was unavailable to answer questions. Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski declined to comment Monday, saying the school had not received a copy of the lawsuit. The complaint, filed against Tech and President Tim Sands, asserts that Does due process rights were violated. It asks a judge to issue a preliminary injunction lifting his F grade and removing a finding of academic misconduct. Doe is also seeking a permanent injunction that would allow him to receive credit for the course, and to receive compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial for disruption of Mr. Does educational progress. Because the class is a prerequisite for higher courses, the third-year student says he would lose an entire semester by having to retake it, delaying his graduation by a year. Doe, who sued anonymously because of the highly sensitive and personal nature of the case, was accused of cheating on five assignments. He argues in the lawsuit that Vicks teaching assistant used an online portal called Discord to help students with assignments and indicated that it was OK to rely on resources such as Google and YouTube, according to the lawsuit. As for Chegg.com, Doe acknowledged that he used the site one time to check an answer for an assignment, and asked that he receive a failing grade only for that portion of the class. It took a honor system panel composed of four students and two faculty members more than 10 months to schedule a hearing, and Doe complains in the lawsuit that he was denied an opportunity to present visual aids or to confront his professor during the proceeding. Mr. Doe faces significant and severe consequences as a result of the universitys decision to impose a failing grade and effectively suspend him, the lawsuit states. Healing, humility and hope Editor, Times-Dispatch: The recent death of the admired writer Joan Didion drew me back to my first experience with her magnetic writing. "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," a book of her essays published in the 1968, takes its title from a 1919 poem by William Butler Yeats, which vividly describes the emergence of an apocalyptic presence. The lines of the poem that have remained with me since my first reading 20 years ago: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold, and "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity." 2021 will haunt our memories in many ways: a deadly pandemic that only seems to be carrying its curse into another year without a respite; challenges to our cherished hope of a true democracy persist and intensify as totalitarian regimes and beliefs take hold; a divided society turning away and inward instead of reaching out to find paths to compromise. It seems that Yeats' apocalyptic vision is slouching toward us again: Things are falling apart, and indeed, the center looks as though it cannot hold. A wise Richmond Times-Dispatch reader wrote the following in response to a 2021 Letter to the Editor: "For many of us, healing will require a good deal of humility. Hope begins with the same letter." My hope for 2022 is that we together will follow his advice, embrace humility and hope, and quell the apocalyptic presence that, at times, seems to be creeping ever closer. Grant Revell. UPDATE 5:30 PM, 1/5/2022: No substantial changes on Thursday's snowfall potential. Still looks like widespread 1-3 inches Roanoke and westward/northward, probably closer to 1 at Roanoke and more to the north and west. Planning a fresh update early Thursday to see if there are trends that might indicate more/less snow in our region. It certainly doesn't look like a major event for us -- more so in West Virginia, and Virginia areas west of I-77 -- but could cause travel difficulties Thursday night and Friday morning. The National Weather Service in Blacksburg has raised winter weather advisories in anticipation of the snow. END UPDATE ---- Winter, seemingly the farthest thing from our minds a week ago, appears ready to deliver a second blow in four days to Western Virginia. A low-pressure system tracking just south and east of our region will lift moisture into recharging cold air Thursday night and early Friday, leading to the likelihood of a period of light to moderate snow for a few hours. There may be some rain to start, as temperatures get back into the 40s both today and Thursday, near seasonal norms. Snowfall amounts of 1-3 inches appear likely from the Blue Ridge westward, including most of the Roanoke and New River valleys, with trace to 2 inch amounts east of the Blue Ridge, but as usual, this is subject to some change as the track, intensity and timing of the storm system is fine-tuned over the next 24-36 hours. The largest amounts are expected in West Virginia, where winter storm watches are out for 4+ snowfall potential. Some of that may bleed into Virginia's westernmost counties and the areas west of Interstate 77. A renewed shot of Arctic air behind the storm system and associated cold front will lead to some of our region's coldest temperatures in at least three years, with single digits to lower teens expected by Saturday morning. And there may be yet another tease of wintry precipitation early Sunday, though it will come on the front end of a quick warmup and likely change to rain with highs in the 40s to near 50, followed by more cold air next week. The surface will be much colder for this round of snow than it was a week ago, so even lighter amounts will more readily stick to pavement than occurred with Monday's winter storm, which required heavy snowfall rates to overcome a stout melt rate to accumulate on highways. Long-term trends suggest a weather pattern that will often be cold but rarely bitterly cold and will waver up and down some with temperatures, but one that may guide some storm systems on tracks that pose wintry precipitation chances in the weeks ahead. After a blazing warm December, January is looking pretty typical as it stands now. Contact Kevin Myatt at kevin.myatt@roanoke.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevinmyattwx. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Appalachian Power Co. plans to use more of the sun and wind to generate its electricity, but it could cost the average residential customer an extra $2.37 on their monthly bill. The utility detailed how it will comply with Virginias renewable energy mandates in a recent report to the State Corporation Commission. Passed by the General Assembly last year, the Clean Economy Act requires Appalachian to provide its 530,000-some customers in Western Virginia with all carbon-free electricity by 2050. Over the next three years, Appalachian will add nearly 500 megawatts of solar and wind power to its energy portfolio, almost half of that from a wind farm in Illinois that will be operational by December 2024. The purchase of several solar facilities, including a 150-megawatt operation in Pittsylvania County and a smaller one in Amherst County, are also in the works. This is our companys most extensive filing yet, Appalachian president and chief operating officer Chris Beam said in a news release Tuesday. The update filed with state regulators reflects the in-depth analysis necessary to ensure sufficient resources are in place to provide affordable and reliable power for our customers, while continuing to build our renewables portfolio and meet our VCEA requirements. The filing also includes plans for an energy storage project in Southwest Virginia and the purchase of renewable energy certificates, which are market-based instruments that can be sold after the owner has fed the energy into the grid. To cover the costs of its investment in green energy, the company will seek approval of a rate increase from the SCC. An exact amount is dependent on a number of factors such as customer class, usage and regulatory outcomes, according to the news release. But if approved as requested, the proposal would mean that residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours a month will see an increase of $2.37. That would be on top of about a half-dozen rate increases that Appalachian has sought over the past two years. Taken together, residential bills would go up by about $27 a month if all of the requests are approved. The SCC approved three rate major increases last year one to recover transmission costs, a second to pay for environmental upgrades to two coal-burning power plants and the third to cover the higher cost of coal and natural gas that will amount to about $16 a month for the average residential customer. Those increases followed a denial by the regulatory agency in November 2020 of a base rate hike that would have boosted the bill by about $10. Appalachian has appealed that ruling to the Virginia Supreme Court, where it remains pending. The investor-owned company says its rates remained flat for a decade before the increases, and that its customers still pay less than the national average. However, more increases are expected as the Clean Economy Act pushes Appalachian to shed its long-held reliance on fossil fuels. As of Sept. 30, 2021, 64.5% of the power generated or purchased by Appalachian came from coal, and natural gas provided another 19.1%, according to spokeswoman Teresa Hall. Wind and hydro-electric power accounted for the remaining 16.4%. Those numbers were calculated before the companys first solar project, in Henry County, went online late last year, Hall said. Smaller solar panels installed on the rooftops and property of homeowners and businesses do not generate enough electricity to factor into the equation. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. China has released a plan for the development of financial technology from 2022 to 2025 under efforts to spur the digital economy with an improved modern financial system, according to the country's central bank on Tuesday. The plan, released by the People's Bank of China, stressed the importance of the role of digital technology in financial services and business operations. It outlined major tasks in eight areas, including strengthening financial technology governance, boosting data capacity, building green data centers with high availability, and deepening the application of digital technology in the financial sector. China will work to bring about a great leap forward in the overall level and core competence of its financial technology by 2025, according to the plan. Retired Lt. Col. Carroll Edwin Swain, who sternly advocated for improved public safety and fiscal common sense as a Roanoke city councilman in the 1990s, has died. Swain died at home in Salem on Dec. 31, according to his obituary, which gave his age as 94. Swain, elected as a Democrat in 1996, served for four years on the council in his late 60s and early 70s, and was by then a retired Roanoke school official and retired U.S. Army officer, as well as a husband and father. While serving as a military policeman at a resort in Italy after World War II, he was assigned to protect the tourist trade from the antics of rowdy GIs. The Army figured that by putting police where the problems were, they could be more successful. Swain thought the same thing could work in Roanoke and pushed for satellite police offices in neighborhoods to deter crime. A few were established, though not fast enough. The Colonel, as he was known, grew intense during a 1998 council meeting over a media report about three robberies, two involving the shooting of store clerks, that occurred the prior weekend in Northwest Roanoke. We need a crime reduction now, he told then City Manager Bob Herbert. Im not waiting on the chief. Im holding you responsible. In his last year in office, Swain also examined retirement paychecks for a select group of former city executives including Herbert who had received sweetened benefits through the citys infamous 2-for-1 pension scandal several decades ago. Swain argued that they should not receive cost-of living increases along with other rank-and-file city pensioners. Fellow council members agreed. Swain remained outspoken in the first few years after he left council, at one point defending then City Manager Darlene Burcham as she was criticized by candidates and groups involved in the 2004 council race. Darlene Burcham has ripped up the good ol boy network, he said. She makes people work and shes made some changes that have saved the taxpayers money. Thats what she should be doing. But not everyone adored Swains style. Mayor Sherman Lea, who sat on the school board while Swain was on council and said they talked frequently, described Swain as having a rough edge. Lea caveated his remark by saying he thought that Swain always acted from a place of caring about people and trying to get things done. Former Councilwoman Linda Wyatt, who served with Swain, said her former colleague brought the best of what he was as a military man to council in the way he approached issues and dealt with problems. That manner was direct and forceful, she said, contrasting herself as someone who favored exploring a range of options and thinking outside the box. They could combine efforts to greater effect, she suggested. I dont think a council that had all Carroll Swains on it or all Linda Wyatts would either one be effective. It takes that combination, she said. Swains obituary said he championed a variety of causes beyond good government, including economic development, education, the cleanliness of the city and the contributions of African Americans to the development of the railroad industry and Norfolk and Western. You never know the full weight of the influence you might have on others, so you should always be at your best, a quote attributed to Swain reads. A Roanoke native, Carroll Edwin Swain graduated from Lucy Addison High School in 1945. His stint in the military police followed, but was short-lived. He returned to Roanoke and worked for Norfolk and Western, but decided to further his education at Hampton University. He earned a bachelors degree in biology and physical education and masters degree in education, In 1953, with college complete, he pivoted to a regular appointment as a second lieutenant in the army as an artillery officer, his obituary said. During the next 18 years, he became a commissioned officer and received a variety of command and staff assignments. These included serving as an assistant professor of military science, a counterintelligence corps agent and a figure in an army security agency, his obituary said. In another assignment, he helped develop guidance, discipline and courses to improve race relations in the Army, his obituary said. By the end of his service, he was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote that while he was a ranking military officer in Vietnam in 1968, Powell encountered Swain, then inspector general of the Armys American Division. Swain had come to inspect Powells unit and gave it high marks, according to Powells book, My American Journey. Powell called Swain a scrupulous but fair officer, according to the book. Back in Roanoke in 1971, Swain worked in city schools as a guidance counselor, assistant principal and director of school plants, retiring in 1992, according to his obituary. He remained active through his adult life in Omega Psi Phi fraternity, which he had joined at Hampton University, and held all the various officer positions in the Roanoke chapter at one time or another. He was a leader, a commanding leader, said Sherman Lea Jr., current chapter president, who added, even to his death. I spoke to him two weeks ago. Swain advised Lea that a good leader reaches out to all constituents and obtains input so that everyone feels a part of the process, Lea said. Swain was married for 67 years. Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home in Roanoke is in charge of arrangements. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Hundreds of cars snaked around the Salem Civic Center parking lot Tuesday as people waited for COVID-19 tests following a surge of infections during the past two weeks. Demand for testing has overwhelmed private providers and local health departments. The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts have hosted testing events each Tuesday at the Salem Civic Center. Two weeks ago, the event drew only two dozen people, but the last two events attracted hundreds and the department ran out of tests. Thats just the demand we have right now, said Christie Wills, the health districts communications officer. This is reflective of where we are. Virginia reported 15,449 new COVID-19 infections Tuesday. About two weeks ago the state reported under 3,500. The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts reported 2,277 new cases in the past week, the highest increase since the pandemic began in early 2020. The newest COVID-19 variant, omicron, is highly transmissible. Virginia confirmed the first case of omicron on Dec. 9. Although no local cases have been confirmed to be omicron, health department officials said many of the new infections are likely due to the new variant. Dr. Laurie Forlano, deputy director of the office of epidemiology at the Virginia Department of Health, said multiple factors have created a perfect storm for the surge in test demand. Omicron is partly to blame for an increased level of transmission, which has led to more cases and exposures. The holidays brought more travel and family gatherings, which can lead to a greater risk of exposure and also a higher need for testing. National supply chain issues for rapid antigen tests have also created shortages. Forlano said the state submitted orders for rapid tests months ago that have still not been fulfilled because manufacturers are struggling to keep pace with demand. She said as soon as the state health department receives tests, they are sent out. The state and local health departments have access to PCR tests, but they need to be sent to labs and results can take a few days. Meanwhile, people are asked to stay isolated while they await their results. Rapid tests return results in a matter of minutes. Wills said many people seek rapid tests so they can make decisions about isolation and quarantine for their families. The Salem Civic Center events use PCR tests, but the department will hold another event if it receives a supply of rapid tests, Wills said. The next testing event will be 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 10 at the same location. Although the omicron variant is believed to be less severe than previous variants, local hospitalizations have also risen this week. The local health department reported 83 new hospitalizations for a total of 115. The majority of new cases and hospitalizations are among people who are unvaccinated. According to the health department, people in Virginia who were not vaccinated developed COVID-19 at 12 times the rate as people who were fully vaccinated. They were hospitalized at 24 times the rate of fully vaccinated people. Everyone aged 5 or older has been approved to receive a vaccine, which are available at the community vaccination center in the former Sears store at Valley View Mall, located at 4812 Valley View Blvd. People can make appointments at vaccinate.virginia.gov or by calling 877-829-4682. Walk-ins are also open. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday it is updating its recommendation for when people can receive a booster shot. For people who received a Pfizer vaccine, the interval has been shortened from six months to five months. The recommendation has not changed for the Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines. The CDC is also recommending that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5- to 11-year-olds receive an additional dose of the vaccine 28 days after their second shot. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Virginia Health Commissioner Norman Oliver, who has led the states health agency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, will step down from the post next week at the urging of Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin. Oliver, who had expressed interest in continuing to run the Virginia Department Health into the new administration in an interview with the Times-Dispatch, told staffers during a call Wednesday he had been formally notified of Youngkins decision by his transition. Oliver will leave his post Jan. 14, the day before Youngkins inauguration, according to two people familiar with the call. Its not clear who will replace Oliver, or who will serve as the next health secretary. Youngkins transition did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Virginia, like the rest of the nation, is facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths fueled by the highly infectious Omicron variant. The decision is not entirely surprising given Youngkins criticisms of the states handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he has described as heavy-handed. Youngkin opposes vaccine mandates and has criticized mask mandates, public restrictions on businesses and curfews. Oliver was a key advisor to Northam as the administration weighed its public restrictions. In line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Oliver in August issued a mask mandate for the states K-12 schools, which Youngkin has criticized and vowed to undoeven as COVID-19 cases surge here. Despite their differences, Oliver said in an interview last month that he wished to remain in his job to provide continuity at VDH as the pandemic continues to rage, and to finish overseeing key operational improvements at the agency, including technical improvements the way it analyzes public health data. Were now in a position where that work really reeds to continue with the pandemic still raging, Oliver said last month. Were also thinking about ways to improve public health and build the public health system that this state deserves. I feel thats work I started and that Id like to see through to the end. Oliver and the states health agency have fielded significant criticism over its handling of the pandemic. Early on, 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. Throughout 2020, the state faced criticism from the business community over restrictions that it thought changed too suddenly, and without much clarity. The state later stumbled as it began to distribute vaccines at a slower rate than any of its neighbors and almost every other state delaying safety for vulnerable Virginians. Consistently, people of color had a harder time accessing resources and information to fend off illness or economic struggle. All told, Virginia has fared better than other states, particularly its neighbors to the south when it comes to rates of infection and death. Virginia ranks 10th among states in people who are fully vaccinated. In 1990, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev dismantled the Soviet Union peacefully, convinced by the promise of U.S. and allies that NATO would not expand one inch to the east. He also agreed to withdraw all Warsaw Pact troops from East Germany and accept its unification with West Germany. That promise was never kept. After a ruinous U.S.-encouraged implementation of capitalist shock therapy that helped create a corrupt oligarchy and brought Russia to ruin, there followed 25 years of U.S.-NATO expansion near to and on Russias borders, the placement of missiles and troops on those borders, a 2008 promise to expand NATO even further to include Ukraine and Georgia, and in 2014 an anti-Russia coup in Ukraine supported by the U.S. Like all great powers, Russia has its vital red lines. It could not allow its major warm water port in Crimea to be threatened by a government which could kick Russia out and allow installation of a U.S. naval base on the banks of the strategic Black Sea. So, Russia responded by supporting a referendum in Ukraines Crimean Peninsula where it has had a vital military presence for over 200 years. The referendum showed a large percentage of Crimean voters, most of Russian origin, opting out of Ukraine. In short, Barack Obamas effort to slip Ukraine into NATO gave Vladimir Putin the opportunity to play the democrat and call a referendum anyone with an ounce of sense knew he would win fair and square. Since then, many polls, as reported in the Washington Post in 2020, prove the referendum reflected the real views of Crimean citizens, with 80% or more consistently approving of joining Russia. The current NATO-Russia dispute in Ukraine is supposedly about the buildup of Russian troops on its border with the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. This region, like Crimea, favors leaving Ukraine for Russia or at a minimum having some degree of autonomy from the central Kiev government as called for in the Minsk-II Protocol. Like Crimea, the population of Donbas is largely ethnically Russian and its economy is oriented towards Russia. Russias buildup is a response to four things: the Ukrainian governments earlier attacks on the breakaway region and current buildup of troops at the buffer zone around the Donbas; the historic economic and cultural ties of the Donbas that Russia feels bound to protect; the reluctance of Ukraine to implement, by negotiated agreement, the provision of the Minsk-II protocol concerning autonomy for the Donbas, something Crimea had since it was dumped into Ukraine in 1954; and the Ukraine governments repeated intention to drive for complete sovereignty over not just Donbas but Crimea too. Now comes Washington Post foreign policy savant David Ignatius to the op-ed page of the Roanoke Times (At Ukrainian border, Putin stands on the edge of a precipice, Dec. 12). He arrogantly threatens Russia by offering a path off the ledge that hes stepped onto along the border with Ukraine, warning Russia to support the Minsk-II protocols. But never a mention of Ukraines rejection of the key Minsk-II provision on autonomy, instead blaming Russia for the hang-up; never a mention of Ukraines attacks on the Donbas and civilian casualties there; never a mention of U.S. provisions of defensive arms to Ukraine which encourage Ukraine to attack rebels in the Donbas; but repeated references to Crimea. Ignatius says: By massing nearly 100,000 troops on the border, [Putin] disdained the gray-zone tactics of the hybrid warthe green men that swiftly seized key targets in Crimea. That is a distortion: Russia has had its own troops its green menlegally in Crimea for centuries at its naval base there. Whether intentional or not, Ignatiuss agitprop is a sorry example of manufacturing consent for a dangerous poke in Russias eye which President Biden appears so far to be resisting. By conflating Crimea with the Donbas, he encourages Ukrainian extremists who want to reverse Crimeas democratic decision to return to Russia. The Washington Post presents itself and other heavies of the mainstream media as the protectors of truth and trusted opponents of fake news. But Ignatiuss aggressive and contrived views, promoted by the Post, proves we must look elsewhere to understand what the U.S. national security state is up to. It is high time to put NATOs self-serving New Cold War to rest, starting with adherence to the 1990 promise rejecting NATO expansion. And keeping Ukraine out of this all for one alliance is a sine qua non to avoid an unnecessary and dangerous conflict. Munley is a retired physics professor who lives in Salem. Ed Kohinkes Dec. 17 letter, Can the party that brought us the insurrection be trusted with education? begs for response. First, the criminal clowns who invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6 dont represent the Republican Party any more than antifa arsonists epitomize the Democratic. So lets temper the Robespierre screed and dig under the surface. Second, Kohinke says that the GOP is unqualified to run public schools. He takes umbrage over the GOPs preference for charter and private schools. Well, what else would a parent want if the public school teachers were powerless, wedded to the latest fads in schools where profane insults to teachers were the norm, dope sales were open, and student competence uncommon? Third, the writer says education is a search for truth. No; it is a transmission of facts and abilities useful in everyday life. Actually, since various versions of supposed truths are freely available, that search is for the students themselves. We see that whenever educrats attempt to preach a truth, students usually rebel and try to enforce their own priorities and truths upon the system. If you really think todays students are competent to retain or search for truth, hear this 2007 declaration from a teacher friend of mine in a Fairfax high school: Most of these kids cannot string together a coherent sentence. No political party can own education in Virginia. That should be for the parents in each county. The school boards should work for the parents, not for the latest fads. Robert A. Young, Roanoke County Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Its time to be honest. Despite all the scientific chatter, nobody yet has a handle on the COVID-19 crisis. No one can pinpoint for certain where or how it started. No one knows when it will end. The possibility COVID may be with us for some time (despite predictions by Dr. Anthony Fauci and others that we can expect positive news sometime in 2023) is real. By then, if Fauci and others are right, well have learned to live with it, managing the inevitable outbreaks similar to how we handle the flu. That, however, will require planning, making changes to the healthcare device and pharmaceutical approval process, and a reliance on technology. Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administrations initiative to cut federal red tape and get the pharmaceutical industry to work finding a coronavirus vaccine, was a game-changer. It gave every American hope that a solution was on the horizon. The vaccines it produced have largely been effective, however, theres still uncertainty about their efficacy long-term. The current thinking is that at least one booster shot will be needed. The emergence of the Delta variant has been a setback, triggering calls for mandates including masks, vaccines and special travel passports. Uncertainty lingers, making it incumbent on leaders in the political, scientific, and media arenas to stay focused on innovative ways to address Americans concerns. The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization both say now that COVID is transmitted through tiny droplets and aerosols spread through indoor spaces. Fighting that means thinking differently. To accomplish this, we should rely on private industry initiatives to develop ways to eliminate airborne pathogens and limit the possibility of surface transmissions. When one comes along, we should talk about it and celebrate it because, like the vaccines produced through Operation Warp Speed, it provides hope as well as an added layer of protection. One technology showing great promise is an air purification system known as ActivePure, originally developed by NASA. The technology seeks out pathogens through a process known as advanced photocatalysis, which sends out submicroscopic particles in real time to deactivate pathogens, including COVID-19 and other viruses. ActivePures proactive air defense system is already being used in high-risk indoor environments including the Cleveland Clinic, The Texas State Capitol, and Philadelphias public schools. Additionally, groups like ThermoFisher Scientific are in the process of rolling out new aerosol sensor monitoring technology, potentially allowing hospitals, nursing homes, and schools to track for the presence of the virus, providing critical knowledge to inform mitigation strategies. Innovators are hard at work creating solutions for retailers as well. Intels RealSense TCS, a touchless control software that converts kiosks into touchless interfaces without radically modifying the intuitive user experience. These changes are helping get brick and mortar establishments back in business safely. No one can predict the future. Americas leadership in the health sciences is a vital part of the process of exploration that will produce novel approaches to block the spread of the pathogens leading to outbreaks of COVID-19 and other viruses. The lockdowns throughout 2020 did not work as intended and severely hurt a booming economy. A different strategy is required for the next outbreak. This will require the government to expedite the regulatory approval process in key areas, and partner with forward-thinking start-ups, while embracing new innovations to prepare for the next national health emergency. Peter Roff is a former UPI and U.S. News & World Report columnist who is now affiliated with several Washington-D.C.-based public policy organizations. Contact Roff at RoffColumns@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter @PeterRoff. You are here: China Beijing made a breakthrough in its air pollution treatment as the city reached the national air quality standard, local authorities said Tuesday. The city's average concentration of PM2.5 was 33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, the lowest level since records began in 2013, Yu Jianhua, deputy director of the Beijing municipal ecology and environment bureau, told a press briefing. The PM2.5 reading is a gauge monitoring airborne particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter, which can penetrate deep into people's lungs. The metropolis also saw its average ozone concentration decreasing to 149 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, marking the first time the readings for PM2.5 and ozone of the city reached the level-II national standard simultaneously. The average concentrations of PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide in Beijing were respectively 55, 26, and 3 micrograms per cubic meter last year, said Yu. The city saw 288 days of good air quality last year, up by 112 days from 2013, and only eight days of heavy air pollution. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). 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 you're 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. *** Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AURELIA, Iowa -- A construction worker was flown to a Sioux City hospital Tuesday after he was hurt while repairing a grain elevator in Aurelia. Emergency personnel responded to the accident at 11:15 a.m. at First Cooperative, 100 S. Main St. Aurelia Police Chief Brian Flikeid said Wednesday the worker had been struck by something and suffered potential head and neck injuries. The man worked for a contractor performing repairs to the elevator, which was damaged during a Dec. 15 tornado. The worker was located on a silo ladder not easily accessible by rescuers, so the Cherokee Fire Department was called to the scene with an aerial ladder truck. Firefighters and Cherokee Regional Medical Center EMS were able to make contact with the worker and provide initial treatment before he could be lowered to the ground, where he was put in an ambulance and driven to a waiting medical helicopter, which transported him to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in Sioux City. Flikeid said he did not have an update on the worker's condition. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. We are grateful and impressed about Nebraskas economic state at this stage of the coronavirus pandemic but also recognize warning signs that dare not be ignored. We have jobs for workers, but not enough workers for our jobs. How can Nebraskans not crow about the lowest-ever U.S. state unemployment rate since data collection began in 1976? Novembers 1.8% jobless level down even from Octobers record 1.9% comes with one of the nations highest workforce participation rates. Urban joblessness, not seasonally adjusted as the state number is, clocks in even lower. We agree with Gov. Pete Ricketts assessment that the record reflects the unwavering resilience and work ethic that define us as Nebraskans. Its hard not to celebrate this, including the fact that it reflects sufficient diversity in the states economy to weather downturns. But we also agree with economists including Creighton Universitys Ernie Goss, who told The World-Herald earlier this month, Were below whats optimal, in my view, in Nebraska. In other words, we probably would like to see a higher unemployment rate. Its healthy to see people move from one job to another, Goss said, and to see turnover in the labor market. Full employment is generally regarded as 3% to 4% joblessness, allowing for transitions between jobs or after completing a level of schooling, for example. University of Nebraska-Lincoln economist Eric Thompson thinks a 2.5% jobless rate would be healthier for the state. Clearly, our microscopic jobless rate reflects the states acute labor shortage, which was a challenge before the pandemic. Heres the mismatch today: 18,127 Nebraskans were among the ranks of the unemployed in November, actively seeking work. At the same time, state data showed 50,546 job openings. That makes it extremely difficult, at best, for an individual business or the states economy to grow significantly. We see the impact in our daily lives, with restaurants limiting hours or closing. Nebraska must attract workers, full stop. When the Legislature convenes next week for a 60-day session, among its critical tasks is allocating a federal COVID relief windfall topping $1 billion. Policy-makers can find ways to use some of that money to take proactive steps that can attract and accommodate new workers, such as affordable housing and broadband needs. They must avoid immersing themselves and the state in divisive culture war issues that are not relevant to economic advancement. Nebraska is an underappreciated, grounded and solid center of the nation. We must hold to the center and show that this is a wonderful place to work and live. Which it is. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Two years of pandemic have us primed to panic at every headline. A new variant, a new complication, a new baffling policy move. Now, headlines have brought an alarmingly exotic new word to stoke our fears: flurona. On Sunday the Times of Israel published an article with the headline, Flurona: Israel Records Its First Case of Patient With COVID and Flu at Same Time. The first wave of follow-up aggregation articles in other outlets was staid, merely repeating the report. But soon enough the combination of anxiety and pandemic exhaustion led headline writers into a strange cutesy fearmongering: The Daily Beast grimly christened flurona 2022s Hottest New Illness and the Cuts headline asked, What Fresh Hell Is Flurona? Advertisement The thing is, though, its not a fresh hell at all. (And sure enough, most articles about flurona get to that fact a few paragraphs in.) The Atlantic reported on flu-COVID coinfections in November, tracing them back as far as February 2020, among the first cases of COVID in the U.S. In addition to not being particularly fresh, its not much of a hell at all, comparatively. Israels first flu-COVID case, the story that triggered this latest wave of reporting, was mild even though the patient was unvaccinated and pregnant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The name flurona suggests a new disease, but its not at all, just two familiar infections at once. And this is just a thing that viruses do. Laurel Bristow, an infectious disease clinical researcher coordinator at Emory University studying COVID therapeutics and immune response, pointed out that viruses are opportunists, and in the case of flurona they just found the same opportunity in one unfortunate person. She said shes seen patients with COVID and flu, COVID and strep, RSV and rhinovirus, on and on. One pathogen wont take [precedence] over another, she told me over email, in the same way you can stub your toe and still bite your tongue. Advertisement Advertisement Jeremy Samuel Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham & Womens Hospital, told me over email, I figure its only a matter of time before we start seeing a variety of co-infections, be it flurona, corona-rsv, metapneumo-rona, et cetera. (Metapneumorona does have a certain ring to it, unpleasant as that co-infection would probably be.) But if flurona seems new, that may be because it isnt always even worth looking for. Amita Sudhir, associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Virginia, told me over email, I dont always test patients who are being discharged [after COVID treatment] for the flu because it often doesnt change what they would do at home. Things are different in the case of children, who if they are admitted to the hospital are tested for a long list of respiratory viruses all at once. I did have one patient who was simultaneously infected with four, Sudhir wrote, but none of them were COVID. Advertisement Advertisement The good newsand there is good newsis that protecting yourself from flurona is very similar to protecting yourself from COVID: masks (good ones), avoiding crowded gatherings, vaccination. COVID isnt just another virus yet, but everything weve practiced protecting ourselves does apply more broadly. I told my husband I was writing about flurona. He paused on his way up the stairs. Is that the new variant in France? he asked. No, not that (and you dont really have to worry about that variant, either). Is it some new pandemic we need to worry about? No, I said, its when you get flu and COVID at the same time. And he shrugged and kept going upstairs. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The omicron variant is surging in the U.S. By the Washington Posts calculations, a month ago the U.S. was averaging about 100,000 cases per day. Now its about 500,000 cases per day. The seven-day rolling average hospitalization rate is nearly double. And even though omicron seems to be less severe than previous COVID surges, the fact that its more contagious means the mortality rate could still go up, fast. On Wednesdays episode of What Next, I talked to Washington Post health reporter Dan Diamond about what to make of the omicron wave, why its important for hospitals to know which variant a patient has, and how the pandemic could end. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Advertisement Mary Harris: Do we know that the surge in cases and hospitalizations is all omicron at this point? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dan Diamond: Its not all omicron, and it depends where you are in the country. Parts of the U.S. were still dealing with a serious delta wave, this previous variant that was proven to be not only fast-moving but pretty severe. I was in the Midwest a few days ago, and hospitals say they are still seeing many patients coming in because of delta. And are they testing? Trying to sort out whos omicron, who isnt? They are testing, but its hard to do it in the moment. You can look back and do this genomic sequencing, and there are hospitals that Ive talked to, Houston Methodist in Texas, which has done this really comprehensive tracking of, OK, this week we had 15 percent of patients were omicron, this week we have 30 percent, this week 50 percentand Im saying weeks, but really it was a matter of days. Omicron moved very, very quickly and is up over 90 percent of the cases now at this hospital system in Texas. But its also hard to know if youre in the emergency room or youre in the ICU, youve got this patient presenting with COVID who might need immediate help. You cant tell if that persons omicron or that persons delta, and that makes a real difference when youre trying to figure out what treatments to administer, because some things that work for delta dont work for omicron, and theres a limited supply of these things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like what? Like the monoclonal antibodies, which essentially youre infusing, youre giving someone antibodies immediately to fight off these infections. But the monoclonal antibody treatments that weve had for some time now, most of them dont work for omicron. So if a patients showing up and needs monoclonal antibodies, its kind of a twofer of if you give an omicron patient these antibodies, youre not making any difference in fighting omicron and youre losing the opportunity to give it to someone who has a delta infection. Advertisement Advertisement This wave seems to be milder. Do we know if its milder just for people whove been vaccinated or vaccinated and boosted, or whether its milder for anybody who encounters this new variant? Advertisement Theres evidence that it seems to be somewhat milder than previous variants for everybody, but mild is such a fraught word here. Ive spoken to people who are vaccinated, who are boosted, who are young and healthy and they get omicron and theyre laid up in bed for days and its the worst sickness, cold, that theyve had, certainly the past couple years, and in some cases one of the worst colds they ever remember having. And then they still feel bad for days or potentially weeks to come. So omicron is no picnic, and thats for people with protection. People who arent vaccinated, who dont have previous infections and dont have some immunity built in to fend off omicron, it may be somewhat easier than delta, but that doesnt mean that its going to be so easy that theyre not landing in the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the last week or two, the CDC has released some guidance that I think has confused people, certainly generated a lot of controversy. Its basically guidance thats shortening isolation time after infection with COVID and saying, once symptoms have resolved, people can go back into the world while wearing a mask, even if they dont have a negative test result. And I think a lot of people heard that and they just thought this is nuts. These guidelinesare they based on science? Do we know why they made these new recommendations? Theyre based on a mix of factorsscience in part, but also economic considerations, real-world impact. The new guidance has been confusing, its been frustrating to lots of health workers Ive spoken to. With omicron, it does move faster through the population, through your system. You develop symptoms faster, generally by the third dayopposed to delta, which was more like four or five days. Earlier COVID variants took even longer. So it does move up this timeline. And yes, to make that change abruptly has left not only workers confused, but other folks in the government confused. CDC sometimes is making these decisions in ways that come as a surprise even to other senior officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So is that a CDC problem, like they messed up their process? Or is this just how it goes sometimes? I think CDC has stumbled over its communication for a couple years in this pandemic. During the Trump administration, they stumbled in part because the Trump administration kept stepping on what CDC was trying to do, trying to influence what CDC was saying. That was obviously bad. The Biden administration in many ways has overcorrected. Theyve tried to let CDC have such a free hand that, as a result, the White House keeps getting surprised because its letting CDC do its thing. Theres probably a happy medium that the government has not figured out yet. The Mayo Clinic and a number of other hospitals took out a full-page ad in a newspaper, basically begging folks to get vaccinated and take precautions. Why did they feel the need to do that? Advertisement So they took out an ad, hospitals in Cleveland took out an ad, hospitals in the Chicago, Wisconsin, area have taken out ads. This is not just a Minnesota thing. This is a real problem across the Midwest, where the delta variant appears to still be landing people in hospitals. And now omicron is layering on top of that a new wave of demand. Hospitals are putting off procedures. They are canceling scheduled surgeries. And this isnt just in the Midwest, its around the country: If youre an ambulance with an emergency patient, you might be shopping around trying to find a hospital that will take you, because so many beds are taken up right now. And also, so many workers at hospitals are having their own omicron infections. Theyre not coming in to work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the shortage fears are overblown. There was a claim that circulated last month in the Atlantic magazine and elsewhere that 1 in 5 health workers have quit the industry during the pandemic. That does not appear to be true. But even if just 1 in 25 workers has left over the past year and wasnt replaced, that means more work for the remaining 24. And that gets more noticeable when youre already burned out, when youre swamped with new patients, and when four or five of your colleagues are out sick with omicron. Advertisement Advertisement Its also the fact that people are just stretched, and that has its own impact on how well theyre able to care for patients. Advertisement Oh, yeah. We dont have a national report on total procedures delayed for reasons of COVID. Thats just not something thats tracked. But it is clear that hospitals are dealing with real shortagesthat data is shared. And the number of hospitals that are reporting a critical staff shortage to the federal government, that I believe is at its highest level of the pandemic, on par with where we were a year ago, which was seen as the worst part of the pandemic to this point. Advertisement Ive heard that scientists are now saying omicron could peak as soon as this month. How will we know that this latest surge is making a turn? Well see it in the data. Weve seen the huge explosion in omicron cases overseas, in South Africa. We then saw the U-turn where it very quickly began to fall, too. So hopefully well see something like that in America. Im a little pessimistic that it will be as fast, only in that the U.S., its so much bigger than South Africa. Its so much bigger than the U.K. And even if omicron is hitting everywhere, it still is going to take longer to make its way through this country than it did in a smaller place like South Africa. Advertisement I want to ask about whether scientists youre talking to are talking about omicron as a way that a pandemic could end. This seems to be a virus that is taking over delta, yet milder. Maybe this is how a pandemic fades away, where the virus evolves enough that it becomes something thats less of a threat. Are doctors youre talking to thinking about it that way? Or do they not want to say that out loud? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre thinking about it, and some are definitely saying it out loud. That is the hope, that this tough omicron wave is going to pass and leave us with more immunity across the population. Omicron is challenging us because of its mutations, and it is evading the antibodies that would have been able to latch on and block earlier forms of COVID. But it does appear that if you are infected with omicron, you are left with now more protection against whatever next variant comes, including potentially delta, this earlier variant. So that is the hope, that if its going to tear through the population, if some people are going to have serious symptoms but many people have relatively mild symptoms, now theres this new coat of armor around the world. Advertisement And this is not our first bout with coronavirus. There have been coronaviruses plaguing the world for years, but we know them as common colds. There is a theory that those coronaviruses that circulate the world now, maybe they were pandemic strains once upon a time, centuries ago, and humanity evolved to have enough immune protection that when you get infected with one of these old coronaviruses, you might feel lousy for a day or two. You might have the sniffles. But could that be where COVID eventually heads, if we have enough general immunity and we have other treatments to defang it? Absolutely. So that is still the hope above all hopes. Advertisement I wonder if part of the reason youre optimistic is because of where we are with treatments, like there are a number of treatments coming down the pipeline, including monoclonal antibodies that could protect people for maybe six months at a go, that seemed to be about ready to come out in the next few months. Does that also make you think, OK, maybe were getting some traction here? Advertisement Advertisement Im excited about the new interventions. I also am cautious because theyre coming generally in short supply. So the one that folks are most excited about is this Pfizer antiviral. Its called a game changer because it appears to keep lots of people out of the hospital when you give it early in the course of infection. The challenge is theres not a lot of Pfizer pill to go around right now. Tens of thousands of doses were distributed across the country last month, at a time when millions of people are getting sick. It just takes a long time to ramp this stuff up. Its not in January of 2022 unfortunately. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. China has maintained its top place as the most attractive destination for global investment by securing 1 trillion yuan ($156.85 billion) in the first 11 months of 2021, which is more than the entire 2020 FDI inflow. The investment further demonstrates the rising interest among global investors in the country's service sector. The foreign direct investment (FDI) in services has shown robust growth over the past 15 years, according to the latest reported data in the Chinese mainstream media. For example, services received a mere 24.7% of China's total FDI in 2005, increasing to over 50% in 2011 and 77.7% in 2020. In the first 11 months of 2021, FDI in the service industry accounted for around 80% of total investment in the first 11 months of the year. This trend is in part likely due to China's huge service sector demands, particularly in the field of high-tech services and modern services, as well as the optimism held by service-oriented multinational entities. There are various reasons for the shift in the interest of global entrepreneurs from the manufacturing to service industries, and one of the reasons lies in the fact that China's economic priorities have shifted to its service sector. China is still the global workshop when it comes to both small and large-scale manufacturing, and that growth ultimately results in a boom in various service sectors linked to manufacturing, such as legal, consulting, insurance, banking, and human resource industries. After unhindered growth in development industries over the last four decades, China's service sector is naturally poised for a boom. In the first 11 months of 2021, its high-tech services sector relating to manufacturing sub-sectors witnessed a 20% increase in FDI, affirming the fact that investors' appetites are shifting from manufacturing to services. Another reason for the increase in the share of service industries in FDI is due to their role in China's net GDP. For example, the service industry contributed 50.5% to China's GDP for the first time in 2015, highlighting its role in the years to come. When COVID-19 hit traditional sectors, services benefitted, and in the first three quarters of 2021, the sector contributed 54.2% to the overall growth of the country. Investors' change in attitude has also been necessitated by the importance of research and development (R&D), which is closely linked with the manufacturing sector. Most big businesses need cutting-edge technologies and development models to spearhead their growth. Investors already in China or even those planning to invest in manufacturing need allied R&D services to compete in the market. Reportedly, U.S. giant Dow has already set up a research and development center in Shanghai ahead of its planned $250 million investment in the manufacturing hubs of Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. The paradigm shift in FDI has been witnessed in almost all developed nations, which first epitomized their growth through manufacturing and then slowly shifted to the service sector. China is progressing through this transformation faster than most, which has been the hallmark of its overall development over the decades. The shift began after its adoption of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, which has been wisely calibrated to suit its development ever since. As promised on various occasions, China has continued the opening-up of its financial services sub-sector by removing restrictions on FDI caps on securities, fund management, future capital, and life insurance companies in 2020. It is further widening access to the service sector via pilot free trade zones. The FDI increase in China's service sector is proof of its opening-up upgrading and deepening reform in its industrial structure. Fast-track growth of the service sector in China, ranging from modern finance and intelligent logistics to the digital economy, and medical treatment and old-age care, now offers more opportunities for foreign companies to tap the country's market potential in a more open business environment. Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.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. Carry your driving licence on your mobile in Spain Step-by-step guide to downloading your licence from the DGT The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has launched a new initiative in Spain whereby it is possible to save your driving licence on your mobile. The free MiDGT app can be downloaded and authorities have confirmed that the document has the same validity as a physical licence within Spain. The new app should remove the headache of always having to carry a driving licence and the fear of losing it. However, drivers have been advised to continue to keep their physical licence on their person for the time being, as mobile verification is currently only available to agents of the Traffic Division of the Guardia Civil, although plans are in place to extend this to the rest of the traffic bodies in the near future. Step-by-step instructions to install a driving licence on a mobile 1. Download the 'MiDGT' app to your mobile iPhone users can now use this app fully, while it is still in the testing phase on Android. 2. Access the 'MiDGT' app Once you have the app on your mobile, you will have to identify yourself by using one of the following: DNIe An electronic certificate Cl@ve PIN The electronic identity Cl@ve 3. Using the MiDGT licence app Once registered on the app, the drivers name and licence will appear on the home page, as well as additional data such as which vehicles are registered to their name, how many points are left on the licence and current DGT news. 4. On the home screen, drivers can access the following information: Official driving licence Electronic data sheet of your vehicle, as well as ITV and insurance details Penalty points Drivers personal details that are in the DGT records Relevant news, alerts and notices about traffic and road safety. New features In the coming months, the app will begin to incorporate new functionalities designed to make life easier. Some of these features include: Requesting an appointment at the closest DGT office Obtaining the vehicle report Notice and payment of penalties Identification of the driver in case of complaint Verification of official documents Communication of the usual driver of the vehicle Checking of driving test results Vehicle registration Transfer of ownership of vehicles Image: DGT ARCHIVED - President of Spain accused of overusing state aircraft for business trips The full details of Sanchezs trips will not be divulged because of security reasons The Spanish government has caused a stir by refusing to reveal details of the trips President Pedro Sanchez made aboard both Army and Air Force aircraft during 2021, claiming that the leaders movements are a particularly sensitive matter, for security reasons. The president has been ridiculed for what many consider his overuse of military aircraft, especially given the fact that he has proposed outlawing short haul flights within Spain in an effort to combat climate change, since shorter air journeys are known to be the biggest contributors to aviation emissions in Europe. Last November, the PP spokesperson in the Senate, Javier Maroto, took advantage of a government control session to question Mr Sanchez about his trips in the Falcon and Superpuma to regional PSOE conferences. However, he lamented that the president would say not a single word about his trips with the money of all Spaniards and accused Mr Sanchez of being the president who pollutes the most. Do not put the pin on the 2030 Agenda again until you begin to respect the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr Maroto chastised. As a result of the embarrassing events, right wing Vox has called on the government to prohibit the use of the Falcon for flights of less than 250 kilometres, except when there is an imperative duly justified need. The conservatives thus seek to regulate the use of the official fleet for government purposes in order to end what it views as the private or partisan abuse carried out by Pedro Sanchezs administration. Image: Moncloa Maros Zilinkas office sent 35 fundamental objections. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The General Prosecutors Office has objections to the agreement that allows the American air force to use Slovak military airports and potentially other facilities. The office run by General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka submitted 35 fundamental objections to the draft defence agreement between the US and Slovakia in the interdepartmental review procedure. The office has refused the draft agreement as a whole, Zilinka announced on Facebook. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The Defence Ministry said that they are aware of the objections. We will deal with them, similarly to the objections of the other reviewing subjects, said Martina Koval Kakascikova, spokesperson for the ministry, as quoted by the TASR newswire. The defence agreement between the US and Slovakia should allow American air forces to use the military airports of Malacky-Kuchyna and Sliac, possibly other agreed facilities and premises. Slovakia is supposed to offer these sites without a request of rental payment, with a validity of ten years. The agreement would remain valid following this period and it would also be possible to cancel it with a year's notice period, TASR wrote. The agreement should permit the use of funds in favour of the Slovak armed forces. Any infrastructure built using US finance will be Slovakias property. The American armed forces can use the infrastructure as long as necessary. Worries about constitutional rights PM Heger will mark one year in his post. Observers agree he is most likely to stay. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Last year saw a major political crisis in Slovakia, which resulted in the resignation of the prime minister. 2022 is unlikely to see a similar event, political observers agree. Even so, this may still turn out to be a turbulent year for the Slovak political scene. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Political analysts see Eduard Heger's position in the prime ministerial chair as steady and the survival of the ruling coalition as very likely, given that it is in the interest of all those involved. Early elections are thus an unlikely development; but in autumn of 2022 voters will still be asked to turn out in the polling stations for two elections, which will hint at the mood in the country and possible future alliances at national-level politics. The development may be turbulent given the broad-spectrum coalition and the pandemic situation, political analyst Michal Cirner of Presov University, told The Slovak Spectator. He expects the autumn elections to be the political highlight of the year on the Slovak political scene, while 2022 will also be a year of struggle for the reforms within the EU Recovery Plan. Analysts cite the ongoing investigation and prosecution of major corruption cases among the expected highlights. Some also worry about growing extremist tendencies and predict that conflicts among society are likely to deepen. Maintenance PM to stay PM Eduard Heger will mark his first year in the post on April 1, 2022. In 2021, he swapped positions with Igor Matovic, who took over as finance minister after Heger, as a solution to the political crisis that followed the purchase of the EMA-unapproved Sputnik vaccine. Heger has been described as the prime minister of compromises and reconciliation. Entering 2022, political analyst of the Institute for Public Affairs think tank, Grigorij Meseznikov, sees no political reasons for Hegers departure, exchange or withdrawal. Some politicians want theatres, cinemas and concert halls open for those fully vaccinated and recently recovered from Covid. Unlike other facilities, theatres and other cultural sites have not reopened yet. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Theatres, cinemas and other cultural facilities are among the few that have not reopened to the public since the lockdown measures were applied late last year. Our paywall policy The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope. In response, several initiatives have called on the government to reopen them. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement This includes the junior coalition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) which is calling for the reopening of cultural facilities for those fully vaccinated against Covid and those who have recently recovered from the disease (i.e. within the past 180 days). The return to the traffic light system for cultural events is a key condition for saving culture in Slovakia, said SaS MP Roman Foltin, as quoted by the SITA newswire. If gastronomic facilities or churches can be open in a restricted regime, we see no reason to discriminate against theatres, cinemas and concert halls. Permitting the entry of the vaccinated and recovered with FFP2 respirators on during the performance certainly poses fewer risks than a visit to the fitness centre or beauty salons. Another SaS MP Radovan Kazda said that the closed cultural facilities struggle for survival, and the decision not to open them will have devastating impacts on the entire cultural sector and families active in the industry. Calls for reopening them also came from Za Ludi chair and Investments Minister Veronika Remisova, and opposition MP Lubica Lassakova, who in the past served as the culture minister for Smer (she has since moved to the Hlas party). Online petition launched The Lets Open Culture initiative is also calling for cultural facilities to reopen, claiming that theatres, cinemas, concert halls and clubs are epidemiologically safer than gastronomic facilities. Night curfew ends on January 10, most measures to remain in place Read more It launched an online petition asking authorities to return to the cultural traffic light system as soon as possible. The petition has been signed by around 3,000 people as of January 4. The initiative, launched by people active in culture and art, points to the fact that they are the only ones who are still closed since the national emergency was declared in late November 2020. We as the representatives of the cultural sector, theatres, cinemas and music, consider this state unacceptable and inequitable, the initiative said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Gastronomy facilities open for recovered and vaccinated people, lockdown to be reconsidered Read more Even though the initiative does not want to ignore the dangers of the current situation and the impacts the new Omicron variant may have, it is calling for clear rules that will be similar to the past, when cultural facilities could open and followed the traffic light system. It is also requesting to have a representative in the group of experts that serves as an advisory body to the Health Ministry, as reported by TASR. Meanwhile, several actors have published video messages on social networks, asking both the culture minister and the prime minister to explain why these facilities need to be closed when other services are open. Culture Minister Natalia Milanova says the new traffic lights system for culture is ready and conditions for mass events for the vaccinated are being improved, according to the TASR newswire. More on coronavirus development in Slovakia: If Jim Harbaugh returns to the University of Michigan next season, it will mark his eighth in Ann Arbor, which would qualify as twice as long as any of his previous coaching stops in college or the NFL. Does he want that? With Harbaugh, you never know. The Athletic reported Tuesday that Harbaugh might be tempted to leave the Wolverines and return to the NFL, which is vague but solidly accurate. Harbaugh has always been willing to be tempted to return to the NFL, especially this year if a good Las Vegas team or his old franchise, the Chicago Bears, come calling. And the Athletic reporter, Bruce Feldman, likely had someone in the Harbaugh camp give him a nod. This all may be a power play by the coach, although its not like the school needed to be pushed to set up a long-term contract. He just won the Wolverines their first Big Ten title since 2004 and best victory (over hated Ohio State) since, what, the 1998 Rose Bowl? Still, you never know where this is headed, only that its never dull around Jim Harbaugh. The only thing thats predictable is the unpredictability. Harbaugh, 58, has always burned hot and burned bridges. His 14 seasons playing in the NFL is best recalled for his comebacks and clashes with coaches (Mike Ditka, most notably). As a college and pro coach, there is no questioning his ability, only that despite the enormous success he tends to wear out many people around him. Perhaps thats a flaw. Perhaps thats the secret to success. Either way, its real. Was one victory vs. Ohio State enough for Jim Harbaugh to stick around Ann Arbor? (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images) Harbaugh went 22-2 in the final two of his three seasons at non-scholarship University of San Diego. He turned long dormant Stanford into a force in four years flat. He went to three NFC title games and a Super Bowl in his first three years with the San Francisco 49ers, but was pushed out after season No. 4. Hes the rare coach who can float between the pros and the college ranks and win games. Does he want to float back? It was a surprise that Harbaugh returned to the college ranks in 2015. From 2011-2013, he went 36-11-1 and led the Niners to three playoff appearances, where he won five postseason games. He lost the Super Bowl on a goal-line stand, a conference championship game on a Richard Sherman batted pass and another in overtime. Story continues Yet the 49ers brass was so exhausted by him that by Week 5 of his fourth season, despite a 3-2 record, speculation began that he wouldnt be back. By December, he effectively resigned pending the end of the season, citing that management had given up on him. Generally, NFL coaches with NFL possibilities, dont willingly go back to college football. However, Michigan was his alma mater located in the town he grew up in as the son of a Bo Schembechler assistant. He was entrusted in righting the Wolverine ship it had gone 24-32 in Big Ten play under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke the previous seven years. It took longer than expected, but he settled most family business four 10-win seasons, the schools first league title since 2004 and finally a long-awaited vanquishing of the Buckeyes. Yet his guaranteed pay was cut in half last year after a 2-4 pandemic-shortened season. It was replaced by an incentive-laden deal, which saw Harbaugh donate his bonus money (nearly $3 million) to the athletic department to repay workers who took pay cuts during COVID. His at-times difficult, at-times aloof ways have continued. Thats him. Yet make no mistake, Michigan would love to have Harbaugh back, and with a renegotiated contract likely more in line with the $8 million-to-$10 million per year that other Big Ten coaches are making. But seven years of Harbaugh is still seven years of Harbaugh. The choice is his. And it may include NFL options by Monday. That includes the Raiders, who could make the playoffs despite a tumultuous season that saw head coach Jon Gruden fired and star receiver Henry Ruggs charged with DUI resulting in death. Its a ready-made situation if the team doesnt give the job to interim coach Rich Bisaccia. Or it could be the Bears, Harbaughs old team, which has a young QB in Justin Fields and an excellent defense to work with, but has struggled to win under Matt Nagy. Or it could be someone else. There arent a lot of Super Bowl coaches out on the market. And since the NFL is a season-to-season, week-to-week proposition, worries about how long a franchise can handle Harbaugh don't matter so much. Can he win now? Yeah, probably. Will he go? Harbaugh spoke of how this season, particularly the win over Ohio State, felt like a new beginning and the start of something. He revamped his staff last offseason to include younger assistants and improve recruiting. The program has energy, a lot of young talent, plus a five-star quarterback, Dante Moore, just down the road in Detroit, who could represent a transformative recruiting victory in the Class of 2023. There are plenty of reasons to stay put. But seven years is seven years and Jim Harbaugh has never been one to stay anywhere too long, whether the choice is his or someone else's. If he wants another crack at the NFL, itll probably be there. He did what he promised to do in Ann Arbor. Maybe hell want to do more. Or maybe hell be gone, again, seeking another new challenge. https://sputniknews.com/20220104/air-raid-sirens-sound-off-in-baghdad-amid-reports-of-strike-toward-us-base-1092025645.html Videos: Sirens Sound Near Baghdad Airport Amid Reports Rockets Landed Near Diplomatic Centre Videos: Sirens Sound Near Baghdad Airport Amid Reports Rockets Landed Near Diplomatic Centre Rockets launched from Karkh, in the western half of Baghdad, prompted air raid sirens to sound at the Baghdad airport early on Wednesday morning, local time. 2022-01-04T22:46+0000 2022-01-04T22:46+0000 2022-01-05T07:03+0000 baghdad us military base sirens /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107854/38/1078543829_0:69:3399:1981_1920x0_80_0_0_201a68c1fd9a74bbc52a6ea9f805abc8.jpg Reports indicated that rockets had landed near the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre (BDSC), which is located in the Baghdad International Airport. The rockets are said to have hit the tarmac but did not cause any casualties. The BDSC is a diplomatic location and part of the US Embassy, hosting American diplomatic personnel and troops. Initial reports had suggested that up to four Katyusha rockets were launched towards Camp Victory, and that a fire reportedly broke out on the base due to the strike. Videos have emerged on social media appearing to capture the moment the base was targeted.The base itself is approximately five miles from the Baghdad International Airport. It has not been reported who is responsible for the attack. Camp Victory was the lead base for US military operations during the Iraq war, before being handed over to the Iraqi government in 2011. The attack comes near the anniversary of a US drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces. US forces had been warned that an uptick in attacks might occur over this period. On Monday, two armed drones were shot down at Baghdad International Airport, on the anniversary of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani's assassination. There were no reported damages or injuries from the incident. According to sources, one of the wings of the suicide drones from Monday's attack had "Soleimani's revenge" painted on it. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. US-coalition forces had carried out strikes against targets in Syria on Tuesday. It is unknown if the rocket fire in Baghdad is related. baghdad Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Nevin Brown Nevin Brown News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Nevin Brown baghdad, us military base, sirens https://sputniknews.com/20220104/cruz-gop-has-multiple-grounds-to-consider-for-impeachment-of-biden-if-republicans-win-house--1092025270.html Cruz: GOP Has 'Multiple Grounds to Consider for Impeachment of Biden', If Republicans Win House Cruz: GOP Has 'Multiple Grounds to Consider for Impeachment of Biden', If Republicans Win House Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) believes there are "multiple grounds" for the impeachment of US President Joe Biden, especially following a historic two impeachments for Trump, according to the American lawmaker's recent remarks. 2022-01-04T23:03+0000 2022-01-04T23:03+0000 2022-01-05T04:30+0000 joe biden donald trump us ted cruz us-mexico border impeachment political tools southern border biden administration /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/04/1092023795_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_eab45d4b39da3bb67a076a1d74e174ca.jpg Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) believes there are "multiple grounds" for the impeachment of US President Joe Biden, especially following a historic two impeachments for Trump, according to the American lawmaker's recent remarks.The move would require Republicans to win a House majority in the 2022 midterm elections. Speaking to conservative political commentator Michael Knowles, Cruz claimed that he is "very optimistic" about the GOP's position ahead of the November election. He declared that Republicans have a 90% chance of taking the House in 2022, although chances "may even be higher than that".Cruz was less optimistic about the GOP taking control of the US Senate, which is presently comprised of 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. "I put our odds at 50/50", he said. The US senator from Texas claimed that Democrats had "crossed the line" by bringing Trump up on multiple impeachment charges during his presidency. During Trump's first impeachment, in December 2019, the House voted in favour of impeaching him on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The second impeachment saw an "incitement of insurrection" charge from the House, which found that Trump had incited his supporters prior to their storming of the US Capitol building on 6 January 2021. In the first case, the GOP-majority US Senate voted to acquit Trump of the impeachment article adopted by the House. In the second case, the Senate voted in favour of the charges against Trump, but was 10 votes short needed to convict the president.According to Cruz, who was born in Canada, one potential article of impeachment against Biden could relate to what the former characterised as the "utter lawlessness" of the presidential administration's "refusal to enforce the [US-Mexico] border".Cruz and other Republicans have been consistently critical of Biden's handling of the US southern border crisis amid a surge of migrant detentions. In March 2021, Cruz tweeted several images from a migrant detention facility in Donna, Texas, showing overcrowding of children and teens in the centre.At the time, Cruz called the situation "a humanitarian and public health crisis".Following a recent court order, the Biden administration reinstated a Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, which forces non-Mexican asylum seekers at the southern US border to be returned to Mexico as immigration officials review their claims. Biden previously critiqued the policy as a "dangerous" and "inhumane" immigration programme. us southern border Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Evan Craighead Evan Craighead News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Evan Craighead joe biden, donald trump, us, ted cruz, us-mexico border, impeachment, political tools, southern border, biden administration https://sputniknews.com/20220104/majority-of-americans-are-not-interested-in-traveling-to-the-moon-poll-finds-1092026257.html Majority of Americans Are Not Interested in Traveling to the Moon, Poll Finds Majority of Americans Are Not Interested in Traveling to the Moon, Poll Finds A new Axios/Momentive poll recently determined that 61% of surveyed adults would not be interested in visiting the moon, even if money were not a factor. 2022-01-04T23:39+0000 2022-01-04T23:39+0000 2022-01-04T23:39+0000 moon poll space travel /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/10/1082650838_0:175:2809:1755_1920x0_80_0_0_81f987209486ae7804b13b0b2d95c265.jpg Survey findings from an Axios/Momentive poll revealed that the least interested in lunar travel were those 65 and older. Only 18% reportedly voiced interest in human spaceflight. The most interested being those aged 18 to 34.In a similar survey conducted by Pew Research Center, the biggest draw for Millennials to travel to space would be to experience something unique. Older Americans indicated they were uninterested because their health might not allow it, or because they believe space travel would be too scary.At present, space tourism is only possible for the ultra-wealthy, an issue that has led backlash against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who launched into space in July during what some call a joyride. Bezos, who is worth $177 billion after multiplying his wealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, has largely been criticized by the public, wealth inequality and environmental activists, and his own employees.Although Bezos thanked his employees after the launch of his Blue Origin spacecraft, Amazon workers were not exactly thrilled. Activist and former Amazon fulfillment center worker Chris Smalls referred to Bezos thanks to his employees and customers as a slap in the face.Smalls had been reportedly handing out water bottles to former colleagues at an Amazon warehouse in New Yorks Staten Island while Bezos was lifting off in his Blue Origin flight.At the time, the 1970 poem Whitey on the Moon by Gil Scott-Heron started trending on social media during the Blue Origin launch. The poem was originally written in response to government spending on the first space race in the 1960s while Black Americans were left behind on Earth, fighting for equal freedoms and civil rights. Smalls, who is Black, referred to Bezos space launch as whitewashed.However, former Mexican astronaut Jose Hernandez says space race projects may bring positive effects to the economy, such as high-paying engineering jobs in the US.Virgin Galactic, whose mission is to open space to everybody is offering tickets at a cost of $250,000. However, its worth noting that 40% of Americans arent able to produce just $400 if an emergency were to occur, according to a Federal Reserve report. Of the 27% who were surveyed, most would have to sell a personal belonging or borrow the money to cover emergency costs. https://sputniknews.com/20211217/jeff-bezos-should-spend-less-time-in-hot-tub-more-time-at-blue-origin-elon-musk-says-1091612177.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 moon, poll, space travel https://sputniknews.com/20220104/north-korea-fires-unidentified-projectile-toward-east-sea---joint-chiefs-of-staff-1092025952.html DPRK Fires Unidentified Projectile Toward East Sea - South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff DPRK Fires Unidentified Projectile Toward East Sea - South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff South Korea's top military leaders said on Wednesday morning that the North had fired what they believed to be a ballistic missile. 2022-01-04T23:19+0000 2022-01-04T23:19+0000 2022-01-05T07:07+0000 projectiles north korea sea of japan missile test asia-pacific /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107851/48/1078514898_0:0:3101:1745_1920x0_80_0_0_5056ec090cde089de4c2bbd830a9824f.jpg South Korea's top military leaders said on Wednesday morning that the North had fired what they believed to be a ballistic missile. The Japanese Coast Guard also said it had detected the launch, but was unable to identify the projectile. The missile is believed to have fallen outside of Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.Japanese Defence Chief Nobuo Kishi has since indicated that the projectile flew over a standard trajectory for roughly 500 kilometres. He further stated there were no reports of damages caused by the launch.It was the first missile test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since October, when it fired off a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).Japan's NHK TV reported that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had created a crisis response centre under his office after receiving news of the launch.Hours after reports first emerged of the launch, Japanese Chief Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters at a Wednesday conference that the incident posed a threat to both security and peace in the region, underscoring that it serves as a "serious problem" for the globe.The launch comes days after the conclusion of a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) at which DPRK leader Kim Jong-un hailed plans to boost economic development and improving people's lives in the face of what he called a "great life-and-death struggle". The country faces severe economic sanctions by Washington intended to compel it into giving up its nuclear weapons, however, Pyongyang says it needs the weapons to guarantee its security against attack until a permanent peace treaty is arrived at with the US and South Korea.Separately on Monday, a presumed defector from the DPRK to the South crossed the demilitarised zone separating the two countries to return to the North, having failed to make a living in the capitalist country. asia-pacific Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg projectiles, north korea, sea of japan, missile test, asia-pacific Flash Although most people recover from COVID-19 within five to seven days of the onset of symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 14-day quarantine, an official from the organization told a press briefing on Tuesday. However, said Abdi Mahamud from WHO's COVID-19 Incident Management Support Team, states must make decisions about the duration of quarantine based on their individual situations. In countries with low infections, a longer quarantine time could help keep case numbers as low as possible, he explained. In places with runaway cases, however, shorter quarantines may be justified in order to keep countries running, he added. The WHO official told journalists that it was possible to be infected by both influenza and COVID-19. However, since the two are separate viruses that attack the body in different ways, there is "little risk" of them combining into a new virus. According to the WHO, as of Dec. 29, 2021, some 128 countries had reported cases of the Omicron variant. In South Africa, which had seen a sharp increase in cases followed by a relatively rapid drop-off, hospitalization and death rates have remained low. However, the situation will not be the same in other countries, Mahamud said. "While the latest studies all point to the fact that the Omicron variant affects the upper respiratory system rather than the lungs, which is good news, high-risk individuals and the unvaccinated could still get gravely ill from that variant," he added. Mahamud said that the Omicron variant could overtake other strains in a matter of weeks, especially in areas with a large number of susceptible people - primarily those who are unvaccinated. In Denmark, he said, it had taken two weeks for case numbers to double with the Alpha variant, whereas with the Omicron variant, it had taken just two days. "The world has never seen such a transmissible virus," he said. The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization is set to meet on Jan. 19 to review the situation. Topics on the agenda for discussion include the timing of boosters, the mixing of vaccines and the composition of future vaccines. https://sputniknews.com/20220105/austin-blinken-to-testify-before-private-senate-panel-about-afghanistan-pullout-disaster-1092048331.html Austin, Blinken to Testify Before Private Senate Panel About Afghanistan Pullout Disaster Austin, Blinken to Testify Before Private Senate Panel About Afghanistan Pullout Disaster Two top Biden administration officials are set to testify in private before a Senate panel next week as lawmakers seek additional answers about the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer. 2022-01-05T22:01+0000 2022-01-05T22:01+0000 2022-01-05T22:01+0000 testify us senate us lloyd austin afghanistan antony blinken /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/08/1f/1083758225_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_e2e66917439397a36fc03900249f134c.jpg The Senates Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees have posted an event scheduled for 10 am on January 11 at which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will testify. The hearing is closed and will not be webcast, and no further details have been released about the event.Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) indicated at the time that he was willing to compel Austin to testify about the fatally flawed withdrawal, saying that a full accounting of the US response to this crisis is not complete without the Pentagon - especially when it comes to understanding the complete collapse of the U.S. trained and funded Afghan military.We need to consider some uncomfortable truths: that we did not fully comprehend the depth of corruption and poor leadership in their senior ranks, we didnt grasp the damaging effect of frequent and unexplained rotations by [Afghan] President Ghani of his commanders, we did not anticipate the snowball effect caused by the deals that the Taliban* commanders struck with local leaders, Austin also said.However, Austin recently tested positive for COVID-19, and the 68-year-old former Army general has been experiencing mild symptoms. His quarantine period ends on Friday, according to new US Center for Disease Control and Prevention rules, although he has been participating in virtual meetings while working from home, as well.Were Going to Have to Go BackThe US left Afghanistan after negotiating a ceasefire with the Taliban in February 2020 that omitted the US-backed government in Kabul. An anticipated separate ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghan government never materialized, though, and in May 2021 the Taliban launched a new offensive that quickly conquered much of the Central Asian state. By the end of July, experts in Washington expected the Kabul government might not last the year, but in fact it didnt even last the month, folding just two weeks later when the Taliban reached the capitals outskirts.Those two weeks were a chaotic, deadly mess, as thousands crowded outside Kabuls main airport looking for a chance to escape Taliban rule. Daesh-Khorasan** staged a deadly terrorist attack on the crowd, killing at least 180 civilians and 13 US service members. Further tragedy followed, when a US drone strike against what was claimed to be another Daesh carbomber instead struck a vehicle driven by an employee of a US non-governmental organization (NGO), killing him and nine members of his family, including children as young as two.The final US transport aircraft departed at the end of the month, carrying not just US military equipment and soldiers, but 79,000 civilians as well, many of whom had been collaborators with the 20-year-long US occupation.Austin and Blinken will likely be further grilled about these many failings, as well as the claim that al-Qaeda***, the terrorist group whose attacks in New York and Virginia on September 11, 2001, had set the stage for the US invasion a month later, was permanently weakened in Afghanistan. If al-Qaeda did come back, the US would be able to manage the problem with over-the-horizon capability like drone strikes, US President Joe Biden said in August.Just weeks after the US pullout was complete, top US officials were already saying al-Qaeda was likely to reconstitute itself and threaten the US in as little as one to two years, according to Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.* The Taliban is an organization under United Nations sanctions for terrorist activities.** Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.*** Al-Qaeda is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries. us afghanistan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg testify, us senate, us, lloyd austin, afghanistan, antony blinken https://sputniknews.com/20220105/biden-will-say-in-speech-trump-has-singular-responsibility-for-january-6-events-1092044952.html Biden Will Say in Speech Trump Has 'Singular Responsibility' for January 6 Events Biden Will Say in Speech Trump Has 'Singular Responsibility' for January 6 Events President Joe Biden will talk in his upcoming speech about former president Donald Trumps "singular responsibility" for the events at the US Capitol on January 6, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. 2022-01-05T18:30+0000 2022-01-05T18:30+0000 2022-01-05T18:30+0000 joe biden donald trump us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092044899_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_69dddaa2f713d3f880beff521cab0407.jpg "So just as you heard him say on January 6 of last year, I would expect that President Biden will lay out the significance of what happened at the Capitol and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw, and he will forcibly push back on the lies spread by the former president in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters," Psaki said during a press briefing.Biden is personally connected to the events of January 6 as someone who served in the US Senate for decades, and that will be reflected in his speech, Psaki said.The US president is involved in the writing of any major speech he gives, she added.On January 6, a group of Trump supporters entered the US Capitol complex to protest lawmakers who were verifying the 2020 presidential election results from several US states that Trump claimed were fraudulent. The gathering resulted in one unarmed protester being shot dead by Capitol police and numerous injuries to demonstrators and law enforcement officers. https://sputniknews.com/20220105/ex-trump-adviser-navarro-says-capitol-riot-undermined-plans-to-overthrow-2020-election-results-1092042214.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 joe biden, donald trump, us https://sputniknews.com/20220105/bulli-bai-app-case-mumbai-police-arrest-student-for-listing-muslim-women-for-auction-1092036852.html 'Bulli Bai' App Case: Mumbai Police Arrest Student for Listing Muslim Women for 'Auction' 'Bulli Bai' App Case: Mumbai Police Arrest Student for Listing Muslim Women for 'Auction' On Tuesday, an 18-year-old girl, Shweta Singh, from India's Uttarakhand state and a 21-year-old engineering student, Vishal Kumar Jha, from Karnataka state's... 05.01.2022, Sputnik International 2022-01-05T16:08+0000 2022-01-05T16:08+0000 2022-01-05T16:08+0000 muslim anti-muslim anti-muslim india /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/105428/71/1054287163_0:270:5184:3186_1920x0_80_0_0_3b77531bc47e30c3666afb7aac261195.jpg Mumbai Police on Wednesday made a third arrest in the controversial "Bulli Bai" app case by taking a 21-year-old science student from India's Uttarakhand state into custody for allegedly listing hundreds of Muslim women for online auction.Rawat was reportedly pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in chemistry from a Delhi University college. He returned to his hometown due to rising coronavirus cases in Delhi and was remotely studying. Police have revealed that Rawat is a friend of an 18-year-old girl from Uttarakhand, Shweta Singh, who was arrested on Tuesday.The police said that Singh seems to be the mastermind of the crime and she allegedly uploaded pictures of Muslim women on the app hosted on the GitHub platform, using three different accounts. She was allegedly using a fake Twitter handle with the name JattKhalsa07 to upload hate posts, objectionable photos, and comments.The police also said that Singh lost her father to COVID-19 last year and her mother to cancer before she appears to have gotten involved in the "Bulli Bai" case to earn money. While investigating the case, the Mumbai Police also apprehended on Tuesday a 21-year-old engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha from Bengaluru city of Karnataka state. He has been brought to Mumbai for questioning and will remain in police custody until 10 January.Jha's lawyer D. Prajapati told the Indian media on Tuesday that his client has been falsely implicated in this case.The "Bulli Bai" controversy kicked off on 1 January after hundreds of Muslim women found themselves listed in an online auction on the app hosted by GitHub platform.Photographs were sourced and published on the app without the individuals' permission, in an apparent attempt to target and harass Muslim women.The "Bulli Bai" app was also promoted by a Twitter handle with the name @bullibai which was suspended after people reported it.The app appears to be a clone of a similar app, "Sulli Deals", that sparked uproar in July 2021 after photos of dozens of Muslim women were uploaded for auction as the deal of the day."Sulli" and "Bulli" are derogatory words used by some Hindus to describe Muslim women.In the case of Bulli Bai, several police complaints have been filed in three different states Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana, as well as in the Union Territory of Delhi.The Delhi Police have transferred the Bulli Bai case to its Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSCO) unit which is also probing the "Sulli Deals" case. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg muslim, anti-muslim, anti-muslim, india https://sputniknews.com/20220105/chinese-fm-wang-tells-eritrea-beijing-opposes-external-interference-in-africa-amid-us-meddling-1092026874.html Chinese FM Wang Tells Eritrea Beijing Opposes External Interference in Africa Amid US Meddling Chinese FM Wang Tells Eritrea Beijing Opposes External Interference in Africa Amid US Meddling Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicked off 2022 with a visit to three African nations starting with Eritrea, a country declared a pariah by the US, but which has recently joined the Belt and Road Initiative. 2022-01-05T00:18+0000 2022-01-05T00:18+0000 2022-01-05T00:18+0000 ethiopia eritrea china africa external interference belt and road initiative /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/04/1092026789_0:0:1008:568_1920x0_80_0_0_934146b3891805d4f79c75f5e54d900c.jpg Wang arrived in Eritrea on Tuesday for a two-day official visit, meeting with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and other senior officials before meeting with Eritrean President Isiaias Afwerki. He will later continue to Kenya and then Comoros.The Chinese foreign ministry gave no further details about Wangs visit. However, friendship between the two nations has been deepening recently, and Beijing has also moved to strike a stark contrast between its policies toward Africa and those of the United States, which has accused China of meddling in African affairs and forcing nations into its orbit via so-called debt trap diplomacy.Chinas relationship with Eritrea goes back decades, with China supporting the Eritrean Liberation Front fighting for independence from Ethiopia, and even giving Isaias special training in 1967. However, it later dropped this support when Ethiopia switched its recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1971. China was among the first to recognize Eritrea after independence in 1993, and has coordinated several projects, including building a hospital in Asmara and the furnishing of technical assistance in the health sector.Regional countries know best the problems within the region and it's up to the people of a country to properly handle its internal affairs, he added.His comments come a month after visiting Addis Ababa, where he told Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen that China adheres to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.We do not meddle in the internal affairs of Ethiopia, and we also oppose any external forces' interference in the internal affairs of Ethiopia, and in particular disagree with the practice of some external forces to pressure Ethiopia for their own political purposes, Wang said. He called for dialogue between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), a rebel group designated a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian parliament that has waged a 13-month uprising aimed at reversing the loss of its longtime dominance of Ethiopian affairs. After a lengthy offensive into neighboring Afar and Amhara regions by the TPLF, the group was pushed back into Tigray late last year, and an uneasy stalemate has set it.His visit also comes as the US is putting heavy pressure on Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed for having suspended his prime minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble, following accusations Roble had interfered in a corruption probe against himself. The US said Mohamed was attempting to subvert the democratic process Roble has been overseeing.Eritrea was pulled into the conflict in Tigray just days after it began in November 2020, when in retaliation for giving shelter to Ethiopian government forces forced to retreat from Tigray, the TPLF launched ballistic missiles at the Eritrean capital of Asmara. The TPLF had separately waged a catastrophic war against Eritrea since 1998 that killed 120,000 people, but when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, he quickly made peace with Eritrea, for which he was given a Nobel Peace Prize.By contrast, that same month, Eritrea also joined Chinas BRI, a globe-spanning infrastructure megaproject. China has helped build highways, railroads, ports, power plants, and other structures of public use across Africa; nearby in the Horn, China has helped finance the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, a new railway from Addis to Djibouti, and several ports in Djibouti.Like Djibouti, Eritrea sits on the African coast of the Red Sea, an important waterway through which more than 10% of global trade passes in a given year. However, unlike Djibouti, Eritrea has hungered for investment since independence and struggled to recover from the war with Ethiopia, including the loss of one-quarter of its productive land to landmines. ethiopia eritrea china africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg ethiopia, eritrea, china, africa, external interference, belt and road initiative https://sputniknews.com/20220105/ending-long-wait-india-vaccinates-its-young-population-against-covid-19-1092029496.html Ending Long Wait: India Vaccinates Its Young Population Against COVID-19 Ending Long Wait: India Vaccinates Its Young Population Against COVID-19 India on 3 January started inoculating its adolescent population aged between 15-18. On the first day of the drive, the nation vaccinated about four million of... 05.01.2022, Sputnik International 2022-01-05T11:46+0000 2022-01-05T11:46+0000 2022-01-05T11:46+0000 new delhi delhi india vaccine children vaccine children india /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092036335_0:195:2949:1853_1920x0_80_0_0_1d8fe0a5382de21b50a4d1517be7916d.jpg When COVID-19 hit India in 2020, one of the first things it affected was education. The routine of in-class study was called off as masking and social distancing norms were yet to be made mandatory to curb the spread of the contagious virus.In various cities, many children haven't even been to a school once in these two years, and parents are bothered about their children's education and outdoor activities.On 25 December, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would start an inoculation drive for young people aged between 15-18 years, it brought a sense of relief and hope to parents and children for a relatively safer time ahead.On Monday and Tuesday, many children dressed up in school uniforms, were seen standing in queues at schools and vaccination centres in Delhi.At present, India is only giving children the domestic vaccine from Bharat Biotech, Covaxin.Aakash Sahotra, 17, seemed excited after getting inculated along with his classmates at Sarvodaya Bal School in the city's Lakshmi Nagar area. "We were waiting for this for so long"."Everyone in my family is vaccinated, I'm the youngest one and this vaccine makes me as strong as anyone else in my family", another student, Jagjeet Singh, said cheerfully.Last week, amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Delhi government ordered the complete closure of schools and all educational institutions. No directive or guidelines about the reopening of schools in the near future has been issued.In recent weeks, several countries, including the United States and Britain, have seen a rise in infections among children, and experts have urged parents to get their children vaccinated. More than 40 nations worldwide have already started vaccinations for children above 12 years.Talking to Sputnik, Dr Veena Verma, head of immunisation in East Delhi, said: "When we started the vaccination drive for adults last year, there was hesitancy. I don't see it now".As per government data, India has more than 120 million people aged between 15 and 19 and the largest population of adolescents globally, as per the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF)."I was waiting for this for a long time. Now, my parents will have mental peace that we're (their children) vaccinated and can attend outdoor activities", said 16-year-old Shivanshi, a skating champion at her school, who hasn't been able to practice for two years.There has been a debate over the merits of vaccinating children who do not have underlying conditions, as the chances of them developing a severe illness from COVID-19 are quite low, and this has to be balanced against the vaccine's potential side effects. new delhi delhi india Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Deexa Khanduri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1e/1081607388_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_e9e931b8c1e18fb41f3074e2145d7a3a.jpg Deexa Khanduri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1e/1081607388_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_e9e931b8c1e18fb41f3074e2145d7a3a.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Deexa Khanduri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1e/1081607388_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_e9e931b8c1e18fb41f3074e2145d7a3a.jpg new delhi, delhi, india, vaccine, children, vaccine, children, india https://sputniknews.com/20220105/ex-trump-adviser-navarro-says-capitol-riot-undermined-plans-to-overthrow-2020-election-results-1092042214.html Ex-Trump Adviser Navarro Says Capitol Riot Undermined Plans to Overthrow 2020 Election Results Ex-Trump Adviser Navarro Says Capitol Riot Undermined Plans to Overthrow 2020 Election Results Former adviser of ex-US President Donald Trump, Peter Navarro released a memoir dubbed "In Trump Time" in November, elaborating on "the story of a President who worked night and day for the American people." 2022-01-05T16:24+0000 2022-01-05T16:24+0000 2022-01-05T16:24+0000 donald trump us peter navarro /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107969/35/1079693555_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_f2fc1dbf19a4d18793c8e0b07fd4a0d5.jpg Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro expressed frustration over how the violence during the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021 disrupted the GOP's plans to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.During a Tuesday interview with MSNBC, Navarro shared details about the plan that Donald Trump's legal circle was said to have in order to challenge the outcome of the 2020 White House race, dubbed "Green Bay sweep".However, the former adviser said, the purported plan required "peace and calm on Capitol Hill" - the opposite of what occurred on 6 January.Navarro also praised Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Paul Gosar for "beautifully" objecting to the results of the 2020 election as members of Congress gathered to certify the votes of the Electoral College.The plan envisaged putting pressure on then-Vice President Mike Pence to stall the certification for as long as possible so that he would be forced to put the certification of the election on ice for at least another several weeks, according to his book "In Trump Time" cited by Rolling Stone. Navarro described the plan as last, best chance to snatch a stolen election from the Democrats jaws of deceit.However, things took a different turn. On 6 January, protesters stormed into the US Capitol, calling for the dismissal of the election results. Former President Donald Trump was accused of inciting the insurrection, but vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Following his unprecedented second impeachment over the accusations, the Senate acquitted Trump after his presidential tenure had ended. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Daria Bedenko Daria Bedenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Daria Bedenko donald trump, us, peter navarro https://sputniknews.com/20220105/five-major-powers-sign-nuclear-war-statement-eu-meetings-to-start-on-russian-security-demands-1092027201.html Five Major Powers Sign Nuclear War Statement; EU Meetings to Start on Russian Security Demands Five Major Powers Sign Nuclear War Statement; EU Meetings to Start on Russian Security Demands The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have come together to state that war must be avoided between nuclear states. 05.01.2022, Sputnik International 2022-01-05T07:36+0000 2022-01-05T07:36+0000 2022-01-05T11:38+0000 chuck schumer europe china houthi gitmo nuclear agreement the critical hour radio /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092027132_33:0:1277:700_1920x0_80_0_0_5eb14f9849244d67fbd4d40b90bb74d7.png Five Major Powers Sign Nuclear War Statement; EU Meetings to Start On Russian Security Demands The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have come together to state that war must be avoided between nuclear states. Dr. David Oualaalou, author and international security analyst, joins us to discuss Russia's security demands. Many European leaders are coming together to meet with each other, and Russian diplomats in a move to negotiate over Russia's recent security demands. Germany's Chancellor seems to be taking a lead as he has announced that his assistant will meet with Ukrainian, French, and Russian representatives.Gary Flowers, host of The Gary Flowers Show on radio station Rejoice WREJ-AM 990, joins us to discuss domestic politics. Democrats are getting significant pressure to change the Senate rules to address voting rights. Also, several groups are again asking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to address the filibuster, but few expect him to move on their plea.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss a recent nuclear statement. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have come together to state that war must be avoided between nuclear states. Reportedly, Moscow was the main driver behind the statement.Dr. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the economy. The child tax credit has expired, and many economists are predicting a dramatic increase in child poverty as a result. The Build Back Better legislation was stripped of desperately needed social spending and ultimately died at the hands of a very conservative Democratic Party.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Houthi fighters have seized a UAE flagged ship that is full of military supplies. The Saudi-led coalition had claimed that the ship was carrying medical supplies. Also, Syrian Jihadis supported by the US empire are looking to gain political power through election manipulation.Niko House, political activist, independent journalist, and podcaster, joins us to discuss the US media. We review the absurdity of the Western media when reporting on Russia and China by going over the headlines. Regarding China, every headline is followed by questioning the cost, and regarding Russia, the headlines are claims of Russia weaponizing everything.Ted Rall, political cartoonist and syndicated columnist, joins us to discuss GITMO. In what appears to be another u-turn on campaign promises, the Biden administration is building, rather than closing, facilities at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Biden is building a new secret court facility that will only allow members of the intelligence community and those with special clearances.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss the Global South. Venezuelan President Maduro is saying that the United States deliberately sabotaged the Mexican talks by kidnapping diplomat Alex Saab.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com europe china gitmo Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Garland Nixon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg Garland Nixon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Garland Nixon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg chuck schumer, europe, china, houthi, gitmo, nuclear agreement, the critical hour, , radio https://sputniknews.com/20220105/india-slaps-almost-88-million-tax-evasion-notice-on-chinese-mobile-firm-xiaomi-1092039838.html India Slaps Almost $88 Million Tax Evasion Notice on Chinese Mobile Firm Xiaomi India Slaps Almost $88 Million Tax Evasion Notice on Chinese Mobile Firm Xiaomi Last December, India's tax sleuths raided over 24 premises linked to the Chinese mobile firms Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus, which have a combined market share of... 05.01.2022, Sputnik International 2022-01-05T15:38+0000 2022-01-05T15:38+0000 2022-01-05T15:38+0000 trade chinese foreign ministry china customs duty income tax xiaomi india /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092041716_0:28:3137:1793_1920x0_80_0_0_7930b488c2abf57705bea40452273152.jpg India on Wednesday imposed an $87.8 million fine on the local unit of Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi after an investigation found that the company had evaded custom duties.A statement issued by the Indian Finance Ministry said that Xiaomi India's payments of royalty and licence fees to Qualcomm USA and Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd were not added to the transaction value of imports by the company and its contract manufacturers.During the investigation carried out by the revenue intelligence unit, one of the directors of Xiaomi India confirmed the payments to the US and a Chinese firm.The ministry added that three show-cause notices have been issued to Xiaomi for the tax demand and recovery of 6.53 billion rupees ($87.8 million) from April 2017 to June 2020.Xiaomi India has issued a statement saying it is currently reviewing the notice in detail. Last month, the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi said it was "concerned" about raids by Indian tax inspectors on the offices of Chinese mobile firms. The Chinese official further asked the Indian authorities to ensure an "open, fair and a non-discriminatory business environment" for Chinese enterprises operating in the south Asian nation. china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Rishikesh Kumar https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/04/1080055820_0:0:388:389_100x100_80_0_0_40018ee210946d65d49ffba4f4c008e1.jpg Rishikesh Kumar https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/04/1080055820_0:0:388:389_100x100_80_0_0_40018ee210946d65d49ffba4f4c008e1.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Rishikesh Kumar https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/04/1080055820_0:0:388:389_100x100_80_0_0_40018ee210946d65d49ffba4f4c008e1.jpg trade, chinese foreign ministry, china, customs duty, income tax, xiaomi, india https://sputniknews.com/20220105/israel-uae-trade-expected-to-hit-2-billion-in-2022-but-might-the-honeymoon-be-disrupted-1092029665.html Israel-UAE Trade Expected to Hit $2 Billion in 2022, But Might the Honeymoon Be Disrupted? Israel-UAE Trade Expected to Hit $2 Billion in 2022, But Might the Honeymoon Be Disrupted? In 2021, just one year into the Abraham Accords that saw Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalise ties, bilateral trade exceeded half a billion dollars. 2022-01-05T05:35+0000 2022-01-05T05:35+0000 2022-01-05T05:35+0000 middle east uae israel /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/0f/1080182677_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_c18894c417e653dffdb2865fde87d5a8.jpg In 2021, just one year into the Abraham Accords that saw Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalise ties, bilateral trade exceeded half a billion dollars.Trade to FlourishBut Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, a co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council, says trade is only expected to jump in 2022.According to estimates by the Business Council, a body that brings together more than 6,000 Emirati and Israeli businesspeople, 2022 will see a 50 percent increase in trade and is forecast to reach $2 billion.That trade and cooperation encompass a wide range of areas. In terms of renewable energy, the two nations signed a major deal, according to which the UAE will set up a plant in Jordan that will supply Israel with electricity. In exchange, the Jewish state will provide the Hashemite kingdom with desalinated water.The diamond industry has also seen a major boost, as did aerospace, defence cooperation, agriculture, and tourism. Last October, it was reported that more than 250,000 Israelis had visited the UAE since the historic agreement was signed. Right now, the exchange of tourists is bogged down by the raging coronavirus pandemic. The UAE is regarded as a red-zone country in Israel, meaning travelling to and from the nation is forbidden. But Hassan-Nahoum is hopeful that once the situation calms down a quarter of a million Emiratis will visit Israel too.Challenges on the Horizon?Yet, at times that excitement has been overshadowed by challenges. Hassan-Nahoum says that one of those has to do with the "cultural differences" between the nations. Another is the Israel-UAE pipeline project that doesn't seem to be getting off the ground.The aforementioned deal stipulated that the UAE would be able to unload its oil tankers in the southern Israeli city of Eilat on the shores of the Red Sea. From there, the crude would be transported to Europe via an existing pipeline.Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry has long objected to the project, arguing that oil spills could damage the environment and cause irreversible damage to the area's coral reef.That statement has reportedly caused concern in the UAE, and the Israeli press has gone as far as to suggest that the cancellation of the deal would put the Abraham Accords to a test.Hassan-Nahoum, however, is certain that bilateral ties are much stronger than any deal.Even without the pipeline deal, bilateral trade turnover is set to hit $2 billion in 2022 but the Business Council is hopeful that the new year will exceed their expectations. But for that to happen, Hassan-Nahoum says they need "more investment funds, more incentives, and more support from their governments". uae Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Elizabeth Blade Elizabeth Blade News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Elizabeth Blade middle east, uae, israel https://sputniknews.com/20220105/israels-intel-chief-says-revival-of-iran-nuclear-deal-better-than-collapse-of-jcpoa-talks-report-1092033270.html Israel's Intel Chief Says Revival of Iran Nuclear Deal Better Than Collapse of JCPOA Talks: Report Israel's Intel Chief Says Revival of Iran Nuclear Deal Better Than Collapse of JCPOA Talks: Report Aharon Haliva, head of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)'s Operations Directorate, reportedly believes that a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is better for Tel Aviv than the collapse of the Vienna talks on the accord. 2022-01-05T09:57+0000 2022-01-05T09:57+0000 2022-01-05T09:57+0000 iran talks agreement israel joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107627/45/1076274587_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_d95b3e3493aa35ea46883f6b65533a3c.jpg Aharon Haliva, head of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)'s Operations Directorate, reportedly believes that a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is better for Tel Aviv than the collapse of the Vienna talks on the accord, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).According to Walla, the comments by the IDF intelligence head were in response to Mossad chief David Barnea, who continues to oppose the JCPOA and insists there is still time to influence the US concerning the terms of the Iran deal.The remarks came after Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stressed that Tel Aviv has "no problem" with the JCPOA in principle and that "a good deal is a good thing"."Second best would be no deal but tightening the sanctions and making sure Iran cannot go forward. And the third and worst is a bad deal". In late November, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made it clear that his country will maintain its freedom of action if a new nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers is reached at the Vienna talks.The latest round of talks on the JCPOA began in the Austrian capital after a short pause on Monday, with the US State Department reportedly saying that Iran should "add real urgency" to the Vienna negotiations or risk losing any chance of the accord being revived.Iran expects the US to "offer a tangible text", in which case an agreement can be reached "in the shortest possible time", the spokesman said.In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with the P5+1 group of countries the US, China, France, Russia, the UK plus Germany and the EU. The agreement obligated Tehran to scale back its nuclear programme and significantly decrease its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including the lifting of an arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption.In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran a year later to announce that it was starting to scale back its own JCPOA commitments. The Biden administration signalled its readiness to return to the agreement, with Iran saying that the White House should first scrap all sanctions against the Islamic Republic. https://sputniknews.com/20211215/iaea-chief-says-2015-nuclear-deal-needs-adjustments-in-2022-for-a-very-different-iran-1091555965.html https://sputniknews.com/20211013/there-should-be-a-possibility-to-negotiate-deal-stronger-than-jcpoa-us-special-envoy-to-iran-says-1089895962.html iran Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg iran, talks, agreement, israel, joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa) Flash As the United States sees new records of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations with the surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, large parts of the country are increasingly intimidated by the virus and schools are caught in a predicament. Alarming figures More than 103,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, according to official data, the highest number since late summer when the Delta variant of the coronavirus triggered a nationwide surge in cases. The figure reflected the 27 percent rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States in the past week. Average daily new deaths from COVID-19 declined by 8 percent. Hospitalization numbers better capture the pandemic's impact than infection figures, Anthony Fauci, the U.S. president's chief medical adviser, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. The worst day of the pandemic for hospitalizations was Jan. 14, 2021, with more than 142,000. Also on Monday, the United States shattered a single-day record with over 1 million COVID-19 cases amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and government decisions to ease prevention and control measures in the country. As of 0500 GMT Tuesday, the country registered about 1.07 million confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University. The Wall Street Journal reported that "the U.S. reported a record 1.08 million COVID-19 infections on Monday as most states worked to clear backlogs after pausing during the New Year's holiday." The new record pushed the seven-day average of daily reported infections to 480,273, nearly double the peak reached at the height of last winter's case surge. So far, the United States has remained the country worst hit by the pandemic, with the world's most cases and deaths. Southern surge The United States is heading into the third year of the coronavirus pandemic with the extremely contagious Omicron variant poised to ignite a firestorm of infection across the Southeast after exploding through the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, reported The Washington Post on Tuesday. "Lower vaccination rates and fewer mask and vaccine mandates have created a much different environment for the Omicron variant to spread in the South, leaving experts unsure whether outbreaks will end up deadlier than in the North," said the report. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi are among the states experiencing the sharpest increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations since Christmas, and "the situation may only get worse, as initial outbreaks in metropolitan areas spread to more poorly vaccinated rural regions," it said. Georgia has shattered records, with nearly 1 in 3 tests coming back positive in the last week of December, and in metro Atlanta, nearly half of tests were positive. New daily infections in Florida have hit an average of about 43,000, far above the peak of 23,000 reached during the Delta variant surge in the summer. In the meantime, Louisiana also has surpassed daily infection records set during its summer surge, with 12,500 cases reported on Thursday, which state officials said was nearly twice the record established in August. David Rubin, who monitors coronavirus trends nationally for PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said he expects the Southeast to be a major driver of the nation's cases this month. "We are going to continue to have waves in the new year that I think will become lesser in amplitude over time," said Rubin. School reopening Amid the pandemic surge, the first physical CES electronics show in two years will kick off this week in Las Vegas, though organizers have shortened the tech event by a day, and several major companies have pulled out. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12-to-15-year-olds, and shortened to five months the time required between the second dose of the vaccine and a booster. Amid the booster stimulus, a majority of schools across the country are reopening for in-person learning this week despite the Omicron surge, mindful of the academic, logistical and social-emotional disruptions that remote education inflicted last year and determined to avoid a repeat. However, "the Omicron surge threatens to upend any sense of peace in the nation's education system," reported The New York Times on Tuesday, adding that after a holiday break that saw COVID-19 cases spike unrelentingly, a small but growing list of districts moved temporarily to remote learning for more than 450,000 children. "Districtwide closures, even those that last for a week or two, are a step backward after months in which classrooms largely remained open," said the report. There were growing fears from parents and educators that more districts would soon turn to remote learning, even though in-school transmission of COVID-19 has been limited. Official data last week showed that pediatric hospital admissions had reached a record high in the United States. The hospitalizations are primarily among unvaccinated people -- cumulative hospitalization rates through November are about 10 times higher for unvaccinated children ages 12 to 17. https://sputniknews.com/20220105/nato-and-russia-agree-to-meet-january-12th-1092026618.html NATO and Russia Agree to Meet January 12th NATO and Russia Agree to Meet January 12th On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan and co-host John Kiriakou discussed current events including Rand Paul quits YouTube, and Tennis star... 05.01.2022, Sputnik International 2022-01-05T07:33+0000 2022-01-05T07:33+0000 2022-01-05T11:33+0000 us national security democrats kremlin censorship covid-19 the backstory gettr radio /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/04/1092026492_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_4b87d8caff69469d2c7ee7ebedbf134e.jpg NATO and Russia Agree to Meet January 12th On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan and co-host John Kiriakou discussed current events including Rand Paul quits YouTube, and Tennis star Novak Djokovic being criticized for his medical exemption from COVID vaccines, to play in the Australian Grand Slam. GUESTMark Sleboda - International Relations and Security Analyst | Putin- Biden Phone Call, US Media Ignoring Biden - Putin Phone Call, and NATO-Russia SummitKim Iversen - Independent Journalist and Host of The Kim Iversen Show | Blue State Mandates, Culture Wars, and 2024 ElectionIn the first hour, Lee and John spoke with Mark Sleboda about NATO ready to meet with Russia, the military conflict in Ukraine, and the Russian media. Mark spoke about the Russian military and President Putin's warning about a "Cuban missile crisis" situation over Ukraine tensions. Mark discussed the feelings of Russian citizens and their view of President Putin's performance on national security.In the second hour, Lee and John spoke with Kim Iversen about the Democratic party goal of zero COVID, Dr. Robert Malone censored, and California COVID restrictions. Kim talked about Joe Rogan having eleven million viewers on average and Dr. Robert Malone trending on social media. Kim discussed the media use of the January 6th riot and the lack of regard for the 2020 riots.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com us kremlin Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Lee Stranahan https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png Lee Stranahan https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Lee Stranahan https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png us, national security, democrats, kremlin, censorship, covid-19, the backstory, gettr, , radio https://sputniknews.com/20220105/new-netflix-k-drama-killer-series-reveals-lead-cast-1092016818.html New Netflix K-Drama Killer Series Reveals Lead Cast New Netflix K-Drama Killer Series Reveals Lead Cast After the success of 'Squid Game', various prominent names in the South Korean TV industry have begun to garner more attention. 2022-01-05T01:40+0000 2022-01-05T01:40+0000 2022-01-05T01:41+0000 south korea netflix society tv series /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/03/03/1082242438_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_49a4dea4b5e3cd10d6d73bea32d2d45a.jpg Big names in the South Korean film industry have joined the new Netflix project, with Jeon Do-yeon and Sol Kyung-gu to star in an upcoming Netflix thriller 'Kill Bok-soon' (working title), according to media reports on January 4.The action movie will include actors Esom and Goo Kyo-hwan, and will tell the story of a hitman working under the name 'Kill' (Jeon Do-yeon). A legendary and ruthless killer by contract, she is also a single mom to a teenage girl. Sol Kyung-gu will play Cha Min-kyu, the CEO of the assassins' organization, M.K., who guides Kill through her professional career. The two actors are working together for a third time, having earlier portrayed romantic partners in 'I Wish I Had a Wife' (2001) and a married couple in 'Birthday' (2019). Director Byun Sung-hyun earlier made 'The Merciless', which was invited as a midnight screening at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. His new political drama film, 'Kingmaker', with Sol Kyung-gu, is set to release on January 26. Jeon Do-young is a South Korean actress widely revered by K-drama lovers for her acting skills. She is the first Korean actress to win a Best Actress award at Cannes, for her role in 'Secret Sunshine', which was directed by Lee Chang-dong. Sol Kyung-gu started his career in the mid-1990s and has since crafted a long list of works, including 'Peppermint Candy', 'Public Enemy', 'Oasis' and 'The Merciless'. south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Martha Yiling https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1a/1081573806_0:0:404:404_100x100_80_0_0_4dc70f9169ad4580a8dff86e9af042ca.jpg Martha Yiling https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1a/1081573806_0:0:404:404_100x100_80_0_0_4dc70f9169ad4580a8dff86e9af042ca.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Martha Yiling https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1a/1081573806_0:0:404:404_100x100_80_0_0_4dc70f9169ad4580a8dff86e9af042ca.jpg south korea, netflix, society, tv series https://sputniknews.com/20220105/north-korea-says-wednesday-launch-was-hypersonic-missile-state-media-report-1092048823.html Wednesday's DPRK Launch Was Second Test of Hwasong-8 Hypersonic Missile, Ruling Workers Party Says Wednesday's DPRK Launch Was Second Test of Hwasong-8 Hypersonic Missile, Ruling Workers Party Says A Wednesday missile launch into the Sea of Japan by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was of a hypersonic weapon, state media reported Thursday morning. 2022-01-05T22:03+0000 2022-01-05T22:03+0000 2022-01-05T23:08+0000 dprk hypersonic missiles test ballistic missiles /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/06/0d/1083136546_0:161:3069:1887_1920x0_80_0_0_e0a7fb20e24637ce6ed25be1f6a644c7.jpg According to Rodong Sinmun, the official paper of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, the Wednesday test accelerated the task of "modernizing the national strategic force."The paper says the test verified the ability of the fuel ampoule system to operate "under winter weather conditions" and demonstrated an increased ability to stabilize and control the hypersonic glide vehicle, "which combined a multi-stage gliding jump flight and a strong lateral movement." The glide vehicle is boosted by a rocket engine during the initial stage of a hypersonic weapon's launch before detaching and gliding toward its target, adopting an unpredictable flight path to avoid interception."Having detached after its launch, the missile made a 120 km lateral movement in the flight distance of the hypersonic gliding warhead from the initial launch azimuth to the target azimuth and precisely hit the target 700 km away," it added.The Wednesday launch was the DPRK's second test of a hypersonic weapon. The first was held in September, timed to coincide with the socialist nation's envoy to the United Nations taking the podium at the General Assembly in New York to speak about the DPRK's right to self-defense but willingness to talk peace, which has eluded the peninsula for 72 years. The weapon is named Hwasong-8.The DPRK has maintained a unilateral ban on long-range ballistic missile tests since demonstrating it has a working intercontinental ballistic missile in 2018. However, it has tested a variety of shorter-range weapons that don't violate United Nations resolutions. Many are designed to evade South Korean air defenses in various ways, whether by depressed trajectories or, in the case of the Hwasong-8, simply being too fast and unpredictable for them to shoot down. However, it has also tested air defense missiles, too.The DPRK has been at war with South Korea and the US since 1950, when the US orchestrated a UN intervention in a civil war in Korea that the South was badly losing. A ceasefire ended the war in 1953 after more than 2 million people had been killed, but no permanent peace followed, and a demilitarized zone has separated the two countries since. The US claims the DPRK's missile and nuclear weapons are a threat to the region, but Pyongyang says it only has the weapons to ensure its security until a peace treaty is signed and the 28,500 US troops in South Korea are withdrawn. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Morgan Artyukhina https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/17/1082703728_0:0:800:800_100x100_80_0_0_0b6ce8daa7411284d60c8a0b6d84186d.jpg dprk, hypersonic missiles, test, ballistic missiles https://sputniknews.com/20220105/peru-prosecutors-office-launches-corruption-probe-against-president-castillo---reports-1092027810.html Peru Prosecutor's Office Launches Corruption Probe Against President Castillo - Reports Peru Prosecutor's Office Launches Corruption Probe Against President Castillo - Reports Peruvian Prosecutor General Zoraida Avalos began preliminary investigation against President Pedro Castillo on suspicion of corruption, Peru's newspaper La Republica reported on Tuesday. 2022-01-05T02:47+0000 2022-01-05T02:47+0000 2022-01-05T02:47+0000 peru investigation prosecutor corruption /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/06/08/1083103109_0:228:2833:1821_1920x0_80_0_0_ae6c8606bf3b5ad3f79b5c03c3bcf4a0.jpg On December 18, Peruvian Attorney General Daniel Soria appealed to the prosecutor's office accusing Castillo of alleged illegal patronage and abuse of power. Soria stated that the president had secret meetings with entrepreneur Karelim Lopez, the assistant to a consortium that won a $58 million contract on roadworks in the country. Soria mentioned it was most likely that the purpose of these meetings was to assist the consortium in winning the contract. Lopez herself is under the investigation over alleged corruption.La Republica reported that Avalos decided to begin a preliminary investigation against Castillo on charges of abuse of power and collusion. Castillo is reported to conclude a contract with Lopez for the purchase of a large batch of biodiesel, as well as a contract for the construction of the Tarat road bridge across the Huallaga river.In the end of December, Castillo refuted all accusations and voluntarily gave access to his bank accounts and phone conversations and asked the prosecutor's office to summon him for questioning ahead of schedule.Per the Peruvian constitution, the incumbent president can only be accused of treason, obstructing elections, dissolving and obstructing the work of the congress and the electoral system. It means that the investigation will be postponed until the end of his presidential term in July 2026. peru Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 peru, investigation, prosecutor, corruption https://sputniknews.com/20220105/photos-greek-divers-uncover-wreckage-of-italian-wwii-submarine-in-aegean-sea-1092027396.html Photos: Greek Divers Uncover Wreckage of Italian WWII Submarine in Aegean Sea Photos: Greek Divers Uncover Wreckage of Italian WWII Submarine in Aegean Sea Eighty years ago an Italian submarine was sunk off the coast of Greece during World War II. In a recent interview with Reuters, Greek diver Kostas Thoctarides confirmed that he and his team members found the Italian submarine in November. 2022-01-05T00:51+0000 2022-01-05T00:51+0000 2022-01-05T00:51+0000 greece world war ii italy /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092027371_0:225:2843:1824_1920x0_80_0_0_bfb6590d1051d8bfb18de16c53d9ef08.jpg Records indicate that 48 crew members were aboard when the submarine was hit by British torpedoes in July 1941. Only six sailors were able to swim to the Greek island of Delos, near Mykonos, after the blast.Italys Naval History Office confirmed that the 80-year-old wreckage was in fact the Jantina, which was originally built for the Royal Italian Navy in the 1930s, and was used in the Spanish Civil War in support of Spanish Nationalists before its use in WWII.The wreck and the surrounding area was treated with respect as a wet grave, wrote Thoctarides on Facebook.The submerged vessel was discovered using the ROV Super Achilles, capturing detailed images of the wreckage. The submarine was found resting at a depth of more than 300 feet.According to the diver, the Jantina was about 200 feet long with speeds of up to 14 knots (16 mph) and a maximum depth of about 262 feet.This is the fourth submarine accredited to the findings of Thoctarides. greece Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 greece, world war ii, italy https://sputniknews.com/20220105/polands-president-andrzej-duda-tests-positive-for-covid-19-1092035155.html Poland's President Andrzej Duda Tests Positive For COVID-19 Poland's President Andrzej Duda Tests Positive For COVID-19 A top aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda told the state news agency PAP on Wednesday that Duda had tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in isolation. 2022-01-05T11:01+0000 2022-01-05T11:01+0000 2022-01-05T11:53+0000 poland andrzej duda coronavirus covid-19 /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103714/20/1037142095_0:255:4931:3028_1920x0_80_0_0_8e03defebc4e01744f1c47da5f29e8b3.jpg A top aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda told the state news agency PAP on Wednesday that Duda had tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in isolation.Duda previously tested positive for the coronavirus in October 2020, when the Polish president tweeted that he was experiencing no COVID-19 symptoms, but that "unfortunately, the test result is absolutely unambiguous".As for Wednesday's announcement, it comes a few days after Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski told local radio station RMF FM that he does not rule out more COVID restrictions to tackle the spread of the new Omicron variant.More than 4.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Poland since the start of the pandemic, with 98,034 fatalities in the country, according to the World Health Organisation's latest situation report.In December, Polish authorities tightened the screws on COVID curbs amid an ongoing surge in cases of the Omicron variant in the country. https://sputniknews.com/20201206/eu-may-exclude-poland-hungary-from-covid-19-recovery-plan-french-minister-for-europe-warns-1081374489.html poland Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg poland, andrzej duda, coronavirus, covid-19 https://sputniknews.com/20220105/president-tokaev-says-hes-now-in-charge-of-kazakh-security-council-will-stay-with-the-people-1092038876.html President Tokayev Says He's Now in Charge of Kazakh Security Council, 'Will Stay With the People' President Tokayev Says He's Now in Charge of Kazakh Security Council, 'Will Stay With the People' Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is addressing the nation for a second time since the beginning of nationwide protests triggered by surging gas prices. 2022-01-05T13:03+0000 2022-01-05T13:03+0000 2022-01-06T10:48+0000 asia & pacific protests kazakhstan kassym-jomart tokayev protests in kazakhstan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107576/05/1075760503_0:0:2895:1629_1920x0_80_0_0_e0c0f14da1b10d93d54645d04b2cbf35.jpg President Tokayev said on Wednesday that he is now in charge of the Kazakh Security Council, noting that he will remain in the country's capital city no matter what and "stay with the people".The country's Security Council was earlier headed by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.Noting that the violent protests had resulted in the killing of law enforcement officers, Tokayev underlined that the authorities intend to act as decisively as possible against offenders in the protests.Additionally, Tokayev pledged to roll out a new package of proposals in the near future in the wake of the demonstrations.The Kazakh president also asserted that there is a group of "financially motivated" plotters with a carefully masterminded plan behind the ongoing unrest in the country.His second address comes as Kazakhstan is being rattled by protests against surging gas prices, with a state of emergency declared in the regions of Almaty and Mangystau, along with the capital city Nur-Sultan. According to estimations by the country's Interior Ministry, over 200 people have been detained during the nationwide protests. More than 100 law enforcement officers and over 50 civilians have been injured so far.In his first speech, Tokayev said that "power will not fall", strongly advising against calling to attack civilian and military offices. He also called for "mutual trust and dialogue" rather than conflict.The ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan has drawn the attention of several members of the global community, among them chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Zbigniew Rau, who called for de-escalation and the start of a dialogue.Russia has also commented on the situation in Kazakhstan, saying that it believes the country will deal with its problems on its own and underlining the importance of no foreign interference. https://sputniknews.com/20220105/whats-going-on-in-kazakhstan-and-what-are-protesters-demanding-amid-surging-gas-prices-1092033565.html kazakhstan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Daria Bedenko Daria Bedenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Daria Bedenko asia & pacific, protests, kazakhstan, kassym-jomart tokayev https://sputniknews.com/20220105/state-of-emergency-declared-across-kazakhstan-1092043345.html State of Emergency Declared Across Kazakhstan Amid Ongoing Violent Protests State of Emergency Declared Across Kazakhstan Amid Ongoing Violent Protests Mass protests have been ongoing across the country since the early days of 2022, triggered by a dramatic increase of gas prices. Earlier, a state of emergency was declared in the regions of Almaty and Mangystau, along with the capital city of Nur-Sultan. 2022-01-05T16:52+0000 2022-01-05T16:52+0000 2022-01-06T10:50+0000 kazakhstan asia & pacific protests in kazakhstan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092043754_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_5d395be1c53100516a997a13218ad649.jpg A state of emergency was declared across all of Kazakhstan late on Wednesday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.State media has announced a state of emergency on air.Earlier in the day, a state of emergency was declared in the regions of Almaty and Mangystau, along with the capital city of Nur-Sultan. The state of emergency is expected to remain in place until 19 January. The new rules restrict the freedom of movement, including transport. Residents will be prohibited from mass gatherings and events, among them family gatherings related to births, weddings, and deaths.The announcement comes as multiple cities in the country are rattled by protests that began in the south-western Mangystau region after a surge in gas prices. During the early days of 2022, the demonstrations spread over to other cities, particularly the city of Almaty, which saw escalated tensions on Wednesday.Several important buildings in the city were set on fire, including the city administration, the prosecutor's office, and an office of the national TV channel Qazaqstan. The protesters are also reportedly storming the office of the city's interior ministry, according to the Vlast news outlet.Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has already addressed the nation twice amid the protests. In his most recent address, he announced that he had assumed control over the country's Security Council - previously headed by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev - and said the authorities intend to act as harsh as possible against offenders in the protests.It was estimated that more than 100 law enforcement officers and over 50 civilians sustained injuries during the protests in Almaty. Over 200 people are said to have been detained amid the ongoing unrest.Reaction in the WorldCalls for de-escalation amid the ongoing protests have already emerged, particularly voiced by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Zbigniew Rau. The United Nations has expressed "concerns" over the situation in Kazakhstan, calling all parties to refrain from violence and engage in a dialogue. The United States has closed its Consulate General in Almaty for visitors and ordered its employees to work remotely, a Sputnik correspondent has reported.The White House said it is closely monitoring the situation in Kazakhstan, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki denying the allegations of any US involvement in the unrest in the country.Flights CancelledAs the unrest engulfs the country, several airlines have already announced delays or cancellations of Kazakhstan-bound flights. Particularly, several flights from Minsk, Tbilisi, Bishkek have been cancelled. Kazakh flagship airline Air Astana announced earlier on Wednesday that the airport in the city of Aktau (the capital of the Mangystau region where the protests began) had stopped working.Sputniks correspondent also reported that Almaty's airport had been seized by the protesters, who kicked passengers out of the terminal. https://sputniknews.com/20220105/whats-going-on-in-kazakhstan-and-what-are-protesters-demanding-amid-surging-gas-prices-1092033565.html kazakhstan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Daria Bedenko Daria Bedenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Daria Bedenko kazakhstan, asia & pacific https://sputniknews.com/20220105/us-vp-kamala-harris-ridiculed-for-moving-again-remark-during-enormous-traffic-jam-on-i-95-1092035412.html US VP Kamala Harris Ridiculed for 'Moving Again' Remark During Enormous Traffic Jam on I-95 US VP Kamala Harris Ridiculed for 'Moving Again' Remark During Enormous Traffic Jam on I-95 Timing is so vital that even a harmless statement about a piece of legislation aimed at improving infrastructure in the United States can become the subject of anger and criticism when made at the wrong moment. 2022-01-05T11:31+0000 2022-01-05T11:31+0000 2022-01-05T11:31+0000 us traffic jam kamala harris viral /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/08/17/1083691990_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_b59263c64f906fb1f1c55e3c6ca068c0.jpg Timing is so vital that even a harmless statement about a piece of legislation aimed at improving infrastructure in the United States can become the subject of anger and criticism when made at the wrong moment. This is what happened to US Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been ridiculed online after she posted a statement about America "moving again" thanks to a recently-adopted infrastructure law. The second-in-command tweeted when thousands of motorists were stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia due to a car accident caused by a snowstorm.Harris' post prompted a torrent of negative comments.Even supporters of the vice president were unhappy.Many users accused the vice president of bad timing.Others posted videos and photos of the traffic jam.Some netizens even tagged Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) who was stuck in the traffic jam.Still others contended that the US has far more pressing problems than infrastructure.There have been no reports of injuries or deaths from the calamity, but many motorists ran out of gas in freezing temperatures after spending more than 24 hours in the traffic jams.Some ran out of water as they were waiting for the logjam to clear.The traffic pile up was caused by a road accident, involving multiple trucks on the highway, which, in turn, was caused by a powerful snow storm that hit parts of the US. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has defended the actions of local officials describing the situation as an "incredibly unusual event". Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Max Gorbachev Max Gorbachev News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Max Gorbachev us, traffic jam, kamala harris, viral https://sputniknews.com/20220105/whats-going-on-in-kazakhstan-and-what-are-protesters-demanding-amid-surging-gas-prices-1092033565.html What's Going on in Kazakhstan and What Are Protesters Demanding? What's Going on in Kazakhstan and What Are Protesters Demanding? Protests in several Kazakh cities erupted on 2 January due to surging gas prices in the country, with clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers occurring between late 4 January and early 5 January in the city of Almaty. 2022-01-05T11:16+0000 2022-01-05T11:16+0000 2022-01-06T10:50+0000 protests asia & pacific demonstrations kazakhstan protests in kazakhstan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/05/1092034467_0:203:2921:1846_1920x0_80_0_0_1dce3a9fb46da6c64f9422eb96615edf.jpg As of Wednesday, at least 137 police officers and 53 civilians were injured during mass protests in Almaty, with the country's largest city facing crowds of demonstrators attempting to storm the mayor's office as law enforcement officers try to hold them back.The mayor's office has been set on fire by the protesters, and gunshots have also been heard near the building, according to a Sputnik correspondent reporting from the scene.Several videos have since emerged on social media appearing to show protesters storming the mayor's office, with some entering the building, and another group reportedly heading to the old presidential residence.It has been estimated that there are around three thousand people attempting to storm the mayor's office. Law enforcement officers are using light grenades, along with sticks and shields, to hold the protesters back.What Do the Protesters Want?The ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan has been ignited by a surge in gas prices that followed the government's new liquified gas pricing policy. Since 1 January, prices have skyrocketed, initially rising from around 60 tenges to 80 and then up to 120 tenges (around $3) per litre, prompting the residents of Aktau and Zhanaozen in the southwestern Mangystau Region to take to the streets, demanding the prices be lowered.The economy of these southwestern regions of the country is closely tied to oil and gas, and this is not the first time unrest has erupted in the area. In 2011, Zhanaozen saw a mass demonstration of people engaged in the sector that escalated into deadly protests and claimed 15 lives and left hundreds injured.Now, the very same region is seeing mass protests again, with the calls to lower gas prices evolving into political demands such as introducing elections for the heads of the nation's regions and cities and the return of the 1993 Constitution.Gov't ResponseShortly after the protests erupted, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev ordered a commission to resolve the issue, with the government promising to lower gas prices. On Wednesday, Tokaev accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Askar Mamin, underlining that "the government was especially to blame for allowing a protest situation". Aside from this, the president ordered the state regulation of liquefied gas (LNG) prices for six months.It was earlier announced that Kazakhstan will postpone the transition to the sale of LNG through an electronic trading platform for one year. The authorities have also been tasked with conducting an investigation into price collusion and other "anti-competitive actions" in the sale of liquefied gas.Local media outlets in Kazakhstan reported that the head of the Mangystau gas processing plant was detained for allegedly increasing gas prices for no reason. Additionally, the head of an electronic trading platform was also reportedly detained.Recent DevelopmentsDespite the government's promises regarding gas prices, the protests have spread from the southwest to large cities, including the capital Nur-Sultan. A state of emergency was introduced in the regions of Almaty and Mangystau, where the protests originated, and is expected to remain in place until 19 January. The Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan later on Wednesday also declared a state of emergency.Later in the day, a state of emergency was declared across all of Kazakhstan.Currently, Almaty appears to be the flashpoint of the Kazakh protests, with clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers continuing. Aside from the mayor's office, Almaty's prosecutor's office was also set on fire, according to a Sputnik correspondent.The unrest has undermined the work of public health services, with protesters injuring medics and even storming into hospitals. According to public health authorities in Almaty, 5 ambulance workers were injured during the unrest, and 2 ambulance vehicles have been destroyed.Across the country, over 200 people have been detained, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. https://sputniknews.com/20220105/live-updates-over-200-people-detained-in-fuel-price-protests-in-kazakhstan-1092031106.html kazakhstan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Daria Bedenko Daria Bedenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Daria Bedenko protests, asia & pacific, demonstrations, kazakhstan Flash King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden have tested positive for COVID-19, the Royal Court said on Tuesday. Both have had three vaccine doses and their symptoms are reportedly mild. "The royal couple have isolated themselves at home in accordance with the rules, and contact tracing is ongoing," the Royal Court said in a statement. Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel tested positive for COVID-19 in March last year. In November 2020, Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia also tested positive. On Dec. 23, Sweden tightened restrictions in response to the rising number of new infections. During the week of Dec. 20, the Omicron variant of coronavirus was already the dominant strain in some of Sweden's regions. On Dec. 30, 11,507 new cases were confirmed among the population of 10.4 million -- the highest number since the start of the pandemic. The cumulative number of confirmed infections is approaching 1.358 million, and a total of 15,330 deaths have been recorded. Also, the number of hospitalized patients, most of them unvaccinated, has increased considerably in the past few weeks and many of the country's regions now report that their hospitals are operating at full capacity. Steve Gibson of Mechanicsburg, Ohio has been named the Ohio Harness Horsemens Association Outstanding Groom for 2021. Gibson works for and was nominated by trainer Kim Dailey. Dailey says Gibson is dedicated, dependable and willing to do anything that is needed. Steve is almost always the first person in the barn every day and the last out. He knows each of his horses on a personal level no matter their earnings. Gibson is the last of the Bill Dailey Stable grooms and Dailey says he has become more than an employee. He has stuck next to our family during very uncertain times. He has seen the barn full at 80 horse and down to eight. No reward can repay him for his loyalty. Gibson was introduced to the sport of harness racing at an early age by his father and stepfather. He sat behind his first horse when he was nine years old and has made it his livelihood. The longest he has been away from racehorses has been three weeks. Gibson says he enjoys being around the horses. I like watching the babies grow and get to the racetrack. It doesnt matter if they are a claimer or a Sires Stakes horse, I dont treat them any differently. Gibson says he appreciates the Dailey family for nominating him. Even to be nominated means a lot. I really appreciate it. Gibson will be honoured at the Ohio Harness Horsemens Association Annual Awards Banquet January 15, 2022, at the Hilton Columbus-Polaris in Columbus, Ohio. (Ohio Harness Horsemens Association) WASHINGTON (AP) The first time Celeste Norris laid eyes on Ashli Babbitt, the future insurrectionist had just rammed her vehicle three times with an SUV and was pounding on the window, challenging her to a fight. Norris says the bad blood between them began in 2015, when Babbitt engaged in a monthslong extramarital affair with Norris' longtime live-in boyfriend. When she learned of the relationship, Norris called Babbitt's husband and told him she was cheating. "She pulls up yelling and screaming," Norris said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, recounting the July 29, 2016, road-rage incident in Prince Frederick, Maryland. "It took me a good 30 seconds to figure out who she was. Just all sorts of expletives, telling me to get out of the car, that she was going to beat my ass." Terrified and confused, Norris dialed 911 and waited for law enforcement. Babbitt was later charged with numerous misdemeanors. The attack on Norris is an example of erratic and sometimes threatening behavior by Babbitt, who was shot by a police officer while at the vanguard of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Former President Donald Trump and his supporters have sought to portray her as a righteous martyr who was unjustly killed. Trump has called her "an incredible person" and he even taped a posthumous birthday greeting to her in October. Trump has also demanded the Justice Department reinvestigate Babbitt's death, though the officer who shot her was cleared of any wrongdoing by two prior federal investigations. But the life of the Air Force veteran from California, who died while wearing a Trump campaign flag wrapped around her shoulders like a cape, is far more complicated than the heroic portrait presented by Trump and his allies. In the months before her death, Babbitt had become consumed by pro-Trump conspiracy theories and posted angry screeds on social media. She also had a history of making violent threats. Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot while attempting to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker's Lobby inside the Capitol, where police officers were evacuating members of Congress from the mob supporting Trump's false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. She was one of five people who died during or immediately after the riot, including a Capitol Police officer. On social media, Babbitt identified as a Libertarian and ardent supporter of the Second Amendment. Her posts included videos of profane rants against Democrats, COVID-19 mask mandates and illegal immigration. Her Twitter account, which was taken down after her death, was rife with references to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which centers on the baseless belief that Trump has secretly battled deep-state enemies and a cabal of Satan-worshiping cannibals that includes prominent Democrats who operate a child sex trafficking ring. "Nothing will stop us," Babbitt tweeted Jan. 5. "They can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours....dark to light!" Among Q followers, "The Storm" refers to the predicted day Trump would finally unmask the pedophile cabal, arrest and execute those deemed traitors and restore America to greatness. Trump has repeatedly insisted Babbitt was murdered, and she has achieved martyr status among Trump supporters. Her name and likeness now appear on T-shirts and flags at pro-Trump rallies. A Maryland personal injury lawyer representing Babbitt's husband, Aaron Babbitt, has raised $375,000 through a Christian crowdfunding site and has threatened to file a lawsuit against the Capitol Police. Key to that wrongful death claim is the contention that Babbitt, a former military police officer who was 5-foot-2 and weighed 115 pounds, would have peacefully surrendered had Capitol officers attempted to arrest her. Aaron Babbitt declined to comment in October when a reporter knocked on the door of the San Diego apartment he shared with Ashli and another woman. In a June interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News, Babbitt said he has been sickened by some of what he has seen written about his deceased wife. "There's never been a person who Ashli ran across in her daily life that didn't love her," said Babbitt, 40. That is not how Norris felt about her. MORE JAN. 6 COVERAGE ONE YEAR LATER Court records involving the violent 2016 confrontation between Babbitt and Norris have previously been reported by media outlets, including the AP. But Norris, now 39, agreed to speak about it publicly for the first time in an interview with the AP and shared previously unreported details. She also provided documents and photos from the crash scene to support her account. Norris was in a six-year relationship with Aaron Babbitt when she said she learned he was cheating on her with a married co-worker from his job as a security guard at a nuclear power plant near the Chesapeake Bay. She eventually found out the other woman was Ashli McEntee, who at the time went by the last name of her then-husband. "He was telling me about this foulmouthed chick that's on his shift, blah, blah, blah," Norris recounted. "Come to find out a few months later ... they were basically having this relationship while they were at work." When she learned of the affair, she reached out to Babbitt's husband, Timothy McEntee. "You know, I was trying to keep my home life together," she said. Norris said she tried for a few months to salvage her relationship with Aaron Babbitt before finally deciding to move out of their house. Within days, Norris said, Ashli moved in. A few weeks later, Norris was waiting at a stop sign in Prince Frederick, about an hour southeast of Washington, D.C., when she says a white Ford Explorer passed her going the other direction. Norris saw the SUV pulling a U-turn before speeding up behind her. She recounts that the SUV's driver began swerving erratically, laying on the horn and attempting to pass a Chevrolet Suburban that was in between them on the narrow two-lane road. When the driver of the Chevy pulled over, Norris said the white Ford SUV accelerated and rammed into her rear bumper. She said the SUV rammed her a second time and then a third, all while the vehicles continued to roll down the road. After Norris dialed 911, an emergency dispatcher advised her to pull over to the shoulder and stop. As she waited for help, Babbitt got out of her vehicle and came up to Norris' driver's-side window, banging on the glass. Norris said the force of the impact caused her seatbelt to lock tight, preventing her from getting out of her car. Within minutes, deputies arrived. A case report from the Calvert County Sheriff's Office obtained by the AP shows Ashli Babbitt was issued a criminal summons on charges of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor defined under Maryland law as engaging in conduct "that creates a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury to another" and punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. She was also charged with malicious destruction of property for the damage to Norris' vehicle. Court records show those charges were later updated to include traffic offenses reckless driving, negligent driving and failure to control a vehicle's speed to avoid a collision. Photos from the scene provided to the AP by Norris show Babbitt's white Ford Explorer with its front bumper smashed in. The SUV's grill is also pushed in and the hood dented. The rear bumper of Norris' Escape is pushed in on the passenger side, with the detached Maryland license plate from the front bumper of Babbitt's SUV wedged into it. Following the altercation, Norris and a friend went to the courthouse in neighboring St. Mary's County, where she lived at the time, and petitioned for a peace order, a type of restraining order, against Ashli Babbitt. The resulting judicial order barred Ashli Babbitt from attempting to contact Norris, committing further acts of violence against her and going to her home or workplace. A copy of the order, dated the same day as the altercation, contains Norris' contemporaneous account of what occurred, as written down by her friend. Norris' hands were still shaking so badly she couldn't write down what happened for herself, according to a note on the document. In the weeks after the incident, Norris said, Babbitt falsely claimed to authorities that the collisions had occurred when Norris repeatedly backed her vehicle into Babbitt's SUV. But when the case went to trial, Norris said, Babbitt changed her story, admitting under oath that she had collided with Norris' vehicle but portraying it as an accident. No transcript from the hearing was available, but Norris said the lawyer defending Babbitt made repeated references to her employment at the local nuclear power plant and years of military service, which included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Babbitt served on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, and then in the reserves and the Air National Guard until 2016. A judge acquitted Babbitt on the criminal charges. In February 2017, records show Norris asked for and received a second peace order against Ashli Babbitt, citing ongoing harassment and stalking. In a handwritten petition, Norris says that Babbitt had recently followed her home from work and that she had also received repeated calls in the middle of the night from an unlisted number. "I lived in fear because I didn't know what she was capable of," Norris told the AP. "I was constantly looking over my shoulder." In 2019, Norris filed a personal injury lawsuit against Ashli Babbitt, seeking $74,500 in damages, and she said she settled out of court with Babbitt's insurance carrier for an undisclosed sum. By then, Aaron and Ashli had moved to California, where she grew up and still had family. Timothy McEntee was granted a divorce in Maryland in May 2019. McEntee did not respond to voicemails and messages left at his home. Ashli posted on Facebook that she married Aaron Babbitt the following month. Records show the couple owned a pool cleaning service with Ashli's brother. When a reporter visited the business the day after her death, a large sign on the locked door declared the building to be "Mask Free Autonomous Zone Better Known as America." In the year since Babbitt's death, Trump and many Republicans in Congress have sought to recast the Jan. 6 insurrection as nonviolent a contention directly contradicted by hours of video footage and the public testimony of Capitol Police officers, 140 of whom were injured in the melee. In his video on Babbitt's birthday, Trump also said: "Together we grieve her terrible loss. There was no reason Ashli should have lost her life that day. We must all demand justice for Ashli and her family, so on this solemn occasion as we celebrate her life, we renew our call for a fair and nonpartisan investigation into the death of Ashli Babbitt." Aaron Babbitt's lawyer, Terrell Roberts III, did not respond to numerous phone messages and emails seeking comment. But in written statements to the media, he has said her shooting "was tantamount to an execution without trial." "Given her background as a 14-year veteran of the Air Force, it is likely that Ashli would have complied with simple verbal commands, thereby making the use of any force unnecessary," Roberts said. The Capitol Police officer who shot Babbitt, Lt. Michael Byrd, said in a televised interview in August that he fired as a "last resort." When he pulled the trigger, he said, he had no idea whether the person jumping through the window was armed. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia cleared Byrd of wrongdoing in April, concluding that he acted in self-defense and in the defense of members of Congress. The U.S. Capitol Police announced in August that they had also cleared Byrd. "I tried to wait as long as I could," Byrd said. "I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers." *** Associated Press correspondent Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report. Follow AP Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck Contact AP's global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! 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of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe It began with a charge of murder in late August of 1889 and ended in a courtroom acquittal more than eight months later. The victim was a young man from Seven Mile Ford in Smyth County, a telegraph operator for the Norfolk & Western Railroad Company. His accused killer was the son of a wealthy Bristol merchant. The event that lead to the death and trial? A horse trade apparently gone wrong. At high noon on Aug. 27, 1889, E.A. Gus Burson, of Bristol, and Stephen F. Bonham, of Seven Mile Ford, became involved in a personal encounter about a horse trade, which ended in the death of the latter from a pistol shot fired by the former, according to a news article published on Aug. 30 in the Clinch Valley News of Tazewell. Bonham was the son of William P. Bonham, who was, at the time, the proprietor of the Central Hotel in Marion. Burson was described as a young man of good moral character and was regarded as a quiet, peaceable citizen. Nonetheless, he was arrested on a charge of murder and jailed. Therein began a long legal battle that included, mostly, wrangling over whether the accused murderer should be allowed bail due to poor jail conditions and claims by his attorneys that his health was so bad that he might die if the judge did not release him on bond. Extant court minute book records show that within two days of the killing, Burson was indicted by a Washington County grand jury for the murder of Bonham. Apparently Burson had friends in high places, for the judge in the case George W. Ward Jr. called upon Judge George W. Richardson of Smyth County to preside over the initial case, as Ward was so situated as to render it improper in his opinion to sit in the trial of the case. This likely meant that Ward was close friends with the Burson family. The case was contentious from the start. Attorneys for Burson objected to their client being arraigned at all and, after arguments were heard, the arraignment took place as planned. Bursons counsel then immediately demanded that their client be tried in the Washington County Circuit Court and that he be granted a secured recognizance bond. More arguments followed, with the judge overruling on the grounds that the Court had no jurisdiction of the matter on account of Defendant having elected to be tried in the Circuit Court. Burson was then sent to jail, having been bound over for a court appearance on the fourth Monday of September of 1889. By all accounts, Burson was still in jail the following October, when The Comet newspaper in Johnson City, Tennessee, published an article on Oct. 10 in which it reported that Bursons trial was to be postponed until the next term of court. The counsel for the defendant are trying to get bail for the prisoner on the ground that he is affected with heart disease, and that imprisonment is very injurious to his health. (Burson was only about 25 years of age at the time.) The news article noted that Judge Kelly has not yet made a decision on the issue of bail. More than three months later, in early January of 1890, the accused murderer Burson was still in jail. By then, the judge continued to refuse bail, but had agreed to let a committee of about 15 physicians examine the prisoner and report the condition of his health back to the court. The Richmond Dispatch, on Jan. 12, reported that the committee of doctors appointed to examine Burson included some who declared the prisoner a right sick man, while others stated he could remain in jail without any deleterious effects.According to a Jan. 17 article published in the Clinch Valley News: That report justified the judge in releasing Burson upon a bond of $30,000. (Compared to 1890 dollars, this amount was close to $900,000 by 2020 currency values.) However, since no material witnesses appeared at the appointed court date, the judge again refused Bursons request for bail and the case was continued to the next term. E.A. Burson did not stand trial before a jury of his peers until early May of 1890. Newspapers of the day reported that the case was moving forward with the selection of jurors. As the examination of witnesses proceeded, Burson even took the stand to insist he had killed Stephen F. Bonham in self-defense. Newspaper accounts, from the beginning of the case to its conclusion, gave no details regarding the death of Stephen Bonham or how it occurred. Public opinion at the time was fragmented. There are those who think he ought to hang and those who think otherwise. It is claimed by some that the prosecution has been badly managed in the case and that if he is acquitted it will be on that account, stated the Chattanooga Daily Times of Tennessee in an article dated May 9, 1890. A gentleman who is in Abingdon sent a special here last night in which states that he is afraid Burson will be acquitted. He was. Knoxvilles Journal & Tribune reported the news on May 13, 1890: Gus Burson was acquitted. The jurors and a large number of persons shook his hand and congratulated him. Oddly enough, the jury had been split eight to four in favor of acquittal earlier in deliberations. The article stated that two jurors had decided to join the eight, followed by the remaining two holdouts eventually agreeing to a not guilty verdict. Their holding out was due to misapprehension as to the instructions of the court, the article stated. In a move that never would be allowed in a modern trial, The jury presented Burson with the pen with which they wrote the verdict. Perhaps all but forgotten in the nearly eight months since his death, was Stephen F. Bonham, the young man who had died at the hand of E.A. Burson. Newspaper reports show that Bonhams father and one of his brothers attended at least one of Bursons early trial appearances in October of 1889. There is no mention of William P. Bonham or other family members attending the May 1890 trial that resulted in Bursons acquittal. Stephen F. Bonham lies buried in Round Hill Cemetery in Marion beneath a small obelisk that is badly aged by time and air pollution. Early newspaper articles described him as being 25 years of age at the time of his death, but his cemetery monument gives his birth date as Dec. 11, 1867, placing his age at the time of his death at only 21 years. His mother was the former Missouri E. Cormany. Bonhams paternal grandparents were Hezekiah and Sarah Kinser Bonham, who were married in Wythe County in 1824. (The authors great-great-grandfather, James Harvey Bonham Sr., was Stephen F. Bonhams paternal uncle and a brother to William P. Bonham.) William P. Bonham, the father of the murdered man, was no stranger to tragedy. His brother, Addison Augustus Bonham (A.A. Bonham), was murdered near Marion in September of 1878 by a man named Alfred Gold or Golds, who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to a year in prison. Eugene Augustus Gus Burson was the son of Major Zachariah L. and Nannie J. Burson. He inherited land in Florida from his father when Zachariah died in 1894 and Burson was living there as late as 1918. He married Maude Garatt. Burson eventually relocated to Marion County, Ohio, where he died and was buried in 1946. William A. Bill Veselik lives in Marion and is an archivist for the F.B. Kegley Library in Wytheville. A California man who admitted to fatally shooting his Longview landlord in 2019 received about 55 years in prison Tuesday in Cowlitz County Superior Court, following tearful statements from the victims sons and a recount of the defendants traumatic life from his attorney. David James Eugene Daniel, 27, pleaded guilty in December 2021, to eight charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, when he admitted to shooting Arthur Mahlum, 73, in the head in the 2000 block of Birch Street in October 2019 and stealing his pickup, bank card and three firearms, according to court records. Stealing a life Mahlums three adult sons spoke at the sentencing, describing their father as a hard-working family man, who often opened his home to people in need. Zac Mahlum said his father once invited a Nepali tour guide he befriended on a trip to live in his home while he settled into the United States. Arthur Mahlum mentored the now-U.S. citizen, his son said, and helped the man get his first job. Chris Mahlum said his father, a military veteran, rented rooms out of his Longview home to people like Daniel, who court records show never finished high school, in order to give them a leg up. But Daniel took advantage of the longtime Weyerhaeuser supervisors generosity, he added. Travis Fryback said Daniel murdered his stepfather in his own bedroom and stole more than just possessions. This person also stole a giving member of the local community, Fryback said. He stole a father of three sons. He stole a grandfather to six kids. Zac Mahlum added his father died before he could attend his wedding or meet his 7-month-old daughter. Cowlitz County Prosecutor Eric Bentson read texts Daniel sent before the murder in which he described his plans. Once the crime was committed, Daniel texted he had smoked someone, Bentson said. Daniel was arrested in California after authorities found Author Mahlums bank card had been used. Court records show Daniel was convicted of two crimes in California: burglary in 2015 and taking a motor vehicle without permission in 2019. Done things differently At the sentencing, Daniel apologized to the family. He said committing the crime, and even moving to Longview from California, was a mistake. I wish I could have done things differently, Daniel said. Im sorry for the family for what occurred. His public defender, Ian Maher, said Daniels life was fraught with trauma before he reached 20 years old, and like people who experience trauma, his pattern of flight-or-fight responses returned in October 2019. Daniel came to Longview for a new lease on life, Maher said, but his views on right and wrong, good and bad were distorted from years of abuse. Maher said his innocence was taken from him at the age of 7 by someone close to Daniel. In his early teens, the state placed Daniel in a home, Maher added, where he was sexually and physically abused. At 16, he decided to be homeless, Maher said, rather than continue to endure the abuse. Eventually a group of skinheads took him in, Maher added. Maher said Daniel ran away from his trauma in California and was running back to California in 2019. I was left with no choices and I felt hopeless, Daniel said. Daniel pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm enhancement, first-degree robbery, motor vehicle theft, second-degree identity theft, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of firearm theft. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 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. Fraud A person in Longview reported around $15,000 was fraudulently cashed using checks from a business. Assault 1600 Louisiana Street, Longview. Monday. Report of possible assault of supervisor by employee. Burglaries 300 block of Hazel Street, Kelso. Monday. Report of sliding door to business broken and tools missing. 100 block of River Ridge Lane, Kalama. Monday. 1300 block of Elm Place, Kelso. Monday. 1300 block of Walnut Street, Kelso. Monday. 2800 block of 30th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Stolen vehicles 1200 block of Maxwell Lane, Kelso. Monday. White Honda Civic. Four-door sedan with black rims. Washington BXM2157. 200 block of Fourth Avenue, Kelso. Monday. Purple 1997 Honda Civic. Washington ACC3441. 1500 block of Commerce Avenue, Longview. Monday. Black 1992 Infiniti. Washington BDD9136. 2500 block of 30th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Silver Volkswagen Jetta. Theft 1600 block of Eighth Avenue, Longview. Monday. Signature stamp. Vandalism/malicious mischief 2100 block of Third Avenue, Kelso. Monday. Report of hearing glass breaking. 900 block of Fourth Avenue, Kelso. Report of windows shot out of Chevrolet Suburban the night before. Vehicle prowls 6100 block of Willow Grove Road, Longview. Monday. 100 block of Camelot Drive, Castle Rock. Monday. 1200 block of 12th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Report of finding a Sawzall and jack under a vehicle after a grinding noise was heard and two suspects left the scene. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 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. Sex offender Longview officers Tuesday arrested Skyler Goldwater, 23, address unknown, on suspicion of failing to register as a sex offender. Criminal impersonation Kelso officers Tuesday arrested Jacob Gregory, 31, of Longview, on suspicion of first-degree criminal impersonation. Assault, harassment Longview officers Tuesday arrested Antonio Guzman, 35, of Longview, on suspicion of second-degree assault, harassment and fourth-degree assault. Drugs, gun Longview officers Tuesday arrested Joshua Roden, 36, of Longview, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamines with the intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a firearm. Assault, protection order Sheriff deputies Tuesday arrested Juan Rodriguez, 44, of Kelso, on suspicion of fourth-degree assault and violating a protection order. Assault 1800 block of Terrace Way, Kelso. Tuesday. Burglary 200 block of Teresa Way, Kelso. Tuesday. Report of residential burglary. Stolen vehicles Rose Valley Road and Old Pacific Highway. Tuesday. Silver 2012 Interstate Trailer with built-in tailgate ramp, 6 feet by 12 feet. Washington 1556WQ. 1200 12th Avenue, Longview. Tuesday. Silver 1997 Honda Civic. 1600 Delaware Street, Longview. White 1995 Toyota 4Runner. Thefts 700 block Lone Oak Road, Longview. Tuesday. Blue 2021 Yamaha TT-R230. Reported to be stolen between Nov. 16 and 23. 1300 block of Seventh Avenue, Kelso. Tuesday. Social Security checks. 300 block of Three Rivers Drive, Kelso. Tuesday. Shoplifting. 1800 block of Washington Way, Longview. Tuesday. Phone and $900. 3200 block of Laurel Road, Longview. Tuesday. Sunglasses and $1,000. 2000 block of 28th Avenue, Longview. Tuesday. Camera footage of shoes being taken off porch. 1200 block of Goerig Street, Woodland. Tuesday. Vandalism/malicious mischief 100 block of Pacific Avenue Spur, Kelso. Tuesday. Report of vandalism to breaker box. 500 block of Oregon Way, Longview. Tuesday. 1800 block of Schurman Way, Woodland. Tuesday. Report of gas line cut on work vehicle. Vehicle prowl 200 block of 20th Avenue, Longview. Tuesday. Report of man trying to open car doors. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Kelso School Board started the new year with a look to safety as the school board passed updates to school emergency, health and safety policies Monday night. The district emergency policy update refreshed older language and clearly laid out each step to be taken in the event of evacuations, lockdowns, shelter-in-place situations, earthquakes, fires, pandemics and bomb threats. A plan for reuniting students with their families and notifying families of emergencies also was included in the updates. School resource officers and other school safety staff saw changes to training requirements under new state law, and that are reflected in changes to the district school resource officer policy passed by the board. Chief Financial and Operations Officer Scott Westlund said state law now requires the districts security officer gets training along with the school resource officer from the Kelso Police Department. That training includes sections on constitutional and civil rights of children, child and adolescent development, trauma-informed approaches to working with youth, youth mental health issues, the relationship of disability to behavior, collateral consequences of arrest or court involvement, resources in the community for youth, local and national disparities in the use of force and arrest of children, de-escalation techniques, bias-free policing and restorative justice principles. Westlund said the district already started that training this year. Other changes to the policy include broadening language beyond just the school resource officer to include all safety and security staff and a compliant resolution process that starts with a formal, written complaint to the district. The policy also includes annual data collection and reporting on all incidents that result in discipline, use of force or arrest. The policy on student fees, fines and charges also was modified in line with new state guidance that students with outstanding fees cannot have their grades or transcripts withheld, only their diplomas. Director of Student Services Don Iverson reminded parents and staff that despite recent updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changing quarantine lengths, the schools still are following the Washington State Department of Health and older lengths until further notice. Its confusing how the new CDC guidelines apply to schools, he said. Were still waiting for guidance. He said he thinks the state will have clearer instructions for schools by the end of the week and reminded parents to reach out to heath-care providers or the schools with questions. We know the next couple days will be a little confusing, as we have two different systems and will be following Department of Health older guidelines, not the CDC, he said. Parents can help schools stay open and safe by being in tune with their bodies and childrens health. If kids are sick, they need to stay home or get tested at school testing centers, Iverson said. Those centers in Kelso are averaging 25 to 30 walk-ins from teachers or others in the schools per day, he said, on top of required testing for athletes. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. You are here: World Flash The police in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday said on Tuesday that two militants were killed in a gunfight in the region. The gunfight, according to the police, broke out at village Okay of Kulgam district, about 80 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Today a gunfight broke out at village Okay in which two militants were gunned down," a police official said. The operation, according to the police, was launched on a specific intelligence operation suggesting the presence of militants. The police said the government forces have not suffered any damage in the stand-off. On Monday two militants were killed in Srinagar. There has been a surge in the gunfights in the region over the past two weeks. Daryle Artley, of Woodland, was 21 years old when he was killed at Pearl Harbor. Nearly 80 years later, his remains have come home. Artley was a U.S. Navy quartermaster second class when he was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma. The battleship was stationed off Ford Island at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when it was struck by eight torpedoes within 10 minutes quickly causing it to capsize. Artley died in the attack and was placed in an unmarked grave until modern forensic science identified his body in 2019. An intimate group of family members and local veterans organizations gathered Monday in Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver to honor the fallen sailor at a repatriation service. Adam Dunn, Artleys great-nephew, attended the ceremony with his wife, mother and children. He said seeing Artley brought home re-established a sense of relief for his family. Although Artleys descendants never knew him, Dunn gained an understanding of what his great-uncle was like. Through family accounts, Dunn learned Artley could do it all: play music, dance and play sports. He was a golden boy. It was comforting to know he would be buried next to his parents, Maude and Robert, Dunn said. Artleys journey home originally was scheduled for May 2020, but was delayed because of flight restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. He officially was brought back to the Pacific Northwest on Dec. 31. The Navy honor guard paid tribute to Artley and was joined by local veterans organizations. Motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard Riders bore American flags and saluted Artley and his family. Members from the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors attended the service on behalf of family members from other Pearl Harbor service members. If we can make the small sacrifice to be out here on a rainy day to see the internment of one of my shipmates come back home is well worth it, Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors Chaplain Anne Beaton said. Penny Ross, secretary of SDPHS, said losing someone and never knowing where they are is devastating for the fallen service members family. The descendants of Pearl Harbor military personnel aim to ensure others dont forget the sacrifices the sailors and soldiers made to uphold democracy, she said. The overwhelming respect and support the local organizations showed for Artley made Dunn emotional. Until (that day), theyve never even heard the mans name, he said. The sailor Artley was born in Maywood, Nebraska, and moved to Woodland when he was a teenager. He and his younger brother, Richard, both served in the U.S. Navy with their friend Francis Dick. All the men were from Woodland and served aboard the USS Oklahoma. Only Richard survived. Out of more than 1,200 crew members, Artley and 428 other men were killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma. In the years following the attack, those who died were buried in the Halawa and Nuuanu cemeteries in Honolulu. Only 41 crewmen were identified and had marked graves. The rest, including Artley, were buried without anyone knowing their names and were placed in plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. They remained in the unmarked graves, in a place that wasnt home. However, the Department of Defense approved a disinterment of the crew members in 2015; this time, forensic scientists were able to discover new identities through modern DNA technology. Out of the 394 left to be identified, 346 were given back their names. Artley was one of them. For him to finally come home is wonderful, Ross said. At least this is a closure to today. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 China Mobile was removed from the New York Stock Exchange following an executive order by former president Donald Trump. China Mobile shares ended with slight gains on Wednesday in their debut on the Shanghai stock exchange after the telecoms giant was delisted in New York as tensions soared between Beijing and Washington. The stock had jumped as much as 9.4 percent at the start of tradingedging toward the 10 percent limit that triggers a trading halt in Chinabefore steadily falling back through the day. It ended at 57.88 yuan, a gain of 0.52 percent. The share issue is expected to raise $8.8 billion after the company exercises an over-allotment option, Bloomberg News said, making it the largest on China's domestic stock markets in more than a decade. China's biggest wireless carrier by revenue was removed from the New York Stock Exchange last year along with fellow state-owned telecoms firms China Telecom and China Unicom. That followed an executive order by former president Donald Trump banning Americans from investing in a range of companies deemed to be supplying or supporting China's military and security apparatus. China Mobile has said funds raised through the flotation will go towards building 5G infrastructure, as well as "smart home" projects and other initiatives. Some of China's biggest tech and telecom firms listed on US stock markets in recent decades as they sought access to funding on more developed capital markets. But the tide turned as tensions between Beijing and Washington soared in recent years. China's government has been encouraging companies to list on domestic exchanges as part of a push to keep big tech players closer to home and develop the country's capital markets. China Telecom, the country's biggest fixed-line operator, debuted in Shanghai last August after raising $7.3 billion in its IPO. China Unicom has listed shares of a subsidiary in Shanghai since 2002. In October, US officials told China Mobile to discontinue its services in the country, ending nearly two decades of operations, in a move that Beijing called "malicious suppression" of Chinese companies. The US Federal Communications Commission said the firm's "ownership and control by the Chinese government raise significant national security and law enforcement risks". Explore further China Mobile gets nod for Shanghai debut after US delisting 2022 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain A portfolio of 44 battery storage systems across San Diego County aimed at adding more emissions-free energy to California's electric grid is about to roll out, with one location in Chula Vista and another in El Cajon poised to break ground within the next month. EnerSmart Storage, a renewable energy company based in San Diego, will design, construct and operate the systems. When completed, 12 sites across the county will enhance grid reliability and increase energy efficiency. The entire portfolio will account for 165 megawatts and 336 megawatt-hours of battery storage electricityenough to power 110,000 homes for two hours. "We're super excited about it just because it's something that is really helping the growth of renewable energy," said EnerSmart managing partner James Beach, who said the portfolio will assist the San Diego Gas & Electric distribution system. "It's helping local residents and businesses by having this backup power available." The El Cajon site is one of two locations that will deploy zinc battery storage technology manufactured by EOS Energy. The Chula Vista location is one of 10 sites that will use lithium-iron phosphate batteries made by BYD, a multinational based in China whose North American headquarters is in downtown Los Angeles. BYD's iron phosphate batteries are considered less flammable than the widely used lithium-ion batteries often seen in electric vehicles and utility-scale battery storage systems. The North American Development Bank and Siemens Financial Services have provided the financing for the BYD projects for EnerSmart. Beach said the total loan is $90 million to $100 million. "We're really excited to have these projects going and having strong banks behind us to help put them together," Beach said. The North American Development Bank, based in San Antonio, Texas, and known as the NADB for short, is a binational institution established by the U.S. and Mexican governments to finance environmental and energy infrastructure projects that are located within 60 miles of the border. According to the NABD, the San Diego energy storage project will displace the emissions of 31,100 metric tons of carbon per year. "The new battery storage project helps meet current infrastructure needs and contributes to increasing our global competitiveness and transition to a green economy," San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Jerry Sanders said in a statement. "We applaud the bank's commitment." The El Cajon and Chula Vista locations are scheduled to begin commercial operations April 1. Beach said he hopes all 12 sites in the portfolio will be up and running by the end of 2023. The locations with the biggest systems will be in Ramona, which will store 39 megawatts and 78 megawatt-hours of electricity, and Rancho Penasquitos, storing 30 megawatts and 60 megawatt-hours. Both will use BYD's iron phosphate batteries. Energy storage is taking on a larger role in California's power mix. Under the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, 60 percent of California's electricity must come from renewable sources by 2030. By 2045, if not earlier, 100 percent must come from carbon-free sources. Solar production in California is so abundant during the day that the California Independent System Operator, the nonprofit that manages the grid for about 80 percent of the state, often has to send the excess to adjacent states like Arizona or curtail it all together. But when the sun goes down, solar production disappears. Storage can help solve the problem by taking that excess solar generation, saving it via batteries or other means and then sending it to the grid at night, or at other times when the electric system needs it. Any extra megawatts can also come in handy when the grid comes under extreme stress due to increased demandmost often seen in California when extreme heat waves lead consumers to crank up their air conditioners. If things get dire, grid operators have to consider instituting rotating power outages, as they did in August 2020. California accounted for 506 megawatts of battery storage power capacitythe maximum amount of power batteries can discharge at a given momentas of December 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration. That's by the far the largest amount of any state in the nation. In the aftermath of the 2020 rolling blackouts, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered power companies to accelerate the deployment of more battery storage projects, as part of a larger mission to ensure there is adequate electricity to meet demand. Critics of energy storage point to their relatively high cost compared to conventional sources of power. In the early 1990s, for example, lithium-ion battery projects cost about $10,000 per kilowatt-hour. Prices have gone down dramatically, though, and earlier this year an analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory projected storage costs for four-hour systems ranging from $143 per kilowatt-hour to $248 by 2030. The industry's breakthrough price is generally considered to be about $100 per kilowatt-hour. Beach of EnerSmart estimated the price for the San Diego portfolio will come to about $300 per kilowatt-hour. 2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The guard of honour of the Swiss Army stands ready for the arrival of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at the Lohn residence of the Swiss government in Kehrsatz, Switzerland, Sept. 18, 2020. The Swiss army has ordered its ranks to stop using foreign instant-messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram for official communications, opting for a Swiss alternative in part over concerns about legislation in Washington that governs how U.S. authorities can access information held by tech companies. Army leaders called for use of the Swiss instant messaging service Threema, and a promotion for the service was posted Dec. 29, 2021 on the Swiss army's page on Facebookwhich, like WhatsApp, is owned by the U.S. company now known as Meta. Credit: Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP, file The Swiss army has told its ranks to stop using foreign instant-messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram for official communications. Instead, it's opting for a Swiss alternativein part over concerns about legislation in Washington that governs how U.S. authorities can access information held by tech companies. Army leaders, in a letter to top commanders last month, called for use of the Swiss instant messaging service Threema, and a promotion for the service was posted Dec. 29 on the Swiss army's page on Facebook, which, like WhatsApp, is owned by the U.S. company now known as Meta. Officials have cited an enhanced need for secure communications as Swiss soldiers have fanned out to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Alpine country. A letter sent to army chiefs last month said Threema "must be used for all service communications," adding that "no other messaging service will be authorized." Army spokeswoman Delphine Schwab-Allemand, in an e-mail on Wednesday confirming reports on the issue in Swiss media, seemed to soften the army's position, saying that there was a "recommendation" that troops use Threema. It took effect on Jan. 1. She added that the army cannot and does not want to tell troops to use a particular app on their private devices. As Threema is a Swiss-based company, information it holds isn't subject to the U.S. Cloud Act, she said, referring to legislation passed in a 2018 spending bill that governs how U.S. authorities can get electronic communications held by technology companies. Some leading privacy groups opposed it. The Swiss army says the Threema app adheres to regulations in Europe about data protection. Unlike many other messaging services, Threema doesn't require users to provide a phone number or email address. The Swiss army said it will reimburse soldiers for the 4-franc (about $4.40) annual cost for use of the Swiss app. 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Orlando restaurateur Robert Earl plans to offer eateries a chance to serve a delivery-only menu based on trends from the popular short video app TikTok in 2022, just the latest twist in the growing virtual restaurant trend. Virtual restaurants offer menus that existing restaurants can add with different names on delivery apps such as Uber Eats without the expense of additional physical space for a new business. Expected to launch in March, TikTok Kitchen's menu will be based on viral food from TikTok, including baked feta pasta and Korean hot dogs. Earl said the intent is to switch out menu items based on new trends from the app. Earl said TikTok Kitchen solves the problem of how to market virtual restaurants. TikTok has more than a billion users globally. "This answers some of the ... outstanding questions about the longevity of virtual," Earl said in an interview. "How do we have something that keeps your interest and is ever-changing? And how do we have a brand that even though it doesn't have any what we call brick-and-mortar physical buildings, that you feel attached to it?" Earl isn't alone in creating new virtual restaurants even as people are starting to eat out more again after opting to stay home for much of the pandemic. Winter Park-based Tijuana Flats recently launched its own Smack Wings virtual restaurant. Earl's Orlando company, Virtual Dining Concepts, has several virtual restaurants including NASCAR Refuel and MrBeast Burger where the food is prepared at Earl's restaurants such as Buca di Beppo or at eateries owned by others. TikTok Kitchen will be the latest entry in that vein. Earl anticipates having it in about 300 restaurants across the country on opening day, and eventually 2,000 in the United States and Canada. It will be available on delivery apps such as Grubhub. The Orlando area could start with four restaurants offering TikTok Kitchen. Earl said TikTok and delivery apps share an audience. "They actually have an identical profile, not even similar, identical," Earl said. "They're the most desired audiences for the third-party platforms. They're the most frequent users of delivery." Earl said his most successful virtual restaurant so far has been MrBeast Burger, a partnership with YouTube celebrity Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast. Earl said the brand is in 1,500 restaurants and served more than 5 million burgers and sandwiches in its first year. "It's an amazing achievement," Earl said. Elsewhere, Tijuana Flats launched its Smack Wings virtual restaurant in November, which is now in 105 company restaurants and 18 franchise locations. The delivery-only wings menu features 10 sauces and rubs from traditional Buffalo to Thai sweet and spicy on apps DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates and Bite Squad. It is Tijuana Flats' first virtual restaurant as the company sticks its toes in the water, CEO Brian Wright said. "The world of virtual brands really exploded over the last 12 to 24 months," Wright said. Tijuana Flats expected third-party delivery business would slow coming out of the pandemic, but it has only increased, Wright said. For just Tijuana Flats, third-party delivery was in the neighborhood of 5% to 7% of business when Wright arrived in 2019, but now he said it is in excess of 20% and closer to 25%. "People just got used to this as a way of life," Wright said. Earl, who is also behind Planet Hollywood and other national brands, points to the growth in delivery before the pandemic as well as its projected growth. "When I look at the complete picture, online delivery is the fastest-growing sector by far of our restaurant industry," Earl said. "I think that the virtual side is the big growth area. ... My view is it continues to grow. If anyone is going to suffer it might be one less meal that you cook yourself." Earl added his brands have partners that can market the menus to their audiences. MrBeast has more than 86 million YouTube subscribers. Earl said his Orlando-based Virtual Dining Concepts has more than 100 employees. "I think I reflect the confidence in the space from very sophisticated investors," Earl said. More restaurants were opening before the onset of coronavirus, and they all needed extra sales, Earl said. Virtual restaurants are a way to generate that business. Virtual restaurants have thrust the industry deeper into the internet age, he said. "I think that the digitization in the restaurant, hospitality industry has been slower than most other industries," Earl said. "It's arrived now, and one of the beauties is what it's done for restaurants on delivery." Explore further Online ordering boom gives rise to virtual restaurants 2021 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. South Hills (15301) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 47F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chow Hang-tung jailed for 15 months for incitement of unauthorized assembly in Hong Kong Xinhua) 08:36, January 05, 2022 HONG KONG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chow Hang-tung, former head of a disbanded anti-China group in Hong Kong, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly in Hong Kong last year. Chow, former vice-chair of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, was convicted and handed down the sentence on Tuesday at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. She incited and called on people to participate in an unauthorized assembly through her articles published on social media from May 29 to June 4, 2021, according to the court. Ten months of Chow's prison term in her fresh sentence are to be served separately to an earlier sentence for another two cases, meaning she will spend a total of 22 months behind bars. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) Flash What the United States really cares about is no more than the rules that meet its needs and serve its interests, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. According to reports, the Iranian public recently gathered at events to honor Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed in a U.S. airstrike two years ago. Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) previously condemned the U.S. assassination as an act of state terrorism. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the people responsible should face justice for their actions. In response, spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a news briefing that the assassination of Qassem Soleimani is another example of how the United States has wantonly undermined the norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter. It is also one of the war crimes the United States has committed through abuse of force. The United States could go as far as performing the "targeted killing" of a sovereign state's military leader through terrorist means in violation of international law, and also killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians around the world. All these illegal and brutal acts in the eyes of people around the world have been hidden by the United States behind the facade of "the rules-based international order" as it claims, Wang said. He stressed that the United States repeats the mantra of "upholding the rules-based international order," but facts have proved time and again that what the U.S. side really cares about is no more than the rules that meet its needs and serve its interests. "What it is committed to is nothing but an order that maintains the U.S. hegemony and enables it to override the international community. But such rules and order that violate international law will not be accepted by the people in Iran, the Middle East and the rest of the world," Wang said. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Brazos County topped 1,000 for the first time since October on Friday, with county health officials reporting 305 new cases. It was the highest number of new cases reported in a single day in Brazos County since Oct. 6. County health officials reported 850 new cases of COVID-19 this week. The number of active cases in the county, at 1,008 on Friday, has more than tripled in the past nine days. Health officials said 1,269 cases of the virus reported by health care systems and testing centers were awaiting confirmation Friday. Brazos County officials have confirmed 34,697 cases of COVID-19 in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020. Officials with the Brazos County Health District said 33,321 cases were considered recovered as of Friday; health officials classify all cases older than two weeks as recovered. Twenty Brazos County residents were hospitalized Friday 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 7.2% on Wednesday, the last date for which figures were reported. Other counties in the Brazos Valley region are Burleson, Robertson, Grimes, Madison, Washington and Leon. There were 39 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the seven-county Brazos Valley region Thursday, with eight new patients admitted in the past 24 hours, according to the Department of State Health Services. Four COVID-19 patients were on ventilators in the region, and there were no intensive care unit beds available in the region. Of the 542 staffed hospital beds in the region, 69 were available Thursday, according to state figures. Across the state, 5,523 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized Thursday. Brazos Countys positivity rate the percent of positive cases to tests was 7.92% on Friday. Health officials said 438,160 tests for COVID-19 had been administered by Brazos County health care providers since the pandemic began. There were no new probable COVID-19 cases reported in Brazos County on Friday. To date, health officials have reported 5,840 total probable cases. To date, 368 Brazos County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to health department figures. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19 last week, his campaign said Monday. In a short news release, Patrick senior adviser Allen Blakemore said the lieutenant governor experienced mild symptoms and tested positive for the virus last week but has subsequently tested negative and is completing his quarantine period. "His symptoms were mild and no one else in the household was infected," Blakemore said. "He continues working from home and will return to a public schedule by the end of the week." The release did not say what day Patrick received the positive test or why it was not disclosed earlier. When Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 in August, his office disclosed that information the same day. Abbott isolated at the Governor's Mansion and received Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment. His office notified everyone he'd been in close contact with. Abbott had attended a "standing room only" campaign event in Collin County the night before his positive test. Four days after later, Abbott tested negative and credited his vaccination for keeping the infection "brief and mild." Patrick tweeted in November that he was vaccinated and encouraged "others to do their own research." Like Abbott, his public statements have been more focused on fighting mandates than promoting immunization. Patrick's infection came as the state was running out sotrovimab, the only monoclonal antibody treatment known to be effective against the omicron variant, and Abbott called on federal authorities to send more doses of the treatment to the state and open up new COVID-19 testing sites. Texas is in the midst of an omicron surge that began last month. As of Wednesday, the state's positivity rate was 26.5%. During the height of the pandemic, state officials had said a positivity rate of more than 10% was cause for concern. Differently drawn political districts are destined to impact state elections in 2023, but current lawmakers have time to decide how they might react to newly overlapping territories. Sens. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, and David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, have served together for more than five years in the state Senate, but that coexistence is at odds with new district maps approved last week by the Virginia Supreme Court. Both legislators now live in the new Senate District 4. With a 60-day lawmaking session set to start Jan. 12, Suetterlein, who turns 37 this week, said in a written statement Thursday that now is no time for announcements regarding elections almost two years away. But I hope to continue to serve our community, and am preparing accordingly, Suetterlein said in the statement. And although Im a Realtor, that does not include plans to put my home on the market. According to Virginia law, elected state senators and members of the House of Delegates must live in the district they serve. Edwards did not respond to a request for comment on whether he might choose to run in 2023. Edwards, a 78-year-old attorney, has served in the Virginia Senate since 1996. Also, Dels. Austin Terry and Chris Head, both Botetourt County Republicans, are grouped into the new House of Delegates District 37. Though both will serve out their presently elected terms for former House Districts 19 and 17, respectively, neither delegate has indicated whether he might run in 2023. In similar straits is a pair of first-term lawmakers, Del.-elect Marie March, R-Floyd, and Del.-elect Wren Williams, R-Patrick, whose home counties now share common ground in the new House District 47. Neither of them responded to The Roanoke Times requests for comment last week. With plenty of time for incumbents to decide where or if they will file next for another term in office, political scientists across the state are making sense of what the new electoral districts mean for Virginia voters. Though voters in 2020 elected for a commission to take charge of redistricting Virginias 11 U.S. congressional districts and 140 Virginia General Assembly districts, the resulting 16-member panel spent most of 2021 in partisan deadlock. As a result, the once-per-decade job of redistricting, which in years past was left up to elected politicians, fell to Virginia Supreme Court justices, who appointed two special masters to draw maps that define the states electoral districts through 2030. At Hollins University, Edward Lynch is a professor and chair of political science. He said that in the special masters own words, they created maps that slightly favor Democrats. They seem to have been working on the presumption that Virginia is a solid blue state and trending in that direction, but the most recent election results in Virginia were anything but, Lynch said during a phone call Thursday. It was a clean sweep for the Republicans in the statewide races, taking over the House of Delegates. While the blue trend might have appeared true using 2020 data, Virginia voters turned out quite differently in 2021. In that regard, people will find the maps are outdated, Lynch said. The minute theyre issued, theyre out of date, he said. Its kind of like buying a new computer. That immediate obsolescence highlights what a difficult job it is to determine which voters share political districts. Redistricting is a monstrously complex project, Lynch said. Because it is so complex, its almost impossible to keep political considerations out of it. If identifying and deciding on communities of interest is not difficult enough on its own, districts must also include roughly the same number of constituents. We have not killed gerrymandering. Redrawing district lines is an inherently and unavoidably political process. It always has been, Lynch said. The only difference between this year and other years is that the people who are creating the district lines are completely unaccountable to the people of Virginia. For that reason, Lynch said he is less concerned about gerrymandering, and more interested in accountability for the people who decide political boundaries. In this case, Virginia Supreme Court justices and court-appointed experts are not elected by voters. I dont know that the politicians did a demonstrably worse job of drawing lines than the experts and the judges did, Lynch said. 10 years ago, they didnt strike me as being obviously gerrymandered to favor one party or the other. Another political scientist, Mark Rozell, is dean of the policy and government school at George Mason University. He said during a phone call Thursday that the two special masters who drew this decades map did well to create compact districts and avoid incumbent interests. In the past, there was so much emphasis on protecting the people who are already in office. These two individuals who took control of the process apparently didnt think about that, Rozell said. They were more concerned with creating compact communities of interest than they were in the effects on incumbents. In other states, nonpartisan redistricting commissions have successfully redrawn political maps, Rozell said, listing Iowa as an example. So why did Virginias inaugural redistricting commission fail, and what could be done differently in the next decade? Where the Virginia case went south is in allowing incumbent legislators and other partisans to be a part of the nonpartisan redistricting commission, Rozell said. That was just a bad idea to begin with. It went against the spirit of the principle of having a nonpartisan commission. In my view, it was destined to fail. At the congressional level, Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, will again live just outside the boundaries of the 9th Congressional District he represents, but there is no law specifying federal officials must reside in their elected district. Griffith lived in the 6th District when he was first elected in 2010, Lynch said. Neither Lynch nor Rozell expected much difference to come from redistricting in Southwest Virginias 6th and 9th Congressional Districts, both of which tend to vote overwhelmingly Republican. The town of Rocky Mount is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a former police officer was forced to resign after supporting two female employees who said they were harassed by the police chief. Justin Smith failed to state specific allegations to support his claim of retaliation, James Daniel, an attorney for the town, wrote in court papers. At a scheduling conference Monday, Judge Michael Urbanski set a hearing of Jan. 10 on the motion. Not long after Smith went to work for the police department in 2017, he learned that then-police chief Ken Criner had made terribly inappropriate and offensive comments concerning female employees, he claimed in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke. Among the allegations: Criner used derogatory terms for the women, said he wanted to get rid of them so he could hire some hotties, and accused one of them who was suffering from an aggressive form of breast cancer of taking advantage of sick leave. Smith complained to his superiors and helped the employees file complaints with the town officials and discrimination charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In asking that the lawsuit be dismissed, the town did not address the underlying allegations against Criner. Instead, it argued that Smith failed to make sufficient claims that would allow the case to move forward under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The plaintiff merely submits naked assertions without providing the actual factual basis legally required, Daniel wrote. Criner who was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit was placed on administrative leave for five weeks, two of them without pay. He retired last September after seven years as police chief and more than 30 years in law enforcement. Smiths attorney, Terry Grimes, argues that Criner retaliated against Smith after he came to suspect that the officer was behind the complaints involving the treatment of the two female employees, who worked in the departments records division. On May 20, 2020, he suspended overtime pay for employees, which resulted in a loss of income for Smith, the lawsuit states. At the same time, the town said in a letter to the complaining employees that its investigation of the case had been costly. Ten days later, The Roanoke Times published a story detailing the complaints against Criner, which until then were not publicly known. The town manager suspected that Smith was a source for the newspaper, the lawsuit alleges, and two days later Criner demoted him as an investigator and reassigned him to patrol duty. Smith left the department the following month as a result of the harassment and retaliation, according to the lawsuit. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Zhaparov, on Wednesday exchanged congratulations on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In his message, Xi pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, China and Kyrgyzstan have always upheld the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, as well as win-win cooperation, and achieved rapid development of bilateral relations. The two countries, he added, have reached a new height of their comprehensive strategic partnership, and set a good example for the international community in fostering a new type of international relations. The development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations not only benefits the two countries and their people, but also contributes to peace and stability in Central Asia, Xi said. Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations, and stands ready to maintain close contact with Zhaparov and further promote bilateral ties. He suggested that the two sides take the 30th anniversary as a new starting point to enhance their strategic mutual trust, deepen Belt and Road cooperation, and lift the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels. In his message, Zhaparov said that in the past 30 years, the two countries have successfully established a comprehensive strategic partnership and made remarkable achievements in cooperation in various fields. The Chinese government has provided important support for Kyrgyzstan's efforts to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, he noted. Zhaparov also thanked Xi for his personal attention to the development of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership, saying that he is ready to work with China to further deepen bilateral ties, and spare no effort to consolidate and expand bilateral cooperation. A Lincoln man who assaulted a Grand Island Police officer and a hospital worker as he resisted arrest in April has been sentenced to three to five years in jail. On Dec. 15, Hall County District Court Judge Teresa Luther sentenced Seith Wiemers to three to five years for first-degree criminal attempt at assault on a peace officer. He also was sentenced to 24 to 30 months each for strangulation, third-degree assault of an officer or health care professional, criminal attempt at escape and for criminal attempt at second-degree assault. The sentences will be served concurrently. Wiemers was given credit for 215 days on the strangulation offense, 208 days for the criminal attempt at second-degree assault and 250 days on the other crimes. The individuals were assaulted when Wiemers resisted arrest following a case of domestic assault on April 15. GIPD reported Wiemers, now 28, resisted arrest both at 2208 Grand Island Ave., and at CHI Health St. Francis. Wiemers entered and remained in the residence on Grand Island Avenue where his former girlfriend lives. Before entering the residence, Wiemers threatened to assault the woman and attempted to steal her property. When officers attempted to contact Wiemers in the residence, he fled by jumping from a second-story window and running. After he was captured, GIPD indicated, Wiemers struck an officer in the face, fracturing his orbital socket and giving him a concussion. He also pushed medical machinery at hospital staff members. The court affidavit shows Wiemers assaulted officer Chrystian Banuelos and a hospital worker and attempted to assault investigator Ryan Sullivan. Last year, Nebraska farmers produced more than 1.8 billion bushels of corn and 344 million bushels of soybeans. There are many factors that go into producing a good crop. Along with good management practices, moisture, weather, fertilizers also are an important contributor to the success of any crop. Fertilizers provide crops with nutrients like potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen allow crops to grow bigger, faster, and to produce more food. But a large rise in fertilizer prices going into the new planting year could affect both farmers and input suppliers, according to a recent report from CoBanks Knowledge Exchange. CoBank reports that fertilizer prices are expected to remain elevated throughout the 2022 planting season. The report also suggests that while U.S. soybean acres will rise nominally compared to 2021 as a result of higher fertilizer prices, the total volume of soybean acres will not exceed corn acres in 2022. Soybeans are rich in nitrogen. The sharp rise in fertilizer prices has fueled speculation about a major acreage shift away from corn, said Kenneth Scott Zuckerberg, lead grain and farm supply economist with CoBank. Zuckerberg is skeptical about the shift away from corn, though. One factor for that, he said, is demand for corn among U.S. ethanol producers is expected to remain strong this year. Nebraska is the nations second leading producer of ethanol with more than 40% of the states corn crop going in to making ethanol. CoBank reported that farmers and their input suppliers are concerned about high fuel prices, shortages of agrochemicals due to COVID-related disruptions, along with the rising price of fertilizer. CoBank said several factors have played a role in affecting the supply-demand imbalance for fertilizers, such as nitrogen production shocks, tight global supplies, rising natural gas input costs, and steady demand are pushing up prices. CoBank said fertilizer export restrictions by China and Russia, and countervailing tariffs on urea ammonium nitrate solution imports to the United States from Russia (as well as Trinidad and Tobago), combined with economic sanctions placed on potash imports from Belorussia. The American Farm Bureau Federation said fertilizer is a global commodity and can be influenced by many market factors beyond the control of U.S. producers as 44% of all fertilizer materials are exported to a different country and can affect fertilizer prices as fertilizer production is not only influenced by what is occurring where it is produced or the cost of production in that country, but also affected by the numerous other countries demanding fertilizer products and the transportation rates to get the fertilizer to its final destination. Two-thirds of global fertilizer demand is driven primarily by six crops. Globally, corn represents about 16% of the farm-use fertilizer demand, with wheat a close second, representing about 15% of global farm-use fertilizer demand. Rice represents about 14% of global farm-use fertilizer demand, followed by vegetables at 9%, fruits at 7% and soybeans at 5%. As a large producer of corn, soybeans and wheat, Farm Bureau said the U.S. is a large consumer of fertilizer, though with increased technology and innovation for on-farm products, the use of fertilizer in the U.S. has decreased, despite increased planted acres of these crops. Corn represents about 49% of the share of U.S. nutrient use, while wheat accounts for about 11% and soybeans account for 10%. Cumulatively, those three crops account for about 70% of U.S. fertilizer consumption. In the 1960s, the U.S. accounted for 25% of global nutrient use. Today, the U.S. only accounts for about 10% of global use, with U.S. farmers representing only 2% of that share. According to the Farm Bureau, the U.S. is the third-largest producer of fertilizer globally, however, it still requires the importation of all three nutrients, especially nitrogen and potash, to fully meet demand. This means that U.S. fertilizer dealers and U.S. producers are required to pay the price defined by the global market for fertilizer and fertilizer materials, plus transportation. The U.S. is not a major fertilizer exporter. The U.S. holds a share of about 4.6% of the nitrogen exports, ranking seventh. Russia is first, with a share of 16.5% of exported nitrogen, followed by China with about 11.2% of a share in nitrogen exports, and Saudi Arabia, which holds a share of 6.4% of nitrogen exports. Natural gas is the primary building block for most nitrogen fertilizers, according to Farm Bureau. It takes about 33 million metric British thermal units (MMBtu) per material ton of ammonia to make the conversion. This accounts for 70% to 90% of the production variable costs in the synthesis process. According to Farm Bureau, fertilizer prices are expected to remain high through springtime, which may compel some farmers to shift planted acres away from corn to commodities that use fertilizer at a lower rate, like soybeans or wheat. Farm Bureau reported that with the price of ammonia about 85% correlated with the price of corn, farmers must consider whether the increased cost of fertilizer and other inputs can be recovered by cash receipts from crop revenues in order to break even. Farm Bureau also said there are expectations retailers will have to turn customers away because they will not be able to deliver fertilizer products on time, increasing the need for supply chain and infrastructure improvements. Farm Bureau said fertilizer costs account for approximately 15% of total cash costs in the U.S. All major crop production nutrients have experienced increased prices when compared to September 2020: ammonia has increased more than 210%; liquid nitrogen has increased more than 159%; urea is up 155%; MAP has increased 125%; DAP is up over 100%; and potash has risen above 134%. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Nebraska lawmakers are expected to spend much of the 60-day session deliberating how to spend more than $1 billion in federal stimulus money. On the first day of the 2022 lawmaking session, senators began crowding around the funding spigot with their ideas of how to spend what some have called "once-in-a-lifetime" money. The projects ranged from helping pay for new University of Nebraska facilities, providing grants to farmers and ranchers, retaining teachers and furthering cancer research. Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg, who is running for the NU Board of Regents to represent western Nebraska, introduced a bill (LB703) appropriating $25 million in federal funds for an "agricultural innovation facility" to be built at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln. That facility, which NU President Ted Carter said could become home to the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Agriculture if approved, would serve as a companion to a 100,000-square-foot U.S. Department of Agricultural Research Center approved by Congress. Williams' bill stipulates the funds would not be appropriated unless NU provided a match, either from private donations or other sources. Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann also sponsored legislation (LB721) requesting $60 million in federal stimulus funds to help establish a University of Nebraska Medical Center Rural Health Complex in Kearney. NU has pledged to raise $25 million in private funds to support what Carter has called "UNMC West," which would be located at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward introduced a bill (LB766) with 20 co-sponsors requesting $15 million for pancreatic cancer research at UNMC. Kolterman's wife, Suzanne, died of pancreatic cancer in 2017. Several senators sponsored bills designating money for agriculture. Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams wants to appropriate $10 million to expand precision agriculture in Nebraska (LB761) by creating a grant program for farmers wishing to expand the use of wireless equipment, or deploy smarter irrigation and livestock systems, or use drones. Dorn also requested a $5 million appropriation of federal funds to the Department of Health and Human Services (LB760) for the purchase of one-time equipment like ambulances, defibrillators and other lifesaving-equipment for rural rescue squads. Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth introduced a bill (LB755) that would direct $10 million to the Department of Agriculture to help small and midsize meat processors expand their operations. A $75 million grant program (LB783) proposed by Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte would help pay for construction of new beef slaughter and packing plants. Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue sponsored a bill (LB696) to appropriate an unspecified amount of stimulus money to the Nebraska Department of Education to help retain educators across the state. Kolterman entered a bill (LB699) to direct $100 million to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development "for enhancing innovation and technology infrastructure." Other legislation introduced on Wednesday: CONSENT: Blood sponsored a bill (LB692) creating a civil penalty for individuals who did not receive verbal consent to remove a condom during sexual intercourse. ALTEN: The Bellevue senator also sponsored two bills in response to the environmental crisis at AltEn, the ethanol plant near Mead that used pesticide treated seed as a biofuel source. The first (LB694) extends the statute of limitations for action to be brought following injuries or deaths caused by toxic chemicals, while the second (LB695) would prohibit cities and counties from granting conditional use permits to property owners who are delinquent on their property taxes. GLUCOSE MONITORING: Kolterman sponsored a bill (LB698) adding glucose monitoring devices to the list of devices covered by Medicaid. TAX INCREMENT FINANCING: Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk introduced a bill (LB713) prohibiting TIF from being used in redevelopment projects where a casino or licensed horse racing track is going to be built. ABORTION ACCESS: Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt sponsored a bill (LB715) ending the prohibition of insurance coverage for abortion care, as well as legislation (LB716) allowing qualified medical practitioners to perform abortions. ABORTION RESTRICTIONS: Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling brought a bill (LB781) banning abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected during an ultrasound. LINE OF DUTY: The compensation for public safety officers killed in the line of duty in 2022 would be raised from $50,000 to $250,000, under a bill (LB717) from Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld. TAX DEDUCTION FOR RENTERS: Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington entered a bill (LB740) giving renters an income tax deduction equal to rent paid on their primary residence up to $3,000. MARRIAGE LICENSES: Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh sponsored a bill (LB745) removing reference to "husband" and "wife" on marriage licenses and certificates issued by Nebraska and replacing them with "Spouse 1" and "Spouse 2." STEM CELLS: Health care workers would be required to tell patients receiving stem cell treatments that those treatments are "not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," under a bill (LB753) introduced by Sen. John Arch of La Vista. COLLECTIONS REFERRAL: Sen. Jen Day of Gretna brought a bill (LB772) prohibiting health care providers from referring a bill stemming from a sexual assault-related examination or treatment to a collection agency. CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY: Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon introduced a bill (LB773) that would allow Nebraskans to carry a concealed handgun without requiring them to complete a background check, pay a fee, or take a class. WIND TURBINE DISPOSAL: Brewer also sponsored a bill (LB774) making it illegal to dispose of wind turbine blades and their components in a landfill. DIGITAL ARCHIVE: Brewer also introduced a bill (LB777) requiring the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission to create and maintain a digital archive of legislative coverage. EARLY VOTING: The period for early voting or requesting an absentee ballot would be reduced from 35 days to 22 days before a statewide primary or general election, under a bill (LB785) from Groene. Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS CARBONDALE Some local hospitals have announced changes to visitation policies due to the record increase in COVID-19 positivity rates. Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) will adjust its visitation policy. All inpatient adults at SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, SIH Herrin Hospital, SIH St. Joseph Memorial Hospital and Harrisburg Medical Center may have one designated visitor for the day between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. This change began on Wednesday, Jan. 5. The visitor policy for The Birthing Center and Pediatrics at SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and comfort or end-of-life care will not change. All visitors will be required to wear approved procedure masks (provided at each location). No cloth masks will be allowed. SSM Health in Illinois will change its visitation policy at local care sites, including Good Samaritan Hospital Mount Vernon and St. Marys in Centralia, on Thursday, Jan. 6. One support person will be allowed per day to visit between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. For the health and safety of patients and employees, rotating additional guests in patient rooms will not be allowed. Obstetrics patients will be allowed two designated people to offer support for the duration of their stay. Pediatric patients also will be allowed up to two designated visitors. Patients who are positive for COVID-19 or under investigation for the virus will remain under a strict, no visitors policy. Visitors must be age 18 or older and follow these rules, including: Wearing approved face coverings, even when in the patient room. All individuals must be screened for symptoms upon arrival. Everyone must wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving a patients room. Always stay at least six feet away from the patient (social distance). If you plan to visit a patient in another hospital, it is recommended to check their current visitation policy. Policies vary throughout the region. Many hospitals list their current visitation policies on the homepage of their websites, including Heartland Regional Medical Center, Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin and Union County Hospital in Anna. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CARBONDALE Dianah McGreehan, president of Graduate and Professional Student Council, SIU Student Trustee Shaylee Clinton and Isaiah Overton, president of Undergraduate Student Government, say students want a safe return to in-person learning for spring semester. Students want to be safe and confident when returning to school somewhere, but the best way is to go virtual the first week or first two weeks of the semester, Clinton said Tuesday afternoon. Each student stressed that they have not polled their constituents or talked to a lot of students, but that this is their own opinions with input from students who contacted them. Students want the best school experience possible, but they want to do that safely, Overton said. In a Dec. 22 email to the campus, SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane announced the university would be requiring testing of all students, faculty and staff, even for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before they could return for classes. On Dec. 30, SIU announced it was adding a day for COVID testing to accommodate the need to test all on-campus employees and students. The testing schedule for the first two weeks of January is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Faculty, staff and students who are vaccinated must test once. Those who are not vaccinated will be required to test each week, per the governors executive order. McGreehan was tested Monday for COVID-19 at SIU. They tested 1,500 people yesterday. At one point, 150 people were in line, she said. McGreehan said at that pace, that would only be 4,500 people tested over three days ahead of the first day of school next week. SIU has about 11,000 students. That number does not include faculty and staff. Do the math. It just doesnt add up, McGreehan said. She said that problem does not include the students who have not checked their emails for instructions, especially undergraduates. They may not know what needs to happen as soon as they return to campus. McGreehan has looked at what other campuses are doing to return to in-person learning for spring semester. She said University of Illinois, Illinois State and other universities are opening virtually the first week or two of the semester to allow everyone to be tested for COVID. These student leaders hope SIU will do the same thing. Many of the students McGreehan represents also serve as university faculty or staff. They not only want to get tested quickly, they want their classrooms to be safe. She said the first week of classes tend to be going over the class syllabus and expectations and an introductory lesson or two. Those items are more easily done virtually. McGreehan quickly added some professors believe they need to teach face to face, such as automotive or dance professors. Exceptions can be made to allow those classes to meet in person. SIUC Faculty Association, Non-Tenure Track Union and Graduate Associates United met with administrators Monday for impact bargaining on the conditions of reopening for spring semester. They will meet again Wednesday. Student leaders believe the extra time before in-person learning will give everyone the chance to be tested. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kaelyn Watson no longer lives in Galatia where she grew up. Today, she lives in a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee. We followed Watson in 2015, as she graduated from Galatia High School, left home to attend Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and finished her first semester of college as part of the Brain Drain series, a look at how young people continuously left the region for education and better-paying jobs. The series also analyzed how well-paying manufacturing jobs have shipped overseas and populations in small towns from West Virginia to Wyoming have stagnated. In some cases, populations plummeted. In 2015, Watson expected to have her bachelors and masters of science in nursing degrees in seven years. She knew there would be few options for pediatric nursing, her job goal, living in Galatia. It sounds bad, but I dont want to be held back by this community, Watson said in 2015. I know its a good community, but at the same time, Im not going to get the opportunities to do what I want. Im kind of being forced to leave to be able to be successful in the way I want." Just before Christmas, Watson was driving back to Nashville from a visit with her mom in Galatia. I work as a pediatric cardiology nurse. I got lucky, she said. Watson said it is hard to get into pediatric nursing. For her first year as a nurse, she worked at St. Louis University Hospital before taking a job in the pediatric cardiology unit at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. Its been an amazing learning experience, she said. She is taking care of babies from birth to one year old and calls that part of the job special. The best part of working at the hospital is seeing a child get a heart transplant. One patient received a heart transplant during the previous week (ending Dec. 17), and she wondered if that patient would have been discharged before she returned. The hospital also has a second young patient waiting for another heart. That patient has been in the hospital 110 days. We want him to get his new heart, too, Watson said. Watson generally works three night shifts in a row. The nurses work 12-hour shifts. Working nights is hard on your body, she said. During the pandemic, she has worked as a floating nurse, working wherever the hospital needed her. She spent part of those days in the COVID unit. It was closed before Christmas. The pediatric cardiology unit works to stay as clean as possible. Our patients dont need to deal with more, Watson said. In December 2015, she told The Southern she missed her home in Galatia. More than the town, she missed her old friends, mother and little sister. When I first graduated, I didnt want to go to SIUE, Watson said. Her mother forced her to go to Edwardsville instead of to the college she first chose. While at SIUE, she made what she calls the absolute best friends, and she talks to them each week. God has a funny way of doing things, she said. Moving to Nashville brought more changes than her job. When she first moved to Nashville, she did not have a roommate like she did in Edwardsville. So, Watson landed in Belle View because it was a little cheaper than Nashville. Her brother, Kobe, also lived in the Nashville area. During the pandemic, he moved in with her. She has a dog and gets to read for enjoyment, something she did not do during college. She wants the opportunity to explore different areas and is thinking about travel nursing to help her see more of the country. I feel like my life is not that exciting. I cant imagine what its like to be a heart kids parent, Watson said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Southern Illinois University Carbondales Touch of Nature Environmental Center is hosting two intensive wilderness medical training workshops this month to prepare people to effectively handle emergencies when assistance may not be readily available. A Wilderness First Responder Full Certification Course will be Jan. 6-14, 2022, and the recertification course is Jan. 15-17, with both sessions at Touch of Nature, located about eight miles south of Carbondale off Giant City Road. All outdoor activities leaders and enthusiasts will find the course beneficial, according to organizers. The Wilderness First Responder Full Certification Course covers a wide range of topics, including patient assessment, body systems, trauma, environmental medicine, toxins, back-country medicine, wilderness rescue and much more. The fast-paced format features instruction each morning and practical skills practice each afternoon and evening, covering skills ranging from constructing a makeshift stretcher to full-scale rescue simulations. Upon completion of the courses, participants will be prepared to handle emergencies involving prolonged patient care in harsh environments using improvised equipment. Students will receive a three-year certification from Wilderness Medical Associates, the wilderness medical training company that provides professional instructors for the course. Darren Stokes, a certified wilderness medical technician with more than 30 years for experience as a professional outdoor guide and instructor will teach the sessions. Recertification registration is open The full course is $750 and the deadline to sign up was Jan. 2. The recertification class is $375; register at wildmed.com/course/open-recertification-215 by Jan. 7. Class size is limited. SIU is committed to protecting the community, so all those attending the training sessions must follow current campus and state pandemic safety protocols and wear masks in shared indoor spaces. Registered participants will receive email with instructions about registering with Touch of Nature for meals and lodging. For more information, contact Erik Oberg at 618-453-3945 or eriko@siu.edu. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 I was Alderman of Ward 2 in Grand Tower. I was told by the mayor to check out a situation with a large company that had blocked a public street. An arrangement was made for a meeting with them and they sent three men for this purpose. We proceeded to the site on 20th Street which connects to the park road on the river side of backbone. The meeting was cordially conducted by both parties on Jan. 19, 2007. I started the meeting by saying that we, the City of Grand Tower, were not trying to be hard to get along with, but that the company's actions had created a great problem for us. We didn't want to be involved with legal action, but would as a last resort. Before this meeting when they were first contacted about this situation, they stated that this gate had been put up for security purposes. I immediately pointed out that what they had done in the name of security provided no security at all. There were many other ways to enter the property if someone wanted to do damage to it. They all agreed. I called attention to the fact that while providing no security for them, they had cut off one of our historical sites and recreational areas, Oven Rock, a place that many people visited and fished at. 20th street was platted and numbered in the 1800s and remained the same to date. This street ran to the river's edge, and no records anywhere show it had ever changed. One of the company representatives stated that they had, from a very reliable source, been told that a (Middle-Eastern) person was seen with a tripod and camera attached thereto taking pictures at the pipeline location. I ask who told him this, and he stated he was not allowed to say. It seemed strange to me that he couldnt say. I explained to him that no matter what the person taking pictures looked like, this has been going on for many years by people of all races, as Oven Rock attracts many people and makes a very photogenic picture. I said this picture-taking started long before the pipeline was here. Certainly, the pipeline bridge had many pictures taken of it as it is a very attractive structure. I pointed out to them that in 1955, the company published its company magazine giving all the data about the pipeline bridge and pictures thereof. Any terrorist that needed info on this structure or pictures certainly could obtain such information from this magazine. This meeting lasted about an hour with no good conclusion. It was my opinion, and fairly obvious, that someone for some reason wanted this road closed and used a hoax by telling the company that some terrorist was out to do harm to it, as ridiculous as this might seem. Anyone who wanted to harm this facility could go across the river and everything is wide open with no houses close by. If my conclusion was correct, I would remind the one who concocted this hoax that under the Home Security Act, such an act is punishable by law. Such action is a means of spreading fear and anyone that engages in such a hoax is no better than a terrorist. I recommended to the city mayor and council to apply an old and unused Illinois law that was still on the books called, Self-Help. An attorney friend had told me about this law a few months ago. This they did, and the city council took action by breaking the lock off and removing the gate. The city notified the company where the gate was and what action had been taken by the city. I was later told by my attorney friend that this old outdated law had since been removed from the Illinois law books. Maybe the attention this incident brought was the reason it was taken off the books. This gate was never put back. Charles F. Burdick is a lifelong resident of Grand Tower. After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and then went on to a 42-year Maritime career including 35 years as Master Pilot. He has been retired for 27 years and enjoys local history and writing poetry. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 A 19-year-old Orangeburg man has been identified as the person who was shot to death on Dec. 27 in Cordova. Alton Hair Jr. of Kennerly Road, Orangeburg, died of a gunshot wound, according to Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle. Hairs death is under investigation as a homicide. Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office spokesman Richard Walker said on Tuesday that no one has been arrested in the death. Deputies were called to 148 Petunia Court at 9:39 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 27 for a report of gunfire, Walker said. As a deputy responded to the scene, he radioed to Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officers for backup. The deputy reported someone was still shooting as officers were on their way. Officers found Hair on the ground in the doorway of a silver Honda Accord, according to an ODPS incident report. The Accord had several bullet holes. Orangeburg County EMS transported Hair to the Regional Medical Center, where he died of his injures. In addition, a 17-year-old had a gunshot wound to his arm. The 17-year-old and another man were standing on the porch of a nearby home when officers arrived. They yelled to officers that someone tried to rob them and then gave a description of the person. In addition, a 17-year-old had an abrasion to his head, reports say. One of the people at the shooting scene reported another person was injured, but deputies could not locate him, the sheriffs office report said. If anyone has information about the shooting incident, they are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Callers dont have to give their names. Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 11 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. American Red Cross volunteers are assisting an Olar family of three whose homes, located on 4th Street, were damaged by weather on Tuesday afternoon. The Red Cross is helping by providing financial assistance for food, clothing and other essentials, and comfort kits containing personal hygiene items. Find out how to help the Red Cross assist families by visiting www.redcross.org/HometownHero. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wants to beef up a pair of watchdogs that investigate government misconduct, make the Palmetto States scandal-scarred sheriffs attend ethics training, and shine more light on special interests that secretly influence city and county councils. The Columbia Republican will package those proposals into his soon-to-be-unveiled executive budget, calling on lawmakers to spend some $3.4 million more per year on measures meant to repair South Carolinians faith in their government. The governor's agenda would tackle some of the problems exposed over the past year by Uncovered, a project in which The Post and Courier has teamed up with 17 other newspapers across the state to investigate public corruption and expose the systems of oversight that fail to hold politicians accountable. More than 120 S.C. public officials have been arrested on criminal charges related to their government work over the past seven years, the investigation found. The states sheriffs keep getting arrested for breaking the laws they swore to uphold more than a dozen have been charged with crimes while in office since 2010. But as newspapers and other watchdogs have declined, many other officials in small-town South Carolina have evaded scrutiny. The governors proposals come ahead of a budget cycle where lawmakers will have a mountain of cash to spend. The Legislature expects the state budget to grow by nearly $900 million next year and will have nearly $2.2 million to spend on one-time projects, making McMasters request a drop in the bucket. The governor doesnt think there is any more worthy investment than making sure government is more accountable to the people and transparent, McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes told The Post and Courier. Strengthening watchdogs McMasters proposed budget would more than double the budgets of the State Ethics Commission and Office of Inspector General, giving the pair of government watchdogs more money to hire investigators and enforce laws that are already on the books. Both could use the help. The State Ethics Commission has a staff of just 18 to monitor campaign spending and fundraising, track lobbying activity at the Statehouse, and investigate complaints of misconduct against politicians and public officials. In part because it employs just four investigators, the agency has historically let public officials off the hook with warnings and minimal fines after investigations that sometimes disregard serious allegations, an Uncovered investigation found last year. And even when it does fine politicians, it has trouble forcing them to pay up, another Uncovered story revealed. UNCOVERED: Shedding light on questionable government conduct The Post and Courier of Charleston has launched Uncovered, a project to cast new light on questionable government conduct, especially in sma The Office of Inspector General, an eight-person agency, also has its hands full with investigating fraud, abuse, waste and misconduct within the states 106 executive agencies. Led by former FBI investigator Brian Lamkin, the agency typically fields hundreds of complaints a year against state employees and programs. In one high-profile case last year, the Inspector Generals Office determined that a former state agency executive director helped her husband win a $600,000 contract with her agency. In another, the office investigated and scolded the Governors School for Agriculture at John de la Howe after an Uncovered report first revealed ethical breaches and questionable spending there. In addition to giving the Inspector General's Office at least three more investigators, the governor also wants to expand the agency's jurisdiction beyond just state agencies, his office said. McMaster will support efforts to empower the office to investigate any agency or group that gets state tax dollars, his office said. That includes school districts, cities, counties even nonprofits that get state grants. The states 170 legislators havent seen the governors proposed budget yet. But two necessary allies, the chairmen of the House and Senate budget committees, told The Post and Courier they support the idea of strengthening the Ethics Commission and Inspector Generals Office. Ive spent my entire Senate career fighting for efficiency and accountability in government, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler, a Gaffney Republican who was first elected to the Senate in 1980. While I havent seen the details of the governors proposals, they will be strongly considered if they lead to those two items. Local scrutiny McMaster also wants the states 46 sheriffs to undergo annual ethics training, a response to a steady stream of arrests and criminal convictions of the states top lawmen. The Post and Couriers 2019 series Above the Law showed that one in four of South Carolinas counties in the past decade had seen their sheriffs accused of breaking laws. By the end of that year, three more sheriffs had been indicted and removed from office. In all, 15 sheriffs since 2010 have been arrested on charges ranging from drug dealing to driving under the influence. Ex-Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood is currently awaiting sentencing after his federal conviction on corruption and abuse of power charges. Meanwhile, Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon was indicted last month and suspended from office on charges of ordering a deputy to repeatedly jolt a suspect with a Taser in the county jail. The governors budget requests $200,000 to pay for the training. It also calls for a public listing of which sheriffs attend and which skip out. UNCOVERED: Shedding light on questionable government conduct The Post and Courier of Charleston has launched Uncovered, a project to cast new light on questionable government conduct, especially in sma Over the years, we have seen far too many instances of sheriffs abusing their office, said Symmes, McMasters spokesman. House budget committee Chairman Murrell Smith said he likes that idea. The Sumter Republican would even support expanding ethics training to all public officials across the state. Smith, a lawyer, noted that even after graduating law school and passing the bar exam, attorneys are required to receive regular training. He thinks politicians should do the same, especially in an age where technology has made it easier than ever for everyday taxpayers to scrutinize elected officials' dealings. "There is more scrutiny on people about their ethics than there was 20 or 30 years ago, Smith said. Its time for us to make sure that we put more emphasis on ethics and compliance and training. McMaster's ethics agenda also calls for more scrutiny of local government. Currently, political operatives who are paid to influence decisions at the Statehouse have to register as lobbyists with the Ethics Commission. But no such requirement exists at the local levels. That allows businesses and special interests to wine and dine city and county council members free of oversight. As he has in the past, McMaster will call on lawmakers to close that loophole by requiring local lobbyists to register with the state. McMaster's executive budget is just the first step in a long legislative process where proposals can be fine-tuned or outright rejected. The governor can also make his case at the Jan. 19 State of the State address, a speech in which governors typically tout their achievements and lay out their priorities for the year ahead. Glenn Smith contributed to this report from Charleston. Joseph Cranney contributed from Columbia. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 We had high hopes for the future of U.S.-Russian relations after the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago. The Cold War had ended, and Russia seemed for a time to be moving in the direction of openness and democracy. But those hopes were soon dashed. Under Vladimir Putin, who has effectively been in charge for over 20 years, Russia has turned increasingly hostile toward the West and aggressive toward its neighbors. Its not that America hasnt tried to get along. I cannot remember a U.S. administration that didnt start its tenure with hopes of improving relations with Russia. Inevitably, they were disappointed. Today the relationship has reached a low point in a tense standoff over Ukraine that some observers are calling the worst security crisis in Europe since the Cold War. Russia has amassed up to 175,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, prompting fears of an invasion. Meanwhile, Russia has turned increasingly authoritarian at home. Putin and his allies have restricted protests and detained journalists and critics. Human rights advocates hold Russia responsible for the 2020 poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is serving a sentence in a prison camp near Moscow. In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a part of Ukraine, leading the U.S. and other Western nations to impose economic sanctions. Russia supports separatists who have been fighting an insurgency in Eastern Ukraine. This spring, President Joe Biden imposed a new round of sanctions over Russian meddling in American elections and cyberattacks that breached U.S. government computer networks. Its worth noting there are many areas in which U.S. and Russian interests are or could be compatible. Nuclear arms control is an obvious example: The United States and Russia control most of the worlds nuclear weapons, and its in everyones interest to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. We have mutual interests in stability in Afghanistan, the status of Irans nuclear program and the operation of the International Space Station. But the Ukraine impasse, which recalls conflicts of the Cold War era, is getting in the way of progress. Russia and Ukraine, which were the largest and most important republics of the Soviet Union, have cultural, economic and political ties that go back centuries. Important Soviet leaders and Russian writers were from Ukraine, an important agricultural, industrial and military region. Many Russians seem to see the split with Ukraine, which became independent in 1991, as a tragedy. Putin has emphasized the countries ethnic and historic connections and suggested Russia needs a friendly Ukraine as a buffer against the West. Ukraines leaders and much of its population, however, have turned increasingly westward, even applying to join the NATO alliance, which Russia takes as a provocation. That was the setting when Biden and Putin met Dec. 7 for a one-on-one video conference, a session that both sides described as tense but productive. According to a White House statement, Biden expressed deep concerns about Russias actions toward Ukraine and warned there would be strong economic and other measures if Russia further escalated the situation. U.S. officials have been vague about what those other measures could be. The risk of war with Russia strikes me as low. But this is a difficult, volatile moment; it is no time for us to avert our attention. Going forward, we should cooperate with Russia where we can. We should welcome educational, cultural and business exchanges where appropriate. And we should continue to warn Putin about the dangers of his aggressive stance toward Ukraine. Above all, we should keep talking, but we need to remain clear-eyed about how difficult and tension-filled this relationship is. We need to make every effort to keep the conflict from spiraling out of control. Lee Hamilton is a senior adviser for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 For Russian President Vladimir Putin, history requires that Russia invade and control Ukraine. Putin perceives Ukraine as a vital buffer for Russian security. Twice in the last two centuries, invaders from Europe have ravaged Russia. In 1812, Napoleon led some 500,000 soldiers into Russia, defeating the Russian Army at the brutal Battle of Borodino and occupying a burning Moscow before his catastrophic retreat through the Russian winter. In June 1941 an unsuspecting Stalin, who had secretly allied with Hitler two years earlier to partition Poland with Germany upon Germanys 1939 invasion of Poland, was stunned when Hitler launched a massive multi-pronged savage invasion of the Soviet Union. One of the main thrusts of the German invasion was into Ukraine, which Germany quickly overran, corralling some 500,000 Soviet troops in a pincer movement east of and around Kiev. In spring 1942, the Soviet Army incurred major losses in the Second Battle of Kharkov, Ukraine. Ukraine was then a launching point for Hitlers attack on Stalingrad, where at last the Soviets stopped and began to finally reverse the German onslaught. The Russian Republic of the Soviet Union alone lost an estimated 6,750,000 soldiers and over 7 million civilians in World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Putin was born in 1952. His father and mother suffered greatly in the German siege of Leningrad. His older brother perished. Other family members died in the war. For centuries, Germany was divided into multiple principalities. While Prussia achieved military prominence, a splintered Germany generally did not threaten neighbors. After Otto Von Bismarck united Germany in the late 1800s, World War I followed in 1914 with costly losses for Russia. Left united after its defeat in that war, some 20 years later Germany again launched war on its neighbors, with catastrophic consequences for Russia. From the perspective of the victorious Soviet Union, Germany had to be dismembered to remove a future threat. The Soviet Union ensured Germanys dismemberment until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of East Germany in 1989-90. Stalin also buffered his nation with the Iron Curtain of central and eastern European nations, which is now gone along with the Soviet Unions Warsaw Pact alliance that countered NATO. Russia historically has and still perceives NATO as hostile. Russia is wary of a reunited Germany. Putin has declared that the breakup of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. For Putin, the parting of Ukraine and other former Soviet Republics was a great tragedy that insulted 1,000 years of Russian history. He presumably views the breakup as a weak, illegitimate capitulation by Yeltsin and Gorbachev, the latter allegedly having received an ignored oral commitment that with Gorbachevs agreement to unify Germany, NATO would not expand eastward. For Putin, Ukraine is an essential part of Russia. Ukraines application to be a NATO member must be seen against this backdrop. For Putin, Russias security demands that an increasingly strong and independent Ukraine be forcefully brought back under Russian control. For him, now is the time to do it. Russia is no longer the militarily weakened remnant of the Soviet Union that around 2000 itself sought an invitation to join NATO. America is likely seen as politically weak, divided and fumbling in its recent defeat in Afghanistan. Europe reels from the Trump years. Ukraines military will only be stronger and better equipped in the future. Russia can handle Ukrainian guerrillas. It always has. Belarus is a seemingly willing invasion partner, but may not be in the future. Russia reportedly has been preparing to manage western sanctions. Russia reportedly has already moved medical and other war-making logistical support to sustain its troops massed on Ukraines border. Russia intends to invade Ukraine. In response, the West has publicly eschewed the use of military force. The West wont even say, depending on developments all options are on the table for fear of provoking Putin. What more can the West do? First, expressly make the statement that all options are on the table. Second, support that declaration with an urgent increase now (not after the invasion) and immediate forward positioning in NATO nations adjacent to Ukraine of American and NATO troops and capabilities. Third, publicly explain that the militaristic conduct of Russia and Belarus mandates attention to the protection of NATO borders and interests. Are these steps overly provocative? They cannot provoke an invasion that would be coming anyway, but they stand a good chance of preventing it. Daniel O. Jamison is a retired attorney who writes on military affairs and other issues. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online content, including the E-Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047. When Montanans talk about public lands, in the abstract, usually theres a very specific place that has impressed on them what public lands are a place theyve formed an emotional attachment with, be it from hiking, camping, fishing, hunting or cowboying. And so it is with Montanan Tracy Stone-Manning, who, as the new director of the federal Bureau of Land Management, suddenly has 245 million acres of America in her care. Its two places, for me, she said. Its the entire Blackfoot river corridor. Thats a very deeply personal place for me, and of course I had a professional connection to it in my role with the Clark Fork Coalition. Its near and very dear. And, no particular acre, but I feel the same about the prairie, the country around the Missouri Breaks. That ground is so breathtaking and beautiful. I love places that make me feel small, and the Breaks are like that. Fifty years from now, she said, I want a reporter to be asking the BLM director that same question. If weve done it right we will have made it possible for future generations to have that same kind of relationship with our public lands. As of today, Stone-Manning has a pretty large to-do list: Reform BLMs oil and gas leasing system and achieve the agencys energy mission largely through the use of renewables. Promulgate new rules governing grazing leases that are fair and good for the landscape. Ensure that recreationists will still be able to find beauty, quiet and solitude. In short, she says, manage for outcome leaving both the agency and the vast land it manages in better shape than they were when she started. In the following answers to my questions, Stone-Manning set out the way she intends to go about that: Q. Might as well begin at the beginning. Your bruising confirmation fight did it leave a mark on your ability to lead the agency? How is your relationship with Congress? A. I think people saw that confirmation process for what it is, a sign of our times. Ive had nothing but a warm welcome here at the agency. People are relieved to have a confirmed director and they are ready to go. This agency had five years without a confirmed director. A confirmed director brings stability and an understanding that there wont be transition from acting to acting to acting. People here are hungry and ready for that. Q. The previous administration moved the BLMs headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Grand Junction, Colorado. That move forced the retirements of many top BLM staff. Was there a huge brain drain at the agency? What are you doing about it? (Before Stone-Manning took the reins, the Department of Interior announced that BLM headquarters would move back to Washington, leaving the Grand Junction office open as the Western office of the headquarters.) A. It was a really unfortunate loss. Hundreds of people chose to leave or retire from headquarters. Also, when the headquarters moved to Grand Junction the agency suffered at the state level. People then working in the state went to work at headquarters. The entire thing was destabilizing. The other day I was standing next to a BLM guy at an oil rig outside Farmington in New Mexico. He was an enforcement guy, not law enforcement but on the regulatory side. He said to me, Tracy, the day before you were confirmed, everybody above me in the chain of command was in an acting position. We have a huge job ahead of us in stabilizing and growing this organization. Again, people are hungry for that and excited that it is happening. Q. A lot of that move was supposedly about BLMs energy mission. Where do the Biden Administrations goals clash with the previous administrations plans? Is oil and gas leasing reform going to happen on your watch, and whats it going to look like? A. The president has been abundantly clear that he wants to build the bridge to a clean energy future, and a huge portion of that work happens through the Bureau of Land Management and our public lands. We have a giant focus on renewable energy. The Energy Act of 2020 calls for 25 gigawatts of energy from public lands by 2025. As were building this new energy economy its important that we do it right. And as we are building this new energy economy that were going to do right, we cannot leave behind states and people who were dependent on the fossil fuel economy. We have to bring those folks along. Thats the hard work. Some initial steps youll see in first-quarter lease sales. Were analyzing draft environmental assessments now. The final assessments will be out at end of January. We have to ensure getting a fair return and ensure that the leasing we go forward with is responsible development as opposed to the willy-nilly, put-it-anywhere development weve seen. I think you know that the Administrations pause on the sale of new oil and gas leases on federal land was taken to court, and the judge told us we couldnt just pause lease sales that required congressional approval. Were appealing, but honoring that decision. Q. What does that process look like when youre done with it, if all goes the way you want it to? A. The priority is already shifted to renewable energy development. I want to be able to prove up on that, to show we can power this country well with renewable energy. And as for the development that is continuing as a result of existing rights, I want to ensure that those doing the developing are paying their fair share for resources that come out of the ground that we all own together, and ensure that the siting is responsibly done. Theres been so much speculation in oil and gas leasing on public lands. There are 20 million acres are under lease, and half of that is not being used. That kind of speculation shouldnt be the priority for how we manage our lands going forward, given other the other uses we have recreation, restoration, renewables. We are a multiple-use agency and we have not always acted like it. The last Administration said it had an energy-dominant agenda for public lands. We need to get back to our true calling, under the law, of being a multiple-use agency. Addressing conservation and climate change is part of that multiple use. Q. What about grazing policy? The current lease rate of $1.35 an animal unit month for BLM-managed lands is a fraction of the going rate on private lands, which average over $20 per AUM, and overgrazing is also an issue. What needs to change? How do you see this happening in the current environment? Grazing rates have been literally a hill to die on for former BLM managers. A. (laughs) Thats a full hour-plus interview right there. Lets unpack it a little. There are a couple things at play here. In my travels around the west before I came to the agency I heard from ranchers working off grazing permits that were 10 years outdated, and thats not okay. We need to rebuild this agency to meet the needs of the 245 million acres it manages, and the people who live there and use the lands. We are going to come forward with a draft grazing rule. The goal is that it be informed by science, by users of public lands, and by the ranchers who lease those public lands. Were in the midst of what some people call a megadrought and others call the new normal. We have to figure out how to manage for the health of the landscape. In many cases cows can help us do that if were really smart about how we use the tool that we call grazing. Outcome-based grazing is the new effort at the agency. The thought behind it is exactly where we need to go: Determine the outcome were looking for on the landscape and graze accordingly. Its going to require a lot of hard and honest conversations with people who are rightly concerned about whats happening on the landscape. Ranchers know better than anybody what this drought means. We just reduced AUMs in Phillips County by 25 percent because we had to. There wasnt blowback because producers understand the problem. When nature is dictating terms like that we have to have hard conversations. The flip side is were excited about investments coming to the agency from the bipartisan infrastructure bill for restoration. Decisions have not been made about where those resources go within the Department of the Interior, but there is $900 million to restore public lands that is coming to Interior. Were now doing the work across the agencies within the department about where best to leverage that investment. But for example a huge priority is tackling cheat grass and other invasive species with ranchers. When we do that, not only is it obviously the right thing to do for the health of landscape and the wildlife, but natural systems are more resilient to changing climate conditions. For example, an intact sagebrush environment does not burn as furiously as one thats been invaded by cheat grass, which is a remarkable ladder fuel. In the natural state, an environment will be more resilient to wildfire. I havent read the draft of the grazing rule, but I know its coming. What I do know is what I mentioned earlier: If the health of the landscape drives the outcome, not pounds per animal or dollars per AUM, we will have done our jobs. The most important outcome is what we leave behind what the landscape looks like after we use the management tool of the cow. Q. What about the American Prairie Reserve and the idea of a buffalo commons along the Missouri? What is BLM going to do to enable or inhibit that vision? A. I think you know the request is pending with the state BLM office in Montana on livestock leases and enabling the Prairie Reserve to run bison with its leases. We expect that decision early in the year. Our job is to manage for the health of landscape and implement the law. Were certainly aware of the sensitivities of that cultural question. But thats what it is, a cultural question. We dont manage culture, we manage landscape outcomes. Q. The Infrastructure Bill included $21 billion for Superfund and brownfield cleanups. What share of that will go to BLM sites? Whats BLMs priority? How will your Montana DEQ experience inform what you see happening with federal toxic-waste cleanup? A. While I certainly have a lot of personal interest in this, as there are sites contiguous to BLM land and on BLM land, it will be administered by EPA, so Im not going to be able to speak to that. But what we are overseeing is the program to cap abandoned oil and gas wells. There is $250 million for capping oil and gas wells on federal land and were really thrilled about being able to put to rest some of these old sites that have long needed capping. Its good in a myriad of ways. First, it puts people to work, and they are good jobs. Second, many if not all of these sites typically release methane. Thats a big climate change component, harming us all and serving no none. Also typically there are groundwater issues associated with abandoned wells. For communities nearby, we are solving a real pollution problem. Third, these sites are typically littered with equipment things literally abandoned on the landscape. Taking those hazards away is good for people and good for wildlife. Q. As youve said, BLM may play a crucial role in national climate-change policy, on landscapes dominated by people personally affected by wildfires, drought and extreme weather, but also politically polarized by the idea that climate change is a blue issue. How do you shape policy initiatives in that environment and has that process begun? A. Climate change isnt blue or red, its affecting us all in the West. Every Montanan breathed wildfire smoke last summer. Every rancher is seeing impacts of drought on the landscape. One thing that typically unites Americans is that we solve problems. My focus is going to be consistently on trying to solve problems with people who are willing to come to the table to work on them. The only way through the polarization is to be frank and transparent and not to step into the fray but to acknowledge it. I like the river analogy. When youre going down a raging river and you see a giant hole, one of the fun things to do is plunge into it and see if you survive. But on the other hand, you can call out, hole on the left and work together to skirt it. Thats what the polarization is to me a hole on the left situation. Lets acknowledge it and work around it to get to the goal, which is downstream, boat right side up. Q. The Pendley steps on recreation areas and recreation advisory committee authority in your view does that work have to be uprooted and redone, or is some kind of course correction possible without losing time? A. We are course-correcting as we speak. standing up resource advisory councils all over the West because we see the deep value of people who live in places helping advise us on how to manage those places. Packages of names are going forward, heading to the federal register. That work is happening. Recreation being able to find true solitude on public lands is gong to get harder and harder as demand increases. We began to see that during COVID. But we must manage for it. We have to make sure that no matter the size of your checkbook, you can have access to wild places. Q. Okay, this is a softball question, but its important: How is it to work with Deb Haaland? Are there particular issues youre spending the most time on with her? A. The Secretary is a remarkable woman. She is grounded and her north star shines really brightly. For people like that, decision-making comes easily and thats what I appreciate about working with her. Shes also a genuinely kind human being. Consistently, no matter who shes talking to at the agency, she clearly recognizes and is filled with gratitude about the amount of work people are doing. Its lovely to watch her lead. Q. Do you feel a sense of urgency to get things done before the midterms in 2022 given current projections, and of course before 2024 given the presidents approval ratings? A. I feel urgency to get things done because they need doing. Obviously everybody understands the time constraints of a political appointment. But theres just so much to do. Im not an impatient person, but Im finding myself impatient to get all this done. Yes, one sees the constraints of politics big hole on the left but part of what that does is make me focus and prioritize on the things (about which) I want to be able to say, When it was my time to lead this agency, we accomplished that together. For example, I want to know that we have done the work to turn the corner toward being carbon neutral by 2050. And at the same time, we have to mine for critical minerals to make the green economy work. Every time we make those sorts of decisions on land use we have to remember the desired outcome for the land. I want to leave behind a robust, growing, functional agency. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 Free 55-pound blocks of butter available at 6708 Zero Road, Casper, Wyoming, said the post. 4 p.m. Take as much as you want. No further explanation needed. On The Hook Towing became the unexpected proprietor of hundreds of enormous butter cubes after the company was called to pick up a downed semi-truck in Sinclair on Dec. 29. The truck had been transporting them when it wiped out. On The Hooks owner, Bob Maxwell, said the company didnt have details about exactly what happened to the truck, where it was going or who was driving it. Simply put, we were hired by their insurance company to dispose of the trucks contents and tow the trailer to the salvage auction, Maxwell said in an email. A request for more information about the incident wasnt returned by Wyoming Highway Patrol in time for publication. So the truck was fated for salvage auction. But what of the cargo? It was doomed to waste away in a landfill somewhere, Maxwell said. He took to Facebook that same day to see if anyone in Casper could take some of it off their hands. A picture included in the post, which is now deleted, showed six piles of the stuff strapped to the truck trailer. Before they knew it, hundreds of people had lined up. The supply went quickly some made off with five, six blocks of it but the line kept growing. In Facebook comments, some Casperites said they waited in line over a half hour for their share. On The Hook Towing ended up taking down the post to try to stem the flow of visitors. Once we were all out, people were still coming by, said Kristen Moore, who works for the company. Nanci Benson, who lives in Casper, scored three cubes that day. After learning about the giveaway on Facebook, she called up a friend to see if they were game to wait in line with her. I said, Hey, are you doing anything? she said. There wasnt much left when they got there. Any free giveaway is bound to inspire a bit of a craze, Benson said. She recalled the line still being about half a mile long by the time they left. Caught up in the moment, Benson said she missed the 55-pound boxes part of Maxwells post. She was shocked to discover she was not taking home sticks, nor tubs, but blocks just under a cubic foot in volume. In the days after the giveaway, locals shared on Facebook how theyre rationing out their supply. Butter can last up to a year in the freezer, if stored properly. But did you know, for instance, that canned butter has a shelf life of at least three years? Others clarified their stock into ghee, which can be kept in the fridge or pantry. Unsurprisingly, the cubes were frozen solid when Benson took them home. It took some patience and elbow grease to cut them down into more manageable portions. Benson had to heat kitchen tools in hot water to make a dent. Some she flavored some with honey and cinnamon (her take on the well-known Texas Roadhouse spread), and some with garlic, parsley and onion for baked potatoes. Shes been giving a lot of it away to friends and neighbors buttering them up, if you will, she said with a laugh. Love 0 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DOUGLAS A group of hospital employees in Douglas and Cheyenne filed a federal lawsuit Dec. 22 against their respective employers seeking to halt policies related to COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. Two Cheyenne Regional Medical Center employees recently fired nurse Christie Higgins and CNA Robert Shaffer along with six Memorial Hospital of Converse County staffers nurses Roni VanOsdol, Sharie Beller, Kaylonn Amundson and Tonya Middleton, CNA Anita Casperson and medical lab scientist Jennifer Sherfey are seeking a preliminary injunction against their employers over their respective COVID vaccination policies and asking the court for a declaratory judgment in their favor. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for Wyoming in Cheyenne and was assigned to Judge Nancy Freudenthal. The lawsuit is among numerous such cases filed across the country fighting the federal vaccination mandates imposed on health workers through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and on private employers with more than 100 employees through the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments about the CMS and OSHA cases on Friday, and how that plays out may impact the individual cases filed across the country in federal and state courts, including the recent one in Cheyenne. Neither the plaintiffs attorney, Nick Beduhn of Buffalo, nor the attorney for the two county-owned hospitals, Bradley Cave of Holland & Hart Law Offices of Cheyenne, responded to the Douglas Budgets request for comment on the lawsuit Monday. MHCC CEO Matt Dammeyer, who is travelling out of town this week, referred most comments to Cave but said he was aware of the lawsuit and had expected one to be filed based on the reaction from some employees over the hospital board policy, even though the original version and deadline of Dec. 5 was softened and moved to Jan. 1 and now has been pushed back to Jan. 30. Itll be interesting to see how the (district) court responds, he said, noting the Supreme Court oral arguments are this week on related cases. Beduhn, in the civil rights lawsuit, said they are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief from the defendants refusal and neglectfulness actions to conform and comply with the provisions, requirements and duties set forth of Section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) ..., which has resulted in many and repeated violations of state and federal law, and of the rights of the Plaintiffs secured by both the state and federal constitutions. To that end, and as set forth infra, Plaintiffs seek a declaratory judgment vacating, voiding, and annulling any and all orders, policies, requirements that are based on internal arbitrary decisions contrary to Section 564; and an injunction prohibiting (d)efendants from establishing or enforcing any policies that are not in conformity with the criteria ... He said Higgins is a registered nurse who had worked for CRMC for more than 10 years when she was terminated on Dec. 18. Higgins had received the Pfizer shots in April of 2021 and almost immediately began suffering from side effects of the vaccine injection. In May, her health further deteriorated as she began having tremors and extreme weakness. A neurologist subsequently diagnosed Higgins with Covid-19 vaccine related neurological disorder, according to the complaint. Beduhn contends, Higgins situation is widely known throughout CRMC employees and is one of the reasons many other employees are hesitant or have decided to not receive the vaccine. These employees are all facing termination. Shaffer is refusing the vaccine on legal, ethical, scientific and strong religious grounds, even though he has been informed he will be terminated by CRMC if he persists. As for the six MHCC employees in the lawsuit, five of them VanOsdol, Sherfey, Amundson, Beller and Middleton are refusing the vaccine for legal, ethical and scientific grounds. Caspersons status is not mentioned. In each of the cases except Caspersons, Beduhn stated, Like all of MHCCs employees, she has been informed that if she persists in his decision to refuse the covid vaccine that she will be terminated. The attorney, in his court filing, argued that even after multiple injunctions that were issued against the Biden administrations CMS mandatory vaccination plan, the two public hospitals set policies that outright ignore and are in direct contradiction to ... obvious and clear statement and the provisions and criteria in federal rules and laws under the Emergency Use Authorization Act, which the vaccines fall under currently. Among the requirements, he argues, is one for consent for treatment and a prohibition against mandating its use. The lawsuit argues, In other words, there is currently NO FDA approved Covid-19 injection available anywhere in the United States. Every Covid shot in America remains under the EUA law and thus people have the option to accept or refuse them; and Even when an FDA approved Covid shot becomes available, individuals are protected by federal law and many states laws from being forced to get these shots based on their sincere religious beliefs or conscience rights. ... As an attempt to get full compliance of employees to get vaccinated, the ... employers issued policies that require mandatory and constant testing using tests that only have EUA status. The FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 years and older. Additionally, Beduhn contends, is the threat of termination for some employees. Worse yet are the nurses that are injecting the vaccines. Many have been told by their employer that they cannot say anything negative about the vaccines with the treat (sic) of termination if they do. These nurses are required by federal law and regulation to fully inform the patient; and yet face being fired if they comply ... They are literally in a situation that they must risk their license; or be fired. Those situations describes above, he argues, are in violation of the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions which provide rights to making personal health care decisions and to pursuing work to support your family. Besides asking for an injunction to halt the policies being enforced, the plaintiffs are seeking costs and attorney fees. Love 3 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 NIDCO (the National Infrastructure Development Company) says it has not initiated any tender or award of contract process with regard to the Toco Port. In a news release, the company said the issuance of any letters of award or contracts relating to the Toco Port project is fraudulent and not authorised by Nidco. A pregnant mother and her family affected by the Quarry Street New Years Day fire say they felt pressured to accept an Oropune Gardens apartment as a permanent home after their years long efforts to find secure housing. The family, who had previously spent months surrounded by debris and without electricity, told the Express they felt as though they were being pushed to mortgage the apartment as a quick fix to their problem. The fact that 106 police killings dating from January 2019 to now are under investigation by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is staggering. Whether the number reflects an actual increase in fatal police shootings, or is the result of greater public willingness to file complaints, growing public confidence in the PCA or the PCAs own willingness to initiate investigations, would require more than bald figures. However, it underscores the PCAs importance as an independent authority with the power to hold the police to account. Sentinel Monitoring Systems, a Tucson-based company that makes systems for monitoring microbial levels in water, has been acquired by a Philadelphia-area company. Suez Water Technologies & Solutions, part of a Paris-based water and wastewater services provider known simply as Suez, announced Wednesday that it had completed its acquisition of Sentinel without disclosing terms of the deal. Suez will retain all nine of Sentinels current employees, who will stay in Tucson under Suez Water Technologies & Solutions Analytical Instruments business division, said Geert Verstraeten, general manager of the Analytical Instruments division. Founded in 2014 and headquartered on South Research Loop on Tucsons south side, Sentinel makes instruments that can detect microbial activity in water in real-time or near-real-time, for medical and industrial uses. Suez Water Technologies, based in the Philadelphia suburb of Trevose, Pennsylvania, plans to fold Sentinel into its existing portfolio of water analytics including an array of water-monitoring products and services for the life-sciences, industrial and environmental markets. Sentinels spectroscopic analyzers can detect individual microorganisms 150 times faster than conventional methods, reducing the risk of microbial contamination and allowing manufacturers to respond quickly to control risk and minimize harm, the company says. Sentinel was among 10 awardees in the 2020 Arizona Innovation Challenge, a state-sponsored business-plan competition. Sentinel was co-founded by Bill Puent and University of Arizona alumnus Terry Long, who previously were executives with Tucson-based Instant Bioscan, which also makes rapid microbial-detection systems. Instant Bioscan was acquired in 2014 by analytical instrument maker Mettler-Toledo International in a deal worth up to $30 million. Suez, a major international water utility and services provider, created Suez Water Technologies & Solutions in 2017 after it acquired GE Water & Process Technologies from General Electric for $3.4 billion. Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 0005227160-01 TS No. 2022-00060-AZ NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE The following legally described trust property will be sold, pursuant to the power of sale under that certain Deed of Trust dated 12/21/2009 and recorded on 12/31/2009 as Instrument No. 20092510236, Book 13716 Page 1373 and rerecorded on as in the official records of Pima County, Arizona, NOTICE! IF YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFENSE TO THE TRUSTEE SALE OR IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECTION TO THE TRUSTEE SALE, YOU MUST FILE AN ACTION AND OBTAIN A COURT ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 65, ARIZONA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, STOPPING THE SALE NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME OF THE LAST BUSINESS DAY BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DATE OF THE SALE, OR YOU MAY HAVE WAIVED ANY DEFENSES OR OBJECTIONS TO THE SALE. UNLESS YOU OBTAIN AN ORDER, THE SALE WILL BE FINAL AND WILL OCCUR at public auction to the highest bidder Courts Building, On the steps outside the East entrance of the Courts Building, 110 West Congress, Tucson, AZ 85701, in Pima County, on 06/09/2022 at 10:30 AM of said day: Legal Description: The land referred to herein below is situated in the county of Pima, state of Arizona, and is described as follows: Lot 49 of picture rocks west subdivision, Pima county, Arizona, according to the map of record in the office of the county recorder, in book 47 of maps and plats, page 2. Except all coal and other minerals as reserved by the United States of America in deed book 214, page 631. Includes the manufactured housing unit as part of the real property described as: YEAR: 1998 MAKE: PALM HARBOR MANUFACTURER: FREEDOM HOMES INC SIZE: 28 X 68 VIN NUMBER: PH0223901U & PH0223901X Purported Street Address: 11090 W OLD PECOS PL, TUCSON, AZ 85743 Tax Parcel Number 213-03-2990 Original Principal Balance: $137,464.00 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE Name and Address of Current Beneficiary: PHH Mortgage Corporation c/o PHH Mortgage Corporation 1 Mortgage Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Name and Address of Original Trustor: HARRY BURLESON AND JUANITA J BURLESON, HUSBAND AND WIFE 11090 W OLD PECOS PL, TUCSON, AZ 85743 Name, Address and Telephone Number of Trustee: Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. Northpark Town Center 1000 Abernathy Rd NE; Bldg 400, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30328 (866) 960-8299 TERMS OF SALE: The trustee is only able to accept cash or a cash equivalent, like a cashier's check or certified check NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE SALE INFORMATION: Sales Line: (866) 960-8299 Website: https://www.altisource.com/loginpage.aspx If the sale is set aside for any reason, including if the Trustee is unable to convey title, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the monies paid to the Trustee. This shall be the Purchaser's sole and exclusive remedy. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Trustor, the Trustee, the Beneficiary, the Beneficiary's Agent, or the Beneficiary's Attorney Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. DATED: April 24, 2022 /s/ Glenda Hamilton Trustee Sale Assistant Pursuant to A.R.S. 33 - 803(A)(6), the trustee herein qualifies as a trustee of the Deed of Trust in the trustee's capacity as a corporation all the stock of which is owned by Premium Title Agency, Inc., an escrow agent in the state of Arizona. The regulators of Premium Title Agency are the Arizona Department of Insurance and the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. is registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission. STATE OF Georgia COUNTY OF Fulton On February 24, 2022, before me, Iman Walcott, personally appeared Glenda Hamilton, who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledge to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature (s) on the instrument the person(s) or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument. WITNESS my hand and official seal. /s/Iman Walcott Iman Walcott NOTARY PUBLIC Published April 25 & May 2, 9, 16, 2022 Arizona Daily Star Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. PHOENIX Gov. Doug Ducey is doubling down in his fight with public schools over their virus policies, offering cash to parents to send their kids to private or parochial schools if a school or even a classroom has to shut down for even one day because of an outbreak of COVID-19. In what his office describes as preemptive action, Ducey announced Tuesday his Open for Learning Recovery Benefit program to provide up to $7,000 for parents who face financial and educational barriers due to unexpected school closures. It can be used for things like child care and online tutoring. But the money, taken from federal COVID-relief programs, also can be used for tuition so parents can send their children to a private school, covering what gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin said are any charges from the school: tuition, books, uniforms if required. The new $10 million program is a variant of one announced by Ducey last year to give what amounted to $7,000 vouchers for private schools to parents who want to pull their child out of a school solely because it has a mask mandate. Ducey also divided up $163 million in federal aid that is under his control to schools but only to districts that do not require students and staff to wear face coverings. Both of those already have drawn threats from the U.S. Treasury to take back the money that federal officials said were designed to finance evidence-based efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. But so far there has been no action against the state. Karamargin said the idea of this new program is not necessarily to give out more money. Its that parents have options, he said. But there is a message there. That the closing of schools should not be an option, he said. And Karamargin acknowledged that the audience for the new order is not just parents but school districts who get state aid based on the number of students enrolled. Im not saying theres no impact, he said. The move comes as the state and the nation continue to see a spike in COVID-19 infections, driven in part by the highly transmissible omicron variant. An additional 7,212 cases and 154 deaths were reported Tuesday in Arizona; the states death toll is now 24,509. Data from The New York Times shows that, in the past seven days, only four states have a higher COVID-19 death rate on a per-capita basis than Arizona: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Chris Kotterman, lobbyist for the Arizona School Boards Association, said his association agrees with Duceys basic premise. We want to keep schools open, he said. But the governor keeps on playing both sides of the fence. On one hand, Kotterman said, theres the message to keep schools open. But then the governor tells schools that they cant do the things designed to protect the health of students and teachers like mask mandates. In our opinion, its to placate a political base, he said. It doesnt do anything to help the problem, Kotterman continued. But it does further politicize the issue. Pima County School Superintendent Dustin Williams said Duceys actions regarding the pandemic and education are more divisive than unifying. The Open for Learning Recovery Benefit Program sounds well in theory but still ignores the fact that this infectious disease is running rampant through our communities and is the underlying cause for potential school or classroom closures. I encourage the governor to focus more on mitigation strategies and create programs that benefit all schools in our state, Williams said. Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, said there is a positive side to what the governor has ordered. There will definitely be classroom or school closures periodically early in the spring semester, mostly I think because of teachers being out with breakthrough cases, he said. And, of course, there are not enough substitutes to handles whats coming in terms of teacher absences, Humble said. So this might help some families. But the former state health director said this really doesnt address the problem. This order fits perfectly with Duceys modus operandi: focus on a cosmetic response while being actively hostile to core proven measures to prevent classroom or school closures, Humble said. He also agreed with Kotterman that this is more about politics. Humble said Ducey who actually ordered face coverings for those in school in 2020 wont impose things like that now to keep kids safe in school because it would hurt his chances of still being somebody in 362 days when his term as governor is up. Karamargin said the state will post an online application form this coming week for parents to use when a school is shuttered due to COVID. Eligibility, like Duceys earlier program for grants due to mask mandates, is limited to families making no more than 350% of the federal poverty level. That is $76,860 for a family of three and $92,750 for a family of four, with progressively higher amounts for larger families. Karamargin said applications will be processed promptly to ensure that families spending money on anything from child care to private school tuition get reimbursed in a timely manner. But they will need to spend the money up front, as parents will need to provide receipts. The governor appears to be angling to avoid a similar threat of loss of federal funds for his latest action, saying he is in step even with President Biden. As recently as Tuesday, Biden said he is committed to keeping schools open even despite the latest surge in virus cases. We know that our kids can be safe when in school, the president said. Thats why I believe that schools should remain open. Biden pointed out that Congress has previously approved funding to keep our students safe and schools open. That money went to states, he said. I encourage the states and school districts to use the funding you still have to protect your children and keep the schools open. But some of the dollars that Arizona was given were in that $163 million Ducey divided up last year and withheld from schools with mask mandates. Karamargin said the other part of Duceys last plan the one to give $7,000 vouchers to parents of kids hit with mask mandates in public schools generated interest from 85 families, with the state giving out $595,000 so the youngsters could transfer, at public expense, to private or parochial schools. He said that program, which also was funded at $10 million, remains available to parents as several Arizona schools announced plans to impose new mask mandates due to the omicron outbreak. On Twitter: @azcapmedia Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. They were the object of ridicule in late 2020. Some Arizona Republicans would not accept Donald Trumps defeat in the presidential election. So they held a big public meeting in Phoenix Nov. 30. And the state GOP certified its own slate of electors on Dec. 14, the same day the states official electoral votes were cast for Joe Biden. One Arizona Republic columnist wrote mockingly: On Monday, the state GOPs 11 fake electors met, as required by no one, and cast their nonexistent votes for Trump, as required by their desperate need to continue to live in fantasyland. It felt like a joke at the time to me, too. But what seemed pitiful then seems sinister in retrospect and continues to endanger our democratic system going forward. Its the attempt by an electoral minority, propelled by a profound sense of grievance, to seize power they feel they deserve though they could not win it. State Rep. Mark Finchem, the Oro Valley Republican, embodies that powerful persecution complex, as well as its potential. He hosted the Nov. 30 meeting that featured Rudy Giuliani and other members of the small group that propelled the Big Lie forward in December 2020, consulting with the White House and ultimately helping to foment the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Among that cabals key strategies, we now know, was this: Have the state parties or legislatures propose alternative slates of electors. Congress could then reject the certified election results and consider alternative electors. John Eastman, a lawyer advising the Trump team, laid out the strategy for the Jan. 6, 2021, meeting of Congress in a now-infamous memo: 1. VP Pence, presiding over the joint session (or Senate Pro Tempore Grassley, if Pence recuses himself), begins to open and count the ballots, starting with Alabama (without conceding that the procedure, specified by the Electoral Count Act, of going through the States alphabetically is required). 2. When he gets to Arizona, he announces that he has multiple slates of electors, and so is going to defer decision on that until finishing the other States. This would be the first break with the procedure set out in the Act. 3. At the end, he announces that because of the ongoing disputes in the 7 States, there are no electors that can be deemed validly appointed in those States. That means the total number of electors appointed the language of the 12th Amendment is 454. This reading of the 12th Amendment has also been advanced by Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe. A majority of the electors appointed would therefore be 228. There are at this point 232 votes for Trump, 222 votes for Biden. Pence then gavels President Trump as re-elected. To a significant degree, Arizona brought the country Jan. 6. Finchem promoted and attended events at the Capitol Jan. 5 and 6, though he says he did not break any laws there, and U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs worked with event organizer Ali Alexander, as Alexander has said. Trump, president at the time, heralded those who attended his Jan. 6 speech before the march to the Capitol as real people as if the tens of millions of Americans who voted against him were fake. They try and demean everybody having to do with us, he said. And youre the real people, youre the people that built this nation. Youre not the people that tore down our nation. But then they did tear things down. On Twitter that afternoon, Finchem celebrated the people entering Capitol grounds as What happens when the People feel they have been ignored, and Congress refuses to acknowledge rampant fraud. In the Capitol, shortly before members of Congress were evacuated, Gosar asked Pence not to accept Arizonas electors. Remand the slate back to the governor with the following instructions, he said. Until a full and complete electoral forensic audit is allowed by the secretary of state, the electors currently certified will not be counted. Soon, hell broke loose. Among the first 377 people arrested for acts at the Capitol that day, most were not members of big right-wing groups like the Oath Keepers, a group that Finchem has belonged to. Nor were they emissaries from Trump strongholds nationwide. Nor were they unemployed or desperate. The University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats analyzed that group of arrestees and found most were white, male, employed and came from counties either won by Biden or closely contested. The most outstanding demographic feature of those counties is that they are places where the white population is declining fastest compared to the nonwhite population. It all might have ended on Jan. 6, ignominiously, as a shameful and failed effort to thwart the will of the American people as a whole. But instead, the action picked back up in Arizona. Motivated by calls from Republican constituents, state Senate President Karen Fann agreed to a review of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County. That subset of Americans that Trump called real people had seized control of the story again. It turned out to be exactly the pointless and polarizing experience that was predicted. The self-proclaimed experts Finchem had called together in Phoenix in November floundered as they attempted something they did not have the expertise to achieve: an election audit. Still, the process did achieve one thing. While polls have found most Americans believe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, most Republicans do not. And they continue to govern Arizona. So now at least we can see that all this is neither comical nor pitiful. Its simply dangerous an effort by a disappointed and aggrieved minority to seize power even if it means destroying our democratic system. Tim Steller is an opinion columnist. A 25-year veteran of reporting and editing, he digs into issues and stories that matter in the Tucson area, reports the results and tells you his conclusions. Contact him at tsteller@tucson.com or 520-807-7789. On Twitter: @senyorreporter Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. NEW ORLEANS (AP) Louisiana's governor on Wednesday posthumously pardoned Homer Plessy, the Black man whose arrest for refusing to leave a whites-only railroad car in 1892 to protest racial segregation sparked the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cemented "separate but equal" into law for half a century. The state Board of Pardons in November recommended the pardon for Plessy, who boarded the rail car as a member of a small civil rights group hoping to overturn a state law segregating trains. Instead, the protest led to the 1896 ruling known as Plessy v. Ferguson, solidifying whites-only spaces in public accommodations such as transportation, hotels and schools for decades. At a ceremony held near the spot near where Plessy was arrested, Gov. John Bel Edwards said he was "beyond grateful" to help restore Plessy's "legacy of the rightness of his cause undefiled by the wrongness of his conviction." Keith Plessy, whose great-great-grandfather was Plessy's cousin, called the event "truly a blessed day for our ancestors and for children not yet born." Since the pardon board vote, "I've had the feeling that my feet are not touching the ground because my ancestors are carrying me," he said. Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote in the 7-1 decision: "Legislation is powerless to eradicate racial instincts or to abolish distinctions based upon physical differences." Justice John Harlan was the only dissenting voice, writing that he believed the ruling "will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case" an 1857 decision that said no Black person who had been enslaved or was descended from a slave could ever become a U.S. citizen. The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling allowing racial segregation across American life stood as the law of the land until the Supreme Court unanimously overruled it in 1954, in Brown v. the Board of Education. Both cases argued that segregation laws violated the 14th Amendment's right to equal protection. The Brown decision led to widespread public school desegregation and the eventual stripping away of Jim Crow laws that discriminated against Black Americans. Plessy was a member of the Citizens Committee, a New Orleans group trying to overcome laws that rolled back post-Civil War advances in equality. The 30-year-old shoemaker lacked the business, political and educational accomplishments of most of the other members, Keith Weldon Medley wrote in the book "We As Freemen: Plessy v. Ferguson." But his light skin court papers described him as someone whose "one eighth African blood" was "not discernable" positioned him for the train car protest. "His one attribute was being white enough to gain access to the train and black enough to be arrested for doing so," Medley wrote. Eight months after the ruling in his case, Plessy pleaded guilty and was fined $25 at a time when 25 cents would buy a pound of round steak and 10 pounds of potatoes. He died in 1925 with the conviction on his record. Keith Plessy said donations collected by the committee paid the fine and other legal costs. But Plessy returned to obscurity, and never returned to shoemaking. He worked alternately as a laborer, warehouse worker and clerk before becoming a collector for the Black-owned People's Life Insurance Company, Medley wrote. He died in 1925 with the conviction on his record. Relatives of Plessy and John Howard Ferguson, the judge who oversaw his case in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, became friends decades later and formed a nonprofit that advocates for civil rights education. The purpose of the pardon "is not to erase what happened 125 years ago but to acknowledge the wrong that was done," said Phoebe Ferguson, the great-great-granddaughter of the judge. Other recent efforts have acknowledged Plessy's role in history, including a 2018 vote by the New Orleans City Council to rename a section of the street where he tried to board the train in his honor. The governor's office described this as the first pardon under Louisiana's 2006 Avery Alexander Act, which allows pardons for people convicted under laws that were intended to discriminate. Former state Sen. Edwin Murray said he originally wrote the act to automatically pardon anyone convicted of breaking a law written to encode discrimination. He said he made it optional after people arrested for civil rights protests told him they considered the arrests a badge of honor. Dont sugarcoat it: How to talk to your kids honestly about racism Helping your childs health Talk to your child honestly The appearance of impropriety When a child enters school Reaching out to other families Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. WASHINGTON (AP) Long after most other lawmakers had been rushed to safety, they were on the hard marble floor, ducking for cover. Trapped in the gallery of the House, occupying balcony seats off-limits to the public because of COVID-19, roughly three dozen House Democrats were the last ones to leave the chamber on Jan. 6, bearing witness as the certification of a presidential election gave way to a violent insurrection. As danger neared, and as the rioters were trying to break down the doors, they called their families. They scrambled for makeshift weapons and mentally prepared themselves to fight. Many thought they might die. "When I looked up, I had this realization that we were trapped," said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a former Army Ranger who served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. "They had evacuated the House floor first. And they forgot about us." ... Keep scrolling for more first-hand accounts from House lawmakers. Bound together by circumstance, sharing a trauma uniquely their own, the lawmakers were both the witnesses and the victims of an unprecedented assault on American democracy. Along with a small number of staffers and members of the media, they remained in the chamber as Capitol Police strained to hold back the surging, shouting mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The lawmakers were finally taken to safety roughly an hour after the siege began. Interviewed by The Associated Press before this week's anniversary of the attack, 10 of the House members who were in the gallery talked of being deeply shaken by their experience, recalling viscerally the sights and sounds amid the chaos. Read the full story here: *** IN THEIR OWN WORDS In their own words: House lawmakers remember Jan. 6 Vermont Rep. Peter Welch Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal Colorado Rep. Jason Crow Florida Rep. Val Demings Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes California Rep. Norma Torres New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley *** PHOTO ARCHIVE Photos: Scenes from Jan. 6 Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. A recent customer to the latest restaurant concept from the McNellies Group complimented the staff on what he saw as the obvious in-depth culinary research the company had done to come up with the shops name. I asked him why he said that, said Brian Fontaine, vice president at McNellies, and he told us that the name Dracula Sandwich had to refer to the fact that we have several sandwiches that have pastrami, because pastrami originated in Romania. It is true that the preparation of seasoned, brined, roasted and smoked beef brisket now known as pastrami got its start in the eastern European country of Romania, and that Transylvania the legendary homeland of the seemingly immortal Count Dracula occupies a great deal of central Romania. We kind of laughed and said, Right, good one, you figured it out thats exactly what we did, Fontaine said, laughing. The fact is, the name Dracula Sandwich came out of a kind of free-association session among McNellies personnel. Almost from the moment we came up with that name, we were coming up with names for sandwiches that would fit, like Steak Through the Heart, said Jim OConnor, chief operating officer for McNellies. It spoke to the sort of whimsical approach we wanted to take to have a little fun while at the same time putting out a quality product. Dracula Sandwich opened a little more than a month ago in the space that McNellies uses for its catering operation. It also is home to Ghost Dragon Express, which originally was a delivery-only ghost kitchen operation, offering twists on Chinese-American dishes such as kung pao chicken, beef with broccoli, egg drop soup and steamed dumplings. The space has been fitted out with a dining area, with wood- and glass-topped tables with bright yellow metal chairs. Refrigerator cases hold a selection of meats, condiments, cheeses, beverages and other items from local and regional farms and producers. An outdoor seating area is also available. Delivery remains an option for both Ghost Dragon and Dracula Sandwich, but OConnor said the decision to create the dining space was to give those still working in the downtown area a new lunchtime option. When we started this, we realized that there really wasnt a place like this in downtown, that was offering an elevated sandwich menu, he said. The challenge for us was to take something like the traditional deli sandwich, and make a statement with it, to take everything up to the next level. One way of attaining that next level, he said, was to pack as much meat as two slices of bread could contain into each of the signature sandwiches. Take, for example, Dracula Sandwichs version of the turkey sandwich, here known as the Louis, named for one of the main characters in the late Anne Rices novel Interview with the Vampire ($14). Slices of tomato and Nueske-brand bacon grace about a two-inch thick pile of thinly shaved and densely packed smoked turkey breast, with everything more or less held in place on the slices of rye sourdough bread with a Mornay sauce accented with Swiss and Gruyere cheeses. Its an intensely flavorful, and intensely messy, creation. The Steak Through the Heart ($15 or $8 for half) is Dracula Sandwichs riff on the Philly cheesesteak, with shaved brisket, sauteed peppers and onions with the Swiss-Gruyere sauce in place of the orange stuff usually whizzed onto such a sandwich. A surprise amongst all this are some strategically placed Funyun onion rings to give a bit of salty, oniony crunch. Ben (Alexander) likes to add a bit of junk food to haute cuisine, Fontaine said. The Transylvania ($15) was easily our favorite of the sandwiches sampled, primarily because of the pastrami used. According to Fontaine, its the result of a 90-day brine that produces a meltingly tender pastrami, that also carries a pronounced yet balanced smoke flavor. Quarter-inch slices of pastrami are dressed with mustard and crispy onions, topped with the Swiss-Gruyere sauce and served on marble rye. The pastrami is also available on the Dracula ($13), a take on the classic Reuben sandwich; and the Stoker (as in Bram, author of the novel Dracula), which also includes smoked sausage, Irish cheddar and a black garlic slaw ($16). Dracula Sandwich also has a fried chicken sandwich, the Mirrors & Sunlight, with an Asian flavor profile; a meatball sandwich called the Ward Off ($16; $8 for half); and a vegetarian option, A Vine Between, with tofu, pickled cucumber and a kimchi aioli ($13; $8 half). Dracula Sandwich also offers a range of more prosaically named hoagies, such as turkey and Swiss, ham and cheddar, and a build-your-own option ($15; $8 half), among other choices. All sandwiches come with a hefty spear of dill pickle. Sides include chips ($1), smoked potato salad and Brussels sprout slaw ($1.50 each), mac and cheese ($3), a soup of the day and chicken and dumplings ($3-$5) Sandwiches that come served on hoagie rolls are available in half-size portions; sandwiches on the house-made rye sourdough and other breads are only available in full portions. The rye sourdough came about as part of a research trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, when the Dracula Sandwich concept was being birthed. Zingermans Deli in Ann Arbor is considered one of the best delis in the country, OConnor said. We went there to see what they did, and how we might use what we experienced for what we wanted to do. One of the things we had there was this bread that had a very unusual flavor, and we came up with our rye sourdough recipe from that. DRACULA SANDWICH 608 E. Third St. 918-727-8696 Food: 3 stars Service: 3 stars Atmosphere: 2 stars (on a scale of 0 to 5 stars) Vegetarian/Vegan options: Yes 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday-Saturday. All major credit cards accepted. COVID-19 INFORMATION: Staff wears masks and gets temperature checks. Surfaces disinfected between uses. Takeaway and delivery available. What the Ale: Cabin Boys Brewery gets a grain silo Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Its easy to understand why someone like Linda Jones would be skeptical about discussing solutions to all that ails her neighborhood around 61st Street and Peoria Avenue. Shes heard the talk before, talked the talk herself, only to see little change in the past decade. But that didnt keep her from participating in the first meeting of the 61st and Peoria Collaboration organized by Tulsa Crime Stoppers. Everybody has meetings, and nobody does anything, Jones said near the end of the hour-plus Zoom meeting. They say what they are going to do, and nobody implements anything. I feel like the Lone Ranger. Karen Gilbert, executive director of Tulsa Crime Stoppers, had a ready response for Jones that succinctly summarized what the meeting was all about. We are here to partner with you, Gilbert said. The meeting brought together property managers from a half-dozen apartment complexes, city councilors, Tulsa police officers and other stakeholders. The goal was for participants to get to know each other and to begin mapping a strategy for how they could work together to make the neighborhood safer. The reason I wanted to be involved in this is I have gotten to know a lot of people in that community, said Lonny Barker, who works for a private security firm with clients in the area. I am a father of five and a grandfather of four, and family means everything to me, and I see a lot of families that are just trying to do their best just to get by. And having to walk out of their house and be afraid that something might happen to them just by going to the corner store is not a way to live. The 61st Street and Peoria Avenue neighborhood has long been plagued by poverty and violent crime, including six homicides in the past year, according to a Tulsa Police Department official who participated in Tuesdays meeting. Maj. Luther Breashears, commander of the Riverside Division, said police believe most of the violent crime happening in the neighborhood is being done by people who dont live there. Asked what he thought was at the root of the violent crime in the area, Breashears said it was young people resolving their disputes with guns. Sometimes people come to visit or bring people with them, and there are arguments, and sometimes those arguments are settled with firearms, Breashears said. The Police Department has responded to the recent uptick in violence by increasing its presence in the neighborhood, Breashears said. That includes making sure officers stay in the neighborhood even when it comes time to fill out reports. Because if you are visible, then that is also a deterrent, Breashears said. Jones urged the police to do better, saying the neighborhood has suffered since it lost its full-time community resource officer. The position, which provided a consistent TPD presence focused on community engagement in the neighborhood, was funded by a grant that has expired. They (young people) dont even have anybody out here who they feel comfortable with talking to, Jones said. They used to call him and say, Hey, this is going to go on and this is going to go on. They dont have that anymore. Breashears acknowledged the loss of the position but noted that the program has not gone away completely, and he said Police Chief Wendell Franklin is working to ensure that such engagement is a routine part of policing across the city. What you are saying is getting up to the chiefs office, Breashears told Jones. I also expect an officer who is dressed in blue, like me today, in full uniform, to also have that relationship with people in the area, not just one officer. That is our goal in the department. Tulsa Crime Stoppers has held similar events for the neighborhoods around 51st Street and Yale Avenue and for businesses along the commercial corridor at 71st Street and Memorial Drive. Gilbert said the goal has been the same at every meeting to bring people together to help prevent crime. At the end of Tuesdays meeting, she acknowledged that that takes time. This is not going to be once, twice or three times, Gilbert said of the meetings. Instead, the group plans to meet monthly. That came as welcome news to Alicia Clark, property manager at Tamarack Place apartments, who said the neighborhood has been in grave need of attention for too long. They dont go to, you know, the nice neighborhoods and commit these crimes and shootouts, Clark said. They come to the 61st and Peoria and Riverside area because they feel like this is a no mans land, a way for them to come out here and express themselves violently, and they know if they come to this area, they can do that. That is my opinion. I feel like we need to have more of a community presence, so what we are doing here is awesome. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. More than half of recent specimens genomically sequenced in Oklahomas COVID-19 surveillance effort were the omicron variant as cases skyrocket and hospitalizations jump statewide. The Oklahoma State Department of Health said Tuesday that its sequencing found 57% omicron variant versus 43% delta variant over the holidays. Oklahomas State Health Department was among the last to identify omicron within a states borders, which at least in part has prompted public health officials to reach for other means to get an idea of variant spread in Oklahoma. Dr. Dale Bratzler said OU Health, using a proxy method, found Monday that about 80% of cases in the Oklahoma City metro area are likely omicron. Omicron was 37.5% of OU Healths sampling last week. Bratzler, the University of Oklahomas chief COVID officer, explained that a second and different PCR test is performed on a random sampling of positive specimens to look for a gene dropout PCR tests look for three gene targets to identify the virus that is highly suggestive of the omicron variant rather than delta. So were pretty convinced at least in the Oklahoma City metro that most of the cases that were seeing are with omicron variant, Bratzler said. OU Health announced Dec. 22 that a significant number of Tulsans are infected with the omicron variant, which was detected Dec. 17 in a broad sampling of sewage representative of more than 30% of the states population. OSDH says 175 samples sequenced in its most recent batches were omicron versus 131 that were delta. The agency didnt provide a beginning or end date of when those specimens were collected. Experts dont expect this surge to subside soon. Dr. Aaron Wendelboe, an OU epidemiologist and former lead epidemiologist for the state, said his model projects rises in cases and hospitalizations to persist through at least mid-February. Watching what has played out with omicron outbreaks in South Africa and the U.K., Wendelboe said Oklahoma might see a peak sooner, though, because of how fast the variant spreads through a population. He noted that his confidence level isnt super high in his projection yet but that he hopes to be able to gather more data soon to improve his model. Unfortunately the data especially for Oklahoma is still quite poor, Wendelboe said. Oklahomas seven-day average of confirmed cases has eclipsed the delta waves peak. The latest average was 2,990 cases reported Tuesday, which tops the 2,806 summer high reported Aug. 30. The seven-day average has more than doubled from a week ago, when it was 1,462. The latest wave has had more daily totals above 4,000 three so far since Thursday than the delta waves single instance on Aug. 26. Daily case totals of 4,166 reported Thursday, 4,154 reported Saturday and 4,110 reported Tuesday are the three times the 4,000 mark has been surpassed as omicron takes over in Oklahoma and the U.S. Statewide COVID hospitalizations, while climbing rapidly recently, arent as high as during the worst of the delta surge. The states three-day average jumped to 1,015 inpatients Tuesday up 113 or 12.5% in only one day from 902 reported Monday. The delta peak saw an average of 1,607 inpatients reported Aug. 26. COVID hospitalizations are up 25% from a week ago (810), 47% from two weeks ago (691) and 99% from a month ago (510). About 25% of current inpatients 261 are in intensive-care units. Bratzler said he thinks that case rates rising faster than hospitalization and death rates in the U.S. is reflective of omicrons characteristics: highly contagious but a severity of disease that is lesser to some degree. Dr. David Kendrick, department chair of medical informatics at the OU School of Community Medicine, added that vaccination likely is contributing to a blunting in the rate of hospitalizations and deaths, too. Wendelboe said it appears that omicron can cause quite severe disease in people who are unvaccinated and never previously infected. State data show that 91% of COVID hospitalizations in the most recent 30 days are of unvaccinated individuals. These variants are mutating to find a population thats most susceptible, Wendelboe said. Unfortunately, our children are a susceptible group, so we are seeing actually a higher portion of unvaccinated kids getting hospitalized with omicron. Video: How will COVID mutations affect us during transition to endemic disease? Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SKIATOOK As everyone was looking toward the new year and celebrations were happening all over the world, Skiatook came to a halt. The community had joined together when Josh Frederick needed help, and his dog, Valentine, became Skiatooks sweetheart. But the light they brought to many peoples lives went out on New Years Eve when the two were fatally struck by a vehicle. The pair known to many as Josh and Valentine could often be seen walking the streets of Skiatook. Those who met the two were forever changed. While traveling through Skiatook over the summer, Josh was left behind by his companions at the Tastee Freeze. He had nothing but another mouth to feed in Valentine. People started to see Josh and Valentine at Walmart or Caseys convenience store. He soon found out what a small-town community with a big heart can do. When Sam Thomison stopped to talk with Josh, he learned that the mans parents had died and that he had since been living in a house without running water or heat. Trina Gonzalez started a donation drive for Josh, and the Skiatook community came together to help. But on New Years Eve, Josh and Valentine didnt make it home. They had dinner with friends at Bulldog Pizza and then headed off a little before 8 p.m. A truck crossing the street between the Sonic and Taco Bell struck Josh and Valentine, and both died. It is unclear whether a criminal complaint will result for the driver, who left the scene but reportedly surrendered to authorities within 15 minutes. An online crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help pay funeral expenses for Josh and Valentine. The two will be cremated and buried together. A vigil was held Tuesday evening in Skiatook. Josh was easy to talk to, Stella Brand said. I told him how sorry I was that his ride abandoned him in Skiatook with nothing. He looked at me, and with a little chuckle he said, I feel like they blessed me! And Im so grateful because look, look at the miracle Im living! He meant it! He didnt have a judgmental bone in his body, Brand said. I feel blessed to have met him and to receive one of the most tender and honest hugs ever. Blake Bales said of Josh: Great guy. Had many talks with him. He would give you the shirt off his back if needed. So hard to hear this. Youll be missed, buddy. Josh changed lives, opened minds, helped people not judge the surface of things and instead look deeper for compassion and empathy, Jessica Morgan said. Featured video: Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has suggested the Ministry of Transport seek government approval to accept passengers COVID-19 test results using the real-time RT-PCR method issued before international flights in accordance with common practice, instead of rapid testing. The aviation watchdog put forward the proposal in its report on international flights to Vietnam between January 1 and 3, the first three days of the nations resumption of regular international flights, to the transport ministry on Tuesday. During this period, the CAAV received requests from many airlines to abandon rapid testing passengers before and after international flights, which is one of the regulations currently in effect at Vietnamese airports. Instead, a negative test result for COVID-19 using the real-time RT-PCR technique issued within 48 hours of departure time as the way many other countries and territories have been applying will be the alternative. If the requirement of rapid tests is to be maintained, the CAAV suggests testing fees be collected directly from passengers while foreign cabin crews will be tested only once at either the airport upon their arrival or at their hotels. The CAAV also said in Tuesdays report that as many as 1,753 passengers from abroad came to Vietnam on 17 flights between January 1 and 3. The passengers arrived at the international airports of Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, and Can Tho. The flights were conducted by four Vietnamese airlines -- Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, and Pacific Airlines -- and seven foreign carriers, including Thai Vietjet of Thailand, Singapore Airlines of Singapore, Turkish Airlines of Turkey, Starlux Airlines and China Airlines of Taiwan, Emirates of the UAE, and Asiana Airlines of South Korea. The CAAV reported that authorities in Taiwan agreed to increase the frequency of weekly flights between the two sides to five trips per way from previously four, while the Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA) approved four flights a week between Vietnam and South Korea, with a vision to raise the air routes frequency to six flights a week. Vietnam closed its doors to foreign tourists and grounded international flights in March last year, allowing entry only to Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts, investors, and highly-skilled workers, among others. The government has just resumed commercial air links with the U.S., Singapore, Bangkok in Thailand, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Vientiane in Laos, Beijing in mainland China, Tokyo in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, and Taipei in Taiwan, starting January 1. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The tourism sector in Vietnam is eyeing a recovery during the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival as well as in the first quarter of 2022 thanks to the promising signs observed during the recent New Year holiday. Many travel agents have already begun selling tours for the Lunar New Year festivities, which fall around late January and early February. A representative from Ho Chi Minh City-based TSTtourist Company stated that the firm plans to introduce approximately 20 tours to various destinations across the country. Thanks to the promising signs during the New Year holiday last weekend, more tourists are willing to travel to further destinations, the representative added. Other companies in the southern metropolis have also prepared tours to northern destinations such as Dien Bien, Sa Pa, and Quang Ninh. There was a rise in travel demand during the New Year holiday thanks to favorable weather, fair tour prices, and attractive discounts, according to Tran Bao Thu, director of marketing and communications at Fiditour Travel JSC. Hopefully, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be well controlled during the Lunar New Year, allowing the tourism market to further prosper and helping businesses recover, Thu elaborated. Meanwhile, Saigontourist has collaborated with national carrier Vietnam Airlines to carry out several flash sales of hotel room and plane ticket combos. Shocking deals Southern Kien Giang Province welcomed about 37,000 visitors during the New Year holiday, said Bui Quoc Thai, director of the provincial Department of Tourism. Among them, 26,000 came to Phu Quoc Island, Thai added. Tran Quoc Vuong, general director of Saigon Phu Quoc Resort & Spa, stated that the resort is offering 'shocking' discounts of up to 50 percent per room to lure even more tourists during the upcoming Tet holiday. Vo Thi Tuyet Ngoa, an official from the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, said that the locality had welcomed more than 27,000 visitors between January 1 and 3. Local tourist sites and attractions are working out new decorations and landscapes to serve travelers during the upcoming Lunar New Year, Ngoa added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! MELBOURNE -- Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to beef up defence and security cooperation at a virtual summit on Thursday, after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cancelled trips to Australia and the United States due a surge in COVID-19 cases. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the two leaders will sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement, which will for the first time set out a framework for the two countries' defence forces to cooperate with each other. "This treaty will be a statement of our two nations commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific," Morrison said in a statement. The strengthened security ties expand on efforts by the United States, Japan, India and Australia - dubbed the Quad - to work on shared concerns about China in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia and Japan also plan to discuss opportunities to strengthen government and business partnerships on clean energy, critical technologies and materials. "Our cooperation also includes an expanding agenda for the Quad with India and the United States, and our shared technology-led approach to reducing carbon emissions," Morrison said. Kishida said on Tuesday he would forgo overseas visitsbefore the next session of parliament starts on Jan. 17 to focus on laying out anti-pandemic measures. Thailand has reopened Maya Bay, a white sand beach made famous by the 2000 film "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, more than three years after closing it to allow its ecosystem to recover from the impact of thousands of visitors each day. The beach, surrounded by 100-metre (328-ft) high cliffs, lies on the island of Phi Phi Leh in the Andaman Sea, and is only accessible by boats from nearby spots such as the islands of Phuket or Phi Phi, or mainland Krabi. Tourists visit Maya Bay as Thailand reopens its world-famous beach after closing it for more than three years to allow its ecosystem to recover from the impact of overtourism, at Krabi province, Thailand, January 3, 2022. Photo: Reuters Authorities shut the whole of Maya Bay to the public in 2018, saying coral reefs and beach areas had been damaged by constant tourist activities. But since the start of this year some visitors have been allowed to return. "The sharks have come back, coral reefs are regrowing, and the water is clear again," Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Reuters. "These things show that nature will heal if we give it time, and we have to work to keep it that way too." To ensure it remains protected, authorities said only up to 375 visitors will be allowed to visit at one time and swimming will be prohibited for now. Boats will only be allowed to dock at a designated location at the back of the bay to avoid damaging coral reefs, they said. A tourist poses at Maya Bay as Thailand reopens its world-famous beach after closing it for more than three years to allow its ecosystem to recover from the impact of overtourism, at Krabi province, Thailand, January 3, 2022. Photo: Reuters Before the coronavirus pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% of Thailand's economy and was a key driver of growth, with the country attracting 40 million visitors in 2019. But mass tourism has often come at a cost to the environment in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asian, with once-beautiful tropical beaches becoming polluted and strewn with garbage. "Maya Bay is beautiful, it's a marvellous place," said Manuele Panin, a 40-year-old tourist from Italy, who was visiting the beach. "I think it is fine that it has been closed all this time to protect the nature and allow it to restore and recover." A tourist visits Maya Bay as Thailand reopens its world-famous beach after closing it for more than three years to allow its ecosystem to recover from the impact of overtourism, at Krabi province, Thailand, January 3, 2022. Photo: Reuters The United States reported nearly 1 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous U.S. peak set a week ago as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, according to data collected by Reuters, marking the first time that threshold has been reached in a year. The latest surge, which forced waves of cancellations from commercial airlines flights to Broadway shows in recent weeks, was disrupting plans for public schools to welcome students back from winter vacation. In Chicago, union leaders were urging teachers in the nation's third-largest school district to stay home as classrooms were reopening. In Los Angeles County, the presiding judge of one of the country's largest court systems ordered a general two-week postponement of criminal trials due to the latest wave of COVID-19 infections. More than two dozen cars wait in line to take a COVID-19 test during a free drive-thru testing site in the parking lot of Frederick Douglass High School as students will go remote for a week to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. January 3, 2022. Photo: Reuters Nationally, the United States has seen a daily average of 486,000 new cases over the last week, a rate that has doubled in seven days and far outstrips that of any other country. The 978,856 new infections documented on Monday including some cases tallied on Saturday and Sunday, when many states do not report. The average number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths has remained fairly steady throughout December and into early January at about 1,300 a day, according to a Reuters tally, though deaths typically lag behind case numbers and hospitalizations. Omicron appears to be far more easily transmitted than previous iterations of the virus. The new variant was estimated to account for 95.4% of the coronavirus cases identified in the United States as of Jan. 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday. The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that evidence thus far suggests Omicron is causing less severe illness. Nevertheless, public health officials have warned that the sheer volume of Omicron cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals, some of which are already struggling to handle a wave of COVID-19 patients, primarily among the unvaccinated. People wait in long lines at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing and vaccines, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., December 29, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. Photo: Reuters Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency on Tuesday and mobilized 1,000 National Guard members to pandemic response operations as COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state hit a record high of more than 3,000, up more than five-fold in the last seven weeks, Hogan said. "The truth is that the next four to six weeks will be the most challenging time of the entire pandemic," Hogan told reporters. He said projections show COVID hospitalizations could surpass 5,000, far higher than Maryland's previous peak of 1,952 last year. Delaware, Illinois, Ohio and Washington, D.C., also have reported record numbers of hospitalized COVID patients in recent days. Signage outside of Frederick Wilson Benteen Elementary School encourages parents to seek COVID-19 testing as students will go remote for a week to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 3, 2022. Photo: Reuters 'Unlike anything we've seen' In Kentucky, where Tuesday's total of 6,915 new cases was the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic, Governor Andy Beshear urged residents to get vaccinated and wear masks. "Omicron is causing a surge unlike anything we've seen and at this rate our hospitals will fill up," he wrote on Twitter. The unrelenting surge has prompted more than 3,200 schools to close their buildings this week, according to the website Burbio, which tracks school disruptions. Schools that have remained open are facing staff shortages and renewed concerns about virus spread. In Boston, where more than 54,000 students returned to class on Tuesday following the holiday break, Superintendent of Schools Brenda Cassellius told reporters there were 1,000 staff members out, including 461 teachers and 52 bus drivers. "It does make for a difficult start to the day," she said. The governing body of the Chicago Teachers Union on Tuesday urged its members to stay out of the classroom and work remotely through July 18, or until the city reaches minimum health-safety thresholds set last year as a condition for in-person learning, whichever comes first. People line up in cold winter temperatures to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Everett, Massachusetts, U.S., January 4, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. Photo: Reuters The union's House of Delegates voted 88% in favor of the resolution, sending it to the 27,000 rank-and-file teachers and support staff to ratify by electronic ballot on Tuesday night. The union has called for more rigorous COVID-19 safety protocols, including school-based coronavirus testing and mandatory student vaccinations. District chief executive officer Pedro Martinez said the school system would agree to further COVID-19 safety measures. But he said classes for Chicago's 340,000 students would be canceled on Wednesday if teachers voted against reporting to work, with no remote instruction being made immediately available. The union has cited data showing that vaccination rates remained especially low among minority students - with just 7% of Black youngsters and 13% of Latino children aged 5-11 fully inoculated. But school officials said hospitalization rates for children in Chicago are very low. More than 325,000 COVID-19 cases among children were reported in the United States for the week ending Dec. 30, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association, a new high and almost double the count from the previous two weeks. The Biden administration was finalizing contracts for 500 million rapid coronavirus tests it plans to distribute for free to Americans, the White House said on Tuesday. The initiative is intended to help alleviate a testing crunch that has led to inadequate supplies and long lines in many places. Police in Ho Chi Minh City have added two prosecutions for murder and concealment of a crime in the shocking case where a woman tortured her fiances eight-year-old daughter to death at home. Police officers have instituted legal proceedings against Nguyen Vo Quynh Trang, 26, for torturing others and murder and Nguyen Kim Trung Thai, 36, for abusing others and a crime cover-up. All documents related to the case have been submitted to the municipal Peoples Procuracy. On December 22, 2021, Thai took his eight-year-old daughter, N.T.V.A., to Vinmec hospital in Binh Thanh District, where doctors determined that the girl had suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest and had died before her hospitalization. His fiancee, Trang, was arrested a day later, following a hospital report on the unusual wounds and injuries on A.s body, before being prosecuted on charges of torturing others on December 28, 2021. Thai was detained on December 31, 2021 on suspicion of committing the same crime as Trangs. Police in Binh Thanh District then transferred the case to the municipal Department of Public Security for further investigation on January 1 due to its serious nature. At the police station, Thai said that Trang had sometimes beaten and yelled at A. during their time living together at the Saigon Pearl apartment building in Binh Thanh District since May 2020. The situation turned worse since she started tutoring the child in online lessons in October 2021, with the woman using hands, feet, wooden sticks, iron sticks, plastic pipes, and rattan whips to beat the girl. Thai admitted he had also beaten his daughter several times. This collage, supplied by Ho Chi Minh City police officers, shows Nguyen Vo Quynh Trang, the wounds caused by her violence on N.T.V.A.s body, and the tools she used to beat the girl. Despite acknowledging that Trang repeatedly cursed at A. and brutally battered the girl, the man took no action against the womans brutalization. Thai told investigators that he did not witness Trang hitting his daughter on December 22, the date of A.s death, but he saw A. faint when he came home from work that day. The man said he applied first aid on the girl but she remained unresponsive, so he took her to the hospital. While waiting for A.s emergency treatment at the hospital on December 22, Trang told Thai about her assault on the girl that day. Thai did not report Trangs brutalization but removed the home camera footage related to the crime to cover it up. According to Vietnams 2015 Penal Code, a person who murders another under 16 years of age with thug nature or despicable motives can face imprisonment from 12 to 20 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty. Imprisonment from one to three years is the punishment for a person who cruelly treats or humiliates his or her dependents, who are under 16 years old, the elderly, weak, sick or defenseless. A person can be subjected to non-custodial rehabilitation for up to three years or imprisonment from six months to five years for concealing crimes. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ministry of Health documented 17,017 COVID-19 cases in Vietnam on Wednesday, alongside 22,662 recoveries and 230 deaths. The latest infections, including 20 imported and 16,997 domestic transmissions, were detected in all 63 provinces and cities, the ministry said, adding that 12,299 patients caught the virus in the community. Hanoi recorded 2,505 of the newest local cases, Tay Ninh Province 862, Hai Phong City 792, Khanh Hoa Province 782, Ca Mau Province 687, Vinh Long Province 657, Ben Tre Province 499, Ho Chi Minh City 448, Bac Ninh Province 365, Quang Ninh Province 337, Binh Thuan Province 329, Can Tho City 282, Thua Thien-Hue Province 260, Da Nang 245, Lam Dong Province 228, Bac Giang Province 187, Quang Nam Province 180, Dong Nai Province 103, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 81, and Binh Duong Province 66. Vietnam had reported 21,696 domestically-acquired infections on Tuesday. The country has confirmed 1,811,863 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted on April 27, 2021. A combined 1,433,229 of them have recovered from COVID-19. Ho Chi Minh City has been heavily affected with 505,971 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 291,127, Dong Nai Province with 98,286, Tay Ninh Province with 79,699, Hanoi with 56,937, Dong Thap Province with 45,133, Can Tho City with 42,054, Long An Province with 40,587, Khanh Hoa Province with 36,935, Tien Giang Province with 34,278, An Giang Province with 33,554, Binh Thuan Province with 26,707, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 26,692, and Da Nang with 12,236. Vietnam logged merely 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves. The health ministry announced 22,662 recovered patients on Wednesday, elevating the total to 1,436,046. The toll has risen to 33,475 fatalities after the ministry confirmed 230 deaths on the same day, including 25 in Ho Chi Minh City, 30 in Dong Nai Province, 17 in An Giang Province, 17 in Tay Ninh Province, 15 in Binh Duong Province, 14 in Vinh Long Province, 12 in Hanoi, and the remaining in 20 other provinces and cities. Vietnam has confirmed 1,817,721 patients, including 25 imported Omicron infections, since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the country in early 2020. Health workers have administered more than 155 million vaccine doses, including 752,474 shots on Tuesday, since vaccination was rolled out nationwide on March 8, 2021. Upwards of 77.9 million of the countrys 98 million people have received at least one dose while over 69.8 million have been injected twice. The number of third doses including additional primary shots for immunocompromised people, boosters, and third jabs of Cubas Abdala vaccine has increased to 7,407,700. Many provinces and cities are immunizing children aged 12-17 against COVID-19, using Pfizer-BioNTech shots. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A group of Vietnamese doctors, who are serving the Vietnamese level-2 field hospital under the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, have successfully performed a cesarean section to save a pregnant South Sudanese woman with fetal distress and severe scoliosis, as well as her fetus. The Vietnamese level-2 field hospital No. 3 dispatched the group of doctors to the charity hospital Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Bentiu on Monday afternoon, right after receiving the latters call for help over the case of a 22-year-old South Sudanese woman in the 35th week of her second pregnancy. While the pregnant woman showed signs of labor, her babys head did not engage, leading to fetal distress. After examining the patient, Lieutenant and obstetrician Tong Van Anh determined that this was a difficult case and immediately prescribed an emergency cesarean section as fetal distress could cause fetal heart failure. The patients medical history of severe kyphoscoliosis, which is the sequelae of spinal tuberculosis, made the surgery more difficult as the doctors were unable to use spinal anesthesia. The surgical team had to use the endotracheal anesthesia technique, along with a simple ventilator system. The anesthesiologists had to keep squeezing the manual resuscitator by hand throughout the nearly-two-hour operation, after which a four-kilogram baby boy was delivered. Doctors welcome a baby boy after a C-section on a woman with fetal distress in South Sudan, January 3, 2022. Photo: Vietnamese level-2 field hospital No. 3 However, at that time, the baby did not cry, had weak movements, and depended on the bag valve mask. After about 15 minutes of active neonatal resuscitation, the baby was able to cry and make his first movements. His mother was also in a good condition. This is the first cesarean section where I have stood as chief surgeon in the poor conditions of a field hospital in South Sudan, said Dr. Anh. I felt pitiful for the 22-year-old patient, who is short and hunched due to kyphoscoliosis, and thus motivated to save both the woman and her baby. Major and Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, head of the Department of Surgery at the Vietnamese level-2 field hospital No. 3, said that the hospital tried its best to help with the aforesaid case despite facing a shortage of human resources after a number of staff had been infected with COVID-19. The doctors and nurses are always determined to respond to the local hospitals calls for help, contributing to introducing the good image and values of Vietnamese people to international friends, Dr. Nam added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Details for next weeks Golden Globe Awards have finally been trickling out, having been very elusive given no broadcaster and rising COVID cases in the USA. The event is indeed proceeding next Monday (Australian time) but will look quite different at the Beverly Hilton. There will be no red carpet, no accredited media, no celebrity presenters, nominees or even winners. Only select Hollywood Foreign press Assoc. members and philanthropy grantees will be present in the room. The HFPA is still determining whether there will be a livestream or how winners will be announced on social media. Proof of vaccination and booster shot, along with a negative PCR test within 48 hours, is required for entry into the Beverly Hilton ballroom. All guests will be masked and socially distanced at all times. HFPA chief diversity officer Neil Phillips will also take the stage to detail the organisations efforts to be more inclusive in both its growing membership and its approach to Hollywood creatives and content. It will be the first time since 1979 that the event has no telecast and the first since the 2008 writers strike without a traditional ceremony. One way or another winners should begin to be announced after midday next Monday. Update: HFPA confirms there will be no livestream with winners to be announced on social media. Source: Variety, Deadline Tyler, TX (75702) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low around 70F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Demonstrators have burst into the Almaty administration building, and gunfire can be heard. Protesters are breaking into the city administration HQ through doors and smashed windows, an Interfax correspondent reported. The sounds that can now be heard indicate that they are smashing equipment inside the building. Policemen who tried to contain demonstrators storming the building are now trying to run away, but protesters are beating them up. Gunfire can be heard. Police patrol cars previously parked around the administration building have now left. Black smoke is billowing from the building's roof, the correspondent said. Rallies against a sharp rise in liquefied gas prices first started in Zhanaozen, a city in the Mangistau region in western Kazakhstan, on January 2, then escalating into mass protests with economic and political demands across the country. Clashes between protesters and the police occurred in Almaty on January 4. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree early on Wednesday morning, introducing a state of emergency and a curfew, from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., in Almaty and the Mangistau and Almaty region until January 19. The Kazakh government resigned in the early hours of Wednesday as well. By Emma Kraft, School of Engineering communications intern Exciting projects are in the works at the University of Dayton School of Engineering through S.U.R.E., our Summer Undergraduate Research Experience 2022. S.U.R.E. gives undergraduate engineering students an opportunity to engage in hands-on research with an engineering faculty member. Rising undergraduate sophomores through seniors are eligible for this ten-week summer research program. Past S.U.R.E. experiences and projects Nathan Brelage, mechanical engineering Nathan Brelage worked in Dr. Megan Reissmans lab during summer 2021. Their goal was to dive deeper into what pilots do to control their aircraft. Brelage said, The hope is that this data will allow us to better understand the motions and behaviors of pilots. Eventually, this could lead to improved training techniques or areas of new focus for pilot training. Skyler Miller, mechanical engineering Skyler Miller worked in Dr. Reissmans lab during the summer 2021, and they focused on the influence of sensory perturbations on gait speed with a variable speed. The goal of their research was characterizing human-machine interaction. Peter Fabe, mechanical engineering Peter Fabe followed a sustainability route and worked on two projects: one through The ETHOS Center and the other through the Hanley Sustainability Institute. His ETHOS project was through a partnership with MinVayu, a non-profit based out of Auroville, India. He says he spent the summer of 2019 seeking to use a sustainable slurry to print pottery and other architectural structures. Fabe expanded, My work for MinVayu consisted of developing an affordable, easy to use plastic washer that can be powered without electricity and assisting them remotely with machine design and troubleshooting for their printer. His second project with the Hanley Sustainability Institute followed a similar path, where he investigated the viability of plastic waste reclamation for sustainable reproduction in additive manufacturing. In regards to the future, Fabe says, My hope is to continue my research here at UD in graduate school and further my research and machine development for a low cost, open-source desktop 3D printer that will be able to print with locally processed 100% recycled thermoplastics. Megan Oleksik, civil engineering Megan Oleksik worked with Drs. Erick Vasquez, Kenya Crosson, and Garry Crosson for her research in the Summer of 2021. They investigated the synthesis of metal-organic framework hydrogel beads to engender a sustainable and efficient way to desalinate water. Vasquez and Kenya Crosson said this project targeted desalination processes through surface-modification techniques that could enhance 1) the evaporation processes and remove salts, or 2) the production of functionalized nanomembranes. Suheil Salih, engineering technology Suheil Salih says, The S.U.R.E. program fosters growth and an appreciation for research, and I would highly recommend it as a valuable experience. Salih worked with UD professors, Sharon Bommer and Hugh Salehi, as well as a student from the University of Pittsburgh. Together, they examined a literature review and researched nursing cognitive workload and the relation to hospital acquired infections. Their goal was to discover any missing gaps in the literature. Braeden Windham, mechanical engineering Braeden Windham worked in the Behavior of Advanced Materials and Structures (BAMS) lab with Dr. Robert Lowe during the summer of 2021. He said, Were characterizing the mechanics of digital lights processing (DLP) printed elastomeric materials. The goal of our research is to experimentally determine the mechanical properties of these materials to facilitate numerical simulations for virtually engineering next-gen soft robots. In his work, Windham designed custom fixtures for the universal testing machine, along with implementing a new resin on the commercial DLP printers at UDRI. Fellowship Application S.U.R.E. student fellowship application is now OPEN! Application deadline: January 31, 2022 Eligibility The program is open to those who will be students during the summer of 2022. Internal candidates must have completed their first year at UD or the Sinclair Academy. Visit the S.U.R.E. website for more information and for the application process. Face masks could avoid exam disruption (PA Media) Face masks in schools will help prevent disruption to childrens learning, London education bosses have said. Academy trust chief executives have welcomed the reintroduction of face coverings in secondary schools in England, which is set to continue until at least January 26. It comes as six school staff unions have issued a demand for urgent action to limit the spread of the virus and warned that exams would be put at risk without further measures. Many fear that high staff absences could worsen as the new term continues, causing significant disruption to childrens education. School leaders have said that while face masks in classrooms are far from ideal, they want to prevent teacher and pupil absences and school closures, which could jeopardise this years national exams, including GCSEs and A Levels. Sir Daniel Moynihan, who runs the Harris Federation which educates 36,000 children in and around London, said face coverings in schools are clearly not ideal but its the lesser of two evils. He told the Standard: It is a crisis in education, a lot of damage has been done. We are in a pandemic and anything we can do that will help keep children in school has got to be right. Secondary school students are now required to wear face coverings in class, unless exempt (PA Wire) If you think about the Year 13 that are due to do their exams this summer, if those exams are cancelled for any reason, then that year group will have done no public exams of any kind in secondary school, he said. There is a risk that exams will be cancelled, we are all praying they wont be, but schools have been advised to undertake mock exams to generate predicated grades with evidence. Secondary schools across the country are planning to do those in January, and if masks allow us to keep more children in school so we can get that evidence, in case exams are cancelled, then thats really important. He stressed that summer exams being cancelled is unlikely but said that if a lockdown or large number of schools closing for an extended period of time were to happen then that would make doing exams very difficult. Story continues Sir Daniel added: At the moment, the Government has rightly said it wants to keep schools open and masks are one of the measures its taking to help achieve that, so as long as schools can be kept open and the majority of children attend most of the time those exams will go ahead. All secondary school pupils must wear a face covering while in class as well as in communal areas unless exempt in a bid to help tackle the spread of Omicron. Teachers will not have to wear them under the new guidelines. Students do lateral flow tests as new term starts (Jeremy Selwyn) Students will also be expected to take a Covid test on-site and complete a test twice a week from home under the updated government advice. Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of Star Academies which runs a network of primary and secondary schools in east London and across the UK, also welcomed the reintroduction of face coverings. Face coverings may not be ideal, but the alternative - closing schools - is more detrimental to young peoples wellbeing and education, Sir Hamid said. He said that everything must be done to ensure summer exams go ahead and that measures including face masks, regular testing, vaccination and adequate ventilation all play a vital part in protecting our most vulnerable and ensuring that we keep schools open. We are confident that exams will go ahead. Even if they do not, our priority is to deliver high quality learning so that our students are ready for the next stage in their learning, he continued. It comes as the four main teaching unions covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland - ASCL, NAHT, NEU and NASUWT - plus the GMB and Unison, issued a joint statement calling for urgent steps to help schools. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi (PA Wire) It said schools needed to avoid exam disruption for a third successive year, and remove uncertainty and additional workloads for students and teachers. Meanwhile, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi defended the move, saying that secondary pupils in England will wear masks in classrooms not for a day longer than necessary. The Department for Education has said that they are planning for exams to go ahead this year including the VTQs in January, and have put measures and support in place for students who have had disruption to their learning. Nicola Sturgeon is due to give a coronavirus update on Wednesday (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Archive) Nicola Sturgeon will update the Scottish Parliament on any possible change to the self-isolation period as opposition parties call for the 10-day rule to be adjusted. The First Minister will address Parliament virtually on Wednesday at 2pm to give an update on the Covid-19 situation as the Omicron variant sweeps across the country. Last week Ms Sturgeon said she hoped to give an update on any changes to the self-isolation period, which is currently 10 days. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has pressed the First Minister on the issue on four separate occasions in Parliament in recent weeks. Scotland has the strictest self-isolation rules anywhere in the United Kingdom Scottish Tory Leader Douglas Ross He has called for the 10-day isolation period to be cut to seven days if someone has tested negative twice. Mr Ross has also called for an end to household contacts having to isolate if they receive a negative PCR test. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said on Tuesday the Government is still actively considering the move. He added that the First Minister will provide further details on Wednesday on the changes which have been made by Wales and Northern Ireland in the past week. People who test positive for coronavirus in Wales can leave isolation after seven days if they return two negative lateral flow tests on days six and seven. Scotland has the strictest self-isolation rules anywhere in the United Kingdom, Mr Ross said. We understand the need for caution, but Nicola Sturgeons dithering and delaying is continuing to have a major impact on frontline services and the wider economy, due to the sheer numbers having to isolate. She must finally confirm in her latest update that the period of isolation will be cut to seven days for those who have tested negative twice. Deputy First Minister said the Government is still actively considering reducing the self-isolation period (Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail/PA) (PA Wire) Mr Rosss comments were echoed by Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie. Ms Baillie, who is also the partys health spokeswoman, said: The SNP must use this update to confirm whether they will change self-isolation requirements in line with the latest evidence, to stop staff absences piling yet more pressure on businesses and services this winter. Story continues She pushed for an increase in testing capacity after Scots faced trouble booking PCR tests during the festive period. Ms Baillie said: Scotlands testing system is showing signs of considerable strain, leaving people across the country facing impossible decisions. Before any new restrictions can be justified the Government must act to ensure our testing system is working properly and demonstrate the evidence that new rules would meet the unique challenges of Omicron. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday, Mr Swinney said: Further details will be shared with Parliament in its virtual session on Wednesday. We are obviously looking at the clinical advice that is crucial in the handling of this because, as Ive indicated before in these discussions, we do not in any way, shape or form serve anybodys interest if we ignore the clinical dimension of this issue and the risk of transmissibility of allowing individuals to return to the workplace if theyre still carrying the virus. Kazakhstan's president has appealed to a Russian-led military alliance for help in quelling the mass protests gripping the Central Asian country, promising to use force to put down the unrest. President Kassym-Jopart Tokayev in a televised speech Wednesday said he had appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a security alliance of former Soviet countries dominated by Russia, to assist Kazakhstan with suppressing the protests which he claimed were being led by foreign terrorists. The alliance has agreed to send a joint force of "peace-keepers" to Kazakhstan to help restore order, according to Armenia's prime minister, which is part of the alliance. Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said the force would deploy to Kazakhstan for a "limited period," with the goal of "stabilising and normalising the situation in the country." The CSTO includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan's two neighbors, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The announcement raises the prospect that foreign and potentially Russian troops may now help violently put down the unprecedented protests that have spread across Kazakhstan. First triggered by anger over a hike in fuel prices, they have escalated into a unprecedented challenge to the authoritarian regime of Nursultan Nazarbayev, that has dominated the former Soviet country for three decades and is a key ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin. PHOTO: Riot police officers hold their weapons ready as they try to stop demonstrators during a protest in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Jan. 5, 2022. (Vladimir Tretyakov/AP) Thousands of protesters on Wednesday stormed government buildings in several cities, including the largest city and former capital Almaty. There, protesters broke into the city administration office, set fire to other key buildings, and overran the airport. Security forces trying to violently disperse the crowds there and in several other cities appeared overwhelmed, with videos posted by local media showing protesters forcing military armored vehicles to flee and riding in police vehicles. Kazakhstan's interior ministry said at least eight police officers had been killed. Story continues Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the country and internet access for the country was shut down on Wednesday. MORE: Biden, Putin hold call amid heightened tensions over Ukraine Tokayev on Wednesday tried to calm the protests with concessions, reversing the fuel price rise, dismissing his cabinet and announcing he would take over from Nazarbayev as head of the national security council. But after the protests continued, late Wednesday Tokayev announced he was now seeking assistance from the Russian military alliance. PHOTO: Protesters attend a rally in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Jan. 4, 2022, after energy price hikes. (Abduaziz Madyarov/AFP via Getty Images) Tokayev claimed "international terrorist groups" had seized parts of Almaty, saying that should be considered an "act of aggression" and he was therefore invoking the CSTO's collective security guarantees. "Considering the given terrorist groups are in essence international -- they've undergone serious training abroad -- their attack on Kazakhstan can and must be considered as an act of aggression. In connection with that, as set out by the treaty on collective security, I today am appealing to the heads of state of the CSTO for help," Tokayev said in his speech to officials. The CSTO alliance also includes Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Tajikistan, but its driving force is Russia. The alliance's treaty guarantees assistance to members when their security or stability is threatened. Tokayev made the announcement after calls with Putin and Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko. After Tokayev spoke, authorities in Almaty said security forces were conducting a "counter-terrorist operation" in the city, warning residents to remain indoors. PHOTO: Demonstrators try to block a police bus during a protest in the center of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Jan. 4, 2022. (Vladimir Tretyakov/AP) Kazakhstan is a major energy exporter and its authoritarian government is an important ally for the Kremlin, which has a stable and productive relationship with Tokayev's government. It is the second time in a year and a half that a long-time former Soviet leader of one of Russia's key neighbors has faced a massive uprising after the failed protests in Belarus year. Before Tokayev's request for help on Wednesday, the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia believed the crisis could resolved internally and warned others against outside intervention. PHOTO: Protesters attend a rally in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Jan. 4, 2022, after energy price hikes. (Ruslan Pryanikov/AFP via Getty Images) Dissatisfaction has been growing in Kazakhstan in recent years over worsening living standards and rising prices, and resentment at corruption among its ruling elite. The coronavirus pandemic has worsened those economic problems. The protests began four days ago in the Western oil region of Mangystau, sparked by a sharp rise in the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) widely used in vehicles. But since Tuesday, unrest has spread across the country and broadened into a movement calling for an end to the regime built around Nazarbayev. MORE: Belarus jails husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya for 18 years Kazakhstan has been dominated by Nazarbayev since it became independent after the fall of the Soviet Union, thirty years ago. In 2019, the ailing 81-year-old handed the presidency to the younger Tokayev, but Nazarbayev retained power behind the scenes by moving to become chairman of Kazakhstan's national security council. Tokayev on Wednesday announced he was now heading the council, in an apparent concession. Tokayev did not mention Nazarbayev by name or refer to him, and it was unclear what it meant for Nazarbayev's future role in the country. "And so I, as head of state and from today chairman of the Security Council, am determined to act with maximum harshness," Tokayev said in the address broadcast on state news channels. "Whatever happens I will stay in the capital," he said. Russian-led alliance says it will send 'peacekeepers' to Kazakhstan over protests originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The sun rises over the city on a polluted morning in Beijing BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese capital Beijing met state air quality standards for the first time last year, officials said on Tuesday, following a concerted effort to cut coal consumption, reduce transportation emissions and relocate heavy industry. China declared war on pollution in 2014 after a series of hazardous smog build-ups in Beijing and elsewhere triggered widespread public anger. Average readings of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 reached 33 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing over the whole of 2021, down 13% compared to a year earlier and meeting China's interim standard of 35 micrograms for the first time on record, officials said during a briefing on Tuesday. The annual average of 33 micrograms remains much higher than the recommended World Health Organization level of 5 micrograms. Yu Jianhua, deputy head of Beijing's environmental protection bureau, described the city's efforts over the last decade, as well as the speed of its improvements, as "unprecedented". "All regions and all departments worked together and organised the whole society to achieve comprehensive improvements in Beijing's air quality," he said. Beijing residents enjoyed nearly four months more of clear skies last year compared to 2013, he added. Beijing promised in 2015 that it would use its staging of the Winter Olympics in 2022 to help drive improvements in its environment, with Chinese President Xi Jinping vowing to host a "green" Games. As a measure of the progress made, in 2016 average PM2.5 readings stood at 71 micrograms, but frequently approached 500 micrograms during the winter months, when coal-dominated heating systems were switched on throughout the region. Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei have since made efforts to switch to cleaner natural gas and also planted vast numbers of trees across the region. They have also imposed tough new fuel standards on cars and forced steel mills and other industrial facilities to install equipment aimed at controlling emissions. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom and David Stanway; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Wound not healing two years after U.S. killed Iran's Soleimani Xinhua) 08:42, January 05, 2022 Iranian people attend a gathering to mark top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani's second martyrdom anniversary in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2022. (Iranian Presidential Website/Handout via Xinhua) TEHRAN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- "I come here not because of my duty, but out of my heart," Iman Abniki, a young member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said on Monday when attending an event to mark the second anniversary of an American drone strike in Iraq that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Abniki, who didn't wear his uniform, entered the venue at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Mosalla more than an hour earlier than 2:00 p.m., when the ceremony was scheduled to start. He silently sat down against a pillar and waited, with hands folded on his knees, and his head bowed. "Soleimani was truly kind to those working with him, who returned him with love and respect," he said. The U.S. assassination of him promoted the commander to become "a bigger hero," leading to greater solidarity among the soldiers, Abniki added. Like the young soldier, a large crowd as well as top Iranian officials and military figures, such as President Ebrahim Raisi, gathered to honor the martyred general and mourn his absence in Tehran. Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, was assassinated along with his companions by the United States near Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3, 2020, because he "helped mobilize grassroots movements against U.S. military presence in the West Asia region," as said by Iran's Tehran Times. On online maps, the streets leading to the Imam Khomeini Mosalla all featured a red color, indicative of the number of people who had gathered to honor Soleimani's memory. In the venue, many held the portraits of Soleimani and waved the Iranian flag. Children, dressed in mini military uniforms with red bandages on heads, were particularly eye-catching, especially when they waved taller-than-themselves flagpoles around. With the crowd chanting slogans such as "Soleimani is a hero," Raisi boarded the podium. In an address to mourners, the Iranian president said U.S. officials have to beware of Iran's revenge for Soleimani's assassination if those involved in and behind the "criminal act" are not prosecuted through a just mechanism. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a gathering to mark top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani's second martyrdom anniversary in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2022. (Iranian Presidential Website/Handout via Xinhua) Raisi said former U.S. President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must be "prosecuted for their criminal activity" through a fair mechanism and be punished. The Iranian president added Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has correctly said that "Martyr Soleimani" is more dangerous to the enemy than "General Soleimani," because the likes of Soleimani will rise in the future. Two days earlier, on the first day of this new year, Khamenei met with the family of Soleimani. He told them the reality of large crowds in Soleimani's burial ceremony shows that he "was and still is the most popular person in the nation." Two years ago, Khamenei wept while leading mourners in prayer for the funeral of the slain military commander. Now in 2022, the sorrow persists. When Khamenei recalled his experience in the hospital waiting for Soleimani's grandchildren to undergo surgery, he once had to pause for a while to calm his emotions. Even though he was wearing a mask, the sadness can be found in his eyes and through the tone of voice. "Today, thanks to the blessings from that invaluable, innocent blood, the United States has fled from Afghanistan," the top leader of Iran said, adding that the "resistance and anti-imperialist movement in the region is moving forward in a stronger, more dynamic, more hopeful way than two years ago." Also on Monday, in Soleimani's home city Kerman, southeastern Iran, which has also come to host the general's burial place, thousands of people marked the second anniversary of Soleimani's martyrdom by holding a march and chanting anti-America slogans. Over the past few days, various events featuring speeches, conferences and rallies have been held across Iran and even outside the country to commemorate the second martyrdom anniversary of Soleimani. Iranian people attend a gathering to mark top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani's second martyrdom anniversary in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Wencheng) During the huge ceremony on Monday in Tehran, the culmination of the commendations, the most emotional came when the crowd cried loudly with threnody. Grief echoed throughout the hall and surrounded the audience, including the Iranian general's daughter, Zeinab Soleimani. During a vigil at the Baghdad airport on Sunday night on the eve of the martyrdom anniversary, she renewed her pledge to avenge her father's assassination. "We vow to move closer, hand in hand and step by step, to the horizon of exacting 'harsh revenge' on enemies whose hands are stained with their blood," she stressed, adding that "the tears of sorrow would soon turn into joyous tears of victory when dear Iraq and all the countries in the region are purged of the filth of the presence of American invaders." (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) Chief Justice John Roberts backed calls for the federal courts policymaking body to review rules that have led to a concentration of patent cases in a Waco court criticized by Silicon Valley heavyweights like Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google. In his annual year-end report on the judiciary, Roberts said the Judicial Conference of the U.S. is going to review the issue of judicial assignment and venue for patent cases in federal trial courts. Roberts had asked the director of the Administrative Office, who serves as the secretary of the Judicial Conference, to present the issue after members of Congress from both parties complained that a quarter of all patent cases in the nation are concentrated before a single judge in Waco. Roberts said a study of the arcane but important matter of judicial administration is a good example of a matter that self-governing bodies of judges from the front lines are in the best position to study and solve and to work in partnership with Congress in the event change in the law is necessary. That the patent forum issue was one of just three agenda items in Roberts annual report the other two were financial disclosures and workplace harassment illustrates the pressure the judicial branch has come under to address the issue. Courts in Waco in the Western District of Texas and Marshall in the Eastern District have long been the bane of tech companies. In the first year that most courts around the country were closed because of the pandemic, juries in the two districts slapped companies like Apple and Intel Corp. with more than $3.7 billion in damages, including a $2.2 billion hit against Intel in Waco. Troll The Texas courts are particularly favored by patent-licensing firms, often called the pejorative troll, whose sole purpose is to collect royalties. The companies dont make products, nor in many cases are they the original inventors of the patented technology. The firms often file dozens or even hundreds of lawsuits against tech developers, manufacturers and retailers in hopes of a quick payoff. The much-criticized actions of those firms has enabled tech companies to lob the troll word at almost any patent owner that sues them, including universities, research firms and struggling business that argue theyve been overwhelmed by the power of Silicon Valley. The review by the Judicial Conference, which could issue its report by May 1, will focus on the Western District, where local rules allow litigants to select the particular courthouse where they want to file their cases. District Court Judge Alan Albright, a former patent litigator, is the only judge in Waco, and patent owners have flocked to his court since he was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2018. Albright declined comment to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the nations top patent court, has repeatedly rebuked Albright for refusing to let cases out of his court, in several instances ordering him to transfer suits to California where the tech companies are based. In response, Albright has moved some cases to Austin, also in the Western District, where the suits were then assigned to other judges. Two prosecution witnesses who tested positive for COVID-19 and a third who is quarantined after exposure to the virus forced the postponement of McLennan Countys first criminal trial of the new year. A 19th State District Court jury was selected Monday to hear the case against Fernando Rey Torres, a 36-year-old auto mechanic charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. However, Judge Thomas West informed jurors Tuesday morning he was postponing the start of testimony until Jan. 18 because at least three critical prosecution witnesses were not available this week to participate in the trial. In addition to those witnesses, a member of the alleged victims family also has been exposed to COVID-19 and would not be able to attend the trial, prosecutor Sydney Tuggle said. McLennan County judges, mindful of the surge in COVID-19 cases, remain anxious to try to get the countys stagnant criminal justice system back to a semblance of normality while following strict health-related protocols. As jury trials have resumed, county officials have limited the process to selecting only one or two juries per week to observe social distancing measures as much as possible. A defendant charged with injury to a child was set for trial in Wests court Monday. However, multiple tests indicated the defendant had a fever of 100 degrees or more and he was not allowed in the courthouse. Meanwhile, at the McLennan County Jail, Maj. Ricky Armstrong said Tuesday the number of new COVID-19 cases there appears to be mimicking the overall surging activity in the county. On Tuesday, there were 28 active cases among inmates and 20 among staff members, Armstrong said. Current totals remain lower than the peak total of 54 active cases among inmates when regular testing started in early 2020, he said. The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District reported 440 new COVID-19 cases among McLennan County residents Tuesday, with 2,008 active cases. The seven-day average positivity rate for tests was 31%. The health district reported 77 COVID-19 patients in local hospitals, up from 49 a week ago and 31 two weeks ago. One new COVID-19 death of a McLennan County resident was reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 749. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO An Illinois man accused of shooting at a Waterloo home in December 2020 has pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges. Dillon David Grundman, 23, of Inverness, formerly of Cedar Falls, pleaded to one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Sentencing will be at a later date, and he remains in custody until then. Authorities were investigating gunfire that damaged a home at 618 Independence Ave. while people were inside Dec. 12, 2020. Police found that Grundman had sent a SnapChat picture of the back of the house, where the shots came from, shortly before the shooting. Officers stopped a vehicle he was traveling in and found a spent shell casing. The following day, police stopped a vehicle leaving a home where Grundman had been staying and found a 9 mm Honor Defense Guard pistol and a 9 mm Beretta APX handgun in the vehicle. They also found a 9 mm Ruger Security 9 handgun in the house where he was staying, according to court records. The Ruger had Grundmans DNA and was missing a serial number, records state. Investigators found photos of firearms and marijuana on Grundmans phone. Grundman faces up to 10 years in prison on the federal gun charge, and he is also awaiting trial in state court for intimidation with a weapon, assault and stalking for allegedly shooting at the Independence Avenue home. While out on bond, he allegedly missed a June 2021 court date and disappeared before surfacing in Wisconsin a month later. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Waterloo police arrested Amarri Ray Nash, 18, 3242 E. Shaulis Road, on Tuesday for one count of intimidation with a weapon. He also was arrested for criminal mischief after he allegedly damaged a squad car when he was detained. A Parkersburg woman told police she was driving in the 800 block of Broadway Street shortly before 8 p.m. Dec. 31 when a vehicle in front of her began slowing down and speeding up. A passenger in the other car told her to pull over while pointing a gun at her and then threw something at her window, breaking it, and threatened to shoot her. WATERLOO Waterloo Community Schools cash reserves ballooned this past year thanks to an infusion of federal dollars, a financial audit shows. The Board of Education recently received and placed on file the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30. The districts unassigned general fund balance grew by about $11.77 million to $26.95 million during 2020-21. The unassigned general fund balance represents money available for emergencies and is often considered a measure of financial stability. Based on 2021 spending levels, those funds equal just over two months, or 18.9%, of expenditures. Michael Coughlin, Waterloo Schools chief financial officer, told the board one of the big things that changed from the previous fiscal year was the amount of federal revenues received by the district. Three rounds of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic brought it $52.31 million in aid. The last two rounds responsible for the bulk of the money occurred during the 2020-21 fiscal year. Weve always been around $10 million-$12 million for federal funds (annually). But then when ESSER money kicked in, we saw a pretty big jump, he said. Our federal revenue because of ESSER went up over $12 million and the expenditures stayed relatively the same. Expenses were about $3 million higher ... than the year before, Coughlin explained. So thats why you see the revenue over the expenditures in 21. There was a difference of a positive $10 million, he said. General fund revenues were $152.58 million with expenditures of $142.31 million. On a different matter, the audit showed an increase in Waterloo Schools long-term liabilities of revenue bonds and premiums as well as compensated absences, going from $71.54 million to $92.15 million. That increase is almost entirely due to construction financing of the new Lowell Elementary School, which opened to students on Monday. In October 2020, the board approved issuing $22.6 million in 1% sales tax revenue bonds for the project. Those bonds will be repaid with proceeds from the districts portion of the statewide sales tax for schools. Regarding other debt obligations, the districts net pension liability grew from $60.36 million to $72.29 million. Liability for other post-employment benefits increased from $11.55 million to $12.53 million. School districts are required to have an audit conducted by a third party each year to ensure they fairly state their financial position. Auditors also point out potential violations of Iowa law or significant deficiencies in accounting procedures. BerganKDV of St. Cloud, Minn., completed the districts audit. The report found no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under government auditing standards. An unmodified opinion is the best opinion an auditor can issue, said Coughlin. So, it means that all of the reports and schedules and narrative and the financial statements are all presented fairly. That if anybody looks at it, studies it ... it is a fair representation of the financial condition of the district. Board member Sue Flynn, who is on the districts finance committee added, We were very happy with the way the audit turned out and the lack of findings and the collaboration of our staff in getting information to the auditors. Auditors did find minor concerns with certified enrollment data and fixed asset representations that have been corrected. We were off by two kids, Coughlin said, on enrollment. By state rules, the auditors have to put in any discrepancy, any correction on enrollment. So thats why you see it even when its a tiny little number out of almost 11,000 kids. The fixed asset issue related to demolition of the old Lowell school. The building and any additions are each considered a separate asset and Coughlin said the value of one was not taken off the books when torn down. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CEDAR FALLS Mayor Rob Green appointed Councilor Simon Harding mayor pro tempore Monday night for a second year in a row. Two councilors voiced slight objections. If Green is unable to perform certain duties as mayor, like chairing a City Council meeting, Harding, who began his first council term in 2020, will step into the role. Im honored, and I appreciate it, Harding, co-owner of a local musical instrument repair shop, said in a telephone interview. Ill do my best with the job. Whenever the mayor makes a decision involving you, its an honor. Having the authority to appoint the pro tempore without council input, Green stood firm on his choice and denied Councilor Daryl Kruses request he consider someone else at the first meeting of the year. Kruse and Councilor Susan deBuhr formalized their discontent with Greens selection by voting against the receiving and filing of the Dec. 28 memo communicating the appointment to council. The other five councilors, including newcomers Gil Schultz and Dustin Ganfield, voted for it. Kruse and deBuhr questioned the mayors decision, alleging Green previously said hed rotate which councilor served in the role. About a year ago, we had gotten an email from the mayor saying that you were going to be rotating this position, and Im curious why you chose not to rotate it, said deBuhr, the longest serving councilor who began her tenure in 2004. I do recall that you did say you were going to rotate the mayor pro tem position so that everybody could get experience and be well-rounded in our views of the city and running the city, Kruse added. Something to that effect. Green initially said he didnt recall the email. After acknowledging the councilors statements, he neither confirmed nor denied the email, and simply noted: I didnt do it. I apologize. I do feel very comfortable with Councilmember Harding as pro tem, however, so I would not look to change that, Green said. According to Harding, he had one opportunity last year, when Green wasnt available, to chair a work session and the committee of the whole and council meetings, on the same day. Also, he attended a Liberian Association induction ceremony, and Grow Cedar Valley Economic Diversity & Inclusion Conference on behalf of the mayor. In addition, the pro tem helps interview potential new members interested in serving on the citys commissions and boards, Harding said. The role requires a bit more time than you would think, he said. I view pro tem as a supporting role. Whatever the city needs, Ill do whatever it is to the best of my abilities. Another responsibility is being next in line to implement the citys Emergency Operations Plan, which he said he never had to take on, but is ready in case a situation, like a natural disaster, were to arise. Asked about the comments from Kruse and deBuhr, he said, I dont mind if they feel that way. I respect their feelings. While he couldnt say whether there was an email from the mayor about rotating who serves as pro tem. He said possibly there was one, but it didnt indicate a desire to have it happen every year. Frank Darrah, a former councilor who was ousted in the November election by Ganfield, served as the pro tem in 2020 the first year of Greens tenure as mayor. Green began his second two-year term as mayor Monday. He previously noted he was not interested in running for a third term. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CEDAR FALLS A majority of the City Council is willing to entertain the possibility of property acquisition for a new road addressing traffic and safety concerns surrounding Aldrich Elementary School. Councilor Dave Sires has identified the road as one of his two top priorities heading into 2022, and provided councilors Monday with a professionally drawn rendering of an extension of Arbors Drive, or what would be another direct access road, north of the school, that connects to Greenhill Road. The council agreed to hold a closed session, potentially at its Jan. 18 meeting, to discuss the real estate prospects. The reason that this is always on my mind is every morning when I get up, I look out my front window, and I can see Aldrich School, Sires said. Sires, who has two grandchildren attending the school, has brought up the issue on numerous occasions, and expressed confidence it will eventually be resolved. A traffic bottleneck to the south of the school is a result of the road a developer was not required to build, Sires said. It has led to well-documented bus and walker concerns along Erik Road since the school opened in 2018. The safety of these kids is my top issue besides having a separate fire department, said Sires, who ran for mayor but lost to incumbent Rob Green in November, in a later interview. If one child dies because of this road not being constructed, well, I couldnt even fathom how bad that would be. Sires said the rendering, along with cost estimates, were produced by friends who work at engineering and street paving companies and have decades of experience related to road construction. He declined to name the companies. Staff werent directed to do anything specific at the Monday meeting. However, City Administrator Ron Gaines, in a telephone interview, acknowledged three of four different solutions have been considered by his staff, and negotiations are ongoing between attorneys of the city and property owners. I understand the concerns with traffic on Erik Road, and feel some connection will alleviate some of them, said Gaines. Limited by Iowa code in regards to what can be publicly disclosed when talking about potential real estate transactions, Gaines had no further comment about the possible solutions, and whether one of them was similar to what Sires has pitched. Cedar Falls mayor appoints Harding as pro tem for second year in a row Councilors Susan deBuhr and Daryl Kruse questioned the decision, alleging Green previously said hed "rotate" who served in the role. At the Monday meeting, Sires said the construction of a 43 foot wide road with a curb, gutter and storm sewer is estimated to cost $1.5 million. That figure doesnt include the cost to acquire the easement. He hopes the cost will come down if the private owner of the land is willing to cover the cost of the curb, gutter and storm sewer in light of the vacant area around the proposed road being capable of supporting development in the future. All in all, he said, it wouldnt cost a tremendous amount of money. Now is the time to get this done, said Sires. We can get it done at a cheaper rate, since no one is in that area, and truly the (citys proposed) alternatives dont solve the problem because traffic still ends up on Erik Road. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DES MOINES With Iowas workforce still lagging behind the pre-pandemic level, lawmakers feel compelled to take action when they return next week to the Capitol for the 2022 legislative session but just how theyll do that is unknown. Legislative leaders acknowledged the need for more workers, an issue not unique to Iowa. They also acknowledged ways to address it: job training, boosting access to affordable housing and child care, cutting taxes or coaxing Iowans off unemployment and food assistance programs. But details were scarce in interviews with the governor and legislative leaders. Any plans, apparently, will have to wait for the legislative session. I dont go anywhere, and the members of the (Iowa House Republican) caucus dont go anywhere, where that isnt probably the No. 1 topic of conversation - Republican, Democrat, independent - all across the state, said Pat Grassley, the Republican House speaker from New Hartford. Ive said any idea that anyone has needs to be looked at, Grassley said. That doesnt mean theyre all going to happen. That doesnt mean theyre all good ideas. But we have to be putting ideas on the table. In January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there were 1.68 million Iowans in the workforce, and the share of Iowans working was 70%, according to state workforce data. In November 2021, the last month for which data is available, there were 85,600 fewer Iowans in the workforce, and the share of Iowans working was 66.8%. It is a No. 1 issue that we hear when we travel the state, when we talk to Iowans, and we certainly want to do whatever we can from a legislative perspective to help that, said Jack Whitver, the Republican Senate majority leader from Ankeny. Gov. Kim Reynolds said she plans to introduce what she called a comprehensive bill to address the states workforce. That is all business and industry talked to me about when traveling the state, and in communities, I dont care what size, small, medium or large, Reynolds said. Workforce is by far their biggest issue. Reynolds announced her pending proposal Tuesday during a session forum hosted by the Iowa Capitol Press Association. But she will not offer details until next Tuesdays annual Condition of the State address. Reynolds did say her plan will involve working with refugee communities; helping underrepresented Iowans get job skills; supporting adult education; addressing access to affordable child care, housing and broadband internet; and making further changes to the states unemployment system. Reynolds and the state workforce development department already have implemented changes to the unemployment system. Iowans receiving jobless benefits must now conduct more work searches and work with a case manager. Whitver said one way Senate Republicans will attempt to address a shortage is by getting Iowans off government assistance. Republicans say the changes will help employers find workers. But critics contend changes to those programs could push out people who need that assistance to survive. Thats one thing that weve been big on for five years now, but its even more appropriate now, or more needed now with the lack of workers in almost every field, Whitver said. Jennifer Konfrst, the Democratic House minority leader from Windsor Heights, said lawmakers should provide more funding for child care and affordable housing. Konfrst criticized Republicans for pursuing a conservative agenda over the past five years that she says makes Iowa appear unwelcoming to people from other states. Workforce isnt something that gets fixed by one magic bullet solution. It gets fixed by making Iowa a place people want to move and people want to work, Konfrst said. Its not just one thing. And over the years, especially recently, the Legislature has introduced bills that make Iowa an unwelcoming place. Zach Wahls, the Democratic Senate minority leader from Coralville, also highlighted housing issues - including at mobile home parks where rent has increased dramatically in recent years - and child care. He said Senate Democrats will advocate for continued investment in job training programs. Were going to focus on career and technical education, apprenticeships, making sure that we are investing in the last-dollar scholarship and community colleges, Wahls said. Those job preparation (programs), that bucket is a big one. The 2022 session of the Iowa Legislature is scheduled to begin Monday. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CEDAR FALLS A majority of the City Council is open to discussing the future of the public safety director position, despite at least three councilors previously voicing opposition to changing the Public Safety Officer model. Councilor Susan deBuhr, one of those past protesters, was the lone vote against a motion Monday to hold a future work session on the topic. It was made by Councilor Simon Harding and passed 6-1. At the first council meeting of the year, the dais had a new look. New councilors Gil Schultz and Dustin Ganfield took their seats for the first time, replacing Mark Miller and Frank Darrah, respectively. No public swearing-in ceremony was held. Cedar Falls is possibly the only big Iowa city not to hold a public swearing-in ceremony Some family was in attendance at the swearing-in of the newly elected officials, but the event came without public notice or any pomp and circumstance. Hardings motion included a discussion on possible ways to gain data in order to evaluate the current public safety model. It is a tough subject, I realize that, said Harding, but Im not up here saying, Burn it (the PSO model) to the ground. I just said lets talk about the future of that position, and lets talk about ways to gather data, look at it, and we go from there. Thats where the work session starts, Harding said. Mayor Rob Green said the work session should take place sooner rather than later within the next month or so because of the issues with the public safety director position and needing to have some clarity before Public Safety Director Jeff Olson retires March 11. Administrator Rob Gaines told councilors hed wait for direction from them before moving forward with identifying a possible replacement for Olson. According to Gaines, the hiring process for the director position involves advertising for and subsequently interviewing candidates. Along with himself, Gaines said the mayor, mayor pro tem, administration committee chair, and other department heads would be involved in making the personnel recommendation to council. Right now, with the way the public safety program is and the controversy thats been publicly displayed, I dont want to actually start advertising right now if the councils going to discuss it and discuss the future of it, because I dont believe that we would get qualified applicants, said Gaines. DeBuhr objected to holding a work session before a July update by the Public Safety Department to the council that supposedly would include any recommended changes by the Public Safety Department. Harding disputed her point because Olsons retirement makes the issue time sensitive. Councilors current, future and outgoing met in December with staff to discuss goals for the upcoming fiscal year. When it came to the PSO model and whether to open it up for possible changes, the unofficial votes cast by those who would serve on council in 2022 were split 3-3. The seventh vote, Councilor Dave Sires, who lost his bid for mayor and campaigned on separating the department into separate fire and police divisions, was absent due to illness. Im all about conversation, said Councilor Kelly Dunn, who previously opposed considering change, at the Monday meeting. This issue obviously doesnt seem to be going anywhere, and many have since told me theyre tired of this issue tearing our city apart, so lets just dive into it. In addition to deBuhr and Dunn, Daryl Kruse was the third vote against change in December. One reason cited by the trio that evening was the departments experts are continually monitoring the PSO model and would recommend any changes if they felt they were needed. Just because we want to open it up doesnt mean we dont support the public safety officers. I dont feel unsafe, and I appreciate them. I just want to make sure that we continue looking at things, said Harding at the time. Now-former councilors Mark Miller and Frank Darrah, who both were present at the goal setting sessions, backed the PSO model. We dont have any proof that the people arent safe, Darrah said. Ill tell you if I was one of these PSOs, I dont know if Id want to go to work when they think half the community doesnt trust them. I know thats not the case, but thats the rhetoric thats out there, he added. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO UnityPoint Health, in partnership with Black Hawk County Public Health, now will travel to homes in Black Hawk County to administer COVID-19 vaccines. To schedule an appointment, call (319) 226-2600. Available times may vary. The vaccine has been approved for anyone age five and older with booster doses approved for anyone age 16 and older who completed the first series of doses more than six months ago. Between May and August, a mobile vaccination vehicle was deployed and administered 625 doses at homes and businesses. UnityPoint Health continues to encourage everyone who is eligible to get the vaccine. For more information, visit unitypoint.org and click the COVID-19 Vaccine dark blue button on the homepage. Although significant progress continues in the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, its important to practice COVID-19 safety measures for the foreseeable future, UnityPoint officials say. Even after a person is vaccinated, they should continue to stay home when sick and wear a mask and social distance when near others, they said. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Extreme climate events led the news in 2021. Among the rarest events, an unprecedented heat wave in the Northwest that busted all records. Portland was scorched by an average high temperature of 112 degrees Farenheit from June 26-28, when normal high temperatures are in the 70s. Seattle, Washington, set an all-time heat record of 104 F on June 27. The next day the record was obliterated by a high temperature of 108 F. Prior to that Seattle had recorded only 3 days with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in more than a century. In 2021, climate records were not simply broken, they were shattered. Canada couldnt escape the heat either. Lytton, British Columbia, broke the all-time high temperature record for the entire country of Canada on June 29 at 121 F. Imagine, fracturing the high temperature record for the entire country by 8 degrees Fahrenheit! Iowas highest statewide temperature dates back to July 14, 1936, at 108.8 F. Thus, Lytton, B.C., was more than 12 degrees hotter than Iowa ever has experienced in recorded history, even though Lytton is more than 500 miles further north. Climate experts determined that this heat wave was virtually impossible without man-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Broken records were not limited to heat waves in 2021. On December 10-11, 2021, six states in the U.S. experienced a family of tornadoes that was by far the worst ever recorded so late in the year. Hardest-hit was Kentucky, which experienced an EF-4 long-track tornado traveling over 165 miles with gusts of wind up to 190 mph. Mayfield, Kentucky, was destroyed. In all, more than 80 people died. Later that week, Iowa was not spared when a rare derecho swept through the state Dec. 15. The second derecho in Iowa in 16 months and the first-ever derecho in December anywhere in the U.S., it spawned 92 tornadoes, including 43 in Iowa, the most twisters in a single day in the states historical record. Who analyzes the trends of climate change? The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its sixth report (AR6) on the physical science basis for climate change. Each report since 1990 has become more sobering (and certain) that these extreme climate events are a result of human-induced warming. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the report a code red for humanity. Authors stated with high confidence, Evidence of observed changes in extremes such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones has strengthened since the last report, 2013. Multiple lines of evidence document that Earths climate is changing beyond the realm in which human civilization developed over the past 10,000 years. Just decades remain to mitigate and/or adapt to its effects. In December, diplomats from 197 countries including 120 heads of state met in Glasgow, Scotland, for the UNs 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26). They agreed to transition to a low-carbon economy, but progress fell short of ensuring the goals: a 45% decline in human-caused greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions in 2050, which would limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 F). Unfortunately, we are not on a path towards meeting those goals. While the average level of planetary warming is currently 1.1 C (2.0 F), we are following a scenario towards 2.7 C (4.9 F) in coming decades, more than twice what we have experienced so far. Indeed, the stakes are very high. We still have time to stabilize our climate, but we must act soon. Climate science should be a part of every college curriculum each student should be knowledgeable of how it will affect their world for decades to come. Jerry Schnoor is professor of civil and environmental engineering and co-director of the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The party of FDR, Harry S. Truman, JFK, et al., continues its drift toward the tenets of communism, whose doctrine is founded on the principles of the so-called dialectic materialism taught by Karl Marx. This doctrine proclaims the existence of only one universal reality formed by blind and hidden forces, which through natural evolution is transformed into plants, animals and men. By the same token they claim human society is nothing but an appearance or form of matter which gradually evolves and, through an inexorable need and a perpetual conflict of forces, tends to a final synthesis: a classless society. This system has no place for the very idea of God; there is no difference at all between spirit and matter, soul and body; the soul does not survive after death, nor is there any life after this one. The communists, insisting on dialectic materialism, maintain that men are able to hasten the conflict that will lead to the final synthesis. This is why they strive to promote class struggle by exacerbating antagonisms among social classes. Roger Smith, Waterloo Revere life Gregory Hoekstra's recent letter (Dec. 26) to the editor compels refutation. Hoekstra states: "Abortion is about the birds and the bees." The phrase "birds and bees" suggests a creative act. Abortion, by definition, is destructive. Hoekstra acknowledges the humanity of an unborn child while simultaneously defending abortion. He culminates this dichotomy with the rhetorical statement: "I must be a defender of killing a human being." Despite Hoekstra's generalizations, there are women for whom having an abortion is as inconsequential as discarding the day's garbage. And there are men traumatized to learn that a partner chose abortion rather than carrying the child to term. I passionately oppose legislation legalizing abortion; however, my opposition is not, as Hoekstra implies, grounded in a demonization of women who've chosen abortion. I oppose the legalization solely because I revere life. Marcia Bauer, Waterloo Fight the coup Jan. 6th is the anniversary of the worst domestic terrorism attack against the United States of America. One year later Donald Trump still lies about the election he lost by 74 electoral and 7 million popular votes. He still hasnt been jailed for the Trump riot and failed coup attempt. After a year of investigations, and arrests of more than 700 thugs, terrorists, and traitors, very few in the GOP have the courage to stand up for the Constitution and against an attempt to replace democracy with dictatorship. What Trump attempted and failed at succeeded in 1930s Europe when fascists and Nazis seized power. These fine folks later murdered millions. We now know while the stormtrumpers attacked the Capitol, repeated attempts were made by those close to Trump for him to go on television and call off his attack, yet he he did nothing for hours. The lives of every federally elected official, including Vice President Mike Pence, were put into jeopardy. Trump only cares about himself and power and will lie, cheat, and steal to get it. He should be arrested for sedition and obstruction, or exiled to Russia. People like him should be kept as far from power as possible. Russell Broadway, Waterloo Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Kollywood actor, Karthi secured a huge hit in Telugu with Naa Peru Siva in 2010. The film is a dubbed version of Naan Mahan Alla produced by KE Gnanavel Raja under the banner Studio Green. Now, the makers have planned to release the actors Tamil hit movie, Madras, released back in 2014, in Telugu. The producers have titled the Telugu dubbed version as Naa Peru Siva 2. Studio Green is planning to release the movie in January 2022. Directed by Pa Ranjith, the movie has Catherine Tresa and Kalaiyarasan in prominent roles. Santhosh Narayanan has scored the music for this movie. Articles that might interest you: Weather Alert ...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...West winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph expected. Locally stronger gusts in wind prone locations. Sierra ridge wind gusts near 100 mph. Waves 2 to 4 feet on Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe. * WHERE...Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Greater Reno-Carson City- Minden Area and Western Nevada Basin and Range including Pyramid Lake. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Choppy conditions for Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake with waves 2 to 4 feet expected. Travel restrictions for high profile vehicles are possible. Check with CalTrans and NDOT for the latest on road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Now is the time to secure loose outdoor items such as patio furniture, holiday decorations, and trash cans before winds increase which could blow these items away. The best thing to do is prepare ahead of time by making sure you have extra food and water on hand, flashlights with spare batteries and/or candles in the event of a power outage. && Law enforcement and federal authorities in the Washington area are stepping up security efforts in anticipation of the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Vango Response to ZAG Opinion on WA Court Decision Sydney, Jan 5, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Vango Mining Limited ( ASX:VAN ) refers to the announcement made on 4 January 2022 by Zuleika Gold Limited ( ASX:ZAG ) titled "Correction to VAN announcement re WA Supreme Court Action".Vango stands by its market announcement of 17 December 2021 reproduced below:"WA Court's Decision on Billabong Gold Matter ReceivedVango Mining Limited ( ASX:VAN ) ("Vango" or "Company") wishes to advise the market of what is, for Vango, a very pleasing outcome from the proceedings brought before His Honour Justice Martin by Superior Gold (through its subsidiary, Billabong Gold Pty Ltd) in the Supreme Court of Western Australia.On 14 December 2021 Justice Martin handed down his decision which provided for Billabong Gold to be offered, in essence, the Binding Term Sheet that had previously been offered to Billabong Gold by the Company. This result means that, in effect, Billabong Gold has spent the last 2 years of time and money pursuing what had already been offered to them.All other claims made by Billabong Gold were unsuccessful, including its claim to an agreement which would have enabled them to obtain forty percent of Vango's tenements.His Honour also noted Zuleika Gold's claims against Vango and, having noted his comments, Vango looks forward to meeting Zuleika in court as soon as possible in 2022.The above result allows Vango to confidently move on with business."The Company's shareholders should consider the context of Justice Martin's FULL JUDGEMENT, which can be read at:under citation "BILLABONG GOLD PTY LTD -v- VANGO MINING LTD [No 2] [2021] WASC 459".About Vango Mining Limited Vango Mining Limited (ASX:VAN) is a minerals exploration mining company with ambitions of becoming a high-grade WA gold miner by developing the 100% owned Marymia Gold Project (Marymia) in the mid-west region of Western Australia. The Project comprises 45 granted mining leases over 300km. It has an established high-grade resource of 1Moz @ 3g/t Au, underpinned by the Trident Deposit, whose resource is 410koz @ 8g/t Au, with immediate extensions open at depth/along strike. The Marymia Project has the potential to become one of Australia's largest high-grade producers. The Greenstone Belt in the Marymia region includes six major gold corridors, which remain largely un-tested beyond 100m depth - supported with an extensive drilling and geophysical database. Previous mining between 1992-2001, produced 580,000 ounces of gold almost entirely from open-pits. Vango is focused on growing its high-grade gold resource to support a proposed stand-alone gold mining and production operation at Marymia. The Project is located along strike, immediately to the north of Superior Gold's (CVE:SGI) Plutonic Gold Mine which has produced more than 5.5Moz of gold. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Detectives have released the names of several people killed over the past month in separate incidents across Albuquerque. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, identified the deceased as Michael Sanchez, 38; Emilio Gonzales, 28; Christopher Pino, 32; David Brown, 33; Casey Valdez, 31; Nicholas Nikki Turrietta, 31; and Rochelle Dedman, 36. Only the Dec. 9 killing of Sanchez has resulted in an arrest. Police say just before midnight Sanchez, a homeless man, was shot by Patrick Saavedra, 38, in Downtown Albuquerque during an altercation between Saavedra and security guards. Saavedra is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center. On Dec. 20, officers found Gonzales fatally shot in the 200 block of 63rd NW, near Coors and Central. He later died at the hospital. On Dec. 23, police found Pino shot to death at the Bluewater Village apartment complex, just north of Central and Coors NW. Pinos mother, Jacklyn Pino, said her son was always there for everybody and always had a smile, displayed in every picture she had of him. This is like a different hurt for a mother, its much stronger, she said. The whole family is torn up. At the time of his death Christopher Pino, one of four siblings, was opening a business in Rio Rancho with his father to help rescue people who get stuck while four-wheeling. On Dec. 24, officers found Brown dead inside a vehicle in the 530 block of Ortiz SE, near Zuni and San Mateo. His mother, Dustie Brown, said she has been overtaken by grief ever since. Its kind of surreal, she said. He just loved everybody, big heart, he was just always trying to help people. Dustie Brown said her son was known as computer Dave for his skills designing websites. She said he was highly intelligent and handsome as all get-out. Its kind of surreal, she said. He just loved everybody, big heart, he was just always trying to help people. Dustie Brown said she hopes someone will come forward with information to help solve her sons homicide. On Dec. 30, police found Valdez fatally shot at a home in the 2500 block of Los Compadres NW, and detained the shooter, a woman. Police spokesman Gallegos said detectives have not filed charges against the woman and are working with the District Attorneys Office on the case. On Dec. 31, officers found Turrietta a transgender woman who went by Nikki inside a home near Mountain and Broadway NE after friends reported seeing her unconscious through the window. Police initially believed Turrietta died from an overdose but an autopsy found a gunshot wound under her hair. Then, on Sunday, officers found Dedmans body inside the apartment of an acquaintance at the Dorado Apartments, near Montgomery and Juan Tabo NE. Police say the acquaintance had called 911 and investigators observed details that made them think her death was a homicide. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal A former New Mexico sheriff serving a three-year prison term for helping a friend avoid arrest pleaded guilty to another criminal misdemeanor last week for protecting the same man in a separate incident. James Lujan, 70, stepped down as Rio Arriba County sheriff last month after a jury found him guilty of two felonies for helping conceal Phillip Chacon, a former Espanola city councilor, who was being sought by Espanola police. A 1st Judicial District Court jury found Lujan guilty Dec. 1 of felony charges of harboring a felon. The jury also convicted Lujan of intimidating a witness for ordering one of his deputies to withhold information from other officers about Chacons whereabouts. Judge Kathleen Ellenwood sentenced Lujan on Dec. 2 to three years in prison, saying elected officials must be held to a higher standard. On Wednesday, Dec. 29, Lujan pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for interfering with Espanola police after they set up a perimeter around Chacons home in March 2020. Lujan pleaded guilty to one count of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, according to court records. A plea agreement calls for Lujan to serve 364 days in prison, with the sentence to run concurrent to the three-year sentence he received last month, meaning he will not serve additional time in prison. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled. Espanola police allege that Lujan tried to interfere with a police investigation involving Chacon, according to a criminal complaint filed in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court. Police had set up a secure perimeter around Chacons residence on March 21, 2020, when Lujan arrived and demanded that police leave the scene, the complaint said. Lujan also entered the perimeter and refused to leave when ordered to by Espanolas interim police chief, it said. Lujan is the second Rio Arriba County sheriff convicted of two felony charges and sentenced to a term in prison in recent years. In 2015, former sheriff Tommy Rodella was sentenced to 10 years and one month for convictions on two federal counts related to a 2014 road rage incident, according to an indictment filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Albuquerque. Rodella remains in custody in a federal prison in Texas, according to federal prison records. LAS VEGAS A 57-year-old ex-felon who was found in Las Vegas with a severed head and body parts in his allegedly stolen vehicle has lost his bid to get out of jail while facing a murder charge. Eric Hollands public defender, David Westbrook, argued in court Tuesday that his client might have been a hapless car thief who just picked the wrong car and the prosecution had to prove that not only was there a body in the car but that he knew it was there and that he actually caused the death. Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia responded with a terse order keeping Holland behind bars at least until a preliminary hearing of more evidence in the case, scheduled for Jan. 27. Proof is evident and the presumption is great that Mr. Holland committed murder, the judge said. Holland was arrested Dec. 23 while driving a vehicle with the dismembered remains of a man later identified as Richard P. Miller, 65, of Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner said Miller died Dec. 23 from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled the case a homicide. Police and prosecutors said Miller and Holland were acquainted, but have not described a motive for the killing. Westbrook said outside court his client intends to plead not guilty. In court he conceded that his client was caught while running from police, but challenged police searches of coolers found taped closed in the bed of the 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche that Holland was found driving. Prosecutor Giancarlo Pesci showed photos to the judge of Millers head and questioned two police detectives who testified that along with three handguns, police found receipts for a power saw, construction-grade plastic bags and heavy-duty tape among Hollands possessions. Pesci said bullets from at least one of the guns were found in Millers head and body parts. Detective Tate Sanborn testified that home improvement store video also showed a person who looked like Holland buying a saw and other items. Westbrook asked Ricardo Auerbach, the police detective who found Millers head in a cooler, if he first obtained a warrant to search the Avalanche. Auerbach responded that he was conducting a standard inventory check before the vehicle was impounded and towed away as evidence. Auerbach said he opened the cooler after noticing a smell like decay or fish. Sanborn said he later obtained a warrant for a more thorough search. Pesci has said Holland had prior felony and federal criminal convictions dating to the 1980s in states including California, Texas and Nevada under names including Eric John Holland and Eric Allen Holland. Nevada prison records say Holland used names including John Carl Hall, Phil Whidden, Robert Daniel Lauer and Steven Tauber. Outside court, Westbrook told reporters that prosecutors had yet to show that Holland knew when fled from police in an allegedly stolen 2018 Toyota Tundra and then switched vehicles to the Avalanche that he had knowledge of what was in the Avalanche, and that he intentionally led police to the evidence. Why would he do that? the defense attorney asked. AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay the launch of a new slice of 5G service by two weeks after airlines and the nations aviation regulator complained about potential interference with systems on board planes. President Joe Biden said the agreement reached Monday will help avoid further disrupting flights that bad weather and the surging coronavirus have already delayed and canceled by the thousands over the past several days. The telecom giants agreed to delay Wednesdays planned launch of the new C-Band strand of 5G, which promises faster speeds for customers, in order to implement changes around airports. They still dismiss concerns that it could negatively affect aviation equipment. The companies already postponed the C-Band rollout by a month when, over the weekend, they rejected a request by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the head of the Federal Aviation Administration to delay the launch again. Under Mondays agreement, the companies also agreed to reduce the power of their new networks near major airports for six months. That will give the FAA more time to study potential interference with aviation. This agreement ensures that there will be no disruptions to air operations over the next two weeks and puts us on track to substantially reduce disruptions to air operations when AT&T and Verizon launch 5G on January 19th, Biden said in a statement Tuesday. Heres a look at what happened and what comes next for wireless customers and air travelers. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE NEW SERVICE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES? So far, 5G service from AT&T and Verizon has not been very different from existing 4G service for most customers. The new segment of radio frequencies called C-Band, a mid-brand spectrum, could mean faster signals over wide areas for many customers. T-Mobile already has huge swaths of mid-band spectrum. Over the past few years, wireless carriers have spent tens of billions of dollars to license spectrum from the government and roll out 5G service. However, their plan to use C-Band ran into fierce opposition from airlines and aviation groups. WHAT DID THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY SAY ABOUT THE NEW 5G SERVICE? U.S. airlines say wireless use of the C-Band segment of the spectrum could interfere with altimeters, radio devices that measures a planes height above the ground. The trade group Airlines for America said airlines could be forced to cancel or divert thousands of flights as a safety measure. WHOSE SIDE IS THE GOVERNMENT ON? Both. The Federal Communications Commission, which runs the auctions of radio spectrum, determined that C-Band could be used safely in the vicinity of air traffic. The FCC in 2020 set a buffer between the 5G band and the spectrum that planes use to resolve any safety concerns. But Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson, whose agency is responsible for aviation safety, saw a potential problem. On Friday, they asked AT&T and Verizon to hold off activating C-Band 5G near an undetermined number of priority airports while the FAA conducted further study. HOW DID AT&T AND VERIZON RESPOND? They dismissed the concerns. The wireless industry trade group CTIA notes that about 40 countries have deployed the C-Band strand of 5G without reports of harmful interference with aviation equipment. But AT&T CEO John Stankey and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg did offer to reduce the power of their 5G networks near airports, as France has done. The laws of physics are the same in the United States and France, Stankey and Vestberg said in a letter Sunday to Buttigieg and Dickson. If U.S. airlines are permitted to operate flights every day in France, then the same operating conditions should allow them to do so in the United States. Although they took steps to soothe the federal officials, the telecoms are still bickering with airlines, which have canceled more than 10,000 U.S. flights since Christmas Eve because of bad weather and labor shortages caused by COVID-19. While the airline industry faces many challenges, 5G is not one of them, Vestberg said in a company memo Tuesday. HOW MANY PLANES DOES THIS AFFECT? Under the agreement, the FAA will conduct a survey to find out. The FAA will allow planes with accurate, reliable altimeters to operate around high-power 5G. But planes with older altimeters will not be allowed to make landings under low-visibility conditions. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS? The two-week postponement will give the FAA and the companies time to implement the agreement. AT&T and Verizon will be allowed to launch C-Band service this month under already-granted FCC licenses. The airlines have until Friday to give the companies a list of up to 50 airports where they believe the power of C-Band service should be reduced through July 5. Until July, the telecoms will talk to the FAA and airlines about potential long-term measures regarding 5G service near airports. However, under terms of the agreement with the FAA, AT&T and Verizon will have sole power to decide if any changes in service will be made. We felt that it was the right thing to do for the flying public, which includes our customers and all of us, to give the FAA a little time to work out its issues with the aviation community and therefore avoid further inconveniencing passengers with additional flight delays, Vestberg said in his memo. Nicholas Calio, president of the airline trade group, was more muted in his comments about the agreement, although he thanked federal officials for reaching the deal with AT&T and Verizon. Safety is and always will be the top priority of U.S. airlines. We will continue to work with all stakeholders to help ensure that new 5G service can coexist with aviation safely, Calio said. The FAA issued a brief statement about the two-week delay, saying it looks forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexico would distribute free high-quality masks and COVID-19 test kits to the public under a $60 million plan prefiled ahead of the upcoming legislative session. The proposal would tap into the states allocation of federal funds to provide $10 million for KN95 or equivalent masks and $50 million for at-home tests. The push for better masks and increased testing comes as New Mexico prepares for a spike in cases fueled by the omicron variant. The states test positivity rate for the last seven days reached 19.8% on Tuesday, about 8 percentage points higher than a week ago. State Sen. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat and member of the Senate Finance Committee, said its important for more New Mexicans to upgrade from cloth masks to N95 or KN95 masks offering more protection. He said his legislation would draw on unspent federal relief funds sent to New Mexico. This funding can help provide some of the most powerful tools we have to limit the spread of COVID, and thats high-quality masks, and convenient accessible tests, Steinborn said in a written statement. Lawmakers are set to begin a 30-day session Jan. 18 dedicated largely to budget and finance legislation. Steinborns proposal would call for the Department of Health to distribute masks and at-home test kits with $60 million in funding. The agency would also launch a statewide education campaign on the importance and proper usage of masks. Hospitalizations up The Department of Health on Tuesday reported 1,654 new COVID-19 cases. The state also announced 31 more COVID-19 deaths, 20 of them in Bernalillo County. Twenty-three of the fatalities happened in the last 30 days, and eight happened earlier but their death certificates werent processed until recently. The official statewide death toll is now 5,897 residents. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also ticked upward. The state reported 493 patients hospitalized for the disease Tuesday, a 4% increase over Monday. New Mexico hasnt yet seen the explosive growth facing other states hit by the omicron surge. New Mexico, in fact, ranks in the lower half of states for recent COVID-19 cases per capita, according to federal data. New Mexico had 564 cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days 14th lowest out of 50 states. Quicker boosters The states vaccination rate is relatively strong, ranking among the top 15 in some categories. About 76% of New Mexico adults have completed their initial vaccination series and about 36% have received a booster shot. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday shortened the booster timeline for people who received the Pfizer vaccine. Individuals who got their second Pfizer dose at least five months ago are now eligible for a booster shot, rather than having to wait six months. Recommendations for the other vaccines remain the same two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or six months after the Moderna one. People who arent fully vaccinated have made up a disproportionate share of New Mexicos infections. They comprised 70% of new cases, 84% of hospitalizations and 84% of deaths in the most recent four-week period with data available, according to a state epidemiology report released Dec. 27. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal The Albuquerque police officer who shot an armed 16-year-old suspect fleeing an apartment in early December was a rookie a little more than a month into on-the-job training. APD officials held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to release details, four lapel camera videos and a 911 call regarding the Dec. 2 shooting in Northwest Albuquerque. They said Jesus Lopez, carrying two guns, was struck in the torso region as he ran by the officers. Lopezs attorney told the Journal the bullet punctured his lungs and he has had several surgeries. Lopez remains hospitalized and has not been charged in connection with the incident. Police Chief Harold Medina said Lopez could have been considered a threat even though he did not actually point a gun at officers. The officer (who shot Lopez) talked about this person running, closing distance with the firearm, on an officer that was on the other side of them, he said. The Force Review Board will determine whether that was appropriate or not. People need to remember that an offender doesnt have to sit there and literally point the firearm at somebody they just need to present through their actions a danger that something is imminently going to happen. Officer Dillon Sather had graduated from the Albuquerque Police Department academy Oct. 22. The shooting was the first he was involved in, and he had been training with another officer at the time. Lopez was wanted on a bench warrant for failing to appear at a pretrial hearing in Sandoval County in mid-November. He had been charged in childrens court with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon against a household member. According to court documents, he touched or applied force against his mother with a kitchen knife. ShotSpotter detects gunfire Deputy Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock of the Criminal Investigations Division said officers first became aware of Lopez when they were called to the Villa Hermosa apartment complex at 2600 Americare NW, near Coors and Quail. The ShotSpotter gunshot detection system had alerted police to gunfire, and within minutes multiple callers had reported gunshots to 911 as well. When officers arrived they were told the gunfire had originated from a specific apartment and after checking police reports and other records, they determined Lopez was known to stay there and was wanted on a warrant. Hartsock said the apartment was rented by one of Lopezs family members. From 7:50 a.m. about the time they arrived, until 9:27 a.m. when the shooting occurred officers conducted research on this individual and on the individuals inside the apartment, Hartsock said. They waited for more resources to show up from the police department to make sure the area was safe and secured. And they near nonstop asked all the occupants of the apartment to please exit and surrender peacefully. Eventually two occupants came out, Hartsock said. He said officers could see Lopez through a window and told him he was wanted on a warrant and to surrender, but instead he retreated into the home. Then a young woman or teenage girl came out and talked to officers and at that point, Lopez ran from the apartment. Lapel camera video shows Lopez run by Sather and two other officers including another trainee and in the direction of another officer who was stationed behind a police SUV. At that point, Sather fired. Officer Sather stated in his interview that he felt Mr. Lopez was going to shoot the officer who was now behind the police vehicle as Mr. Lopez was running, or that he was going to shoot at the three officers stationed by the building which could strike them or possibly strike any of the occupants inside the apartment complex, Hartsock said. Video shows a bloodied Lopez yell out that he had been hit and asked to go to the hospital as Sather handcuffed him and checked him for injuries. While initially Lopez was kneeling and talking, he eventually appeared to lose consciousness. Hartsock showed a photo of two guns he said Lopez was armed with when he was shot and said that preliminary analysis showed that one of them is linked to several gun crimes in the city over the past several months. Medina said the history of the gun was very interesting and police would get into that more later since its part of an active investigation. Lopez faces juvenile detention Investigators are still trying to determine if one of the guns was what sparked the initial ShotSpotter call. After Lopez is released from the hospital he will be booked into a juvenile detention center on his warrant. Sather has returned to work in the same area command and is scheduled to complete his training in February. As per policy, the Internal Affairs Force Division will investigate the shooting to see if any policies were violated, and a multiagency task force made up of area law enforcement will investigate and turn over the case to the District Attorneys Office for possible prosecution. The shooting was the ninth by APD in 2021. Four were fatal. Ryan Villa, who is representing Lopez in the domestic violence case, said he has been told his clients lungs were severely damaged and he has had several surgeries, and had a chest tube put in. He said he has talked to Lopezs sister, since his mother primarily speaks Spanish. The family is very distraught, Villa said. The hardest part is not being able to talk to Jesus. Hes in custody because of the warrant and so he hasnt been able to talk to his mom or his sister, even on the phone. Villa was appointed as Lopezs attorney after the shooting and said that since then he has also been trying to help the family navigate what to do. The little bit that I know about the criminal case is his mom does want to work it out and help her son, Villa said. I havent questioned her about what happened, most of the discussions weve had has been to explain to her the legal process thats going on now next steps, how were going to get the information to investigate what happened in Albuquerque. Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway was idle Tuesday as staff worked to repair cables that were fouled Friday night, trapping 21 people on tram cars until Saturday afternoon. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) James "Augie" Eischen, left, director of maintenance for Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, and General Manager Michael Donovan talk about cable repairs Tuesday after a mishap left people trapped in tram cars. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office pilots Fred Beers, left, and Larry Korean were part of the team that helped rescue 21 people trapped overnight Friday and into Saturday inside Sandia Peak tram cars. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Michael Donovan, General Manager of the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, used binoculars Tuesday to check the progress of repairs on the tram's cables. Icy weather caused the cables to tangle late Friday, stranding 21 people until Saturday afternoon. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 4 Next Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Even in the best conditions, Benny Abruzzo admits that striding from one of the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway towers onto the top of a tram car is a gulp step. But what if you have just climbed up that towers 80-foot ladder in slippery, frigid conditions in an effort to rescue 20 people who have been trapped in that car, dangling at an elevation of 8,750 feet, for hours. That tower was covered in six inches of ice, said Abruzzo, 63, owner of the tramway, the Sandia Peak Ski Area and Sandia Peaks TEN 3 restaurant. I had to break the ice free of the rungs, and the winds are blowing it into your face so you turn into this big frozen thing. The people trapped in the car were 19 employees of TEN 3 and a tram operator. They were descending on the tram late Friday night when icy weather caused the tram cables to tangle, stalling the tram cars. Also trapped was a single tramway employee on his way up to the peak in another car. Abruzzo and Paul Johnson, area manager of Sandia Peak Ski Area, started hiking up to the tramways No. 2 tower before dawn on Saturday. Abruzzo said they reached the tower some time between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Abruzzo made that two-foot step from the tower onto the roof of the car and opened the hatch on the cars roof. They were kind of surprised and very happy to see the boss open the hatch, Abruzzo said. I said, We got you. They all cheered and roared. There was laughter. Plans in place Larry Koren is undersheriff and a helicopter pilot with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office. He was on his morning walk at 6 a.m. Saturday when he was notified about the people trapped on the tram cars. I got a ride back to my house and I was at the (helicopter) hangar at Double Eagle II Airport about 7 a.m., Koren, 54, said. For several years, BCSO has worked with the tramway to devise rescue tactics to deal with tram cars hung up on the tram cables. One such strategy involves moving people from the car onto a helicopter in flight. But Saturdays conditions would not allow that. There were high winds, low visibility and icing, Koren said. Those are real concerns for flying operations. Koren found a place to land the copter about 100 feet or so from the base of the No. 2 tower. The plan was now to lower the trapped passengers on a rope 65 feet to the ground. From there, they would walk to the copter, which would transport them to the tramway parking area at the base of the Sandias. Meanwhile, Abruzzos son, Ben, 43, and mountain guide John Kear had joined Benny Abruzzo and Johnson in the rescue effort. Benny Abruzzo said the people trapped in the car were cold, thirsty and hungry. We brought everything you can imagine food, water, blankets, jackets, hot tea, Benny Abruzzo said. They ate all the food, drank all the water. My son and I were the last out of car one and there was just one (protein) bar, a couple of waters and a down jacket left. He said the trapped passengers ranged in age from teenagers and those in their early 20s to people in their 50s. They were servers, bartenders, cooks, dishwashers and people in senior management. Secured in a harness, they stepped one by one out of the tram car door and were lowered to the ground by rescue workers. Some were waving, some were taking pictures, Benny Abruzzo said. Koren said the distance from the No. 2 tower to the copter was not far, but it was steep and slippery. Once those rescued from the first tram car arrived, he began flying them to the base parking lot in twos, threes and fours. They were in great spirits, Koren said. Ive never seen a happier group of people. It took about 45 minutes to get those 20 people off (the mountain). We got that done about 1 p.m. One to go But there was still the one person, the tramway employee, to get down. He was way up, mid-span between the towers, Koren said. He was in worse condition than the others because he did not have the benefit of people around him for warmth and morale. And then the weather turned sour again. We got socked in with that weather and had to put down and wait a bit, Koren said. The weather was crazy, Benny Abruzzo said. In all my years, I have never seen a storm with that kind of punch and have never seen that ice development. The Sandia cliff faces were plastered in ice. The time during which the weather kept the copter on the ground was actually needed to move the second car to the No. 2 tower. The cars could go backward, but not forward. We were moving it inches at a time, Benny Abruzzo said. We had to creep that car back and get him out of there. He had at least been equipped with warm clothes and a sleeping bag. It was OK, but not great. By 3:45 p.m., the tramway employee had been lowered from the second tram car and taken by helicopter to safety. This was an effort by a lot of search and rescue stakeholders, Koren said. We have had more urgent missions, people with broken legs, broken backs, heart attacks. But this was a mission that was important to accomplish. Benny Abruzzo is the son of the late Benjamin L. Ben Abruzzo, who was part of the three-man team that made the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon in 1978. Benny said Saturdays rescue was a job that called on skills he has developed throughout his life. I am an ice climber, a rock climber and a mountaineer, and all those skills came in handy, he said. It was difficult, but well within the things I have done before. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexicans who face eviction during the pandemic may have an alternative that provides landlords with another option when rent is not paid, the New Mexico Supreme Court said Tuesday in a court order. An Eviction Prevention and Diversion Program will start as a pilot program in the 9th Judicial District in Curry and Roosevelt counties on Feb. 1. It will be expanded statewide in March. It provides facilitators trained in eviction cases who can help resolve rental payment disputes. The goal is to negotiate a settlement acceptable to property owners and renters, allowing people to remain in their homes while fairly compensating the property owners through emergency rental assistance, Chief Justice Michael Vigil said in a statement. According to the statement, under the program, after a tenant gets a legal notice of an eviction petition they will also receive information on access to legal services, financial assistance for rent and utilities and rehousing for those in danger of losing their home or who already have. This initiative to help financially vulnerable New Mexicans was developed collaboratively with input from courts, state agencies, local governments, property owners, housing advocates and providers of legal services, Justice C. Shannon Bacon said in a news release. Judges will advise the tenant and landlord at the start of any proceeding about the program and the availability of state-administered federally funded emergency rental assistance. If parties agree to participate, the case will be put on hold for a minimum of 60 days while negotiations with a court-appointed settlement facilitator are underway with the possibility of an additional 30 days of negotiations. The case is dismissed if there is a settlement, or it proceeds with no settlement and a judge can issue an eviction order. If evicted, tenants have access to rehousing assistance through the program. Early in the pandemic in March 2020, the Supreme Court paused evictions for tenants who provided a judge with sufficient evidence of their inability to pay rent during the pandemic, the statement said. A stay on evictions for nonpayment of rent will be lifted in Curry and Roosevelt counties when the program begins there, under the order issued Tuesday. If landlords obtained a judgment during the time evictions were on hold, they must return to court and file a new form requesting a post-judgment eviction order to have the case move forward, the statement said. SANTA FE With the arrival of the new year, new laws are taking effect in New Mexico that aim to bolster access to health insurance and eliminate many court fines against juveniles that are viewed as counterproductive. One bill approved by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the states Democrat-led Legislature adds a 2.75% surtax on health insurance premiums the upfront payments made on behalf of an individual or family to keep insurance active starting Jan. 1, 2022. The current surtax is set at 1% of premiums. The tax increase will be used in large part to underwrite health-exchange insurance offerings for low- and moderate-income individuals, along with employees at small businesses, starting in 2023. Insurance Superintendent Russell Toal says the surtax will provide a crucial subsidy when Medicaid coverage under special federal pandemic provisions expires for an estimated 85,000 residents. Many patients who leave Medicaid are likely to seek out policies on the state insurance exchange. Separately, New Mexico is eliminating many fines and fees in the juvenile justice system that are viewed as potentially harmful and expensive to administer. Under the legislation from Democratic state Reps. Roger Montoya of Velarde and Gail Chasey of Albuquerque, the state will no longer collect a $10 application fee for assignment of a public defender in delinquency cases. The new law also eliminates fines for possession of marijuana by a minor and limits community service requirements to 48 hours for minors caught with pot. New Mexico in late June legalized nonmedical cannabis for adults 21 and older and authorized retail sales of recreational marijuana by April 1, 2022. Regarding the states new surtax, several legislators Republican and Democratic have worried a tax increase on policies would be passed on to businesses and consumers by health insurance companies. Insurance officials say nearly 90% of the tax increase will fall on managed care organizations that provide Medicaid insurance. State officials also hope to use a portion of the new tax proceeds to attract more federal matching funds for local Medicaid providers. Toal says it is still up to the Legislature in 2022 to approve spending that reduces costs at the state health insurance exchange and helps small businesses. Lawmakers convene Jan. 18 for a 30-day session that focuses primarily on budgetary matters. DENVER Maryland repealed its half-century-old Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. Washington state reformed use-of-force policies and created a new agency to investigate when officers use deadly force. And California overcame objections from police unions to make sure officers fired in one jurisdiction couldnt be hired in another. Those are some of the far-reaching policing changes passed this year in response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But the first full year of state legislative sessions since his death sparked a summer of racial justice protests produced a far more mixed response in the rest of the country. A number of states implemented incremental reforms, such as banning chokeholds or tightening rules around use of body cameras, while several Republican-led states responded by granting police even greater authority and passing laws that cracked down on protesters. The state action on both sides of the debate came as Congress failed to implement policing reforms aimed at boosting officer accountability. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the U.S. House without a single Republican vote and then collapsed in the evenly divided Senate. Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents more than 356,000 law enforcement officers, said he thinks its still possible for Congress to pass police reform, but perhaps only after another deadly case captures the nations attention. Sadly, the only thing we know for sure, it will be a tragedy that will precipitate change, Pasco said. He said the trend of states passing their own policing measures depending on their politics is creating more divisions in an already fractured country. Partisan leanings were in play in Maryland, which 50 years ago became the first state to pass an officers bill of rights that provided job protections in the police disciplinary process, measures that eventually spread to about 20 other states. This year, it became the first to repeal those rights after lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly overrode the veto of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. They replaced the bill of rights with new procedures that give civilians a role in police discipline. Democratic lawmakers also united to pass other reforms over Hogans objections or without his signature, including expanding public access to police disciplinary records and creating a unit in the state attorney generals office to investigate police-involved deaths. Other states can use this legislation as a blueprint for creating meaningful police reform, said Rashawn Ray, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institute. In Washington state, an ambitious series of reforms will ban police from using chokeholds and no-knock warrants, create a new state agency to investigate police use of deadly force and change the threshold for when officers can use force. Some law enforcement officials have said they are not clear about what theyre required to do, which has led to discrepancies about how to respond to certain situations. California created a statewide certification system for officers, in part to prevent police fired in one jurisdiction from getting a job somewhere else. The bill stalled in the legislature last year and struggled to gain support again this year in the face of opposition from police unions. It passed after it was amended to allow for the option of an officers license being suspended as a lesser punishment and to include other safeguards. This is not an anti-police bill. This is an accountability bill, said Democratic state Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, who carried the legislation in that chamber. Without any accountability, we lose the integrity of the badge, and the bond with the community is broken. California also required the state attorney generals office to investigate all fatal shootings by police of unarmed civilians, specified when officers have a duty to intervene to prevent or report excessive force, and increased the minimum age to become a police officer from 18 to 21. The state reform bills passed in 2021 are important because they help promote accountability for police, which can shift officer behavior as long as the changes are enforced, said Puneet Cheema, manager of the Justice in Public Safety Project at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. To try to prevent violent encounters with the police in the first place, she said governments need to limit what police are asked to do such as whether or not they should respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis or make certain traffic stops. That is a longer-term shift that will lead to the broadest changes in police violence and the role that police play in peoples lives, Cheema said. Even some states with divided governments were able to agree on certain reforms. In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, signed a partial ban on no-knock warrants approved by the Legislature, where Republicans hold veto-proof supermajorities. The bill was passed after months of demonstrations over the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in her Louisville home during a botched police raid last year. It permits no-knock warrants if there is clear and convincing evidence that the crime being investigated would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender. Many protesters and some Democratic lawmakers had sought a full ban, but the law does not prevent cities and towns from banning the warrants completely. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed a bill passed by the Republican-led legislature that creates a public database where anyone can check whether an officers certification has been suspended or revoked. It also creates another confidential database showing cases in which an officer kills or seriously injures someone that is only accessible to law enforcement agencies. In Louisiana, the Democratic governor and lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Legislature placed new restrictions on the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, required detailed policies for body camera and dash camera use, boosted law enforcement agencies minority recruitment efforts and required anti-bias training. They also agreed to require suspension or revocation of a police officers state certification if the officer committed misconduct. Some states controlled fully by Republicans moved in the opposition direction and expanded the rights of police officers or cracked down on protesters. In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced measures at the start of this years legislative session to ban racial profiling by police and establish a system to track racial data for police stops. But lawmakers dropped those sections of her proposal and instead passed the Back the Blue Act, which Reynolds signed in June. The law makes it harder to sue and win monetary damages from police accused of misconduct, made rioting a felony and provides legal protection from lawsuits for the driver of a vehicle who might strike a protester. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that increased penalties for blocking roadways and granting immunity to drivers who kill or injure rioters. It was prompted by an incident in Tulsa last year in which the driver of a pickup truck drove through a crowd gathered on an interstate as part of a protest against Floyds killing. In Ohio, people attending a rally who are accused of violating an anti-riot law could be targeted with a provision normally used against terrorist activity under proposed GOP legislation. Florida also passed a law cracking down on violent protests that had been championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, but a federal judge has blocked it from taking effect, calling the law vague and overbroad. ___ Associated Press writers Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Don Thompson in Sacramento, California; and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. WASHINGTON Around three dozen Democrats were trapped in the House gallery on Jan. 6 after the rest of their colleagues had been evacuated, ducking beneath their seats as supporters of then-President Donald Trump laid siege. The insurrection interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Bidens victory. The Democrats were unable to leave as rioters surrounded the chamber and tried to beat down the doors. Capitol Police eventually evacuated the group unharmed, and Congress resumed the electoral count that evening. But many say the trauma of the experience lingers. In interviews with The Associated Press, 10 of the lawmakers who were there described their experiences in the House gallery and the aftermath: ___ Vermont Rep. Peter Welch, who was posting video updates to Twitter: A police officer came to the floor and told us the Capitol had been breached and to get out the gas masks. In my time in Congress, Ive never, ever heard anyone other than a member or a clerk speak (from the rostrum). To have a Capitol Police officer was stunning. It was so unusual that I began to do some recording of what was happening. And it was partly a way of recording it, partly a way of just giving myself something to do when I was pretty scared about what was going on, and whats going to happen here. And that video reflected the sobriety of the moment and just the uncertainty that all of us were facing. ___ Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol: I didnt quite know exactly the seriousness of it until I got a call from my wife, who said, Where are you? I said, Im in the Capitol. She said, Dont you know theyre breaking in? So you know, again, it doesnt register. I said, You cant break in. I mean, theres police and barricades and a lot of things out there. She said, But Im watching people climbing over the wall right now, breaking into the Capitol. And about that time, somebody said, Put on the gas mask.' ___ Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who was recovering from knee replacement surgery: It was terrifying. Somebody (in the gallery) was saying, Do you have a key? Does anybody have a key to the doors? Because we didnt know if the doors could be locked. And so I was focused on planning my escape if I had to get out. I had stretched out on the ground because I couldnt bend my knee. Im not even sure how I got from the chair to the ground I think I rolled and so I was stretched out, and I had my gas mask in one hand and my cane in the other hand. I wasnt sure I could get up off the floor, but I had a whole plan that I was going to whack an insurrectionist in the knee with the gas mask and then whack them in the other knee with the cane. Thats what I was concerned about is, you know, were we going to get out? Were we going to survive? Were they going to come after us? ___ Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan: So I started to kind of view this in a tactical way. You need to get everyone together, need to get in a defensive position. You dont want people spread out. You dont want people to be able to be pulled away from a mob you need to get in a tight group. So as we were moving to do that, I heard the gunshot (that killed Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter). And of course Ive heard a lot of gunshots in my time, and it was very clear what that was. And it came from the Speakers Lobby, which told me I didnt know whether it was an officer or a member of the mob, but I knew that things had severely escalated. It also told me that we were totally surrounded. ___ Florida Rep. Val Demings, former chief of the Orlando Police Department: My police career flashed through my mind because I came from a job where I went to work every day thinking I might not make it back home. I used to tidy up my apartment or my house before I went to work, thinking, OK, if Im killed today, then I dont want my co-workers coming into my house to get my gear and see it all. And so to be there in that moment and thinking really in the midst of complete chaos I reserved myself to the fact that, yeah, I could die today. But Im just like a cop. Im here doing the right thing, protecting and serving my nation by being here for this process, a peaceful transfer of power. ___ Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes: We probably didnt fully appreciate how violent it had gotten until the Capitol Police started moving furniture in front of the main door there. In this world of massive security apparatus, its going to be a 19th-century desk in front of a door that saves my life? Are you freaking kidding me? And, I mean, seriously I sat there thinking, oh, my God, you know, we spend billions and billions of dollars on satellites and guns and weapons and aircraft carriers and artificial intelligence. Its gonna be a freaking desk that saves my life? ___ California Rep. Norma Torres: I really thought, were not going to be evacuated. Were going to die here. And, you know, through that process I think a lot about it now, (Democrats) plus three majority They could at any point take any three members either hostage or kill any three members, and that would have prevented us from certifying the election. ___ New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster: Honestly, we thought we were being chased (as we were evacuating). And my son called right in the middle of it as were running through the tunnels, and he says, Mom! Mom! hes watching on television. And I said, Im alive, honey, I cant talk right now, were running for our lives. Ill call you right back. But Im gonna be OK.' ___ New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot: I remember the hallways were quiet (when we were evacuating). I was listening so carefully because I was so afraid that we would turn a corner and there would be the rioters carefully kind of looking around corners as were trying to egress the building. And listening so carefully to hear is there anybody ahead of us? Is this a safe hallway? Has this been secured? ___ Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley: Weve been told in our security briefings that the threats have quadrupled. They know who we are. Our addresses are public record. We all go to public events on a daily basis in the district. I think theres a sense that, if they want you, they can get you. But you have to do the work, right? We had to go back and vote that night because you cant let these people win. You cant be afraid. I dont want any of them to think Im afraid. Were going to continue to function. If they want to commit acts of terrorism, I just I cant let that deter us. WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. Navajo President Jonathan Nez has signed legislation to provide $557 million in hardship assistance to tribal members amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nez approved the bill late Tuesday to send $2,000 checks to adult tribal members and $600 for each child using federal virus relief funding. The Navajo Nation doesnt issue per capita payments to tribal members, which made the widespread financial assistance rare and highly anticipated. Nez urged tribal members to use the money responsibly, including to help the elderly, students and veterans or pay outstanding bills. Remember, were not out of this pandemic yet, Nez said Wednesday morning. So dont go and spend all this money. Put some aside, the pandemic is still here. Plan. Later Wednesday, Navajo Nation health officials reported 168 new confirmed COVID-19 cases along with two more deaths. The numbers pushed the totals to 41,971 cases and 1,592 deaths on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah since the pandemic began. The Navajo Nation Council voted to tap some of the $2.1 billion the tribe received from the American Rescue Plan Act that President Joe Biden signed last year. The money will be sent automatically to tribal members who applied a year ago for relief funds under a previous round of hardship assistance. An estimated 250,000 adults each will receive $2,000 payments, and the parents or guardians of 95,000 tribal members under the age of 18 will receive $600 for each child. Nez previously approved $300 checks for tribal residents age 60 and older who showed they needed extra assistance under separate legislation. The tribe was up against a deadline to spend the $16 million it had from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act approved by former President Donald Trump, or have it revert to the federal government. The Navajo Nation also used CARES Act funding to send the first round of hardship assistance payments. Navajos clamored to enroll or fix their records to apply for the funding, boosting the tribes rolls from about 306,000 members to nearly 400,000. That figure briefly put the Navajo Nation in the No. 1 spot for enrollment among all 574 federally recognized tribes before being topped again by the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The tribe paid out about $360 million to 312,000 applicants, according to the tribal controllers office said. Adults received up to $1,350 and children up to $450. Other tribes around the country also used federal relief funding to issue hardship payments to tribal members. Navajo leaders say they now will turn to funding infrastructure projects, including electricity, broadband, water lines and roads. Celebrity Arianna's father Derrick Delane says her daughter was asleep when their apartment in Houston was hit several times by gunfire on New Year's Day, but police didn't arrive until four hours later. Jan 5, 2022 AceShowbiz - George Floyd's niece has become a victim of a senseless act of violence. Four-year-old Arianna Delane was injured after she was shot while sleeping at her home in Houston on New Year's Day. The young girl was shot in the torso and is currently in stable condition after an emergency surgery, police said. The bullet punctured her lung and liver and also broke three ribs, ABC 13 Houston reports. The shooting occurred just before 3 A.M. in the 3300 block of Yellowstone Boulevard when several shots fired from outside came into an apartment, the Houston Police Department said. Arianna was among two adults and two children who were inside. The police did not release the name of the girl, but her family has identified that she is George's niece. Arianna's father Derrick Delane recalled the incident, "My daughter jumped up and said, 'Daddy, I've been hit' and I was shocked until I seen the blood and I realized my 4-year-old daughter was really hit. She didn't know what was going on. She was asleep." Arianna's family told ABC13 they know the shooter. Derrick said he has reason to believe their home was targeted. "Why would my house get shot up? My daughter don't know. I can't explain that to her. As the father, you're supposed to protect the kids," the father said. Arianna's mother drove her to the hospital where she underwent surgery. Derrick said police didn't arrive until 7 A.M., more than four hours after the shooting. George Floyd's niece Arianna is on the mend after getting shot at home on New Year's Day. Responding to the delayed response, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement, "I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation. I ask the city continue to pray for the child's full recovery and assist in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects responsible." Police said they do not know if one person or multiple people were firing the shots. Cops currently have no suspects and don't know a possible motive. Arianna's family often brought the girl to marches and rallies calling for justice for her late uncle. Her mother is George's sister, LaTonya. Instagram Celebrity The actor, who is known for his role in various Adam Sandler films, also calls the hostess 'garbage' in a video that sees him standing by a 'No Mask No Entry' sign outside of a Los Angeles Korean BBQ resto. Jan 5, 2022 AceShowbiz - Peter Dante has a tantrum over a Los Angeles restaurant mask rules. The Gee Grenouille depicter in "Waterboy" angrily called waitress "c**t" after he was not allowed to enter the resto without his face mask on on Monday, January 3. In a video obtained by TMZ, the 53-year-old actor was seen standing by a "No Mask No Entry" sign outside of Quarters Korean BBQ in the city's Koreatown near other waiting diners, demanding to be let in. After an employee refused him service because he was not wearing a mask, he told her, "You know you're garbage, right?" "Go back to where the f**k you go back to school. Where's your boss?" Peter continued. The "50 First Dates" actor also said, "Yeah, where's your boss? Bring your boss over here right now." The manager then told Peter that she would not speak to him without a face covering. Shortly after, the "Big Daddy" actor, who dressed in a white shirt emblazoned with a cannabis leaf and what appeared to be pajama pants with pot leaf patterns, walked away from the restaurant. It's not the first time Peter, who is known for his role in various Adam Sandler films, has been called out for bad behavior. He was arrested last September for threatening to kill his neighbor after an argument over construction noise in the area. At the time, Peter also harmed his neighbor's "wife and their kids" because he was very upset over the loud construction noise that was coming from the neighbor's home. According to reports, police officers spoke to everyone involved and decided to arrest him for "making felony criminal threats." However, after posting bail, he was released from police custody. Back in 2013, Peter was thrown out of a Los Angeles hotel after allegedly making violent threats and using racial slurs. At the time, the "Grandma's Boy" actor was allegedly kicked out of the J.W. Marriott in Santa Monica after screaming at the staff members. The incident started after Peter demanded a new room key around 1 A.M. and was upset staff members didn't recognize him. A staff member tried to help him, but the actor apparently exploded and dropped slurs at the person. "You better tell this n***a to give me my f**king room key before I f**k him uphe clearly doesn't know who the f**k I am," Peter fumed. He continued, "N***a do you know who I am? I'm a black belt and you're a black person, I will f**k you up." He then reportedly continued spewing harsh remarks at a Latino parking valet employee, saying, "Hey Mexican, this is Santa Monica, do you know where you are? We don't need you." Facebook Music Judge Fernando Olguin dismisses the suit filed by Spencer Elden 'with leave to amend' and gives the man, who's featured on the 1991 album's cover when he was a baby, a chance to refile a new complaint. Jan 5, 2022 AceShowbiz - Nirvana has scored a win in a child exploitation lawsuit for the nude baby photo on their "Nevermind" album cover. A judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, the man who was featured on the album's cover when he was a baby, against the surviving members of the band, including Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic as well as Kurt Cobain's widow Courtney Love. Judge Fernando Olguin dismissed the case in California District Court on Monday, January 3 after lawyers for Spencer missed the deadline to file an opposition to the Nirvana estate's request to dismiss in December. At the time, the attorneys stated that Spencer had "spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed 'Nirvana Baby'." However, Judge Fernando's dismissal was made "with leave to amend." Therefore, although the lawsuit has been dismissed, Spencer has been given a second chance to refile a new complaint, one which makes good the "defects" alleged in the defendants' motion to dismiss, such as the allegation that the suit is time-barred. If Spencer misses the new deadline of January 13, the suit will be dismissed "without prejudice" and the matter will be considered closed. In Spencer's initial suit, he seeks $150,000 from each of the defendants or unspecified damages to be determined at trial. In addition, he requests "attorney's fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred" to be covered. "Spencer's true identity and legal name are forever tied to the commercial sexual exploitation he experienced as a minor which has been distributed and sold worldwide from the time he was a baby to the present day," the court documents read. "Neither Spencer nor his legal guardians ever signed a release authorizing the use of any images of Spencer or of his likeness, and certainly not of commercial child pornography depicting him." Spencer went on to argue that the band "failed to take reasonable steps to protect him and prevent his widespread sexual exploitation and image trafficking." As a result, he "has suffered and will continue to suffer lifelong damages." Though Spencer recreated the image multiple times over the years and had the word "Nevermind" tattooed on his chest, in a 2016 interview with GQ Australia, he revealed that he had recently become unhappy about the "Nevermind" artwork. "It's f**ked up," he confessed. "I'm pissed off about it, to be honest." In response, lawyers for Nirvana stated that Spencer once appeared on a talk show wearing a self-parodying nude-colored onesie. The attorneys added that he had "used the connection to try to pick up women." The legal team said that the statute of limitations had expired and that Spencer's claims were too "absurd" to even consider. "A brief examination of the photograph, or Elden's own conduct (not to mention the photograph's presence in the homes of millions of Americans who, on Elden's theory, are guilty of felony possession of child pornography) makes that clear," the lawyers continued. Instagram Celebrity After Jennifer Hough accuses her of offering $500,000 to rescind her story, the 39-year-old Trinidadian femcee insists that she 'never offered her any money in return for a statement.' Jan 5, 2022 AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj continued to fire back at Kenneth Petty's sexual assault victim. Having been accused of trying to bribe Jennifer Hough in a harassment case, the "Anaconda" hitmaker denied the allegations. For the record, Jennifer filed her lawsuit against Nicki and Kenneth in August. She accused the married couple of intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment as well as witness intimidation. Jennifer also claimed that Nicki sent her lawyers to her home to pressure her into withdrawing her rape allegations with a $500,000 offer. Now, in her filing, the "Starships" femcee set the record straight. "During the call, I never asked her to change her story; I never offered her any money in return for a statement, and I did not threaten her with any type of harm if she chose not to provide a statement," the hip-hop star stated. "In fact, I emphatically told her that I did not want her to lie about anything and to tell the truth about what she had just revealed to me only if she was comfortable with doing so." Jennifer allegedly told Nicki that the rape allegations could have been a "misunderstanding." Thus, the Grammy nominee assumed that Jennifer was open to a financial payoff. Nicki quoted Jennifer as saying, "I'm not saying it didn't happen, but maybe it was just a misunderstanding." "I could not believe what I had just heard," Nicki explained in the filing. "I could not believe that it was so easy for this woman to imply that she may have exaggerated or lied after how much this man had suffered through as such a young boy." Nicki herself has shut down Jennifer's other claim suggesting that she and her husband were affiliated with the Makk Balla Brims gang based in Queens, New York. "I was quickly surrounded by my fans, particularly in this instance because my pink Rolls Royce was in the direct sightline of apartment buildings across the street from where I had stopped," she shared. "While my husband and I recognized a few friends and acquaintances from the neighborhood that night, including Rico Danna, an artist whom I intend to sign to my label, none of them belong to any gang," she continued. "Neither I, my husband, nor anyone I knew made any 'gang' signs that night." Instagram Celebrity The former star of '19 Kids and Counting' is spotted making a payment for the amount of $890 on My Fine Payment website ahead of her initial court appearance. Jan 5, 2022 AceShowbiz - Jana Duggar has ended her child endangerment case. After being charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, the "19 Kids and Counting" alum reportedly has settled the legal issue out of court. According to My Fine Payment website, the sister of disgraced star Josh Duggar has made a payment for the amount of $890 under her own name. The former reality star, who turns 32 this month, was initially scheduled to be in court on January 10 after pleading not guilty to the misdemeanor on September 9. However, Fox News reported that the charge has been adjudicated, meaning she will no longer appear in court next week. My Fine Payment website lists a payment made by Jana Duggar for the amount of $890. Jana had been cited for the misdemeanor in September, days after Josh's porn conviction. She was released on $430 bail, according to the Arkansas court filing. Though she initially pleaded not guilty, the confirmation of an out-of-court settlement and the record of an $890 fine paid suggested that she might have changed her plea. Jana took to her Instagram Story last month to clear the air on the "accident," claiming that it occurred while she was babysitting. "I'm only sharing this because the media has been having a field day with it all," the former "Counting On" star wrote about the misdemeanor offense. "I prefer a more private life, but I know my last name means that everything I do is open to the public criticism and interest, especially during this time." "The raw facts: I was babysitting a few months ago when one of the children wandered outside alone. A passerby who saw the child called the police," Jana continued. She added that it resulted in "a written citation, as well as a follow-up with child welfare who concluded that it was an accident." Jana, who got upset at herself following the incident, further explained that the child was "unharmed." She said, "They recognized it was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment. It all happened so quickly and was scary." Instagram Music The 'Save Your Tears' hitmaker, who collaborates with the likes of Lil Wayne and Tyler, the Creator for the upcoming projects, will hold an online listening session one day before he releases the album. Jan 5, 2022 AceShowbiz - The Weeknd continued to give fans special treats ahead of the release of his new album. Taking to social media, the Canadian crooner shared the cover art for "Dawn FM" in which he transformed into an old man. The 31-year-old crooner, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, let out the album cover on his Instagram account. In the photo, he was seen rocking gray hair and beard as he looked straight at the camera. Hours later, The Weeknd announced that he's having an exclusive listening session on Amazon Music's Twitch Channel. The listening party will take place on Thursday, January 6 at 9 P.M. PT. He simply captioned the announcement by writing, "together." The "Save Your Tears" hitmaker unveiled the release date of "Dawn FM" on Monday, January 3. He uploaded a trailer that teased "a new sonic universe from the mind of The Weeknd." The video also revealed the list of The Weeknd's collaborators, including Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, as well as Oneohtrix Point Never. Alongside the one-minute-long footage, he wrote, "new album : dawn FM // january 7th." Also promoting the forthcoming project was Jim. Quote-retweeting the musician's post, he raved, "I listened to Dawn FM with my good friend Abel @theweeknd last night. It was deep and elegant and it danced me around the room. I'm thrilled to play a part in his symphony." The "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" actor's praise didn't go unnoticed by the ex-boyfriend of Selena Gomez. Thanking the comedian, he wrote, "Thank you for being a part of this. It's kismet. Full circle." "Dawn FM" will follow The Weeknd's fourth album, "After Hours". Though he did not receive any nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards with the set, The Weeknd managed to win the Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Album, the Juno Awards for Album of the Year and Contemporary R&B/Soul Recording of the Year with the album. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Zee Zest has been a leader on Television since its launch with more than 45% viewership share and is now gearing up to lead the digital space by launching its new offering called ZeeZest.com. The website with its unique and differentiated content, has led to 3 million+ users in its soft launch phase. ZeeZest.com is where one can UNLIMIT Life. It is a guide on lifestyle news and trends available on every screen, on every platform that leads discerning users to make informed choices. The channel brings highly popular and iconic global shows to India along with original shows like From Fit Fab Feast with Huma Qureshi to Indias 50 Best with Chef Ajay Chopra, Goan Gullies with Rocky and Mayur and Grand Trunk Rasoi. Within weeks of its launch Zee Zest has successfully created a niche and secured the no.1 position. With an aim to provide glocal content across core lifestyle genres thats not only informative but entertaining, the website will pivot content based on national and international pop-culture trends. Going beyond television, ZeeZest.com will offer insights across categories - Food, Travel, Health, Culture, Style & Beauty and Homes. Spread across multi-formats such as shows, recipes, articles, original videos, web stories, multilinguals; it aims at generating curiosity and making the aspirational lifestyle more accessible. While the most consumed content format remains videos, the millennial-friendly web platform will aim at catering to consumer needs through a variety of content with focus on upcoming digital-first IPs. Along with access to Zee Zest shows, the website will also host contests on an on-going basis to engage with users. Amit Nair, Business Head, Zee Zest said, Over the last few years we have seen a major growth in lifestyle content consumption with people wanting to express their individuality and seeking to live a higher quality life. ZeeZest.com is uniquely positioned to be that guide for the urban millennial and the youth to express themselves sharply whether its food/travel/homes and health. The strategy of having a strong TV+ digital presence helps to capture a sizable user base that spends on the diverse categories to always stay several notches ahead. The future sees multiple India Originals for TV, Digital first ideas and initiatives that will raise the bar for lifestyle content delivering immersive and engaging IPs with key focus on user and revenue growth. Curated by in-house and contributing authors, well researched and informative stories are the foundation for ZeeZest.com . The website features articles on leading Bollywood celebrities such as Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Dino Morea, Sonu Sood; and popular influencers such as Shenaz Treasury, Yohani, Tesher and Sejal Kumar. In the health and nutrition space, renowned faces such as Luke Coutinho have been roped in to share their expertise. With a varied talent roster of influencers across categories such as Sucheta Pal, Anunay Sood, Sonam Babani, Namrata Soni, Parth Bajaj, among others, the platform also offers Influencer marketing solutions to brands. Amit Shah, Chief Cluster Officer - West, North and Premium at Zee Zest quoted, With the phenomenal success garnered by Zee Zest within a span of just one year, we are now thrilled to launch the website that will house original and quality content across lifestyle categories. Digital will play an important role in our overall strategy and we will be a unique brand that will have both linear, digital and social presence and thereby be an attractive option for advertisers. With the ambitious goal of being the top 5 publishers in lifestyle the path is clearly chalked out for the next 3-5 years of bringing together content, community and commerce. FoxyMoron, the full-service creative and performance agency under the Zoo Media network has won the full-funnel digital performance media mandate for Schwarzkopf Professional. The business will be handled by the agencys Mumbai office. FoxyMoron will be handling the brands strategic content and design across all social media platforms as well as performance media. Schwarzkopf Professional is a part of the global Henkel Group. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Schwarzkopf Professional is a leading beauty brand and part of the global powerhouse, Henkel Beauty Care. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Schwarzkopf Professional holds multiple innovative and cutting edge products in the hair category, across coloration, care, Texture, and styling, and is one of the world's leading market players in professional hair and establishing Hair fashion trends. Prachi Bali, National Head Partnerships and Business Head, North, FoxyMoron (Zoo Media), said, The beauty category is one of FoxyMorons strongest fortes as weve delivered multiple integrated campaigns that have generated positive business impact over the last decade. We look forward to working with the Schwarzkopf Professional group and using our expertise to help them achieve their business objectives. iD Fresh Food, Indias one of the fastest growing and innovative fresh food start-ups, announced the closing of its INR 507cr Series D round of funding today. In one of the largest deals in the food start-up space, the round was led by NewQuest Capital Partner, Asias leading secondary private equity firm along with the existing investor, Premji Invest. iDs constantendeavour to create a fresh and healthy revolution in the fresh food space, coupled with its iconic and consumer friendly innovations, have made the company one of the most popular brands in the country and overseas. Testimony to iDs incredible growth story is Helion Ventures exit with a multi-bagger 10X return. Kotak Mahindra Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the company and Helion. The strategic fund raise reflects the brands ambition to further strengthen its market leadership in the fresh foods business, foster product innovation, build capacities and expand its presence across key markets in India, the UAE, and the US. As part of its global expansion plans, the company plans to extend its presence to Singapore, Malaysia and other markets in the near future. Founded by PC Musthafa, Abdul Naser and his brothers in 2005, iD had secured US$5.2 million in Series A funding from Helion Ventures in 2014 and US$25 million from Premji Invest in 2017. From humble beginnings, iD has grown to becoming one of Indias most loved food brands and has been recognized by its innovative yet simple solutions to problems faced by people in the kitchen. The company has witnessed unprecedented growth across all its categories and channels and is on track to achieve INR 500 crores in revenue (run-rate) for the current fiscal year, despite the pandemic and related challenges in the last two years. Last year, the company launched the worlds largest idli-dosa factory at Anekal in Karnataka with capex investment of close to INR 50 crore. Its fully automated Giant Kitchen produces over one lakh kg batter and three lakh parotas per day. Commenting on the fund raise, PC Musthafa, Co-founder and CEO, iD Fresh Food said, iD is a peoples brand, driven by high ethical standards. Values are vital to our growth. Im grateful to our loyal customers for their constant love and support. iD is what it is today because of them, and because of the strong commitment of our team to find solutions to common, everyday problems. The fund raise is yet another milestone in our journey but the ride has just begun. In the coming years, we will expand our presence across channels and geographies, strengthen our supply chain practices and introduce innovative products that will redefine the packaged fresh food space not just in India, but across the globe. Im pleased to have NewQuest Partners as our new investor on board, and thank Premji Invest for continuing to support iD in its journey. I believe that their confidence in us is testimony to iDs continued growth and commitment towards building a sustainable and healthy future for all. I also thank the team at Helion for their constant support all these years and believing in us during tough times, added PC. While there is a large opportunity set in the fresh food space, iD has a clear edge as a market leader with its deep understanding of consumer preferences and ability to innovate real-time and define industry benchmarks. Its undisputable leadership position is a testament to the quality of the founding team and the innovative and people-oriented business they have created. Were excited to be a part of their journey and a part of the consumer revolution that theyre driving, said Amit Gupta, Partner and Head of India and Southeast Asia, NewQuest Capital Partners. At a time when businesses across the globe are trying to navigate the economic recovery, iD is among the few companies that has stayed true to its purpose despite all odds. Over the years, iD has been consistently delivering strong revenue retention metrics against a robust corporate governance model. Our solid growth fundamentals and market dominance in flagship categories make iD an undisputed leader. Were well poised for an aggressive phase of growth with plans to launch an IPO in the next few years, creating a billion-dollar enterprise and solidifying our longstanding leadership position in the fresh food category. Were confident that we will continue to grow and provide immense value to our patrons and investors, said Jaipal Singal, Chief Financial Officer, iD Fresh Food. To unlock the billion-dollar opportunity in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space, iD has been pivoting and transforming its distribution model and investing heavily in fostering its online presence. iDs sales from ecommerce have grown by 300%reflecting the massive growth opportunity that D2C promises. To provide consumers with broader access to iDs products, iD has also partnered with BigBasket to launch a co-branded label, iD Fresho. The company intends to reach a million households in India with its D2C business and leverage its superior unit economics compared to all fresh food companies including the ones in the D2C space. It is well positioned tocontinue building on all its channels and platforms in creating a seamless and delightful experience for its customers globally, said Rahul Garg, Partner, Premji Invest. Talking about Helions exit, Rajiv Kataria said, We identified the potential of iD early on. We were very impressed with the team at ID. Were glad that we could create substantial value in our association with them. We wish them luck and are sure that they will continue to delight their customers with innovative products. Since its inception in 2005, iD has used common sense to be at the forefront of innovation to revolutionise the way customers consume fresh food at home. Currently, iD caters to over 45 cites, across 30,000 retail stores in India, UAE and US. The Bengaluru-based brands extensive natural and healthy product range includes Idly and Dosa Batter, Ragi Idly and Dosa Batter, Rice Rava Idly Batter, Malabar Parota, Wheat Parota, Wheat Chapati, Soft & Creamy Paneer, Creamy Thick Curd, Squeeze and Fry Vada Batter, Instant Filter Coffee Liquid, Sandwich White Bread and Wheat Sliced Bread. Currently, the company has manufacturing plants in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and UAE. iDs manufacturing plant in the US is in the pipeline. The pandemic has brought into focus the need for personal hygiene for all. Fighting the pandemic from the front line, ITC Savlon has led with innovation and a consumer centric focus to deliver superior hygiene solutions to address evolving consumer needs. The brand has roped in youth icon, actor Tara Sutaria as the brand ambassador for Savlon Glycerine Soap, a unique offering from ITC Savlon that addresses the dual need of soft skin along with germ protection. The soaps segment in the health space has witnessed an influx of new consumers over the past two years who were looking for efficacious germ protection. This has led to a significant increase in consumption of health soaps and at the same time, has brought about a change in consumer expectations. Consumers today arent satisfied with just germ protection, but also expect their soap to provide effective care for their skin. Infused with glycerine, in addition to 99.9% Germ protection* efficacy, the Savlon Glycerine soap has been designed to offer effective defence against harmful germs while leaving the skin feeling soft. A new film has been launched featuring brand ambassador Tara Sutaria which depicts a humorous competition between the actor and her dog on who is the real Softy. The TVC represents a slice of life narrative of a relaxed day for Tara Sutaria, which brings alive the intangible nuance of touch as one of the senses. The film draws a parallel using creative visuals to depict softness of skin in everyday life. The soap is positioned as an all-round solution for hygiene, skincare and protection, that comes with the trusted equity of ITC Savlon. Glycerine, the hero ingredient of the product, is known to be a skin conditioner and has inherent skin moisturizing properties. The film with its creative narration and visuals communicates product characteristics from a functional and lifestyle perspective, in a spirited manner. yY6PumWw-pk?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0"> Speaking on the new film, Sameer Satpathy, Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business Division, ITC Limited said, Savlon has been the front runner in addressing evolving consumer needs through innovation. The health soap category has seen a robust growth over the past two years. While hygiene has become a way of life for all, with consumer needs evolving, personal hygiene has progressed from providing protection only to ensuring value-added skin care benefits as well. Taras partnership with the brand brings with her a vibrant & fresh feel to the category that the Savlon soap encompasses. Expressing her thoughts, actress Tara Sutaria comments on the launch, I feel privileged to be associated with Savlon, a brand that is consumer focused and solution oriented with its innovative product offerings. I am a great proponent of using a trusted name for protection against germs for the safety of my family and myself. Like many of us, I have also struggled to choose between effective protection and skin care. It came as a pleasant surprise, with Savlon Glycerin soap, which makes my skin feel soft with a germ protection trust of over 50 yrs. The Savlon soap has become my go to. The soap is available across retail outlets & e-commerce platforms. Kainaz Karmakar & Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India, commented on the film, the concept of Softy is a light, endearing way to establish the beauty credentials of this soap. The film is a product demo but told as a story. It makes a sharp point about what the soap can do for your skin and this will not be missed. The interaction between Tara and the dog is what will make the film memorable and we believe the audience will enjoy watching it again and again. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, ITC Savlon has worked extensively to build a robust portfolio that addresses the need gaps of hygiene, disinfection, and sanitization in the market. This is evident in the launch of product launches including Savlon Hexa Hand Sanitizer for Quick and Persistent Action and Savlon Hexa Advanced Soap and Bodywash with Hexa pro power are scientifically designed with experts to provide anti-viral and anti-bacterial protection. The personal hygiene portfolio is in addition to the brands robust portfolio of Surface Disinfectant Sprays,, Germ Protection Wipes, Masks and Antiseptic Liquid categories. It is the end of Popcorn Time. The infamous app that illegally enabled streaming pirated movies and TV series has been shut down. Popcorn Time's popularity has of late been skyrocketing. It was in 2014 that the app came into the scene and it soon became one of the most popular platforms for consuming unauthorised video content. In a financial report released in 2015, Netflix Inc. warned investors about the rise of Popcorn Time, and CEO Reed Hastings stated: "Piracy continues to be one of our largest rivals." The service's developers abandoned it soon after its launch, and emails leaked following a Sony Group Corp. attack suggested law enforcement might have been the reason. However, because the code for the app was open-source, other developers rushed in to produce fresh versions. The app's creators wrote to the reporters on Tuesday, announcing the app's demise. Popcorn Time's goodbye letter announces "R.I.P." at the top of the page, with an illustration of a bag of movie theatre popcorn with X marks for eyes. A chart indicating interest over time based on internet searches for the app is also available on the site, similar to the one Netflix released to investors in 2015. Also read: "Mapping the piracy scourge. A four-part series" Netflix is concerned not only about HBO, but also about pirates. Netflix stated in a letter to shareholders that piracy is one of its "greatest rivals," and it particularly mentions one pirate service that has piqued its interest: Popcorn Time. The Popcorn Time software is designed to make pirating movies as simple as watching them on Netflix. The programme lets you explore an iTunes-like inventory of movies and TV episodes by their posters, choose one for additional information, and then begin streaming it after a brief buffering time. It is so simple to use that anyone should be able to pick it up and start viewing it right away. Netflix referred to a Google Trends graph that compares the popularity of Netflix, HBO, and Popcorn Time search in the Netherlands. The graph shows Popcorn Time's popularity skyrocketing in the last six months, to the point where it is now on a level with Netflix and much ahead of HBO. The data is "sobering," according to Netflix. With strong signs of economic recovery supported by increasing vaccination numbers, India at large seems to be getting back to clocking overall economic growth with Tier-II towns and cities emerging as the new engine of this growth curve, reports Just Dial Consumer Insights. As per latest Just Dial insights, right from the onset of the festive season till the year-end festivities, Tier-II cities have been driving consumption growth and are at par or in some instances have surpassed Tier - I in terms of overall demand cutting across products and services in various areas. Higher disposable incomes and a wider exposure coupled with deeper internet penetration and access, Indias Tier II cities seem to have taken a mammoth leap to grab the front-seat in steering the countrys demand surge and thereby trigger economic growth. During the Navratras, Tier-II cities witnessed robust demand growth for demand for caterers compared to Tier-I cities. The ensuing Dhanteras also saw a high demand surge for precious metals gold, silver, and diamond - in Tier-II cities vis-a-vis Tier-I. Commenting on this interesting trend, Prasun Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer at Just Dial said: Covid-induced lockdowns have increased online adoption of services across Tier-II cities as well. Hence, we are witnessing a demand growth on Just Dial across Indias Tier-II towns and cities for a host of services and products. This increasing demand growth across smaller towns and cities augurs well for Indias overall socio-economic growth. For the wedding season, demand rise for a host of services in Tier-II cities was almost 2X of Indias overall growth rate. Even for the holiday season, growth rate of searches across travel and tourism related categories have shot up by 51% across India but the rate remained higher in Tier-II cities vis-a-vis Tier-I cities. The demand growth in Tier-II cities was at 54% ahead of Tier-I cities, where the rate of growth was 49%. The rise in service sector across Indias smaller towns and cities benefits the flourishing gig economy and indicates that the overall economy is recalibrating well. There is an increasing online demand for a host of services in Tier-II towns and cities. This indicates that the gig economy in sectors like wedding, food delivery, and tourism is flourishing well. With access to quality education and internet, Tier II cities are increasingly becoming digital that also benefits big and small businesses alike. Just Dial looks forward to leading this trend by enabling local businesses to get online build the future discourse of the Indian economy, said Kumar. Tier-II cities witnessed robust growth during the festivities of Navratri and Durga Puja with demand for caterers registering a significant rise across Tier-II cities compared to Tier-I. Trivandrum, a Tier-II city, saw the maximum demand, while Tier-III cities Kangra, and Saharanpur were second and third respectively across the country. Demand for wedding services across the country grew by 49.7% QoQ with most of this demand being generated by Tier-II cities that saw a growth of 106% benefitting the growing gig economy at large. The demand surge for precious metals too remained higher in Tier-II cities. In terms of gold, demand growth rate in Tier-II towns (24%) remained marginally ahead of Tier-I cities (22%). For silver, Tier-II cities (40%) saw 2X growth rate vis-a-vis Tier- 1 (20%) while demand for diamond as well remained higher in Tier-II cities (38%) compared to Tier-1 cities (14%). The demand growth for budget hotels, picnic spots, local tourist attractions and farmhouses have been on a rise as Just Dial witnessed a 51% YOY growth in searches for all travel and tourism-related searches. This demand growth was higher in Tier-II cities at 54% ahead compared to Tier-I cities, where the rate of growth was 49%. Just Dial compared consumer trends for the Oct-Nov 2021 period vis-a-vis the same period in 2020 when unlocking was taking place in a phased manner to analyse the demand trends in the domestic travel and tourism sector. Similarly, Tier-II cities saw tremendous growth over Tier-I cities during winter festivities. Demand for restaurants, pubs, food delivery services in tier-II cities has witnessed a surge of 95% over tier-I which saw 21%. In Tier-II cities, Surat, Kozhikode, Kakinada, Malappuram, and Srinagar were the leading five cities with maximum demand for food delivery services while Lucknow, Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Kanpur, and Jaipur were the top 5 cities that saw maximum demand for pubs in the Tier-II category. The demand for sarees too witnessed a huge surge and Banarasi and Bengali Taant topped the maximum online searches for sarees in India. Banarasi sarees dominated almost 25% of the searches pan-India with Tier-II cities generating more demand (40%) than their Tier-I peers (26%). Unicommerce, one of Indias leading e-commerce focused supply-chain SaaS technology platform, has announced its association with Mensa Brands, Indias leading tech-led house of global brands. Unicommerce will be providing Mensa Brands with the technology solutions to strengthen the supply chain and streamline operations for their digital brand portfolio. Mensa Brands will be leveraging Unicommerces order management and warehouse management solution for 10 brands and will be adding more brands in the coming months. Unicommerce solutions will empower all the brands with technology to streamline supply-chain by improving warehouse efficiency and ensure faster order processing leading to accurate and faster deliveries to the end consumers. Unicommerces sector-agnostic solution makes it a perfect choice for Mensa Brands diverse products of multiple brands across Fashion, Home Beauty & personal care, and the food segments. Unicommerce supply-chain SaaS platform will assist Mensa brands in elevating the post-purchase experience and bring operational efficiency to achieve cost optimization. Unicommerces order management solution will allow the company to automatically allocate orders to the nearest warehouse and intimate the logistic partners to ensure faster order processing and offer a robust return management process. The warehouse management solution will enable brands to automate all the crucial tasks at warehouses providing full visibility of inventory at multiple warehouses across the country. Speaking about the partnership, Kapil Makhija, CEO of Unicommerce, said Mensa Brands is revolutionizing Indias e-commerce and D2C ecosystem and we are delighted to partner with them and support their digital brand portfolio in their next phase of e-commerce journey. We have believed in staying ahead of the curve and our partnership with Mensa brands is a testimony of Unicommerce working with some of the upcoming and promising brands of India. Mensa brands have a stellar team and great brand portfolio, and through this partnership, we will provide them with a centralized platform to manage operations for multiple brands on a single platform. As Mensa Brands continues to expand, they can seamlessly integrate their brand portfolio with Unicommerce to continue to achieve business efficiency. The Unicommerce solution comes with 150+ hassle-free integrations which include global marketplaces, website platforms, logistics providers, ERP, and POS systems. At 1 million+ daily transactions, Unicommerce clocks over USD 5 billion GMV annually. Moreover, the e-commerce automation platform currently processes over 20% of Indias total volume of shipments. Considering its rapid growth in the last few years, the company plans to increase its workforce by over 60% to fuel its future agendas. Note: The New York Times story here isn't simply that a teacher performed a medical procedure in her home on a minor child.... well, maybe it is. While most of the comments agree that there are many problems with a lay teacher having a Covid vaccine at home AND administering it to a minor, many of the comments on Facebook are pretzel logic at its twistiest. If this teacher had had sex with the boy, parents would (mostly) have been appalled. Had the teacher slapped the boy's face, commenters would be appalled. Had the teacher given the boy cocaine, commenters would be appalled. If the teacher had prevented the boy from getting a vaccine, commenters would be rabid. If the thread says "Whoo! Go Laura, vax that boy, his parents must be stupid anti-vaxxers who deserve to have their parental rights shattered and ignored," that's A-OK. Pass the mustard. The story is here, behind a paywall. A Long Island Teacher Is Accused of Giving a Teenager a Covid Shot ### A Long Island teacher is accused of giving a teenager a Covid shot without permission. A 54-year-old public-school science teacher on Long Island was arrested on New Years Eve after being accused of giving a teenager an injection of what appeared to be Covid-19 vaccine without his parents consent, the Nassau County police said. The police said that the teacher, Laura Parker Russo, administered a shot of what appeared to be a coronavirus vaccine to 17-year-old boy in her house in Sea Cliff, N.Y. The youth later went home and told his mother, who called the police and said she had not authorized the vaccination. Ms. Russo was charged with unauthorized practice of a profession, the police said. She has been removed from her classroom in the Herricks Public Schools system in New Hyde Park and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation, schools officials said in a statement. A school website, which has been taken down, said Ms. Russo teaches at Herricks High School. Ms. Russo did not respond immediately to an email sent by The New York Times. She was released after her arrest and is scheduled to appear in criminal court on Jan. 21, the police said. Unauthorized practice of a profession is a felony under the state education law that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison." I think when comes to stupid, this really gets the prize, charging someone for vaccinating a 17 year old, to actually save their life. We need to get real if we are going to survive this pandemic. A 17 year old should be able to get a vaccine on their own without parental consent. "A 17-year-old student whose parents have fringe and incorrect beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine feared for their health and safety and reached out to a teacher that provided they help they needed" Fixed your teaser text for ya. have a hard time getting too upset about this one. EDIT: I am worried about HOW the teacher even HAD a vaccine, and whether it had been stored correctly, but I am NOT upset that a 17-year-old decided to get vaccinated. Weird mixture of right and wrong. Of all the things a teacher could be doing to an under aged student at his/her home this sounds not as bad as it could have been What if said student had anti-vaxxer parents and wanted to stay safe from Omicron? Not saying it's right, but in a few months the kid would be old enough to enlist and die for the country . . . Well the sad thing about it's the students no longer have the teacher that cares about them. We already have a shortage of teachers. Her heart was there but her common sense wasn't Eight hundred miles west of her hometown of Aitkin, Minn., Raija (pronounced Rya) Gustin found a cattle mentorship program that suited her well the Northern International Livestock Expo (NILE) Merit Heifer Program. Coordinated with the NILE in Billings, Mont., the NILE Merit Heifer Program offers youth the opportunity to get started in the beef industry by awarding a weaned heifer calf to 20-25 recipients based on merit. Each selected 12-16-year-old youth is responsible for care and management of the heifer. They arrange for breeding, complete recordkeeping, send monthly reports to the NILE staff, and travel to Billings to participate in the NILE Merit Heifer Show. Its a long haul, said Raija, 16. Without stops, its 13 hours to get from our house to Billings. She wasnt complaining. I love Montana, she continued. Last fall we went out there and watched the NILE Merit Heifer Show so I could be more prepared for what it was going to be like. Not limited to Montana residents Raija is the daughter of TJ and Tiffany Gustin. She loves animals and hopes to become a veterinarian. I started out in 2014 showing turkeys. I brought four turkeys to the Aitkin County Fair, and I liked it, she said. Ready to head back to the county fair with more turkeys in 2015, the 4-Her couldnt show because of an avian flu outbreak. One of our neighbors said I could show a calf of his, she said. I was expecting a little, tiny, cute thing that would follow me around. Instead, it was a bred yearling heifer. With a natural flair for the show ring, Raija had fun training, fitting, and showing the heifer. She brought that neighbors heifer with calf by her side, back to the Aitkin County Fair for the next few years. She exhibited the cows calf as a prospect steer at the Minnesota Beef Expo in October 2018, but what she really wanted was to buy her own heifer. I had been talking about it for quite a while and my parents didnt think it was a really great idea, since I didnt have a barn or a fence or anything like that, she said. I convinced them somehow to do it. Her mother challenged her to solve four problems to proceed. She had to find someone who would loan her the money; her uncle agreed. She had to find a job; her other uncle managed the grocery store, and she could start working there when she turned 14 in less than a month. She had to get a ride home for her heifer; easy get a ride home with other Aitkin County exhibitors. She had to find the heifer a place to stay; the neighbor who got her started agreed to keep the heifer at his farm. Already resourceful at age 13, Raija only needed about 10 minutes on the phone to meet the challenge. My mom went back to the camper. I dont think she could quite handle that Id figured that all out, she said. My dad and I went to the auction. After looking at a couple of heifers that sold for well over her budget, Raija purchased a purebred Registered Shorthorn for $2,000, which she paid off in just five months. The heifers name was Storm. There were big hopes for Storm, but instead, Raija learned lessons in beef production. After being unsuccessful with AI breeding, Raija put Storm out to pasture with the neighbors Angus bull. A Shorthorn plus bull calf, named Kevin, was born in June 2020. Raija showed Storm and Kevin virtually in 2020 at the Aitkin County Fair and the Minnesota State Fair because of COVID shelter-in-place requirements. The Minnesota Beef Expo was cancelled, too, and with it the 2020 Minnesota Youth Beef Experience Program (MYBEP) that matches youth with heifers. In 2020, Storm also got sick and had to be put down. Kevin was banded and finished out. Raijas beef project wasnt moving forward, and that needed to change. It was a tough time for Raija and her family. Then, Tiffany, the executive secretary of the Minnesota Federation of County Fairs, learned from a friend on the Minnesota State Fair Board about the NILE Merit Heifer Program. They were still having that program, so I applied, made a video, wrote a paper, and filled out the application, Raija said. She also lined up three references for her application and received letters from three additional references. She was awarded a heifer. The application very clearly says that applicants may live outside of Montana. Recipients hail from Montana and surrounding states, such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Washington, or other states, but as far back as the NILE staff can remember, Raija is the first youth from Minnesota to receive a heifer. The NILE Merit Heifer adventure begins Raija received a letter in the mail from Shelby Shaw, NILE Merit Heifer Coordinator, that a Hereford breeder from Staples, Minn., agreed to donate a heifer. I spent some time out in Montana when I was younger, so I knew what the NILE was, and had always wanted to get there, said Mike Sams, the Hereford breeder who stepped forward. With a common Genex connection, Mike had been contacted by Dwain Hould, NILE Merit Heifer Program Director. Dwain said they had an application from a young lady, and that she was in Aitkin, Minn. He didnt know anybody that he could try to match up with this young gal for the NILE Merit Heifer Program, Mike said. That was the beginning of it. Mike and his wife, Mary, understood about western tradition and rodeo, and they had western-style Herefords. They also knew how difficult it can be to get started in the beef business. They had started building their own herd in 1989, but Mike was called to active duty in Iraq in 2004. They decided the best thing to do was disperse the herd. When he came back in 2006, they began building their herd again. For the most part, business has gone well at Mike and Marys farm, Y4 Livestock. The farm is predominantly a commercial cow/calf operation, with over 150 head, including about 30 Registered Herefords. Working with his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mike sells most of his cattle via video online sales at Tri County Livestock in Motley, Minn. The three operations market almost 400 head together. One unique thing about the Sams family: the couple completes most of their cattle chores, haying, and veterinary work with the help of draft horses. This year, our days might be numbered in business with the amount of feed we have available (due to the drought), but well see what happens, he said. The drought has made things difficult, but Raija and her heifer project have been a ray of sunshine. Mike and Mary allowed Raija to select the heifer she wanted out of about 15 head. She named her Lucy and earned reserve champion breeding heifer at the Aitkin County Fair. Lucy competed in the 2021 Minnesota State Fair 4-H Livestock Show, too. Shes put a lot of work into it, just a phenomenal amount of work, he said. We have nothing but praise for that young lady. A trifold network Raija and her family, Y4 Ranch, and the NILE Merit Heifer Program is a winning team. Miss Shaw explained that each month, the youth have a zoom meeting where they learn about all facets of the beef industry. They are required to write monthly reports that are graded, interview with industry professionals while at NILE, and complete a record book in addition to the daily care of the heifer. The final requirement before the now-bred heifer is given to the youth is attending the NILE Stock Show in October and participating in the NILE Merit Heifer Show. Attending the 2021 NILE was a sacrifice, but one that Raija and her family wanted to make as did Mike and Mary who planned to attend NILE for five days, as well. Mike finally got his trip to see the NILE Rodeo. Raija asked her parents to build a 30- by 40-foot barn with calving pens and fitting area. She also purchased a bred Registered Shorthorn, Murphy, from the family who sold her Storm at the Minnesota Beef Expo in 2018. Murphy had a bull calf, named Bruce, who was also banded. Eventually, Id like to have a cow/calf operation, but I dont have a whole lot of space right now, or money. I have two jobs to help pay for my animals, Raija said. Shes off to a good start learning about the level of commitment required to raise cattle, courtesy of the NILE Merit Heifer Program. Hopefully, down the road, she will have some cattle, and she can return the favor to another youth, Mike said. If shes asked to participate, that she would pay it forward and pass it along. That would be the hope. Farm & Ranch Guide Weekly Update Get the latest agriculture news delivered to your inbox from Farm & Ranch Guide. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Container ships are berthed along with the port at Singapore's Pasir Panjang Container Terminal on Aug 11, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] As world's largest free trade deal now in force, analysts confident on gains The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which took effect on Saturday, will spur economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region as it opens up markets and counters protectionism, experts say. Consisting of 15 Asia-Pacific countries, the RCEP forms the world's largest free trade area. It is made up of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Covering about 30 percent of the world's population, as well as its gross domestic product and trade volume, the agreement ushers in greater economic integration among Asia-Pacific countries and marks a victory for multilateralism and free trade, observers said. "It will play a role in creating some degree of confidence that trade integration-at least in moderate terms-will continue," said Manu Bhaskaran, chief executive of Centennial Asia Advisors, a think tank in Singapore. "In an age of growing protectionism and inward-looking policies, this is welcome." Francis Chua, founding chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, said the RCEP is expected to consolidate the position of ASEAN members within a larger grouping built on "a modern, comprehensive, high-quality, and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement". The regional bloc comprises Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos; some of the ASEAN members are yet to ratify the pact. In an online report, the ASEAN Secretariat said the entry into force of the RCEP "is a manifestation of the region's resolve to keep markets open; strengthen regional economic integration; support an open, free, fair, inclusive, and rules-based multilateral trading system; and, ultimately, contribute to global post-pandemic recovery efforts". "The ASEAN Secretariat remains committed to support the RCEP process in ensuring its effective and efficient implementation," the report says. Chua said the pact will ensure the opening of markets and strengthen supply chains and, this way, support an economic rebound. Apart from requiring the trade partners to cut tariffs, he said, the RCEP will enhance the harmonization of non-tariff measures such as product standards for food safety, packaging and labeling requirements. Sanjay Mathur, chief economist for Southeast Asia and India at ANZ Bank, cited China's huge economy and how it will serve as the "pivotal market" for all RCEP members. The pact's members "will now have (increased) access to the second-largest economy in the world, so that is a huge step forward", he said. Bhaskaran said that China, as a leading nation in Asia, can nudge the RCEP members to adopt "broader and deeper integration "in the region. At the same time, some analysts have pointed out that the RCEP's promise of unfettered trade and its many benefits will take time as the tariff reductions will take place gradually over the next 20 years. Job opportunities Asian Development Bank economists have estimated that by 2030, the trade agreement will increase the income of the participating economies by 0.6 percent and create 2.8 million jobs. They also see a rise in intra-RCEP investment. This is because the pact prohibits performance requirements-like a specific percentage of domestic content or technology transfer-being placed on investors as conditions for market access. The RCEP is now being implemented in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It will take effect in the ROK on Feb 1. Indonesia's parliament commission that supervises trade has given the pact the green light but full ratification by the legislature is needed. Josua Pardede, an industry and regional analyst at the Jakarta-based Permata Bank, said the RCEP will accelerate the entry of smaller Indonesian enterprises into the global value chain, but these businesses also face competition from imports as they largely depend on domestic markets. Pardede said that in principle, any trade agreements-particularly large ones like the RCEP-have the potential to increase trade value and attract investments into member countries because of a decrease in trade barriers. Danilo Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, has some concerns for the agricultural sector in his country, which has yet to ratify the pact. While he believes the trade pact will open up markets for Philippine products, the Philippines also has to allow in more imports-a risky proposition for the nation's farm sector. He points out that unlike their counterparts in some other countries, Filipino farmers do not enjoy big government subsidies, huge tracts of land or extensive access to credit. This has long been a problem for those engaged in farming, as the sector has not been among the priorities for the government, Fausto said. Leonardus Jegho in Jakarta and Xinhua contributed to this story. After conducting business virtually a year ago, Bob Noble says it was good to shake hands and meet in person at the Iowa Catttlemens Association annual meeting Dec. 16 in Altoona. I think most were pretty upbeat, and being able to meet in person was part of that, says Noble, who was recently elected ICA president. He farms near Riceville in Mitchell County. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, last years meeting was held virtually. Noble says improving prices across the board have helped lift the spirits of ICA members. Margins have all been good, depending on feed costs, he says. One of the topics discussed at the meeting was market transparency. Noble is hopeful that a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) will get a hearing in the Senate soon. Known as the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, the legislation seeks to establish regional mandatory minimum thresholds of negotiated cash and negotiated grid trades based on each regions 18-month average trade to enable price discovery in cattle marketing regions, according to a release from Grassleys office, The bill will also require the USDA to create and maintain a publicly available library of marketing contracts between packers and producers in a manner that ensures confidentiality, prohibit USDA from using confidentiality as a justification for not reporting, and require more timely reporting of cattle carcass weights as well as requiring a packer to report the number of cattle scheduled to be delivered for slaughter each day for the next 14 days. We are really hoping the Senate will have a hearing on this soon, Noble says. He says producers are also upbeat about plans for two new packing plants in Iowa and Missouri, as well as the planned expansion of the National Beef plant in Tama, Iowa. Those plants are going to give producers more leverage when it comes to marketing, Noble says. These new plants shouldnt come as a surprise. The incentive is there for more capacity. He says members also discussed Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, or MCOOL. Noble chaired a task force that spent the past two years sorting through the logistics of MCOOL. We had a lively discussion, and we passed a resolution to support MCOOL as long as it was in compliance with the WTO (World Trade Organization), he says. The ICA also committed to policies regarding Waters of the United States regulations and Product of the USA beef labeling, as well as renewing policies related to tax issues and market reform. Members also passed resolutions supporting additional funding for rural broadband, as well as supporting research related to cattles impact on the climate and the development of a science-based carbon credit program. CropWatch Weekly Update Get the Iowa and Illinois CropWatchers report delivered to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Arboretum at South Mountain at I-10 and Chandler Bouelvard in Ahwatukee sold last month for $118.3 million more than twice what the 24-year-old complex sold for four years earlier. Esther M., 89, of Grove City. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednes-day (4-20-22) and 10 a.m. until the time of service Thursday (4-21-22) in CUNNINGHAM FUNERAL HOME Inc., 306 Bessemer Ave., Grove City. Funeral service: 11 a.m. Thursday in the funeral home. Online condolences at cunninghamfhgc.com. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The backward Wright Flyer that was at the center of an embarrassing license plate mistake in Ohio last year flew through the approval process with little to no discussion, records show. Designers at the Ohio Department of Public Safety fussed over such issues as color saturation, centering and image placement. The Ohio State Highway Patrol tested the license plate's lettering for readability. Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife, Fran, controlled the imagery's overall messaging from its rural and urban themes, to its nods to Ohio's water resources and history, to the breed of the plate's playful pup. The flipped around plane dragging a "Birthplace of Aviation" banner from its front, rather than its back end appeared to be there from the outset, according to emails and images from the 15-month design process provided to The Associated Press through a public records request. Greg Wyatt, the department's visual communications manager, declined an AP request for comment on the plate or the design process. The Wright brothers' historic aircraft was intended as a proud symbol of Ohio's place in aviation history, but it turned into a punchline in October, after the new plate design was unveiled and people immediately noticed it was oriented incorrectly. "Y'all leave Ohio alone," tweeted the Department of Transportation in North Carolina, where the Ohio-bred Wright brothers took their famous first flight in 1903. "They wouldn't know. They weren't there." The flyer is unusually shaped by modern aircraft standards, with what could be mistaken for a tail, or rudder, at the front and its big wings at the rear. The mistake was fixed immediately once it was discovered. The new "Sunrise in Ohio" plate became available to the public last week. It is the state's 76th new plate and its first since 2013. Some 35,000 plates were produced before the wrong Wright Flyer was caught. The plane's orientation wasn't discussed in any unredacted portions of the emails provided. Its only mention was in the context of a problem on an earlier plate. The 2009 "Beautiful Ohio" plate on which the faulty one was loosely based used clipart of the plane that wasn't approved for commercial use, according to the emails. Lawyers worked the issue out, though their specific advice was redacted. The Republican governor conceded when unveiling the plate this fall that he and the first lady "probably drove them crazy" at the Public Safety Department with all their input. In a Jan. 17 email, Wyatt listed the plane as the governor's first priority. At the plate's release, DeWine said he and Fran had a "particular interest" in the Wright brothers. That's because the famous brothers' early flight tests took place in their county, at Huffman Prairie less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the DeWines' Cedarville home. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay will ask the Kansas Supreme court to review a decision that overturned the conviction of a former prison dentist for having sexual relations with a female inmate. The Kansas Court of Appeals last month overturned the January 2020 conviction of Tomas Co., who was accused of repeatedly touching the inmate at the Topeka Correctional Center. The appeals court said Co's touching the inmate on her leg and thighs was inappropriate but did not meet the legal definition of lewd, which was required for a conviction on the charge he faced. Kagey said if the Kansas Supreme Court doesn't overrule the appeals court finding, he will seek a legislative change to the relevant law, The Topeka Capital Journal reported. Co supervised a dental lab at Topeka Correctional Facility, where the female inmates made dental products. Prosecutors alleged that Co molested six inmates at the prison between 2011 and 2018 but he was found guilty on only one count. QUITO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso estimated Tuesday that the country would achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 in March after it applies the vaccine booster dose to over 13.4 million people, or 85 percent of the target population. "At this rate, I calculate that by mid-February, 85 percent will have received two doses," he said in an interview with local media, "by around March, we will reach the desired 85 percent with the booster dose." Lasso said the target population in the country is 16.1 million people aged five years old and up, with more than 85.5 percent having received one dose so far. Some 12.6 million people have received two doses, equivalent to 79 percent of the target population, while 7 percent have gotten their booster shot. "There is still a very big job ahead, as the number of people who require the booster shot is close to 12 million Ecuadorians," the president said, adding that Ecuador has allocated about additional 60 million U.S. dollars to buy 5.5 million vaccine doses to complete the booster application. The South American country has an inventory of about 5 million vaccines, with over 3.7 million vaccines expected to arrive by Jan. 31, Lasso said. In Ecuador, vaccination against COVID-19 is mandatory in order to better contain the pandemic as well as to protect people against COVID-19 and its variants. Enditem MISSION, Kan. (AP) Kansas health officials warned of a "dangerous moment" as one school district reimposed masks and another eased up on them during a meeting so contentious that the audience was removed. In the Manhattan-Ogden district, the school board voted Monday to reinstate a districtwide mask mandate, changing a policy that had been in place since Nov. 1 that made masks optional for high schoolers. The board will revisit the decision early next month. Meanwhile, the board for the 27,000-student Shawnee Mission school district narrowly voted to allow a mask-optional policy to take effect for middle- and high-schoolers when classes resume Wednesday. The crowd interrupted so frequently that the board president twice shut the meeting down before kicking out the audience. Superintendent Michelle Hubbard described the contentiousness of the meeting in a briefing Tuesday as "disappointing, to say the least" and noted that the board has been under tremendous pressure. Hubbard said the district started the academic year 250 employees short and has struggled to find enough bus drivers, food service workers and substitute teachers. The situation is expected to get worse as omicron takes hold, she said. "It'll be all hands on deck for the next month," she said. "There are times when the people at the district office have to roll into schools and roll up their sleeves and support our teachers so that they can support kids in the classroom." She noted that the district's policy allows the district to require masks if case numbers and quarantines in a school surpass 3%. The board's vote came after more than 200 local health professionals sent a letter asking Johnson County commissioners and school districts to keep in place a mask mandate. Commissioners in Johnson County, which is the state's most populous, are prepared to decide Thursday whether to scrap their mandate for elementary schoolchildren. The letter noted that the U.S. has been "shattering" case records and said, "Now is not the time to let our guard down." The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, is treating 120 COVID-19 patients, up from 40 on Dec. 1. Fifteen patients all unvaccinated are on ventilators. "This is a dangerous moment for us," said Dr. Steve Stites, the hospital's chief medical officer, during a briefing Tuesday. "There are a lot of kids who aren't vaccinated. There are a lot of teachers who may not be vaccinated. And the problem is going to be that if you have too many kids out of the classroom, if you have too many teachers who can't teach and not enough administrators, you can't run the program. You're going to struggle." Purchasing Submission: Conditions, Power, and Freedom, by Philip Hamburger, 336 pp Hardcover $35 Kindle $33.25, ISBN-13 978-0674258235, Harvard University Press, 2021. Professor of Law Philip Hamburger of Columbia University has been campaigning for years to measure, define and condemn the growth of a powerful administrative state in America. The late, great Angelo Codevilla rang the alarm about the excesses of centralized oligarchic statism and an army of unelected bureaucrats eating away at liberty for citizens under the constitution in his essay, "Scientific Pretense and Democracy," followed on by another wellreceived 2010 essay "The Ruling Class and the Perils of Revolution," about the growth of an unelected totalitarian ruling class, whose influence and power are derived from "expertise" that allowed them to exert power over and intimidate the citizenry as the self-anointed oligarchy. Professor Hamburger, Friedman Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia, caught my attention with a short monographic book, The Administrative Threat, that summarized the points of his erudite 650-page 2014 book, Is the Administrative State Unlawful? The short book is a great summary but the long book is magisterial and explains why the political geniuses of the American Founding wrote a Constitution that intentionally hobbled the power of the executive branch and created competing branches to distribute power and prevent tyrannical grasping of power by any branch, along with a federal plan to distribute power to the states. The Founders were well aware of the history of tyranny in England -- crown edicts, Star Chamber prosecutions and other abuses that flourished in the first half of the 17th century -- ending with a civil war and regicide of Charles I. These events were fresh in their 18th century minds and they were serious students of political theory. Hamburger wrote his two books from the maw of the liberal political establishment, Columbia University in Upper West Side Manhattan, but he obviously has his legal head on straight. He writes about administrative state growth and abuses that had emanated from that growth of a regulatory state. His recently published book Purchasing Submission is his effort to show another way that the US Constitution is diminished and liberty suffers: the purchase of submission by means of government distribution of benefits and rewards to private entities, citizens, businesses, lesser governmental entities from the state down, so that the government can expand its power under another method of tyrantsincentives and rewards. In the lingua of politicians and bureaucrats, carrots as an alternative to sticks. The Administrative Threat (2017) is short but packed with legal good sense, full of powerful and well framed arguments. Hamburger's longer book, Is Administrative Law Unlawful? (2014), provides a longer and more thorough going review of the main tenets of Hamburger's thesis: that the legislative and judicial powers and authority exercised by agencies and officials of the executive branch are clearly a usurpation of the powers of the other branches -- and clearly illegal and unconstitutional. Hamburger writes a damning indictment of the administrative state, and he makes his case carefully and with attention to detail. Executive agencies cannot and must not create laws and regulations, as they do presently, and do not have the authority to determine if citizens have violated the law. Executive Branch agencies and authority are restricted to enforcement of the law, but now agencies make law and regulations and determine compliance and assess punishment for non-compliance after making judgments that citizens have committed violations in administrative proceedings. Thats the stick. Government can achieve control and power and diminish liberty by way of rewards and benefitsnothing but a form of bribes to get citizens to give up their liberties. Thats the carrot and it is the favorite tool for legislators but is also for executive branch agencies. There is no better way to get what you want in politics than to hand out favors. Since the beginning of time, rewards have been offered to the populace by those who sought power and control, and force or threat of force was used as an unavoidable or imperative alternative (think Machiavelli). Professor Hamburger sets up the themes of his book on how governments eat up the liberties of citizens: Government agency favors and inducements and threats that substitute for properly imposed legislative laws passed by the congress Government agency actions and activities enforce and impose unconstitutional diktats created by executive agencies and not the Congress; Continuing activities by agency apparatchiks that create a new and aggressive legislative regime imposed by agencies and not by a political process that originates in the Congress; Agency adjudications of disputes and enforcements invade the province of the judiciary and are intended to avoid judicial review and be another usurpation of legislative and judicial prerogatives. The professors 320-page book Purchasing Submission spares no effort to explain how the government can abridge and nullify civil rights of citizens and tear down the constitutional protections by the Founders in matters of law making and law enforcement. The book jumps into the fray as only Professor Hamburger can: The highjacking of civil rights requires an analysis of the arguments from the Constitution, legal precedent and common sense/utility; Legal precedents on matters of conditions, nudging, privileging, rewards are all over the place, because courts have not been attentive to the problem; The focus on protecting civil rights is lost in the confusion of efforts to influence, create compliance, contentment and ultimately submission; Courts have ignored the impact of these new methods of governance that include what amount to bribes for submission; States have been victims of the influence peddling with grants in aid programs that have incentives and compliance orders attached; Conditions, considerations, privileges and rewards have been used in federal laws to intimidate and cajole states, private entities, and citizens to submit to what in many cases are restrictions of civil rights; In matters of public speech federal agencies have restricted civil rights that impact broadcast and print and educational entities; Federal agencies have recruited with incentives private entities and educational institutions to act as agents enforcing agency policy; States and private entities have been commandeered to be enforcers of federal policy. The point is that Professor Hamburger has written an incisive and thorough book on the federal governments campaign to impose an Orwellian dystopian and totalitarian regime on the populace. The book is easy to read and to the pointand at the end Hamburger proposes ways to identify and neutralize the problem of laws that violate the constitution and how citizens can combat the tyranny, Warriors in this civil rights war have to know the enemy. John Dale Dunn, MD JD is a physician and non-practicing lawyer in Brownwood, Texas In a 2020 poll conducted by the BBC History magazine, the crown for the greatest historical mystery was given to the disappearance or murder of the princes in the Tower of London in 1483. The general belief was that the Duke of Gloucester, soon to be Richard III, murdered the two princes, Edward V, aged 12. and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, aged nine. The basic facts are clear if complex. In 1483 King Edward IV died unexpectedly, leaving his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as Lord Protector. Edwards two sons were due to inherit the throne, but the marriage of their parents was declared invalid and the children were thus barred from getting the throne. Instead, the two boys were locked in the Tower, and never seen again, by their uncle who was crowned King Richard III at Westminster Abbey. In 1485 Henry Tudor, who had been in exile in Brittany and France, invaded Britain with an army of 5,000 and flying the Welsh flag of the red dragon. He fought and beat the force of 8,000 of King Richard at Bosworth field in Leicestershire. Richard was killed in the battle, the last king of England to die on the battlefield, the last king of the House of York, and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. This battle ended the bloody dynastic Wars of the Roses over control of the British throne. Henry Tudor, whose legal claim to the throne was weak, became Henry VII, king by right of conquest, and united the two houses, the White Rose of York and the Red of Lancaster by marriage to the daughter of the former Queen Elizabeth. The image of Richard III has largely been popularized by Shakespeare, who portrays him as a ruthless villain, one determined to prove a villain, though one of wit and courage. Incorrect views have been passed on as fanciful history, the fabrication of Tudor propaganda and the writings of Thomas More and Holinsheds Chronicles. Starting with the 1951 crime novel The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, attempts have been made to refute the allegation Richard III was a murderer or he was a deformed hunchback, and to rehabilitate him as a ruler who was concerned with peace, stability, and order, and that he had blue eyes and fair hair. The body of Richard III was buried without ceremony in a church in the Franciscan Greyfriars friary in Leicester, which was later destroyed. The historian Philippa Langley headed a team in Leicester in August 2012 that was looking for Richard and uncovered a skeleton with spinal curvature under a car park on the site of a church of Greyfriars parish, and concluded through DNA analysis that they were the remains of Richard III. The skeleton showing the person had suffered scoliosis of the spine, which would have made one of his shoulders slightly higher than the other. It was identified as the result of radiocarbon dating, and comparison with the DNA of descendants of his sister, Anne. After the remains of the body were found, disputes arose over how to rebury a king. Finally, the high court agreed that reinternment of the body should be in Leicester Cathedral. No conclusive evidence of the bodies of the two princes has ever been found, though suggestions have been made. In 1674 two small skeletons were found in the Tower of London, and two others were found in 1789 in the chapel in Windsor Castle, but these have not been identified as remains of the princes. In December 2021 Langley organized a research team, a Missing Princes Project, that concluded it had uncovered what it believed are clues to the survival of one of the princes, Edward, who would have become King Edward V, in the village of Coldridge in Devon. The team followed a paper trail including medieval documents that led them to this small town Coldridge, where the local church has royal Yorkish symbols carved in the walls. For centuries, Richard III has been suspected, though never formally accused, of murdering the two boys to seize the throne for himself, though other suspects have been nominated: Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, who had a disputed claim to the throne; Henry himself; Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham; and Sir James Tyrrell, the English knight who confessed to the murders. Now comes the assertion that the princes were never killed, and that at least one of them may have been allowed to live under a false name. The new alleged discovery is that the former Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, mother of Edward, the heir to the throne, reached an agreement with King Richard to allow her 12-year-old son Edward to leave the Tower, to travel south and live in a farm a secluded life under an alias John Evans, in the rural village of Coldridge where he built a chantry at the local church. These new allegations are reminiscent of the story of Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code, presenting a series of clues about a conspiracy relating to the possibility of a secret marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and as a byproduct that the Merovingian kings of France are descended from their offspring. Like the character in Browns book, the Richard team followed a paper trail including secret symbols and medieval documents, one that led them to Coldridge. Evidence includes a rare portrait in the Coldridge church. This is claimed to be one of Edward, and is like an effigy of John Evans with a scar on his chin. This effigy is similar to a face in a stained-glass window that depicts Edward V holding a royal crown. Were clues left in the church for future generations to find? The debate on the fate of the two princes and the true nature of Richard III continues. Image: Pixabay By the time solar energy reaches Earth's surface, it is spread very thin even midday sunshine will not boil the billy or make toast. And solar collectors will convert only about 20% of that weak energy into electricity. Thus, thousands of solar panels are needed to collect significant energy, and lots more to charge the expensive batteries needed to maintain electricity supply overnight and during cloudy weather. Despite these disadvantages, force-feeding of "green" energy by all levels of government has given Australia nearly three million solar collectors (mainly imported from China). It requires scads of land to generate significant electricity from the sun's weak rays. But even in sunny weather, they produce nothing for sixteen hours every day. And a sprinkling of dust, pollen, ash, or salt, or a few splatters of poop from birds or flying foxes, can reduce output by 50%, while night, snow, or heavy cloud cover snuffs them out. Solar energy collection is maximized if the panels face the sun exactly and follow the daily and seasonal movements of the sun across the sky. No rooftop collectors and only 40% of ground facilities can do this. Thus, to produce the planned energy requires an even bigger area of collector panels, covering even more land. More interested in propaganda than science, greens call land-based arrays "solar farms," suggesting that they are plant-friendly places. However, solar panels steal sunlight, leaving real plants beneath them to die. Solar "farms" have nothing in common with real farms except the need for large areas of open countryside usually consuming valuable flattish cleared farmland or open grassland. In fact growing plants are a liability to solar "farms" because they can block solar energy, so the operators must prevent grass, weeds and bushes from shadowing the panels and stealing their sunshine. Thus, most plant life in solar "farms" is killed by the blocking of the sun or by regular applications of herbicide or by roadways. A big solar "farm" in Australia could contain one million solar panels and smother 2,000 acres of land. Each operation also needs miles of cleared access roads and transmission lines to maintain the facility, collect the electricity, and transmit it to urban demand centers. Most of the time, these transmission lines are operating well below capacity, creating an expensive web of inefficient maintenance liabilities. Australia is also a world leader in installing subsidized rooftop solar. But a quick drive around the suburbs will show that few panels have the size, the ideal orientation, or the cleanliness to be efficient collectors of solar energy they are green status symbols designed to collect subsidies. Many will fail to recover the real cost of manufacture, transport, installation, and restoration. They destabilize the electricity network and elevate average electricity prices for industry and for those who cannot afford a house, let alone one with its own solar panels. All for zero climate benefits. The picture here illustrates what is wrong with rooftop solar. Random panel orientation plus a cloudy sky equals negligible solar electricity. Intermittent "green" energy forces coal and gas plants to operate at full capacity to cover peak demands around sunrise and sunset, but to wind back or shut down when solar energy pours into the system around midday. Recently, in just one week in South Australia (Australia's green energy guinea pig), electricity generation went from "over 130% renewables to less than 4% renewables with everything in between." Despite South Australia being home to "the biggest battery in the world," the energy regulator has been forced to lease diesel back-up generators and to order gas-fired plants to stand by in case the wind suddenly drops. This encourages mechanical and financial breakdowns and high electricity costs. Europe has also gone out on the green energy limb, but this is no comfort for Australians who cannot import nuclear power from France, gas from Russia, or hydro power from Scandinavia. Every solar installation consumes energy to mine metals; manufacture, transport, and erect panels; and build access roads and transmission lines over long distances. Careful analysis will show an energy deficit over their short lifetimes. And when an earthquake, hailstorm, cyclone, or hurricane smashes these exposed rows of solar panels, dumps of mangled trash will be left. Most of this debris cannot be recycled, and tons of metals, glass, and plastic are destined to end their life as toxic, non-degradable landfill. Bureaucrats will try to force solar operators to clean up, but smart operators will have bankruptcy petitions prepared for such emergencies. Here's a solar "farm" after a cyclone or typhoon. Proven and reliable electricity generators, driven by coal, gas, hydro, or nuclear, with a small land footprint and housed in storm-proof structures, are far less damaging to the green environment than these landscapes of inefficient, intermittent, expensive plant-killing "farms." Where are the Green objectors now? More Food for Thought: Solar Energy in Australia: https://list.solar/plants/largest-plants/australia/ https://www.csiro.au/en/news/News-releases/2021/Australia-installs-record-breaking-number-of-rooftop-solar-panels The Effects of Dust on Solar Panels: http://www.alionenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Effects-of-Dust-on-the-Performance-of-PV-Panels.pdf The Growing Solar Panel Waste Problem: https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/solar/the-mounting-solar-panel-waste-problem/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/05/23/if-solar-panels-are-so-clean-why-do-they-produce-so-much-toxic-waste/ Paving Virginia with solar slabs is bad law: by David Wojick https://www.cfact.org/2021/12/27/paving-virginia-with-solar-slabs-is-a-bad-law/ Australia's looming energy security disaster: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/06/looming-disaster-energy-security/ https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/australian-energy-council-warns-on-electricity-market-intervention/news-story/af00cdd9300e6a2df7621782b7e9bdd0 Concentrated Solar Power another Solar Scam: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/01/yet_another_solar_scam.html World's Biggest Battery becomes World's biggest Joke: https://iowaclimate.org/2021/09/26/worlds-biggest-renewable-energy-battery-becomes-worlds-biggest-joke/ Image via Pxhere. Andre Burnett, a Chicago resident, just got arrested for the 78th time. That is not a typo. This is a man who's probably spent more time in Chicago courtrooms than many regular employees have. He is yet another symptom of a completely broken justice system. In pre-modern England, property crimes were treated with the same level of seriousness as crimes against the person. Over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries, British criminal law created around 220 crimes justifying the death penalty. Murder and treason, of course, were obvious death-penalty crimes, but so were spending a month with the gypsies, poaching, pickpocketing, shoplifting, stealing farm animals, and ordinary theft. As a practical matter, many of those sentenced to death for property crimes weren't actually executed. Instead, sentences were commuted entirely for various reasons (pardons, pregnancy, military duty), or, quite commonly, the condemned people were shipped out of England. In the very early years of England's colonization of North America, criminals might find themselves shipped across the Atlantic. In later years, Australia became the penal colony of choice. In large part because of Evangelical Christianity, by the early 19th century, Britain began to reform her excessively punitive laws for property crimes. By 1832, thieves would no longer be hanged, and in 1837, forging wills and powers of attorney also stopped being a hanging offense. By 1861, there were no property crimes that carried a capital penalty. In America, the Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment served, for the most part, to limit the death penalty to convictions for first-degree murder. (Lynchings, including the rough justice in the Wild West, don't count in this reckoning because they occurred outside the judicial system.) I believe that an ordered, prosperous society protects people's private property. Without that promise of protection, people either stop working to acquire property, which drags down the economy, or vigilante "justice" becomes the norm. Vigilantes will freely kill those they believe committed property crimes. The rule of law, after all, protects not only honest citizens, but criminals as well. However, I strongly agree with the American tradition that does not impose the death penalty for property crimes. Prison time should be a sufficient deterrent. But what happens when even imprisonment isn't brought to bear against someone guilty of property crimes? In that case, you end up with 56-year-old Andre Burnett: Image: Andre Burnett. Chicago P.D. mug shot. On Sunday, prosecutors charged Burnett with shoplifting from a Magnificent Mile department store. It was his 78th arrest. "You're a nuisance to the system, Mr. Burnett," Judge Mary Marubio told the 56-year-old. "And a drain on the system." Police arrested Burnett on New Year's Day at Saks Fifth Avenue, 700 North Michigan. Prosecutors said he took a $1,250 jacket from a display, put it on, and walked out the door. He was also carrying a so-called "booster bag," which is a bag wrapped in aluminum foil that's designed to defeat the store's security measures, according to prosecutors. He's charged with felony retail theft. Prosecutors said most of his 12 felony convictions are also for theft and retail theft. The public defender asked that, because Burnett's crime was not violent, he be released without paying a cash bond. Judge Marubio rejected that request and, instead, set bail at $1,500 and required Burnett to post 10% of that to walk free. However, the system in Chicago is set up so that, for each day in jail, Burnett will earn a $30 credit. Thus, after five days at Hotel Jail, Burnett again walks out of the courthouse. It's true that Burnett apparently has never committed a violent crime against a person or property. He steals things. However, in the aggregate, he is damaging society. He makes products more expensive, he reduces trust between citizens, and he burns up criminal justice resources. For a functional society, there should be a penalty for that. I would argue that, after 78 arrests that resulted in 12 felony convictions, Burnett should be looking at an extended vacation in Club Jail. But the justice system in Democrat-run communities isn't concerned with justice. For those working in the system, high crime promises full employment for them and their children, and maybe their grandchildren, too. For Democrat politicians, going soft on crime allows virtue signaling about social justice and equity. And for ordinary citizens...well, they elected these people. If you want to see how insanely out of control crime is in Democrat-run Chicago, I highly recommend CWB Chicago. You'll read headline after headline about people with long criminal records who are out on the streets continuing to commit violent, often deadly, crimes. 6. CRT is not taught in schools After Critical Race Theory became a key issue in the Virginia gubernatorial race, corporate media outlets such as CNN started to claim that Critical Race Theory was not taught in school at all despite it being publicly promoted by the Virginia Department of Education. Multiple show hosts from MSNBC and CNN continued to push the lie that CRT does not exist at all. 5. 60 Minutes deceptively edited Ron DeSantis interview CBS News's 60 Minutes deceptively edited a clip from a press conference that Florida governor Ron DeSantis gave about the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The misleading clip suggests that DeSantis had awarded Publix, a popular supermarket chain in Florida, with the opportunity to distribute the COVID-19 vaccines because of the campaign donations he received from the corporation. CBS removed all the parts DeSantis spent explaining that Publix had actually been selected due to the hundreds of locations it had across the state, leaving only the part he calls the accusations "fake narrative." CBS never apologized or retracted the video. 4. Border patrol agents whipping migrants In September, the corporate media started publishing stories and photos of a group of border patrol agents in horses whipping Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Multiple Democrat politicians were quick to condemn the "horrifying" acts. The border patrol agents clarified that the "whips" in those photos were only the reins of their horses. The photographer who took the photos also publicly said he did not see any agent carrying a whip. 3. Ma'Khia Bryant was murdered by a racist police officer In April, a police officer shot Ma'Khia Bryant, a black teenager in Columbus, Ohio, as she was trying to stab another girl. The footage from the officer's body camera made it very clear that the shooting was justified and the officer acted to save the woman's life. The corporate media ran with the story that Ma'Khia Bryant had been murdered by a police officer because of her race. Many outlets, such as the New York Times and The Daily Beast, even claimed she was unarmed at the moment of the shooting. 2. Officer Brian Sicknick Was Killed By January 6 Rioters After the January 6 riots in Washington D.C., many corporate media outlets such as the New York Times started to claim that Officer Brian Sicknick was killed by protesters after being struck with a fire extinguisher during the riot. Medical examiners revealed in April that Sicknick had actually died from natural causes the day after the event. 1. Kyle Rittenhouse is a white supremacist who shot black people Kyle Rittenhouse was a 17-year-old teenager who shot three men in self-defense during a Black Lives Matter riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His trial took place in November of 2021. Video evidence made it clear that Rittenhouse had acted in self-defense. All the looters he shot were white. The facts did not stop the media from trying to portray Rittenhouse as a white supremacist who "crossed state lines" to murder black people. Despite having the entire mainstream media playing against him, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges. Rittenhouse has said he is looking into the possibility of suing the corporate media for defamation. Honorable mention: Let's go, Brandon Note: This is an unpdated version of the piece that appeared early this morning. Image: PxHere. Unlike their Western counterparts, many Muslims are fond of their heroes of the past particularly the jihadist types who for centuries thrived on terrorizing the West. This was recently underscored by Barbaros: Sword of the Mediterranean, a television series, written and produced in Turkey, that aired late last year and is dedicated to highlighting the clash between Islam and Christendom in a way, of course, that demonizes the latter and extols the former. The highly fictionalized series revolves around four Muslim brothers and their naval exploits and battles against the Christian maritime states of the Mediterranean. While the series portrays the brothers as great heroes who sacrificed much to "defend" the Ottoman Empire against Christian Europe, history real, actual, recorded history has a different tale to tell. In brief, the four brothers began life as common Barbary pirates ("corsairs"). The eldest of these brothers, Oruch, was notoriously sadistic, and once "ripped out the throat of a Christian with his teeth and ate the tongue," to quote historian Roger Crowley in Empires of the Sea. He also "tied the head of a Hospitaller knight to a rope and twirled it like a globe until the eyeballs popped. In Spain and southern Italy people crossed themselves at his name." Due to the brothers' many successful exploits against and slave raids on Europe, they eventually caught the eye of Ottoman sultan Suleiman "the Great." Around 1520, the sultan took one of these Barbary brother pirates, Khair al-Din Barbarossa (d. 1546), whom the series is named after, into his service and helped him prosecute an especially ferocious jihad on Europe. Claiming that "Allah had made him to frighten Christians," Barbarossa wrought havoc along the Christian Mediterranean, rarely withdrawing without thousands of captives. In one instance, on the island of Minorca, in the midst of fire and devastation, he left a message pinned to the tail of a horse in which he vowed that he would not rest "until I have killed the last one of you and enslaved your women, your daughters, and your children." Over the following two decades, hundreds of thousands of Europeans were enslaved, so that, by 1541, "Algiers teemed with Christian captives, and it became a common saying that a Christian slave was scarce a fair barter for an onion." This, apparently, is what Turkey is proud of Muslims who "defend" Islam by invading Western lands to terrorize, slaughter, and enslave its people on the "grievance" that the unrepentant Christians are infidels who refuse the summons of Islam. Nor is this sentiment limited to an obscure movie producer and a few Turks; it's shared all the way at the top of the Turkish hierarchy. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan habitually praises those Turkish heroes and sultans of the past who most terrorized, slaughtered, and enslaved Europeans, such as Muhammad II, the conqueror of Constantinople and a notorious pedophile to boot, as both Turkish and European chronicles attest. The message could not be clearer: invading and conquering neighboring peoples not due to any real grievances, but because they are non-Muslim with all the attending atrocities, rapes, destruction, and mass slavery, is a laudable thing, apparently to be imitated once convenient. Nor is such thinking limited to Turkey. As one report states, "[t]he television series was a Turkish and Algerian collaboration and is also being aired in Pakistan, spreading the Islam versus Christian rhetoric to other parts of the Muslim world." As such, perhaps now is a good and fitting time to announce my latest book: Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam. It represents, in two primary ways, the antithesis of what regularly comes out of Turkey and other Muslim nations concerning the history between Islam and the West. First, it deals with Christian heroes who actually stood their ground against Islam, often in defiant terms so that they are often seen as the greatest enemies of Islam's heroes. Second, it actually offers facts, not propaganda (the book contains over one thousand end note citations, mostly to primary source references). Preorder Defenders of the West here. Raymond Ibrahim, author of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. Image via Max Pixel. Expats in Xi'an stay sanguine amid COVID-19 resurgence Xinhua) 08:44, January 05, 2022 -- Xi'an, an ancient city in northwest China, is currently battling a COVID-19 resurgence, with more than 1,700 cases reported since Dec. 9, 2021. -- Authorities have taken strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, and more than 5,000 nucleic acid testing sites have been set up across the city. -- Everyone in the megacity of 13 million people -- the natives, the migrants and the expats -- has joined hands to surmount these trying times. XI'AN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Sandrine, a French national living in Xi'an, an ancient city in northwest China, decided to ring in 2022 in a slightly different way -- volunteering for the city's epidemic control and prevention work. The city is currently battling a COVID-19 resurgence, with more than 1,700 cases reported since Dec. 9, 2021, while authorities have taken strict measures to curb the spread of the virus. Everyone in the megacity of 13 million people -- the natives, the migrants and the expats -- has joined hands to surmount these trying times. Residents queue up for nucleic acid test at a testing site in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) FRENCH EXPAT ON LAST DAY OF 2021 Sandrine has been a resident of Xi'an for nearly a decade and is mostly known by her Chinese name, "Wu Hong." Before night fell, she arrived at a nucleic acid testing site in Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), put on protective clothing, a mask and goggles, and began her work. Since the resurgence of the epidemic, more than 5,000 nucleic acid testing sites have been set up across the city, with over 100,000 medics, community staff and volunteers relaying on the sites to safeguard the city. "We have to work together to control the epidemic, and there is nothing more important than this at present," said Sandrine, who teaches calculus and other maths-related subjects in NPU. "As part of the school community, I feel obliged to join the fight against the epidemic," she added. "As a teacher, I should stand up and protect my students as well." Though the campus is closed for epidemic control, Sandrine's life remains the same; the only exception is that classes have moved online. Watching students listen attentively and take notes on the other side of the screen, she is relieved to find that students have not been greatly affected by the epidemic and the closure of the campus. Sandrine, a French national mostly known by her Chinese name "Wu Hong," works as a volunteer at a nucleic acid testing site in Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 29, 2021. (Xinhua) She believes that it is necessary for Xi'an to adopt strict control measures. "Not being free now is for real freedom later. The epidemic should be brought under control as soon as possible through strict measures," Sandrine said. The university started recruiting volunteers on Dec. 29, and Sandrine signed up in no time. To her surprise, her colleagues were also "jostling" to be volunteers. "If you are slow, you may not get a chance," she said. As a volunteer, Sandrine is tasked with scanning QR codes, checking information, handling test tubes, among others. Even after more than three hours of volunteer work, she was not done yet. She went to the west gate of the campus to help with security management. After winding up her volunteer work at around 10:00 p.m., Sandrine returned to her apartment and made a video call to her family in France to greet them on the new year. "My family is not worried about my safety in Xi'an, for they know that China has done a good job in anti-epidemic work," she said. Sandrine's New Year's resolution is clear -- "May Xi'an be safe; may the world be safe." STICKING TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY Dev Raturi, a 45-year-old Indian, has stayed in China for 17 years. In 2012, he opened his first restaurant in Xi'an. Since Dec. 23, 2021, residential compounds have been in lockdown, and Raturi deems it a blessing in disguise as it has allowed him to spend quality time at home. "This is the best time to learn, do some exercise and have fun with my family." Dev Raturi, a 45-year-old Indian, cooks at home during quarantine in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 27, 2021. (Xinhua) Although they are confined indoors during this period, their lives have not been much affected. "We have to undergo nucleic acid testing almost on a daily basis so that we can know about our health conditions," Raturi said, adding that community staff members are in charge of delivering food and other essentials. Raturi owns five restaurants in Xi'an and all of them have been temporarily closed. "It's a big loss, but only a short-time loss. If you don't control it (the epidemic), it will be a long-term loss, and we have to close the restaurants forever," he said. Kwon Min Ho, from the Republic of Korea, is visibly impressed by the role that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays in battling the epidemic. A student at the Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, 27-year-old Kwon noticed the therapeutic effects of TCM at the beginning of 2020 after COVID-19 patients found relief through TCM. A pharmacist prepares ingredients to produce traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoctions at Xi'an TCM hospital in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) "In addition to treatment, TCM can also boost the immunity in susceptible people and help in disease prevention," Kwon said. His university is currently under closed-off management and classes have moved online. The school has distributed epidemic prevention materials to the students. "My university mates take turns as volunteers to help maintain order during the epidemic. We have trust in the Chinese government's ability to control the outbreak and won't panic," he said. "A college-age boy and his mother who are our immediate neighbors have also volunteered. Everybody is cooperating, nobody is complaining. Everything is just fine," said John Carmichael, a Canadian who works as a CTO in a Xi'an-based cloud data company. Carmichael believes that the best way to accomplish anything is through solidarity. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) by Xinhua writers Yan Jie, Liu Kai MANILA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Li Jinxin, a 26-year-old Chinese woman, has found her dream of returning home come true after battling a devastating illness for almost two and a half years in the Philippines that nearly cost her life. Li spent 904 days bedridden in Medical City in Metro Manila due to a brain hemorrhage. Her neurologist, Kim Alfred Inting, said Li was admitted to the hospital on July 16, 2019 due to severe headaches, weakness, and paralysis of the left arm and leg. "After CT scan, we found a blood clot on the right side of the brain, so we did surgery on her," Inting said. After staying in the intensive care unit for several months, Li, whose vital signs gradually became stable, was transferred to a general ward and had since been taken care of by Sherricka Mae Navalta, one of the nurses in the hospital. Recalling the days spent with Li, Navalta, who prefers to call Li's English name "Coco", said the Chinese patient is the longest hospitalized patient she had cared for as a nurse. There were too many touching and unforgettable moments while taking care of Li, Navalta added. "Coco is away from her family, so we treat her as one of our young relatives or sisters. I feed her, clean her body, check her temperature, diaper, and vital signs whenever I'm on duty. On her birthday last July, I posted a happy birthday greeting. Even though she can't speak, there's a smile on her face," Navalta said. Navalta said she was concerned and distraught when they found out that Li tested positive for COVID-19 in October last year while at the hospital despite the strict coronavirus restrictions. "We were worried when she had to be transferred to an isolated unit because we were not allowed to take care of her in the COVID-19 ward," Navalta told Xinhua. "We were concerned about Li's condition at the time because of many COVID-19 patients dying." Thanks to the treatment and care of Filipino medics, Li woke up last summer after spending almost two years bedridden and finally recovered from COVID-19. Li can now interact and communicate with the doctors and nurses by nodding and shaking her head, frowning, and even making a finger heart to express her gratitude. As Li's health improved, she was advised to be discharged from the hospital and allowed to travel back home to China to be reunited with her family. A mixed feeling struck Navalta. "I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, we are sad that Coco is leaving the hospital. But on the other hand, we are happy that she has recovered and will be reunited with her family in China," Navalta said. "I know that she is eager to be with her family in China because when we ask her if she wants to go back to China, she always gives a positive answer," Navalta added. As planned, Li will be accompanied by attending physician Jenina Paculan to fly to north China's Tianjin Municipality to undergo medical observation in quarantine at first, and then travel back home to central China's Hubei province. "We are not expecting anything unusual during the trip. We just want her to be back home safe," Paculan said. Enditem (Image source from: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Indian Omicron Case Tally Crosses 2000 Mark:- Despite the Indian government taking all the steps and screening the international travelers, the new and dangerous Omicron variant is present in all the states and union territories of the country. With 153 new Omicron cases reported in the country, the total tally of Omicron cases climbed to 2043. There is a 56 percent spike in the new cases of coronavirus in the country in the last one day. The new cases reported today are 20,000 higher than yesterday and the tally reported yesterday was 37,123. The positivity rate in the country also touched 5 percent mark which is alarming and hints about the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The Health experts say that the Omicron variant is responsible for the huge spike and is responsible for 80 percent of the new cases. As per the tally, more than 85 lakh teenagers aged between 15 and 18 received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine in the last 2 days in the country. Several states imposed night curfews and weekend restrictions after a sudden rise in the new cases of coronavirus. The states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, New Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been reporting huge number of new cases. The entire film industry is heading for a closure. The situations are still under control across the Telugu states. Google has a slew of CES 2022 announcements hitting the wire today, including quite a few for the car. Starting with Android Automotive, we have some new apps coming to the platform. That is really great to see, since Android Automotive is pretty lacking, when it comes to apps. According to Google, well be seeing Sygic, Flitsmeister, ChargePoint, PlugShare, SpotHero, and ParkWhiz coming to Android Automotive. Its interesting that Google is highlighting ChargePoint when I used the app on Android Automotive back in August when I checked out the Volvo XC40 Recharge. YouTube will be available in some models, but youll need to be parked for it to actually play video in the car. Advertisement Google is also adding more features to Assistant in Android Automotive vehicles. So youll be able to change more things in your vehicle by using your voice. Google is also adding this functionality to other vehicles that are not Android Automotive. It plans to launch a program that will allow car makers to add remote actions to Assistant. So instead of opening the app, or physically making the change yourself, you can ask Assistant to do it. Digital car keys are finally launching As announced at Google I/O last year, Google is launching UWB car keys for devices like the Pixel 6 and Galaxy S21. Itll only work with BMW at launch, but that will come to more cars in the future. It is currently limited to phones that have UWB or Ultra Wideband support. And no, we do not mean Verizons name for its 5G network. We will also see more phones coming with UWB support in the near future. Advertisement Essentially, this will allow you to use your phone as a car key for supported vehicles. So you can walk up to your car with your phone in your pocket, get in and drive off. Samsung has released the Android 12 update to more Galaxy smartphones in the US. The Galaxy Note 20 series is the latest to join the party. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is also now receiving the stable One UI 4.0 update widely in the country. As of this writing, the Android 12 update for the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is rolling out to the Verizon units of the phones. The update comes with firmware version N981USQU2EULE and N986USQU2EULE for the two models respectively. Units on other wireless providers should also make the jump soon. This update for the Galaxy Note 20 duo bundles the December 2021 Android security patch. It isnt the latest available since January 2022 SMR (security maintenance release) has already rolled out to a few Samsung Galaxy smartphones. But we arent complaining. After all, the company has done incredibly well to bring the big Android update to its devices so fast. Advertisement Over the past couple of weeks, over a dozen Galaxy smartphones and tablets have received the stable Android 12-based One UI 4.0 update. These include all eligible flagship models and a few mid-rangers. More devices will join the party in the coming weeks. Android 12 update for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 now widely available in the US Verizon was also the first US carrier to release the stable One UI 4.0 update to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3. The rollout began last week. Starting today, it is available to the former on Comcast and Xfinity Mobiles networks as well. The new firmware version is F711USQS2BUL7. Unlocked Galaxy Z Flip 3 units are receiving the update with the firmware version F711U1UES2BUL7. This update also bundles last months security patch. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 were among the first Samsung phones to receive the big Android update. The rollout began early last month, a couple of weeks after the Galaxy S21 series. Since then, the new foldables have picked up the update in several countries around the world, including the US. Now, more users stateside are getting the taste of it. Advertisement As always, you will receive a notification about the OTA (over the air) update once it becomes available for your phone. If you didnt receive any notification, you can also manually check for updates from the Settings app, under the Software update menu. We advise you to create a backup of important files before installing One UI 4.0 to avoid unwanted data loss. The Samsung Odyssey G9 and Odyssey Neo G9 have long been the sought-after kings of immersive gaming monitor tech, but they both have a new contender, Samsungs own Odyssey Ark. A new monitor which it just announced this morning during CES 2022. The Samsung Odyssey Ark is in some ways the same as the Odyssey G9 monitors. It has an aggressive curvature like those two, and its a display thats entirely too massive for its own good for some setups. But it also differs by having an increased display size and featuring both horizontal and vertical formats. Yes, the Odyssey Ark can be swiveled to view it vertically if you for any reason need it do so. Going from an ultrawide beast to a towering behemoth with a swift turn. But for its size and extra features, theres no doubt it will cost even more than both the G9 and Neo G9. The latter of which currently goes for around $1,300 on Amazon. Advertisement The Samsung Odyssey Ark has a massive 55-inch display So, how big is the display? A whopping 55-inches of 4K UHD goodness. Its using Samsungs flexible display tech, obviously, and carries a 16:9 aspect ratio as well. Which makes it incredibly large regardless of which way you have it positioned. The interesting part is how much the curve actually causes the display to arc over your head if its positioned vertically. If youre sitting close enough to the monitor it more or less curves over your head just a little bit. That being said, you probably dont want to sit too close to it. Doing so might feel like when youre stuck sitting in the front row of a movie theater and have to bend your neck up just to see the theater screen. Advertisement Now, while this is definitely a monitor designed for gaming, Samsung clarifies that its not just for gaming. Its also designed for those who need a multitasking display. You might also think that its carrying less of a gamer aesthetic than the Odyssey G9 and Odyssey Neo G9. Seeing as theres no RGB lighting on the back like with those two. But Samsung simply moved the RGB lighting to the top and bottom of the monitor. Or the left and right if you have it turned on its side. Right now theres no details on pricing or availability. But it will surely be expensive and it should be arriving sometime this year. This also might not be the best display for gamers that want a fast refresh rate for more competitive gaming. In that regard you might something along the lines of the new monitors announced by ASUS. PLEASE NOTE: ALL ONLINE PURCHASES ARE AUTOMATIC RENEWALS UNLESS YOU EMAIL JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM OR CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE @ 256-235-9253.... Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM *NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY join with a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials! AMEX is not accepted through this site. After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* Anniston, AL (36206) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. (ANSA) - ROME, JAN 4 - The number of electric cars on Italy's roads more than doubled in 2021, the electric mobility stakeholder group Motus-E said Tuesday. The number of Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) rose by 128.4% to 136,754 registrations, said the group, which is currently campaigning against the government's failure to renew incentives for the sector. In 2021, it said, some 67,255 battery-charged electric cars were registered, 107% up on 2020, and 69,499 hybrid PHEVs, up 153.75% on 2020. Plug-in cars accounted for 9.35% of the total market, up from 4.33% in 2020, said Motus-E. (ANSA). Omicron: Slovenia, variant confirmed in almost all regions Only exception the western Goriska area (ANSA) - BELGRADE, DEC 22 - The Omicron variant has been identified across entire Slovenia, except for the western Goriska region, but it is only a matter of time before it is detected nationwide, the Slovenian news agency STA reported today, quoting Slovenia's chief epidemiologist Mario Fafangel. Fafangel said there is now local transmission of Omicron in Slovenia, with 51 Omicron cases confirmed " in all the regions but Goriska." Slovenia reported 1,555 coronavirus cases for Monday, (-9% week-on-week), five peope died from Covid. Of the 4,973 PCR tests performed yesterday 31% were positive, STA informed. (ANSA). Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved DUBAI - Italian Education Undersecretary Rossano Sasso said Wednesday that Expo 2020 Dubai was generating "innovative ideas" for education that "the political world must consider". "The political sphere must keep up with the times and what we offer in terms of education and training must be up to that of the rest of the world," Sasso, who was accompanied by Italy's Expo Commissioner Paolo Glisenti as he visited the Italian pavilion, told ANSA. Sasso expressed "pride" at the Italy pavilion, saying it showed the country's "tradition, innovation, richness and culture. "I thank Commissioner Glisenti for having done an excellent job," he added. "I discovered many things during the visit, but the best thing is the young volunteers, 60 male and female Italian students who bear witness to our greatness. "I felt proud to be Italian today". Returning to the innovative ideas on education to emerge at Expo, he said "we absolutely must upgrade what we offer. "When I was speaking to the commissioner, I explained that I was honoured to be the first signatory of legislation that abolished the 1938 royal decree and finally makes a double degree possible in Italy too," the commissioner continued. "Whereas previously a student who wanted to study engineering and medicine at the same time had to go abroad, it has been possible for some weeks to do this in Italy too. "But this is just one small element to show the whole political world that Italy must move fast because the rest of the world is a train that is moving forward". Libya: Parliament grants Commission more time on elections HNEC must liaise with other authorities on obstacles to voting (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, JANUARY 5 - The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) suspended a session to discuss the postponement of presidential elections with the head of the Libyan High National Election Commission (HNEC), Emad El-Sayeh, according to the website of daily The Libya Observer. Parliament spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said the reason for Wednesday's decision is that the HoR wants to give the Commission the necessary time to liaise with the competent authorities in order to revoke the state of force majeure that justified the postponement and to set a new voting date. The session on Wednesday was dedicated to a hearing with the head of the HNEC and its members, who informed the MPs of the reasons that led to the postponement of the elections. The HNEC had previously announced a proposal to postpone the elections by one month to January 24. However, observers consider that date unrealistic because the same obstacles exist that caused the date of 24 December to be postponed indefinitely, said The Libya Observer.(ANSAmed). TUNIS - Noureddine Bhiri, vice-president of the Islamic party Ennahda, has been in hospital since last Saturday in Bizerte and is now allegedly in serious condition, "between life and death", according to Ennahda attorney Samir Dilou, a member of the Bhiri Defence Collective. At a press conference, Dilou cited medical sources close to Bhiri, a former Tunisian justice minister. Bhiri was placed under house arrest on December 31 in a secret location and began a hunger strike the following day, refusing any medical treatment. Tunisian Interior Minister Toufik Charfeddine on Monday said Bhiri's arrest was due to suspicions of terrorism, and assured that Bhiri, who was hospitalised for refusing food and medicine, is "treated well". " "There was fear of a terrorist act that would jeopardise the security of the country; it was therefore necessary to react," Charfeddine told the press. Charfeddine said he had sent reports to the justice ministry and the prosecutor, but said they were slow to take measures. Charfeddine said he then decided to quickly enact judicial surveillance of 63-year-old Bhiri, and said he did so in compliance with Tunisian law. Bhiri is accused of producing and delivering false identity documents and citizenship certificates for a Syrian couple, among others. The attorney, Dilou, said Charfeddine's charges against Bhiri are without merit and said even the attorney general expressed astonishment over the charges. NAPLES - Rain that reached 120 millimetres in some areas of Oman is creating waterfalls attracting tourists from across the country, with some driving more than an hour and a half to see them, said Emirati daily The National. Meanwhile, the wet weather is helping farmers as a natural irrigation system. "It is amazing; the waterfalls are fantastic to watch," a mechanical engineer told The National. "The water from the rocks is very pleasing. We have been driving for over 90 minutes from Muscat to Misfat Al Abriyeen and it is worth it," he said. Other tourists, however, said some of the roads to reach the areas with the new waterfalls were dangerous to travel. The area is Jabal Shams, a mountain that at 3,009 metres is the tallest peak in the Gulf region, located in the western Hajar mountains about 250 kilometres from Muscat. "Everything is coming back to life," said Rashid Al Toki, a resident of the Batnah region. "The valleys have now been transformed to water parks. It is greening up and we even see animals coming, both wild as well as herdsmen bringing their sheep". The rains, which started on December 31, 2021, have so far killed six people, while the meteorological office said moderate to heavy rains would continue until January 5. A body believed to be missing 20-year-old Harvey Parker has been recovered from the River Thames by the Metropolitan Police. The force was alerted to reports of a body in the Thames near Embankment, central London, by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution at 11.51am on Tuesday. Mr Parker was last seen on Friday after leaving Heaven nightclub near Charing Cross railway station in Westminster, central London at around 2.15am. Officers from the Mets marine support unit recovered the body. The death is being treated as unexplained and formal identification is yet to take place, but detectives searching for Mr Parker have been alerted and family liaison officers have informed his relatives. Harvey Parker (Family/PA) Detective Chief Inspector Lucy OConnor, of the Central South Command Unit, said: Sadly a body has been recovered from the Thames near where Harvey was last seen. We are providing Harveys family with all the available information. We are also asking for media to please respect the familys privacy at this challenging and difficult time. CCTV footage showed Mr Parker walking into Craven Street and then south towards the Embankment, and he has not been seen since. A friend said the University of York music student had been to a Little Simz concert in Brixton, south London before going to the nightclub. On Wednesday the Metropolitan Police said that investigators had viewed CCTV near the Golden Jubilee Bridge and believe Mr Parker, who is a member of front of house staff at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, may have entered the water there. The force said that there was nothing to suggest anyone else was involved. Boris Johnson has insisted he was right to stick with Englands Plan B coronavirus measures despite rapidly rising hospital admissions, soaring case rates and staff shortages hitting the NHS. The Prime Minister told MPs the Cabinet had agreed to keep the existing domestic restrictions but eased travel testing rules. He also confirmed plans being implemented across the UK to end the requirement for confirmatory PCR tests for asymptomatic people who test positive using a lateral flow device (LFD). An estimated 3.7 million people in the UK had Covid-19 in the week ending December 31, up from 2.3 million in the week to December 23 and the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. In England around one in 15 people in private households had Covid-19, according to ONS estimates a level rising to one in 10 in London. NHS England figures showed 15,659 people were in hospital with Covid-19 on Wednesday morning, an increase of 615 on 24 hours earlier, although the number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation was down 28 to 769. In the Commons, Mr Johnson said hospital admissions were doubling around every nine days and were experiencing the fastest growth in Covid cases weve ever known. Cases were doubling every week among the over-60s, he added. But he said the Plan B measures including wider use of face masks and guidance to work from home were helping to take the edge off the Omicron wave, slowing the spread, easing pressure on the NHS and buying time for the booster campaign to take effect. He said Plan B and the testing changes were balanced and proportionate ways of ensuring we can live with Covid without letting our guard down. (PA Graphics) The restrictions will be reviewed again before they are scheduled to expire on January 26. The changes in testing procedures are aimed at freeing up laboratory capacity for PCR tests, with the requirement for confirmatory tests suspended in asymptomatic people until the current high levels of infections subside. The change was being introduced in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, Scotland and Wales on Thursday and in England from January 11. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said while levels of Covid-19 are high, the vast majority of people with positive LFD results can be confident they have the virus. People who have Covid-19 symptoms should still get a PCR test, the UKHSA said. UKHSA chief executive Dame Jenny Harries said: While cases of Covid continue to rise, this tried and tested approach means that LFDs can be used confidently to indicate Covid-19 infection without the need for PCR confirmation. (PA Graphics) She said it remained important that people with symptoms self-isolate immediately and order a PCR test. Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Governments Sage scientific advisory panel, backed the move, saying a confirmatory PCR not only wastes time but costs a lot of money and uses up laboratory resources that could be better used elsewhere. But he said there were downsides because it would give researchers slightly less information on the different variants in circulation because PCR swabs can undergo sequencing to determine which strain of coronavirus is present. Exemptions to the new rules include people eligible for the 500 test and trace support payment, who will still require a confirmatory PCR to access the help. PCRs will also be required for people participating in research and surveillance programmes and those at risk of becoming seriously ill, who have been identified as potentially eligible for new treatments. Ministers also approved changes to the travel regime for England, with the requirement for pre-departure tests scrapped from 4am on Friday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Commons (House of Commons/PA) Mr Johnson also said the requirement to self-isolate on arrival until receipt of a negative PCR test on arrival was being scrapped, returning instead to the system in place in October last year, where travellers need to take a lateral flow test no later than the end of day two after arriving in England, with a PCR if they are positive. The Omicron-driven surge in coronavirus cases and the knock-on effect of staff absences is already causing major problems in public services. The Fire Brigades Union said that almost a third of Londons fire engines had been out of action during the last week, while almost 10% of operational firefighters in the capital had either tested positive or were self-isolating. A series of hospital trusts have declared critical incidents, while the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is still asking patients suffering from suspected strokes or heart attacks to get relatives to drive them to hospital following pressures on staff due to coronavirus and new year demand. (PA Graphics) NEAS medical director Dr Matthew Beattie said: Where it is safe, we will continue to ask patients to make their own way to hospital, however we would never ask anyone to drive themselves to hospital with a life-threatening illness. In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon cut the self-isolation period to seven days, as long as people have two negative lateral flow tests, broadly in line with the measures in place in England. But restrictions on large gatherings and hospitality and leisure businesses will remain until at least January 17 in Scotland, she added. Former US talk show host Jon Stewart says comments he made about the Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone film were meant to be light-hearted and he was not accusing author JK Rowling of antisemitism. The comedian said news outlets had piled into this ridiculously out of context nonsense, and he did not want the franchise censored in any way. It comes after a clip emerged of Stewart discussing scenes from the film set in the magical bank Gringotts, run by goblins, on the podcast The Problem with Jon Stewart. In it, Stewart made comparisons between caricatures from antisemitic literature and the folks that run the bank. Speaking in a video posted on Twitter, he said: There is no reasonable person that could have watched it and not seen it as a light-hearted conversation amongst colleagues and chums. Having a laugh, enjoying ourselves about Harry Potter and my experience watching for the first time in the theatre as Jewish guy and how some tropes are so embedded in society that theyre basically invisible even in a considered process like movie-making. This morning I wake up, its trending on Twitter, and heres the headline Jon Stewart accuses JK Rowling of antisemitism. He added: So let me just say this super clearly, as clearly as I can. Hello, my name is Jon Stewart. I do not think JK Rowling is antisemitic. I do not think the Harry Potter movies are antisemitic. I really love the Harry Potter movies, probably too much for a gentleman of my considerable age. I cannot stress this enough I am not accusing JK Rowling of being antisemitic. She need not answer to any of it. I dont want the Harry Potter movies censored in any way. It was a light-hearted conversation. Representatives for Rowling said the author would not be commenting on Stewarts remarks. In her world-famous books, the goblins that run Gringotts Bank are depicted as ill-tempered, diminutive creatures who are the guardians of the gold. The first book describes one as about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard, and Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. Accusations that the characters are antisemitic have rumbled on for several years. Rowling, who has previously spoken out publicly against antisemitism, had an active involvement in the film series and has a producer credit on the final two, as well as the Fantastic Beasts spin-offs. She was featured in a recent 20th anniversary Harry Potter reunion special, but only in archive video clips. Since the films were released, she has become a controversial figure over her comments on gender identity and attracted criticism from many, including franchise stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. Kanye Wests tenth studio album Donda was the most searched for album cover of 2021 worldwide, new research has shown. The sprawling 27-track album, which is named after Wests late mother, went straight to the top of the charts following its release in August. It is Wests third UK number one album and features material from controversial figures Marilyn Manson and DaBaby. The record, which suffered multiple release delays, was searched for a total of 27,600 across the world last year, data gathered by DesignBundles found. Donda earned 20,000 chart sales and secured about 33.4 million streams in its first week, according to the Official Charts Company. It was released with just a black square as its cover art. The second most searched for album cover was Sour by Olivia Rodrigo which was searched for 22,800 times following its release in May of this year. The cover pictures the 18 year-old pop star with several stickers on her face with a purple backdrop. Sour was recently announced as the fourth best selling album of 2021 in the UK by the BPI. With 9,600 annual searches, Taylor Swifts album Evermore was the third most searched for album cover (Ian West/ PA) With 9,600 annual searches, Taylor Swifts album Evermore was the third most searched for album cover. The record was released in December 2020 and shows Swift from behind dressed in a checked jacket, with a french plait in a woodland setting. Ffion Barnett was put in an induced coma for five days after testing positive for Covid. (Reach) A student in her 20s has urged more young people to get jabbed after she spent five days in a coma with COVID. Ffion Barnett found out she had COVID just two days after her 22nd birthday, but thought she was young and healthy enough to avoid becoming seriously unwell. But not long after testing positive she began struggling to breathe and needed an urgent admission to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant, Wales. The marketing student was soon put in an induced coma for five days and had to re-learn how to walk, talk, eat and sleep during her recovery. Barnett said she wasnt vaccinated because as she was young with no health conditions she felt safe. But after her experience she said she wants to raise awareness of the importance of the vaccine and how COVID can affect anyone. Ffion Barnett lost her hair following her stay in ICU. (Reach) Barnett, who works in a cafe and lives in Tonypandy, Rhondda, said she wasn't particularly worried after testing positive for coronavirus. But when her breathing became increasingly laboured, she was admitted to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 12 August last year a week after testing positive. She said: "I spoke to my mother who works at the hospital as a bank nurse. She knew that my breathing was very heavy and told me to go straight to hospital They [medics] did all my observations and stats and put me straight on oxygen. I then remember being taken to ward three where I spent the night. I had a funny turn there where I couldn't get up or walk. After being admitted to ICU, Barnett was put in an induced coma as doctors grew increasingly concerned about her high heart rate which they thought could result in her going into cardiac arrest. She was also struck down with Covid-induced pneumonia. Ffion Barnett recovered from Covid in the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Wales. (Creative Commons/Chris Hodcroft/Geograph) Barnett said she was given "every machine going" to try and improve her oxygen levels, but they wouldn't work. Eventually she turned a corner after a 12-day spell in intensive care and was put back on a ward. She ended up spending two weeks and five days in hospital and towards the end of her stay she had to learn how to talk, walk and eat properly again. "When I did manage to talk it just wasn't my voice. Then when I got home I needed looking after. I needed help bathing, people had to make my food for me," she added. A government advert urges people to get Covid vaccine booster shots on a bus stop in King's Cross, London. (Getty) One unusual side-effect from the trauma of being in ICU was Ffion losing all her hair. Barnett, who has now had her Covid vaccinations, said she has almost fully recovered from the disease but remains lethargic all the time. Figures released on Tuesday showed there had been more than 400,000 booster and third doses of the Covid vaccine recorded across the UK during the four-day New Year period. A total of 34,363,986 extra doses had been delivered as of 3 January, while around 64% of all adults in the UK have now received a booster or third dose. UK ministers have shown weakness when negotiating new trade deals which other countries will seek to exploit in future, Labour has warned. International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan updated MPs about the UK and Australias trade agreement, which will cut tariffs on imports of wine and surfboards and make it easier for young Britons to work Down Under. Ms Trevelyan described it as a landmark deal and said it showed the UK is reaching out to seize the opportunities of the future. The International Trade Secretary also faced accusations of making overly-optimistic estimates about the deals impact on the UK economy, but gave reassurances that the agreement had robust protections to prevent UK farmers being undermined. International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan (James Manning/PA) Shadow international trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds raised concerns over the impact on British farmers, telling the Commons: We will not hold the Government to impossible standards, but we will hold ministers to what they have promised people they will deliver from the negotiations. Those promises make it even more important that ministers show strength at the negotiating table and defend UK interests to the utmost, because other countries in future negotiations will look at what was conceded to the Australian negotiators and take that as a starting point. We already have a UK-Japan trade deal that benefits Japanese exporters five times as much as it does UK exporters, and there does seem to be a worrying pattern emerging of not standing up for UK interests. Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney (Richmond Park) said: When you compare the original assessment of the economic impact of the Australia deal which was released back in the summer with the Governments impact assessment that was published last month, there has been a 1,000% increase in the estimated boost to UK GDP. But the small print makes clear that this is because the Government has changed the economic model that they are using to analyse the trade deal to one which produces a higher estimate of GDP. Can the Trade Secretary present any justification for this change or is it simply a case of cooking the books? The International Trade Secretary said the older estimate was a snapshot at the time, and invited Ms Olney to meet with civil servants to discuss the changes since then. A general view of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia (Steve Parsons/PA) SNP foreign affairs spokesman Alyn Smith told MPs there was a complete dearth of proper consultation with the farming and food sector across the UK ahead of the deal. He added: While we are not against free trade, this deal appears to be very one-sided with little to no advantage for Scottish farmers. Surely Covid and Brexit, if they have taught us anything, they have taught us that indigenous food production across these islands, indeed across this continent, and short supply chains are vital to a national security and indeed national resilience, however we are defining national. Ms Trevelyan said robust safeguards had been built into the deal for farmers after anxieties were raised through extensive consultation with many, many partners in the food and drinks industry. Sir David Attenborough has hailed the revolution in global attitudes towards plants and says there has been an awakening to the importance of the natural world. The veteran broadcaster said people had become plant conscious ahead of the release of his latest BBC One documentary The Green Planet. Speaking to the One Show about the series, the 95-year-old naturalist said: The world has certainly become plant conscious. We can't wait for #TheGreenPlanet this Sunday! Here's a One Show Exclusive with Sir David Attenborough. Stream on @BBCiPlayer https://t.co/E216i5HDnl#TheOneShow pic.twitter.com/iwxooGplXI BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) January 5, 2022 There has been a revolution in world wide attitudes to the natural world in my lifetime, an awakening and awareness of how important the natural world is to us. An awareness that we would starve without plants and we literally wouldnt be able to breathe without plants. The world is green and yet peoples understanding about plants has not kept up with that and I think this (series) will bring it home. It was recently revealed that Sir David was stabbed by a cactus with needles like glass while filming the series in California. Despite wearing heavy protective gear, including a Kevlar under-glove and a welding glove, he was hurt by spicules of glass while reaching inside the dangerous Cholla plant. The new documentary from the BBCs Natural History Unit uses ground-breaking filming techniques to show viewers the intricate lives of plants and the ecosystems that flourish around them and the ways in which they are just as aggressive as animals. It comes 26 years after Sir Davids The Private Life Of Plants aired on BBC One in 1995. Comparing the programmes he said: The thing that really is new is that, whereas in Private Life Of Plants, you were stuck with all this very heavy primitive equipment in one place we can now take it anywhere. The Green Planet uses groundbreaking filming techniques to show viewers the intricate world of plants (Jane Barlow/PA) In a clip from the show, he is shown to be operating a piece of high-tech equipment with a device that looks like a games console controller. With slight trepidation, they hand me the controls, he is heard to say on a voiceover. Laughing, he adds: I think I better hand it over to the experts. Sir David said that the new technology used in the series allowed them to see plants in ways weve never seen before, which to him has a hypnotic appeal. The Green Planet will see Sir David travel across the globe, from the US to Costa Rica and across Europe to different terrains including deserts, water worlds, tropical forests and the frozen north. In November, the series had its global premiere in Glasgow in conjunction with the Cop26 summit on tackling climate change. The series begins on BBC One on January 9. Critics calling for former prime minister Sir Tony Blairs knighthood to be removed are being disrespectful to the Queen, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has suggested. Accusing the former Labour leader of war crimes in Iraq, a petition demanding the honour be rescinded has passed 700,000 signatures. But Sir Ed defended the Queens right to appoint Sir Tony to the Order of the Garter, which is the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry. The former energy secretary, who was knighted in 2016 for political and public service, told the PA news agency: If the Queen wants to knight a politician or someone out of politics in any walk of life, I think we should respect Her Majesty. Demonstrators protest in London as Tony Blair was due to give evidence at the Iraq war inquiry (Stefan Rousseau/PA) And Im rather worried that people are being disrespectful to Her Majesty. The knighthood has provoked debate about the honours system, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying Boris Johnson has not earned the right of a knighthood after leaving office. But Sir Keir insisted his predecessor at the top of the Labour Party had earned his knighthood, having argued he made Britain a better country. Sir Tonys actions surrounding the Iraq war were also coming under renewed scrutiny. His former defence secretary Geoff Hoon wrote in his recent memoir that his office was ordered by Downing Street to burn a secret memo saying the 2003 Iraq invasion could be illegal, according to the Daily Mail. The Change.org online petition calling for the knighthood to be removed, accusing the former prime minister of being personally responsible for countless deaths in wars, surpassed 713,000 signatures. Ashley Judd is returning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo nearly one year after her near-fatal accident there. The actor and humanitarian, 53, shared on social media that she's "feeling ready" to go back after shattering her leg in four places during a catastrophic fall there in February 2021. It took Judd, who was working at a bonobo research camp, 55 hours to get to a hospital and have her leg saved with various surgeries. It took her six months to walk again. But "all that is in the past," she now says. Ashley Judd being carried out of the Congo rainforest in February 2021 after tripping over a fallen tree, in the dark, and breaking her leg in four places. She had a 55-hour journey to the hospital. (Photo: Ashley Judd via Instagram) "Good greetings, 2022," the Norma Jean & Marilyn star posted to Instagram Wednesday. "It is nice to see you, on this, the 11 month anniversary of having broken my leg in four places and paralyzing my foot (not to mention nearly hemorrhaging to death)." Judd, who lives in Tennessee, said she recently finished a 25-mile hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the wilderness pro regularly goes on long backcountry camping trips. She also made her annual New Year's trip hiking in the Swiss Alps. "All this has me feeling ready. For what? Yes. #Congo," she wrote. "I return now. My heart is open and eager. I do not yet know what I will feel, I know only that I will feel, and I am ready to greet the experience with curiosity, wonder, and an abundance of gratitude for every life-saving sister and brother who stroked my face, carried my make shift hammock through the rain forest for hours, wept alongside my agony, or simply laid beside me as I bit a stick while in shock." Judd continued, "All that is in the past now. What is here, now, is a leg that works (with a wee limp and a some knee stiffness at times), a spirit that won't let anything hold it back, and a desire to show up for the fullness of a beautiful life and that life includes the endangered, egalitarian bonobos who live free from coercion. And you. Thank you for walking with me. Peace be with you." Prior to her accident, the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador regularly visited Congo twice a year, for four to six weeks at a time. Her partner, Martin Surbeck, heads a research camp studying the endangered apes. Judd was out at 4:30 a.m. with two trackers working, which she said is her normal routine there. Her headlamp wasn't functioning properly and she walked a tree on the path at a "powerful stride," leading to the injury. She spent five hours on the rainforest ground, howling like a "wild animal" and in shock with no pain medication, while one tracker went back to the camp for help. Once help arrived, she had to be carried out in a hammock a three-hour trip. Getting to the hospital also entailed a six-hour motorbike ride (in which she held together her leg), a bush plane flight and an overnight stay on the floor of a hut. KFC (YUM) is going above and Beyond...Meat, that is, as plant-based items continue to encroach on fast food's turf. Late Tuesday, KFC announced the nationwide debut of Beyond Fried Chicken, after a two-year testing period. The anticipated menu item will be available to purchase at participating KFC locations in the U.S. beginning January 10. Customers can order the item as KFCs first ever plant-based combo meal or a la carte in six or 12-piece orders. Created in partnership with Beyond Meat (BYND), the limited-time meal recently made headlines in September, after KFC U.S. President Kevin Hochman revealed that the chain was working hard to perfect the new plant-based offering. "What were trying to replicate is a tenderloin where you actually have the muscle fibers. The texture is a bit more pleasing than what wed call a chewed-and-glued. Its a different technology," Hochman told business outlet "Fortune" at the time. (Courtesy: KFC) KFC first tested its Beyond Meat plant-based chicken in August 2019 with a limited-run test in Atlanta. The item sold out in under five hours. Fast forward one year later, KFC and Beyond Meat launched expanded tests in Nashville, Charlotte and Southern California. Since then, Hochman has doubled down on the plant-based boom claiming that meatless alternatives will be the wave of the future. Younger people tend to be the ones that want to eat more plant-based, Hochman told Bloomberg in an interview. We envision this trend to continue to grow. Were pretty bullish on that. We dont think that plant-based is a fad, we think thats something thats going to continue to grow over time, the executive added. In a new campaign celebrating the partnership, KFC and Beyond Meat teamed up with actress, producer and creator Liza Koshy, who swoops in to reveal the Kentucky Fried Miracle of plant-based Beyond Fried Chicken. Plant-based revolution hits fast food U.S. plant-based food sales grew two times as fast as animal-based food sales in 2020, totaling $7 billion, according to the latest Good Food Institute industry report. Within that category, plant-based meat crossed the billion-dollar mark, expanding by 45% in dollar sales from 2019. Fast food giants have hopped on the plant-based trend in recent years, with Beyond Meat serving as the go-to partner for numerous retailers. In addition to KFC, Beyond Meat has struck up alliances with McDonald's (MCD), Taco Bell, Costco (COST), Subway, TGI Fridays, Dunkin, Pizza Hut, and more. The McPlant burger, which analysts say could hit nationwide Golden Arches stores this year, has been viewed as one of the most-anticipated plant-based rollouts. An expanded release could help lift not only Beyond Meat's bottom line, but plant-based meat makers overall. Other competitors like Impossible Foods have searched to secure viable partnerships of their own. In 2020, Impossible landed a mega deal with Disney (DIS) that would sell meatless items at high-traffic locations including Disneyland in Anaheim, Disney World in Orlando, and the Disney Cruise Line. That same year, Starbucks (SBUX) announced that it would offer an Impossible Sausage breakfast sandwich at stores nationwide, and Burger King unveiled an Impossible Whopper (QSR), which hit the fast food chain to much fanfare in 2019. Alexandra is a Producer & Entertainment Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will on Thursday mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 assault at the U.S. Capitol by honoring the bravery of law enforcement on the scene, and outlining the unfinished work the nation needs to do to strengthen its democracy, the White House said. "On Thursday, the president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday afternoon, in the first preview of the president's remarks. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both Democrats, will speak on Thursday morning at the U.S. Capitol, one year after a mob loyal to former President Donald Trump raided the complex in a failed attempt to stop the counting of Electoral College votes that officially delivered Biden's election victory. Later Tuesday, Trump canceled a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that had been scheduled for the evening of Jan. 6, saying he would address many of the same topics at a rally Jan. 15 instead. Trump, some fellow Republicans and right-wing media personalities have pushed false and misleading accounts to downplay the Jan. 6 attack, calling it a non-violent protest or blaming left-wing activists. Four people died on the day of the riot, and one Capitol police officer died the day after defending Congress. Dozens of police were injured during the multi-hour onslaught by Trump supporters, and four officers have since taken their own lives. Biden will put an extra spotlight on the role of Capitol Police and others on the scene on Jan. 6, Psaki said. "Because of their efforts, our democracy withstood an attack from a mob, and the will of more than 150 million people who voted in the presidential election was ultimately registered by Congress," Psaki said. Psaki was asked what the president's message will be to the many Republicans who believe Biden stole the election from Trump, despite overwhelming contrary evidence. "What he's going to continue to do is speak to everyone in the country. Those who didn't vote for him, those who may not believe he is the legitimate president, about what he wants to do to make their lives better," Psaki said. The White House is struggling to get voting rights legislation through the U.S. Senate that would counter new laws in Republican-led states Democrats say would limit left-leaning voters. Two sources told Reuters that Biden and Harris don't plan to use the Jan. 6 event to push for voting rights legislation. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw; additonal reporting by Nandita Bose and Merdie Nzanga; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rosalba O'Brien) FILE - Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, descendants of the principals in the Plessy V. Ferguson court case, pose for a photograph in front of a historical marker in New Orleans, on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. Homer Plessy, the namesake of the U.S. Supreme Courts 1896 separate but equal ruling, is being considered for a posthumous pardon. The Creole man of color died with a conviction still on his record for refusing to leave a whites-only train car in New Orleans in 1892. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File) NEW ORLEANS (AP) Louisianas governor planned to posthumously pardon Homer Plessy on Wednesday, more than a century after the Black man was arrested in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow a Jim Crow law creating whites-only train cars. The Plessy v Ferguson case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ushered in a half-century of laws calling for separate but equal accommodations that kept Black people in segregated schools, housing, theaters and other venues. Gov. John Bel Edwards scheduled the pardon ceremony for a spot near where Plessy was arrested in 1892 for breaking a Louisiana law requiring Black people to ride in cars that the law described as equal but separate from those for white customers. The date is close to the 125th anniversary of Plessys guilty plea in New Orleans. Relatives of both Plessy and the judge who convicted him were expected to attend. It spotlights New Orleans as the cradle of the civil rights movement, said Keith Plessy, whose great-great-grandfather was Plessy's cousin Homer Plessy had no children. "Hopefully, this will give some relief to generations who have suffered under discriminatory laws," said Phoebe Ferguson, the judge's great-great-granddaughter. The state Board of Pardons recommended the pardon on Nov. 12 for Plessy, who was a 30-year-old shoemaker when he boarded the train car as a member of a small civil rights group hoping to overturn the law. Instead, the 1896 ruling solidified whites-only spaces in public accommodations until a later Supreme Court unanimously overturned it in Brown v Board of Education in 1954. Both cases argued that segregation laws violated the 14th Amendment's right to equal protection. In Plessy, Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote for the 7-1 majority: Legislation is powerless to eradicate racial instincts or to abolish distinctions based upon physical differences. Justice John Harlan, the dissenter, wrote that he believed the ruling will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case." That 1857 decision said no Black person who had been enslaved or was descended from a slave could ever become a U.S. citizen. It was overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments, passed in 1865 and 1866. Plessy lacked the business, political and educational accomplishments of most other members of the group trying to strike down the segregation law, Keith Weldon Medley wrote in the book We As Freemen: Plessy v. Ferguson. But his light skin court papers described him as someone whose one eighth African blood was not discernable positioned him for the train car protest. His one attribute was being white enough to gain access to the train and black enough to be arrested for doing so, Medley wrote. Five blocks of the street where he was arrested, renamed Homer Plessy Way in 2018, runs through the campus of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where the ceremony was to be held outdoors for COVID-19 safety. Eight months after the ruling in his case, Plessy pleaded guilty on Jan. 11, 1897. He was fined $25 at a time when 25 cents would buy a pound of round steak and 10 pounds of potatoes. He died in 1925 with the conviction on his record. Relatives of Plessy and John Howard Ferguson, the judge who oversaw his case in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, became friends decades later and formed a nonprofit that advocates for civil rights education. A firefighter is dwarfed by a plume of the Dixie fire in August near Janesville, Calif. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) State investigators have determined that a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power line was responsible for sparking last year's massive Dixie fire, which torched more than 960,000 acres in five Northern California counties as it burned clear across the Sierra Nevada. According to a statement by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, investigators found that the fire was caused by a tree contacting electrical distribution lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric located west of Cresta Dam." The department's investigative report was forwarded to the Butte County district attorney's office, according to Tuesday's statement. Cal Fire officials referred all questions regarding the report to prosecutors. The district attorney's office could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. PG&E said in a statement Tuesday night that "a large tree struck one of our normally operating lines," noting that it had discussed the incident in a July news briefing and that the tree was one of 8 million within striking distance of its lines. The utility said it has committed to burying 10,000 miles of lines in addition to the risk reduction efforts included in its 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Plan. "Regardless of todays finding, we will continue to be tenacious in our efforts to stop fire ignitions from our equipment and to ensure that everyone and everything is always safe," the statement said. The Dixie fire is not the first wildfire state investigators have traced to the utility company's equipment. In December, PG&E agreed to pay $125 million in fines and penalties under a settlement reached with state regulators after Cal Fire found that a faulty transmission line sparked the Kincade fire, which tore through more than 77,000 acres of Northern California wine country in 2019. Earlier last year, PG&E emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with former Chief Executive Bill Johnson promising it would be "reimagined" after wildfires ignited by the utility's equipment in 2017 and 2018 killed more than 100 people. The vast majority were killed in the Camp fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise. PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2019 to shield itself from tens of billions of dollars in potential liabilities due to its role in the fires. The company pleaded guilty last year to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Camp fire and agreed to pay the maximum criminal fine of $3.5 million plus $500,000 for the cost of the investigation. The Dixie fire, which started July 13, 2021, burned 963,309 acres and destroyed more than 1,400 structures, Cal Fire said. By the time it was contained Oct. 25, it had become the second-largest fire on record in California, surpassed only by the 2020 August Complex, which scorched 1,032,648 acres in Northern California, the state fire agency said. In August of last year, the Dixie fire roared through Greenville, a Gold Rush town of about 1,200 people. The inferno reduced a large swath of the town to rubble and ash. The fire grew large and intense enough to produce its own lighting and, along with the Caldor fire that tore through the Lake Tahoe Basin, became the first fire to burn from one side of the Sierra to the other in what authorities called an unprecedented fire season. Officials pointed to several factors that helped 2021's fires intensify rapidly. Some burned in areas with terrain challenging enough to hamper firefighting efforts from the ground. High winds acted as bellows, causing the fires to spread through the unusually dry trees and grass with shocking speed. Challenging conditions persisted for weeks until firefighters caught a break with the weather. Rain and slower winds allowed crews to get ahead of the flaming fronts, and when the Dixie fire reached less steep terrain, firefighters were able to attack with bulldozers and hoses, officials said. Previous prescribed burns in some areas also helped by starving the blaze of fuel. By December, a series of powerful storms dumped record-breaking amounts of snow and rain over California, replenishing reservoirs and raising the snowpack to 160% of its average for that time of year. But officials warn that the danger isn't over. After two of California's driest years on record, more snow and rain will be needed to break the drought. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Large bolts remain where a bronze streetlight once stood on the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct on Monday. Twenty-two lights have been stolen, and the L.A. Bureau of Street Lighting has removed an additional 18 lights for safeguarding. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) For nearly a century, dozens of silent sentinels have stood guard along the road between Atwater Village and Silver Lake. Clad in the green patina of weathered bronze, the lampposts lining the historic Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct warded off the darkness that would otherwise engulf the spans. But in recent months, several of the lampposts have been stolen, reportedly sawed down and hauled away by unidentified thieves, some as recently as this week. According to the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 22 of the historic streetlights are missing. City crews have taken down an additional 18 lights and stored them. On Wednesday, after this article was initially published, the city announced it would remove and store all the remaining lights as a precaution, said Elena Stern, the department's senior public information director. The fixtures will be replaced by temporary lighting. "We believe there were/are roughly 60 to 70 historic lights along the bridge, which leaves about 20 to 30 lights left on the bridge," Stern said. "Because the thefts have been continuing, preserving the remaining iconic lights is the right thing to do." The city's Bureau of Street Lighting first learned of the thefts Sept. 18, Stern said. Three lights were reported stolen over three nights. Crews went to inspect the bridge three days later and discovered seven lights missing, she said. One of the remaining bronze streetlights on the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) And the thefts have continued despite an ongoing Los Angeles police investigation. The most recent occurred sometime between Dec. 27 and Tuesday, Stern said. The stolen lampposts were installed in 1926 and made of bronze, Stern said, and no replacements are immediately available. "Replicas would have to be manufactured from scratch to replace," she said. "The city is contemplating a future retrofit of the bridge for seismic and mobility purposes, which may provide an opportunity in the future to replicate elements that were stolen." For Glen Norman, a self-described streetlight historian who has been photographing and documenting historic fixtures in Los Angeles since the 1960s, the pilfered lampposts are more than a nighttime public safety risk. "Its just a tragic loss of some of the citys history," Norman said. "Old streetlights add character to the area. Theyve disappeared over the years. For me, as kind of a streetlight historian or detective, I like seeing the old lights because it gives me a sense of the L.A. that I grew up in." History hidden in plain sight The Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct was completed in either late 1928 or 1929, "during the apex of all the World War I memorials going up around the country," said Courtland Jindra, an amateur historian who served as a co-director of the California World War I Centennial Task Force. It was among nine L.A. River bridges designed by longtime city engineer Merrill Butler and built in the 1920s and 30s along with those at 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th streets; Spring Street; Cesar E. Chavez Avenue; and Olympic Boulevard. One span of the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct was dedicated as a World War I memorial on May 30, 1930, Jindra said. Grand plans for a 3-acre park with a fountain and a proposed renaming of the Riverside Drive span to Victory Bridge never materialized, he said, but the memorial section is still visible today at the end of the Glendale Boulevard off-ramp from the northbound 5 Freeway. A large tree obscures a part of the inscription. "Its hidden in plain sight," Jindra said. "You can read the Victory Memorial if youre coming in the right direction. Its just one of those things. Most people dont look for it." For streetlight enthusiasts such as Norman, Los Angeles' myriad aging lampposts are key parts of that history. The city saw a big expansion in electric street lighting around 1924, when it started buying models from Union Metal, which is still in operation in Canton, Ohio. "The 20s were probably the golden age of the decorative streetlights in L.A.," Norman said. Large bolts and wiring remain where a streetlight was stolen from the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Jack Feldman, a retired L.A. Department of Water and Power engineer, has a personal connection to that history. One of his first jobs was in the department's streetlight design section. "Im fascinated by how streetlights evolved from gas lamps on Main Street," Feldman said. "How they produced the gas from La Brea Tar Pits and made the gas, how [Thomas] Edison came up with the lightbulb. Within two years all the major cities wanted them." Electric lighting in Los Angeles has evolved from the first 150-foot-tall streetlight poles that illuminated a whole block at a time into the ornate designs of the early 20th century and then the modernist and utilitarian fixtures that dominate most of L.A. today. "If you've seen some of these, they're beautiful," Feldman said of the city's classic lampposts. "It really identifies a time period in the history of L.A. when the city was growing. Beautiful streetlights followed the wealthy areas and commercial areas." Today, Feldman runs a virtual museum for Water and Power Associates, a nonprofit organization focusing on energy and water issues, and on preserving L.A.'s regional water and electricity history. Feldman and Norman were both saddened by the continuing loss of the Glendale-Hyperion lampposts. "Its very, very sad, very angering actually," Norman said. "I can see why someone would do it for the meltdown value, but I just cant see how someone would do it." Feldman said he wasn't shocked by the thefts but feels the lights' loss nonetheless. "When you light up the streets, there's a purpose for it," he said. "It's illumination, crime deterrence." But streetlight design was an art form at one time, Feldman said, and although the lights on the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct were not as ornate as others around the city, he and others recognize their significance. "Its a work of art," he said. "It all goes together. Its part and parcel of the history of L.A. It's just a shame [the thefts] happen." Community presses for answers The Bureau of Street Lighting is continuing to work with police on the thefts, said Stern, the Department of Public Works spokeswoman. It is also working on measures to protect the remaining lights and ensure public safety, she said. Though the stolen streetlights could be replaced in a future project, the 14-foot and 17-foot fluted bronze poles are not used anywhere else in the city. Police were not able to answer questions from The Times on the exact timeline of the thefts and whether any suspects have been identified. Anyone with information about the thefts can submit an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Dan Halden, a spokesman for City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, whose district includes Atwater Village, called the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct a beloved part of the community and a historic resource. "Councilmember O'Farrell applauds the Bureau of Street Lighting for its efforts to proactively safeguard a number of lampposts on the bridge, and for partnering with the Department of Water and Power to install temporary lighting," Halden said. Meanwhile, Silver Lake and Atwater Village residents, along with a community of L.A. history enthusiasts, are continuing to press authorities for answers. "People are stealing these, but who's buying them, which metal yards?" asked Richard Schave, who along with his wife, Kim Cooper, runs the L.A. tour company Esotouric. "I don't know what the solution is. I'm glad [the Bureau of Street Lighting] has taken some down, but it's dark. The streetlights are out everywhere." Late on the first Monday of 2022, a handful of cars drove across the viaduct. The bright streetlights and cheery neon signs of Atwater Village lay behind. Ahead, many lampposts were missing. All but a few of the historic lights were out, and the fading beams from fixtures near the bridge failed to illuminate the way on a bridge cloaked in darkness. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, its first public weapons launch in about two months and a signal that Pyongyang isn't interested in rejoining denuclearization talks anytime soon and would rather focus on boosting its weapons arsenal. The latest launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further boost his military capability without disclosing any new policies toward the United States or South Korea at a high-profile ruling party conference last week. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Wednesday morning. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were trying to analyze more information about the launch. The Japanese Defense Ministry also detected the North Korean launch, saying the country likely fired a missile. We find it truly regrettable that North Korea has continued to fire missiles from last year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. Kishida said other details about the North Korean launch werent immediately available, including where the suspected missile landed and whether there had been any damage. He said he ordered officials to confirm the safety of ships and planes in the area where the suspected missile likely flew and fell. Wednesdays launch was the first such firing since North Korea tested a series of newly developed weapons between September and November including nuclear-capable missiles that place South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies in the region, within striking distance. Some experts said North Korea was applying more pressure on its rivals to accept it as a nuclear power state in the hopes of winning relief from economic sanctions on the country. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it is open to resuming nuclear diplomacy with North Korea anywhere and at any time without preconditions. The North has so far rebuffed such overtures, saying U.S. hostility remains unchanged. Outgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in his New Years address Tuesday that he would continue to seek ways to restore ties with North Korea and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula until his single five-year term ends in May. He has recently pushed for a political, symbolic declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to reduce animosities. U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program collapsed in 2019 due to wrangling over how much sanctions relief should be given to the North in return for dismantling its main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step. Kim has since threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal, though his countrys economy has suffered major setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent U.S.-led sanctions and his own mismanagement. Rather than expressing willingness for denuclearization talks or interest in an end-of-war declaration, North Korea is signaling that neither the omicron variant nor domestic food shortages will stop its aggressive missile development, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that North Korea might have tested a developmental hypersonic missile or a nuclear-capable KN-23 missile with a highly maneuverable and lower-trajectory flight. He said North Korea would likely move forward with its military build-up plans. During last weeks plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party, Kim repeated his vows to boost his countrys military capacity and ordered the production of more powerful, sophisticated weapons systems. State media reports on the meeting said North Korea set forth tactical directions for North Koreas external relations including with South Korea, but didnt elaborate. It made no mention of the United States. Last month, Kim marked 10 years in power. Since assuming control after his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Ils death in December 2011, Kim Jong Un has established absolute power at home and staged an unusually large number of weapons tests as part of efforts to build nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the American mainland. During Kim's 10-year rule, North Korea has performed 62 rounds of ballistic missile tests, compared with nine rounds during his grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sungs 46-year rule, and 22 rounds during Kim Jong Ils 17-year rule, according to South Korean and U.S. figures. Four of the Norths six nuclear tests and its three intercontinental ballistic missile launches all occurred under Kim Jong Uns rule. _ Associated Press Writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report. (Photo illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times; Photos by Alex Wong, Tasos Katopodis, Jon Cherry, Tom Williams/Getty Images) In the hours after the attack on the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy seemed united as they spoke on the House floor. The Democratic and Republican lawmakers vowed to defy the insurrectionist mob's attempt to block certification of the presidential election results. The Californians hinted that the trauma of the day could help bridge the partisan divide in Congress. They even agreed that President Trump through actions or inaction bore significant responsibility for the Capitol riot. But over the last year, a chasm has grown between the two leaders over how to move forward from the attack and how to hold those responsible accountable. It is a divide that reflects a larger split in America, as more people inside and outside of Washington seek to write and rewrite the history of last Jan. 6. Through a second impeachment and the House select committee investigation, Pelosi (D-San Francisco) has focused on Trump, his allies and those who attempted to overturn the election results. McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), meanwhile, has sought to block the Democratic-led investigations and increasingly backed away from his early criticism of the former president, looking instead to shift the blame and connect the attack to broader civil unrest in the country. As the congressional investigation searches for answers about why the Jan. 6 attack happened, most Republican lawmakers dismiss it as a partisan effort to reopen political wounds and smear their party. Underlying it all is the lie the former president and his allies first began seeding in the months leading up to his loss in November 2020: that the election was illegitimate. Below is a timeline of the nation's yearlong journey, as told through the words of Pelosi and McCarthy. (Greg Nash / Associated Press; Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images; Samuel Corum / Getty Images) Jan. 6, 12:17 p.m. President Trump holds a "Save America" rally at the Ellipse outside the White House, near the Washington Monument. He tells supporters he will join them in walking to the Capitol. Trump: "And after this, were going to walk down, and I'll be there with you, were going to walk down we're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and -women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Jan. 6, 12:53 p.m. Pro-Trump rioters clash with police officers before storming the Capitol. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Trump supporters begin to attack the Capitol, breaking through barricades and windows and disrupting the certification of the presidential election results. Pelosi issues a statement urging Trump to help end the attack, while McCarthy calls Trump directly. McCarthy: I condemn any of this. This is appalling. This is un-American. This should never happen in our nation, and whatever is going on right now needs to stop. They broke windows, they overran the building. We had to stop our proceedings in the middle of it. As a nation I know we sit back and were appalled by what were seeing. But I want everybody to take a deep breath and understand that we all have some responsibility here. .@SenSchumer and I are calling on President Trump to demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol grounds immediately. pic.twitter.com/z6D8qb6bpe Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 6, 2021 Jan. 6, 4:17 p.m. Following calls from McCarthy, White House aides and conservative media hosts urging Trump to act, the president releases a video on Twitter telling his followers to go home. In the tweet, he reiterates false claims that the election was stolen. "I know how you feel," he tells his followers rioting at the Capitol. "We love you, you're very special ... go home in peace." Within days the president will be banned or suspended from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Jan. 6, 8:06 p.m. Congress reconvenes to complete the counting of electoral votes. Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the reconvened joint session of Congress to certify the election result. (Associated Press) Pelosi: Our purpose will be accomplished. We must and we will show to the country, and indeed to the world, that we will not be diverted from our duty, that we will respect our responsibility to the Constitution and to the American people. McCarthy: We will not falter, we will not bend and we will not shrink from our duty. Let me be very clear: Mobs don't rule America; laws rule America. It was true when our cities were burning this summer, and it's true now. Jan. 7 Democratic leaders urge Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare the president unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Pelosi: In calling for this seditious act, the president has committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people. I joined the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment. If the vice president and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment. Jan. 13 The House votes 232 to 197 to impeach President Trump for the second time, one day after passing a resolution calling on Pence to mobilize the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment. McCarthy calls for a censure instead. Pelosi talks with Democratic colleagues after the House voted to impeach President Trump on Jan. 13, 2021, for his role in the Capitol attack the week before. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) Pelosi: Our country is divided. We all know that. There are lies abroad in the land, spread by a desperate president who feels his power slipping away. We know that too. But I know this as well, that we here in this House have a sacred obligation to stand for truth, to stand up for the Constitution, to stand as guardians of the republic. McCarthy: Some say the riots were cause by antifa. There's absolutely no evidence of that, and conservatives should be the first to say it. ... Most Americans want neither inaction nor retribution. They want durable, bipartisan justice. That path is still available, but it is not the path we are on today. That doesnt mean the president is free from fault. The president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. Jan. 21 During back-to-back news conferences, reporters ask McCarthy if President Trump provoked rioters to go to the Capitol, and ask Pelosi if impeachment would undercut unity. McCarthy: I don't believe he provoked if you listened to what he said at the rally. Pelosi: The fact is, the president of the United States committed an act of incitement of insurrection. I don't think it's very unifying to say, Oh, let's just forget it and move on. That's not how you unify. Joe Biden said it beautifully: If you're going to unite, you must remember. Jan. 28 McCarthy meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach while fundraising in Florida. Weeks later, he defends the meeting, saying: "I can talk to anyone." McCarthy: Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022. ... A united conservative movement will strengthen the bonds of our citizens and uphold the freedoms our country was founded on. Feb. 9 The impeachment trial of former President Trump begins in the Senate. Feb. 13 The Senate votes to acquit Trump, 57 to 43. Seven Republican senators vote with Democrats, but the chamber fails to reach the required two-thirds majority to convict. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press; Jon Cherry / Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images) April 25 McCarthy is asked about his Jan. 6 phone call with Trump during a Fox News interview. He defends Trumps response on the day of the attack. McCarthy: "I was the first person to contact him when the riot was going on. He didn't see it. What he ended the call [with] was saying telling me, he'll put something out to make sure to stop this. And that's what he did, he put a video out later." May 12 As McCarthy leaves a meeting with Pelosi and President Biden at the White House, he's asked whether he has concerns about replacing Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming with Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York in the GOP leadership considering Stefanik has cast doubts on the election results. McCarthy: "I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with. We're sitting here with the president today." McCarthy, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), talks to reporters outside the White House after meeting with President Biden on May 12. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) May 13 Rep. Andrew S. Clyde, a Georgia Republican, says during a House Oversight Committee meeting that TV footage of the Capitol attack looked like "a normal tourist visit." Pelosi arrives for a news conference on May 12. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) Pelosi: "Well, I don't know on a normal day around here where people are threatening to hang the vice president of the United States or shoot the speaker in the forehead. ... The denial about what happened that day, denial for the need for more security to make sure it doesn't happen again, and the denial of finding the truth is what we have to deal with." May 19 The House votes to form a 9/11-style independent commission to investigate the Capitol insurrection. McCarthy joins most Republicans in voting no, arguing that the commission should be free to investigate political violence more broadly and that other government groups are engaged in similar work. The commission dies in the Senate. McCarthy: Given the political misdirections that have marred this process, given the now duplicative and potentially counterproductive nature of this effort, and given the speakers shortsighted scope that does not examine interrelated forms of political violence in America, I cannot support this legislation. Pelosi: In the interest of bipartisanship, we yielded on many points, which we thought would be important. We wouldnt budge on the purpose: to examine what happened on Jan. 6. June 23 A day before Pelosi announces a House select committee to investigate Jan. 6, McCarthy again argues the scope of the investigation should be broader. McCarthy: I have real concern, though, especially the scope of where were going to go. Just like in [the 9/11 independent commission], they didnt just study what happened [on] 9/11, they studied what built up to it. So why wouldnt we study what built up in the summer? Why wouldnt we analyze and get to the bottom of why the National Guard were not here? Did things that happened in the summer prevent people from bringing the National Guard here earlier? Did the speaker make some comments in regard to that? I think those are the things that all should come forward. June 30 The House votes 222 to 190 to form a select committee to investigate the insurrection. Just two Republicans vote in favor. Pelosi: Every member here knows that Jan. 6 was an attempt to subvert our democracy, but many across the aisle refuse to admit the truth.... They refused to admit the truth when they called that day a normal tourist visit. And today, when many will vote against establishing a select committee to investigate that day, they will again refuse to admit this truth. July 21 Pelosi announces that she will block two of McCarthys appointees to the select committee, both staunch Trump allies who voted against certifying Bidens election. McCarthy then pulls all of his nominees. Pelosi: With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these members, I must reject the recommendations of Reps. [Jim] Banks [of Indiana] and [Jim] Jordan [of Ohio] to the select committee. The unprecedented nature of Jan. 6 demands this unprecedented decision. McCarthy: This represents an egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution. Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts. July 27 As the House select committee holds its first hearing, McCarthy references the false claim that Pelosi blocked the National Guard from protecting the Capitol. As House speaker, Pelosi does not direct the the National Guard. McCarthy: Theres questions into the leadership within the structure of the speakers office, where they denied the ability to bring the National Guard here. Aug. 30 The Jan. 6 committee asks 35 telecommunications and social media companies to preserve phone records and other information relevant to its investigation. McCarthy warns telecommunications companies that comply with the order: "a Republican majority will not forget." My statement on Democrats asking companies to violate federal law: pic.twitter.com/XELEVNbx65 Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 31, 2021 Oct. 19 Trump sues the Jan. 6 committee, arguing that his White House records are protected by executive privilege. Oct. 21 The House votes 229 to 202 to hold Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon, who helped promote the Jan. 6 rally before the insurrection, in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the select committee to testify about his role. Following a November indictment, Bannon is set to go on trial in July 2022. McCarthy: "Issuing an invalid subpoena weakens our power, not if somebody votes against it. [Bannon] has the right to go to the court to see if he has executive privilege or not. I dont know if he does or not, but neither does the committee. So theyre weakening the power of Congress itself by issuing invalid subpoena." The vote for the criminal contempt of Congress resolution today goes beyond Bannon. It was a vote for the system of checks and balances and the Constitution. The genius of our Constitution, the separation of powers, our system of checks and balances, was upheld by todays vote. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) October 22, 2021 Dec. 8 Pelosi is asked at a news conference about the breakdown of civility in the House. Pelosi: I'll never forgive president [the] former president of the United States and his lackeys and his bullies that he sent to the Capitol for the trauma that was exerted on our staff. ... You cannot erase that. Dec. 23 With Trump's effort to block the Jan. 6 committee's request for his White House documents rejected by lower courts, he appeals to the Supreme Court. Dec. 30 Pelosi sends a letter to her Democratic colleagues about the House's plans to observe the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack. Pelosi: "The patriotism and courage of our Members as we prepare for this difficult day is an inspiration, for which I sincerely thank you." Jan. 2, 2022 McCarthy sends a letter to the House Republican caucus marking the start of 2022 and the anniversary of the Capitol attack. McCarthy: "As we have said from the start, the actions of that day were lawless and as wrong as wrong can be. Our Capitol should never be compromised and those who broke the law deserve to face legal repercussions and full accountability. Unfortunately, one year later, the majority party seems no closer to answering the central question of how the Capitol was left so unprepared and what must be done to ensure it never happens again. Instead, they are using it as a partisan political weapon to further divide our country." Photo illustration of U.S. Capitol building with blue clouds. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. FILE - Travelers check departure screens for their flight status at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. Better weather is helping some travelers get home after the New Year's holiday, but airlines are still canceling a high number of flights. By late Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, on the East Coast, airlines had scrubbed more than 1,200 flights for the day. Thats a very high number but not compared with Mondays disruptions. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) Clearing weather over much of the eastern United States raised hopes that air-travel disruptions will ease after a dreadful start to the new year. By early Tuesday evening on the East Coast, airlines had scrubbed about 1,500 flights for the day. That's a very high number but well below Monday's disruptions, which included more than 3,200 canceled flights. Southwest Airlines canceled about 400 flights, or 12% of its schedule Tuesday. Airlines had already canceled nearly 500 U.S. flights for Wednesday, according to FlightAware. The number of canceled flights began rising Dec. 24, and several airlines blamed it on crew shortages due to the spreading omicron variant of COVID-19. Over the weekend, the sickouts were compounded by winter storms that swept across the country. About 2,700 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday and a similar number were grounded Sunday. Thousands more were delayed. In all, about 20,000 U.S. flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve, according to FlightAware figures. Airlines often canceled flights long before storms hit, based on weather forecasts. Airlines think that by operating a reduced schedule they will avoid having planes and crews trapped in the wrong cities, but it frustrates passengers whose flights get canceled while it's still sunny outside. Its disheartening to see how domestic violence has caused so much pain in the lives of many Jamaicans. A local newspaper in 2018 told the sad tale of a woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband (The Gleaner,2018). Once again, another victim of domestic violence. What caught my interest was the report of her professing to be a daughter of the living God on her Facebook page. I took this news very hard. I never believed that an alleged Christian could have suffered such a terrible death. The wrestle of reconciliation As one who has been a victim of domestic violence, I have to wrestle with the contrary desires of wanting to cut all ties with the perpetrator and seeking reconciliation. Many would ask why this is a struggle. Why would you want to reconcile with someone who abused you? However, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I am constantly challenged by the Holy Spirit to love, forgive and reconcile. Often, my desire to cut ties with the perpetrator is rebutted by the word, which challenges me to honor the individual (Ephesians chapter 6, verse 2). This tends to leave me in tears as my heart is telling me that the individual isnt deserving of my respect and submission, but the scriptures and the Holy Spirit is suggesting otherwise. One day I asked God this question; are all relationships reconcilable? This question came to mind as I thought about what counsel I would give to another who is experiencing domestic violence. However, upon further reflection, I asked a further two questions; will all relationships be reconciled? And how do I know whether to leave the relationship, or stay and seek reconciliation? Are all relationships reconcilable? Yes! The cross represents the greatest act of reconciliation known to all creation. (2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 18) tells us that God not only reconciled us to Himself, but He also entrusts us with the ministry of reconciliation. However, finding meaning in this verse can prove a challenge amid the abuse. I found it impossible to reconcile with someone who abuses others physically, verbally and sexually. There is nothing in them which suggest they are worth reconciling with. However, with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. (Mathew chapter 19, verse 26). I have learnt that for reconciliation to be possible, Jesus must be at the center of our efforts. Only he can allow us to see these individuals as sinners in need of his grace and direction and empower us to love them. Also, He is the only one who can heal our broken heart (Psalm chapter 147, verse 3) from the aftermath of domestic violence. There is no doubt that the pain of living through domestic violence is hard to digest; but, when our souls are weary of sorrow, God is more than willing to strengthen us with his word (Psalm chapter 119, verse 28). Yet. Will all relationships be reconciled? Sadly, No! Mans heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 9); that is our reality under the sun. There are some individuals who wont change. They even go as far as using our shortcomings to justify their actions. David experienced a hostile relationship with Saul. Saul, out of envy, intensely disliked David. As a result, David had to temporarily leave Israel as Saul purposed in his heart to kill him (1 Samuel chapter 19). Wow! Thats tough. Saul was Davids Father-in-law and king. I can only imagine the conflict in Davids heart as this was someone whom God required him to honor and submit to, yet he was a threat to his life. From Davids story, God has taught me two lessons in leaving hostile relationships. Firstly, we always leave room for Gods wrath (Romans chapter 12, verse 19). Then, we cleave as graciously as possible with the door wisely open for reconciliation. This is easier said than done as leaving can be hard, inconvenient and sometimes life-threatening. However, we fear not (less) because God is with us. We press on believing that Gods peace and comfort can overcome any thoughts of regret, revenge or bitterness that fight for the throne of our hearts. So How do I know whether to leave the relationship, or stay and seek reconciliation? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom... (Proverbs chapter 1, verse 7). I believe that Gods wisdom must take precedence over any feelings we have or any advice we get from friends or lobby group, but these must never be ignored. God is Sovereign! He is more than capable of humbling the one who constantly abuses you; however, he is just as capable of changing their heart. For me, the internal conflict described earlier persists. Yet, through it all, God has thought and challenged me a lot; and he continues to provide friends and a loving church community. I encourage you to pray, wait and believe when unsure as to what to do. Persistently pray to God expressing your heart and concerns to him. Humbly wait for God to respond to your cries knowing that He cares about them. Finally, believe in Gods promise to be with, sustain and empower us to the end, irrespective of the path he is leading us to. Finally, remain steadfast in prayer, resist the devil and humbly submit to God, and love hard even when its hard. A shirtless man, his face painted red, white and blue, wearing a horned Viking hat and carrying a spear, yelling "Freedom!" on the floor of the Senate. A smiling man in a knit Trump hat, waving to photographers as he drags House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern through the Capitol Rotunda. A man with his feet up on a desk in Pelosis office, a stun gun peeking out from his pants. A man carrying the Confederate battle flag over his shoulder as he strolls through the halls of the Capitol. A bearded man seen walking through the corridors wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt. A woman in a red parka and blue MAGA tights with a sign reading "The children cry out for justice," standing next to the vice presidents desk in the Senate chamber. A man in military-style tactical gear holding zip ties while climbing over seats in the Senate chamber. The rioters got within two doors of Vice President Mike Pence's office. See how in this 3D explainer from Yahoo Immersive. For more Immersive stories click here. Those were just some of the images that went viral on Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building as Congress was certifying the 2020 election results. Five people died in connection to the attack, including Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot by police as she tried to break into the House chamber, and a Capitol Police officer who died from a stroke one day after being pepper-sprayed during the riot. More than 140 other police officers were injured defending the Capitol, four of whom have since taken their own lives. According to the FBI, more than 725 people have been criminally charged including those who went viral and more are expected to be arrested. Here is what the people in those viral images were charged with, and where the cases against them stand, nearly a year since the deadly insurrection. The QAnon Shaman (Jacob Chansley) Jacob Chansley inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and his mugshot (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Alexandria Sheriff's Office via AP) Of the countless images that emerged from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, few have been more indelible than those featuring Jacob Chansley the shirtless, spear-toting man seen storming the halls of Congress in a horned, fur headdress, his face painted red, white and blue. Chansley, better known as the QAnon Shaman, was among the first group of rioters to enter the Capitol while the election certification was under way. According to prosecutors, once inside the building, Chansley used a bullhorn to rile up the crowd and demand that lawmakers be brought out, before making his way into the Senate chamber. He was photographed sitting in Vice President Mike Pences chair on the Senate dais, where, prosecutors said, he left a note that read: Its Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming! Photos of 34-year-old Chansley were among the first to circulate on social media as rioters ransacked the Capitol; some Trump allies soon tried to use them as proof that antifa leftists were responsible for the violence, rather than the presidents own supporters. But such claims were easily debunked, in part because Chansleys distinct tattoos and unmistakable getup were quickly recognized from various right-wing political rallies in Arizona over the previous year where Chansley, a prominent promoter of the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory group, had been a regular fixture. It was later reported that he had served in the U.S. Navy from 2005 to 2007. According to the Justice Department, Chansley called the FBIs Washington field office on Jan. 7 and confirmed that he was, in fact, the man in the face paint and horns seen during the Capitol attack. He said hed traveled from Arizona at the request of Trump, who urged all patriots to go to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 to protest the certification of the Electoral College results. Two days later, he was taken into custody and charged with obstruction, civil disorder, demonstrating in a Capitol building, and violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. Chansley has remained behind bars throughout his court proceedings, but that hasnt kept him out of the spotlight. He made headlines by demanding to be served organic meals in jail and then sat for an interview with 60 Minutes in March in which he said his actions on Jan. 6 were not an attack but an attempt to bring God back into the Senate. His attorney, Al Watkins, also gave a number of high-profile interviews in the days after Chansley's arrest, insisting that his clients behavior during the riot was peaceful and that Trump was to blame for his presence at the Capitol, calling on the outgoing president to pardon Chansley and other supporters whod since been arrested. When no pardon came, Watkins said Chansley would be willing to testify against the former president during his second impeachment trial. [Poll: Share of Trump voters who believe Biden 'won fair and square' falls to 9%] Chansleys attitude appears to have evolved significantly over the last several months, much of which he spent in solitary confinement. In September, he agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count of obstructing an official proceeding. At his sentencing hearing at the federal district court in Washington in November, he apologized for his role in the Capitol attack in a lengthy speech that featured quotes from Jesus and Gandhi and references to the popular 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, a prison drama. Though Judge Royce Lamberth praised Chansleys comments, telling him, "I think you are genuine in your remorse and heartfelt," he denied Watkinss request to sentence Chansley to time served. What you did is terrible, Lamberth told Chansley before sentencing him to 41 months, or roughly three and a half years, in prison. At the time, Chansleys sentence was tied for the harshest handed down so far in connection with the Jan. 6 riot (that title is now held by the 63-month prison term given to Robert Palmer more on him below). After all, Lamberth said, Chansley "made himself the image of the riot. Despite telling the judge he wanted to take accountability for his actions, Chansley has since hired new lawyers and filed a notice of appeal, seeking to overturn his conviction and prison sentence. It was not immediately clear on what grounds the appeal will be based, but Chansleys options are limited under the conditions of his plea agreement. His new lawyers one of whom briefly represented Kyle Rittenhouse have suggested they may pursue a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel against Watkins, Chansleys former attorney. Chansleys new attorney, John Pierce, declined a request for comment from Yahoo News. In an email to Yahoo News, Watkins confirmed that he is no longer representing Chansley, writing, as such, I am not in a position to comment on his case. Mr. Chansley is a very gentle, intelligent and kind man, Watkinss email continued. I sincerely wish him all the best in his life. The suspect with the fire extinguisher (Robert Palmer) Robert Palmer sprays a fire extinguisher toward police on Jan. 6, 2021, and a closeup (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Lev Radin/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire) In the days and weeks after Jan. 6, video footage continued to emerge from the Capitol that, along with firsthand accounts from police officers who were at the scene, painted a clearer picture of the brutality encountered by law enforcement that day. It soon became evident that one of the most violent clashes between police and members of the pro-Trump mob took place near the Lower West Terrace entrance to the Capitol, where rioters were seen dragging two officers into the crowd and beating them with an array of objects, including metal pipes, barricades, fire extinguishers and flagpoles, in what one Capitol Police officer later described as something out of a medieval battle. Among those involved in the hours-long melee on the Lower West Terrace was 54-year-old Robert Palmer of Largo, Fla. According to prosecutors, Palmer made his way to the Capitol on Jan. 6 after attending Trumps rally near the White House earlier that afternoon. Visible in an American flag jacket and a red Florida for Trump hat, Palmer can be seen in a variety of photos and videos of the mob, which prosecutors used to trace his movements at the Capitol. According to court records, Palmer was initially spotted around 4 p.m. leaning over a railing on the Capitols Upper West Terrace, where he held a sign that read Biden is a pedophile and cheered on the mob attacking police on the terrace below. Palmer observed the fighting from above for about 50 minutes before making his way down to the Lower West Terrace, where, prosecutors said, he threw a wooden plank at officers, hitting a riot shield. He then proceeded to move further into the heart of the battle, joining the front line of rioters attacking police who were attempting to block access to a tunnel leading from the terrace into the building. Video footage captured Palmer spraying a fire extinguisher at the officers at close range and then hurling the empty canister at them twice, along with an orange traffic barrier. After the crowd had been cleared from the terrace, Palmer and others continued to confront police on the plaza below, where at approximately 5:15 p.m. he obtained a 4- to 5-foot pole. After ignoring warnings from Virginia State Police officers to drop the pole, prosecutors said, Palmer began screaming obscenities and threw the pole like a spear at the officers, prompting a state trooper to fire a rubber bullet, hitting Palmer in the stomach. After a few minutes on the ground, video footage documents Palmer walking around showing off a bruise. Attempting to portray himself as the victim rather than the aggressor, Palmer pointed at his abdomen, shouting, This is the United States. This is what our country is doing to its citizens, prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. Although no specific police injury was tied to Palmers conduct at the Capitol, prosecutors said that based on the size and weight of the plank and fire extinguisher, and the speed and force with which Palmer threw them, the objects were capable of inflicting serious bodily injury. Despite all the footage of Palmers actions on Jan. 6, he was not arrested for his role in the riot until March 17, after he was identified by an online sleuth and named publicly in an article by HuffPost. In the piece, Palmer claimed he didnt do anything wrong at the Capitol. On Oct. 4, however, he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon, and last month he was sentenced to 63 months, or more than five years, in federal prison the longest sentence to date resulting from the criminal investigation of the Jan. 6 attack. He was the first Capitol defendant to be sentenced on the charge of assaulting officers using a dangerous or deadly weapon. [Jan. 6 Capitol riot: One year later, key numbers to know] Palmer attempted to express remorse for his actions ahead of his sentencing, which, under his original plea agreement, called for a prison term ranging from 46 to 57 months. I realize that we, meaning Trump supporters, were lied to by those that at the time who had great power, meaning the sitting president as well as those acting on his behalf, Palmer wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last month. At his sentencing hearing he told the judge that while he was in jail, he watched footage of himself on Jan. 6 on an MSNBC news segment and was horrified, absolutely devastated to see myself on there. Im really, really ashamed of what I did, Palmer said. While federal prosecutors acknowledged in their sentencing memo that Palmer should get credit for turning himself in and cooperating with the FBI, they also argued that his statements both on January 6 and up to the present, even after his guilty plea, suggest a distinct lack of remorse for his conduct, a tenuous relationship with truth, and a willingness to repeat falsehoods for personal benefit. In particular, prosecutors pointed to an online fundraiser for Palmers legal defense that had been created at his direction, after hed pleaded guilty and been taken to jail in D.C., in which he claimed he did go on the defense and throw a fire extinguisher at the police only after being shot with tear gas and rubber bullets. Prosecutors argued that this statement, which Palmer later admitted in court was a lie, reflected a failure to accept responsibility for his actions, and Chutkan agreed, increasing the range of his sentence to 63 to 78 months. I dont know if your remorse now is genuine or not, Chuktan said before handing down the sentence. It sounds like it is. Your actions after your plea undercut that argument. The men and women who kept democracy functioning that day, and saved lives, they deserve the thanks of the nation, the judge told Palmer. They didnt deserve to have fire extinguishers thrown at them; they didnt deserve to be spat on. Perhaps, having seen yourself on videotape and media coverage, you understand how terrified the rest of this country must have been. In an interview with Yahoo News, Palmers attorney, Bjorn Brunvand, said theres no doubt his clients online fundraising request had detrimental effect on his ultimate sentence. But, Brunvand continued, I think hes remorseful regardless of what was said during that attempt at fundraising, adding that Palmer immediately refunded the money and removed the post. I think he did that at a moment when he was feeling really down and desperate, he said. Brunvand also told Yahoo News that while Palmer received a strong sentence, it certainly couldve been a lot worse, noting that his client had been facing up to 20 years in prison for Jan. 6-related charges. Palmer, he said, is still being held at the D.C. jail while awaiting a transfer to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility, where hell begin serving his sentence. The man who put his feet up in Pelosis office (Richard Barnett) Richard Barnett sits at the desk of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and his mugshot (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images, Washington County Sheriff's Office via AP) As hundreds of Trump supporters swarmed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Richard Barnett, 61, of Gravette, Ark., was photographed inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, smiling with his feet up on a desk, an American flag draped across a nearby credenza, a stun gun visible in his pants. Unsurprisingly, the images were widely shared. Barnett emerged from the Capitol with a personalized envelope he took from Pelosis office, insisting to a New York Times reporter that he didn't steal it. I left a quarter on her desk, Barnett said, "even though she aint f***ing worth it. He also left a note for her, using an expletive to refer to the speaker. Two days later, Barnett was taken into custody near his northwest Arkansas home and charged with numerous offenses, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, theft of government property, entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Barnett faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. During a March hearing, Barnett screamed at the judge for detaining him. He was released in April and ordered to wear an ankle monitor, turn over his passport and not leave his home. He is currently awaiting trial. His attorney, Joseph McBride, did not return a request for comment. In June, Barnett began selling signed copies of the photo of him inside Pelosis office for $100 to help pay his legal fees. Richard Barnett's picture at Speaker Pelosis desk has become the face of the new anti-federalist movement, a note on a fundraising website reads. We will not go gently into that good night. Last month, Barnett gave an interview to a local television station, saying he felt his actions on Jan. 6 were justified. I think more than anything I just wanted to feel like I was closer to the seat of power, he said. When youre talking about the type of charges many of us got filed against us and the extremes theyve gone to, its out of the ordinary, he continued. Its not normal. At that time I was shocked, Barnett said of his jail stint. I mean, now, a lot of time has passed, and in retrospect you go, Wow, is this what our country is really all about? As far as apologies or regret, no comment, he added. You can pretty much guess how I feel, but I cant comment on it. The man who stole Pelosi's lectern (Adam Johnson) Adam Johnson carries the lectern of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi through the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, and his mugshot (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Win McNamee/Getty Images,Pinellas County Sheriff's Office/via Reuters) Another Capitol rioter who achieved viral fame was Adam Johnson, a 36-year-old from Florida who was seen in a knit Trump hat smiling and waving to photographers as he dragged Pelosi's lectern through the Capitol Rotunda. (The lectern was reported missing but found the next day in a hallway on the Senate side of the Capitol.) Johnson subsequently posted to Facebook a different photo of himself taken inside the Capitol that day, and a caller to the FBIs National Threat Operations Center tip line said they recognized him in the viral image because they shared a mutual friend. On Jan. 8, Johnson was arrested near his home in Parrish, Fla., and charged with three counts: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and theft of government property. Johnson initially pleaded not guilty. Shortly after his arrest, his attorneys, David Bigney and Dan Eckhart, insisted their client simply got swept up in the moment. He is a family man, Eckhart told CNN. His wife is a physician. He has five children. There is nothing in his background or his past that would attribute any type of violence or this type of rebellious behavior to him. It is an anomaly, an unusual situation for him. "He wasn't involved in any coup," Bigney added. Things got out of hand. You saw the pictures. He was not there for any destruction, any treason. He was just there to witness history. But late last month, Johnson agreed to plead guilty to one count entering or remaining in a restricted building which carries a maximum of up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. Johnson, though, is expected to receive less than six months in prison, and as part of his plea, he will pay $500 to the architect of the Capitol. He is due to be sentenced on Feb. 25. The man in the "Camp Auschwitz" hoodie (Robert Keith Packer) Robert Keith Packer inside the Capitol, and his mugshot (inset) (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Western Tidewater Regional Jail via AP, ITN/DOJ) In another widely circulated photo taken during the riot, several Trump supporters are depicted in a corridor holding a shard of a broken sign with Pelosis name on it. To their right is a man wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words Camp Auschwitz, a reference to the network of extermination camps run by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Underneath those words is an image of a human skull and the phrase Work brings freedom. (That is the approximate English translation of a sign on Auschwitz's gate reading "Arbeit macht frei.") The man, identified as Robert Keith Packer, 57, of Virginia, was arrested near his home on Jan. 13. According to a criminal complaint, a store owner in Newport News, Va., recognized Packer as a customer and contacted law enforcement. Surveillance cameras at the store captured Packer about a month before the siege wearing the same Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt, and authorities used that information to help identify and locate him. Packer was charged with two counts: entering and remaining in a restricted building, and violent entry and disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a personal recognizance bond on the condition that he stay away from Washington, D.C. Pelosi has rarely singled out any of the Capitol rioters when discussing the events of Jan. 6. But she admitted that she couldnt help but be overcome with anger when she saw Packer in his Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt. To see this punk with that shirt on, Pelosi said during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill a week after the insurrection, and his anti-Semitism that he has bragged about, to be a part of this white supremacist raid on this Capitol requires us to have an after-action review to assign responsibility to those who were part of organizing it and incentivizing it. In August, Packer was offered a plea deal by the Justice Department, part of an effort to resolve lower-level cases stemming from the attack. Federal prosecutors didn't provide details about the offer during a brief hearing that month, but other rioters who have been charged with nonviolent offenses have been offered similar plea deals many ending with jail sentences of six months or less. But Packer has yet to accept the offer. The Confederate flag suspect (Kevin Seefried) Kevin Seefried at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and a closeup (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images, Mike Theiler/Reuters) Kevin Seefried, 51, came to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 with his 23-year-old son Hunter to hear Trump speak. He brought with him a Confederate battle flag that he normally displays outside his home in Wilmington, Del. Seefried and his son were among those who participated in the march from the Stop the Steal rally at the Ellipse to the Capitol, which was led by an individual with a bullhorn, according to court documents. Video footage showed the two men entering the Senate building through a window that Hunter helped break at 2:13 p.m. ET, according to the FBI. A short time later, Kevin Seefried was photographed carrying a Confederate battle flag through the halls of the Capitol, past a portrait of Charles Sumner, an abolitionist senator from Massachusetts during the Civil War. It was a visceral image that drew immediate anger, particularly among historians who found the juxtaposition jarring. The Confederate flag made it deeper into Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, than it did during the Civil War, William Blair, professor emeritus of history at Penn State, later told the New York Times. Once inside, Kevin and Hunter Seefried were part of a large group that verbally confronted several Capitol Police officers, court documents say. Hunter was also seen in video footage taking a selfie. According to the documents, Kevin Seefried was identified after a co-worker of Hunter Seefried's told the FBI that he had bragged about being inside the Capitol with his father that day. The father and son were both arrested in Delaware on Jan. 14 and charged with five counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Hunter Seefried was indicted on three additional counts: knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against property, destruction of government property, and violence within the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. They each pleaded not guilty to all counts, and a June 15 trial date has been set. The zip-tie guy (Eric Gavelek Munchel) Eric Gavelek Munchel and his mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, in the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, and their mugshots (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Metro Nashville Police Department via AP) Among the more chilling images to surface from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 is a photograph of a man in black tactical gear climbing over seats in the Senate chamber with a fist full of white flex cuffs, or zip ties. His face was almost entirely covered by a black, balaclava-style ski mask under a black baseball cap, but it seemed clear almost immediately that the man in this photo, who would soon be dubbed zip-tie guy on social media, was not a law enforcement officer responding to the breach of the Capitol but a member of the mob. Before the zip-tie guy had even been identified, some counterterrorism experts speculated that the flex cuffs seen in the photograph might be indicative of a plot by rioters to hold politicians hostage. After the riot, social media sleuths helped the FBI identify the man as 30-year-old Eric Gavelek Munchel of Nashville. Eleven days after the breach of the Capitol, federal prosecutors in Washington filed a criminal complaint with an arrest warrant for Munchel as well as his mother, Atlanta-area nurse Lisa Marie Eisenhart, who, they said, was seen alongside Munchel in several photos and videos taken inside the Capitol complex on Jan. 6. Munchel and Eisenhart were both initially indicted on charges of entering a restricted building or grounds, obstructing an official proceeding, and violent entry or disorderly conduct for their alleged activities during the insurrection. But in June, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment, charging the pair with eight total counts, including carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon inside the U.S. Capitol. The weapon in question was a Taser, which prosecutors have said Munchel was carrying in a holster on his camouflage pants. Both Munchel and Eisenhart have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Other evidence cited by the Justice Department includes interviews that Munchel and Eisenhart gave to the Times of London in the immediate aftermath of the attack, as well as footage obtained from Munchels cellphone, which he wore mounted on his vest during the riot. Among the key moments prosecutors say were captured in that Jan. 6 recording is the one in which Munchel found the plastic handcuffs, or zip ties, that made him go viral. At one point, Munchel spots plastic handcuffs on a table inside a hallway in the Capitol, attorneys with the DOJ wrote in a pretrial detention memo in January. Munchel exclaims, Zipties. I need to get me some of them [expletive], and grabs several white plastic handcuffs from on top of a cabinet. Prosecutors said Munchels cellphone footage also captured a conversation between the mother-son duo in which they decided to stash unspecified weapons in a backpack outside the Capitol before entering the building. Munchel and Eisenhart were jailed for two months without bond after their initial arrests, but in March, Judge Royce Lamberth the same D.C. District Court judge who oversaw Jacob Chansleys case ordered both of them to be released on bond and placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring. Munchel was originally placed under the supervision of a friend who allowed him to sleep on the couch of her Nashville apartment before kicking him out, prompting prosecutors to accuse him of violating his bond conditions. In a court filing, Justice Department lawyers asked the judge to place Munchel in the custody of his older brother and to prohibit him from consuming alcohol, arguing that his behavior contributed to his prior eviction. [The unanswered questions about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot] As with other Jan. 6 defendants, Munchels lawyer has blamed Trump for her client's participation in the insurrection at the Capitol. In a February court filing arguing that Munchel should be released from jail ahead of his trial, attorney Sandra Roland cited the former presidents efforts to discredit the outcome of the 2020 presidential election as motivation for Munchels actions on Jan. 6. Beginning in 2020, parts of the United States government first and foremost the President of the United States of America told the public that the only way President Donald Trump could lose the presidential election was if the election was rigged, Roland wrote. After President Trump lost the election, he and other government officials aligned with him said the presidency had been stolen from him by widespread election fraud. She went on to write that that it wasnt until Jan. 4 that Munchel agreed to accompany his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, to President Trumps Save America rally to be held on January 6, 2021, noting that Munchel is not affiliated with any militant groups or hate groups or anti-government groups, or any groups who planned to do anything on January 6th beyond attending a rally to protest what they perceived as the steal. Roland declined Yahoo News request for comment. An attorney representing Eisenhart did not respond to requests for comment. A trial date has not yet been set for either Munchel or Eisenhart. The woman carrying The children cry out for justice sign (Christine Priola) Christine Priola with a fellow rioter in the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, and a school ID photo (inset). (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Cleveland Metropolitan School District via AP) She was hard to miss on Jan. 6: the woman in a red winter parka and MAGA-emblazoned pants with a sign reading The children cry out for justice, standing on the floor of the Senate chamber pointing her cellphone where Vice President Mike Pence had been standing minutes before. Twitter users quickly identified the woman as Christine Priola, a 49-year-old school occupational therapist from Cleveland. The FBI in Cleveland received an anonymous tip that she was employed by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Priola submitted her letter of resignation the day after she learned she was under investigation. In the letter, she cited three reasons for resignation, including beliefs that are in line with the QAnon conspiracy theories espoused by some Trump supporters who took part in the riot: 1. I will not be taking the corona virus 19 vaccine in order to return to in person learning. 2. I will be switching paths to expose the global evil of human trafficking and pedophilia, including in our government and childrens services agencies. 3. I do not agree with my union dues which help fund people and groups that support the killing of unborn children. (Her third reason, its worth noting, highlighted the underreported link between the Capitol riot and anti-abortion extremism prevalent among supporters of QAnon.) The school board accepted her resignation shortly after she submitted it, stating that while the board supported the right of any individual to peacefully protest, it condemned the actions taken by hundreds on Jan. 6. The right of peaceful protest, as protected by the First Amendment, is a foundation of our democracy, a spokeswoman for the school board said in a statement. The forcible takeover and willful destruction of our government is not. A day later, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Priolas Willoughby, Ohio, home, where they recovered a laptop, two desktop computers, several thumb drives and an iPhone, which was apparently wiped clean of data during the riot. However, agents were able to uncover location data from 4:23 p.m. that day, which according to Google Maps corresponded to a location just northeast of the U.S. Capitol. Priola was arrested on Jan. 14 and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and unlawful activities on Capitol grounds, parades, assemblages and display of flags. She was released on a $20,000 bond, subject to home detention and electronic home monitoring. (She arrived back at her home wearing a long-sleeved white T-shirt with the slogan Save our children written on it.) Priolas case has been granted numerous continuations, with the government citing the enormous volume of discovery in her case and in other Jan. 6 cases. Her next court date is scheduled for Feb. 1. WASHINGTON (AP) Long after most other lawmakers had been rushed to safety, they were on the hard marble floor, ducking for cover. Trapped in the gallery of the House, occupying balcony seats off-limits to the public because of COVID-19, roughly three dozen House Democrats were the last ones to leave the chamber on Jan. 6, bearing witness as the certification of a presidential election gave way to a violent insurrection. As danger neared, and as the rioters were trying to break down the doors, they called their families. They scrambled for makeshift weapons and mentally prepared themselves to fight. Many thought they might die. When I looked up, I had this realization that we were trapped, said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a former Army Ranger who served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. They had evacuated the House floor first. And they forgot about us. Bound together by circumstance, sharing a trauma uniquely their own, the lawmakers were both the witnesses and the victims of an unprecedented assault on American democracy. Along with a small number of staffers and members of the media, they remained in the chamber as Capitol Police strained to hold back the surging, shouting mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The lawmakers were finally taken to safety roughly an hour after the siege began. Interviewed by The Associated Press before this weeks anniversary of the attack, 10 of the House members who were in the gallery talked of being deeply shaken by their experience, recalling viscerally the sights and sounds amid the chaos. Members of Congress shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Vividly they remember the loud, hornetlike buzz of their gas masks. The explosive crack of tear gas in the hallways outside. The screams of officers telling them to stay down. The thunderous beating on the doors below. Glass shattering as the rioters punched through a window pane. The knobs rattling ominously on the locked doors just a few feet behind them. And most indelibly, the loud clap of a gunshot, reverberating across the cavernous chamber. Ive heard a lot of gunshots in my time, and it was very clear what that was, Crow said. I knew that things had severely escalated. The shot was fired by Officer Michael Byrd and killed Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter from California who was trying to crawl through the broken window of a door that leads to the House chamber. Both the Justice Department and Capitol Police investigated the shooting and declined to file charges. While the gunshot dispersed some of the violent mob, the lawmakers ducking in the gallery believed the worst was just beginning. I think all of us, myself included, had images of a mass-shooting event, said Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who posted video updates on Twitter as the chaos unfolded. It was terrifying in the moment. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said he could tell the gunshot had come from the back of the chamber, in the Speaker's Lobby just outside, and not from the main doors on the opposite side where they could see rioters trying to break through. In that moment he realized why they couldnt leave they were surrounded. It was in stages that you realized the severity, he said. Their terror was compounded by knowledge of what the mob was after: stopping Congress from certifying the Electoral College votes that would make Joe Biden the 46th president of the United States. Mike Pence, as is customary for the vice president, had been presiding over the ceremony in the House chamber where lawmakers were gathered to hear the certified results from all 50 U.S. states and the territories. Trump had other ideas. Spouting lies about election fraud that were refuted by his own Justice Department, Trump pressured Pence to reject the electors a move that would have bucked the Constitution and thrown the House, and potentially the country, into chaos. Pence refused to do so, but Trump held a rally in Washington before the vote-counting began, telling hundreds of supporters at the Ellipse to fight like hell. Members of the mob chanted Hang Mike Pence as they forced their way into the Capitol, brutally overpowering police who stood in their way. Dozens were injured, some seriously, and four officers who were there that day later took their own lives. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., was among those sheltering in the gallery. She tried to remain calm, drawing on what she learned as chief of the Orlando police. But she also felt powerless, lacking a gun or any of the other weapons she always had on the beat. She shuddered when police said there had been a breach of the building. That is probably the word that I will remember about that day for the rest of my life more than any other, Demings said. I knew that meant that the police had somehow lost the line. And I also know, having been a former police officer, that they would have done everything in their power to hold that line to protect us. House of Representatives members leave the floor of the House chamber as protesters try to break into the chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) She says she told a colleague sheltering with her in the gallery: Just remember, were on the right side of history. If we all die today, another group will come in and certify those ballots. Congress reconvened that night, certifying Bidens election victory before sunrise. In the days after the attack, many of the lawmakers who were in the gallery started connecting on a text message chain. It quickly evolved into therapeutic group sessions and even potluck gatherings where they tried to make sense of it all. They dubbed themselves the gallery group, and the name stuck. The Democrats were social distancing in the balcony as they waited to speak on the floor at the invitation of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and those interviewed said they dont recall any Republicans sheltering alongside them. GOP Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota was in the gallery at the beginning of the insurrection and recounted the ordeal to a local news outlet that evening. But he declined to be interviewed. A handful of other Republicans, including Reps. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Troy Nehls of Texas, helped police barricade the door below. Some of the Democrats who sheltered in the gallery are planning to spend time together at the Capitol this week, not only to remember their own experiences and honor those who protected them but also to reflect on the countrys narrow escape from a coup. We were the last people in the chamber, said Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, a former Navy helicopter pilot. I think we saw the whole thing play out in a way that is very different from anybody else on the Hill. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state helped organize the first virtual session the Sunday after the insurrection. She received multiple texts from colleagues after she spoke up on a Democratic caucus call about what the group went through and how they felt forgotten. It ended up being a three-hour Zoom, Jayapal says. It was deeply personal. People shared a lot of things about what they were going through. There were a lot of tears. There was a lot of anger. There was a lot of, you know, just how could this be? How could we be in America and have this happen in our Capitol? Many of the members went on to seek therapy. Some were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, their struggles exacerbated by the raw tensions on Capitol Hill and an increasing number of death threats. Others said they have been more traumatized by the growing tendency among Republican lawmakers, and some in the public, to downplay or ignore the violence than they were by the attack itself. Lawmakers said the gallery group has been a refuge through it all. I think it really saved my mental health, says Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif. It just seemed like every time somebody posted something, we were all awake, no matter what time of day or night, and we were all responding to each other. So that was really powerful. Rep. Annie Kuster, who sought treatment for post-traumatic stress, says the gallery group connects almost daily on the text message chain, which moved to an encrypted app after some members raised security concerns. Sometimes its to get a ride to a vote. Sometimes its, Whos cooking, and can you bring a bottle of wine to a dinner together? And sometimes its talking about our treatment for trauma and how we can preserve our democracy. Kuster, D-N.H., was one of the first to be let out of the gallery on Jan. 6, escaping through the doors along with three other members just before the remaining lawmakers were locked inside. When Kusters group reached the hallway, a group of rioters was rushing toward them. We ducked into the elevator, Kuster said. And I said to this incredible policeman I said, oh, my God, what if the elevator doors open, and they kill us? And I will never forget this moment ... he said, Maam, I am here to protect you. And he was there to protect our democracy. For those still in the gallery, fear was escalating. Crow was tending to Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., who was in distress after talking to a family member, while also communicating with Mullin on the floor below as he helped barricade the door. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., was shouting a prayer for peace and healing. Jayapal, who had knee replacement surgery just a few weeks earlier and was using a cane, was trying to figure out how she would escape if she had to run. She held hands with some of her female colleagues crouching beside her. Eventually, Capitol Police determined the upstairs area was clear, even as insurrectionists kept trying to break through the doors below. The lawmakers and others were rushed out of the chamber and down a warren of staircases and hallways. When they left, they could see police officers holding five or six rioters flat on the ground, guns pointed at their heads. The rioters were just inches from the doors of the gallery. Papers and gas masks are left behind after House of Representatives members left the floor of the House chamber as rioters try to break into the chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., says he has tried not to dwell on what happened. But he still has searing images in his mind, including watching police drag heavy furniture in front of the main doors to the House floor as the rioters tried to beat them down. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Himes says he spends a lot of time in high-security spaces and before Jan. 6, he had assumed the Capitol was one of them. It was as though you were watching water flow uphill, Himes said. Something that you imagined was impossible is happening right in front of your eyes. Kuster says that one of the most traumatic things for her was not being able to see what was happening outside the chamber. They could only hear the noises of the threat the pounding on the door, the shouting in the hallways. When she made it home two days later, she watched hours of video from the insurrection, including harrowing footage from the police battles outside the building. It only compounded the trauma. I remember my husband coming in, and I was just sobbing, Kuster said. And he was holding me, saying, I dont know if this is the best thing for you to see. But we have to we have to acknowledge the reality of what happened that day. And whats challenging for us is that we are both victims and witnesses to the crime on our country. NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday formally dismissed the federal government's criminal case against two Manhattan jail guards who admitted to falsifying records on the night that financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself during their shifts. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan dismissed claims against Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, after prosecutors said both complied with the six-month deferred prosecution agreements they had agreed to last May. Epstein killed himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Video: Jeffrey Epstein's jail guards avoid prison Noel and Thomas were accused of falling asleep and surfing the internet that night rather than checking on Epstein every 30 minutes, and they acknowledged having falsified records to make it seem they were monitoring Epstein properly. Both cooperated with a federal probe arising from Epstein's death. William Barr, the U.S. attorney general at the time, had been angered that a high-profile inmate like Epstein was able to kill himself while in federal custody. In a statement, Noel's lawyer Jason Foy said the case was "managed differently" by the government because of Epstein's "infamous" status, and said his client cooperated by providing insight into the "toxic culture, subpar training, staffing shortages, and dysfunctional management" of the now-closed jail. Thomas' lawyer said last week that his client was happy the case was being dismissed, and looked forward to putting the matter behind him. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler) Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com). On Jan. 5, 1949, the U.N. passed a resolution recognizing the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the global body. Each year, Kashmiri on both sides of the Line of Control mark this day as the Right to Self-Determination Day. Pakistan strongly condemns the despicable and totally unacceptable harassment and insult of Muslim women on the internet and purpose-built online application in India. In a completely obnoxious and repugnant act, aimed at humiliating, harassing, and insulting Muslim women, their doctored images have been placed on the internet application with outrageous captions for auction. Hate-mongering followers of such applications attacked the dignity of nearly 100 influential Muslim women by bidding on them with deeply offensive remarks. This is the newest low in the violent streak of hate attacks against minorities in India whereby cyberspace with a purpose-built online platform(s) and social media has been used yet again, to demean and harass women, particularly Muslim women, to create a feeling of fear and shame amongst the Muslim community. These horrifying occurrences have left Muslim women traumatized and in deep fear. Under the Hindutva-inspired BJP-RSS combine dispensation in New Delhi, space for minorities particularly Muslims is continuously shrinking in India. It is reprehensible that no action has been taken against the perpetrators of a similar abhorrent act six months ago auctioning dozens of influential Muslim women in India on a social media platform. The deafening silence of the BJP leadership and absence of discernible action against Hindutva proponents openly calling for the genocide of Muslims should send alarm bells across the international community about the gross and systematic human rights violations of minorities particularly Muslims in India. Pakistan reiterates its calls on the international community, particularly the United Nations and relevant international human rights and humanitarian organizations to fulfill their responsibilities to stop the rising xenophobia, Islamophobia, and violent attacks against minorities in India and ensure their safety, security, and well-being. India's occupation of Jammu and Kashmir is illegal, with Delhis brutality intensifying after it scrapped the disputed regions special autonomy on Aug. 5, 2019. Around 900,000 occupation forces have converted the region into the largest prison in the world. Around 8 million people are under siege. It is the largest curfew which has halted the life of 8 million people. Post-Aug. 5, 2019, India has unleashed a new reign of terror in India Occupied Kashmir, locking the region down and abusing the human rights of innocent people especially women, children, and the elderly with impunity. Kashmir is completely blackout and isolated from the rest of the world. Internet and mobile phone services have been suspended. No journalist or foreigner is allowed to travel to Kashmir. Before imposing Curfew on the 5th of August, India has asked all visitors and tourists to leave Kashmir. Kashmiri people on both sides of the line of control are the same people and bonded with blood relations, which was divided by force by Indian troops. Pakistan has a firm commitment to extend moral and political and diplomatic support on humanitarian grounds to just struggle of Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination, which was granted by the United Nation. Indian action on the 5th of August 2019, the suspension of the legal status of Kashmir is against the UNSC resolution, against the spirit of the Simla Agreement, and against any norms of the international community. Kashmir is a recognized disputed territory among China, Pakistan, and India. Unilateral action by India is considered a severe violation of International law. India used all dirty tactics to suppress the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination, including excessive use of force. Around 1 million Indian troops are deployed in Kashmir, but, for the last 73 years, India failed to change the mindset of the Kashmiri people, and could not succeed to suppress their struggle. India must have learned the lesson that the People of Kashmir cannot be suppressed. Sooner or later India has to surrender and leave Kashmir for Kashmiris. The sooner is the better. The people of Kashmir appealed to the international community, particularly the United Nations, to conduct an impartial plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir so that the Kashmiris can decide their future themselves. The APHC also condemned the continued lockdown of the territory by the Indian government. Trust, nations, and individuals with human consciousness may raise their voice in favor of Kashmiris and their suffering may reach an end soon. Immediate lifting of the curfew, withdrawal of one million troops from Kashmir, and stopping the violation of human rights in Kashmir, are the urgent steps to be taken by India. (ASIA PACIFIC DAILY) Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content! This artwork is a continuation of my last painting in my digital art series called Heaven Invades. In the last piece it showed a silhouette in the clouds of a rider of a horse over seeing the drama of the world underneath. This piece is the big reveal of the one that is riding that horse. This piece heaven invades is a response to the hurting world right now on many fronts. I believe that the only only one that can't straighten out the chaos and mess of the world is Jesus. Here in my painting Christ the redeeming figure is charging on the white horse ready to take up battle as he invades earth from the heavenly places and he is one warrior not to be messed with. Inspired by Revelation Chapter 19 and my prayer for Jesus the interventionist God to enter our mess and to take up the fight for us and to bring order, peace and hope to our broken world. Our job is to get on our knees and be in reverent fear of the Lord and to cry out for the victory that only He can bring. Reminder from his word to do exactly as I said Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 As Laurent Lagneau writes in Zone Militaire (opex360), when Russia says it wants the end of NATO's enlargement at its borders, Russia is aiming first at Ukraine and Georgia, two formerly member countries of the USSR, but also to Finland, a country which, as an autonomous Grand Duchy, was under its control between 1809 and 1917 and with which it shares a 1,300 km long border. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish government leader Sanna Marin stated: Let it be said once again: Finland's room for maneuver and freedom of choice includes also the possibility of a military alignment and of requesting the adhesion to NATO, if we decide it ourselves (Picture source: Finnish MoD) During the Cold War, Finland followed a policy of strict neutrality between NATO and the Soviet Union. In 1995, it ended up joining the European Union and started a rapprochement with NATO, without however taking the step of membership, only participating, like Sweden, in the "Partnership for Peace". "[PPP] proposed by it. "Finland's accession without Sweden would create a strategically delicate situation of an outpost without territorial continuity with NATO" while "if Sweden takes the sole decision to join NATO, then Finland would be more exposed and vulnerable than today, explained the authors of this document. However, as Laurent Lagneau recalls, the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 was a game-changer. Both in Sweden and in Finland, the question of finally joining NATO began to be debated. At the same time, these two countries have strengthened their military cooperation, while getting closer to the United States, and even the United Kingdom, as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), created by London. In 2016, a report submitted to the Finnish government estimated that Helsinki's accession to NATO would only be relevant if Stockholm did the same. The debate was relaunched in 2021 by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish government leader Sanna Marin: Let it be said once again: Finland's room for maneuver and freedom of choice includes also the possibility of a military alignment and of requesting the adhesion to NATO, if we decide it ourselves, declared Mr. Niinisto during his speech for the new year 2022, Sanna Marin said exactly the same thing in her 2022 New Years post: Finland retains the possibility of applying for NATO membership. [] We must defend this freedom of choice and ensure that it remains a reality because it is part of the right of each country to decide on its own security policies, she argued, before ensuring that Helsinki will continue "to intensify its European cooperation in the field of security and defense". The remarks came as Russian diplomacy warned Finland and Sweden of "serious consequences" for NATO membership. NATO and Finland relationship NATO and Finland share common values, conduct an open and regular political dialogue and engage in a wide range of practical cooperation. NATO and Finland actively cooperate in peace-support operations, exercise together and exchange analysis and information. An important priority is to ensure interoperable capabilities, maintaining the ability of the Finnish armed forces to work with those of NATO and other partner countries in multinational peace-support operations. Finnish cooperation with NATO is based on its policy of military non-alignment and a firm national political consensus. The cooperation began when Finland joined the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme in 1994 and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (a multilateral forum for dialogue that brings together all Allies and partner countries in the Euro-Atlantic area) in 1997. An Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP), which is jointly agreed upon for a two-year period, lays out the programme of cooperation between Finland and NATO. Notice that Finland is one of NATO's most active partners and has been a valued contributor to NATO-led operations and missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. Finland is one of six countries (known as 'Enhanced Opportunity Partners'1 under the Partnership Interoperability Initiative) that make particularly significant contributions to NATO operations and other Alliance objectives. As such, the country has enhanced opportunities for dialogue and cooperation with the Allies. In the current security context of heightened concerns about Russian military and nonmilitary activities, NATO has stepped up cooperation with partner countries Finland and Sweden, with a particular focus on ensuring security in the Baltic Sea region. This includes regular political dialogue and consultations; exchanges of information on hybrid warfare; coordinating training and exercises; and developing better joint situational awareness to address common threats and develop joint actions, if needed. Both partners participate in the enhanced NATO Response Force (NRF) in a supplementary role and subject to national decisions. Additionally, both partners have signed a memorandum of understanding on Host Nation Support which, subject to a national decision, allows for logistical support to Allied forces located on, or in transit through, their territory during exercises or in a crisis. Finland's cooperation with NATO is mutually beneficial and includes various aspects Building capabilities and interoperability Finland participates in the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP) and the Operational Capabilities Concept, two frameworks that assist the country with planning and evaluating the readiness of its contributions to NATO-led peace-support operations. Finland participates in NATO and PfP exercises and has declared a variety of infantry, engineering, naval, and air units as potentially available for exercises and operations. Finland regularly contributes to European Union (EU) Battlegroups, and is cooperating with other countries to develop a multinational rapid-reaction force for EU-led peace-support operations. Finland participates in two strategic airlift initiatives: the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) programme and the Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS). In 2017, Finland created the Helsinki European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats. The centre is open to participating states and supported by NATO and the EU. Since 2014, under the Partnership Interoperability Initiative, Finland has participated in the Interoperability Platform, which brings Allies together with 24 selected partners that are active contributors to NATO's operations. Finland and NATO signed a Political Framework Arrangement in 2017 for cooperation on cyber defence. The country also participates in the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, NATO cyber defence exercises, and cyber-related 'Smart Defence' projects. In July 2001, NATO formally recognised the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre (FINCENT) as a PfP Training Centre. FINCENT provides training on military crisis management for staff employed by international organisations such as NATO, the United Nations (UN) and the EU. Finland has close ties with other Nordic countries and participates in Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO), a regional defence initiative that promotes collaboration between Nordic armed forces. Support for NATO-led operations and missions Finland first participated in a NATO-led operation in 1996 when it contributed a battalion to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2002, Finnish soldiers worked alongside Allied forces in Afghanistan first as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which completed its mission at the end of 2014, and later as part of the follow-on Resolute Support Mission (RSM) to further train, assist and advise the Afghan security forces and institutions. Finland also contributed over USD 14 million to the Afghan National Army Trust Fund. Finland provides personnel to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR). Finland also participates in NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), NATO's advisory, training and capacity-building mission in Iraq. Wider cooperation between NATO and Finland Finland engages with NATO's Civil Emergency Planning Committee and cooperates with Allies on regional assessments, security of supply, critical infrastructure protection, and in providing mutual support in dealing with the consequences of a major accident or disaster in the Euro-Atlantic area. Finnish civil resources have been listed with NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and Finland has contributed to NATO's pool of preparedness experts. Finland has also provided civil preparedness training to Allies and other partners. Current practical cooperation under the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme focuses on activities pertaining to counter-terrorism, cyber defence, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence, environmental security, and advanced technology. Among them, noteworthy is the participation of Finland in the DEXTER Programme, which is developing an integrated system to detect explosives and firearms in public spaces. Moreover, cyber experts from Finland are training artificial intelligence systems to recognise potential cyber-attacks. Finnish scientists are also involved in the development of low-cost optical sensors for the detection of airborne chemical and biological agents. Finland actively supports the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and since 2008 has developed successive National Action Plans in support of the WPS agenda. Finland is an active supporter of NATO Trust Fund projects in other partner countries and has contributed to nearly a dozen so far, including many that fall under NATO's Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative. Currently, it is supporting the DCB Trust Fund, and projects in Georgia, Jordan, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. According to Murtala Abdullahi in HumanAngleMedia, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed the national budget for the fiscal year 2022, which allocates over N1 trillion for defense operations, procurement and upgrade of capabilities, and infrastructure. The defence sector budget appropriation alongside funding for other security actors in the country was approved as part of the N17.126 trillion Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability signed into law on Dec. 31, 2021 by the President. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link Locally-made Light Patrol Vehicle in the streets of Kaduna during Nigerias governorship and state assembly elections, on March 9, 2019. (Picture source: Twiter account Marko Babic) During the presentation of the proposed budget earlier in October 2021, President Buhari had stated that security would continue to be top priority. The budget 2022, Murtala Abdullahi notices, represents an increase of N735.85 billion as against the initial proposal for a total expenditure of N16.391 trillion. The President also stated that he would revert to the Parliament with a request for amendment and/or virement as soon as they resume. The defence budget comprised expenditures of the various institutions including the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Headquarters, Army, Air Force, and Navy, in addition to other organisations such as Defence Intelligence, College, Missions and Industries. Auxiliary budgets are often used by the government to purchase military equipment and to improve or fill capability gaps. The Ministry of Defence section included funding for rehabilitation of barracks, purchase of defence equipment and motor vehicles, and the ongoing assessment of APCs, equipment and facilities in the Nigerian Army, while the Defence Headquarters devoted funding for the procurement of military equipment, utility vehicles, kits, arms and ammunition. Nigeria already produces several local armored vehicles, such as the Igirigi manufactured by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) (Picture source: naptu2) The Army Headquarters had generic lines mentioning construction projects, procurement of defense and security equipment. The Navy assigned funds for projects such as the completion of helicopter hangars, construction of jetties, and establishment of Special Operations Command for Special Operations Forces, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and diving unit. Other projects included the procurement of SDB, Landing Ship Tank, utility vehicles, troop carriers, fast patrol boats, and rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs). The Air Force is making a balance payment for the periodic depot maintenance of three L-39ZA aircraft. Over the years, the service has invested in maintenance and overhaul of the aircraft which are used for pilot training as well as reconnaissance and ground attack missions. As underlined by Murtala Abdullahi, funding is also assigned for aircraft arms and ammunition, and balance payment for periodic depot maintenance of C-130H (NAF 918) transport aircraft, in addition to balance payment for procurement of two AW109 Trekker helicopters to replace the order for one AW139 helicopter and three JF-7 thunder aircraft. Its unclear if the JF-17 deal is for a new batch or part of an existing deal that has appeared in recent budgets. In May, the Air Force inducted three JF-17 Thunder multiple fighter jets, jointly manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. Part payment was designated for reactivation of two AS332 Super Puma helicopters, maintenance and upgrade of three MiI helicopters and purchase of two KingAir 360, spares and support equipment which will serve as likely attrition replacement for the two Beechcraft KingAir B350i lost in February and May 2021, Murtala Abdullahi concludes. The World Bank reckons that its share of the gross domestic product dropped from 43 per cent in 1967 to 16 per cent in 2019 Once the scene of tumultuous protests and massive rallies, the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana was deserted at the years end. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha firebrands who had roared defiance at the government were nowhere to be seen. Few remembered the 35-year-old farm worker whose hand was chopped off and his body was strung up on a barricade allegedly for desecrating the Sikh scriptures. The traffic to Jaipur flowed smoothly again. Even the police had left. With elections looming ahead in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi bought peace by dropping the three controversial agricultural reform laws against which lakhs of farmers had rampaged for 15 months because they were thought to benefit influential corporations at the expense of the cultivators. The dusty emptiness they left behind recalled the hollow men whose world ends not with a bang but a whimper. Over it hung a tantalising question mark. Why did Mr Modi, of the massive 56-inch chest (as Union home minister Amit Shah again reminded listeners), not spurn his challengers? Could this first instance of the Prime Minister caving in to pressure mean that a new economic chapter will unfold in the new year? The prospect bears consideration. Some of last years other images brought little comfort. Five former chiefs of staff of the armed forces and over a hundred prominent citizens reminded President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi of the saffron-draped savants baying for the blood of more than 200 million Muslims. They also warned of a large number of persons [who] gathered in Delhi and publicly took an oath resolving to make India a Hindu nation, by fighting and killing if necessary, and that more such seditious meetings are being organised in other places. Resplendent in red and gold, his forehead massively smeared with vermillion, Kalicharan Maharaj, a Hindu preacher, was arrested for allegedly insulting Mahatma Gandhi. Smoke billowing from rows of blazing pyres that consumed the bodies of countless Covid-19 victims will darken the communal Armageddon that is the nightmare of the future. How many corpses were burned or dumped in rivers we shall never know. How many more will die remains unclear as the Omicron variant threatens a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, defying a New Years Eve stirring of hope from South Africa. Safety precautions like social distancing and masks were for the janata, not netas, as Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut pointed out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells people to wear masks, but he himself doesnt wear one I follow the Prime Minister and do not wear a mask, and people dont wear masks. It was tit for tat for West Bengals chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who refused to cancel the Ganga Sagar mela, snapping at journalists: Why are you interested in only the Ganga Sagar Mela, ask [about] Kumbh Mela! The globalisation of politics and personalisation of global developments ensured that attention didnt stray too far or for too long from the gripping drama at home. American President Joe Bidens withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan plunged that unhappy land into even worse turmoil, but Pakistan and Kashmir almost reduced the Taliban into another Indian domestic terrorist gang. As for Mr Bidens audacious bid to induct Australia into nuclear deterrence, it enraged France (which felt cheated out of a $65.7 billion deal), incensed China, and prompted Indonesia, Malaysia and even India to wonder whether a whites-only defensive core would dominate what former President Donald Trump called the Indo-Pacific. Given his own megalomania, Mr Trump catered better to visiting egos as the 2019 Howdy Modi spectacular in Houston demonstrated. Mr Bidens handsome amends by making the Prime Minister one of 12 stellar speakers at his Summit for Democracy in December prompted NDTVs researchers to report a massive surge in prosecutions against the National Democratic Alliance governments political rivals, civil rights workers and even legal and bureaucratic critics. Some 570 cases were launched against them in contrast to the 85 by Dr Manmohan Singhs United Progressive Alliance government. The UPAs first seven years recorded an annual growth rate of 8.4 per cent; it was only 4.8 per cent during the NDAs first seven years. But India reported the third highest number of billionaires worldwide, whose combined wealth of $596 billion was nearly double last years $313 billion. The 100 richest Indians have never been richer with infrastructure tycoon Gautam Adani, who nearly tripled his fortune to $74.8 billion, in the second position for the third year running, and reportedly narrowing the gap with Reliance Industries fellow-Gujarati chairman Mukesh Ambani, whose $92.7 billion fortune makes him leader of the pack. Farmers who burned the effigies of the two tycoons as well as of Mr Modi fear that the new laws will somehow enable Mr Adani and Mr Ambani to muscle into agricultural marketing. Although there was little evidence to support their suspicions, Reliances telecom towers were vandalised, and hashtags like #BoycottReliance, #BoycottJio, and #BoycottAdani circulated on Twitter, alongside hashtags backing the farmers and demanding official support for guaranteed minimum prices that ensure a base level of profit for cultivators. The Economist warned that most alarmingly, in India some of the rich have become super-rich by using their heft to crush smaller competitors and thus corner multiple chunks of the economy. The tilt in fortunes has rewarded not so much technical innovation or productivity growth or the opening of new markets as the wielding of political influence and privileged access to capital to capture and protect existing markets. The real problem is that the Atma Nirbhar Bharat, of which Mr Modi boasts and which resembles Jawaharlal Nehrus import substitution but with a special role for big business, has failed to boost manufacturing. Slogans like Make in India and Make for the World have not improved capability or changed consumer preference. What Arvind Subramanian, Mr Modis former chief economic adviser, calls new welfarism is largely a populist distributive strategy to entice voters. Agricultures role has been shrinking for decades. The World Bank reckons that its share of the gross domestic product dropped from 43 per cent in 1967 to 16 per cent in 2019, while seeds, fertilisers and other essential inputs all cost more. Some 60 per cent of Indians who still depend financially on farming struggle with debt, bankruptcy and endemic suicide. They may present the government with its biggest challenge after Covid-19 and the dangerous surge in aggressive religiosity in the new year. The silence at the Singhu border indicates a truce, not peace. The probe team has already completed its investigation into the crash of the Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopter, they said The Court of Inquiry into the crash was headed by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. (Photo:AFP) New Delhi: The Indian Air Force on Wednesday apprised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the findings of the tri-services investigation into the December 8 chopper crash that killed CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and 13 others, people familiar with the development said. The probe team has already completed its investigation into the crash of the Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopter, they said. Earlier, sources suggested that the crash was not a result of any technical error in the helicopter of the Indian Air Force. However, there is no official confirmation on it. The Court of Inquiry into the crash was headed by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. Gen Rawat's wife Madhulika, his defence advisor Brigadier LS Lidder, staff officer to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Col Harjinder Singh and decorated pilot Group Captain Varun Singh were among 13 others killed in the crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. It is learnt that the probe team examined all likely scenarios for the crash, including possible human error or whether it was a case of disorientation of crew when the helicopter was preparing for landing. Air Marshal Singh, currently heading the Bengaluru-headquartered Training Command of the IAF, is known to be one of the best air crash investigators in the country. Before taking the reins of the Training Command, the Air Marshal was the Director General (Inspection and Safety) at the Air headquarters and developed various protocols for flight safety while serving in the post. The latest provocation from China had emerged after it came up with its own names for over a dozen places in Arunachal Pradesh Indian Army soldiers pose for a photograph with the national flag on the occasion of New Year 2022, at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. China released a video of their troops with their flag at the Galwan Valley, on Saturday. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: Countering the Chinese militarys propaganda, the Indian security establishment on Tuesday released photographs showing Indian troops holding the tricolour in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh at the dawn of the New Year. This follows Chinese state-affiliated accounts three days ago posting on the social media videos of PLA soldiers allegedly unfurling the Chinese flag on New Year in what it claimed was the Galwan Valley. The video part of the Chinese psy-ops tried to demonstrate that PLA soldiers still occupied the point where the deadly clash between the two sides took place in June 2020 in the Galwan Valley. However, sources had said the video was taken on the Chinese side of the LAC, not in the demilitarised zone in the Galwan Valley created following the June 15, 2020 clashes. In one of the photos, released by the Indian security establishment on Tuesday, around 30 Indian soldiers were seen with the national flag. Another photo showed the group, with four of them holding the flag, and another tricolour flying high on a flagpole near a temporary observation post. In both the photographs, the Indian soldiers are seen with their newly-acquired US-made Sig Sauer advanced assault rifles. The Chinese propaganda video had also become a political issue after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had raised it. Only the Indian tricolour looks good in Galwan. India must give a fitting reply to China. Modiji, break your silence, Mr Gandhi had tweeted. The latest provocation from China had emerged after it came up with its own names for over a dozen places in Arunachal Pradesh. The 13th round of the India-China corps commander-level military talks in October had ended in a stalemate, with the Indian Army saying the constructive suggestions made by it were not agreeable to the Chinese side. In their virtual diplomatic talks on November 18, India and China agreed to hold the 14th round of military talks at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. However, the Chinese side is yet to respond or agree on a date for the next round of military talks. There is no let-up in Chinese activity at the LAC. They are continuously upgrading their infrastructure at the LAC and placing a large number of troops and heavy weapons on the front line with India. The SEC has asked the Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer to submit its revised protocol for trials The COVID-19 booster intranasal vaccine will be given to those who have taken both the doses of Covaxin and Covishield. (Photo: PTI/Representational) New Delhi: The Subject Experts Committee (SEC) of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Wednesday granted approval to Bharat Biotech for conducting intranasal phase 3 trials and heterologous trials for COVID-19 booster intranasal vaccine for those who have taken both the doses of Covaxin and Covishield. The SEC has asked the Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer to submit its revised protocol for trials. "After detailed deliberation, the SEC 'in principle' agreed for the conduct of both phase 3 superiority study and phase 3 booster dose study in parallel in the light of the pandemic situation. Accordingly, Bharat Biotech has been asked to submit the protocol(s) as recommended for approval," reads the SEC minutes of the meeting. The vaccine manufacturer plans to conduct clinical trials on 5,000 healthy individuals, 50 per cent of whom have received Covishield and the other 50 per cent have been inoculated with Covaxin. The report submitted by Bharat Biotech also recommended inoculating the COVID-19 Booster dose after 6 months of getting both the primary doses. The company had applied for permission sometime around mid-December to conduct clinical trials for its intranasal booster dose vaccine. Charges include genocide, torture, rape and crimes against humanity. The action follows inaction by international bodies. Turkish citizens are among the Uyghurs imprisoned in China. The initiative will have little practical effect, but it creates a political problem for Erdogan. Beijing (AsiaNews) A group of 19 Uyghurs living in Turkey have filed a criminal complaint against Chinese officials for genocide, torture, rape and crimes against humanity. The Chinese government is accused by many parties of atrocities against Turkic-speaking Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and other provinces of China. The petition, which was presented to a Turkish prosecutor, concerns the fate of 116 Uyghurs, including Turkish citizens, who, according to the applicants, are held in Chinese prisons. It demands that 112 Chinese nationals be put on trial, including Chinese Communist Party officials, directors and officers in charge of prison camps. Lawyer Gulden Sonmez said the move was necessary because international bodies have failed to act so far, Reuters reports. According to the United Nations, several humanitarian organisations and world media, since 2017 Chinese authorities have imprisoned about 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz in Xinjiang concentration camps. The claims are based on official Chinese documents and direct testimony from former inmates and prison guards. They cite a range of human rights violations, such as torture and other inhuman treatment, forced sterilisation, rape and forced separation of minors. China has rejected the accusations, claiming that the camps in Xinjiang are vocational centres, part of a programme to reduce poverty and fight terrorism and separatism. Although Turkish law recognises universal jurisdiction, the complaint brought by the group of Uyghur exiles will have no practical effect, as China will refuse to cooperate. But it could have political repercussions for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. About 50,000 Uyghurs live in Turkey. The Turkish government has been accused of deporting Uyghur refugees to China in exchange for financial aid from Beijing, which Erdogan denies. Due to his ambiguous policy vis-a-vis Uyghurs in China, the Turkish leader is often under attack from the opposition. In October however, Turkey together with 42 other countries signed a statement to the United Nations condemning China for its actions in Xinjiang. This is the first time that the Turkey has supported such a declaration. by Fady Noun A symposium on "John Paul II and Lebanon on 2-3 February provides the Holy Sees top diplomat with a venue to organise the trip, which could take place between the countrys legislative and presidential elections in May and October respectively, if stability and security are ensured. Now it's up to the Lebanese, a source said. Beirut (AsiaNews) Cardinal Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States, will travel to Lebanon in early February to prepare a papal visit, this according to various sources. Card Gallagher will be at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), north of Beirut, where he will inaugurate a symposium on the topic John Paul II and Lebanon on 2-3 February 2022. The university is part of the Lebanese Maronite Order. The Vatican diplomat will discuss with the country's top officials the possibility of a pastoral visit to Lebanon by Pope Francis in 2022, a country in crisis that the Supreme Pontiff has repeatedly said he wants to visit. During his 26 years of reign (1978-2005), the "great pope" John Paul II described Lebanon as more than a country, a message of pluralism and tolerance for East and West", in an appeal made to the bishops of the whole world on 7 September 1989. Overused and faded, the slogan Lebanon as a message has lost its depth and impact. To regain its power, the Vatican, the Lebanese Ambassador to the Holy See Farid el-Khazen and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik are jointly organising a symposium centred on John Paul II and Lebanon on 2-3 February at USEK campus with Card Paul Gallagher as the guest of honour. The idea for the symposium dates back to 2020, Ambassador Farid el-Khazen said. The initial purpose was to mark the 25th anniversary of the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops consecrated to Lebanon (1995) and John Paul II's visit to Lebanon in May 1997 to hand over the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation to the local Church. The commemoration was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but, barring any surprises, the symposium will take place next month. As for a possible papal visit to Lebanon, a reliable source suggests that if it is to take place, it will be between Lebanons two elections scheduled for this year, i.e., the parliamentary election in May and the presidential election in October, if the conditions for political and security stability are met that is. Now it's up to the Lebanese, the source added. The symposium itself will start with a look at the past, followed by sessions devoted to Islamic-Christian relations, living together, education, culture and freedoms, ending with the document on human fraternity in Abu Dhabi (2019) and Lebanons historical vocation. The meeting will be held on the sidelines of any political news, in particular the proposal by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi for Lebanese neutrality. For Lebanons ambassador to the Holy See, the spirit rather than the letter of "living together" will be at the heart of the symposium, where living together relies on the notions of civic equality and cultural community, as Card Jean-Marie Lustiger, then archbishop of Paris, defined it. John Paul II sent Card Lustiger to Lebanon in April 2000. "But it's not just about words," the diplomat said. While admitting that without an effort from the international community in the current geopolitical context, Lebanon cannot regain its free decision, he believes that the Lebanese must still "carry out their own duties at home. They must remember that during his visit to Lebanon, John Paul II said: "Lebanese, you ask me for miracles; it is up to you to perform them. The importance given by John Paul II to the Lebanese model has not changed, despite the important developments since the 1990s, the ambassador stressed. Pope Francis has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, visiting the Holy Land, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and, lastly, Iraq last year, before the ecumenical day of prayer on 1 July 2021 at the Vatican, to which the heads of the Eastern Churches were invited. Echoing the three key words of John Paul II's formula, message, tolerance and pluralism, Pope Francis ended the meeting saying that Lebanon was a universal message of peace and fraternity arising from the Middle East whose vocation is to be a land of tolerance and pluralism, an oasis of fraternity where different religions and confessions meet, where different communities live together, putting the common good before their individual interests. This a toll order for a country in crisis, seeking constantly how to turn its rich and complex identity into viable institutions. by Thanh Tao About 2,000 Vietnamese children suffered violence in the past two years, usually by family members or acquaintances. For experts, accepting violence as an educational tool is wrong. Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - Violence against minors has increased with the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. In the past two years, about 2,000 children have suffered psychological abuse; and in 97 per cent of the cases, the perpetrators were relatives or acquaintances of the victims. Presently, more than 10 million Vietnamese children are not in school, forced to follow distance learning. This puts some of them at risk of dying if stay home; like an eight-year-old girl who was recently beaten by her father's partner and died in hospital from her injuries. After divorcing his wife, Mr Thai went to live with Ms Trang in a luxury apartment in Ho Chi Minh City's Binh Thanh district. The latter admitted to whipping the little girl for making mistakes in her homework. In another case, the uncle of a little girl who is in fifth grade saw her drunk father beat her for no reason. "Last week, when my niece was doing her homework, suddenly her father appeared and punched her in the face," said the man who lives in Thanh Hoa province. My niece was very scared. I managed to intervene in time, but the father beats his daughter regularly even when he is not drunk. According to the Research Institute for Sustainable Development many still believe that parents have the right to educate their children by punishing and spanking them. Violence against minors causes psychological trauma and negatively affects childrens development. The problem, according to experts, lies in the normalisation of cruelty towards children, which raises the risk of greater violence in families and society. War, in its essence, has never been good. No doubt, it is an absolute necessity in many cases- to procure the liberty of nations, contain evil, preserve lives, and protect the weak. However, war has always involved damages, casualties, and suffering. War brings out the worst of humanity. It never has good endings for those who get involved. The long and dreadful war in Afghanistan has brought suffering and destruction to the people of Afghanistan and failed to achieve peace. In short, war is evil. Yet, in 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul writes, Fight the good fight of faith. There is only one good fight, and it is the Christian warfare. It is the fight of the soul. Here are three reasons why the Christian warfare is good. 1. We fight the enemies within and without It is good to fight because if we dont, the enemies will destroy us. We are fighting on two fronts: the outer front and the inner front. On the inner front, we are battling against our flesh. In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter writes, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Peter personifies the passions of the flesh as an army of rebels or guerrillas who search out and try to destroy our joy and usefulness. Therefore, as a soldier of the army of the gospel, we must abstain from the desires of the flesh to impact the world with the word of God. John Owen writes, Be killing sin, or it will be killing you. We fight not only the battle within but also the battle outside of us or the outer front. It is the battle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12). This enemy is cunning and crafty. It has its schemes to deceive us (Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11). It prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8). Therefore, we must fight. 2. We fight with the best weapon It is a good fight because we fight with the best weapons. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds (2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4). We have the armor of God that can enable us to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians chapter 6 verse 13). We have the sword of truth, which is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus used the word of God as the weapon against the temptation of Satan, and He succeeded (Matthew chapter 4). Millions of sinners like you and me have used spiritual weapons, and they have never failed. Therefore, let us operate the best weapons that God gives us against the lies and schemes of the devils. 3. We fight the war in which victory is assured We fight under the command of our Captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will lead us to the final victory, and the Chief Shepherd (First Peter chapter 5 verse 4). Let me remind you of the words of Martin Luther in A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Did we in our own strength confide, Our Striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of Gods choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth is His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle. No doubt, the battle is going to be raging, painful, and costly. There will be wounds, bruises, and struggles. However, Jesus shall win the battle for us, and we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8 verse 37). What should motivate us in this fight is the promise of final victory. God will make His enemies a footstool (Psalm 110 verse 1). He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians chapter 1 verse 6). Nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus said, Of those whom You gave me, I have lost none (John 18:9). No soldiers of Christ shall be lost or left dead on the battlefield. Therefore, we can be confident that this fight is good for those who participate in it. Brothers and sisters, we are fighting an irreconcilable war, but it is a war where victory is assured. Press on. Note: The article is inspired by The Fight in Holiness by J.C. Ryle. Today's headlines: China plans 40 space missions this year. Covid canels Philippine "Black Nazzareno" parade. US coalition attacks in Syria. Fake app selling Muslim women uncovered in India. Kazakhstan declares a state of emergency. The water crisis in Crimea continues. NORTH KOREA Kim Jong-un's regime has launched an unidentified missile into the Sea of Japan, report South Korean and Japanese authorities. It is believed to be a ballistic missile. UN resolutions prohibit the North Koreans from conducting missile and nuclear tests. This morning's is the first launch in 2022. CHINA In an apparent challenge to the United States, Beijing plans 40 space missions this year. The first goal of the program is to complete the Tiangong orbital station. The Chinese also aim to conclude a five-year cooperation agreement with Russia. PHILIPPINES Due to an increase in Covid-19 infections, the Philippine government has canceled the "Black Nazzareno" procession for the second year in a row. The religious festival that attracts millions of Catholic worshippers, is held on Jan. 9. In the past two weeks, cases of infection in the country have risen from 200 to 5,400 a day. SYRIA The U.S.-led coalition struck a series of missile positions in eastern Syria. Washington did not specify whether these were missile launchers of the Syrian government or its allied Iranian militias. The U.S. explained that the operation was intended to prevent an attack on its units east of the Euphrates River. INDIA Indian police arrested an 18-year-old woman responsible for a web app by which she offered fake sales of Muslim women. The app, called Bulli Bai, featured photos of 100 people who were actually well-known activists and journalists of the Islamic faith. This is the second arrest made so far in this case. KAZAKHSTAN Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev this morning declared a two-week state of emergency to contain protests that have broken out in various parts of the country. The population has revolted over the increase in fuel prices decided by the government. As a result of the riots, the executive resigned en bloc. RUSSIA-UKRAINE A geologist has revealed the dramatic situation of the Suuk-Su River, the longest in Crimea, which despite December rains is almost completely dry. The peninsula has suffered from water shortages since Russian annexation in 2014, and its other rivers are also no longer able to feed themselves due to the closure of Ukrainian water sources. The 400 block of East Hyman Avenue in 2019, when Annettes Mountain Bake Shoppe occupied the commercial space at the 420 address. On Tuesday, the Aspen Planning & Zoning Commission voted 3-2 to allow Banana Republic, which is interested in taking over the space, to combine two separate spaces in the building via a land-use variance. Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder Janice Vos Caudill stands in front of the county administration building on Tuesday afternoon. Hours earlier, she told county commissioners she will retire in three months. Last elected in November 2018, the longtime elected official has one year remaining in her fourth four-year term. It can be quite depressing to hear all that is happening around the world against Christians, even though we know that God is good and is all-powerful. I think its important to know that there are groups whose whole raison detre is to do all they can to support these people and to bring to the worlds attention what is happening to them. Here are some brief snapshots of some of these groups. Open Doors was started by Brother Andrew of Bible-smuggling fame. The non-denominational ministry is based in Ermelo, The Netherlands, and continues to provide Bibles and other Christian literature to Eastern Europe, Russia, China and other countries. Its aims are to raise awareness of persecution around the world and mobilize support for the persecuted church. Worldwide, the ministry has trained more than 3.8 million persecuted Christians through leadership and discipleship courses, trauma care training and persecution survival seminars, as well as providing emergency relief, community development, education and medical care. Open Doors hold an International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church as well as continual prayer for the needs in the world. Our prayers can go where we cannot says Brother Andrew. Advocacy on behalf of the persecuted is another aspect of this ministry, having access from the White House to the UK Parliament, from the EU to the UN. Open Doors also compiles a World Watch List of the countries where it is most dangerous to follow Jesus. Each country on the list has a link that describes specifically what the issues are in that country and the severity of the persecution. It is sobering reading for those of us in our comfortable affluence. Their introductory statement: Not Alone. Not Forgotten. Not Ever. More than 340 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Thats 1 in 8 worldwide, 1 in 6 in Africa, 2 out of 5 in Asia, and 1 in 12 in Latin America. We stand with them. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Romanian pastors Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM serves persecuted Christians with practical and spiritual assistance and leads Christians in the free world into fellowship with persecuted believers. The concept for the ministry arose out ofRichards own experience ofimprisonment for 14 years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ. It is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfil His Great Commission. Each mission in different countries is autonomous with its own focus and management, although there is cooperation through the International Christian Association. VOM International works in 68 Countries. In 2020 VOM Australia provided Bibles and Life Packs in Pakistan, Iran, China, Philippines, India, Myanmar, Egypt, North Korea, Brunei and Malaysia. There is also a weekly radio program with news, interviews and updates on our Christian brothers and sisters in restricted nations. This ministry is inspired by Hebrews Chapter 13, verse 3, Remember the prisoners as if chained with them those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body also. Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) is an advocacy group whose mission statement is Alerting governments to the suffering of persecuted Christians, defending the freedom to practise and proclaim the Christian faith. The mission statement encompasses raising awareness of persecution in different government and human rights forums, accurate and courageous commentary on world events and calling for prayer. Through advocacy, aid and prayer the ministry aims to alleviate the suffering of those who are persecuted by oppressive governments and individuals because of their faith in Christ. They have assisted Christians as culturally diverse as the Christians of the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, the Coptic Christians of Egypt, the Karen tribes of Burma, the Christians of Pakistan, India and Africa, the Underground Churches of China and the Middle East. CFF publishes up to date information about persecution around the world, specifically in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin is compiled by Elizabeth Kendall, who has served as CFF Director of Advocacy since January 2013. Morning Star News First Light Before the Dawn Morning Star News is an independent news service focusing exclusively on the persecution of Christians around the world. Founded by former Compass Direct News editor Jeff M. Sellers on Sept. 30, 2012, the news services mission is to provide complete, reliable, even-handed news in order to empower those in the free world to help persecuted Christians, and to encourage persecuted Christians by informing them that they are not alone in their suffering. Bitter Winter Bitter Winter was launched in May 2018 as an online magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China published by CESNUR, the Center for Studies on New Religions, headquartered in Torino, Italy. Massimo Introvigne is the editor-in-chief. Scholars, journalists, and human rights activists from different countries started working together to give voice for the voiceless by publishing news, documents, and testimonies about persecutions against all religions in China. Bitter Winter is independent of any religious or political organization and is mostly the fruit of volunteer work. It has a network of correspondents in all Chinese provinces, who supply information at the risk of their own lives. From December 1, 2020, Bitter Winter added an international section covering religious liberty worldwide. We continuously expand our coverage to new countries and new issues. Praise and prayer Praise God that there are people who seek to see justice done in the world and who are willing to stand with and support persecuted Christians. We need to pray for these groups, that they may remain faithful to their calling and continue to bring us information to fuel our prayers. While some Hot Wheels collectors are already opening up the newest 2022 cases, for most people, the 2021 collection is still an interesting topic. According to your current location, there might still be stores that haven't sold all of their 2021 stock. And that means that you still have a chance to find the rarest of the mainline models that were released last year. This story can aid you in your quest to identify those particular cars.A total of 15 Treasure Hunt models were available throughout 2021. If you're curious to know how rare a Treasure Hunt model is, that's a bit difficult to answer. You'll see various numbers provided by different people, but one thing is for sure: throughout 2021, I've only managed to find a single Treasure Hunt car. I've seen some people finding as many as 3 to 5 of these vehicles. Sure, some of the hardcore collectors have them all lined up.But that's rarely the case if you don't go out shopping at least twice a week through every single store that sells Hot Wheels in your area. The Super Treasure Hunt cars are rarer and more valuable as a consequence, but hey, either option is pretty good. If you need one easy tip on finding these vehicles, just look for the "circle flame" symbol. The first TH model of 2021 was the Baja Bone Shaker, a car that has "Treasure Haunt" written on the sides.The Bone Shaker is always a classic, albeit not to everyone's taste. Next up, a cast I've never really liked or understood. Who wants to have a hotdog on wheels anyway? A friend of mine gifted me a regular version a few years ago, but I always keep it away from sight. I've never met someone who has a passion for the Street Wiener, but hey, to each his own.The Custom '77 Dodge Van was a nice addition to the line-up, and this diecast goes as far back as 2008. The Motosaurus is up next, and it feels strange to see a TH inspired by a Stegosaurus joining this list. But this probably works well for kids that haven't yet celebrated their 10th birthday. The Skull Shaker isn't all that bad, and the bubblehead skull reminds me of Dick Dastardly for some reason.Mattel included a motorcycle on the TH list, but the Tred Shredder is somehow less than memorable. Creating 1/64 scale motorcycles doesn't feel like the way to go, but this might still have an audience. The Deora II is the only TH I came across in 2021. I feel sorry I decided to let it go, especially considering the history behind this particular model.Number 8 on the list is a Ford Mustang Funny car, and this is a diecast any quarter-mile (402 meters) enthusiast can get behind. This is, without doubt, one of the coolest cars on the list. At least it feels more exciting than the Chrysler Pacifica. But then again, that cast was introduced in 2019. And that makes it slightly more special than the Funny Car.At one point, I think I saw over 10 people bragging about finding the TH 1991 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The 1/64 scale car is as popular as its real-life counterpart, and this one is even more so. We're nearing the end of the 2021 TH list, and the "Asteroid Interceptor" Ollie Rocket is not something collectors would go crazy about. Still, if you insist on getting every single vehicle Mattel launches each year, then go ahead.Just be sure you have the extra space needed to hoard them all. If you aren't paying attention, you might even overlook the 1978 Dodge Red Express Truck and perhaps even the Justice League Batmobile. But the one car you are bound to love at first sight is the 1965 Ford Galaxie, with 21 written on the sides.These can sell for as much as $20, depending on the seller. The Lamborghini Countach Police Car is the last vehicle on the list, and although it isn't Mattel's coolest looking Lambo, it's still nice to have one sitting on the shelf. Oh, and if you're keen on getting all these vehicles at the same time, you might want to check out the eBay auctions Were still hours away from BMWs presentation at CES but we already have the first videos of the promised color-changing paint that the German carmaker promised earlier. It looks like this is indeed able to change the cars color at the touch of a button, but we dont quite comprehend this technologys utility, beyond playing pranks on police officers. 7 photos BEV SUV kW As part of the Stellantis group, which includes other European brands, Chrysler had access to new researches and technologies from its partners. So even though Peugeot and Fiat already had a few battery-electric vehicles on the market, the American brand didn't rush to take a platform and put a Chrysler badge on it. But now, at 2022 CES, it unveiled the Airflow concept and its intentions to bring a productionon the market by 2025.The Airflow nameplate was used for the first time in 1934 on an aerodynamical vehicle with unibody construction. It was so revolutionary that the customers were reluctant to it. This time, Chrysler took a careful approach and used the nameplate on anthat promises a 350-400 miles (563 643 km) range. For the drivetrain, Chrysler prepared two electric 150(201 hp) motors for each axle. The level 3 autonomous driving system is present as well.Like its 1934 predecessor, it counts on an aerodynamic shape but with an electric powertrain. Chris Feuell, Chrysler brand CEO - Stellantis, says, "The Chrysler Airflow Concept represents the future direction of the Chrysler brand, providing a peek at the dynamic design, advanced technologies and seamless connectivity that will characterize the full-electric portfolio we plan to reach by 2028."Inside, the users will have access to three screens: one in front of the driver in the instrument cluster, a main infotainment touch-screen atop the center console, and a third one placed in front of the front passenger. The Airflow features a panoramic glass roof to make any trip more pleasant. And don't mind about the leather-wrapped seats since they are vegetable-based, just like the floor mats.Even though the production version won't be here before 2025, according to Chrysler, the Airflow offers a promising look for the American brand's first BEV. This goal is up to each government, but at least two European countries have already officially announced their intention to make domestic flights fossil fuel free within the decade. The most recent one to proclaim this ambitious plan is Denmark.In her New Years address , Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed that Denmark wants to cut overall carbon emissions by 70%, compared to the levels in 1990, and to achieve this by 2030.An important part of that will be to make flying green, specifically by making sure that all domestic flights become fossil fuel free. The Prime Minister also addressed the fact that it wont be an easy goal to accomplish, because technology solutions arent yet widely available.However, this European nation wants to play a leading role in promoting green aviation. When other countries in the world are too slow, then Denmark must take the lead and raise the bar even more," stated Frederiksen, quoted by BBC. Swedens government also announced a similar target, and one of the measures it will implement has to do with taxes just like fossil fuel cars, high-polluting airplanes will have to cover higher airport fees. France, on the other hand, has a different approach and announced it would ban domestic flights for journeys that can be done by train, in less than two-and-a-half hours.Denmarks Prime Minister also acknowledged the fact that researchers and industry partners are working on developing the solutions required for green aviation. Airbus and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are two major players that have joined forces to study hydrogen-powered aircraft, considered one of the best long-term solutions for decarbonizing flights. kWh The PnD modular platform combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware, with everything neatly packaged together. The steering wheel unit can turn 360 degrees thanks to an actuator that allows for infinite wheel rotation. In turn, this enables something called holonomic movement, - think figure skaters. Meanwhile, LiDAR and camera sensors allow the platform to move around autonomously.The PnD Module is adaptive and expandable to match human needs. Because in the world to come, you wont move your things they will move around you, said Dong Jin Hyun, VP and head of Robotics at Hyundai. PnD makes normally inanimate objects mobile. Its this ability that makes changing practically any space possible. Its a way to configure spaces on demand.According to Hyun, the module can be especially useful in office sharing, which is now a billion-dollar industry. The PnD could allow entire companies to modify and use workspace on demand. The platforms flexibility can also individualize public transportation . For example, a personal mobility module could attach to a mother shuttle for most of its journey, before detaching for the last mile in order to take an occupant to their destination.At CES, Hyundai exhibited a total of four application concept models using a PnD platform, including Personal Mobility, Service Mobility, Logistics Mobility and L7. The first one is a platform-based application fitted with four 5.5-inch PnD modules. It is configured to use space efficiently by applying a rotary opening and closing method.Meanwhile, the Service Mobility and Logistic Mobility concepts use the same platform but with a storage space that opens and closes like a drawer. The former could be used for transporting luggage in hotels, while the latter could move goods from warehouses.As for the L7 concept, it features a 12-inch enlarged PnD module, where the seat rotates so that the passengers can get off easily. It can also be operated freely with a joystick.Another novelty presented by Hyundai at this years Consumer Electronics Show is the MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid) small mobility platform, which can be used for service robots that can operate both indoors and outdoors. It packs a 2-battery and can reach a maximum speed of 30 kph (18.6 mph).The MobED and the PnD module were both exhibited alongside Boston Dynamics Spot and Atlas robots. Cars got a lot smarter in the past years and this means they are more aware of their surroundings than their drivers are. This is troublesome for a lot of people, but with all the texting and the big screens in the cars, distraction has become a problem and a major factor in accident statistics. First-line responders are especially at risk, as the number of accidents involving emergency vehicles is on the rise. Sadly, 63 emergency responders were killed last year in these types of crashes in the U.S., according to the Emergency Responder Safety Institute.To prevent these accidents from happening, Stellantis has implemented a feature that displays a warning message in the car dashboard when an emergency vehicle is approaching or the car drives towards one. The Emergency Vehicle Alert System (EVAS) will initially be available in North America to more than 4 million drivers of Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, and Dodge vehicles. Stellantis could roll it out across the 14 brands the automaker sells around the world, but the new system needs support from the emergency services, so it will be on a country-by-country basis.In North America, EVAS will be implemented with the help of the HAAS Alert, which works with more than 1,000 emergency responder fleets in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The system knows the location of the first responder, and it knows where our vehicle is, explains Mamatha Chamarthi, Stellantis head of software business and product management. Alerts are geofenced, so they only get to the drivers close to emergency vehicles and not to those on the opposite-direction side of divided highways.The system was announced as a limited trial in September alongside another vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications system. Now, Stellantis thinks the system is prime-time ready. The Company will officially announce the new system during CES in the next days followed by the large-scale deployment by the end of the month.To us, it sounds a lot like the one implemented in Michigan in cooperation with Waze two years ago . The Waze integration is better in our opinion, as it allows to warn drivers of all car makes and models, no matter how old the car is. HP Jeremiah Burton of Donut media looks at Harley-Davidson's new engine, the Revolution Max , and explains why it might have saved the conservative motorcycle company.Harley-Davidson has been around for quite some time, and because of this, they have accumulated generations of followers. Their motorcycles have a distinct old-style design, unique exhaust notes, and heavy engines.In 2022, moto-companies are moving from heavy, unreliable engines to efficient, reliable, silent ones, which have almost never been part of Harley-Davidson's resume.Having 118-years under your belt in a competitive market gives you an edge - survival. And Harley-Davidson has mastered this art. The Revolution Max engine comes packed with the latest tech.This revolutionary motor's design helps make Harleys lighter, more refined, and, best of all, more powerful than ever.So, what makes up a Harley-Davidson? Most people will say it's a unique exhaust note, but it's the iconic V-twin engine in the structure. However, the new Rev Max is unlike anything they have ever produced, and as a bonus, makes more power than almost any Harley to date at 150This revolutionary engine comes in two models, the Sportster S and Pan America . Both these models have the bike tied together by the motor. Also, unlike a Harley-Davidson engine of the past that used a cradle frame, the Revolution Max has a stress frame member.Therefore, the front frame, mid-frame, and tail section all bolt directly to the engine at different points. Instead of getting supported by a separate structure, the engine is a structural load-bearing part of the frame. Consequently, the bike is lighter, the chassis stiffer, eliminating flex that leads to poor handling. Overall, the Rev Max has better acceleration, braking, and fuel economy.Stress member frames are not new to Harley-Davidson, though. According to Burton, they have been in Harleys since 1919 on their Model W.Unlike previous Harley engines, the Rev max features dual overhead cams, liquid cooling, and four valves per cylinder. This engine makes so much power because it can rev to high RPMs - something unknown in Harleys, attaining peak power at 9,500 Rpm.With the Rev Max, the new motorcycles produces an un-Harley rumble. Something that doesnt go down too well with its core followers. But Harley understands that to survive; you cant rely on your heritage alone. They are looking to attract new buyers and move with the times - a risk they sadly cannot avoid. On Indiegogo, the project was backed by more than 52,000 users, with the total donations to support its development getting close to $4.8 million.Motorola has apparently spotted the potential of this market, so the company today unveiled its very own adapter that does pretty much the same thing.Simple called Wireless Car Adapter for Android Auto and known as model number MA1, the new device does exactly what its name suggests: it converts Android Auto from wired to wireless.The design of this adapter is rather simple, and this is exactly the way it should be anyway. Users only need to plug it into the USB port of their cars and then have their phones paired with it for a wireless experience with Android Auto.Motorolas device uses Bluetooth 5.0 and supports 5 GHz Wi-Fi. The company says it tips the scales at just 31 grams, so once you plug it into the USB port of your car, you can forget its there.There are no special requirements, though Motorola explains that its device should work with the majority of vehicles out there. However, if you currently own a Mitsubishi, Motorola says this brand is currently unsupported and its not clear if this could change in the coming updates.As for the Android version that your device must be running in order to connect to the adapter, Motorola hasnt provided such information, though it says Android 11 is fully supported. In other words, if youre already on Android 11 or Android 12, everything should work flawlessly.The new adapter is scheduled to hit the shelves in the United States on January 30, and it will cost $89.95. This means itll be priced similarly to the existing products already on the market, so itll be interesting to see how many people give it a try. SUV Already the rise of electric vehicles is causing a major shift in the automotive industry, not only from a production standpoint, but also in terms of how the cars are marketed and sold , or updated and even serviced.One of the companies that were quick to jump in the new car tech bandwagon is Volvo. Already on the market with a number of EVs and planning even more for the future, the Swedes got in bed in recent years with a number of technology leaders to come up with the best solutions for what lies ahead.The most recent announcement from Volvo on this front is the fact it is now expanding its collaboration with Qualcomm in the hopes of coming up with a much faster and more responsive Android Automotive-based infotainment system dedicated to its cars.Taking advantage of the capabilities of Qualcomms Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms, the company plans to design systems capable of supporting "highly demanding graphics, audio and artificial intelligence requirements" in its future cars, first in the upcoming Polestar 3 and a new VolvoApart from the fact it should be at least two times as fast as the limited, current application of Android Automotive, the company did not release additional details on the new capabilities.As Qualcomm already revealed , Volvo is not the only company using its tech to come up with improved infotainment solutions. Honda and Renault are on board too, with the Japanese looking to come up with a better infotainment system, and the French for better connectivity and driver assistance features. Your car catching fire is a terrifying experience nobody wants to go through. And yet many Chevy Bolt owners found their car on fire while many others feared theyll be next. The problem stemmed from a manufacturing problem on LGs side, and even today Chevrolet is not aware of how many cars are affected. Many of these cars have received battery replacements in the recall.The story seems to have a happy ending for Bolt owners that still have their car intact and with a new battery, but things are far from over. Many have reported their cars are banned from entering garages and even parking lots, for fears they will be a danger to other cars. This is a bummer, especially as Chevrolet still recommends Bolt owners not to park their cars inside the house garage or next to other cars for safety reasons.According to Detroit News , Chevrolet decided to start sending Bolt owners Chevrolet Certified window clings. Each cling will feature a QR code that will allow parking lot attendants and commercial garage owners to scan the Bolts, confirming that the vehicle has been serviced by a Chevy dealer and has received an updated LG battery. It is a Chevrolet certification saying your Bolt is not a hazard to other cars.We are not sure garage owners and attendants will take the trouble to read what a Chevrolet Certified Bolt means, as long as they already know Bolt=fire hazard. In the meantime, Chevrolet has pushed back plans to restart Bolt production at the Orion, Michigan plant well into February. As far as some are concerned, the Chevrolet Bolt is a doomed car model, no matter how safe GM will make it. We tend to only focus on the privileges that royalty offers, but it also implies bigger risks and potentially huge losses. Prince Fahad Bin Sultan, governor of the Tabuk province in Saudi Arabia, is having legal trouble because of his superyacht and luxury mansion. According to Bloomberg , Credit Suisse Group, one of the largest banks in Europe, has filed a lawsuit in London, asking the prince to pay back a whopping $78 million he allegedly owes in interest and loans.Apparently, Fahad Bin Sultan took out a loan to refinance his megayacht and mansion in London. He was the guarantor for the loans that two companies took out and the beneficiary of the assets. According to the bank documents, the companies failed to pay interest and fees for the British Virgin Islands-based yacht , as well as providing evidence that the prince possessed at least $25 million in liquid assets, as it had been agreed.Similarly, the prince allegedly failed to pay part of the loan, plus interest, for the property estate outside London, estimated at $47 million.The superyacht at the center of this legal scandal is called Sarafsa, a luxury vessel that was custom-built 15 years ago. At 269 feet (82 meters), the megayacht has enough room for up to 12 guests, across six luxurious cabins, with a huge crew of 20 people catering to their needs. Built by Devonport, Sarafsa features exterior and interior design by the world-famous British brand Winch Design.In addition to a large swimming pool and beauty salon, this luxury yacht also boasts an impressive range of 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 miles/11,100 km). Its interior and other assets remain a mystery because Sarafsa has never been shared but enjoyed exclusively by its royal owner.Its too early to say whether the prince risks losing his superyacht unless he repays the $78 million that Credit Suisse demands. It would be a shame to see Sarafsa on the market after so many years of private ownership. More often than not, however, the most convenient approach comes from tech companies themselves, and today, chip expert Qualcomm has announced a major partnership with a trio of car manufacturers.Volvo, Honda , and Renault will all use Qualcomms so-called Digital Chassis, a suite of automotive solutions specifically developed to overhaul the driving experience with new-gen technology.The three carmakers have already pledged to use Android Automotive on their new models, though in the case of Renault, its purpose is to use the Digital Chassis for more advanced capabilities. The French company is seeking improved connectivity, cloud services, and driver assistance features powered by Qualcomms solutions.Renault has already announced that its upcoming Megane E-Tech will use Android Automotive.On the other hand, Honda and Volvo will work together with Qualcomm on their infotainment systems. Once again, the experience is powered by Android Automotive, Googles car-optimized operating system offering more advanced integration of services like Google Assistant and Google Maps.The Digital Chassis comprises four different modules, each with its very own goal.The first of them is called Snapdragon Ride, and its purpose is to power technology related to driver assistance and automated driving. Then, its the Snapdragon Auto Connectivity, which comes with a pretty straightforward name, so its goal is to bring fast connectivity (LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi) to new-gen cars.The Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud Services serve as the foundation of cloud-powered capabilities, such as OTA and the subscriptions that nobody likes. And last but not least, the Digital Chassis includes the Snapdragon Cockpit, whose main responsibility is to make the multimedia experience possible in a car where Qualcomms platform is installed. With its gorgeous styling and rev-happy engine, the Honda CB350G is the kind of bike that doesnt need any fancy tech or massive power output digits to put a smile on your face. What youre looking at here is a museum-quality 1973 model with 14k miles (22,500 km) on the odometer, sporting top-grade Duro tires, modern fueling hardware and a shiny pair of aftermarket mufflers.In addition, the machines electrics were overhauled using new spark plugs and a fresh battery, while the valve clearances, ignition timing and cam chain tension have all been optimized as of May, 2021. Lastly, the makeover was purposefully concluded with the installation of a premium drive chain and a higher-spec throttle cable.Before we tell you whats the deal with this superb 73 MY CB350G, lets take a minute to peek at its technical specifications. Hondas classic gem comes to life thanks to an air-cooled 326cc parallel-twin powerhouse, with two valves per cylinder head, dual Keihin carbs and a compression ratio of 9.5:1.By delivering 36 hp at 10,500 rpm and 18 pound-feet of torque at 9,500 spins, the mill enables its possessor to hit speeds of up to 102 mph (164 kph). When its 2.7-gallon (10-liter) fuel tank is full, the Japanese predator will tip the scales at a mere 375 pounds (170 kg). The entire structure sits on 33 mm telescopic forks up north and dual preload-adjustable shock absorbers on the other end.The front wheel is brought to a halt by a single hydraulic brake disc, while the rear unit features a traditional drum setup. This CB350G is going under the hammer at no reserve, and youve got until Monday afternoon (January 10) to place your bids on Bring A Trailer . Currently, the top bidder is willing to spend a little over 1,400 bones on Hondas head-turner, so you might be able to snatch it for less than two grand! Last year, Japanese car manufacturers 2.3 million auto sales ranked the highest in the U.S., up 10% from 2020. This sudden shift in market position highlights the ongoing impact of the semiconductor shortage.According to General Motors, its 43% fourth-quarter sales decline and 13% stumble for 2021 was due to the semiconductor shortage. As a result, the race for the top spot could have been a supply-chain affair, giving an upper hand to whoever could best sweet-talk chip producers for more products.Its not been an easy race for the auto industry in the wake of chip shortage, and more so for U.S. automakers. While General Motors sales dipped, Honda Motor Co., Toyota, and Nissan registered gains.Toyota had the privilege of being the worlds largest automaker, and has the scale to lock in orders of scarce computer chips. Its global dominance has also allowed it to soldier on despite a worldwide pandemic. American automakers like GM, on the other hand, did not share the same luxuries and faced production delays in the third quarter due to insufficient chip supplies.According to National Review, chip shortages leading to supply chain issues have pushed the price of the average car up by 15% to a record $45,872 in one year. These price measure fluctuations hit American automaker GM hard, with the company recording an industry-high average price of more than $50,000 per unit vehicle.On a conference call, Jack Hollis, senior vice president of U.S. Toyota sales, told reporters that the Japanese automaker might not be number one for long. He stated that the Japanese car manufacturer outselling GM is not sustainable without elaborating.General Motors agreed, stating that it would increase sales in 2022. Many auto companies reported their fourth-quarter U.S. sales on Tuesday. Ford is to release its figures on Wednesday. Because nothing makes for better escapism than a look over to the glamorous side, where the grass reallygreener, BBC Two has a new docuseries called Inside Dubai: Playground of the Rich. Dubai is a very rich city with incredibly rich people, so the series, which premiered this week, delivered exactly the kind of content you were probably expecting: rich men and women showing off their lavish lifestyles, including designer collections and automotive fleets.Of them was a businessman called Abu Sabah, who boasted on camera that he was the owner of the worlds most expensive license plate . That claim isnt technically true because the title goes to the 1 license plate, but its close enough: Sabah owns the single-digit plate 5, which he bought for $9 million. He told the producers that he bought it because hed been turned away from a hotel because his pretty nice car didnt have a nice enough plate on it.He was also informed that a nicer plate would have been a double-digit one, so he went out and got himself several of them: 48, 49 and 27. The single-digit 5 is the most valuable in his collection and the one hes most proud of, he said. The $800,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom that wears it is cheap by comparison.As you can imagine, viewers at home didnt exactly sympathize with the pain he mustve felt when he was turned away from a hotel for not having the right license plate on his expensive car. The money was his to spend, but maybe bragging about it to the world isnt wise least of all not when so much good could have been carried out with that amount, theyre saying on Twitter, under the #InsideDubai hashtag.Abu Sabah is actually Balwinder Sahni, the Chairman and CEO of RSG International, and his story of the 5 license plate is different from the one he told in 2016, when he bought it at auction. The only constant is that he paid $9 million for it. Back then, he claimed to have bought it because D5, which is what the plate reads, is the number 9. As it so happens, 9 is his lucky number.Also then, Sahni took issue with people criticizing him for his collection of license plates. I did not get the special number for publicity sake. It is my passion, and as charity, I enjoy it, he told Alarabya News then. How can people judge me? Let them come and meet me and know who I am as a person. I never wanted to announce this. I have kept quiet about the charities I have done for the last 10 years.So much for not wanting publicity for his lavish purchase. Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Sunny skies. Becoming windy late. High 82F. W winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. The U.S. and Germany's top diplomats issued a joint warning to Russia ahead of high-level security talks in Europe next week, pledging "massive" economic consequences if Vladimir Putin proceeds with an invasion of Ukraine. Why it matters: With Russia massing troops on the Ukrainian border and questions swirling about how far Germany is prepared to go to deter Putin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and new German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock presented a united front at their first press conference together in Washington. The big picture: President Biden told Putin last week that there are two paths for dealing with the Ukraine crisis a path of "diplomacy" or a path of "deterrence," which would entail sanctions and more military support to NATO's eastern flank. Top U.S. and Russian officials will meet on Jan. 10 for a "strategic stability dialogue," which Blinken said would only cover bilateral issues. That will be followed by meetings of the NATO-Russia Council on Jan. 12 and the Organization for Security and Cooperation on Jan. 13. Russia has stressed that it needs to see "concrete" and swift results in response to its security demands, which include legal guarantees that NATO will not expand to the east. What they're saying: "I believe that if Russia is serious about pursuing diplomacy and de-escalation, that there are things that all of us can do relatively quickly to build greater confidence and to reduce some of the concerns that we have," Blinken said at the press conference. "It's very hard to make actual progress in any of these areas in an atmosphere of escalation and threat, with a gun pointed to Ukraine's head," he added. Blinken condemned Russia's "false narrative" that Ukraine is seeking to provoke a conflict, telling reporters: "Thats a little bit like the fox saying it had no choice but to attack the henhouse because somehow the hens presented a threat." Between the lines: Blinken and Baerbock were both asked repeatedly about Nord Stream 2, a controversial pipeline that would circumvent Ukraine and deliver Russian gas directly to Germany. The Biden administration opposes the pipeline and views it as a potential geopolitical weapon, but opted not to impose sanctions last spring to block its completion, citing the need for good relations with Germany. "Some may see Nord Stream 2 as leverage that Russia can use against Europe; in fact, its leverage for Europe to use against Russia," Blinken argued. He said it would be "difficult" to see the pipeline becoming operational if Russia renews its aggression toward Ukraine. Baerbock opposed Nord Stream 2 on Germany's campaign trail, but now governs in a coalition whose leading party supports the pipeline. She said the new German government wants to take "effective measures" on Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine, but did not specify whether the project would be suspended. What to watch: As Europe's biggest economic power and Russia's second-largest trade partner, Germany plays a crucial role in managing EU-Russia relations. It's not yet clear what the new government's approach to the Kremlin will be. The Jan. 6 select committee has requested Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity voluntarily cooperate with its investigation of the assault on the U.S. Capitol, a source with direct knowledge of the plan told Axios and the committee later confirmed. Why it matters: Hannity is one of the most prominent media figures in America and was a close adviser to Donald Trump throughout his presidency. The committee revealed last month that Hannity texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the riot to urge him to get Trump to stop his supporters. Driving the news: In a letter to Hannity, Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) wrote that they seek "voluntary cooperation on a specific and narrow range of factual questions" and are not seeking "information regarding any of your broadcasts, or your political views or commentary." Jay Sekulow, counsel to Sean Hannity, told Axios, If true, any such request would raise serious constitutional issues including First Amendment concerns regarding freedom of the press. Between the lines: Hannity condemned the attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying on his show on the night after the riot that "all of today's perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted." But Hannity has never criticized Trump for his role in ginning up the crowd in D.C. that day. And he has criticized the congressional committee investigating Jan. 6. Details: Axios has not yet been able to establish the nature of the cooperation the committee plans to ask of Hannity. Committee officials have said Hannity was among several Fox News hosts who were texting Meadows during the riot. The letter cited text conversations with Meadows, in which Hannity said, "I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told." He instead advocated for Trump to go to Florida and focus on election reform. Two other Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham, the host of the 10pm show "The Ingraham Angle," and Brian Kilmeade, a host of the morning show "Fox & Friends" also weighed in with Meadows in real time as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory. Behind the scenes: Hannity was much more than a TV host during the Trump presidency. He was a friend, supporter and informal adviser in frequent phone calls with the former president. One former Trump aide sarcastically referred to Hannity as the "real chief of staff." That was a gross overstatement, but it spoke to Hannity's special access to Trump. Such was Hannity's influence with Trump that officials who wanted to persuade him often turned to the Fox News host to help get their ideas or action items across the line. A phone call from Hannity to Trump carried more sway than a conversation between the president and many members of his own Cabinet. Go deeper: Trump cancels Jan. 6 press conference Editor's note: This story has been updated with a letter the committee sent to Hannity as well as new texts made available by the committee. Correction: This chart was changed to show leisure and hospitality was the industry with a 6.4% quit rate, not health care and social assistance. Data: BLS; Chart: Sara Wise/Axios A record 4.5 million workers quit their jobs in November, according to government data released Tuesday morning. Why it matters: The numbers, from the Labor Departments Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, are the latest sign that the job market is red hot for workers, particularly for employees in lower-wage industries. Americas quits rate is now 3%, matching the highest in the two decades the government has kept records. But sectors like accommodation and food services and retail are seeing workers quit at much higher rates 6.9% and 4.4%, respectively. Between the lines: These workers werent quitting the labor force entirely: 6.7 million people were hired in November, similar to the month prior. Job openings dipped to 10.6 million from 11 million. (That's still higher than at any point before the pandemic hit.) The bottom line: Its not understood in the broader public discussion, people arent quitting their jobs to leave the labor force they are quitting their jobs to take other jobs, said Heidi Shierholz, president of the progressive Economic Policy Institute. What to watch: These numbers pre-date the emergence of the Omicron variant, which has added a new level of uncertainty in the job market that's still shaking out. Starting from January 1, Armenian supermarkets, smaller shops and kiosks are not allowed to display cigarette packs on their shelves. Nor can they advertise tobacco brands, e-cigarettes and vaporizers in any way. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stressed the importance of the ban at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. Pashinian said relevant government inspectorates must ensure retailers compliance with it. We are doing everything to get people to forget about buying cigarettes, he said. Health Minister Anahit Avanesian said the new restrictions should specifically help to prevent many minors and other young Armenians from becoming smokers. Davit Melik-Nubarian, a public health expert, welcomed the measure. This is the right path, he told RFE/RLs Armenian Service. Those who have travelled abroad must have noticed that such regulations are in force in Russia and European Union countries and they are really effective. Armenia is a nation of heavy smokers, with few restrictions on tobacco sales and use enforced to date. According to the Ministry of Health, 28 percent of the countrys adult population are regular smokers. Medics blame this for a high incidence of lung cancer among Armenians. A study jointly conducted by the ministry, the United Nations and other international organizations found that each year smoking-related diseases kill about 5,500 people in the country of about 3 million. The sales restrictions stem from a law drafted by the Ministry of Health and passed by the Armenian parliament about two years ago. The law also banned smoking in cafes, restaurants and all other indoor public places. The bans entry into force was delayed until March 2022. Melik-Nubarian said the government should also sharply raise taxes on tobacco. Unfortunately, cigarette prices in Armenia are the lowest in the region, he said. The ban, effective from January 1, stems from a 2020 law aimed at reducing plastic waste and its serious damage to the environment. It means that shoppers can get only single-use bags made from recycled paper or other organic materials. There was little evidence in Yerevan of retailers compliance with the new requirement. Supermarket chains and grocery stores across the city clearly did not abandon plastic bags. No, they didnt offer me any alternative, a man carrying groceries in such a bag told RFE/RLs Armenian Service as he left a shop. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Environment Minister Hakob Simidian touted the bans entry into force during a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. But they seemed to acknowledge problems with its enforcement. Pashinian stressed that it is local government bodies, rather than state inspectorates subordinate to the central government, that are supposed to ensure retailers compliance with the requirement. He told Minister for Territorial Administration Gnel Sanosian and provincial governors to make this clear to city mayors and other community heads. Pashinian warned that the government will task its inspectorates with enforcing the ban if local authorities fail to do the job. Kazakhstans President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev declared a nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday as thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with police and stormed government buildings in the oil-rich Central Asian nation for the third consecutive day. Angry demonstrators, some of whom were armed with rubber truncheons, sticks, and shields, set fire to a presidential residence and the mayors office in the countrys largest city, Almaty, Police engaged in pitched battles with the protesters, using tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowds, but were largely unsuccessful. Kazakhstans Interior Ministry said eight police and National Guard troops have been killed and 317 people wounded during the unprecedented unrest. Toqaev said that he has appealed to the CSTO, a security bloc comprising Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia and three other ex-Soviet states, to assist his government in responding to what he called a terrorist threat. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, whose country is the current holder of the CSTOs rotating presidency, spoke with Toqaev by phone and announced shortly after midnight that he will also hold consultations with the leaders of CSTO members. In a statement issued about two hours later, Pashinian said they have decided to dispatch collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan for the purpose of stabilizing and normalizing the situation in that country. He said that the unrest erupted as a result of unspecified foreign intervention and put Kazakhstans national security and sovereignty at serious risk. Pashinian did not specify the number and composition of CSTO troops that will be deployed in Kazakhstan. Nor did he say whether Armenian soldiers will also join the contingent. Russia did not immediately comment on the deployment. Robust emissions trading to help foster green growth By OUYANG SHIJIA and LIU ZHIHUA (China Daily) 08:51, January 05, 2022 A wind power plant in Dingxi, Gansu province. (Photo/Xinhua) China's emissions trading system recorded trading volume of 179 million metric tons in 2021, injecting new impetus into the country's ongoing efforts to foster green, low-carbon development, according to experts. The trading system, which was launched on July 16 and follows the cap-and-trade principle, is an effective tool for energy conservation, emissions reduction and carbon control, the experts said. It will also help the country meet its targets of reaching peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, they added. The trading system made considerable advances last year. The turnover of carbon trading was 7.66 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) over 114 trading days last year, according to the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange. The price of the carbon emission allowance, which companies can buy or trade under the system, closed at 54.22 yuan per ton on Dec 31, up 12.96 percent from the opening price of the first trading day. The average daily trading volume of the allowance topped 1.25 million tons, which was 22 times and 53 times of its counterparts in the European Union and South Korea, respectively. Experts said that adopting a market-based mechanism has shown the government's determination to step up decarbonization efforts as well as promote a global response to climate change. Lin Boqiang, head of Xiamen University's China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy, said China's carbon trading market is an effective tool to control carbon emissions and has made impressive achievements. However, Lin said the relatively small value of total trading was largely due to the limited number of emitters included in the trading system and the low price of the carbon emission allowance. The system is currently limited to more than 2,000 enterprises involved in the power industry, but will be expanded to other industries in the future. "To propel trade activity on the market, its coverage of industries and trading entities should be expanded, and adjustments are also needed to optimize the pricing system so that efforts by enterprises to control carbon can be effectively rewarded," Lin said. "More energy-intensive industries, such as cement and electrolytic aluminum, will likely be included in the trading system during the second half of 2022," Lin added. Lai Xiaoming, chairman of the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange, said the emissions trading market is in the early stage of development and has some structural deficiencies compared with other markets, such as the EU. Lai said in a recent interview with Shanghai Securities News that the exchange will add more participants to the trading system and the market will be extended to include more carbon-emitting industries. Greater efforts will also be made to roll out derivative products. Guo Haifei, deputy director of the Green Innovation Center of the Investment Consulting Special Committee of the Investment Association of China, said the development of the system and growth of China's carbon trading market will contribute to the fostering of a green and low-carbon circular economic system globally. Shi Jing in Shanghai contributed to this story. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) There are a few unexpected sights that hikers pass as they travel the Appalachian Trail (AT) in New York: A trailside zoo near Bear Mountain (the first and oldest section of the trail); a boardwalk that traverses the Great Swamp in Pawling; and a dedicated Appalachian Trail Metro North station nearby. But a mounted phone in the middle of the woods may be the most unusual. The whole AT is a blur to me, said Justin Dinardo, who came upon the phone this summer in Putnam Countys Fahnestock State Park on his way to completing the 2,190-mile trail. I remember that pretty vividly. This was not an ordinary phone, though. For starters, its not connected to a land line. Its technology is not even from this century. A sign posted next to the rotary phone announces it as a Telephone of the Wind, a type of phone that has popped up around the world, first in Japan, and recently in Washington and Rhode Island, to call loved ones who have passed away. A poetic passage next to the Fahnestock wind phone Though Ive lost you, I feel you here/in this shrine of trees in natures sanctuary serves as a prompt to use to phone to connect with those you have lost. To feel the comfort of their memory. When I saw that, said Dinardo, who had been hiking from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in order to make miles, pausing only for food and to rest, I saw it as an invitation to sort of stop and collect myself. Standing a quarter mile off of Route 301, above the Canopus Creek gurgling below, he picked up the putty-colored phone which, when you place it to your ears, sounds like a swoosh of empty air and placed a call to his grandmother, whom he had lost around a year earlier, during a week when he also experienced the passing of his aunt, great aunt and a family friend (none from COVID). All the loss had been hard to process all at once. Ive heard people say that theres no timeline for grief. You might not grieve right away or you know, it might come up a year later, 10 years later. It doesnt matter, he said. And the sense that I got was, even though it was a year removed, you can still channel that grief and you can let those things come up. And being where I was, I was in a very safe place to feel anything. Theres no distractions. Im by myself. Im not worried about how I look to everybody else. Theres nothing external theres just me in the middle of the woods, so it was kind of cathartic to have that invitation of emotions, and to let them kind of come, and then go and then just be on my way. Dialing for solace For Millet Israeli, creator of Fahnestocks Telephone of the Wind, her disconnected rotary phone worked exactly the way it should. The grief therapist, who splits her time between New York City and Brewster with her family, knew of the original wind phone when it was first introduced in 2010 by a man in Otsuchi, Japan who had lost his cousin to cancer and fashioned a phone booth with a rotary phone to call him. It became widely used after the tsunami devastated the country the next year. The Japanese town alone lost 10 percent of its population, and thousands of people make an annual pilgrimage there to call lost relatives and friends. Then, in January of this year, Israeli read about a rogue wind phone in an Olympia, Washington park, installed in honor of a mom who had lost her 4-year-old. And when I saw that, it crystallized immediately that that was something that was absolutely necessary, particularly in New York, or near New York City, because of how intensely the area experienced a loss in the early parts of the pandemic. As a grief counselor, Israeli was acutely involved in the processing of grief during pandemic working with clients, speaking and writing about how the lockdown was going to impact people who couldnt be with their loved ones. Her practice doubled compared to pre-pandemic times. I just felt like there was this pull to create something that would give some people the opportunity to have a release valve for that. Placing it the woods made sense to her, having just discovered the balm of being in nature during the pandemic. Like many others in New York City, where she and her family were living full-time prior to the pandemic, they decided to escape to the Hudson Valley, first temporarily resettling in Bedford before closing on a second home in Brewster in the summer of 2020. Along the way, Israeli took many hikes: to Minnewaska, Fahnestock, Bear Mountain, Harriman, the Hudson Highlands. It became her therapy. Ive had moments where Im like, There should be a wind phone everywhere, said Israeli. Even Times Square, though she admits it probably wouldnt last very long. But Ive really become passionate about spending time walking in the woods. It feels like a sanctuary, using a word from her invitation to hikers to pick up the wind phone. Its almost like a confessional in a way. Its almost like church. She emailed a few different parks and conservation groups. The Friends of Fahnestock and Hudson Highlands State Parks was the first to write back to her. Though it wasnt a consideration at the time, siting it in Fahnestock held historical meaning. The park was bequeathed by a man to New York State on the condition that it be named after his brother, Dr. Clarence Fahnestock, a WWI major who succumbed to pneumonia due to the Spanish flu, COVIDs pandemic predecessor. Over Facebook, Linda Cooper, Regional Director at New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, messaged Israeli to say she liked the idea and wanted to hear more. Shortly after, Israeli got the green light. It was actually really incredible how open they were to it and how little bureaucratic issues I had to deal with to get it done, Israeli said. Once Israeli found the 1960s phone on eBay, she mounted it to some wood along with an outdoor glass enclosure to place her prompts on using the phone and the details of her Instagram account, @wind.phone.ny where she solicits stories from those who have dialed their friends and relatives. Then she gave the phone to Fahnestock and Hudson Highlands Park Manager Evan Thompson, who helped choose the right location for it. A perfect audience for a grief telephone For the past 12 years, Thompson has managed both Hudson Highlands and Fahnestock, where he lives. Hudson Highlands, he thought, would be too busy for the phone heavily trafficked trails like Breakneck Ridge have train stops that drop day trippers right to the trailheads there, and he worried it might be vandalized. A trail in Fahnestock that attracts families was another possibility. But then, you know, I started thinking about who would be interested in this phone and I thought of the Appalachian Trail, just because a lot of people who go on the trail go to find themselves, [or] have some sadness in their lives theyre trying to get away from. The AT passes through five state parks in New York Harriman and Bear Mountain are two of them and Fahnestock is a popular attraction for the estimated 1,000-plus people who complete the AT each year. (Multiple sections of the trail were closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and hiking it was frowned upon). Five times as many people register for the hike, which most begin in Georgia en route to Maine, but many give up along the way, making it hard to tally the exact number of hikers on the trail each year. Those who make it to Fahnestock, which is just before the halfway point of the AT, typically arrive by the summer so they can reach its endpoint, Mount Katahdin in Maine, before it gets too cold. These AT thru-hikers get to camp in Fahnestock for free and eat food from the concession at Canopus Beach, one of the few spots on the trail that is easily accessible to a meal not made on a camp stove. Thompson has spoken to many of them. Some are young college grads who see the AT as a challenge, he says, or who dont know what else to do at that life juncture. Others are retirees who always wanted to do the AT but never the time when they were working. Still others, he says, do it after experiencing a loss. I have talked to people in the past who have lost their wife or they lost a family member. Theres a lot of military people who do it, who experienced a lot of pain or sadness through their military service and are just looking for a way to get away from everything and kind of regather themselves and figure out what they want to do. Theres a different story for every person. JR Littleton is one of those military servicepeople who passed through Fahnestock this summer. He had wanted to hike the AT with his roommate and younger brother Joe, also an Army vet, but it wasnt to be. Joe took his life in 2020. This year, Littleton hiked the trail with Joes ashes, scattering them in each state he crossed. He said he spoke to his brother every day, so he didnt need the wind phone to communicate with him. But coming upon it in person was more cathartic than hed anticipated. I have my brothers number memorized you know, and it was very nice to take that time to enter his number It was definitely healing for me, Littleton said. A spirit phone, made concrete The idea of contacting the deceased through a telephone has been around since its invention in the late 19th century. Mystics thought the technology could be used to communicate with spirits. Even Thomas Edison reportedly worked upon a spirit phone, though his inspiration was more theoretical than the very human desire to talk again with someone who has passed. There is this desperate craving, when someone dies, to be able to have one more conversation, said Israeli, explaining the draw of the wind phone. To be able to have some way of connecting to them. People use psychic mediums. Theres such a hunger for it and as we know it's not entirely feasible. She continued: And one of the things thats really painful about grief is the impossibility of fixing this thing. And so I think part of [the appeal] is that it represents this idea of an opportunity to connect, you know, cause we really do associate telephones with connection. The other aspect of the wind phone that makes it so powerful for people, she theorizes, is that it takes something so hard to process, and puts it into a form that those of us still living in the material world can easily grasp. It's easier to talk into something, than to just talk aloud to no one, Israeli said. And while I would like everyone to come talk to a grief therapist to process their grief, not everyone has the opportunity or the resources or the wherewithal to do that. This free therapy doesnt come without some effort: it takes an 874-mile hike from Georgia, or a drive to Fahnestock followed by a quarter mile hike north on the AT. But it is undeniably magical. Its a little bubble in the woods where you can fantasize about this connection that you can still have to this person, says Israeli, which at the end of the day, you really still do. Beaumont ISD seems to have been largely spared by a shortage of COVID-19 tests that in other parts of the country has caused some schools to resume virtual learning to shut down immediately after the semester began. And despite a skyrocketing number of local positive cases of COVID-19, likely due in part to the omicron variant coupled with the recent burst of holiday travel, BISD is prepared for the potential increase in tests needed by students and staff. Having readily-available tests for a student or staff member may be the difference in their attendance at school that day, BISD Health Services Coordinator Julie Nezat said in an email to The Enterprise. Knowing a student (or) staff members COVID-19 status as early as possible will prevent them from attending school and spreading the virus to others. BISD orders tests as needed using funding from a grant offered by the Texas Education Agency and partnering companies. Nezat said tests are ordered based on the volume of people tested the month prior. At the end of November, the most recent order placed by the district, it purchased about 3,000 CareStart COVID-19 antigen tests. The district has been providing tests for a little more than a year. We began testing staff on December 3, 2020, Nezat said. Students were piloted shortly after and implemented fully the following week. BISD offers testing only to students and staff through their respective campuses, mainly focusing on symptomatic individuals and those that have been exposed to a positive individual in the home, Nezat said. Those who are interested can talk to a nurse or supervisor to be tested. Our testing had drastically decreased prior to Thanksgiving, she said. After the Thanksgiving break, we have seen an uptick in testing - results vary each day. The district does not require an additional test for a student or staff member who previously tested positive after they have completed the 10-day quarantine period. On Monday, the city of Beaumont reported 994 new COVID cases, totaled from the three-day New Years weekend, according to the citys data. Comparatively, the city reported just over 1,400 cases last week. As of Tuesday afternoon, BISD was reporting 99 active cases of COVID-19. We want to remind our families that wearing a mask is highly encouraged to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to monitor their students symptoms daily before sending them to school, Nezat said. The district relaxed its mask mandate in November but may reinstate it if local cases significantly increase. Nezat also reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines are available for certain school-aged children. The (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) announced that boosters will be available to 12 to 15 year olds five months after their second dose, she said. Children aged 5-11 with immune deficiencies would be able to receive the booster shot as well. Boosters have already been approved for those 16 and older. For more information or to schedule a vaccine appointment with the Beaumont Public Health Department, call 409-654-3647. COVID vaccinations are free. To stay up-to-date on active COVID cases within BISD, visit their COVID-19 Tracker located on their website at bmtisd.com. olivia.malick@hearst.com twitter.com/oliviamalick A third COVID-recovered senior inmate death has been reported at a low-security federal prison in Jefferson County. FCI Beaumont Low inmate Lee Cormier, 71, died at a local hospital on Dec. 28, according to a Wednesday news release from the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons. His death marks the fifth federal inmate death reported in Beaumont in less than a year. Cormier was evaluated by the federal correction institutes medical staff for shortness of breath and taken to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment on Dec. 21, the release said. Cormier tested positive for the novel coronavirus the year prior. He was immediately placed in medical isolation on Nov. 6, 2020. Cormier had pre-existing medical conditions, which the CDC lists as risk factors for developing more severe COVID-19 disease, the release said. On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Mr. Cormier was converted to a status of recovered, following the completion of medical isolation and presenting with no symptoms, the release said. Cormier was sentenced in the Western District of Louisiana to a nearly 25-year-long sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He had been in custody at FCI Beaumont since April 10, 2015. FCI Beaumont Low currently houses 1,575 male offenders. Four other inmate deaths previously were reported in 2021 two of which were reported at the FCI Beaumont Low facility. Cormier is not only the fifth inmate death and the third inmate to die at this specific facility, but the third senior to die as well, according to previous reports by The Enterprise. Armando Ramirez, 71, died on March 27, 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19 in on December 17, 2020. He was placed in medical isolation that day. Similar to Cormier, he was released based on CDC guidelines on Dec. 28 after being converted to the status of recovered and presenting no symptoms. He returned to the prisons staff with shortness of breath on March 27 and was taken to the hospital where he died that same day. He had pre-existing medical conditions. The facility housed 1,486 male offenders at the time. Related: BOP releases information about inmates death in Beaumont prison Robert Neal Hatchell, 63, died on September 6, 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19 on November 6, 2020the same day as the late Cormier. Hatchell was immediately placed in medical isolation and his medical status was changed on November 17, 2020 in accordance with CDC guidelines. He returned to staff on Sept. 3 with abdominal symptoms and was taken to the hospital where he died three days later. He had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions. The facility housed 1,457 male offenders at the time. Related: Second senior, COVID recovered federal inmate dies in Beaumont Two other inmates died at different federal prison facilities in Beaumont last year. Rafael Salas, 40, was found unresponsive at the Beaumont Medium security prison on Sept. 8. Related: Second federal inmate in less than a month dies in Beaumont Michael Fossler, 33, was found unresponsive late Aug. 9 at the United States Penitentiary a high-security facility in Beaumont with just one-quarter of his sentence remaining. He too later was later pronounced dead at a local hospital following staff and EMSs life-saving efforts. Related: Federal inmate dies with just one-quarter of sentence remaining meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com Larry Ferlazzo, who has taught at Luther Burbank High School for the past 19 years, for a decade has written a column making annual education predictions. It's time for him to look into his crystal ball for 2022. In addition to being a full-time teacher, Ferlazzo has written or edited two books on education, writes a weekly teacher advice column for Education Week, and hosts a popular resource-sharing blog. Here's Ferlazzo's look into the future: - There will be a big increase in teacher retirements in the spring/summer, leading to a teacher shortage that will make this school year look like a picnic. Then, in an advance prediction for 2023, the stress created by that staff shortage will result in an equal number of departures the following year. These losses, combined with a similarly alarming drop in numbers of students enrolling in teacher-preparation programs, will result in an awful downward spiral. Districts with skilled leadership will have already developed "grow your own" and "teacher-residency" programs to recruit new students, and programs to support those educators who choose to stay. But, as the pandemic has shown, those kinds of districts are definitely not the majority. - Mask mandates in many schools will continue through the fall and will, in fact, increase in numbers. The omicron variant of the novel coronavirus will have successors, and we will all learn the Greek alphabet. The vast majority of school districts, however, will not be choosing to return to distance learning - even with high community transmission rates. Parent pushback would be too great, and many schools have learned the hard way how to reduce transmission risk. Of course, there are also some states that will continue to do little or nothing to reduce those risks. - State standardized test scores will be down. Many schools officials will NOT see that a major cause for these drops will be that the districts are only giving lip service to social-emotional learning, mental health support and genuine accelerated learning. Instead they will put their money and energy behind remediation and double down on adding instructional time and "drill-and-kill." They will continue to appear dumbfounded that what they are doing is not working, and conclude that they should add more of the same. Welcome to another downward spiral. - Attacks on teaching about systemic racism will intensify leading up to the November midterm elections as Republicans continue to believe it will be a hot-button issue to galvanize voter turnout. It generally won't be successful in that Republican aim, but the attacks will hurt students, their families and teachers as educators will self-censor themselves. After the election and polls find that these attacks on critical race theory - an intellectual movement that examines the way policies and laws perpetuate systemic racism - didn't expand the Republican base. Conservative strategists will forget about the issue, but damaging laws passed by Republican-dominated state legislatures restricting how teachers deal with race and other issues will remain on the books, and their impact will continue. - There will be some major consolidations in the educational technology world more educators conclude that yes, our students need more personalized learning and, no, technology might not be the only, and not even main, vehicle through which to provide it. Smaller class sizes, listening, connecting to student interests, building relationships can lead to better learning. Bye, bye unicorns. - President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Plan - or some version of it - will eventually pass. It's unclear whether it will universal prekindergarten and a child-tax credit extension. As countless studies have found, outside factors such as child poverty have a much greater impact on student achievement than we teachers do, and the child tax credit has already done an impressive job at reducing child poverty. Quality pre-K programs have also been found to positively influence later academic performance. So these two efforts could end up being the most effective school improvement efforts done in many years - if they actually happen. - Despite recent school shootings, efforts to reduce police presence in schools will continue. A high priority will be made to twin these changes with an increase in other harm reduction and safety strategies, including restorative practices. Major experiments and research on how to implement these strategies, particularly in secondary schools, will take place and their results widely disseminated. - Private foundations like Gates and Chan Zuckerberg will continue coming up with ideas about what schools should do, finding people who will accept their money to do them, and then concluding that it didn't work. Their staff will continue believing they are the smartest people in the room, and not bother listening to ideas from educators who actually teach in classrooms every day. - I borrow this last one from educator Bill Ivey every year. He predicts that "each and every school day will bring tens of thousands of reasons to celebrate in schools across the country." Despite anything the pandemic can throw at us, I think this is still going to be the case. A firefighter extinguishes flames in a police vehicle amid clashes between supporters of a candidate from the ruling Awami League and an independent candidate during the Union Council election, in Bakshiganj, Jamalpur, in northern Bangladesh, Jan. 5, 2022. The death toll from violence around Union Council elections in Bangladesh surpassed 100 on Wednesday, as at least 10 people were killed in the latest stage of polling, including some by police gunfire, local authorities and an NGO said. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other main parties are not participating in the polls, which have been unfolding in stages since June but been marred by violence, including infighting among the countrys ruling Awami League and between supporters of that party and independents. Of those killed on Wednesday, five were in the northern Bogura district alone, with four of them dying in firing by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Zia Latiful Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station where the incident occurred, told BenarNews. BGB opened fire after some people engaged in a clash at the Kalaihata Government Primary School polling station, he said. Separately on Wednesday, two people were killed in poll-related violence in Chandpur district, and one each in Chattogram, Manikganj, and Gaibandha districts, according to information gathered from the Election Commission, the police and local hospitals. Clashes were also reported in the Savar sub-district of Dhaka, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, Noakhali, Munshiganj, and Jashore. Violence in these rural administrative elections that are held every five years has risen sharply since 2016 when parties began to contest these polls, unlike earlier on when they were non-partisan, according to electoral violence data compiled by Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik, a local NGO. Its figures show that 23 people were killed during the 2003 union council polls; 10 during the 2011 elections; and 143 in the last rural council election. Wednesdays round of voting was the fifth of a seven-stage election, which is scheduled to end next month. Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar said such clashes had become a part of Union Council elections. In the so-called vote battle, there are only battles now, no voting, he told a press conference on Wednesday. Talukdar also pointed to some irregularities he had witnessed at polling centers he visited. The vote is being cast openly in front of presiding officers. Witnesses and journalists have observed this but no measure has been taken. Police and RAB [Rapid Action Battalion officers] are on the spot but did not take any action. What election are we holding? he said after visiting several polling centers in Ashulia, a Dhaka suburb. The opposition BNP said it was not contesting these elections because, in its view, the Election Commission had lost its credibility to hold a fair election. Such huge violence in the ongoing local body polls justifies BNPs decision not to join in the polls under the Election Commission as well as the government, BNP official Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told BenarNews. The ruling Awami League people want to capture power at any positions to the point where they are now fighting against their own party people, he said. Rizvi added that the violence could have been more widespread if the BNP and other opposition had been contesting. Humayun Kabir Khandaker, secretary for the Election Commission, refuted all allegations against the commission at a press conference in Dhaka, saying the elections were largely peaceful bar some isolated incidents. The Election Commission is not responsible for such deaths or electoral violence, he said when asked about the killings. I am requesting all candidates and supporters not to be emotional and show respect for each other. When asked about the violence, A.F.M. Bahauddin Nasim, the Awami Leagues joint general secretary, replied: Violence in local government body elections in Bangladesh is not a new thing. We are not expecting a loss of any life so we are requesting all concerned to act more carefully to prevent violence in the polls, he told BenarNews. Badiul Alam Majumder, an expert on elections and governance, sees no hope in the future for free, fair and non-violent elections in the country. The total electoral system has been ruined in Bangladesh, while massive violence and irregularities in the ongoing local body polls have become the last nail in the coffin of the electoral system, he told BenarNews. Not only the next general election, all kinds of polls will suffer in the future as democratic institutions, including the Election Commission, have become loyal to the ruling party. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League has been in power uninterrupted since 2009 and has won four general elections. Fishing boats are anchored at Masinloc on the west coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines where residents complain catches are smaller because of Chinese activities around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, Sept. 6, 2019. A collapse of fishery stocks in the South China Sea caused by overfishing and climate change could fuel serious tensions and even armed conflict, one of the authors of a new report on the topic has warned. The simmering conflict that we see in the South China Sea is mostly because of fish even though countries dont say it out loud, Rashid Sumaila, a professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada, told BenarNews on Wednesday. Sumaila, from the universitys Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and its School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, co-authored a report titled Sink or Swim: The Future Of Fisheries In the East And South China Sea. He and other fisheries scientists and economists examined the impacts of climate change and overfishing in the regions oceans. The report said under a scenario in which global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius by 2050, the South China Sea is likely to experience significant declines in key commercial fish and invertebrate species, placing many regional fishing economies at risk of devastating failure. Regional fisheries in the South China Sea are estimated to generate $100 billion annually, supporting the livelihoods of about 3.7 million people, which the report says will be at risk. Chinas growing need for fish-based feed, not just fish for human consumption, is a key driver of overfishing in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, according to the report. Fishery is one of the reasons China is entangled in disputes with its neighbors in the South China Sea, Sumaila said. The reports researchers urged immediate action to reduce fishing. They called for increased international cooperation to prevent the catastrophic fisheries collapse they are predicting. A man works at a seafood stall in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2020. [Reuters] Fighting over fish The link between overfishing and maritime conflicts has been witnessed all over the world. One of the more notable incidents was the cod war between the United Kingdom and Iceland that continued for nearly 20 years beginning in 1958. Navies from both countries were deployed to protect rival fishermen until government leaders reached an agreement in 1976 through diplomacy. More recently, increased attacks by pirates in the waters off the coast of the East African nation of Somalia were attributed to the depletion of seafood resources through illegal fishing. Some researchers including John Quiggin, professor of economics at the University of Queensland, have a different perspective that it is disputes and lawlessness that put pressure on fish stocks. Unresolved conflict increases risk of overfishing and collapse, Quiggin said. As the Iceland-U.K. cod war and the Somali episode both showed, the optimal solution is for states to regulate exclusive economic zones (EEZs) with catch quotas, he said. Best outcome in South China Sea would be for a negotiated agreement. Sumaila, meanwhile, said the best thing the countries sharing the South China Sea can do is to recognize the immense value of the fisheries of this sea and to cooperate to manage the fisheries sustainably. They could learn from Norway and Russia, who have decided to manage Barents Sea cod fisheries cooperatively even during the Cold War between the then-Soviet Union and the West because they recognized how important this fishery is to their citizens. I believe this can be done for the South China Sea too, Sumaila said. Philippine Coast Guard personnel aboard rubber boats patrol past Chinese ships at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea, April 14, 2021. [Philippine Coast Guard/AFP] Illegal fishing Separately, the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Chinese think tank, has alleged that illegal fishing, in particular by Vietnamese fishermen, has seriously undermined regional mutual trust-building and posed a huge threat and challenge to maritime cooperation, conservation of fishery resources and security of neighboring countries. In a new report, the SCSPI said Vietnam operates about 9,000 fishing boats in the South China Sea and got into fishing conflicts with China, Indonesia and Malaysia. Vietnamese authorities were not available for comment but Vietnamese media have reported on the governments efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, especially after the European Commission issued a yellow card warning against Vietnams fishing violations in 2017. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had ordered local governments to stamp out IUU fishing by the end of 2021 and leaders of Vietnams 28 coastal provinces committed to stop fishing boats from encroaching on foreign waters. China, however, is still ahead of other countries in terms of IUU fishing. A Global Illegal Fishing Index created by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime ranked China the worst offender in 2019. With up to 800,000 vessels, Chinas fishing fleet is by far the largest in the world and Chinese fishermen, having exhausted domestic grounds, are known to have traveled to distant waters such as the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa or the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador for their catches. In the South China Sea, China has been accused of operating a fleet of armed fishing militia to enforce its sweeping sovereignty claims which are disputed by its neighbors, including Vietnam. The RAND Corp., a U.S. think tank, said China has been carrying out classic gray zone operations designed to win without fighting by overwhelming the adversary with swarms of fishing boats usually bolstered from the rear by coast guard and possibly naval ships. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to be deployed to hundreds of hotels and other COVID-19 quarantine sites in Metro Manila after a hotel guest who had arrived from the United States skipped isolation and tested positive following her return three days later. Duterte, who said hotels are not adequately equipped to enforce quarantine measures, ordered the interior department to assign police officers in shifts to prevent such incidents from happening again. The police can guard hotels, and if they [guests] insist on going out, there will be a ruckus, Duterte said during his nationally televised meeting with cabinet officials which aired late Tuesday. Two policemen are assigned to quarantine hotels and they have to be mindful of their duty to advise the person, Duterte said. They have the power to arrest them, no doubt about it. Meanwhile on Wednesday, Catholic Church leaders again canceled the annual procession of the Black Nazarene, a festival that can draw more than 1 million devotees, because of the pandemic. Following Dutertes address, presidential aides on Wednesday said at least two officers would be assigned to nearly 300 quarantine facilities and hotels in Metro Manila while additional officers are expected to be deployed later across the country. Dutertes order came after the tourism department suspended Berjaya Makati Hotel because a guest broke quarantine rules. The tourism department identified the guest as Gwyneth Chua, a Filipina, who left the hotel on Dec. 22, returned on Christmas Day and tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 26. The department said the woman was spotted on since-deleted social media posts at a bar in a party district. Berjaya staff said Chua, who was to quarantine until Dec. 27 following her arrival, left the hotel 15 minutes after checking in, according to the tourism department. Neither did the hotel security personnel nor the front lobby call attention to her, and neither was there any effort to report the incident to the Bureau of Quarantine even after her return three days later, it said in a news release. Philippine media reported police filed complaints against Chua, her parents, a friend and five hotel staffers over the incident. The media also noted that some of Chuas contacts have tested positive for COVID-19 as well. The hotel, which publicly apologized for the incident, was fined the equivalent of twice its most expensive room rate and has been suspended as an accredited hotel, meaning it no longer has a license to operate pending resolution of the case, according to the tourism department. The hotel has 15 working days to appeal the decision, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported. In calling for the police presence, Duterte said hotel owners and staff cannot be in a position to legally stop hotel guests from breaking quarantine protocols. The hotel owners or whoever is working there cannot be tasked with the burden of enforcing the rules of quarantine because only the government can enforce it, he said. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, cited a law that empowers personnel in a quarantine mandated area. The law prohibits acts that include non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern, Guevarra said. 10,775 infections The Philippines recorded 10,775 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to the Department of Health, nearly double the 5,434 infections a day earlier. The last time the country recorded more daily cases 12,159 was on Oct. 10. More recently, the Philippines posted just 22 infections on Dec. 19. The health department recorded 58 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the toll to 51,662 since the pandemic began. In addition, the country has confirmed more than 2.87 million COVID-19 cases, second only to Indonesia in the region. The spike resulted from the increase in movement and social mixing over the holiday period. The DOH also earlier attributed the increase to the possibility of the local spread of the Omicron variant, the health department said. Earlier this week, authorities expanded COVID-19 restrictions in Metro Manila and provinces surrounding the capital region because of the spike. Devotees surround the carriage of the Black Nazarene during the annual procession in Manila, Jan. 9, 2020. [AP] Black Nazarene procession canceled On Wednesday, Catholic Church leaders canceled the annual procession of the Black Nazarene, a wooden statue of Jesus Christ, after local health officials and the World Health Organization expressed concern it could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. The procession was scheduled for Jan. 9. The Black Nazarene was carved and brought to the Philippines in 1606 when it was a Spanish colony. The procession called Traslacion, one of the countrys largest religious festivals, typically draws more than 1 million barefoot Catholic devotees of the black wooden statue, believed to be miraculous, to walk through the streets of Manila. The governments task force on COVID-19 also ordered the Quiapo Church, home of the Black Nazarene, to be closed this week and for masses to be aired online instead. We have witnessed this past holiday season how fast, how rapid the rise has been of COVID-19 because of social gatherings, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a statement on Wednesday. We would like to remind everyone to be vigilant and continue practicing the necessary health protocols amid the impending threat of the Omicron variant and the continued rise in cases these past days. In light of these, we are calling for a suspension of all mass gatherings. Our alarming situation calls for safer ways to celebrate traditions. We appeal to devotees please stay at home to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and its variants. Doing so is an act of kindness. We need to protect each other, especially our elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, he said. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Teflon coating equipment is shown in the former ChemFab Corp. factory in North Bennington in a photo taken during the 1970s. PFOA contamination from the operation affected hundreds of wells in the Bennington area, leading to a 2016 class-action suit in federal court. Suit plaintiffs are invited to Zoom sessions starting this month to discuss details of a $34.15 million suit settlement agreement. Features Editor Jennifer Huberdeau is The Eagle's features editor. Prior to The Eagle, she worked at The North Adams Transcript. She is a 2021 Rabkin Award Winner, 2020 New England First Amendment Institute Fellow and a 2010 BCBS Health Care Fellow. A Williams College student is tested for COVID-19 as she returns to campus in August 2020. Students returning for the winter session this week are again being screened and so far at least 40 have tested positive. PITTSFIELD In a sober message to parents, students and staff members on Wednesday, Pittsfield schools Superintendent Joseph Curtis warned that the day may soon be approaching when the district will need to close a school or all schools due to rising numbers of COVID cases throughout the district. But should that day come, he said, any missed days would be made up later in-person rather than returning to a remote learning model. During the 3-minute video message sent out shortly after 11 a.m., Curtis told families that any closures would likely be the result of increasing cases among staff members that could interfere with our ability to safely supervise students. Our school leaders, teachers and support staff clearly understand how school closure or remote learning has impacted our students and staff, he said. I can assure you that our entire staff is going above and beyond to keep our schools open. The superintendent said in his message to families that if the need arises for an emergency closure, the school will treat the closure like a snow or weather day and make up the time away from school at the end of the year. He made no mention of plans to return to remote learning during potential closures, and has previously made clear that the district was not considering remote learning as a viable option for students this school year. Students and staff return to Pittsfield schools on Monday. Here's what awaits them While life in the classroom will continue as before the holiday break, the district is implementing new state guidelines around isolation and quarantining to Pittsfield schools' coronavirus safety policies and offering staff testing kits to use to check for the virus before returning to work on Monday. We must take every mitigation measure to ensure that our students remain in in-person school for the entire school year, Curtis said during a School Committee meeting in August. We cannot have another school year where our students are going back and forth between hybrid learning and remote learning. School principals are reportedly maintaining running lists of the number of staff members who are out sick and communicating with administrators each night and early morning when they have concerns about staffing levels, he said. Staff cases are highest at Taconic High School where as of Wednesday morning 10 staff members were out of work with the coronavirus. Prior to this week no school had reported more than 4 staff cases at one time. There is no threshold or number that drives a decision to close, rather an analysis of each schools staffing levels and the ability to operate school safely, Curtis said. Coronavirus cases among students and staff members reached their highest point this school year on Wednesday with 73 students and 35 staff members reporting active coronavirus cases districtwide. Student cases more than quadrupled between Saturday and Monday rising from 15 to 73 cases as the holiday break ended. District staff reported an additional 15 cases in that same time period. The prior peak in school district coronavirus cases was Nov. 20 when 71 students and 7 staff members were out sick with the virus. That peak was brought on by an outbreak at Morningside Community School. The outbreak caused district leaders to close second grade classrooms at the school for the week leading up to the Thanksgiving break. Massachusetts needed nursing home reform even before the pandemic, people say. Now, the stakes are higher. State Sen. Patricia Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, said she believes the pandemic has moved legislative leaders to pursue changes. Even so, addressing long-term care problems in Berkshire County and across the state demands different solutions. Better wages for workers, improved reimbursements for facilities and increased support for nursing home alternatives are all on the table, Jehlen said. 'Get me out of here.' Inside the staffing crisis at Berkshire nursing homes EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: Poor staffing ratios have festered for more than a decade in the majority of Berkshire County nursing facilities, and continue today. Our investigation puts faces to those numbers. I certainly want to do something, and I think everything is connected, Jehlen said. This is the time that we have a chance because of what happened at the beginning of the pandemic. Jehlen and state Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, worked with SEIU Local 1199 and the Massachusetts chapter of the AARP to file a bill that tackles nursing homes low staffing levels, which predate the pandemic, head-on. Their proposal would require Massachusetts facilities to meet the minimum of 4.1 hours of care per resident per day and 0.75 registered nurse hours recommended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition, the proposal would require facilities to adopt outbreak response plans and social isolation prevention policies. And it would start a career ladder program to improve worker retention and care quality. Task force report In 2019, a wave of nursing home closures led the Massachusetts Legislature to establish a 15-member task force to investigate the industrys financial stability. The groups February 2020 report recommended four policy strategies agreed upon by task force members, which included lawmakers, labor leaders, industry executives and state secretaries. The task force recommended that the state seek to close low-quality and low-occupancy nursing facilities, implement a revised reimbursement rate structure, incentivize high-quality care and ensure adequate pay for workers across the continuum. Gov. Charlie Bakers administration acted upon some of those recommendations. In 2020, the Baker administration restructured reimbursement rates. To receive the increased rates, facilities had to meet a minimum of 3.58 hours of care per resident per day, which still falls below the CMS recommendation of 4.1 hours, and had to spend at least 75 percent of revenue on their care workforce. More recently, an August law established a special commission to study the state Department of Healths nursing home licensing process. The commission is required to submit a report and recommendations by October 2023. Yet, both Jehlen and Balser say their proposal should accompany additional legislation that addresses wages, reimbursement rates and other issues. Its not only requiring a higher number of hours, which is a necessary but not sufficient reform, Balser said. Theres a big issue with salaries for those folks who work in nursing homes, and theres also working conditions. Theres a lot of issues. Pushback from industry Jehlen said she hopes two categories of legislation can pass this session. One would expand Massachusetts residents access to nursing home alternatives on the long-term care continuum, which includes assisted living facilities, home health care and other options that offer greater independence. The other would address nursing homes themselves. Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, a coalition of disability and senior advocacy groups, has endorsed 67 bills in the Legislature this session, including Jehlen and Balsers proposal to increase staffing levels, it says on its website. The group representing the states nursing homes, however, has expressed its reservations. Massachusetts Senior Care Association President Tara Gregorio warned at a June hearing that proposals before the elder affairs committee would create unfunded mandates, although she added that industry leaders agree in concept with the reforms. Gregorio estimates that Jehlen and Balsers proposal to increase staffing levels would cost $170 million per year, she said in an email to The Eagle. Nursing facilities simply cannot afford these increases under the states existing reimbursement formula, Gregorio said, adding that costs for temporary nursing agency staff have grown. We continue to believe that any staffing mandate must be accompanied with a statutory provision that requires recognition of the new costs by MassHealth. The elder affairs committee is weighing the associations testimony along with the support that the Dignity Alliance and its member organizations have provided for the bill, said state Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, who co-chairs the committee with Jehlen. Thats the job of the committee, and thats what were doing right now, Stanley said. One side says one thing, another side says another. And its our job to dig into the arguments and find out what is accurate and what can be changed in order to make the system work better. The Massachusetts Senior Care Associations top priority is the establishment of a stable and skilled workforce, Gregorio said, identifying two bills as critically necessary. Those proposals sit before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, which heard testimony on them in September. While 70 percent of nursing home residents have their care paid by MassHealth, the state Medicaid program provides reimbursements that fall $30 short per day of covering the cost of care for each resident, Gregorio said. A nursing home quality jobs initiative would require MassHealth to fund a living wage rate add-on for care workers, and another bill seeks to stabilize nursing facilities finances. Former state Sen. Richard Moore, who serves as Dignity Alliances legislative chair, said the coalition has reviewed those proposals and declined to support them due to the potential for cost-shifting that would increase profits for facility operators. If MassHealth picked up the cost, are the savings going to be passed on as a profit to the owners? Moore asked. Weve been working with some folks from the SEIU that represent some of the workers in nursing homes, and I think they tend to have the interests of the workers in mind more than management does. Long-term care continuum Even before the pandemic, Massachusetts residents had been showing greater interest in alternatives to nursing homes. More older adults are choosing to age in community or age in place rather than seek institutional care in nursing homes, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services reported in 2019. One in six nursing homes in the state, it found, had low occupancy, defined as filling below 80 percent of available beds. Still, some regulations and restrictions prevent people who may not need nursing care from accessing more independent alternatives, Jehlen said. There are people in nursing homes who dont need to be there if we strengthen the rest of the continuum, she said. In order to pay adequate rates for people who need that care, we need to strengthen the less expensive and less restrictive services. Stanley worked on a commission that made recommendations for establishing a statewide licensing process for home health care agencies. Licensing more home care providers can provide quality assurance to families, he said. Quote I think its incredibly frustrating for consumers to find the right and appropriate care for their loved ones when the time comes." State Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Saugus I think its incredibly frustrating for consumers to find the right and appropriate care for their loved ones when the time comes, and we want to ensure that home care agencies are licensed and trained properly and that consumers know what theyre getting, Stanley said. Another priority is to right-size the nursing home industry so that nursing homes can be financially sustainable and that sufficient funds can go toward supporting care workers and expanding community-based services, Stanley said. Jehlen has filed a bill to improve reimbursements for home health services, but regulations can also pose a barrier. Many people living with HIV or AIDS, for example, must enter nursing homes if they are not old enough to qualify for home care, Jehlen said. While most residents must be 60 or older to qualify for home care people diagnosed with Alzheimers are eligible if they are younger than 60 one Jehlen bill would make home care available to anyone diagnosed with HIV or AIDS regardless of age. Another Jehlen bill would authorize staff in assisted living residences to provide common sense health services, such as administering injections and applying ointments or drops. Some families have had to travel to assisted living facilities to administer insulin injections themselves because staff were not allowed to do so, Jehlen said. Assisted living facilities have temporary authorization to provide those services, but the authorization is set to expire Feb. 1. Jehlen said she expects the complexity of problems facing long-term care facilities will require continued focus from lawmakers beyond this session. Its rare that we solve all problems at once, she said. Susan Dunn is a professor of humanities at Williams College and the author of Sister Revolutions: French Lightning, American Light and Jeffersons Second Revolution. To be a candidate or not to be? Ever Wondered What is Selah? I hum along to the strains of How Great Thou Art pouring from the living room speaker. As the song ends, I hustle to the CD player and press a small black button reluctant to surrender my time in worship to the demands of a full tutoring schedule. Turning away from the console, I notice a slim, midnight blue sleeve. I recognize the bands familiar name displayed on the cover Selah. I know selah was included in the last line of Anita Diamants book, The Red Tent, and that it has been used as a girls name in both literature and church circles, but what does selah mean in the Bible? What Does Selah Mean in the Bible? The word selah is as mysterious as it is beautiful. While its exact meaning has been debated since the second century, Strongs concordance provides multiple definitions. When used as a noun, selah refers to a cliff or crag. In verb form, though, it means to lift up, exalt a fitting definition for both the soring cliffs of Petra and the omnipotent God of Psalms. Pronounced say-luh, scholars are unsure of the words origin. Some believe it was derived from the Hebrew word calah which meant valued or hangs. We read this word in Job 28:19 (KJV), The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued [calah] in pure gold. Here, Job has concluded that wisdom is of incomparable value. When it hangs in the balance, wisdom outweighs wealth. Drawing on the frequency of selahs position at the end of a poetic verse or phrase, many Bible students have concluded that selah was a musical term that meant to pause or contemplate similar to the current rest notation used in a musical score. Instrumentalists, for instance, might have continued playing while the chorus or congregation stopped briefly. Other scholars contend that selah meant forever or that it was designed to prompt congregants to contemplate their relationship with the Lord. As the Amplified version of Psalm 3:4 reflects, With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Unlike most Biblical words, selah is not directly translated. Instead, it is transliterated, or written to represent its sound in the original language. Jason Soroski shares more about transliteration in his article, What Does Selah Mean in the Bible and Why Is it Important?. Where Is Selah Used in the Bible? The first reference to selah appears in 2 Kings 14:7. Here, we read that Jehoash, king of Israel, captured Selah along with ten thousand Edomites. In this instance, Selah was a specific city possibly though not likely, modern-day Petra a stronghold and the capital of Edom. Selah is also mentioned in Isaiah 16:1(NIV), Send lambs as tributefrom selah. and Obadiah 1:3 (AMPC), The pride of your heart has deceived you, you dweller in the refuges of the rock [Petra, Edoms capital] In each of the instances above, selah specifies a place surrounded by or made of rock. In the prophetic song of Habakkuk, selah is referenced three times in Chapter 3. "God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah." (Habakkuk 3:3 NKJ) " Oaths were sworn over Your arrows. Selah." (Habakkuk 3:9 NKJ) "You struck the head by laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah." (Habakkuk 3:18 NKJ) The poetic verses are somewhat like those in the Psalms many of the lines that include selah use it as a conclusion or break in the stanza. In fact, selah is included seventy-one times within thirty-nine Psalms. Thirty-one of these were directed to the choirmaster or director. It is easy to understand, then, why many people believe selah is a type of musical instruction. Both King David and the Sons of Korah penned selah into their Psalms, suggesting it was a familiar term not only to musicians but also to worshippers. Some have suggested selah might have been an Old Testament equivalent to amen or hallelujah used to emphasize an important point in the Psalm. Selah is even listed as an interjection in Strongs concordance. Perhaps we will never have a clear understanding of the lyrical selah, but we can apply what we know to our lives as an act of worship. How Do We Live a Life of Selah in the Day-to-Day? In a world routed by Covid restrictions, pipeline shortages, and mask mandates, we can forget God is sovereign. Despite our overwhelm, he is unsurprised by our circumstances. With its multiple meanings, selah can enrich our worship and embolden our faith as we learn to trust in the Lord even in these challenging times. Lets review 2 Kings 14:7. This verse could be transliterated as the king took the rock by war. I love the multiple meanings assigned to selah, especially this definition rock. God, who is our heavenly rock and stronghold, is multifaceted and unchanging. Because the Bible reveals His beauty and character to us, the simplest way to live a life of selah is to study scripture. We can also develop a mindset of gratitude. Recent studies indicate that gratitude improves mood, decreases depression, and improves sleep. Our bodies were designed to give praise and thanks to God. By living a life of selah, or one in which we lift up the Lord, the blessing we give him returns to us. A third way to implement selah is to pause in the frenetic pace of the day to nurture relationship with Christ. Like Mary, we can sit at the feet of Jesus and choose what is better (Luke 10:42 NIV). Practical Tips for Studying Selah in Scripture Because many of the Psalms include selah, they are a natural place to begin reading and reflecting on the Lord. Some of these include Psalms 3, 4, 7, and 9. You can search for the Psalms that reference selah, or if you would like to receive a weekly selah study prompt, click here. While reading each of the Psalms, consider the following: - What were the different emotions and thoughts the Psalmist expressed? Do you share your emotions and thoughts with the Lord in the same way? Why or why not? - What were the Psalmist's circumstances? - Consider reading and praying through the selah Psalms aloud. - As you pronounce selah, pause, and remember that God is your fortress and strength. Then, exalt and praise his name for a specific gift in your life. - Record the action verb in each Psalm. How does it relate to your life? Invite the Holy Spirit to teach you from each specific verse. - Memorize each selah verse. A Prayer for Christians to Live a Life Focused on Selah Lord, Your word tells us that your greatness is unsearchable, and much about you remains a mystery. But you have revealed yourself to us through scripture as well as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We long to know you more fully and pray the Holy Spirit will provide insight and wisdom as we seek to understand that which is beyond us. Father, help us to pause and remember you are sovereign when fear or anxiety threaten to overwhelm us. Teach us to rest securely in you the solid, everlasting rock, and give you all the praise and glory. Selah. Photo Credit: Unsplash Tammy Kennington is a writer and speaker familiar with the impact of trauma, chronic illness, and parenting in the hard places. Her heart is to lead women from hardship to hope. You can meet with Tammy at her blog www.tammykennington.com where shell send you her e-book, Moving from Pain to Peace-A Journey Toward Hope When the Past Holds You Captive. BOISE - A refinery fire in Texas and some distribution snags in the Pacific Northwest are putting upward pressure on pump prices as 2022 begins, according to AAA. Over the last week, the national average for regular fuel increased slightly by half a cent to $3.29 a gallon. Meanwhile, Oregon saw the biggest jump of any state in the nation, with the average price of fuel jumping six cents to $3.83. In Idaho, the average price per gallon sits at $3.56, one cent lower than this time last week and nine cents lower than one month ago. The national average price for fuel is also down eight cents from one month ago. Oregon and Washington are the only two states in the nation with higher prices now than one month ago. The west coast region continues to have the most expensive pump prices in the nation, with all seven states in the region landing in the top 10. For the 50th week in a row, California was the most expensive state for fuel, with an average price of $4.66. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have higher prices now than a year ago, and 26 states and D.C. have a current average thats a dollar or more higher than a year ago. AAA says a pre-Christmas fire at the Exxon Mobil Corp plant in Baytown, TX, is causing reduced output. The plant is the nations fourth-biggest oil refinery, with the capacity to process 560,500 barrels per day of crude. In addition to the refinery and terminal issues, the Omicron variant is also influencing oil and fuel prices, as fears of the economic impact create uncertainty, says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho. Investors worry that the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant will lead to reduced future global oil consumption. Crude oil dropped to $68 per barrel on December 20, then climbed above $75 per barrel on December 27 and has remained above that mark since then. Heres a look at Idaho gas prices as of Tuesday, January 4, 2022: MOSCOW - Mothers who have recently been infected with coronavirus and breastfeed their infants can provide antibodies that can provide their little one natural protection against COVID-19, according to a study. The new report expands on earlier findings that showed the milk of breastfeeding women infected with SARS-CoV-2 did not contain the virus. According to researchers, these results support recommendations encouraging lactating women to continue breastfeeding during and after COVID-19 illness. "The expanded study included more than 60 women who provided samples up to two months after their COVID-19 diagnoses," said Michelle K. Shelley McGuire of the University of Idaho. She led the study along with University of Rochester Medical Center colleague Antti E. Seppo. The full team included researchers from the U of I; Washington State University; University of Rochester Medical Center; University of California, San Francisco; Brigham and Womens Hospital; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; and Tulane University. The journal Frontiers in Immunology published the report December 23. What was really important was those antibodies remained elevated in most of those women for up to two months, McGuire said. It just added confidence that even if you have COVID, breastfeeding is the right thing to do. The team tested the breastmilk samples for immunoglobulin A antibodies specific to the spike protein in the novel coronavirus responsible for the pandemic. The tests showed three-quarters of the women continued to produce the antibodies in breastmilk for up to two months with some beginning as early as within a week of their COVID-19 diagnosis. The researchers said the antibodies in breastmilk likely provided the womens infants with a lasting source of passive immunity. The women also submitted swabs from breast skin before and after washing. Although no SARS CoV-2 virus was detected in milk, 29% of skin swabs tested positive for SARS CoV-2 genetic material (RNA) before washing. Only two of 29 swabs, 6%, tested positive after washing. The researchers attributed the presence of the viral RNA to coughing by the women or household sources. The researchers stressed that they found no evidence of live virus or reason to be concerned about this finding. "The bottom line stayed the same: Breastfeeding during COVID-19 is not only safe for infants, it is likely protective," McGuire said. MECOSTA COUNTY With a return to school from winter break comes new possibilities for COVID-19 cases to rise, and Mecosta County school districts are reinforcing the protocols they are currently utilizing to mitigate the spread of the virus. Prior to winter break, several districts faced issues with illness caseloads and confusion regarding quarantine policy, including Morley Stanwood and Big Rapids schools. In letter to parents in November, Morley Stanwood Superintendent Roger Cole said keeping track of any sickness is key to a safe return. While we are still experiencing positive cases here at school, both students and staff, our numbers the first day back are not out of control, Cole said. Because of that, parents do not always think of COVID when their son or daughter has the sniffles. Reasonably so, they think of an allergy or the common cold as the cause for the onset of the symptoms. We have found that the most contagious folk are contagious a day or two prior to the onset of symptoms and up through the first four or five days after they test positive, he added. If we can catch things early, we can help keep our numbers under control better. Prior to students returning for classes, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Education (MDE) sent a letter to superintendents urging schools to reinforce actions that can help alleviate the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions are particularly in anticipation of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The guidance is intended to keep school buildings open and allow students and staff to return to school safely after winter break. MDHHS continues to reinforce that vaccination remains the best public health measure to protect Michiganders from COVID-19. Currently, children ages five and up are eligible to be vaccinated. According to the health officials, the most effective way to prevent transmission within school buildings and reduce prolonged disruptions to in-person learning is to layer multiple prevention strategies as recommended by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Big Rapids Public Schools has also faced closures and is aiming to mitigate the spread with students coming back to the buildings. Superintendent Tim Haist said the schools administrations hopes to have a smooth transition back to school. When were transitioning back its really going to be about focusing on reassessing our students from where they ended and make sure we get them started in the right direction for the school year, Haist said. We want to make sure that they are feeling safe and comfortable both socially, emotionally and academically in our buildings. "Were always concerned about the potential impact that COVID may have on our school and we continue to take the extra precautions weve taken all year long. Well continue to follow protocols and procedures as we return from the holiday break to do our best to make sure were able to stay in person for our students and staff. As far as the rest of the year goes, were still wrapping up some of our bond projects, and some potential projects for our sinking fund that well plan to pursue over the next summer," he added. "I think most importantly were looking forward to trying to stay in person and having a successful second half to our school year. The CDC and MDHHS strongly recommend universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors, age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status. As Michigan remains in high community transmission, the CDC reaffirmed that universal indoor masking is a critical prevention strategy for all school districts to allow students to maintain in-person learning. Cole said Morley Stanwood will see some new changes in the new year and that the administration will continue to be vigilant about illness cases. Building and staff-wise, educationally about two weeks from now our new principal Richard Wiersma will be starting and were looking forward to that transition, Cole said. Itll be a little different here mid-year with the new change, and also because Mr. Nelson has been here a while, and this is his 11th year. Thatll be a change, and people will get to know someone different, but maintaining the direction were going is important. Right now, my concern is that well be seeing a spike in cases as we saw after Thanksgiving break for a few weeks, Cole said. Well certainly continue with what weve been doing, and if individuals want to wear masks in our buildings they can. Well be following protocols for close contacts and potential contacts as well as encouraging vaccination. Our goal is to maintain the safety of our students and staff as always. Increases capabilities serving the high growth cell and gene therapy market Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has completed acquisition of PeproTech for a total cash purchase price of approximately $1.85 billion. Based in Cranbury, New Jersey, PeproTech is a privately held provider of bioscience reagents known as recombinant proteins, including cytokines and growth factors. Recombinant proteins are used in the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies as well as in broader cell culture applications, especially for use in cellular research models. PeproTech's recombinant proteins portfolio complements Thermo Fisher's cell culture media products and will enable Thermo Fisher to provide customers significant benefits through an integrated offering. PeproTech will become part of the biosciences business within Thermo Fisher and will be integrated into the Life Sciences Solutions Segment. In her BizTrends2022 session, Nicola Cooper, founder of Nicola Cooper and Associates, academic and analyst, teacher, speaker and brand consultant. With a well-known presence in Africa's fashion and lifestyle landscapes, Cooper has her gaze set on ever-shifting futures, charting trends and behaviour on the hyperlocal and international scale What constitutes a trend for you? Can you share a bit about what audiences can expect from your presentation? You are the founder of Nicola Cooper and Associates - what was the inspiration behind starting this company? What value lies in spotting trends in the fashion lifestyle landscape? Why do you think nurturing the youth of Africa is a valuable thing to invest in? How has the narrative changed in this landscape from when you started until now? Could you share any key lessons you have learned along the way? What is your least favourite social media platform? Speaking at the virtual conference, scheduled to take place on 2 February 2022, Cooper will share how business is changing in dynamic and how businesses can adopt new methods and practices at BizTrends 02.02.2022A trend is a shift, a movement driven by key technological, socio-political, environmental and economic influence - and how those shifts, either subtle or exaggerated, impacts your business, consumers or industry.We hope to show our audiences that business is changing in dynamic - in exciting ways - and how they can adopt new methods of practices that open critical change and opportunity.The inspiration behind NC+A was that there was no fundamental groundwork and unearthing of critical business intelligence for Africas fashion, lifestyle, and pop/youth cultural landscape.Trends or cultural information was often defined from the outside looking in rather than ground-level information. We wanted to offer clients critical and appropriate information for African businesses rather than the global, Americanised, Eurocentric or Auto-Exotic gaze.We believe it is vital to humanise data, provide accurate and valuable insights to ensure our clients can make informed decisions to drive growth, sales and the bottom line.As someone who has specialised in identity formation within African cultures, including sub and counter cultures, I was aware of the diversity within the African continent and the importance of identifying the golden thread that connects our consumers and communities.Once we can explore these narratives, we can empower brands, businesses, or creatives to own their narratives and impact the local and the global market.We must assist our clients in understanding their value, their point of differentiation and how that can be used to cut through the noise to bring a new, fresh spin to their market.Our continent is the youngest on the planet; when we gauge the median age of other countries, we begin to understand how young we are.Africa has been defined from outside of its borders for far too long. It is thrilling to observe Africans taking that power back and slowly beginning to understand that it is their story to tell, and they get to define what African is to the world.Seeing African brands, businesses, and professionals step into their power is goosebumps material in a continent with a tumultuous past.Obviously, as trend analysts, futurists and strategists, we have seen this coming for a long time; it has been interesting to experience the shift with our clients and how seeing our predictions come into fruition allows for trust and the opportunity to be innovative and to make tremendous change within our industries.Many game changers have been laying the groundwork, and it is always fulfilling to see the growth of seeds planted.It is not a lesson but more an observation along NC+As path. Patience and trust are critical in our role, change is never easy with large corporations, and our services are new.It is imperative to understand a clients business in its present and the company's aspirations and know that it is not a one size fits all.Our role is to arm our clients with vital insights and business intelligence to ensure that they can grow. That we are in business to make money, not all trends apply to every business. Our role is to deliver information that is not just cool but valuable business tools to help companies reach their full potential and shift with the zeitgeist.My least favourite social media platform is Instagram. The shift from a personal space to express your thoughts and our identity to an overtly curated and monetised platform has removed a sense of differentiation and drew what I love about the diversity of our world.The sameness and overly polished approach have left the platform with many beautiful advertisements but little substance, which removes the layers and depth of what makes people individual and unique.Bring me Twitter any day! French President Emmanuel Macron launched a tirade against the unvaccinated today. Macron No Longer Views Unvaxxed as French Please consider Macron No Longer Views Unvaxxed as French, Vows to 'Piss Them Off' and 'Reduce' Them French President Emmanuel Macron told one of the nations leading newspapers that he no longer considers the unvaccinated to be French citizens, and that his primary COVID-19 strategy is to continue to piss them off until they submit to his COVID-19 mandates. The remark from Macron, delivered during an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien, has divided French politicians, and even has the countrys Communist Party candidate questioning Macrons motives. I am not about pissing off the French people, Macron told the readers of Le Parisien on Tuesday. But as for the non-vaccinated, I really want to piss them off. And we will continue to do this, to the end. This is the strategy. He declared that worst enemies of democracy are lies and stupidity, then declared that his government is putting pressure on the unvaccinated by limiting, as much as possible, their access to activities in social life. Macrons government claims that 90% of its citizens are vaccinated. He promised to reduce this minority with further restrictions. Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Here is a link to the Original Article on Le Parisien, translated, but unfortunately it's Paywalled. Parliament Suspended After Macron's Comments In an article not paywalled, Le Parisien reports "Pissing off the unvaccinated": the debates on the vaccine pass suspended after the words of Emmanuel Macron. After a first surprise suspension on the night of Monday to Tuesday, the examination of the bill strengthening the tools for managing the health crisis was again stopped this night after our interview with the president. Decidedly, it is now written that nothing will go as planned with the examination of the bill supposed to introduce the vaccine pass. Rarely has the atmosphere been so electric at the Palais Bourbon. This is the direct consequence of the interview granted by the President of the Republic to our readers, published Tuesday evening on our website. The elected representatives of the opposition did not support the words of Emmanuel Macron, addressed to the French who have to date still not received a single dose of vaccine. "The unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off," Emmanuel Macron said in our columns. "A president cannot keep the remarks which were made", launched Christian Jacob, president of the Republicans. "I cannot support a text which aims to piss off the French". For his part, the communist Fabien Roussel, candidate for the presidential election, questioned the real intentions of the government. The bill on the health pass "is it a text to piss off more? or less piss off? The French, he asked. A little before 2 am, the debates were finally able to resume in the Assembly but anger was still strong in the ranks of the opposition. The deputy Damien Abad immediately denounced the remarks "premeditated, of a childish cynicism" of the President of the Republic ... Before calling once again for the coming of the Prime Minister and asking for a new suspension. Request legitimately granted by the chairman of the session. Finally, the deputy Marc Le Fur, who chaired the debates, announced at 2 am the adjournment of the meeting. It must resume this Wednesday at 3 p.m. In an atmosphere which promises to be already very tense Wow This could easily cost Macron the 2022 Presidential election in April-May. Vowing to "Piss Off" a full 10% of the population hardly seems like the right thing to do. Hello President Macron Researchers from the COVID-19-linked Wuhan Institute of Virology and disgraced researcher Peter Daszaks EcoHealth Alliance have carried out new research on recombinant coronaviruses in rodents, a recently published paper reveals. The paper lists the Chinese regime as well as Joe Bidens International Development department as funders and supporters of the dangerous work. The October document A Novel Potentially Recombinant Rodent Coronavirus with a Polybasic Cleavage Site in the Spike Protein describes how researchers sampled rodents and shrews collected from the wild for coronavirus prevalence. In the years preceding COVID-19, the Wuhan Institute of Virology carried out similar expeditions to gather data on bats. Using the samples collected, researchers from the Wuhan lab in collaboration with the American non-profit EcoHealth Alliance discovered killer viruses that they bragged were capable of direct human infection. The new paper, which counts researchers from seven Chinese state-run scientific institutions including one person affiliated with the Wuhan Institute of Virologys Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, is authored by three EcoHealth Alliance Researchers including President Peter Daszak. The National Pulse has previously revealed Daszaks extensive relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, prompting his removal from the Lancets COVID-19 commission due to conflicts of interest. South Africa: Dept of Water and Sanitation welcomes new Director-General The Department of Water and Sanitation has welcomed newly appointed Director-General, Dr Sean Phillips, who started on Monday. This was after the approval of his appointment late last year by Cabinet. Minister Senzo Mchunu, along with Deputy Ministers Dikeledi Magadzi and David Mahlobo, formally introduced him to senior managers within the department. According to the statement released on Tuesday, Phillips is an engineer by profession with more than 20 years in senior management positions in government. He also has expertise in service delivery improvement, public service governance and administration, infrastructure procurement and delivery management, project and programme management, as well as operations management. The department has been without a permanent Director-General for a while leading to instability within the department and its entities. In separating the Ministry of Water and Sanitation from Human Settlements, the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, emphasised the need to have a dedicated focus on water and such will require a stable, efficient, and effective department, the Minister said. I do not doubt that with the appointment of the new Director-General, and with the right mindset and commitment to purpose, we will be able to deliver on our mandate. Our people demand nothing less but our best. We dare not fail, Mchunu added. The Minister said he looked forward to working with him and the department officials in pursuit of a better life for all people. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-01-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Wang Yi's new year visit to Africa follows diplomatic tradition, eyes 'fighting pandemic, peace building' By Yang Sheng (Global Times) 08:54, January 05, 2022 China continues its diplomatic tradition of 32 years by making Africa the first destination of its foreign minister in a new year. Analysts said that the visit will further strengthen China's ties with the continent to deepen existing cooperation under the frame of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and also eye urgent issues like fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and handling a humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war in Ethiopia. A 32-year tradition: Chinese FM's new year begins with trip to Africa. (Graphic:Huo Siyu/Global Times) According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday, continuing the tradition of Chinese foreign ministers, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Eritrea, Kenya and the Comoros from January 4 to 7. He will then visit the Maldives and Sri Lanka. "The three African countries have a traditional friendship with China," said Liu Qinghai, a professor at the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University, noting that Eritrea built its diplomatic ties with China on the first day of its independence on May 24, 1993 and the two countries have made a series of pragmatic cooperation in the past decades. "Since November 2020, in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which borders Eritrea, a civil war has been ongoing, and the conflict is still far from ending, which has caused a serious humanitarian crisis, and Eritrea has been affected. So Wang's visit will also contribute to peace building and conflict mediation for the region, and help the countries affected by the war solve their urgent problems," Liu told the Global Times on Tuesday. China Global Television Network reported on Monday that the conflict between Ethiopia's army and the regional Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has left countless dead, forced millions from their homes and plunged the country to the edge of famine. Analysts said the conflict has impacted many countries in the region, and in order to restore peace and stability, the assistance from a major power outside the region is significant. The second leg of Wang's Africa trip is Kenya, "which is a key partner of China in East Africa and also an example of China-Africa cooperation to jointly build the Belt and Road," said Liu, noting that Kenya is also actively participating in conflict mediation in Ethiopia. Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has benefited many African countries. In Kenya, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway is playing a key role in boosting regional interconnectivity, and the successful experiences could be expanded to more countries in the region. Wang Yi visited Kenya in January 2020, and he said that "China regards Kenya as a trusted and sincere friend and partner, and has always viewed and developed relations between the two countries from a strategic and long-term perspective." The Chinese foreign minister's trip to Kenya this year will focus on some urgent issues including coordination with Kenya on how to solve the crisis in Ethiopia, Liu noted. The Comoros is an island country in the Indian Ocean and China was the first country to recognize the independence of the Comoros and build diplomatic ties with it, and the Chinese foreign minister hasn't visited the country in more than 10 years. So the visit is a natural arrangement for the two sides to deepen existing relations, and shows China's diplomatic principle of treating all countries, big or small, equally, Liu said. Apart from boosting economic and infrastructure cooperation and assisting in peace building, the COVID-19 pandemic will also be a key topic for China-Africa cooperation, and China will implement its promise to help African countries and other developing countries worldwide fight the pandemic by offering vaccines and medical materials, as well as send medical teams to assist the ones in need, said analysts. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) Sherrian Howe has been missing from her Manchester home for two weeks. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call police at 860-645-5500. (Manchester Police Department) Sherrian Howe, 21, does not look her age, a relative said Wednesday of the petite woman who has been missing from Manchester for two weeks. Howe is 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 105 pounds. She also is very timid, her sister, Anthea Howe-Denize, said. Advertisement Shes not an assertive type of person, Howe-Denize said. And if you see her, she looks like a 13- or 14-year old. Police boosted the case to a silver alert on Dec. 29, Manchester police spokesman Lt. Ryan Shea said, after information was recovered which led investigators to believe she may have had suicidal ideations at some point prior to her disappearance. Advertisement A pharmacy technician who works at a Walgreens in Manchester, Sherrian was attending college in Hartford with the goal of becoming a pharmacist. She was living with her brother in Manchester, close to her job, family members said. (Courtesy of Anthea Howe-Denize) Sherrians brother was supposed to drop her off along with his son at Howe-Denizes Springfield home on Dec. 21 for a holiday visit, but she was nowhere to be found and did not answer phone calls or emails. The last communication was an email sent to family members on Dec. 22 at 12:42 p.m. A screenshot of the email that Howe-Denize shared showed the message from Sherrians account, Im fine just need a break from everything. Howe-Denize replied, Thanks for reaching out. Be careful out there but come home soon please. Sherrian was not in a relationship, her sister and sister-in-law, Nyesha Howe, said. (Courtesy of Anthea Howe-Denize) The 2008 Nissan Versa that Howe-Denize said she bought for her sister last year was found on Dec. 28 in a parking lot off Main Street in Windsor Locks, police said. Sherrians laptop and other belongings were found at a nearby hotel in Windsor Locks, Howe-Denize said. Breaking News As it happens Get the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut > Nyesha Howe reported Sherrian missing on Dec. 21. She said Sherrian had worsening depression and was not eating well. Nyesha Howe said she had access to information that allowed her to track Sherrians credit card purchases and found that between Dec. 21-23, a card was billed for $35 for Dominos Pizza and another $35 at a seafood place in East Windsor. She wouldnt be buying $35 worth of Dominos, Nyesha Howe said. She agreed with Anthea Howes description of Sherrian as timid and also said she had no social life. Also, Sherrian left messages on Christmas cards for loved ones that seemed out of character, Nyesha Howe said, including one that said, I hope you have a good life. Advertisement Nyesha said police will not answer questions and she fears they are not devoting enough resources to the search. But Shea said, Were doing everything we can with the information we have. He urged anyone with information to call police at 860-645-5500. Asked if she thinks her sister is safe, Howe-Denize said, I honestly dont think she is. Her phones off. Its been two weeks. Were very concerned, she said. This is not like her. Shes never done anything like this. Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com Plans to build a natural gas plant in Killingly have been scuttled by federal regulators who approved a request by New Englands electric grid operator to cancel a power generating agreement. This is a rendering of the proposed plant. (courtesy Killingly Energy Center) Plans to build a natural gas plant in Killingly have been scuttled by federal regulators at the request of New Englands electric grid operator. The decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to cancel a power-generating agreement delivers a long-sought victory for environmentalists who are fighting the use of fossil fuels. Advertisement [ Environmentalists clash with Lamont as natural gas plant set for Killingly tests Connecticuts promise to address climate change ] Regulators agreed with ISO-New England, the Holyoke, Massachusetts-based grid operator, that the Killingly plant will not be ready to begin operations until after June 1, 2024, more than two years after it was committed to start. ISO said in November the Killingly project failed to meet its target established when it agreed in February 2019 to generate power. In an emailed statement, NTE Energy, the St. Augustine, Florida, company that had planned to build the more than $500 million plant, said its very disappointed. Advertisement The Killingly Energy Center is important for grid reliability and we will continue to work to be the bridge for the regions carbon-free future, it said. The proposal had received certification from the state Siting Council and an air permit from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. NTE told federal regulators that ISOs request to terminate the deal is premature and based on faulty assumptions. It said it was delayed by challenges from other generators and environmentalists. It also blamed COVID-19 for sidelining employees who were forced to remain at home and disrupting supply chains and access to construction labor and other services and materials needed to start the project. The Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club, which fiercely opposed the plant, called the federal decision a bit of cheer as we start the New Year. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection considers plans for Killingly dead. This closes the chapter on the project and it is now time to focus on market changes that will support a clean and reliable grid of the future, spokesman Will Healey said in an emailed statement. News @3 Daily Catch up on the days top headlines sent directly to your inbox weekdays at 3 p.m > Environmentalists put Gov. Ned Lamont and Katie Dykes, his energy commissioner, on the defensive over the Killingly plant. Samantha Dynowski, state director of Sierra Club Connecticut, told them at a September 2019 meeting she was concerned that Connecticut is the only New England state expanding natural gas, knowing that methane is the chief component of natural gas, the most destructive greenhouse gas we have. Dykes replied by saying natural gas is a bridge from coal and oil, which emit more carbon. Advertisement In November, when ISO-New England asked FERC to approve its request to terminate the deal, Dykes said the grid operator had reduced its forecast of how much power generation New England needs. Separate and apart from the viability of this particular project, it kind of raises the question about how much the region needs this particular facility to meet reliability needs of the electricity grid, she said. Matt Kakley, a spokesman for ISO-New England, said forecasts for electricity demand are developed through a full stakeholder process that includes representatives from Connecticut. The ISO regularly updates its forecasts, accounting for changes in consumer demand patterns, energy efficiency and the use of solar panels, he said. In addition, periodic power purchase auctions account for updated demand forecasts and the status of projects being developed, Kakley said. Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. Most kindergarten to Grade 12 students in Manitoba will kick off the first week of their winter semester from home, the province announced Tuesday. Advertisement Advertise With Us MIKAELA MACKENZIE/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Education Minister Cliff Cullen (left), deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal (on screen) and Premier Heather Stefanson (right) announced Tuesday that some students will return to remote learning on Jan. 10. Most kindergarten to Grade 12 students in Manitoba will kick off the first week of their winter semester from home, the province announced Tuesday. Online classes wont apply to K-6 students of critical service workers, high-risk students and students with special learning needs, who can all attend school in person if no alternative care is available. However, the rest of Manitobas student population will attend virtual classes for the week in order to give school officials and health-care workers more time to prepare for the return of widespread in-person learning on Jan. 17. "This phased-in approach will allow school divisions and schools to have more time to prepare operational plans, including planning for potential staffing shortages and expected absenteeism due to isolation requirements," Education Minister Cliff Cullen said at Tuesdays news conference. Throughout the week of remote learning, child-care facilities that offer 12 months of service, including centres in schools, will remain open. However, these licensed centres and child-care homes can also apply for additional funding starting Jan. 10 to offset the loss of parent fees. In December, Cullen pushed the return to school to Jan. 10, telling the public the province needs a couple of extra days to assess the impact of the highly infectious omicron variant. Now that the province has reported more than 7,000 COVID-19 cases since Friday, deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal said Tuesday that the time was right to put these additional safety measures in place. "We know in-person learning is best for students, but we are still learning about how the omicron variant will affect our health-care system and Manitobans in the long term," he said. "Given that so much is still unknown about the omicron variant, we are moving quickly on the return to school option to give parents the time they need to make plans for remote learning next week." When asked about why the province didnt institute remote learning before the winter break when chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin was already forecasting more than 1,000 cases a day for January Atwal replied by saying they didnt have enough information to make that call until now. "We were hoping we would have a lot of information even by now, even by last week actually," he said. "But it looks like it will take another week to really tease out some of that important information we need in relation to severe outcomes and omicron." Premier Heather Stefanson, who also attended Tuesdays news conference, defended her governments overall response to the emergence of the omicron variant, characterizing the approach as being "proactive." "Our governments No. 1 priority is to protect the health and well-being of all Manitobans, especially our most vulnerable," she said. "As a mother of two, nothing matters more than the health and safety and education of my children. As parents, we want to give our children every opportunity to learn, create, play [and] chase their dreams safely." Tuesdays announcement comes mere days after Quebec and Ontario announced similar back-to-school plans for January. However, not everyone is happy with the Manitoba governments latest shift to remote learning. A Brandon School Division teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Sun following Tuesdays announcement that one week is simply not enough time to properly prepare for in-person learning under the shadow of omicron. "We still have a few classrooms that are not strict on mask-wearing," the teacher wrote in a Facebook message. "Not everyone is on the same page. I work at two different schools in the division. Teachers are still doing a vast majority of their own cleaning. I want students in school learning I just dont know how we can go about that in a safe [manner] when schools are packed to the brim." Meanwhile, parent Rana Wilkinson has mixed feelings about Tuesdays announcement, since her six-year-old daughter, who attends Valleyview Centennial School, does not thrive in a remote learning environment. Having already endured a couple of rounds of remote learning since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Wilkinson said she believes the benefits of physically attending class including improved academic performance and mental health outweigh the risks of omicron. "In-person learning is where our children need to be," she said over the phone. "However, I can understand people who have an immunocompromised family member or something else that makes them not want their child to go to school. They should be able to have that choice as well." Last January, the province mandated a two-week remote learning period for students in grades 7 to 12 for the beginning of that winter semester. Schools in Brandon and Winnipeg capped off the 2020-21 academic year in remote learning due to the third wave of the pandemic, with the province planning a return to full in-person learning in the fall. Manitoba has recorded at least 2,937 COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools since the current school year began on Sept. 7, 2021. More than 80 per cent of these cases (2,361) involve students. kdarbyson@brandonsun.com Twitter:@KyleDarbyson To ensure the continued preservation of a historical landmark in Brandon, repairs worth six figures to a million dollars are needed according to a delegation presenting at Brandon City Council on Tuesday evening. Advertisement Advertise With Us FILE Pilots at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum conduct an inspection on a late 1930s Stinson 105. The museum is seeking financial assistance from the City of Brandon for its preservation efforts. To ensure the continued preservation of a historical landmark in Brandon, repairs worth six figures to a million dollars are needed according to a delegation presenting at Brandon City Council on Tuesday evening. Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum president John McNarry, vice-president Art Brown and executive director Stephen Hayter joined the proceedings virtually to provide an annual update on the museums activities and make requests as the city fast approaches its annual budget deliberations. After returning to council chambers for in-person meetings during a portion of last year, Tuesday's council meeting was held entirely online via networking platform Microsoft Teams with COVID-19 case counts on the rise. The vintage airplane hangar, Brown explained, has not received any kind of major refresh or renovation in the approximately 40 years since it was opened as the only museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Commonwealths efforts to train pilots for the Second World War in Canada. To improve the facility and preserve the national, provincial and municipal heritage site, Brown said the museum is looking to the city to help install fire protection in Hangar No. 1, work to preserve its long-term structural integrity, expand its exhibit footprint, increase available space to restore and protect artifacts, enhance accessibility and improve the museums parking lot. "It is one of the few remaining BCATP [British Commonwealth Air Training Plan] hangars in its original condition," Brown said. "As you can imagine, because we try to maintain it in that original condition, there is a considerable amount of maintenance that needs to be done every year to maintain it." Further work needed on that historic hangar include repairs to the hangar door trusses, retrofitting its overhead supports, installations of new electrical and heating systems, renovating the exterior of the hangar to repair weather damage from over the years and moving what was supposed to be a temporary work space to a new location." Installing a new fire protection system would allow the hangar to become a federally recognized Class 1 facility, which would allow for aircraft from the countrys national collection to be displayed. "We feel that if we lose that hangar, we basically lose the museum and lose everything inside," Brown said. To accomplish some of these goals, the museum is requesting that the city take responsibility for work needed to maintain the hangars structural integrity, including the installation of the fire suppression system and work with museum staff to lobby the federal and provincial governments for funding for long-term improvements. After the presentation, Coun. Shaun Cameron (University) asked Brown what time frame the museum wants these improvement done by and if there was a rough estimate on what the cost would be. "The structural issues with the hangar, I think, are imperative and we would want to see them done in the next year," Brown replied. "A rough cost estimate is to be prepared, but I understand it could be certainly in the six-figure area up to a million dollars." The fire suppression system issue is complicated, according to McNarry, by the fact that the museum is still fed water from the same six-inch water mains it was using during the Second World War. "When I talk to fire suppression people who are in that business, they say its not possible unless you put a large cistern in," McNarry said. Coun. Jeff Fawcett (Assiniboine) acknowledged the museums importance and said council would get city staff to dig into the issue and see what can be done. In response to the high price tag for the work, Coun. Bruce Luebke (South Centre) said that number is a bit shocking for a municipality given the current financial challenges posed by the pandemic. Brown said the museum has had success with securing grants before, which is why assistance applying for new grants is part of the museums request. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark Westman residents should prepare for another couple days of frigid temperatures, according to an extreme cold warning that Environment Canada issued on Wednesday morning. Advertisement Advertise With Us Frost clings to the balaclava of Brian (no last name given) as he walks in downtown Brandon in February 2021. (File) Westman residents should prepare for another couple days of frigid temperatures, according to an extreme cold warning that Environment Canada issued on Wednesday morning. This weather update revealed that severely cold wind chill values, hovering around -40 C overnight, are currently impacting a variety of communities in the region thanks to some arctic air that recently moved into Manitoba as a ridge of high pressure builds over the Prairies. Affected Westman communities include: Brandon, Glenboro, South Cypress, Treherne, North Cypress, Neepawa, Carberry, Austin, MacGregor, Sidney, Wawanesa, Elton, Forrest, Holland and Cypress River. For most municipalities, these extreme cold wind chill values will continue through to Friday morning, with temperatures slightly warming up during the daytime. Because of this, Environment Canada is advising residents to watch out for cold-related symptoms, including: shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain, weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes. To stave off the chance of catching frostbite or hypothermia, the federal government is advising residents to keep emergency supplies, such as extra blankets and jumper cables, in their vehicles at all times. Environment Canada is also encouraging residents who witness severe weather over the next couple days to report it by sending an email to MBstorm@ec.gc.ca or composing a Tweet using #MBStorm. The Brandon Sun This is a rapidly evolving situation. I think were going to continue to look at where were at and where we might end up being. If things change, they will be announced. "This is a rapidly evolving situation. I think were going to continue to look at where were at and where we might end up being. If things change, they will be announced." Dr. Jazz Atwal, deputy chief provincial public health officer, Tuesday afternoon "We need to go to code red. We need new, different and better income supports for individuals as well as organizations and businesses as well as mental health supports. Every dollar we put into keeping a business running or making sure that people can pay their bills will ultimately be paid back. Its an investment in recovery." Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, Tuesday morning It is a curious situation we find ourselves in here in Manitoba this week. On Tuesday, the province reported 1,757 new cases of COVID-19 most of these in Winnipeg, and 73 in Prairie Mountain Health along with two more deaths from the virus. In fact, since Friday, the province has recorded more than 7,100 new COVID-19 cases, a dramatic surge in number that far outstrips anything we have seen during this pandemic in any wave prior. As of yesterday, Manitoba has recorded 1,400 deaths from the virus, and the provincial governments COVID-19 dashboard states there are currently 17,076 active cases. CBC also reported that 251 people are in Manitoba hospitals due to the virus, up from 228 on Monday, with 32 of them in Manitoba ICUs. Note also that as of midnight Tuesday, there were 94 COVID and non-COVID patients in intensive care the normal pre-COVID baseline capacity is 72 patients. With this in mind, its a worthy question to ask why Manitoba is not in a code red right now. At the end of October 2020, Winnipeg and the districts surrounding Manitobas capital were moved to the provinces red (critical) level, the highest stage of the provinces pandemic response system. At that time, Manitoba had a "record high" test positivity rate of 8.6 per cent, with 104 people in hospital due to COVID-19 and only 19 COVID-infected patients filling intensive care beds. "The numbers today will strike fear in many Manitobans," Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa told media the day code red measures were announced. Keep in mind that just yesterday, the province reported that Manitoba had a five-day test positivity rate of 39.5 per cent provincially even higher than the 37.9 per cent reported only a day earlier. And yet the province hasnt activated code red and is not enacting lockdowns. So why is the governments response so different in this most recent wave of the virus? There are a few explanations, of course. Although omicron, the latest variant of COVID-19, is substantially more infectious than previous versions, early evidence suggests it is less severe overall. As the New York Times reported this week, scientists measure the severity of a coronavirus variant "by examining how many people infected by it end up in the hospital." And while the delta variant was far more severe than earlier iterations, the reverse is true for omicron, with the risk of hospitalization due to omicron about half that of delta, according to a U.K.-based study. As a society, were also better protected than we were in 2020. The vaccines that rolled out in early 2021 have given most Manitobans a strong level of protection, even as booster shots are being promoted by government health officials to keep that protection strong against omicron, delta and any other new variants likely to come by. At least 71 per cent of eligible Manitobans have been given either two or three doses of vaccine, with a further six per cent of us having had just one dose. Still, that leaves more than 22 per cent of Manitobans without any vaccine protection whatsoever. And therein lies the danger, and why it still appears that the province is abdicating its responsibility to public health and safety. In spite of the fact that Premier Heather Stefanson told media yesterday that her government has been "proactive," it really hasnt. Since the very beginning, health officials were mostly concerned with the possibility that an explosion of COVID-19 cases would overwhelm Manitoba hospitals, and they pleaded with Manitobans to heed public health orders. And while there were certainly problems in our health system at the start of the pandemic, we were arguably in a far better position than we are now. There is a drastic nursing shortage in this province, as the two-year battle has prompted exhausted and burnt-out nurses to seek early retirements, quit outright or find work elsewhere in the profession. Over the holidays, a shortage of nursing staff contributed to several rural Manitoba emergency departments being closed, including eight here in western and southwestern Manitoba. With the number of hospitalized patients growing in harmony with the exponential growth in omicron cases, there is a real danger of hospitals being overwhelmed. If and when the omicron variant catches up to our health-care system, the province will have no excuse, as weve seen this happen before in three previous waves. So, which "proactive" steps are Stefanson and her team taking? Handing out N95 masks at liquor stores and through MLA constituency offices, while being concerned that theyre undermining business interests by doing so? Just yesterday, Education Minister Cliff Cullen bought educators and his government another week of grace by delaying the return of students to classrooms until Jan. 17 and imposing remote learning for a full week until that date. Either the Stefanson government has lost the will to do what is necessary in the face of mounting public anger at yet another go-round on the COVID-19 roller-coaster, or they have information that theyre not disclosing to parents and the public at large. The mealy-mouthed explanations we were given by Stefanson, Atwal and Cullen yesterday simply dont cut it. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Conveyancer Natalie Fisher still feels violated when she thinks about the criminals who watched her for weeks or months, taking note of her digital mannerisms while plotting an attack. Fishers business email was hacked in March after someone in her team fell victim to a phishing scam and clicked on a document that installed malware. The malware enabled the hackers to monitor Fishers systems to become familiar with the way she interacts with clients and normal processes that could be tweaked and exploited. Natalie Fisher says cyber insurance has now become an essential part of running a business. Credit: Simon Schluter Once the hackers had access to the systems, they diverted client emails and responded on Fishers behalf. It was like a three-way conversion that I was no longer a part of any more, she says. In what is now known as business email compromise, this style of cyber attack is on the rise. The hackers emails often use the target companys exact branding and writing style so the victims are none the wiser. One of Fishers unsuspecting clients bought a property and was expecting to make a transfer of about $50,000 to complete the purchase. The hacker intervened and instructed the client to send the money to a trust account. Advertisement As a first home buyer, the client trusted his conveyancer so transferred the money immediately. One week later, he called Fisher to enquire about the property when the penny dropped. I said forward me the emails so I can understand what youre talking about, she says. When I saw the emails and he told me what hed done, I felt so sick. Immediately, Fisher asked her IT team to scour through the systems to find the extent of the fraud. Another client had transferred $280,000 but, thankfully, it was early enough to ask the banks to block the transaction. Loading Six months earlier, Fisher had forked out more than $2000 to buy cyber insurance. After putting in a claim, her clients were fully refunded as were associated costs, such as temporary accommodation and fines. Now, Fisher says there needs to be more education to encourage all conveyancers to buy cyber insurance. If I didnt have this policy, it would have ruined me. Not just financially but, my reputation, everything, Fisher says. Advertisement The coronavirus pandemic has led to an explosion in online scams, fraud and cyber attacks. The proliferation of remote working has coincided with the mass release of cheap malware on the dark web, which has created a perfect storm for an uptick in illegal online activity. According to the latest data from the Australian Cyber Security Centre, one cyber crime is reported in Australia every eight minutes, a 13 per cent increase from last year. Total yearly losses have reached $33 billion but under-reporting means the actual figure is likely to be much higher. As a result, businesses are increasingly seeking to insure themselves against cyber attacks. Normal professional indemnity insurance often excludes cyber crime, leaving businesses owners on the hook for hefty payments if they fall foul of hackers. Loading Insurance broker Marshs head of cyber Kelly Butler says there has been a major rise in the number of Australian businesses with cyber insurance over the past three years. She estimates that between 15 to 20 per cent of small businesses are now covered and up to 70 per cent of larger ASX-listed firms. But as demand grows, Butler says the industry has had to adapt quickly. All insurers are currently grappling with how they write cyber, Butler says. The biggest issue for them is the systemic nature of cyber. There are no borders Advertisement Insurance companies are in the business of pricing risk. Premiums are calculated using historical data patterns to estimate the size and cost of claims. Insurers have well-established processes for vehicle and property damage, but with cyber, Butler says the rules are largely unwritten. I always relate this back to hurricane season in America. They know its coming, they know its contained to a certain area from a weather front perspective, she says. But when it comes to cyber, there are no boundaries. There are no borders. In Australia, Butler says premiums have gone up between 50 and 150 per cent over the past 12 months, after the proliferation in ransomware attacks caused losses to multiply. If they can get onto it quickly, they can assist in minimising the extent of the loss. Todd Arnold, Cornerstone Insurance Group Many insurers have introduced limits on payouts and created eligibility criteria to ensure policyholders have basic defences in place, such as multi-factor authentication, data backups and staff training. Its a real challenge for insurers, but reinsurers as well, she says. Theyre soul searching at the moment. Insurers are looking back at their models, how they underwrite, is the coverage too broad? Have they priced it correctly? Insurance broker Todd Arnold, who runs Cornerstone Insurance Group, says the largest player in the Australian market is Chubb, which covers large corporates, while the Insurance Australia Group services the small business market. Advertisement Arnold explains cyber policies can be tailored to specific business operations, but generally include access to an incident response team, consisting of cyber defence experts, lawyers and consultants who are available around the clock. If they can get onto it quickly, they can assist in minimising the extent of the loss, he says. Typical cyber policies cover losses associated with the attack, such as lost income and assets, but can extend to public relations work needed to limit the reputational fallout or associated lawsuits and fines from regulators. Controversially, these policies often cover the costs of paying a ransom. There are circumstances where paying the bitcoin to unlock the system is the only answer so they [insurers] will pay the ransom, Arnold says. Ransomware attacks made global headlines this year when US oil pipeline Colonial Pipeline paid $US4.4 million to Russian criminals in May to get its systems back online. The following month, meat processor JBS paid a $US11 million ransom to end the attack on its operations that caused global supply chain blockages. Loading The federal government is planning to introduce new laws to force certain companies to disclose ransom payments, as the lack of transparency creates an unregulated space where criminals operate without recourse. Nigel Phair, the director of the University of New South Wales Institute for Cyber Security, says insurers paying ransoms is a vexed issue. Advertisement The healthcare sectors carbon footprint may not be the first thing that springs to mind for investors but after facing a devastating pandemic, Australias heavyweight operators now have to tackle the climate crisis. As emissions reduction plans spring up across corporate Australia, the healthcare sector is under pressure to reveal its net-zero targets. Healthcare operators are regularly included in ethical portfolios and the social benefits of biotech companies are well established in the COVID-19 era. More and more companies are revealing net-zero emissions targets but many ASX companies, particularly healthcare heavyweights, have not yet revealed these two investors. Credit:AP Despite this, experts warn that the path to carbon-neutral healthcare is critical for a range of reasons. According to the World Health Organisations (WHO) COP26 Health Program, healthcare operators account for about 4.6 per cent of the worlds carbon emissions. In Australia, it is estimated the sector accounts for 7 per cent of the nations emissions. Losses from an Australian-based trading scheme that sponsored British football team Sheffield United have hit $345 million, marking it as one of the biggest broker collapses in years. Liquidators to Union Standard International Group, known as USG or USGFX, are now working through a substantial volume of claims submitted by investors with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority over breaches by the allegedly rogue trading house. Australian trading house Union Standard, or USGFX, were once the sponsors of English Premier League team Sheffield United. Credit:Getty USG sold high risk financial betting products known as contracts for difference and was so successful it even signed a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sheffield United when the club was promoted to the English Premier League for the 2018-2019 season. Liquidators from BRI Ferrier said in a report in April last year that they suspect criminal elements may have been involved in the group. BRI Ferrier has so far received claims from investors totalling $345 million but suspect more than $500 million may have been lost in the scheme by customers. The groups handling of investor money was so poor it counted some investor funds as profits and paid $4.5 million in tax on those profits. Liquidators have since received a credit from the tax office for the company. Hospitals across the U.S. are feeling the wrath of the omicron variant and getting thrown into disarray that is different from earlier COVID-19 surges. This time, they are dealing with serious staff shortages because so many health care workers are getting sick with the fast-spreading variant. People are showing up at emergency rooms in large numbers in hopes of getting tested for COVID-19, putting more strain on the system. And a surprising share of patients two-thirds in some places are testing positive while in the hospital for other reasons. Advertisement At the same time, hospitals say the patients arent as sick as those who came in during the last surge. Intensive care units arent as full, and ventilators arent needed as much as they were before. The pressures are neverthless prompting hospitals to scale back non-emergency surgeries and close wards, while National Guard troops have been sent in in several states to help at medical centers and testing sites. Advertisement Nearly two years into the pandemic, frustration and exhaustion are running high among health care workers. This is getting very tiring, and Im being very polite in saying that, said Dr. Robert Glasgow of University of Utah Health, which has hundreds of workers out sick or in isolation. About 85,000 Americans are in the hospital with COVID-19, just short of the delta-surge peak of about 94,000 in early September, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The all-time high during the pandemic was about 125,000 in January of last year. But the hospitalization numbers do not tell the whole story. Some cases in the official count involve COVID-19 infections that werent what put the patients in the hospital in the first place. Dr. Fritz Francois, chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said about 65% of patients admitted to that system with COVID-19 recently were primarily hospitalized for something else and were incidentally found to have the virus. At two large Seattle hospitals over the past two weeks, three-quarters of the 64 patients testing positive for the coronavirus were admitted with a primary diagnosis other than COVID-19. Joanne Spetz, associate director of research at the Healthforce Center at the University of California, San Francisco, said the rising number of cases like that is both good and bad. The lack of symptoms shows vaccines, boosters and natural immunity from prior infections are working, she said. The bad news is that the numbers mean the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, and some percentage of those people will wind up needing hospitalization. Advertisement This week, 36% of California hospitals reported critical staffing shortages. And 40% are expecting such shortages. Some hospitals are reporting as much as one quarter of their staff out for virus-related reasons, said Kiyomi Burchill, the California Hospital Associations vice president for policy and leader on pandemic matters. In response, hospitals are turning to temporary staffing agencies or transferring patients out. University of Utah Health plans to keep more than 50 beds open because it doesnt have enough nurses. It is also rescheduling surgeries that arent urgent. In Florida, a hospital temporarily closed its maternity ward because of staff shortages. In Alabama, where most of the population is unvaccinated, UAB Health in Birmingham put out an urgent request for people to go elsewhere for COVID-19 tests or minor symptoms and stay home for all but true emergencies. Treatment rooms were so crowded that some patients had to be evaluated in hallways and closets. As of Monday, New York state had just over 10,000 people in the hospital with COVID-19, including 5,500 in New York City. Thats the most in either the city or state since the disastrous spring of 2020. Advertisement New York City hospital officials, though, reported that things havent become dire. Generally, the patients arent as sick as they were back then. Of the patients hospitalized in New York City, around 600 were in ICU beds. Were not even halfway to what we were in April 2020, said Dr. David Battinelli, the physician-in-chief for Northwell Health, New York states largest hospital system. Similarly, in Washington state, the number of COVID-19-infected people on ventilators increased over the past two weeks, but the share of patients needing such equipment dropped. In South Carolina, which is seeing unprecedented numbers of new cases and a sharp rise in hospitalizations, Gov. Henry McMaster took note of the seemingly less-serious variant and said: Theres no need to panic. Be calm. Be happy. Amid the omicron-triggered surge in demand for COVID-19 testing across the U.S., New York Citys Fire Department is asking people not to call for ambulance just because they are having trouble finding a test. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced new or expanded testing sites in nine cities to steer test-seekers away from ERs. About 300 National Guard members are being sent to help out at those centers. Advertisement In Connecticut, many ER patients are in beds in hallways, and nurses are often working double shifts because of staffing shortages, said Sherri Dayton, a nurse at the Backus Plainfield Emergency Care Center. Many emergency rooms have hours-long waiting times, she said. We are drowning. We are exhausted, Dayton said. Doctors and nurses are complaining about burnout and a sense their neighbors are no longer treating the pandemic as a crisis, despite day after day of record COVID-19 cases. In the past, we didnt have the vaccine, so it was us all hands together, all the support. But that support has kind of dwindled from the community, and people seem to be moving on without us, said Rachel Chamberlin, a nurse at New Hampshires Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Edward Merrens, chief clinical officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, said more than 85% of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated. Breaking News As it happens Get the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut > Several patients in the hospitals COVID-19 ICU unit were on ventilators, a breathing tube down their throats. In one room, staff members made preparations for what they feared would be the final family visit for a dying patient. Advertisement One of the unvaccinated was Fred Rutherford, a 55-year-old from Claremont, New Hampshire. His son carried him out of the house when he became sick and took him to the hospital, where he needed a breathing tube for a while and feared he might die. If he returns home, he said, he promises to get vaccinated and tell others to do so too. I probably thought I was immortal, that I was tough, Rutherford said, speaking from his hospital bed behind a window, his voice weak and shaky. But he added: I will do anything I can to be the voice of people that dont understand youve got to get vaccinated. Youve got to get it done to protect each other. ___ Casey reported from Boston and Thompson from Sacramento. Associated Press writers Terry Tang and Bobby Calvan in New York City contributed to this report. Stand on the steps of The Royal Exchange in the heart of the City of London and you can picture the churn of people 200 years ago or more in what was becoming the worlds preeminent financial hub. Stock jobbers, traders and financiers would stream between its great limestone columns with the Bank of England to one side and all surrounded by offices of bankers or trading houses and alleyways to the ever-busy coffee shops. The exchange was where transactions happened, but the coffee shops played an equally important role in the lifeblood of markets as information centres. People hung out there for refreshment and gossip but also all the details of supply and demand. [T]he coffee men vied with each other in maintaining the supply of a wide variety of domestic and foreign newspapers, news-sheets, journals and bulletins, customs entry forms, auction notices, price-current lists, etc, according to David Kynastons City of London: The History. The COVID pandemic showed just how little physical location now matters for many jobs and businesses in finance and gave executives confidence that more operations could be managed remotely. Credit:Bloomberg Today, Londons future as a global financial hub is under threat. In the popular discourse, thats largely due to Britains exit from the European Union and the ongoing fights over trade and regulations. But Brexit is barely half the story, and New York faces similar threats. While, JPMorgan Chase & Co. is expanding its Paris office with new trading floors, Goldman Sachs Group is doing the same in Miami and has been hunting for space in Dallas. What links these moves is the ways technology and regulations have dramatically changed the flow of information in just the past couple of decades. The COVID pandemic showed just how little physical location now matters for many jobs and businesses in finance and gave executives confidence that more operations could be managed remotely. If I were a Liberal dark arts operative, one Labor sceptic warned, Id have that cavoodle-cuddling Insta footage on high rotation where coal seat voters cant miss it, every day between now and the election. Doubters got a tap on the nose this week, however, when Buddy and Scott hit TikTok and Insta with that cheery New Years message together. A former state Liberal Party director mired in the minutia of how to win elections, Scott is a well-known data obsessive. Him mimicking Labors petfluencer gambit can mean only one thing: its working, and showing up in the Liberals internal polling as a plus for the Labor leader. Albanese often says people underestimate him. His petfluencer ploy may be an example. Morrison copying it shows the Labor leader a step ahead of #ScottyFromMarketing. Who knew? Its a small but psychologically not insignificant win for the red corner just as the election draws near. So whats with the cute, curly-haired dog cuddling? Petfluencing is all about eyeballs. Which social media post are you more likely to pay attention to: the one with the politician, or the one with the politician and the cute, curly-haired dog? The one with the dog. So first up, its about getting attention. Scott and Buddy vs Anthony and Toto. Credit:Illustration by Dionne Gain Secondly, its about likeability. Animals have symbolic meanings, and marketing research shows that people pictured with them get a spillover glow from those meanings. Dogs are associated with loyalty, trustworthiness and, when theyre as cute as Toto and Buddy, likeability too. Humans hanging out with them seem more trustworthy and likable by association. Its worked subtly on me, transforming two hard-nosed politicians in my head into Anthony and Scott. What a pushover! Thirdly, its about approachability. Dogs are catalysts for social interactions, as they say in the psychology literature. A stranger approaches you on the street, and you hesitate to interact. The same stranger has a cute dog on a lead, and suddenly youre chatting like old friends, as though the dog is an ironclad character reference. So cute dogs make us drop our guard. The effect is most pronounced when the stranger is a man and the person approached is a woman. This is gold for politicians who want to disarm and win voters over. If the petfluencer ploy is a plus for Albanese, does Morrison copying it negate the advantage? Possibly at least until diligent voters start comparing the two leaders social media posts. Toto and Anthony always look fully at ease together. Not so Buddy and Scott. In their New Year TikTok post, Buddy maniacally chews a soft toy while Scott holds him in an ambiguous mixture of cuddling and containment. Telling, really. Will this make a difference to the election result? Its not a big deal in itself but in tight elections as many federal elections in Australia are the accumulation of lots of little things like this can impact. People queue for COVID-19 tests. Credit:Joe Armao Until this week most pundits would have said the forthcoming election will be tight, perhaps even resulting in a hung parliament. However, the COVID-19 blowout presided over by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, backed by Scotts BYO if you can afford and find one attitude to COVID tests, could tip the balance and generate a decisive result. COVID-19 cases are climbing in NSW aged care facilities, with concerns about infection control, staffing shortages and the mental health of locked-down residents as the sector struggles to provide care in the Omicron surge. There were 652 active COVID-19 cases in residents of NSW aged care facilities by Tuesday, an increase of nearly 100 in four days. Aged care facilities in Sydney are continuing to lock down in response to virus outbreaks. Credit:Alamy Although the federal government has not released its weekly report on the number of cases in aged care facilities since December 23, information from families and providers indicate significant outbreaks have developed as facilities face the highly transmissible Omicron variant. A spokesperson for Bupa Clemton Park, in Sydneys south-west, said there were 38 COVID-positive residents at the facility and 25 infected staff. NSW residents have been warned to brace themselves for challenging weeks ahead after the state reported a record 35,054 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, as experts and the federal opposition called on the Morrison government to make rapid antigen tests free to ease pressure on testing sites. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the state would spare no expense to fund the tests if it could reach a financial agreement with the federal government. NSW residents are still facing long waits for PCR tests. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone Wednesdays case numbers represented an increase of more than 50 per cent or almost 12,000 infections on the previous record of 23,131 reported on Tuesday. The state reported eight new deaths and the number of people in hospital with the virus rose to 1491. Of those, 119 are in intensive care units. Victoria has reported a record 17,636 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths, as the state government considers additional public health measures to stem the spread of the virus and testing sites continue to be overwhelmed. Wednesdays case numbers eclipsed the previous record of 14,020, set on Tuesday. Overwhelming testing demand in Victoria has created long queues and forced several sites to shut. Credit:Justin McManus There are at least 51,317 active COVID-19 cases around Victoria, although health authorities say the number of cases is undoubtedly under-reported as people have struggled to access strained PCR testing sites. NSW has reported 35,054 new coronavirus cases. An elderly man accused of kidnapping his partner from her aged care home and attempting to drive her through regional WA, bound for Queensland, has been granted bail. WA Police issued a public plea to help find Carol Lisle, 84, and her partner Ralph Terry Gibbs, 80, on Monday after they were last seen leaving Mandurah the previous day. Ms Lisle has Parkinsons disease and dementia, and uses a wheelchair while Mr Gibbs usually walks with the aid of a hospital crutch. Mr Gibbs was brought before Perth Magistrates Court in a wheelchair on Wednesday. There is this rapid increase in the demand for these tests in an Omicron pandemic, which was different to what was occurring in the Delta pandemic, and as a result, the challenges we are facing here are the same and similar to the many other countries like Australia elsewhere in the world, he said. National cabinet agreed on Wednesday afternoon to give 10 free peace of mind tests over three months to concession card holders through pharmacies, which Mr Morrison said would affect about 6.6 million people. Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says hospitalisations from COVID are comparatively decreasing. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But tests will not be free for everyone. Universal free access was not considered the right policy response by all of the states and territories in attendance today, and the Commonwealth, Mr Morrison said. But Mr Morrison said he didnt want symptomatic people to go to pharmacies to get tests. You get a free test at the testing centre. If you are symptomatic [or] a close contact, you can go to the testing centre as many times as you need to. All of those tests are free, he said. The details of the subsidised tests will be worked out within the next fortnight. Mr Morrison said the national back-to-school plan would be finalised in the same period. We are all very shared in our view that schools go back and stay back, on day one of term one, Mr Morrison said. [So] we dont have schools opening and closing, opening and closing and the disruption that would cause. National cabinet also removed the requirement to get a PCR test to confirm a positive rapid antigen test, and the requirement for a test before going into a hospital for treatment. You will likely be given one when you are there, but you dont need to go and line up in these queues because you are going to get hospital treatment, Mr Morrison said. All states and territories are moving away from requiring a negative rapid antigen test to cross borders, except for Western Australia, which did not attend the meeting. Rapid antigen tests will now be subject to price-gouging regulations, meaning they cannot be sold for more than 120 per cent of the wholesale price. But Australian Medical Association President Dr Omar Khorshid said targeted subsidies could be difficult to implement. We need to harness the goodwill in the community to use RAT kits and free access for everybody, he said. In a joint statement, the AMA and the Public Health Association of Australia said the federal government must also fund a highly effective and multilingual communication campaign advising people how and when they should use the tests. RATs do, and must continue to play, an essential role in a pandemic that is looking increasingly out of control, Public Health Association chief executive Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin said. Loading With the difficulty of getting a PCR test, many people just want to be confident they dont have the virus before they interact with others. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said there was an economic cost to the failure to make rapid tests free. He said small businesses were not able to open because they cant get staff. Labor calls upon the government today to ensure that rapid antigen tests are available and are free, Mr Albanese said. Its clear that the costs of tests are dwarfed by the costs of inaction that is occurring as a result of Scott Morrisons failure to do his job. Toronto: The Canadian government has reached $CAD40 billion ($43 billion) in agreements in principle with Indigenous groups to compensate First Nations children who were unnecessarily taken from their homes and put into the child welfare system, a major development in a dispute thats long been a sticking point in Ottawas efforts to advance reconciliation with Indigenous people. Under the agreements, half of the money would go to children and families harmed by an underfunded and discriminatory child welfare system on First Nations reserves and in the Yukon, while the rest would be earmarked for long-term reforms over five years, the Indigenous Services Ministry said in a statement. People sing as drummers play during a Tkemlups te Secwepemc ceremony to honour residential school survivors and mark the first Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2022. Credit:The Canadian Press/AP Final details are to be settled between the government and Indigenous advocates over the coming months. A final agreement will be submitted to a federal court and human rights tribunal for approval. The dispute, which includes a human rights complaint and several class-action lawsuits, has spanned 14 years and several federal governments. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came to power in 2015 vowing to put reconciliation with Indigenous people at the core of his agenda, has drawn criticism for his handling of it. Latest News Vaucluse trophy home splashes on to market Harbour-view property expected to fetch over $40 million Is mortgage lending competitive in Australia? New analysis looks into the current state of mortgage lending competition The closing of borders did little to thwart foreign investors from gobbling up the Australian property market in 2021. According to Australias Foreign Investment Review Board, the total number of residential properties with a level of foreign ownership totalled 7,482 with a value of $6 billion from when the country closed its international borders in March 2020. New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland accounted for 92.1% of the total purchases, with the longest-locked-down city of Victoria outperforming its neighbours with 3,215 properties. It was a far cry from New South Wales 1,950 and Queenslands 1,416. However, looking at the statistics from a macro picture is an entirely different matter. Foreign investment went down by 80% since it peaked in 2015-2016, especially after Chinese investors who make up a large part of foreign homebuyers pulled out of the market when tensions rose between Beijing and Canberra over trade disputes in 2020. According to Real Capital Analytics (RCA), Australian property investments from Chinese state-owned and private enterprises alone reached $935 million in 2019. This fell to $664 million in 2020 and $22.7 million in the first quarter of 2021. Some experts have also expressed concerns over the possibility of stricter border controls and foreign investment regulations as the country grapples with the Omicron variant. Despite record cases, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said lockdowns are a thing of the past, which would mean continued foreign activity. Still, Martin North, principal of Digital Finance Analytics, said the previous highs of 2015-2016 cannot be expected anytime soon. I don't see the naked investment we had, say, five years ago, particularly from the South-East Asian nations, being the same again," North told the ABC. The world has changed, the political landscape has changed, the financial landscape has changed. The Iron Horse Inn in Simsbury is being converted to luxury apartments. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) The Iron Horse Inn in Simsbury has shut down and developer Luke Florian will convert the building into 25 luxury apartments. The two-story motel operated along busy Hopmeadow Street for about 50 years, but closed early last month just days before Florians Freedom Horse LLC bought it for $875,000. Advertisement The company plans extensive interior renovations over the next half-year so that leasing can begin in late summer or early fall. Florian said hes convinced that a modern apartment complex with high-tech features and green amenities will be a big draw. Advertisement An artist's rendering of what the Iron Horse Inn of Simsbury will look like after its converted to luxury apartments. (Courtesy of Freedom Horse LLC) The demand makes this project work, he said Tuesday. When the pandemic hit, people were moving in with their families. Now theyre tired of that, they want to get out. So many millennials all these people my age or younger are sick of living at home. Our residents are going to be people whove gone to college and come back. Theyre working in or around the professional office buildings or medical buildings, they want to live in Simsbury but they cant afford the rents or a $400,000 single-family house, he said. Florian also predicts that tenants will include Simsbury residents whove sold their homes and moved but want a summer location for visits, and in parents of students at nearby Westminster School. The development will have 21 one-bedroom apartments ranging from 450 to 750 square feet, with rents roughly in the $1,700 to $2,500 range. Some will have balconies facing Talcott Mountain. Four studio units will be priced around $1,400 to $1,500. Developer Luke Florian (Courtesy of Freedom Horse LLC) Features will include stainless steel appliances, keyless fob entry, large windows, custom tile backsplashes in the bathrooms and kitchen, and in-unit washers and dryers. Freedom Properties plans additional parking as well as a large patio for outdoor entertaining. The pandemic and competition from Airbnb have pressured small, independent motels like the Iron Horse in recent years, said Florian. Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. > This property was referred to me by a friend a few years ago. The timing wasnt right, the market wasnt right, financing wasnt favorable, he said. Now the market is going crazy, we need new units. And were seeing these smaller motels and hotels having a tougher time now. Advertisement Florian, a Southington High School graduate, has rebuilt and resold single-family and multifamily homes in central Connecticut for the past decade, and estimates his company does about 25 of those projects a year. He has also remodeled a 24-unit apartment building in Plainville and a fire-damaged 12-unit building in Norwich. A credit card flag hangs on a light post at The Iron Horse Inn in Simsbury which is being converted to luxury apartments. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) I like repurposing a perfectly good building theres less redevelopment cost, its good for the environment, youre throwing away less, he said. And I like this kind of project; its easier to do one large project in one location. The Iron Horse had 28 rooms and a massive first-floor owners suite; Freedom Horse will remodel interior spaces including hallways and a storage area to yield 25 apartments. Connecticut-based Enviro Power will install its SmartWatt Boiler hot water system. It produces onsite electricity in addition to hot water, providing low cost and low emission heat and power, Freedom Horse said. I find it exciting that a newly renovated and energy-forward property will bring a new living community right to our main street, First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis said in a statement. Housing is critical for a vibrant, walkable downtown and thats why projects like these are so important, said Sarah Nielsen, executive director of the Simsbury Main Street Partnership. Ltd. has won a contract to supply overseas coal to Indias top electricity generator as the nation aims to avoid a repeat of last years energy crisis, according to people familiar with the matter. Adani, Indias largest trader of imported thermal coal, will deliver 1 million tons to state-run NTPC Ltd., which in October issued its first tender for coal imports in more than two years, the people said, requesting anonymity as the details are still private. Kolkata-based Damodar Valley Corp. Ltd., also state-owned, is examining a proposal from Adani for the supply of the same volume to its power plants, the people said. Adani, NTPC and DVC didnt respond to requests seeking comment. Indian power producers are under pressure to bolster coal stockpiles after supply disruptions and rising demand left the country grappling with shortages in the second half of 2021, leading to outages in some provinces and curbs on energy-hungry industries. The decision to purchase coal from overseas comes despite the governments commitment to reduce reliance on fuel imports. Coal accounts for about 70% of Indias electricity generation, and consumption is forecast to rise in the next few years, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a huge push to add renewables. Adani last month began shipping the first export cargo from its controversial Carmichael coal mine in Australia. The shipment is headed to India, one of the people said, without giving details of buyers. Benchmark seaborne coal prices hit a record in October though have since pared those gains, helping to boost the case for imports. platform Bolo Live on Wednesday said it has raised USD 2.4 million (about Rs 18 crore) as a precursor to the Series A funding round led by Orios Venture Partners. SOSV, Tremis Capital, LPA Ventures and other HNIs also participated in its first VC round, including existing investors Eagle 10 Ventures. The company plans to use the newly raised funds to accelerate the product development, strengthen the team and accelerate penetration in the Indian and South Asia markets. "We are delighted to have Orios Venture Partners join us as our first institutional investors in our journey to build a large social live-streaming platform out of India. Their experience with world-class startups from India shall help us accelerate our path towards making Bolo Live a household name," Varun Saxena, Co-founder and CEO Bolo Live, said in a statement. The fresh fundraise takes the total capital raised by the company to USD 3.5 million. Launched in May 2019, Bolo Live claims to have over 1 lakh content creators monetising on the platform. The live streaming platform claims to have registered over 3 times increase in net revenue over the last 6 months and is clocking more than USD 1 million net revenue run rate. (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 Competition Commission of India (CCI) told the Karnataka High Court that it will take 60 days to complete the ongoing investigation against . At the hearing today, Additional Solicitor General Venkataraman, appearing on behalf of the competition watchdog, made the submission that its investigation arm Director General (DG) has given an assurance that they will complete the ongoing investigation against within 60 days. had filed a writ in Karnataka HC on December 27 seeking more time to respond to the queries from Competition Commission of India (CCI) regarding the investigation on the use of Googles Play Store payment system for in-app purchases and paid apps. Sijo Kuruvilla George, Executive Director, ADIF said Googles consistent attempts throughout have been to implement their mandatory PlayStore billing policy and to also delay or evade any antitrust indictment. By conveying to the Court that the is expected to complete their investigation in 60 days, the antitrust regulator has essentially checkmated Googles attempt to delay the overall antitrust investigation process by exploiting legal challenges. According to media reports, Googles counsel Senior Advocate Gopal Subramanium said the company has cooperated with the and will continue to do so. Google in December had stated that it is extending timelines for developers to integrate with the Play store's billing system to 31 October 2022, from the 31 March 2022 deadline earlier. in 2020 had directed a probe into Play Stores payment system. As part of the probe CCI had asked Google to respond to its queries by November 19, 2021. The US internet giant had then asked for eight weeks time to respond. Indian start-ups and unicorns have been claiming since then that Google abuses its monopoly, enforcing the billing system, and takes a 30 per cent commission on the transactions. All apps distributed on the Google Play Store, that offer in-app purchases of digital goods, need to use Google Plays billing system. BENGALURU (Reuters) -Shares in fell on Wednesday, a day after an Indian court dismissed Future Retail's appeal to declare arbitration proceedings with now estranged partner Amazon.com Inc as illegal. Justice Amit Bansal at the Delhi High Court said on Tuesday that Future's filings were dismissed. The arbitration proceedings are set to resume this week. Future Retail on Wednesday appealed again in the Delhi High Court, seeking to declare the proceedings illegal. The case is likely to be heard by a two-judge bench later in the day. Future Lifestyle Fashions, Future Consumer, Future Retail and Future Enterprises fell as much as between 3.6% and 5.8% in a marginally strong Mumbai market. The Delhi court's decision is the latest legal twist in the Future-Amazon saga and comes after Future urged a New Delhi judge that given India's antitrust agency had suspended a 2019 deal used by Amazon to assert rights over Future, there was no legal basis for the arbitration between the company and Amazon to continue. Amazon had successfully for months used the terms of its $200 million investment in Future in 2019 to block the Kishore Biyani-owned company's attempt to sell retail assets to Reliance Industries, until the antitrust agency's suspension of the 2019 deal last December. Since August 2019, when Amazon announced its investment in Future, shares of Future Retail have slid about 87%. Future Group, Amazon and Reliance did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. (Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Uttaresh.V) (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.) Chinese phone maker Xiaomi's India unit has been slapped with a Rs 653 crore notice for alleged evasion of import duty, as per an official statement. A show-cause notice has been slapped on India following recovery of documents during searches on its premises that indicated remittance of royalty and licence fee to US and Chinese firms under contractual obligations, the union finance ministry said on Wednesday. Replying to an email query, a spokesperson said, "At India, we give utmost importance to ensuring we comply with all Indian laws. We are currently reviewing the notice in detail. As a responsible company, we will support the authorities with all necessary documentation." Evidence gathered during investigations by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) indicated that neither Xiaomi India nor its contract manufacturers were including the amount of royalty paid by the firm in the assessable value of the goods imported by the company and its contract manufacturers, which is in violation of the customs law, the ministry said. By not adding "royalty and licence fee" in the transaction value, Xiaomi India was evading customs duty, being the beneficial owner of such imported mobile phones, the parts and components thereof, it added. "After completion of the investigation by the DRI, three show cause notices have been issued to M/s Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited for demand and recovery of duty amounting to Rs. 653 crore for the period April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020, under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962," the finance ministry said. During the investigations, it further emerged that the "royalty and licence fee" paid by Xiaomi India to Qualcomm USA and to Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd, China (related party of Xiaomi India) were not being added in the transaction value of the goods imported by the firm and its contract manufacturers. Investigations further showed that Xiaomi India is engaged in the sale of MI brand mobile phones and these mobile phones are either imported by the company or assembled in India by importing components of mobile phones by contract manufacturers of Xiaomi India. The MI brand mobile phones manufactured by the contract manufacturers are sold exclusively to Xiaomi India, in terms of the contract agreement. The DRI officials had received intelligence input that M/s Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited (Xiaomi India) was evading customs duty by way of undervaluation, following which an investigation was initiated by DRI against the company and its contract manufacturers. During the investigation, searches were conducted by DRI at the premises of Xiaomi India, and the issue of remitting royalty and licence fee to Qualcomm USA and to Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd came to light. Statements of key persons of Xiaomi India and its contract manufacturers were recorded, during which one of the directors of Xiaomi India confirmed the said payments, it said. During probe,searches were conducted by DRI at Xiaomi India,which led to recovery of incriminating documents indicating that Xiaomi India was remitting royalty & licence fee to Qualcomm USA &to Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co. Ltd.,under contractual obligation: Finance Ministry ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2022 (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 Wednesday said its heavy engineering arm has won significant contracts for its various business segments in the third quarter of the ongoing financial year. The modification, revamp and upgrade (MRU) business of L&T Heavy Engineering has been awarded an important contract by a key hydrocarbon sector customer in the Middle East, the company said in a statement. It covers detailed engineering, supply of critical equipment and components, leading into multi-disciplinary site work involving multiple staggered shutdowns during which the revamp work would be carried out. The MRU business has also been awarded a project for revamp of the FCC (fluid catalytic cracking) system for another important hydrocarbon sector customer in the Middle East. These wins strengthen L&T Heavy Engineering's position as a key player in the global MRU market. In the domestic market, the MRU business has been awarded the project for RFCC (residue fluid catalytic cracking) revamp as part of the expansion of the Barauni Refinery (BR-9) by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. The RFCC units are being commissioned and operated to convert hydrotreated and straight-run residue to maximise the yield of propylene, which will be used to produce polypropylene in the downstream petrochemical unit. "We are delighted to receive these prestigious orders from global as well as domestic customers. It is a testimony of our ability to render uninterrupted reliable customer service even during the pandemic," Anil Parab, member (L&T executive committee) and senior VP and head (heavy engineering), 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.) By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - Electronics Co Ltd is likely to post a record fourth-quarter profit thanks to solid demand for server memory chips and higher margins in contract manufacturing, analysts' estimates showed. Operating profit for the world's biggest memory chip and smartphone maker likely hit 15.2 trillion won ($12.7 billion) in the quarter ended December, according to a Refinitiv SmartEstimate from 14 analysts, weighted toward those who are more consistently accurate. That would be up 68% from 9.05 trillion won a year earlier and narrowly beat the previous Q4 record profit of 15.15 trillion won reported in 2017. Electronics' shares have climbed about 12% in the last two months in anticipation of higher memory chip prices this year, boosted by new data centres and demand for videos, games, conferencing and other streaming services. "Contrary to previous concerns, the semiconductor industry is likely to see demand increase significantly from customers in both memory and non-memory sectors," said Jeff Kim, analyst at KB Securities. "As of December, major data centre in North America such as Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have steadily increased their memory chip orders ... And Samsung's foundry business appears to have won two years' worth of orders until 2023." This view was supported by its peer Micron Technology Inc's stronger-than-expected earnings results in December and its positive forecast for the following quarter. Samsung's chip contract manufacturing business, which competes with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has also seen sharply improved profitability from the previous quarter to reach an operating margin between 10% and 20% due to more deliveries and higher prices, analysts said. Samsung's overall Q4 chip profit is likely to reach 9.7 trillion won, more than double the previous year's 3.85 trillion won, according to an average forecast of five analysts. The South Korean tech giant will announce preliminary results on Friday. For Samsung's mobile business, which was recently merged into a single Device Experience (DX) division with TV and home appliances, analysts said shipments likely rose slightly from the previous quarter due to easing component shortages. The mobile business likely reported an operating profit of about 3 trillion won, up about 24%, according to five analysts' averaged forecasts. Market participants will be tuning into Samsung's full results later this month for any updated impact on its Xian NAND flash chip manufacturing facilities, after the company said it would temporarily adjust operations there due to strict COVID-19 curbs in the Chinese city. Data firm TrendForce said last week Samsung's Xian plant was manufacturing without significant disruptions for now. ($1 = 1,193.0000 won) (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Stephen Coates) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State Rep. Brandon McGee, shown in this 2020 file photo, is stepping down from the legislature to take a senior role with Gov. Ned Lamont's reelection campaign. (Kassi Jackson/The Hartford Courant) Democratic state Rep. Brandon McGee is leaving the legislature to take a senior role with Gov. Ned Lamonts reelection campaign. McGee, a Democrat who has represented Hartford and Windsor in the House of Representatives since 2013, will step down Friday. A special election will be held to fill the rest of his term, which runs through January 2023. Advertisement Its hard to put into words how much I have enjoyed working with Brandon,' House Speaker Matt Ritter said. He is a close, personal friend and amazing colleague. I know he will be a real asset to Gov. Lamont and his team. McGee is the second member of the House Democratic caucus to step down in recent weeks, following the resignation of Rep. Caroline Simmons in late 2021 after her election as mayor of Stamford. Advertisement After losing Caroline and Brandon, our caucus is down a few great legislators so we all need to head into 2022 prepared to work hard to fill their mighty big shoes,' Ritter added. FILE - New Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford speaks in a mostly empty legislative chamber due to pandemic protocols, during opening session at the State Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Hartford, Conn. Gov. Ned Lamont has scheduled a special election on Jan. 25, 2022, for the Connecticut House of Representatives seat vacated by Caroline Simmons, who resigned after being elected mayor of Stamford. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File) (Jessica Hill/AP) Dan Morrocco, Lamonts campaign manager, called McGee is a public servant with deep ties across the state.' McGee first met Lamont in 2006, when the Greenwich Democrat was running for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman. I walked the streets of Hartford with him,' McGee recalled. McGee was in his final year at Alabama State University at the time but even as a college student, he had already accrued political experience. He worked with the Alabama NAACP as state youth and college division president. He also held a paid job doing constituent service for John F Knight, a longtime member of the Alabama legislature, and helped organize college students for President Barack Obamas presidential campaign. McGee, 37, was born in Hartford. He cites his father as a role model, despite his struggles with addiction. He always took care of his family,' McGee said. McGees inaugural race for the 5th District Assembly seat was a wild one: He won the 2012 Democratic primary against longtime labor leader Leo Canty of Windsor by 153 votes after two recounts, an election complaint and hours in court. Canty was a longtime political insider who won the partys endorsement; McGee was making his first run for elective office. It was a very lively entrance into the state legislature for me,' McGee said. As a member of the House, McGee championed legislation that addresses structural inequities. He was the immediate past chairman of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and advocated for provisions in the cannabis legalization bill that sought to repair the damage done by the war on drugs. He also provided key support for measures that expand access to the ballot and a bill that declared racism a public health hazard. Advertisement McGee serves as co-chairman of the legislatures housing committee, and said one of his proudest achievements was shepherding through a bill that ensures residents facing eviction have an attorney to represent them in court. McGee will be the No. 2 staffer with the Lamont campaign, with the title of political director. Im very excited to get to work,' he said. The Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC) has terminated the arbitration proceedings in the Amazon-Future dispute scheduled between January 5 and 8 after a stay order was passed by the Delhi High Court on Wednesday. A Delhi High Court division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh stayed the Amazon-Future arbitration over the appeals filed by Future Retail and its promoters. The tribunal is adjudicating Amazon's objections to Future Retail's Rs 24,500-crore deal with Reliance. "In view of this order, the Singapore International Arbitration Center has terminated the arbitration proceedings scheduled between January 5 and 8, 2022, until further orders," said Future Retail in a regulatory filing. The Delhi High Court issued a notice to .com NV Investment Holdings LLC on the appeals filed by Future Retail Ltd and Future Coupons Pvt Ltd. The matter has been adjourned to February 1 for hearing. "In the meantime, the division bench of the Delhi High Court has stayed the order dated January 4, 2022, passed by the Single Judge of the Delhi High Court and also stayed the arbitration proceedings till the next date of hearing," Future Retail said. The order was pronounced in the court and a copy of same is awaited, it added. SIAC is adjudicating Amazon's objections to Future Group's deal with Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, a subsidiary of Ltd, announced in August 2020 for sale of the retail and wholesale business and the logistics and warehousing business. On Tuesday, the single-member bench of Justice Amit Bansal said it was not for the court to interfere with the scheduling of the arbitration proceedings and no grounds for interference were made out in the present petitions. He said the tribunal has already fixed January 8 as the date for hearing the termination application after cutting short the scheduled four-day hearing of the expert witnesses. This order was challenged by Future Retail and its promoters before the division bench on Wednesday. and Future have been locked in a bitter legal tussle after the US e-commerce giant dragged to arbitration at the SIAC in October 2020, arguing that Future Retail Ltd had violated their contract by entering into a deal for the sale of its assets to billionaire Mukesh Ambani''s Reliance Retail on a slump sale basis for Rs 24,500 crore. In December, the Competition Commission of India suspended its over-two-year-old approval for Amazon's deal to acquire a 49-per cent stake in Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL), Future Retail Ltd's promoter, and also slapped a penalty of Rs 202 crore on the e-commerce major. is objecting to the sell-off plans, accusing of breaching its 2019 investment pact. Future Coupons was founded in 2008 and is engaged in the business of marketing and distribution of gift cards, loyalty cards and other reward programmes to corporate customers. Several issues arising from the Amazon-Future legal battle are pending before the Supreme Court. Reliance Retail Ventures had for the second time extended the timeline for completing its Rs 24,713 crore deal with to March 31, 2022, as it still awaits regulatory and judicial clearances. (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.) Two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturing major has appointed Venkat Viswanathan as the technical advisor for its electric mobility division. Viswanathan is currently an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and is a global leader in advanced batteries for electric mobility. The company said that Viswanathan will bring expertise in energy storage and Li-ion batteries, specifically for and planes. This association will significantly enhance TVS Motor Companys battery technology capabilities and strengthen its commitment to offer best-in-class green mobility globally, it said. Sudarshan Venu, joint managing director, TVS Motor Company, said, Viswanathan is a thought leader in the field of innovations of advanced battery technology. I am confident that this association with Viswanathan will further reinforce our commitment to electrification. His major strides in battery technology will give us a competitive edge in delivering value for money, superior technology, and aspirational to meet the fast-evolving customer needs. Viswanathan is a recipient of numerous awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER award, Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, ONR Young Investigator Award and MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Finalist. I am excited to associate with to be a part of their vision to build a strong EV ecosystem. I look forward to working in great synergy with the company known for its pioneering technologies in future mobility. Together we will go miles to create a more sustainable EV ecosystem, Viswanathan said. Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, he received his PhD at Stanford University and did postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to his professorship, he serves as a technical advisor and Scientific Advisory Board Member at QuantumScape, a company developing next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries for use in electric vehicles, and chief scientist at Aionics, a company, bringing cutting-edge machine-learning methods for battery materials innovation. The electric mobility business at has made significant strides towards developing new products and technologies. The company has committed Rs 1,000 crore in that direction, a good portion of which has already been invested. In order to lead the way to electrification, the company is readying a complete portfolio of two and three-wheelers in the range of 5-25kW, all of which will be in the market within the next 24 months. The company has announced strategic tie-ups with government bodies like CESL and public charging partners like Tata Power as a step towards enabling a greener future and building a network of world-class public charging infrastructure. Additionally, the company acquired majority stakes in EGO Movement, the European e-bike company reaffirming its commitment towards electrification and its broader sustainability agenda globally. The company also recently announced the extension and expansion of a long-term partnership with BMW Motorrad for the joint development of new platforms and future technologies, including Electric Vehicles, specific to the two only. Nearly 160 resident doctors of hospitals in Mumbai run by the Maharashtra government and the local civic corporation have tested positive for in the last three days, a senior office-bearer of their association said on Wednesday. Ganesh Solunke, president of the JJ Hospital chapter of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), said 62 resident physicians of the state-run hospital in central Mumbai have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 72 hours. Besides, he said 40 resident doctors in King Edward Memorial Hospital, 50 in Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and another seven in R N Cooper Hospital have also contracted (bringing the total to 159). All three hospitals are run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Also, at the Thane Municipal Corporation-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in the adjoining city, eight resident doctors have been diagnosed with the disease, he added. On Tuesday, the MARD had said more than 170 resident doctors in hospitals run by the Maharashtra government and civic corporations had tested positive for in the last two days. (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.) Any lapse in the security of the prime minister is unacceptable, the said on Wednesday after Narendra Modi's visit was cut short as he was stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes due to a blockade by protesters. AAP spokesperson and co-in charge of the party's political affairs in Raghav Chadha also said every state government should rise above all political differences and provide "the highest level of security" to the prime minister. Modi, who landed in Punjab's Bathinda and had to take the road route to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur because of inclement weather, was stuck on a flyover due to a blockade by some farmers, an incident the Union Home Ministry described as a "major lapse" in his security. The prime minister was scheduled to address a rally in Ferozepur, which was cancelled after the incident. "Any lapse in security of the prime minister is unacceptable. Whatever our differences may be, every state government must provide (the) highest level of security for the prime minister, Chadha tweeted. The incident has kicked up a massive political row with BJP alleging that the ruling Congress in "tried to physically harm" the prime minister, while other parties too attacked the state government over the law and order issue. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi expressed regret but asserted that there was no security lapse. The Congress accused the BJP of enacting a petty political drama over a "so-called breach" in the prime minister's security. Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the prime minister had to cancel his rally in Ferozepur as "there was no crowd at the event and no one wanted to listen to him". (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.) registered its highest single day spike in six months on Wednesday when 1659 people tested positive causing the active caseload to shoot past the 3000 mark, an official said. The number of fresh cases is nearly twice as much as a day ago and the active caseload, which stands at 3,881, has grown by more than 50 per cent since the previous day, he said. Sharing the figures, Pratyay Amrit, the additional chief secretary to the departments of health and disaster management, told reporters that only 63 COVID patients were hospitalized while the rest were in home isolation. "The low rate of hospitalization so far is no reason for complacency. The elderly continue to be more vulnerable. An 85-year-old lady admitted to AIIMS, Patna, has been put on ventilation," he said. Amrit said the low hospitalization rate could be because a large number of people have taken vaccines, "which may not protect fully against the contagion but serve as a bulwark against the severity of infection". The additional chief secretary urged the people to get their wards vaccinated and said that since Monday 4.5 lakh minors have been jabbed in the state. Asked about the number of Omicron cases in the state, which has so far reported only a single confirmed case, Amrit said the first genome sequencing facility in the state became operational two days ago. "It takes nearly a week for the reports to come. The general behavior of the contagion as of now suggests that the current spike is largely due to Omicron though there may also be some cases of Delta and Delta plus variants", he said. Meanwhile, the state government undertook yet another drastic revision of the death toll confirming 13,786 fatalities. The figure was shared by Special Secretary Upendra Nath Pandey after a meeting of the state cabinet. He attributed the rise in the toll to "1699 fresh applications" received from those who have lost a family member to and are eligible for compensation from the state government. government had last year decided to give ex-gratia of Rs four lakh to the next of the kin of each deceased, while another Rs 50,000 will be paid to every beneficiary "in accordance with a direction from the union home ministry," Pandey said. To this end, release of Rs 125 crore from the Contingency Fund was approved by the state cabinet. (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 probing 'Bulli Bai' app have arrested the third accused behind the controversy. The police said that they have arrested one 21-year-old Mayank Rawal and have also detected links to Nepal. Earlier, the police had arrested one engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha and one Shweta Singh. According to the police, Shweta was the mastermind behind the controversy. She was in touch with a handle, which is being operated from Nepal. On his instructions, she made a Twitter handle with the name of @jattkhalsa07 and started uploading photos of women of a particular religion. Her friend Giyou whom she met on social media was asking her to do all this. He is based in Nepal. The has recorded the statement of Shweta Singh and Vishal Kumar Jha. Jha is on police remand till January 10 while Shweta's remand will end on January 5. The have confronted Shweta and Vishal. They both reportedly knew each other through social media sites. Now Mayank Rawal will also be confronted with Shweta and Vishal. A source said that more arrests in the case are likely to happen. Who is shweta? Shweta is a Class 10 pass out girl from Uttrakhand. She has lost her parents in recent years. Her father died of Covid while her mother died of cancer in 2011. She was preparing for engineering. She has two sisters and the family is earning around Rs 13,000 per month. They get Rs 3,000 from the Vatsalya Yojana, a scheme of the Uttarakhand government for Covid orphan kids. Her father worked with a manufacturing unit which provided the family Rs 10,000 rs per month. --IANS atk/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.) No technical snag or sabotage and bad weather leading to a phenomenon called Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) is believed to have been identified as the prime reason for the crash of the IAF helicopter near Coonoor that killed CDS Gen and 13 others, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Air Marshal Manvendra Singh who headed the tri-service investigation into the crash apprised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the findings of the probe on Wednesday. The people cited above said the investigators have ruled out any possibility of technical snag or sabotage in the crash of the Russian-origin twin-engine Mi-17V5 helicopter that was flying from Sulur airbase to Wellington on December 8. According to experts, the CFIT refers to a phenomenon when an aircraft under control is piloted into the ground, water or other terrains largely due to bad weather or pilot error. The CFIT generally takes place in bad weather conditions or when a flight is landing. There is no official comment on the probe report either by the Indian Air Force or by the defence ministry. According to the IATA (International Air Transport Association), CFIT refers to accidents in which there was a collision with terrain, water, or obstacle, without indication of loss of control of the aircraft. "The critical distinction in these types of accidents is the fact that the aircraft is under the control of the flight crew," it said. The Federal Aviation Administration of the US government described CFIT as an unintentional collision with terrain (the ground, a mountain, a body of water, or an obstacle) while an aircraft is under positive control. "Most often, the pilot or crew is unaware of the looming disaster until it is too late," it said. The people cited above said a sudden cloud cover could have resulted in the CFIT. "At times, a pilot may lose situational awareness when there is a visual disruption," said an aviation expert. Visuals of the helicopter captured by locals before the crash had shown that the chopper was flying at a low altitude. The chopper had crashed around eight minutes before its scheduled landing at Wellington. The people said the probe team examined all likely scenarios for the crash including possible human error or whether it was a case of disorientation by the crew when the helicopter was preparing for landing. Gen Rawat's wife Madhulika, his defence advisor Brigadier LS Lidder, staff officer to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Col Harjinder Singh and decorated pilot Group Captain Varun Singh were among 13 others killed in the crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. Air Marshal Singh, who headed the probe team, is currently serving as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Bengaluru-headquartered Training Command of the IAF. He is known to be one of the best air crash investigators in the country. Before taking the reins of the Training Command, the Air Marshal was the Director General (Inspection and Safety) at the Air headquarters and developed various protocols for flight safety while serving in the post. Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and a number of senior officials of the ministry were present when the IAF officials briefed the defence minister. (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.) After one case in Manipur, five cases of the variant of Covid-19 were detected in on Tuesday, health officials said. Health and Family Welfare Department Director Aman War said that of the five cases of variant, three people were detected with the new variant of in the three localities of Shillong and two at Saiden village in Ri-Bhoi district. All the five people had recently returned to the state from the other states of India. A 48-year-old man from Manipur, who had recently visited Tanzania, has tested positive for last week, becoming the first case of the new Covid-19 variant in the northeast region. In Meghalaya, a total of 84,881 people have been infected with 32 more people testing positive for the disease on Tuesday, while one more person died, taking the death toll to 1,485. The hill state has 97 active cases on Tuesday while 83,299 people have recovered from the disease so far. government on Monday decided to regulate entry of people inthe state from outside and imposed certain other restrictions from January 5, to prevent spread of Omicron. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday reviewed the Covid-19 related scenario. "Keeping in mind the economic activities of the people, the government would come up with some restrictions in the next few days in the state," he told the media later. --IANS sc/vd (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In view of steady increase in COVID-19 cases, the government on Tuesday ordered closure of all schools up to Class 10 till January 15 and extended the night curfew by two hours. In the districts where the number of active cases exceeds 1,000, not more than 100 people will be allowed at marriage ceremonies and other events. Public places like gyms, spas, cinema halls, banquet halls and restaurants will operate at 50 per cent capacity. The night curfew will be imposed from 10 pm to 6 am from Thursday, according to a statement. Presently, the night curfew is being implemented from 11 pm to 5 am. The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on a day the state reported 992 new infection cases. Currently, no UP district has more that 1,000 cases. The CM said genome sequencing has confirmed 23 variant cases in the state. Tracing and testing of those who came in contact with them should be done, the CM said. He directed that it should be made mandatory for devotees coming to Prayagraj Magh Mela to produce a negative RT-PCR test report, which should not be older that 24 hours. According to an official release, 992 new cases were detected on Tuesday in the state. The number of active cases in the state stood at 3,173, the release said, adding that the highest 174 cases were found in Ghaziabad, followed by 165 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 150 in Lucknow and 102 in Meerut. No death was reported in the state in the past 24 hours. The death toll stood at 22,916. So far, more than 3.5 lakh teens have got the vaccine in the state. A drive in this regard started on January 3. The chief minister said there is no need to panic. Alertness and caution are needed. People should be encouraged to wear masks, take vaccine and practice social distancing. This is the best first aid measure," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cellular immunity elicited by existing Covid-19 vaccines can fight the Covid variant, according to a study. The yet to be peer-reviewed study, which focussed on Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson's Covid shots, showed that vaccines will protect against severe disease even if the antibody responses against the strain are not as strong or durable, the Financial Times reported. "These data suggest that current vaccines may provide considerable protection against severe disease with the Sars-Cov-2 variant despite the substantial reduction of neutralising antibody responses," the researchers from Harvard medical school wrote in the study. Previous evidence suggests that the existing vaccines lose antibody response when pitted against . A third shot at least partially restores that antibody protection, and countries have been racing to scale up their booster programmes to avoid new restrictions. But vaccines are still expected to protect against severe disease, and health authorities have said they would closely examine evidence such as the one contained in the new study to decide whether a switch to Omicron-targeted vaccines is necessary, the report said. Early findings from studies in South Africa, the US, and the UK suggest that Omicron spreads faster but appears to be milder than previous variants. However, it is not clear yet if this is because of the variant itself, or because most of the world has either been infected or vaccinated, or a combination of the two factors. However, scientists have said that its high transmissibility, coupled with uneven vaccine coverage, could still mean health systems worldwide come under pressure as many more people get infected. The World Health Organisation has repeatedly called for a more equitable distribution of vaccines. The global health body has set a target of 70 per cent coverage in all nations by mid-2022. --IANS rvt/vd (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cut Bank, MT (59427) Today Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 63F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low 37F. E winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has completed refurbishing work on the British-era runway built during World War- II transforming it into a modern one operational for commercial use. International Airport Limited (DIAL) has completed the rehabilitation work on the runway previously used in war and handed it over to Air a traffic Control (ATC) for operations. Deputy Managing Director, GMR Group, I Prabhakar Rao said, "DIAL has successfully completed the rehabilitation work of Runway 09/27 and its taxiways. The British-era runway was rehabilitated and made operational for commercial operations as part of DIAL's effort to enhance the infrastructure and passenger experience at Airport to make it future-ready." "The newly rehabilitated runway will have a design life of 20 years and would be instrumental in handling the increased air traffic movements (ATMs) once pre-pandemic level traffic return to Airport," he added. The 09/27 runway of the Delhi airport was the airport's first-ever runway. The DIAL has now updated the runway with the new and latest equipment, complying with Category-I (CAT-I) Instrument Landing System (ILS), which assists pilots to land during low visibility conditions too. As per data available with DIAL, the British constructed the 2,816 metre-long and 60 metre-wide runway in the pre- Independence era and used it during World War II. Now all the existing lights of the runway and taxiways, around 850 in number, have been upgraded from normal lights to LED systems for higher efficiency and reliability as a part of rehabilitation work. Delhi Airport is confident that after completing the refurbishment of the runway, "its passenger handling capacity would increase to 100 million passengers per annum (MPPA) and the airside capacity will enhance to handle 140 MPPA," DIAL said. Meanwhile, Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport Runway 09/27 which is on the Northern side, has a network of a total of nine taxiways out of which six are connecting taxiways and three are rapid exit taxiways (RETs). (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 IAF is likely to apprise Defence Minister in the next couple of days about the findings of the tri-services probe into the December 8 chopper crash in which Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 13 others were killed, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday. The probe team has already completed its investigation into the crash and the report has almost been finalised, they said. Top officials of the Indian Air Force, including the head of the Court of Inquiry Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, are set to make a presentation before the defence minister about the outcome of the probe. It is learnt that the probe team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh examined all likely scenarios for the crash including possible human error or whether it was a case of disorientation by the crew when the helicopter was preparing for landing. Sources suggested that the crash was not a result of any technical error in the Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force. However, there is no official confirmation on it. (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.) TS Tirumurti, India's permanent representative to the was named the new Chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on Tuesday (local time). Prior to taking up his current position as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, in May 2020, Tirumurti served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, handling the Economic Relations portfolio (which included, inter alia, the Gulf and the Arab World, Africa, and India's Development Partnership), according to UNSC statement. Tirumurti previously served at the Embassy of India to Egypt, in Cairo; at the Permanent Mission of India to the in Geneva; as the first Representative of India to the Palestinian Authority, in Gaza; as Counsellor in the Embassy of India to the United States, in Washington. DC; as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India to Indonesia, in Jakarta; and as High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur, the statement further said. Tirumurti also served as Under Secretary (Bhutan), Director (Office of the Foreign Secretary), Joint Secretary (Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka), and Joint Secretary ( Economic and Social Council) during his service in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, in New Delhi, it added. India will chair the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in January. This Committee was formed in September 2001 soon after the tragic terrorist attack of 9/11 in New York, while India had chaired this Committee in the Security Council in 2011-12. In 2021, India has been asked to Chair three important Committees of the Security Council, which include the Taliban Sanctions Committee, Counterterrorism Committee, and the Libyan Sanctions Committee. (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.) Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor New Covid-19 cases in India surged to 58,097 on Wednesday, a doubling of the daily tally over the past four days, as health experts called for preparations to ensure hospitals are not overwhelmed by a new wave of patients. While doctors fretted, politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appeared less concerned by the rising case numbers with many of them holding rallies ahead of assembly elections in several states. Infections have been increasing sharply in cities, with the fast-spreading variant of the virus becoming dominant in places like New Delhi, authorities said. India has confirmed nearly 2,000 cases of the variant with many more expected, lending an urgency to calls for hospitals to get ready. "With infections expected to be skyrocketing we need: clear communication about self-care to prevent panic-driven trips to the hospitals," Bhramar Mukherjee, professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, wrote on Twitter. "Scale up hospital capacity and optimise care to those who really need it," she said. New Delhi's premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences cancelled a winter holiday for staff between Jan. 5 and 10. Many doctors and nurses have contracted the virus in recent days. "Ensure maximum preparedness against a possible surge in cases," the health ministry told state authorities on Tuesday. Authorities, especially in Delhi, have repeatedly said only those who actually need round-the-clock monitoring should go to hospital while others should recover at home. Delhi tightened up virus mitigation measures on Tuesday, ordering people to stay home on the weekends, in addition to a night curfew. Many other cities have announced curfews but politicians have not called off their election rallies, at which few people wear masks. Such gatherings last March and April helped the Delta variant infect millions of people in India, killing tens of thousands of them. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday he had tested positive a day after attending an election rally where none of the people on a dais, including him, could be seen wearing a mask. Modi will on Wednesday attend the inauguration of various projects in Punjab state, his latest visit to several states holding elections in coming weeks. Health ministry officials have said COVID-safety measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing apply to all, including politicians, though few seem to heed the advice. India has had more than 35 million cases, the second highest tally after the United States. The health ministry reported 534 new deaths on Wednesday, taking that toll to 482,551. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji was arrested in a case involving alleged job scam on Wednesday in Karnataka and brought to Tamil Nadu, police said. Three others who allegedly helped him have also been arrested. The former Minister, whose anticipatory bail application was dismissed by the Madras High Court last month, was arrested in connection with the scam, a police official here said. The police case here on job scam is against Bhalaji, two of his personal assistants and an associate. Two separate FIRs were registered previously by the Virudhunagar police following complaints. At least 23 victims were identified and a total of Rs 1.40 crore was collected from them allegedly for securing . They were promised various in the state government departments/undertakings including in the state-run dairy cooperative 'Aavin.' Conspiracy, cheating, criminal intimidation are among the IPC sections invoked against them. Bhalaji held the milk and dairy development portfolio in the previous government (2016-21). Dismissing the anticipatory bail petition of Bhalaji and others, the High Court had said in cases of job racketeering, the court finds innocents are being cheated, lured and their future becomes questionable... "job aspirants not only lose their money, they also lose their future." "This case is one of job racketeering. Hence, this court is not inclined to show any leniency on the petitioners." After the plea was rejected, police had formed special teams to apprehend him. (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.) Merck's antiviral drug molnupiravir, which several Indian companies are in the process of launching, has serious safety concerns, and thus has not been included in the national Covid-19 task force recommended clinical protocol, the chief of Indias apex health research organisation said on Wednesday. Balram Bhargava, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), told the media the task force has debated twice whether to include the drug in the protocol, but decided against it. The US has approved it based only on 1,433 patients with a 3 per cent reduction in moderate disease when given in mild cases. However, we have to remember that this drug has major safety concerns. It can cause teratogenicity (the ability to cause defects in a developing foetus), mutagenicity , and it can also cause cartilage damage and can also be damaging to muscles, he explained. Mutagenicity refers to permanent transmissible changes in the structure of genetic material of cells. Bhargava added that more importantly, if someone is prescribed molnupiravir, the person no matter what their gender has to be put on contraception for three months because the child born will be problematic with teratogenic influences. Therefore, it is not included in the national clinical protocol, the WHO has not included it, nor has the UK, he added. Bhargava said they are concerned about children, pregnant and lactating women, those in reproductive age, those with soft tissue injury, and with history of infections and vaccinations when this drug is being prescribed. Whatever benefit was to those 1,433 individuals who were unvaccinated... and only 3 per cent reduction in mild to moderate disease he said. Companies have started to launch the drug in India and despatches have begun to several districts already. Amid the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, a total of 61 resident doctors were found COVID-19 positive at the JJ hospital in Mumbai, informed Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors. Meanwhile, samples of 1,827 passengers on board the Cordelia cruise ship were sent for COVID-19 testing on Wednesday after the ship arrived in Mumbai from Goa with 66 passengers having tested positive for the infection, informed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. "Samples of their swabs were taken by two laboratories. Five ambulances with a capacity of 17 seats have been deployed for transporting the affected patients," said BMC officials. Test reports are expected today. After which, those who test positive will be sent to COVID centres or hospitals. Those who test negative will be sent for seven-day compulsory home quarantine. On Tuesday, Maharashtra reported 18,466 new COVID-19 cases, taking the active caseload of the state to 66,308. The cases of the new Omicron variant of have gone up to 653. (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 Sher Bahadur Deuba is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit next week as part of his four-day visit to India. Prime Minister Modi is hosting the Summit from January 10 to 13 in Gujarat. Deuba is set to leave for India on January 9 to attend the global summit, according to sources at the Prime Minister's private secretariat. The prime minister's four-day trip to India has been finalised and preparations for the same are underway, the sources said. However, an official announcement regarding details of the visit is yet to be made. This will be Deuba's first official visit to India after assuming power in July. This would be Prime Minister Deuba's second meeting with Modi. Earlier, the two leaders met briefly during the Glasgow Climate Summit in November. Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was conceptualised in 2003. It has now evolved into one of the most reputed global forums for business networking, knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships for inclusive socio-economic development. (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.) Amid reports that has symptoms akin to a common cold, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday warned that it is not a common cold and should not be taken lightly. The four most common symptoms of the variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis. A recent study by UK-based Zoe Covid app added nausea and loss of appetite to the category. Several studies from South Africa, the US and the UK have shown that the infections caused by the highly transmissible variant are generally mild, with less hospitalisation required. " is not the common cold," epidemiologist Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said in a tweet. "While some reports show a reduced risk of hospitalisation of Omicron compared to Delta, there are still far too many people infected, in hospital sick and dying from Omicron (and Delta)," she added. The UK has reportedly seen about 14 deaths due to the Omicron variant, while the US and South Korea have seen one death each. The deaths occured majorly in unvaccinated persons. "Omicron is not the common cold! Health systems can get overwhelmed," reiterated WHO's chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Twitter. It is "important to have systems to test, advise and monitor large numbers of patients as the surge can be sudden and huge," she warned. Kerkhove stated that "we can prevent infections, save lives now" by ensuring vaccine equity. Meanwhile, on Tuesday also stated that emerging evidence reveals that the Omicron is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants. "We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike the other ones, that could cause severe pneumonia," Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud told Geneva-based journalists. At the same time, the global health body warned that soaring infections due to Omicron across the world could lead to the emergence of new variants, media reports said. The more variant spreads, the more it can replicate and bring out a new variant that can be more lethal. France has detected a new variant, named IHU. The new variant, with 46 mutations, has already infected 12 people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.A While it may pose a greater risk than Omicron, touted as highly transmissible but mild in infections and less lethal than previous the Delta variant, researchers said, "it is too early to speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features of this IHU variant based on (just) 12 cases". --IANS rvt/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The booster dose, which the Centre is calling precautionary dose, will have to be the same as the first two Covid19 vaccine jabs, the announced on Wednesday ruling out a combination strategy for now. The drive for the third vaccine dose will take off on January 10, starting with healthcare and frontline workers as well as people over 60 years of age with comorbidities. The much-awaited announcement on booster dose coincided with India witnessing an exponential increase in cases. Daily infections have risen 6.3 times in the last eight days. The country reported 58,097 fresh cases on Wednesday, taking the total active cases to 214,004. The daily positivity rate has touched 5 per cent. At least one death, in Rajasthan, was also confirmed by the . On the positive side, more than 10 million teenagers, between the age of 15 and 18 years, have received their first jab, making it 14 per cent of the eligible category. The government move to allow homologous or the same third dose as the first two has come as a shot in the arm for Serum Institute of India (SII) which is sitting on 500 million doses of Covishield inventory in its Pune plant. At present, the Pune site has 250 million finished formulations, and another 250 million in bulk form. We need 80 days to process the bulk into finished doses, a company source said. In the overall vaccination drive so far, more than 88 per cent doses have been Covishield. All arrangements to start this process are on track. As more information comes on mixing or the heterologous approach, we will keep an eye on it, said V K Paul, chairman of the national Covid task force and member-health Niti Aayog. Bharat Biotech said it would start to produce 80 million monthly doses of Covaxin in January. This would be available in the market by around March-April. Currently, the company is making 55-60 million doses a month. Earlier this week, Bharat Biotechs project lead for Covid19 vaccines Raches Ella had questioned the effectiveness of a third Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccine dose. Ella had said in a tweet that inactivated and subunit vaccines are best for homologous or heterologous boosting. Nearly 30 million healthcare and frontline workers will be eligible for a precaution shot. As for the elderly, India has 138 million people above 60 years of age. They would be eligible for the third dose after nine months of the second shot. Vaccination for the elderly had begun in March 2021. Shahid Jameel, Senior Research Fellow at Green Templeton College at Oxford University had recently said that Covovax would be the ideal booster vaccine for almost 90 per cent of Indians who had received Covishield. Rising cases, positivity. Twenty-eight districts in India are reporting more than 10 per cent weekly positivity rate. There are eight emerging states of concern which indicate a surge in cases across the country, the said. These are Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Gujarat. Six of these, except Jharkhand and Gujarat, have more than 10,000 active cases currently. Paul said theres clearly a steep rise in cases due to the variant and the government teams are watching the pandemic dynamics closely, especially in large cities. India is also reporting a sharp increase in case positivity from 0.79 per cent on December 29, 2021, to 5.03 per cent as on January 5, 2022. While there has been a sharp surge in cases across countries, hospitalizations have remained relatively lower as compared to earlier surges, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary, health ministry. End isolation after 7 days With most patients reporting mild symptoms, the health ministry has also issued new guidelines for home isolation, bringing down the quarantine period after testing positive from ten days to seven, with three successive days without fever. There is no need for a re-test after the home isolation period is over. Health ministry has also said that patient should at all times use triple layer medical mask and discard mask after 8 hours of use. Mask should be discarded by cutting them into pieces and putting them in a paper bag for a minimum of 72 hrs. The threshold for oxygen saturation has been revised to "SpO2 93 per cent on room air" from the earlier guideline of 94 per cent level. PM on Wednesday cancelled his scheduled visit to Punjab's Ferozepur, said . "Today morning PM landed at Bathinda from where he was to go to Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out: MHA "When the weather didnt improve, it was decided that he would visit the Marytrs Memorial via road, which would take more than two hours. He proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Police," said MHA. Around 30 kms away from Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PMs convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM, the ministry added. "The PMs schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. "Also in view of the contingency plan Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed. After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport," said MHA. MHA said it is taking cognisance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. State government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action. "I look forward to being among my sisters and brothers of Punjab today. At a programme in Ferozepur, foundation stones for development works worth Rs 42,750 crore will be laid, which will improve the quality of life for the people," Modi had said in a tweet earlier on Wednesday The weather was inclement in many parts of Punjab, including Bathinda and Ferozepur on Wednesday. Modi is visiting poll-bound Punjab after a gap of two years and it is his first trip to the state after repeal of the farm laws by his government. The three legislations had led to a year-long farmers' stir at Delhi borders. The prime minister was supposed to lay the foundation stones of development projects, including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and a PGIMER satellite centre. The projects also include four-laning of the Amritsar-Una section, Mukerian-Talwara broad gauge railway line and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. Modi was also scheduled to address a rally in the district. #WATCH | PM Narendra Modi cancels his scheduled visit to Punjab's Ferozepur to address a rally "due to some reasons", Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announces from the stage pic.twitter.com/j9Ykcmv9KA ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2022 It is sad that PMs visit to launch development projects worth thousands of crores for Punjab was disrupted... State Police was instructed to prevent people from attending the rally... CM Channi refused to get on phone to either address the matter or solve it: BJP chief JP Nadda pic.twitter.com/x1GMIn7Wj6 ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2022 Prime Minister will visit Ferozepur in on Wednesday to lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore. These projects include the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway; four laning of Amritsar - Una section; Mukerian - Talwara New Broad Gauge railway line; PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur, according to Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The consistent endeavour of the Prime Minister to improve connectivity all across the country has led to multiple national highway development initiatives being taken up in the state of . It has resulted in more than doubling the total length of National Highways in the state from about 1700 kilometres in 2014 to more than 4100 kilometres in 2021, said the PMO. In continuation of such efforts, the foundation stone of two major road corridors will be laid in . This will also be a step towards fulfilling the Prime Minister's vision to enhance accessibility to major religious centres, it added. As per the PMO, the 669-kilometre long Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will be developed at a total cost of about Rs 39,500 crore. It will halve travel time from Delhi to Amritsar and Delhi to Katra. The Greenfield Expressway will connect key Sikh religious sites at Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran and the holy Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in Katra. The expressway will also connect key economic centres like Ambala Chandigarh, Mohali, Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Kathua and Samba in the three states/UTs of Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The four-laning of the Amritsar - Una section will be done at the cost of around 1700 crore. The 77-kilometre long section is part of the larger Amritsar to Bhota corridor spanning across the longitudinal expanse of Northern Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, connecting four major national highways, namely Amritsar-Bhatinda-Jamnagar Economic Corridor, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, North-South Corridor and Kangra-Hamirpur-Bilaspur-Shimla Corridor, stated the PMO. It will help in improving the connectivity of religious sites at Ghoman, Shri Hargobindpur and Pulpukta Town (home to the famous Gurudwara Pulpukta Sahib), added the PMO. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of a new Broad Gauge railway line between Mukerian and Talwara of around 27 Km in length, to be built at a cost of over Rs 410 crore. The railway line will be an extension of the Nangal Dam-Daulatpur Chowk railway section. It will provide an all-weathered means of transportation in the area. This project also holds strategic importance as it will serve as an alternative route to Jammu and Kashmir, joining the existing Jalandhar-Jammu Railway line at Mukerian. The project will prove especially beneficial for the people of Hoshiarpur in Punjab and Una in Himachal Pradesh. It will give a boost to tourism in the region, and provide ease of connectivity to hill stations as well as to places of religious importance. In line with the Prime Minister's endeavour to provide world-class medical facilities in all parts of the country, the foundation stone of new medical infrastructure in three towns of Punjab will be laid. The 100 Bedded PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur, will be built at a cost of more than Rs 490 crore. It will provide services in 10 specialities including Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, ENT and Psychiatry-Drug De-addiction. The satellite centre will provide world-class medical facilities at Ferozepur and the nearby areas. Two Medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur will be developed at a cost of around Rs 325 crore each and with a capacity of about 100 seats. These colleges have been approved in Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Establishment of new medical colleges attached with district/referral hospitals'. A total of three Medical Colleges have been approved for Punjab under this Scheme. The college approved at SAS Nagar in Phase-I is already functional. (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 major security lapse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur on Wednesday after which he returned from poll-bound without attending any event, including a rally. The Union Home Ministry directed the state government to file an immediate report, saying it did not ensure the required deployment, while Home Minister Amit Shah said that such dereliction of the security procedure during the prime minister's visit is totally unacceptable and accountability will be fixed. The incident triggered a major political row as the BJP alleged the ruling in "tried to physically harm" the prime minister, while other parties too attacked the state government over the law and order issue. On the defensive, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi at a press conference denied there was any security lapse or political motive behind it and said his government was ready for an inquiry. The said there was no security lapse and accused the BJP of enacting a petty political drama. In Delhi, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala claimed Modi skipped the rally in Ferozepur as there were no crowds and asked the saffron party to introspect. Channi, too, claimed that the turnout was low at the Ferozepur rally. Modi who landed in Bathinda had to take the road route to the Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur because of inclement weather. When the convoy reached near village Piareana on Ferozepur-Moga road, around 30 km away from the Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, some protestors blocked the road following which the PM's cavalcade was halted for almost 15-20 minutes on a flyover. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ferozepur) Inderbir Singh said around 100 farmers suddenly arrived on the spot and blocked the road. A decision was taken to take the PM's convoy back to Bathinda airport after protestors started gathering on the other side of the flyover which could pose a huge security risk, he said. Farmers had blocked roads at several other places including Tarn Taran, Faridkot and Amritsar. In the statement, the home ministry said that in view of the contingency plan the has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The precaution dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to be given to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 years and above with comorbidities will be the same as that of the first two jabs, the government said on Wednesday. All arrangements are on track to start inoculating the beneficiaries in these categories from January 10, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said, addressing the weekly briefing on COVID-19. "The precautionary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine that will be given to healthcare workers, frontline workers as well as those aged 60 years and above with comorbidities will be of the same vaccine as was given to them previously. "Those who have received the primary two doses of Covishield will receive Covishield and those who had received Covaxin would be administered Covaxin," Paul said. He further said a tab is being kept on the emerging information, science and data on mixing of vaccines and heterologous approaches. According to the "Guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination of children between 15-18 years and precaution dose to HCWs, FLWs and 60+ population with comorbidities" issued by the health ministry recently, prioritisation and sequencing of the precaution dose for the beneficiaries would be based on the completion of nine months from the date of administration of the second dose, which is 39 weeks. They will be able to access vaccination for the precaution dose through their existing CoWIN account, the guidelines that will come into effect from January 3 said. The eligibility for the precaution dose will be based on the date of administration of the second dose as recorded in the CoWIN system, which will send a text message for availing the precaution dose when it becomes due, the guidelines stated. Meanwhile, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) gave its approval to Bharat Biotech on Tuesday for conducting the phase-3 superiority and booster dose trial for its intranasal Covid vaccine to participants previously vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin, sources said. The SEC had, on December 10, said the Serum Institute of India (SII) should submit the local clinical trial data and a proposal, along with a justification, for the booster dose approval. On November 30, in an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Prakash Kumar Singh, director of government and regulatory affairs at the SII, had sought an approval for Covishield to be used for booster doses, citing an adequate stock of the vaccine in the country and a demand for booster shots due to the emergence of new variants. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister on Wednesday said the government should apologise to the people of the country for the "serious lapse" in the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state. Modi's visit to poll-bound was cut short earlier in the day after a "major security lapse" as he was stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes, prompting the Union Home Ministry to seek an immediate report from the state government and strict action against those responsible. Speaking to reporters about the incident, Adityanath said, "What has happened in is an example of the chaos and disorder prevailing in the state. The government of the Congress-ruled state should apologise to the people of the country for this." "The Congress has always been contemptuous of the constitutional system of the country. The country has once again seen an example of this," he said. This kind of "serious lapse in security" of the prime minister is "unforgivable", he added. Modi, who landed in Bathinda and had to take the road route to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur because of the inclement weather, was stuck on the flyover due to blockade by some protesters. After the serious lapse in security, the prime minister's convoy decided to return without attending an event at a martyrs' memorial, the home ministry statement said. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi expressed regret over the incident, but asserted that there was no security lapse. Modi was scheduled to lay the foundation stones of development projects worth over Rs 42,750 crore, including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and a PGIMER satellite centre. The projects also included four-laning of the Amritsar-Una section, Mukerian-Talwara broad gauge railway line and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. (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.) Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Wednesday said people need to be cautious for the next four to six weeks to control a possible third wave of COVID-19 and the spread of Omicron variant in the state. The minister called on the people to follow the guidelines and containment measures announced by the government and cooperate with the administration. "New COVID guidelines have been released after a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister. My appeal to the people is, four to six weeks is crucial. As we have observed worldwide, it is declining in five to six weeks. This wave will not be for too long, like in the first and second wave that was for three to four months," Sudhakar said. Speaking to reports here, he said the latest wave spreads fast and will also decline in the same phase. "If we remain cautious for at least four to six weeks, we will be able to control it," he said, adding that there is no need to worry in case of infections. The Karnataka government on Tuesday decided to impose curfew on weekends and restrict public gatherings to fight the third wave of COVID-19 till January 19. Also, the daily night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am, which is supposed to end January 7, will continue for two more weeks. Noting that the Omicron variant of enters the throat through the nose, but entering the lungs is very rare, the minister, who is also a medical professional, said. This is the reason why the cases requiring oxygen, ventilators and ICU are very less this time, he added. "But, its effect may be more on those who have not taken both the doses of COVID vaccination. So, I request people with folded hands to get vaccinated with both doses mandatorily," Sudhakar said. Those above 60 years and with comorbidities will be given the third preventive dose of vaccination from January 10 along with health workers and front line COVID warriors, he said adding that "our fast phase vaccination effort has helped Karnataka to control the large scale spread of the virus." Speaking about the ongoing vaccination drive for those between the age group of 15-18 years that was rolled out on January 3, Sudhakar said Karnataka is at the third place in the country by covering about 25 per cent of the age group in the state. "One in every four children (adolescents) in this age group have been vaccinated so far. It is happening at a fast phase," he said, adding that the vaccine drive is on track to with the government's target to cover the entire population in the age group within 10 to 15 days. Covaxin is being administered to adolescents between 15-18 years as per central government guidelines and the second dose will be given after a gap of 28 days. The minister also sought cooperation from all stakeholders, including opposition parties and organisations, to join hands with the government in containing the spread of the virus. To a question on Congress organising the Mekedatu padayatra (march) from January 9 amid the outbreak of cases and government imposing restrictions, he said, "People will decide. They are watching everything. We (the government) have not released the guideline without any malice." "We are seeing the COVID spread before us. I hope Congress will understand, as they too want to protect the public interest. They too have been in government for long," Sudhakar added. Asked if there will be any action on violations, he said, "Law will take its course." The Congress is organising the march from Mekedatu to Bengaluru, covering a distance of over 100 kilometres, demanding the implementation of the Mekedatu project across Cauvery river, which is being opposed by neighbouring Tamil Nadu. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister on Wednesday termed the "security lapse" during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to a "criminal conspiracy" and said the people of the country will never forgive Congress over the incident. In a statement, Chouhan alleged that the way the Congress, the Congress government and the Gandhi family have played with the Prime Minister's security, is something that has never happened in this country. It is the responsibility of state governments to provide security to the Prime Minister. They have not played with the security of the PM, but that of the nation. It is a criminal conspiracy and the people of the country will never forgive Congress for it, Chouhan said. Chouhan stated that he was thankful to God for "ensuring" that PM Modi is safe. The Congress, the Congress government and the Gandhi family would have left no stone unturned. The way they have played with the Prime Minister's security is something that has never happened in this country. Does Congress, the Congress government and the Gandhi family harbour so much hatred that they even played with the Prime Minister's security?" he asked. The blessings of crores of people in the country are with the Prime Minister, Chouhan said. The prime minister, who was travelling by road in on Wednesday, was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to a blockade by some protesters, an incident the Union home ministry described as a "major lapse" in his security. president Vishnu Dutt Sharma also strongly condemned the incident of the "security lapse". (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 United Kingdom has reported 218,724 COVID-19 cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 200,000 daily cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Xinhua News Agency reported citing official figures on Tuesday. According to the news agency, this brought the total number of cases in the country to 13,641,520. The country also reported a further 48 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 148,941, with 14,126 COVID-19 patients still in hospital, as per the official release cited by Xinhua News Agency. Earlier on Tuesday, British Health Secretary told Sky News that there's nothing in data at this point that suggests that Britain needs to move away from Plan B, which includes guidance to work from home and mandatory face masks in most public indoor venues. The British government is not planning to cut the isolation period from seven days to five days, as the United States has done, he said. More than 90 per cent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and around 82 per cent have received both doses, according to the latest figures cited by Xinhua News Agency. (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.) Britain's Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer has tested positive for Covid for a second time and is now isolating, a Labour Party spokesman said on Wednesday. The 59-year-old Labour Party leader will miss the year's first House of Commons showdown with Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) as the UK Parliament returns from its Christmas recess on Wednesday. This is the second time Starmer has missed a major Parliament session due to a positive COVID test, having missed out on the Budget session last October. "The Labour Leader has tested positive for coronavirus, a party spokesperson said. Starmer is not believed to have any symptoms of the virus and the infection was detected as part of his regular testing routine. It marks his sixth period of isolation due to COVID, having isolated after coming in contact with someone who later tested positive in other instances. Keir's latest positive test comes after the UK reported its highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic, with 218,724 announced on Tuesday. It comes a day after he delivered a major party policy speech at an event in Birmingham setting out what he called his new "contract with the British people" and his vision for a future Labour government. After his speech, Starmer went on a tour of a green energy and decarbonisation research site in the Tyseley area of Birmingham. A small group of Birmingham Labour MPs, including British Sikh MP and shadow minister for international development Preet Kaur Gill, were with him during Tuesday's visit and may now have to isolate. The event was seen as Starmer's attempt at capitalising the Labour Party's lead over the ruling Conservatives in opinion polls after recent stories of alleged rule-breaking in Downing Street at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Labour's Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner, will stand in for Starmer at PMQs, where the focus will be on the government's strategy to cope with the continued Omicron surge in the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised by Covid in spring 2020, spending three nights in intensive care. (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.) Patrick O'Carroll, with halibut, left, and cod fish and chips, opened a second location for his Irish and English-themed restaurant, The Chipper, in the Arrowhead section of Virginia Beach. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot) Virginia Beach Irish and British people commonly refer to their favorite fish and chip shop as a chipper. Advertisement And in Hampton Roads, The Chipper is where locals can stop in for beer-battered fish and thick-cut french fries called chips. The name, referencing the slang, was fitting when Patrick OCarroll, who hails from Dublin, Ireland, opened his restaurant in the summer of 2018 at 5619 George Washington Memorial Highway in York County featuring his homelands fancied fare. Advertisement The name has as much of a recognition, say, as 7-Eleven over here, OCarroll said. After continual coaxing by a loyal following of customers who drove to the Peninsula restaurant, OCarroll acquiesced and expanded with a second location in South Hampton Roads. The newest Chipper restaurant opened Nov. 10 at 5604 Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beachs Arrowhead neighborhood. OCarroll hopes to make fish and chips as popular here as overseas by expanding The Chipper through a franchise model. Londoner Liam Mitchell-Bennett became the first franchisee purchasing the York County location at the start of 2021 and OCarroll is looking for someone to take on the Virginia Beach spot next. No stranger to the food industry, OCarrolls career began more than four decades ago at age 15 working in a pub in his native country. We have a three-year apprenticeship at home for the bar trade when I finished that I came to America, OCarroll said of his emigration in the 1980s. Ive been in the business since in just about every capacity. He opened his first pub, Dicey Rileys, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1994. Advertisement Once settled in Virginia, OCarroll opened the Irish American pub, Patriots Grill in Gloucester. The patrons favored the fish and chips the most, and after he sold the restaurant, he decided to make that fare his next focus. Other expats, military personnel and civilians who have traveled abroad are always eager to enjoy that taste again. It was only after we opened the doors that we realized it was a big draw, he said. Cris Spurlock used to drive from Norfolk to the York County location at least once a month to get her fix of fish and chips. Now, the Manchester, England, native happily makes the 15-minute drive to The Chipper in Virginia Beach where she lends a helping hand as an employee. Inside Business Weekdays Business news for the Hampton Roads region > Spurlock managed the Hampton Inn Oceanfront for 30 years and ran a British tea room on-site. I was brought up on fish and chips, Spurlock said. My mum worked at a chippy when I was little so its like our whole lives are around the fish and chips shop. Im so glad weve got one now. Advertisement Authenticity is key to OCarroll, who said everything is made fresh in-house and many items, including battered sausage, curry sauce, mushy peas, Heinz baked beans, and Lucozade and Irn-Bru drinks, are imported from overseas. For those more inclined to lean toward American classics, burgers and chicken tenders round out the menu. By the end of 2022, OCarroll plans to introduce a third location and hopes to bring more and more chippers to the region. Its everywhere at home every parish and area has a couple, he said. Its interwoven in the community. Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com Union Minister for Industries Pashupati Kumar Paras on Wednesday launched six brands, including Kashmiri chilli, developed as part of the 'One District-One Product' (ODOP) approach under a central scheme PMFMES. These six brands are out of 10 that the ministry has signed up with cooperative NAFED for branding and marketing of ODOPs under the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Enterprises Scheme (PMFMES). The central scheme PMFMES aims to provide financial, technical and business support for upgradation/ setting up of two lakh micro units based on the ODOP approach in a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore. Minister of the State for Food Processing Industries Prahlad Singh Patel was also present at the launch. In a statement, the six brands have been launched under selected districts in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jammu and Kashmir. The six brands launched are Amrit Phal, Cori Gold, Kashmiri Mantra, Madhu Mantra, Somdana, and Whole Wheat Cookies of Dilli Bakes. The brand Amrit Phal for amla juice has been exclusively developed under the ODOP concept for Gurugram, Haryana. The product contains pure amla juice and is a natural elixir with added lemon for a unique taste and health benefits. The 500 ml bottle is competitively priced at Rs 120. Cori Gold brand has been developed for coriander powder which is the identified ODOP for Kota, Rajasthan. The product has a distinct flavour and brings forth a regional speciality. The 100-gram pack is competitively priced at Rs 34. Brand Kashmiri Mantra brings out the essence of spices from Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmiri Lal Mirch product has been developed under the ODOP component for spices for Jammu and Kashmir. The product has a distinct flavour and the 100 g pack is priced at Rs 75. Brand Madhu Mantra has been developed under the ODOP concept for honey from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The multiflora honey has been collected by free-range bees and the 500-gram glass bottle is competitively priced at Rs 185. Whole wheat cookies is the second product developed under the brand Dilli Bakes. The brand and the product have been developed under the bakery ODOP concept for Delhi. According to NAFED, the whole wheat cookie is a unique product as it is made with whole wheat, jaggery instead of sugar, and contains butter instead of vanaspati. The 380-gram pack is competitively priced at Rs 175. Brand Somdana has been developed under the ODOP concept of millets from Thane, Maharashtra. The ragi flour is a unique product as it is gluten-free, rich in iron, fibre, and calcium. The 500-gram pack is priced at Rs 60. NAFED said all the products come in unique and attractive packaging that keeps moisture and sunlight at bay, thus ensuring a longer shelf life of the product and keeping it fresh. Each product has been developed based on the extensive knowledge and legacy of the marketing expertise of NAFED as well as its capabilities and experience in processing, packaging, supply and logistics, it said in a statement. All the products will be available at NAFED Bazaars, e-commerce platforms and prominent retail stores across India. (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.) Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking extension of the credit guarantee scheme for micro lenders till FY 2022-23 with an amount of Rs 15,000 crore. Of the amount, at least 75 per cent should be earmarked for small and medium-sized MFIs, Sa- Dhan, a self-regulatory organisation for the microfinance sector, wrote to the finance minister in its pre-Budget expectations. The government is scheduled to present the Budget 2022-23 next month. The industry body said smaller are finding it difficult to mobilise additional/new investment and hence requested support with subordinated debt having 5 to 7 years of tenure. It also said SIDBI and NABARD should be allowed to issue tax-free social bonds for five years to exclusively provide debt /equity to operating in semi urban or rural areas. Around 30 per cent of these funds can be in the form of equity and rest being debt. Besides, the micro lenders have requested setting up of a Microfinance Development Fund of Rs 1,000 crore in NABARD to support not-for-profit with grant as well as revolving fund/refinance support. "The Microfinance sector disbursed Rs 2,03,262 lakh crore last fiscal, which is close to 1.5 per cent of India's GDP. Therefore, the sector, if supported adequately in the upcoming Union Budget, can play pivotal role in reviving and steering growth and consumption, Sa-Dhan Executive Director P Satish said. He said the government has supported the sector through various measures, including the credit guarantee scheme, during the challenging times of the ongoing pandemic. However, the sector still faces few challenges in terms of higher credit costs and access to low-cost long-term funds, Satish 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.) Centre on Tuesday clarified that it has released 50 per cent of funds earmarked for States and Union Territories, and not 26.14 per cent as claimed in some media reports. The Centre further added that the funds were released by August 24 and not in November, as claimed. The Union Health Ministry, in a press release, said, "A channel has recently made a claim that the Union Government has only disbursed 26.14 per cent of the Emergency COVID Response Plans-II (ECRP-II) funds to the states. The channel further claims that funds were disbursed by the Centre by November 2021 and states have utilized 60 per cent of the approved funds." "The report is misinformed and claims are false, misleading and based on misrepresented facts," it added. The Ministry further informed that the Cabinet approved the " Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package - Phase-II" (ECRP-Phase-II) on July 8, 2021 for an amount of Rs 23,123 crores (Central Share - Rs 15,000 Crore and State Share - Rs 8,123 Crore) to be implemented from 1st July 2021 to 31st March 2022. The scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with some Central Sector (CS) components. The scheme is aimed to prevent, detect and respond to the continuing threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national health systems for emergency response and preparedness across the country, said the Ministry. "Under the scheme, Rs 20,308.70 crores are to be spent by states out of which Rs 12,185.70 crore is to be provided by the central government and Rs 8,123 crore is to be provided by state governments," the Ministry further informed. Highlighting the factual errors in the report of the news channel, the Ministry said that as opposed to claims out of the Rs 6075.85 crore made available by the Union Government, Rs. 1679.05, crore, (i.e. 27.13 per cent), have been spent by States as on December 31, 2021, and not 60 per cent as claimed in the news report. AS per the release, immediately after approval of the scheme, the Union Government released 15 per cent of the central share to States/UTs on July 22, 2021 to enable them to quickly undertake the preparatory activities for implementation of ECRP-II. "The second instalment of funds was released soon after as advance to the States in the month of August 2021. A total amount of Rs 6075.85 Crore (50 per cent of central share) has already been released to States/UTs through the National Health Mission (NHM) by August 24, 2021. State-wise central share release and expenditure till date can be seen at Annexure I. So far, expenditure of Rs 1,679.05 Crore has been incurred by the 36 States/UTs under ECRP-II," it added. Further, the Ministry said that the remaining funds will be released to states based on the progress and utilisation of at least 50 per cent of the funds already released. "So far, five states have reported expenditure of more than 50 per cent," they said. The release further read: "Central Government is actively pursuing with states with speedy implementation of the ECRP-II package. Two meetings have been conducted by Union Health Minister with State Health Minister, and Union Health Secretary has conducted at least three meetings with State Health Secretaries. Both the physical progress and expenditure are being monitored at the Union Health Ministry on a daily basis. (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.) Sa-Dhan, the self-regulatory organisation for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), has sought an extension of the credit guarantee scheme till the next fiscal year (FY23) with an allocation of Rs 15,000 crore, at least 75 per cent of which should be earmarked for small and mid-size MFIs. This is a part of their recommendation to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of the upcoming Union Budget. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. has reported another incursion by Chinese warplanes as seven military aircraft of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) enter the self-ruled island's air defense identification zone (ADIZ)on Tuesday. Five People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane, and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare airplane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND). In response, sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF planes, reported News. A total of nine Chinese aircraft have been spotted in Taiwan's identification zone so far this month, including five fighter jets and four spotter planes. Since September last year, has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner of the zone. Air Defence Identification Zone(ADIZ) is an area that extends beyond a country's airspace. It is the area where aircraft are asked to identify themselves by the air traffic controllers. Gray zone conflicts are activities by a state that is harmful to another state and are sometimes considered to be acts of war, but are not legally acts of war. The number of flights is expected to increase further as tensions rise over major political events on two sides of the Taiwan Strait in 2022, Taiwan News reported. Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war. (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.) US Secretary of State on Tuesday (local time) discussed the buildup of Russian military near the border with in a call with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. "Secretary Blinken and Sheikh Abdullah discussed Russia's military buildup near Ukraine's borders as well as other bilateral and regional issues, including developments in Yemen, Ethiopia, and Sudan," Price said in a statement. Blinken also congratulated the UAE for assuming a seat on the UN Security Council earlier this month, Price said in the readout. In addition, Blinken discussed the buildup near with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud during a call on Tuesday, Price said in a separate statement. Both the diplomates also discussed other bilateral and regional security issues, including Yemen and Sudan, Price added. Russian and US officials are set to meet in person in Geneva on January 10 amid a Russian military buildup on the border and ongoing tensions. The US and NATO have voiced concerns over Russia's alleged preparations for invading Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying that 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 security. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Prime Minister on Wednesday sought to dismiss the notion that visa norms are set to be relaxed for Indians in pursuit of a agreement (FTA) with India. During the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) session in the House of Commons, Johnson was asked by one of his Conservative Party MPs to comment on reports that emerged in the UK media over the weekend about easier visas for Indian professionals and students to make an FTA more attractive to India. Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh asked Johnson if a relaxation of visa controls from India was in the works to secure a trade agreement. I don't recognise the account he's given at all. We don't do deals on that basis, said Johnson. Net immigration since we took back control (Brexit) has gone down our new Borders Bill currently in the House of Lords enables us properly to take back control of our borders and to tackle illegal immigration, he said. Free movement of people from within the European Union (EU) was a key issue during the 2016 Brexit referendum, with Johnson pledging to take back control to create a fairer visa regime for applicants from within and outside of the EU post-Brexit. Apparently the government is thinking of relaxing visa controls from India in order to get a deal. Whilst a free trade deal is valuable in itself, we should not be held to ransom, said Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh in the Commons. Would he agree with me that our new working class voters who voted Brexit did not vote to replace immigration from Europe with more immigration from the rest of the world...will he convince us that he is determined to connect to our supporters and control immigration, he questioned. His question in the Commons follows reports that UK Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is expected to travel to Delhi later this month to kick-start FTA talks and is expected to offer a visa scheme similar to that agreed as part of the UK's FTA with Australia. Such a scheme would allow young Indians the chance to come and work in the UK for up to three years. Another option reportedly being considered would be to cut visa fees for students and allow them to stay in Britain for a period after they graduate, possibly building upon the Graduate Route visa under the points-based immigration rules currently in place. India is projected to become the world's third largest economy by 2050 and a free trade agreement will open up huge opportunities for UK businesses to trade with India's GBP 2.25 trillion economy, said a Department for Trade spokesperson, without confirming or denying the reports of a visa scheme linked with an FTA. Companies up and down the country can look forward to the benefits, from manufacturers in the West Midlands to tech experts in Belfast, and we look forward to launching negotiations early this year, the spokesperson said. The UK government's stated priority for the FTA talks is a broad and comprehensive FTA, which achieves short and long-term benefits for British businesses. DIT sources said that a range of measures will be under consideration to enable British business to achieve maximum benefits from any deal. The UK's target will be on reduced tariffs from up to 150 per cent on key exports such as cars and Scotch whisky to make UK goods more competitive in the Indian market. Back in May 2021, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and clinched an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) during a virtual summit, with the goal to double bilateral trade to GBP 50 billion by 2030. The FTA is seen as the next step in the bilateral engagement. (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.) To decrease hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, the US administration is going to double its order of treatment courses, President said on Tuesday (local time). "Today, I am directing my team to work with to double our order from 10 million to 20 million treatment courses to be delivered in the months ahead," Biden said during the meeting with members of the White House COVID-19 response team, Sputnik News Agency reported. This move will allow to dramatically decrease hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, he added. Biden also warned that the coming weeks will be challenging, but the US has tools to combat the pandemic. announced earlier on Tuesday (local time) that the US government has committed to purchasing an additional 10 million treatment courses of its COVID-19 oral therapy named PAXLOVID, as per Sputnik. The President also said that he believed that school should remain open. "Look, we have no reason to think at this point that Omicron is worse for children than previous variants," Biden told a White House media briefing. "We know that our kids can be safe when in school. By the way, that's why I believe school should remain open," Sputnik reported. (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.) German energy giant Uniper SE was forced to borrow billions to pay down margin calls -- the collateral that exchanges require to back up trades -- as European gas and electricity prices rallied. Uniper got additional loans totaling 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) from its Finnish parent Fortum Oyj and KfW IPEX-Bank, the company said in a statement after the close of trading on Tuesday. The borrowing facilities correspond to about two-thirds of the companys market value of just over 15 billion euros. With gas and power prices repeatedly rising to records since July, many that had fixed energy prices are now having to post more collateral to guarantee those trades. Still, any losses from those hedges might be offset by higher realized prices in the spot market. RBC Capital analysts said Wednesday they expect no real impact on near-term earnings for Uniper. The reason for these additional financial instruments is the unprecedented price increases of -- in some cases -- several hundred percent within a few months, Uniper Chief Financial Officer Tiina Tuomela said in a separate statement. The European gas market had its most volatile year on record in 2021, with prices surging as much as 40% in just one day in October. The enormous gains meant some had to tap extra funds, while several small energy suppliers folded. RWE AG also had additional liquidity requirements, Chief Financial Officer Michael Muller said in November. Uniper got an 8 billion-euro credit line from Fortum on Dec. 22, part of which has already been used. The company has also fully drawn the existing 1.8 billion-euro credit facility it has with its core banks. It further tapped 2 billion from KfW on Jan. 4 as a back-up facility in case of further extreme commodity market developments. Power Hedging This is the second time in less than six months that the company has been forced to prop up liquidity as energy prices climb. The utility first disclosed additional capital needs in its third-quarter earnings in November. At the time it said it had hedged 90% of German power for 2022 at 49 euros a megawatt-hour and 90% for 2023 at 51 euros. Since then, prices soared. German electricity for 2022 expired at almost 220 euros, more than four times the price that Uniper had sold at. The contract for 2023 delivery is currently trading at 135 euros. Uniper stressed that the high commodity prices increase the value of its gas and power assets, and as a result structural earnings prospects are not adversely impacted. The shares fell 2.4% as of 12:42 p.m. in Frankfurt, in line with a broader decline in European utility stocks. The quantum of these facilities shows how extreme recent commodity price movements have been and the impact on the margining payments for Unipers sold forward volumes, analysts at RBC said in a note. Commodities trader Gunvor Group Ltd. also faced about $1 billion in margin calls last year, according to people familiar with the matter. The largest independent LNG trader in December signed a $1.14 billion loan to trade the fuel shortly after with lenders including Rabobank and Societe Generale SA. It now has a specific pool of funds to finance purchases, transport and sales of the super-chilled fuel. Energy firms were also faced with extreme volatility at the end of last year, when gas prices surged all the way through March 2023. The fuel for delivery in the summer -- when gas is usually cheap -- exceeded 100 euros a megawatt-hour at one point in December, the highest on record. By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Monetary Fund will release its World Economic Outlook on Jan. 25, a week later than planned, to factor in the latest COVID-19 developments, a spokesperson for the global lender said on Tuesday, amid signs another downgrade is coming. "The World Economic Outlook update will be launched on January 25 to allow our teams to incorporate the latest developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic into the economic forecasts," the spokesperson said. spokesperson Gerry Rice last month told reporters to expect the update on Jan. 19. Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva last month told the Reuters Next conference that the was likely to further downgrade its global economic growth projections in January to reflect the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In October, the had forecast global economic growth of 5.9% in 2021 and 4.9% this year, while underscoring the uncertainty posed by the new coronavirus variants. The coronavirus has killed nearly 5.8 million people worldwide over the past two years. Economists expect the IMF to cut its economic forecast for the United States, the world's largest economy, given the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, as well as the failure of Congress to pass U.S. President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion social and climate spending package. In October, it had already slashed its forecast for U.S. Gross Domestic Product growth in 2021 by a full percentage point to 6%, citing supply chain disruptions and a labor crunch, while forecasting growth of 5.2% in 2022. Since then, the pandemic has surged again, and divisions in Congress have deepened. The United States set a global record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, and its daily average has totalled 486,000 cases over the last week, a rate higher than that of any other country. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by David Lawder) (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.) USS Constitution fires her canons while underway, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Boston. The ship will reopen to the public on Friday and celebrated with her first underway in more than a year due to COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (Michael Dwyer/AP) From serving as executive officer on the Norfolk-based guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg to command of the worlds oldest commissioned naval vessel marks a step into history. Cmdr. Billie Farrell is about to take command of USS Constitution Old Ironsides the first woman to do so in the ships 224 years. Advertisement Launched in 1797, the Constitution saw action against pirates in the Barbary Wars and in the War of 1812, where it won its Old Ironsides title as astonished sailors watched British cannonballs bounce off its wooden hull. Advertisement USS Constitution defended American interests at sea for decades after that, retiring in 1855 after serving in anti-slaving patrols with the Africa squadron. Old Ironsides captured or sank 33 enemy vessels, and was never defeated in battle. Farrell called USS Constitution an iconic warship that dates back to the roots of both our nation and our Navy,. Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell will take command of Old Ironsides this month (US Navy photo) She said she hopes the strengthen the warships legacy by telling her story and connecting it to the rich heritage of the United States Navy and the warships serving in the fleet today. While Farrell will be Old Ironsides first female commanding officer, it was another woman officer, Lt. Cmdr. Claire V. Bloom, who as executive officer and led the warships historic 1997 sail, the first time it sailed under its own power since 1881. Women now comprise more than a third of USS Constitutions 80-strong ships company. Dave Ress, 757-247-4535, dress@dailypress.com The has urged private companies to oppose the human rights abuses and genocide by China in Xinjiang. This comes after Tesla, a US-based vehicle manufacturer, opened a showroom in the region in China, Kyodo News reported. At a news conference, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that private sector companies that fail to address forced labor and human rights abuses within their supply chains face "serious legal, reputational, and customer risk," both internationally and in the US. "I can't speak to the specific situation of one company, but as a general matter, we believe the private sector should oppose the PRC's human rights abuses and genocide in Xinjiang," Psaki said. In recent times, the US has ramped up its campaign against China for repressing religious minorities in Xinjiang. Recently, the administration of President Joe has decided on a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics next month in a show of protest over China's human rights abuses. The president in December also signed into law a bill effective banning all imports from Xinjiang due to concerns over the use of forced labor there. "The community, including the public and private sectors, cannot look the other way when it comes to what is taking place in Xinjiang," Psaki said while warning that companies failing to address forced labor in supply chains face serious legal, reputational and customer risk around the world. According to media reports, has said it has begun operation in a showroom in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. This has drawn widespread criticism. Last year, the US become the first country in the world to declare the Chinese actions in Xinjiang as "genocide". Both the Canadian and Dutch parliament adopted motions recognizing the Uyghur crisis as genocide in February last year. Dutch became the first parliament in Europe to do so. In April last year, the United Kingdom also declared China's ongoing crackdown in Xinjiang a "genocide". (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.) across will reopen on Jan. 10 as planned under strict health protocols, the government said on Tuesday, as the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country hit a record high. The National Public Health Organization (EODY) confirmed 50,126 infections within 24 hours. The previous record was registered on New Year's Eve (40,560 cases), while a week ago there were fewer than 10,000 cases per day. Greek officials said that the returning students and teachers will be required to take more COVID-19 tests regardless of their vaccination status. More than 70 percent of the new cases in GreecGreece's daily COVID-19 cases hit new record e's five big regions are liked to the highly contagious Omicron variant, EODY's President Theoklis Zaoutis told a press briefing on Monday. The Omicron variant surge is expected to peak quickly and then decline by February, Gkikas Magiorkinis, a professor of epidemiology and a member of the committee of experts advising the Greek Health Ministry on the management of the COVID-19 crisis, told the Greek national news agency AMNA. Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, professor of environmental engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told the local SKAI TV that the number of new daily cases may reach 80,000 in the coming days. (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.) China's senior diplomat Zhang Ming has taken charge as the new Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in which India is a member. Zhang has taken charge from Vladimir Norov, former Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan from January 1 for a three-year term. He was until recently China's ambassador to the European Union. The Beijing headquartered SCO is an eight-member economic and security bloc consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. Commenting on his appointment, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here on Wednesday that he "is a veteran diplomat with great experience in multilateral diplomacy,". I am sure like his predecessors, he will achieve new progress," he said. As the host country of the SCO secretariat, will continue to support the secretariat and the Secretary-General, and will work with other parties to uphold the Shanghai spirit, deepen political security, trade, connectivity and cultural cooperation and forge a closer SCO community relations in the future, and contribute to SCO strength in promoting regional, global peace and development," Wang said. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members 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 has said he hopes England can "ride out" the current wave of Covid-19 without further restrictions. He, however, acknowledged parts of the NHS would feel "temporarily overwhelmed" amid a surge of cases, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The Prime Minister said there was a "good chance" he would not impose fresh measures and would recommend continuing the government's "Plan B" strategy in England to ministers on Wednesday. He also announced plans for 100,000 critical workers to take daily tests. The testing regime from January 10 will be for key industries including food processing, transport and the border force, in order to reduce the spread of the virus to colleagues. The Prime Minister said at a Downing Street briefing he will recommended England sticks with Plan B restrictions, when cabinet ministers meet to discuss extending them. The measures - which include working from home where possible, mask wearing in most public settings and Covid passports in some venues - are currently due to run out on 28 January. As daily Covid case figures exceeded 200,000 for the first time with the spread of the variant, Johnson said people who believed the pandemic to be over were "profoundly wrong". The daily cases include a backlog of two days of cases from Wales and four days in Northern Ireland. He said this was a moment for caution but also that the UK's position was different from other waves, as is milder than previous variants and booster vaccines have been rolled out. Johnson said the country had a chance to "ride out this Omicron wave without shutting down our country once again". "We can keep our schools and our businesses open and we can find a way to live with this virus," he said. Johnson acknowledged the weeks ahead would be "challenging" with "some services disrupted by staff absences". But he promised to "fortify" the NHS to withstand pressure. The assurances come as many industries are facing staffing problems over the number of workers self isolating with Covid or as contacts of cases, while many people have struggled to get tests over Christmas amid supply and demand issues. --IANS int/pgh (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.) Allegiant Air is poised to order 50 jets worth $5 billion at list prices, people familiar with the matter said, rejecting offers by traditional supplier Airbus as the no-frills carrier seeks to capture a boom in post-pandemic U.S. tourism. The surprise deal stems a series of setbacks for Boeing Co and overturns the airline's previous strategy of picking up second-hand jets at bargain prices, which had helped it accumulate over 100 jets built by Boeing's European rival. The switch of suppliers is the third such airline defection in as many weeks, this time working in Boeing's favor after the U.S. planemaker lost hard-fought medium-haul contests to Airbus at Dutch KLM and Australia's Qantas. Such "flips" are rare due to the cost of retraining pilots, but reflect fierce competition for new business as the aerospace industry seeks to recover from its worst-ever recession. Boeing, Airbus and Allegiant Air, a unit of Allegiant Travel Co, all declined to comment. The deal is the latest sign of accelerated growth among "ultra-low-cost" carriers that combine rock-bottom fares with optional charges. Carriers like these are expected to emerge in a position of relative strength from the COVID-19 pandemic. "The leisure market is coming back in droves relative to the business market," said one of the people familiar with Allegiant's plans. ORDER RACE The Las Vegas-based carrier operates a total of 122 A319 or A320 jets, only 13 of which were ordered directly from Airbus, according to European data. The 737 MAX planes will help Allegiant's growth strategy and replace aging aircraft over the coming years, though it will continue to be an Airbus operator. The order comes after a contest waged at least partially between the 737 MAX 7 and the Airbus A220, two of the people said, though some larger 8200 variants may also be involved. "This is huge. Allegiant was in line to order the A220," Leeham Co analyst Scott Hamilton said, adding that the outcome suggested Allegiant had received a "screaming deal" from Boeing as well as the ability to get deliveries more quickly. The new Boeing planes would replace retired jets and feed Allegiant's growth plans over the coming years. Mexico's Viva Aerobus in December announced a commercial alliance with Allegiant to offer flights between the and Mexico. The deal, which is likely to be counted in December's orders for Boeing, caps a tight annual order race with Airbus. Boeing bounced back from a safety crisis to sell some 700 MAX through end-November, only to lose two of the industry's most widely watched contests to rival Airbus at Qantas and various subsidiaries of Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM. Both planemakers are due to publish 2021 data next week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has explained the scientific rationale for shortening its COVID-19 isolation and quarantine recommendations, and clarified that the guidance applies to kids as well as adults. The CDC on Tuesday also maintained that, for people who catch COVID-19, testing is not required to emerge from five days of isolation despite hints from other federal officials that the agency was reconsidering that. The agency announced the changes last week, halving the isolation time for Americans who catch the and have no symptoms or only brief illnesses. Isolation should only end if a person has been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and if other symptoms are resolving, the CDC added. It similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine, from 10 days to five. CDC officials previously said the changes were in keeping with evidence that people with the are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. Some experts have questioned how the new recommendations were crafted and why they were changed amid a spike in cases driven largely by the highly contagious variant. Some also expressed dismay that the guidelines allowed people to leave isolation without getting tested to see if they were still infectious. On Tuesday, the CDC posted documents designed to address those and other questions about the latest recommendations. The new guidance applies to school children as well as adults, the CDC said, responding to questions raised by school leaders around the country. In laying out the scientific basis for the revisions, the agency said more than 100 studies from 17 countries indicate that most transmission happens early in an infection. The CDC acknowledged the data come from research done when delta and other pre- variants were causing the most infections. But the agency also pointed to limited, early data from the US and South Korea that suggests the time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms may be shorter for than for earlier variants. The CDC also took up the question of why it didn't call for a negative test before people emerge from isolation. On Sunday, Dr Anthony Fauci the White House's top medical adviser said the CDC was considering including the negative test as part of its guidance. The agency said lab tests can show positive results long after someone stops being contagious, and that a negative at-home test may not necessarily indicate there is no threat. That's why, the agency said, it was recommending that people wears masks everywhere for the five days after isolation ends. It did offer tips for those who have access to the tests and want to check themselves before leaving isolation. Dr Eric Topol, the head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, accused the agency of furthering confusion. He agreed that it is appropriate to shorten isolation time, but only with testing. We do need to come up with a strategy that limits isolation time, but we don't want it to be one that's adding to the spread of the virus and unwittingly leading to the virus circulating, he said. The CDC also suggests that people exposed to the virus quarantine for five days, unless they have gotten booster shots or recently received their initial vaccine doses. The agency said anyone exposed regardless of vaccination status should get tested five days later, if possible. The agency also admitted that many people weren't following the previous isolation and quarantine recommendations anyway. Research suggests only 25% to 30% of people were isolating for a full 10 days under the older guidance, the CDC said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US- Security Consultative Committee "2+2" Meeting, 2022 will be held on January 6 to strengthen the alliance and to address global challenges amid Chinese assertiveness in the region. "@SecBlinken, @SecDef Austin, and Ambassador Emanuel will virtually meet Japanese FM Hayashi and @KishiNobuo for the 2022 U.S.- Security Consultative Committee Meeting on Jan. 6. We will strengthen our alliance to address global challenges, tweeted US Department of State, spokesperson, Ned Price. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, joined by US Ambassador to Rahm Emanuel, will meet virtually with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo on January 6, for the 2022 US-Japan Security Consultative Committee ("2+2") Meeting, read a US Department of State statement. The 2+2 Meeting has long been a high-level forum for US-Japan foreign and defence policy cooperation. "During the meeting, the delegations will discuss ways the and Japan can strengthen our alliance to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and other global challenges," added the statement. has been demonstrating an aggressive approach in pressing its territorial claims against its neighbours. (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.) Although most people recover from COVID-19 within five to seven days of the onset of symptoms, the World Organization (WHO) still recommends a 14-day quarantine, an official from the organization told a press briefing on Tuesday. However, said Abdi Mahamud from WHO's COVID-19 Incident Management Support Team, states must make decisions about the duration of quarantine based on their individual situations. In countries with low infections, a longer quarantine time could help keep case numbers as low as possible, he explained. In places with runaway cases, however, shorter quarantines may be justified in order to keep countries running, he added. The official told journalists that it was possible to be infected by both influenza and COVID-19. However, since the two are separate viruses that attack the body in different ways, there is "little risk" of them combining into a new virus. According to the WHO, as of December 29, 2021, some 128 countries had reported cases of the Omicron variant. In South Africa, which had seen a sharp increase in cases followed by a relatively rapid drop-off, hospitalization and death rates have remained low. However, the situation will not be the same in other countries, Mahamud said. "While the latest studies all point to the fact that the Omicron variant affects the upper respiratory system rather than the lungs, which is good news, high-risk individuals and the unvaccinated could still get gravely ill from that variant," he added. Mahamud said that the Omicron variant could overtake other strains in a matter of weeks, especially in areas with a large number of susceptible people - primarily those are unvaccinated. In Denmark, he said, it had taken two weeks for case numbers to double with the Alpha variant, whereas with the Omicron variant, it had taken just two days. "The world has never seen such a transmissible virus," he said. The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization is set to meet on Jan. 19 to review the situation. Topics on the agenda for discussion include the timing of boosters, the mixing of vaccines and the composition of future vaccines. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of ( up 4 per cent at Rs 7,659) and (up 5 per cent at Rs 18,044) gained up to 5 per cent on the BSE in Wednesdays intra-day trade after reported healthy customer acquisition with 2.6 million new customers added during the October-December quarter (Q3FY22). Customer franchise, as on Q3FY22, stood at 55.4 million, as compared to 46.3 million at the end of Q3FY21. Bajaj Finance, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv, is a non-banking financial company (NBFC). In the past three months, has underperformed the market by falling 1 per cent, as compared to a 0.76 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. Bajaj Finserv, meanwhile, was up 0.9 per cent during the same period. In Q3FY22, Bajaj Finances assets under management (AUM) grew 8.6 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) to Rs 1.81 trillion (+26 per cent YoY). AUM, in the reported quarter, adjusted for IPO financing receivable grew by approximately Rs 14,500 crore, Bajaj Finance said in its Q3 business update. The company said it has not witnessed any adverse impact on its NPA position due to transition to a new method of NPA recognition as clarified by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2021. Brokerage ICICI Securities believes that a spur in loans, customer addition and no adverse impact of transition on asset quality will be beneficial for the company and reflect in its Q3FY22 earnings as well. In our view, the company has witnessed healthy traction across product segments (except maybe auto finance where the company has been intentionally slowing down). Absolute customer acquisition run-rate surpassing pre-COVID levels while the quarterly run-rate growth of the total customer franchise was broadly at the same levels as the last four quarters, said Motilal Oswal Financial Services. Q3FY22 business update seems to suggest that there has been a rapid normalization across business segments and this trajectory could continue in Q4FY22 as well (even though a major third COVID wave could play a spoiler), the brokerage firm said. After having logged strong gains in the last three straight trading sessions, the key benchmark indices may once again start trade on a quiet note as per the indications from the SGX Nifty. At 08:00 AM, the SGX Nifty January futures were quoted at 17,812 as against the spot Nifty close of 17,805 on Tuesday. The market players have been sidelining Covid-19 related flow and focusing on the buying momentum in the on hopes of lower economic impact from the so-called third wave. Meanwhile, here are the for trade on Wednesday. Reliance Industries: Mukesh Ambanis telecom arm - Reliance Jio, Indias plans its biggest ever rupee bond sale for gaining market share. The company plans to raise up to $671 million by way of issuing notes maturing in five years at a coupon of 6.20 per cent, according to people familiar with the matter. READ MORE Bharti Airtel: Indias second largest mobile service provider Bharti Airtel has shelved plans to amalgamate its digital businesses into the listed entity and de-merge its core telecom business into a separate subsidiary. READ MORE Meanwhile, the telecom companys payment arm - Airtel Payments Bank has been categorised as a scheduled bank by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). With this, Airtel Payments Bank can now pitch for government-issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and primary auctions and undertake both central and state government business, besides participating in government-operated welfare schemes, the company said in a release. Hindustan Unilever (HUL): Distributors in Maharashtra have decided to call off their agitation against the FMCG major for the next three months. This comes after HUL assured them that it will correct the price disparity between traditional trade and the organised distribution channel. However, distributors are not selling Colgate-Palmolive Indias (Colgate Indias) MaxFresh range of products in Maharashtra as the company has not yet come forward to discuss the issue. READ MORE Future Group stocks: In a setback to the Future Group, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the Groups petitions seeking a direction to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) -- adjudicating Amazon's objections against Future's deal with Reliance. READ MORE Pharma stocks: Drug makers have started dispatching oral Covid pill Molnupiravir all over the country, and are likely to hit retail stores this week itself. Meanwhile, a price war is on among several companies launching Mercks antiviral drug. Mankind Pharma and Dr.Reddys are reportedly going to sell the 40 capsules pack for Rs 1,400 each. READ MORE DB Realty: The companys board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 130.50 crore by way of issue of convertible warrants to promoters and non-promoters on a preferential basis. Steel stocks: The governments thrust on infrastructure, coupled with an increase in demand from the construction, engineering, and other sectors, is expected to push up domestic steel consumption in 2022, according to brokerages and rating agencies. The US recently announced a $1-trillion infrastructure spending, which could substantially boost the country's steel consumption, thereby keeping steel prices firm in the US market, brokerages said. READ MORE SBI: The state-run bank has invested $20 million in Pine Labs. The latter in 2021, had raised $600 million from a marquee set of new investors and followed it up with a $100-million fundraise from US-based Invesco Developing Fund. Pine Labs competes with other fintech companies such as BharatPe, Mswipe, Paytm and Razorpay. READ MORE Textiles: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the government is making efforts towards gaining access to new and getting concessional duties on textile products through free-trade agreements, with countries like the UK, the UAE, Canada, the European Union and Australia. Earnings Watch: Spandana Sphoorty Financial to announce its results today. Mystic Electronics: The companys board has approved a proposal for stock split in 10:1 ratio. Subsequently, each equity share with a face value of Rs 10 will be sub-divided into 10 equity shares with a face value of Re 1. each. Stocks in F&O ban: There is not a single stock in the F&O ban period today. Norfolk State University police are investigating a bomb threat and so are several other historically Black colleges and universities according to a statement from the school. No injuries are reported, and NSU Police Chief Brian Covington said in the statement that officers relocated students, faculty and staff to another location while police clear the campus. Advertisement According to media reports, Howard University in Washington, D.C., along with North Carolina Central were among the HBCUs receiving threats. A dispatcher with Hampton Universitys police department said the school had not received any bomb threats as of 11:30 p.m. Norfolk police and the Norfolk FBI office are assisting in the investigation, and the school is offering counseling services to students, faculty and staff affected by the incident. Advertisement Anyone with information is asked to call 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. This is a developing story. Check PilotOnline.com later updates. Shares of Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler, hit a record high of Rs 1,542, and rallied 9 per cent on the BSE in Wednesdays intra-day trade. The stock of the Tata Group firm surpassed its previous high of Rs 1,540 touched on October 19, 2021. It was included in the Futures & Options (F&O) segment from December 31, 2021. On Tuesday, and Zain KSA announced that they had entered a strategic engagement to fuel digital transformation journeys of enterprises and government organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Zain KSA is a leading telecom provider established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With this collaboration, the combined ecosystems will deliver solutions and platforms to remodel cities with smart street lighting, smart waste management, connected workplace, healthcare and connected cars, said in a press release. This strategic engagement will serve Saudis enterprises and government institutions with advanced technologies such as IoT, 5G, Low Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN specification), Managed Security Services, SDWAN and many others. It will also support environmental sustainability measures and digital transformation of the region, it said. For July-September quarter (Q2FY22), the company had delivered a sequential growth after three quarters of decline, which was a positive indicator. The management had said the second quarter of FY22 was marked by recovery with favorable underlying trends as economic activities normalized. The companys performance in the second quarter demonstrated a continued improvement in revenue supported by improvement in profitability and build-up of free cash flow, the management said. Meanwhile, IIFL Securities has initiated coverage on with a target price of Rs 1,568 (SoTP based) and an ADD rating. Tata Communications is in the process of moving up the enterprise ICT stack, from being only a provider of connectivity and network services into becoming a digital solutions player offering cloud, hosting, security and IoT services, it said. "After enduring a difficult period that saw FCF losses and subdued return ratios, Tata Communications has exited a few loss making, capex-heavy businesses. Under the new management, it has seen robust Ebitda margin expansion, healthy FCF generation and significant improvement in return ratios in the past 18 months. Revenue growth has remained elusive, though double-digit order book growth in 1HFY22 has been encouraging", the brokerage firm added in a report dated December 15, 2021. Japan share market finished session marginally higher after fluctuating around the unchanged line on Wednesday, 05 January 2022, with sentiment brightened by yen depreciation to lower 116-range against greenback. However, market gains were limited as investors locked in gains in reaction to healthy gains made in Tokyo in the previous session as well as growing concerns on a resurgence of COVID-19 after Japan reported over 1,000 daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 30.37 points, or 0.1%, to 29,322.16. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 9.05 points, or 0.45%, to 2,039.27. Shares of exporters gained on the yen's weakness versus its major counterparts as overseas profits are augmented when repatriated and overall competitiveness enhanced. Among export-oriented issues, automaker Mitsubishi Motors added 2.1%, Honda Motor gained 2.6%, and Toyota Motor jumped 2.6%. Sony Group soared 3.7%, after announcing it would set up a new unit in the spring to develop electric vehicles. Shares of eateries-related companies notably lower amid concerns about the resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Torikizoku Holdings dropped 3.4%, and Kushikatsu Tanaka Holdings fell 2.7%. CURRENCY NEWS: The Japanese yen traded at 116.03 per dollar, compared with 116.07-17 in New York and 115.73-75 in Tokyo on Tuesday. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Heavy Engineering arm of Larsen & Toubro has won significant contracts for its various business segments in Q3 of FY22. As per the company's project classification, these orders are valued in range of Rs 1000 crore to Rs 2500 crore. The Modification, Revamp and Upgrade (MRU) Business of L&T Heavy Engineering has been awarded an important contract by a key hydrocarbon sector customer in the Middle East. It covers Detailed Engineering, Supply of critical equipment & components, leading into multidisciplinary site work involving multiple staggered shutdowns during which the revamp work would be carried out. The Modification, Revamp and Upgrade (MRU) Business of L&T Heavy Engineering has been awarded an important contract by a key hydrocarbon sector customer in the Middle East. It covers Detailed Engineering, Supply of critical equipment & components, leading into multidisciplinary site work involving multiple staggered shutdowns during which the revamp work would be carried out. The Modification, Revamp and Upgrade (MRU) Business of L&T Heavy Engineering has been awarded an important contract by a key hydrocarbon sector customer in the Middle East. It covers Detailed Engineering, Supply of critical equipment & components, leading into multidisciplinary site work involving multiple staggered shutdowns during which the revamp work would be carried out. The project mainly includes capacity augmentation of existing RFCC Unit and conversion of this existing unit into INDMAX FCC unit, to maximize propylene yield. The expansion will enhance the crude processing capacity of the Barauni Refinery from 6.0 MMTPA to 9.0 MMTPA. This order is a testimony of IOCL's faith in L&T Heavy Engineering's capabilities for engineering, manufacturing, and integration of technology intensive revamps in this sector. Other orders secured by L&T Heavy Engineering include Critical Hydrocracker and Hydrotreater Reactors for the Residue Processing and Treating Unit of the Numaligarh Refinery; Ethylene Oxide Reactors for a Mono-ethylene Glycol (MEG) project in Poland from a European client; Ethylene Oxide Reactor for another MEG Project in Uzbekistan; Waste Heat Boiler packages for an Ammonia Plant in Israel & High-Pressure Heat Exchangers for IOCL Barauni Refinery. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The surge in new infections has increased risks for the ongoing economic recovery. A rapid rise in cases has forced state governments to bring back restrictions on public mobility. The Delhi government, for instance, has decided to impose the curfew during weekends, aside from other restrictions. A surge in cases and lower public mobility are bound to affect economic activity. Although, as witnessed during the second wave in 2021, the impact may not be as severe as that in 2020, it would still result in output loss and weaken the overall recovery. As more clarity emerges in the coming ... BJP president JP Nadda postponed his West Bengal visit amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state on Wednesday. "In view of the evolving COVID-19 situation and rising number of new cases in Kolkata, BJP president JP Nadda's scheduled visit to West Bengal on 9-10 January stands postponed," said the state's BJP unit." "Fresh dates for his visit will be announced in due course," added the state BJP unit. Meanwhile, West Bengal recorded 9,073 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday taking the total cases to 16,64,301. Total active cases in West Bengal till Tuesday evening are 25,475. (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) on Wednesday told a special court here that former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh cannot be granted default bail as the agency had filed a chargesheet in the within the stipulated period of 60 days from his arrest. The agency submitted an affidavit before a special court designated to hear cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in response to a plea filed by Deshmukh seeking default bail on the ground that the court had not taken cognisance of the chargesheet. The ED stated that the question of the court taking cognisance of the chargesheet was not relevant for ascertaining the right of the accused person under section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code to default bail. The anti-money laundering agency urged the court to dismiss Deshmukh's bail plea terming it completely devoid of merits. The affidavit said that the concept of default bail cannot be considered once the chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet had been filed. The supplementary prosecution complaint (charge sheet) against the applicant (Deshmukh) and 11 others was filed on December 29, 2021 that is within 60 days from the date of his arrest that is November 2, 2021, the affidavit said. The question of cognisance is not relevant for ascertaining the right of default bail of the accused persons as under section 167 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (as) only the investigation needs to be completed within the stipulated period, the agency said. Default bail cannot be granted merely on the ground that cognisance has not yet been taken within the statutorily prescribed period even though the report (charge sheet) and the complaint have been filed, the affidavit said. The special court will hear Deshmukh's bail plea on January 7. Deshmukh was arrested by the ED on November 2 last year. He is currently in judicial custody. In a plea filed on Tuesday through advocate Aniket Nikam, Deshmukh said that the special court had not taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) filed by the ED before remanding him to further judicial custody. Deshmukh said he had been in custody for 60 days, and since the court has not yet taken cognisance of the chargesheet, he should be granted default bail under the provisions of Section 167 of the CrPC. As per section 167 of the CrPC, if a chargesheet is not filed and its cognisance is not taken within 60 days from a person's arrest, then he/she can seek default bail. The ED had filed a 7,000-page supplementary chargesheet against Deshmukh and his sons on December 29 last year. The agency had earlier filed a chargesheet against 14 people, including Deshmukh's private secretary (an additional collector-rank officer) Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde. The had launched a probe against Deshmukh and others after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR against the senior NCP leader in April 2021 on charges of corruption and misuse of official position. The ED's case is that while serving as state home minister, Deshmukh allegedly misused his official position and through Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze (now dismissed) collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars in Mumbai. Waze is currently behind bars in the 'Antilia' bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran killing cases. As per the prosecution, Deshmukh and his family members owned several companies which were used to launder the money. Deshmukh, who resigned from the post of state home minister in April 2021, has repeatedly denied the charges against him. (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.) West Bengal Chief Minister on Wednesday wished a speedy recovery to her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who has tested positive for COVID-19. In a message on Twitter, Kejriwal on Tuesday said he has tested positive for the viral disease and has "mild symptoms". He also said he has isolated himself at home. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader urged those who came in contact with him in the last few days to quarantine themselves and get tested for Covid. "I pray for your speedy recovery, @ArvindKejriwal ji. Get well soon and take care of yourself!" Banerjee tweeted, responding to Kejriwal's message on the microblogging website. Earlier in the day, the Delhi chief minister greeted the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief on her birthday. "A very happy birthday @MamataOfficial didi. May God bless u wid (with) all happiness, success, health and long life," he said in a tweet. According to officials, this is the first time that Kejriwal has tested positive for COVID-19. In April last year, his wife Sunita Kejriwal had tested positive for the coronavirus infection and while the AAP national convenor had developed symptoms, he had tested negative. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister and senior BJP leader on Wednesday said that today Congress tried to harm the Prime Minister of India. She was addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach during his Punjab visit. The union minister asked why the Director General of Police (DGP) give the all-clear to the Prime Minister's security detail about the route that he was to take. Irani said "We know Congress hates Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but today, they tried to harm the Prime Minister of India. Such is the breakdown of law and order in Punjab that the DGP, Police claims he's incapable of providing security support to the Prime Minister's Office and security detail." "Never before in the history of our country were police functionaries in a state directed and convenienced to breach the security of a Prime Minister and bring him harm," she said. Hitting out at the Punjab government, Irani said, "Such is the state of administration in Punjab that a security detail and run that is a protocol administratively to be followed by a state head was dismantled so that Prime Minister Modi could be brought to harm. The questions we, as BJP karyakartas (workers) and the nation, need to ask the Congress government in Punjab is why the DGP Police give an all-clear to the PM's security detail for the route that the Prime Minister was to take. Who in the Punjab government gave information about the Prime Minister's route to individuals who planted themselves atop the flyover? Video evidence, now publicly available, brings such questions to the fore," she said. She asked why those who lead the security on behalf of the state government did not respond to any call or efforts to secure the Prime Minister. Without naming anyone, she said, "When Prime Minister Modi had his security breached, Congress leaders erupted with joy, asking him how his Josh was! Prime Minister Modi, magnanimous as ever, on his way back, communicated 'Zinda laut raha hoon!' (Returning alive)." She said that the Congress must realise became Prime Minister with the blessings of the people of India. --IANS ssb/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Tuesday transferred the 'Bulli Bai' case to its Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit and is planning to get a nod for Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty procedure to seek information about the app from its foreign-based hosting platform, officials said. Police said the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSCO) unit is also probing the 'Sulli Deals' mobile application case that emerged in July last year. About the probe into the 'Sulli Deals' case, a police officer said the IFSCO unit on Tuesday got a nod for Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) procedure in criminal matters from the Centre. Hundreds of were listed for "auction" on the 'Bulli Bai' mobile application with photographs sourced without permission and doctored. It has happened for the second time in less than a year. The app appeared to be a clone of 'Sulli Deals' which triggered a similar row last year. The on Saturday registered an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly uploading a doctored picture of a woman journalist on a website. The journalist had lodged a complaint and shared a copy on Twitter. "A case was registered in connection with the 'Bulli Bai' mobile app after a complaint was received on January 1. The probe is underway. We have also approached the hosting platform which is based abroad and are awaiting their reply for further investigation into the matter," a senior police officer said. Another officer said, "The 'Bulli Bai' case has been transferred to the IFSCO unit and as per protocol we are planning to write to authorities concerned to seek approval for MLAT even as an investigation into the matter is underway." The cyber cell of the Mumbai Police, which is also probing the app case, has arrested a 19-year-old woman, alleged to be the main culprit, from Uttarakhand, and a 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru. Vishal Kumar Jha, the student, and co-accused Shweta Singh reportedly knew each other. According to the police, more arrests are likely. As far as the 'Sulli Deals' case is concerned, the officer said, "We had sought approval for MLAT in the matter last year. It is a long process involving various procedures. Today, we got approval for it from the Government of India. The investigation is in progress." On Monday, the Delhi Police had said that it has sought details from the GitHub platform about the developer of the controversial mobile application and had also written to Twitter for information about the account handler who first posted about the app. The city police also asked Twitter to block and remove on the microblogging platform any "offensive content" shared from the 'Bulli Bai' app which had put up pictures of hundreds of Muslim women, including prominent personalities, for "auction". According to a senior police officer, the case has been registered under sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 354 A ( and punishment for harassment) of the Indian Penal Code. (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 recorded another sharp rise in cases at 18,466 of which alone reported 10,860, the highest daily count since April 7, 2021 in the state capital, with the city mayor warning of a lockdown if cases top 20,000 and shutting down schools. The state reported 75 new cases of Omicron, taking the tally of those infected with the new variant to 653, the health department said. Twenty fatalities linked to were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the overall toll to 1,41,573, the department said. With addition of 18,466 cases, Maharashtra's overall COVID-19 tally rose to 67,30,494, it said. As the cases spiralled across the state over the last 10 days, the active tally stood at 66,308. According to a health department bulletin, alone has 47,476 active cases followed by 7,593 in Thane district. Pune, another district with a large urban population, has 4,202 active cases. According to Avinash Dahiphale, president of the Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), 170 resident doctors have tested positive for since last the 48 hours. State minister Eknath Shinde, BJP's Goregaon MLA Vidya Thakur and South MP Arvind Sawant have also tested positive for coronavirus. More than 10 ministers and at least 20 MLAs have tested positive for coronavirus so far, Deputy Chief Minister had said last week. On Monday, the city had recorded 8,082 COVID-19 cases and the latest daily tally showed an increase of 2,778, or 34.37 per cent. The financial capital has reported five-digit COVID-19 cases for the first time since April 7, 2021, when it had reported 10,428 cases and 23 fatalities during the second wave of the pandemic. Talking to reporters at her office in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, Mayor Kishori Pednekar suggested that citizens wear triple-layer face masks while travelling in public buses and suburban trains. The mayor said BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has been keeping a close watch on the situation, and he has already hinted at a lockdown if the daily COVID-19 cases in the city rise over 20,000. Today, no one wants a lockdown and it certainly shouldn't be imposed, as just now everyone is recovering from it. If the lockdown is enforced again, it will badly affect everyone. But, if the daily COVID-19 cases cross the 20,000-mark, a lockdown will be implemented by the civic body and the state government as per the Union government's rules, Pednekar said. Chief Minister might address the citizens in a couple of days, she said. To a query, Pednekar said the BMC will carry out RT-PCR tests of people returning from Goa by a cruise ship and quarantine them at civic centres or in hotels if they are ready to pay for it. The ship arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. So far, Mumbai has clocked five-digit daily COVID-19 cases only three times since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020. Also, this (10,860) is the second highest COVID-19 cases reported in Mumbai since the outbreak of the pandemic. The metropolis had logged the highest-ever 11,163 COVID-19 cases on April 4, 2021. Out of the 10,860 new cases, 9,665 (89 per cent) patients are asymptomatic and only 834 people have been admitted to hospitals, while just 52 are on oxygen support, according to the civic body. It said only 4,491 out of 30,565 hospital beds, or 14.7 per cent of the total, are currently occupied by coronavirus patients in the city. With a spurt in cases in the city, the infection growth rate increased to 0.63 per cent between December 28, 2021 and January 3, 2022, while the case doubling rate slipped to 110 days, as per the bulletin. In Pune, the rise in cases prompted the administration to shut schools for Classes 1 to 8 in the district till January 30. Urging people to take the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, said that directions have been issued to the administration to implement the "no vaccine, no entry" policy at malls, hotels, restaurants, bars, cinema halls, government offices, public and private establishments. The overall COVID-19 situation is becoming critical. As the cases were rapidly increasing in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, the respective civic authorities took a decision to shut schools, said Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of district. Pawar said state Health Minister Rajesh Tope spoke to ICMR director Balram Bhargav while taking the decision. According to him (Bhargav), if the positivity rate has gone above 10 per cent, a decision regarding closure of schools can be taken," Pawar said, adding that the positivity rate in city has risen to 18 per cent. was spreading rapidly and it is being discussed that there could be an explosion of cases in the next 30 to 45 days. In Maharashtra, cases have been reported in 11 districts, he said. There are currently 3,950 active cases in Pune city, of which 88 patients are on oxygen support and 36 are on ventilators, the Pawar 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.) Chinese, Kyrgyz presidents exchange congratulations on 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties Xinhua) 09:15, January 05, 2022 BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Zhaparov, on Wednesday exchanged congratulations on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In his message, Xi pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, China and Kyrgyzstan have always upheld the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, as well as win-win cooperation, and achieved rapid development of bilateral relations. The two countries, he added, have reached a new height of their comprehensive strategic partnership, and set a good example for the international community in fostering a new type of international relations. The development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations not only benefits the two countries and their people, but also contributes to peace and stability in Central Asia, Xi said. Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations, and stands ready to maintain close contact with Zhaparov and further promote bilateral ties. He suggested that the two sides take the 30th anniversary as a new starting point to enhance their strategic mutual trust, deepen Belt and Road cooperation, and lift the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels. In his message, Zhaparov said that in the past 30 years, the two countries have successfully established a comprehensive strategic partnership and made remarkable achievements in cooperation in various fields. The Chinese government has provided important support for Kyrgyzstan's efforts to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, he noted. Zhaparov also thanked Xi for his personal attention to the development of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership, saying that he is ready to work with China to further deepen bilateral ties, and spare no effort to consolidate and expand bilateral cooperation. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu) Many universities across Virginia pushed back spring semester classes to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Some institutions will require booster shots as students and employees return to campus this month. Public health experts expected another winter surge since a viral infection is more likely to thrive in cooler weather, leading people to stay indoors. But then, there was the highly transmissible omicron variant, and the spike in cases following holiday gatherings caused higher education officials to swiftly adjust their COVID-19 protocols hoping to prevent future outbreaks. Advertisement [ How will COVID end? Omicron variant blurs possibilities for pandemic endgame ] The decision to mandate booster shots comes after recent updated federal guidance for institutions for higher education. Health and universities officials echoed that getting vaccinated is one way to protect people from severe illness and help mitigate the virus. Booster shots are recommended for adults after their initial one or two-dose regimen. When someone is eligible to get a booster depends on which vaccine they received. Advertisement Below are the universities that have announced booster requirements for students, along with the latest information about their COVID-19 response plans: ___ College of William & Mary Eligible students and teachers must show proof of their booster vaccination by Jan. 18. For those who have not reached the six-month mark, theyre expected to receive a booster within the first month they are eligible. People can verify their vaccination status using the universitys Kallaco portal. Students who do not comply risk being disenrolled for the spring semester, and employees will receive 30 days of unpaid leave, unless they are exempt, followed by termination. Faculty and staff with an exemption still have to undergo testing. International students having issues accessing a booster or in need of a deferral can contact International Students, Scholars & Programs, or email HealthyTogether@wm.edu, for assistance. W&M updated their quarantine and isolation guidelines to align with federal guidance. More information can be found on the colleges website. ___ Christopher Newport University The university will require students to receive a booster by Feb. 15, unless they have medical or religious exemptions. New students will also be exempt. Advertisement Employees are not required to get vaccinated, but university officials urge them to do so, and get a booster if they are eligible. Anyone who is not fully vaccinated will be tested weekly, and if they develop symptoms, their vaccination status will determine how long theyll need to quarantine or isolate. Christopher Newport updated their quarantine and isolation guidelines to align with federal guidance. More information can be found on the universitys website. Student, faculty, staff and visitors will still be required to wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status. ___ George Mason University Students and employees are required to show proof of a booster by Feb. 15. Unless they are exempt, students must prove theyre fully vaccinated by Jan. 5 by uploading documentation to the universitys online portal, followed by booster verification the following month. Advertisement Students will also need to take a COVID-19 test before they return to campus, on move-in day, and 48 hours after they move in. The university will also provide tests. International students having issues getting a vaccine can contact the university at immunize@gmu.edu. Faculty and staff who work in-person must complete a test the week of Jan. 17. More information on George Masons COVID-19 response can be found on the universitys website. ___ Hampton University Students must receive a vaccine by Jan. 14 before they move in on campus and continue enrollment. Advertisement The university said students can schedule an appointment where one is available and upload proof of vaccination using Hamptons medical clearance platform. ___ Norfolk State University Students and employees must show proof of a booster by Feb. 4, unless they have an exemption. People waiting for the six-month mark to get boosted will be required to receive one when they are eligible. More information on NSUs COVID-19 response can be found on the universitys website. ___ Old Dominion University Students and employees must get a booster shot and show proof through the universitys wellness portal by Feb. 10. For those still waiting to be eligible, they must show proof of a booster within a week from six months after their last dose. Advertisement Students must test negative no more than 72 hours before moving in on-campus. All other students and employees are encouraged to get a COVID-19 test before returning for the spring semester. More information on ODUs COVID-19 response can be found on the universitys website. ___ University of Virginia Students and employees must receive their booster shot by Feb. 1. Anyone who is not eligible by that day must show proof 30 days after the first day they are able to get a booster. Teachers can verify their vaccination status using Workday, students will use HealthyHoos. More information on UVAs COVID-19 response can be found on the universitys website. ___ Virginia Commonwealth University Students must receive their booster shot by Feb. 1. Those eligible after that day will need to show proof 30 days after the first day they are able to get a booster. Students should expect updates on how to upload documentation and testing requirements for those living on-campus. Advertisement VCU updated their quarantine and isolation guidelines to align with federal guidance. More information can be found on the universitys website. Daywatch Weekdays Start your morning with today's local news > ___ Virginia State University Students and employees must receive their booster shot by Feb. 1, unless they are exempt. Anyone eligible after that day will need to show proof 30 days after the first day they are able to get a booster. The university will have opportunities for the campus community to get the additional dose from Jan. 11 through Jan. 16. People should expect updates to register. Testing clinics will also be available at Daniels Gymnasium on Jan. 11 as students and employees are required to take a COVID-19 test before returning to campus. ___ Virginia Tech Students and employees must receive their booster shot by Feb. 1, unless they are exempt. Those eligible after that day are encouraged to get the additional dose when they are able. Anyone who is not vaccinated will undergo weekly testing. Advertisement Residential students must test negative no more than 72 hours before moving in on-campus. The university will provide those students with a test if they have trouble finding at-home kits or scheduling an appointment. All other students and employees are encouraged to get a COVID-19 test before returning for the spring semester. More information on Virginia Techs COVID-19 response can be found on the universitys website. Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 5 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Chairman of Ma Foi Group, K. Pandiarajan announces the launch of Job-Ready Talent Solutions for Corporates in collaboration with Mikro Grafeio Services, a Global Workspace & Workforce Solution Provider. CIEL HR Services is set to launch 242+ MCC (Ma Foi Career Centres) by May 2023 at Mikro Grafeio's range of facilities encompassing managed office spaces and training centres in India. The career centres will be shared services operations serving Skill India Mission, with an aim to build the diversified Indian workforce as 'contributors' and 'innovators' for the future. This will also provide CIEL HR Services access to Mikro Grafeio's unique space solutions such as exclusive women spaces, WOHO (Work from Hotel) centres and campus spaces in 242+ locations. This collaboration is the first of its kind in India and promises nationwide talent sourcing, training, and placement to provide job-ready talent to corporates specifically in Tier 2 and 3 cities, bundled with satellite office solutions. This integrated solution enables companies to rapidly scale, hire talent and expand operations at the click of a button. It addresses the global challenge of hiring and scaling by providing access to the right talent combined with flexible workspace solutions. A large population of Tier 2 and 3 cities will now have the opportunity to work with global companies closer to their homes. Mikro Grafeio's hybrid workspace solutions combined with talent availability across India will change how corporates operate in the new distributed hybrid work model. Speaking on the occasion, Santhosh Mahalingam, CEO of Mikro Grafeio Services shared his views on this mutually beneficial partnership. "Our vision is to empower local economies by breaking the digital divide and providing universal access to entrepreneurial and professional opportunities. With this workspace talent partnership, we are disrupting the distributed workspace model, with a unique user experience for corporates, employees, and entrepreneurs that ensures business continuity and puts efficiency, safety and security first. Furthermore, we expect this collaboration to reach those in Tier 2 & 3 cities who will get fair opportunities to showcase their competence, among other things, with the comfort of work closer to home." K. Pandiarajan, Chairman - Ma Foi Group and CIEL HR Services added," With MCC, our primary goal is to provide a platform, for the rural youth, that is dedicated to skilling and reskilling for a changing economy and to strengthen India's economy by connecting people with good job opportunities. Considering skills development is not a time-limited and onetime only transfer of knowledge, I am confident that MCC will play its role and help strengthen our economy, build a resilient workforce, and help workers get skills for good jobs and, ultimately, thriving careers." This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], January 5 (ANI/PNN): Hundreds of students from Gujarat's oldest university, the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Vadodara, have pledged to participate as "environmental fighters" in Surat's Greenman, Viral Desai's "Satyagraha against pollution" movement to protect the environment and address the state's climate change problem. Viral Desai, a textile businessman, and environmentalist was invited as the chief guest at the MSU Department of Geography's 'Bhoomi Fest.' Thousands of students from MSU's numerous departments participated in several exciting inter-university competitions. Desai addressed a large crowd of students at the MSU in Vadodara, urging them to join his 'Satyagraha against pollution' campaign and become 'environmental fighters.' His clarion call was favourably welcomed by the students, with hundreds of them stepping forward to join the effort. "The pupils were given in-depth information on how they may contribute their part to environmental conservation as individuals," Desai said. "I am optimistic that MS University students will carry the torch for my campaign and take concrete actions to protect the environment." Head of the Department of Geography, MSU, Dr. Bindu Bhatt, ensured that the students of MSU will become the environmental fighters to protect the environment and work diligently towards the climate change issue. The students of MSU were made to take an oath for environmental protection and were made 'environmental fighters' and that trees were planted to commemorate the occasion. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commercial photographer Qin Xiao focuses his lens on the variety of overalls people have worn on the streets of Shanghai, as part of efforts to showcase the diverse dressing styles of city dwellers. For this series, his subjects are typically people in their work attire. The 34-year-old photographer has been engaged in street photography since 2011, and held several exhibitions on the theme of Senior Fashion Hub, a series on fashionable senior citizens. May 02, 2022 05:44 PM Norfolk A Norfolk physician who sued Sentara Healthcare over its ban on administering ivermectin to COVID-19 patients resigned from his position at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Paul Marik announced his departure Tuesday in a news release from the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, an organization he co-founded with other critical care doctors at the start of the pandemic. Marik resigned to spend more time on multiple causes including the FLCCC according to the release. Advertisement This was not an easy decision to make, but I felt it was time to focus my attention and energy to other interests in both academia and public health, Marik said in a statement. Mariks resignation as professor of medicine and chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at EVMS was effective Dec. 31, according to a spokesman for the institution. The release did not make clear whether Marik would continue to work in Sentara Norfolk General Hospital; his lawyer could not be reached Wednesday evening. Advertisement Marik, a critical care doctor, sued Sentara Healthcare in November, arguing that the healthcare system was endangering COVID patients lives by preventing him from using his treatment protocol. The treatment plan, known as MATH+ protocol, involves ivermectin, among other medications. [ Norfolk doctor sues Sentara over ban on administering ivermectin, other medicines to COVID-19 patients ] The drug is an anti-parasitic approved to treat people with infections caused by some parasitic worms, as well as head lice and skin conditions such as rosacea, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The agency hasnt authorized ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 in humans or animals, warning that it has not been shown to be safe or effective for such use. The American Medical Association strongly opposes the prescription of ivermectin to treat the coronavirus outside clinical trials. The FLCCC was formed at the start of the pandemic to come up with treatments for COVID-19. By October 2020, ivermectin had become a core medication in their protocols. Sentara temporarily suspended Mariks hospital privileges in November. That same month, the Journal of Intensive Care Medicines editorial board retracted an article Marik co-authored about the MATH+ protocol. The retraction was made after Sentara Healthcare questioned the accuracy of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital data the authors used to make their conclusions. 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By initiating this transaction, the submitter assumes any and all liability associated with publication of the submitted content (e.g., infringement, licensing) and agrees to defend and hold the Publisher harmless. Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday heard a petition on the transfer of some powers of gram panchayat sarpanches and secretaries to the village revenue officers, and posted the case for January 20. A single-judge bench headed by Justice Battu Devanand heard the petition challenging GO No. 2 issued on March 25, pertaining to transfer of powers of gram panchayat sarpanches and secretaries to the VROs. Government pleader Sivaji submitted to the court that the government required more time to take a decision on GO No. 2. The court accepted the request. Earlier, the court had issued an interim order suspending GO No. 2. Drivers wait for the traffic to be cleared as cars and trucks are stranded on sections of Interstate 95 Tuesday Jan. 4, 2022, in Carmel Church, Va. Close to 48 miles of the Interstate was closed due to ice and snow. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) FILE - In this July 25, 2020, file photo, police pepper spray protesters, near Seattle Central College in Seattle, during a march and protest in support of Black Lives Matter. Democratic lawmakers in California, Maryland and Washington passed far-reaching policing reforms this year in response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. But the first full year of state legislative sessions since the killing sparked a summer of racial justice protests produced a far more mixed response in the rest of the country. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) People gather near the scene of a deadly row house fire, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Glen, NH (03838) Today Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 59F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low 43F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Indian Army soldiers pose for a photograph with the national flag on the occasion of New Year 2022, at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. China released a video of their troops with their flag at the Galwan Valley, on Saturday. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: Countering the Chinese militarys propaganda, the Indian security establishment on Tuesday released photographs showing Indian troops holding the tricolour in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh at the dawn of the New Year. This follows Chinese state-affiliated accounts three days ago posting on the social media videos of PLA soldiers allegedly unfurling the Chinese flag on New Year in what it claimed was the Galwan Valley. The video part of the Chinese psy-ops tried to demonstrate that PLA soldiers still occupied the point where the deadly clash between the two sides took place in June 2020 in the Galwan Valley. However, sources had said the video was taken on the Chinese side of the LAC, not in the demilitarised zone in the Galwan Valley created following the June 15, 2020 clashes. In one of the photos, released by the Indian security establishment on Tuesday, around 30 Indian soldiers were seen with the national flag. Another photo showed the group, with four of them holding the flag, and another tricolour flying high on a flagpole near a temporary observation post. In both the photographs, the Indian soldiers are seen with their newly-acquired US-made Sig Sauer advanced assault rifles. The Chinese propaganda video had also become a political issue after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had raised it. Only the Indian tricolour looks good in Galwan. India must give a fitting reply to China. Modiji, break your silence, Mr Gandhi had tweeted. The latest provocation from China had emerged after it came up with its own names for over a dozen places in Arunachal Pradesh. The 13th round of the India-China corps commander-level military talks in October had ended in a stalemate, with the Indian Army saying the constructive suggestions made by it were not agreeable to the Chinese side. In their virtual diplomatic talks on November 18, India and China agreed to hold the 14th round of military talks at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. However, the Chinese side is yet to respond or agree on a date for the next round of military talks. There is no let-up in Chinese activity at the LAC. They are continuously upgrading their infrastructure at the LAC and placing a large number of troops and heavy weapons on the front line with India. Carroll, IA (51401) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. High 46F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 38F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. A voter casts her ballot in Tunisia. As online interference increasingly has real-word consequences for elections in many countries, The Carter Center is looking at multiple ways to mitigate threats. (Photo: The Carter Center) Two and a half years ago, recognizing that things that take place in the online world were increasingly having real-world consequences, The Carter Center launched the Digital Threats to Democracy Project. Following a pilot project to monitor social media for things like hate speech and disinformation during South Africas 2019 election, the Center went on to conduct digital monitoring activities in Tunisia, Cote dIvoire, Myanmar, Bolivia, Honduras, Ethiopia, and, recently, the United States. "In recent years, weve seen how online activity can undermine democracy and human rights and increase political polarization and the likelihood of violence," said Michael Baldassaro, who heads the Digital Threats project. "If we want to safeguard democracy, weve got to address issues like disinformation, hate speech, online genderbased violence, and government cybersurveillance and internet shutdowns." We asked Baldassaro to talk about what The Carter Center has done and plans to do to help protect democracy, human rights, and the rule of law: Q. First, what constitutes a digital threat? I tend to say that anything that touches the internet and can cause harm is a digital threat, but when the Center talks about digital threats, its referring to: Systematic efforts to spread disinformation online. Unchecked hate speech and online genderbased violence on social media platforms. Measures taken by governments to restrict access to online information. Unlawful cybersurveillance that undermines the right to privacy. Cyberattacks that disrupt services and expose personal data. Q. Can you tell us a little about some of the Centers past efforts in this area? In Ethiopia, we collaborated with the Georgia Institute of Technology to provide training and tools to help a local partner monitor and identify disinformation and hate speech in real time and flag content for Facebook so it could downrank or remove it. In Myanmar, we collaborated with Privacy International to analyze the laws governing data protection and cybersecurity and identify weaknesses that need to be addressed to safeguard personal data, which we then advocated for in our election observation statements. In Bolivia, we partnered with Chequea Bolivia, a nonpartisan fact-checking organization, to debunk content that could undermine trust in the election process or suppress voter participation. We also collaborated with the cybersecurity company Cloudflare to support the development of a tool to monitor online traffic patterns around the world to identify internet shutdowns that restrict freedom of expression and access to information. Q. What kinds of activities are you planning now? We are constantly establishing new partnerships and developing new tools. For example, we are collaborating with the International Fact Checking Network and Lead Stories to help nascent fact-checking initiatives around the world professionalize and establish formal relationships with social media platforms to reduce the visibility and reach of debunked content. Weve just entered a partnership with Microsoft to develop an artificial intelligence model that can quickly identify potentially false and misleading narratives that require attention by platforms and fact-checkers. And were planning to develop media literacy and digital security educational curriculums that could be used globally to help individuals critically evaluate information and sources and practice good cyber hygiene to protect their privacy and safety online. Q. How does this work strengthen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law? By helping organizations around the world better identify disinformation, hate speech, and online gender-based violence, we can help blunt the reach and visibility of harmful content that could undermine elections or trigger conflict. By shining a light on government internet shutdowns, we can help deter those who seek to silence human rights defenders and perpetrate violence. And we see our upcoming media literacy and digital security modules as ways to empower citizens to inoculate themselves against potential harms, rather than simply relying on governments and tech companies to protect them. Its worth saying that none of these activities alone will fix these problems, and new and unforeseen threats emerge all the time. Were going to have to work together as a society to develop solutions that protect the truth and uphold democratic norms without infringing on freedom of expression or the right to privacy. Related Resources Story | Carter Center Analyzes Misleading Content on Facebook Report | The Big Lie and Big Tech (PDF) Press Release | The Carter Center Releases 'The Big Lie and Big Tech' Learn more about the Center's Democracy Program Learn more about the Center's Human Rights Program ATLANTA The Carter Center, together with the Ethiopia Onchocerciasis Elimination Expert Advisory Committee (EOEEAC), is pleased to further amplify Ethiopias Ministry of Health press release, which went out earlier this week. For two decades, Ethiopia has been a leader in river blindness elimination and we congratulate them on interrupting transmission of river blindness in three districts in the Oromia region, the countrys most recent stop treatment decision. Oromia region once reported some of the Ethiopias highest levels of river blindness and, historically, is the countrys largest endemic area with the most people at risk. This announcement is not only significant for the worlds third most onchocerciasis-endemic country, but the global elimination campaign. In accordance with World Health Organization guidelines, Ethiopia will conduct at least three years of post-treatment surveillance starting in 2022, to assure that transmission of the infection does not resume. If this is achieved, these Oromia districts will be on track to declare elimination of transmission. This is the countrys second major achievement against the neglected disease, moving the country another step closer to nationwide elimination. Thrilled to be able to able to share positive news in this holiday season. Wishing you and yours health and happiness. Congratulations, Ethiopia! Contact: The Carter Center, Atlanta: Emily Staub, Emily.Staub@cartercenter.org Related Resources Photo: The Canadian Press A Sunwing Airlines jet prepares to take off at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport, Friday, March 20, 2020. Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says he has asked Transport Canada to investigate reports of "unacceptable" behaviour on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight to Cancun, Mexico.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has asked Transport Canada to investigate reports of "unacceptable" behaviour on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight to Cancun, Mexico. Videos of the Dec. 30 flight shared on social media appear to show passengers not wearing masks as they gather in close proximity, singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats. In one video, a large bottle of vodka appears to be passed among passengers, and later a woman appears to be smoking an electronic cigarette on the plane. According to reports, the plane had been chartered and some of the passengers were cast members from Quebec reality television shows. "I have asked Transport Canada to investigate the matter," Alghabra wrote in a post on Twitter. "We must take the risks of COVID seriously!" Rena Kisfalvi, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local that represents about 1,000 Sunwing flight attendants, also called the passengers' behaviour "unacceptable" and expressed sympathy for the crew on the Cancun flight. "There's a point where if you lose the control, you can't get it back sometimes, she said in a phone interview. Compliance with mask rules has been a massive issue over the past year that has caused a tremendous amount of aggressive behaviour from passengers toward cabin crews, she said. I'm not sure where Transport Canada is on this. Why haven't you done more? Kisfalvi asked, at around the same time Alghabra put out his Twitter post. These passengers that are not complying, are they being charged? Are they being denied boarding in the future? Are they placed on a no-fly list? Maybe we as a government have to take that step to show the travelling public, Look, we mean business here. Sunwing Airlines did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon. On Instagram, 111 Private Club took credit for the flight, describing the all-inclusive New Year's trip to Mexico it organized as the "best event of the year." It posted a screenshot of a newspaper article about the flight with the caption, "we made the news." James William Awad, who operates 111 Private Club, did not respond to a request for comment sent through Facebook. A message sent to the 111 Private Club account also received no reply. Photo: pixabay "That is an urban myth." That's B.C.'s top doctor commenting on the widely circulating story that there are "millions of rapid tests" in a warehouse somewhere in the province. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry told reporters in a press briefing Tuesday (Jan. 4) afternoon that the province is not hoarding the coronavirus tests in any building. "We've made rapid tests in their various forms available to long-term care for many months," she said, highlighting when B.C. mandated all long-term care staff to get vaccinated and rapid tests were used in the period before employees received their second dose. "So they have been available," she underscored. Additionally, B.C. has also designated lateral flow rapid tests specifically for visitors to long-term care facilities. "There's over 100,000 [that have been] distributed to long-term care homes across the province." Health officials recently announced that the province was again restricting visitors to long-term care homes; only essential visitors are allowed in. We need to decrease the number of people coming into our long-term care homes so that we can best protect the seniors and elders in our long-term care homes and ensure that health-care workers in those settings are able to manage and cope, Henry said in a previous briefing. The health officer said she hopes to have the restriction in place for as short a term as possible, and she'll reevaluate the measure, along with a number of other restrictions, on Jan. 18. The province reported record-breaking COVID-19 daily case numbers heading into the holiday season and continues to see staggering daily figures in the new year. As a result, Henry said employers should anticipate seeing significant staff shortages due to illness from the Omicron variant. With files from Chuck Chiang Photo: ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST Veronica Strong-Boag and dog Annie walk past the container ship SM Busan at Ogden Point docks on Tuesday. Crews aboard a Korean container ship started draining oil from the massive vessel on Monday so crucial mechanical repairs can get underway, said a spokesman for the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. The 304-metre-long, 40-metre-wide SM Busan, stacked high with shipping containers, has been docked at Ogden Point since Sunday after encountering mechanical problems in the Pacific Ocean. Most of the ships containers are empty, as the ship was heading back to South Korea, according to SM Busans agent. The SM Busan has a carrying capacity of 6,662 TEU, an acronym for Twenty-Foot Equivalent, the standard measurement used for 20-foot steel cargo containers. The ships average draught is 11.4 metres. While travelling from Portland to South Korea, the SM Busan lost full power on Christmas Eve and had been drifting for two days before tug boats escorted the vessel to Constance Bank and then Ogden Point after high winds died down. The SM Busan is tied to Ogden Points Pier B mooring dolphin extension the first vessel to use the new infrastructure originally installed in 2020 for cruise ships. At least two semi-truck oil tankers were on the pier alongside the ship Monday to take on the offloaded oil and other fuels. The harbour authority said the ships crews were doing the emergency repair work and safety and environmental protocols were being followed while the fuels were offloaded. The ship could be in port for up to a month, said the harbour authority. It isnt immediately known how many crew members are on board. The SM Busan, built in 2007 and sailing under the flag of South Korea, left Long Beach, California, on Dec. 14, according to vesseltracker.com website, then travelled to Portland. It had encountered fuel problems and was not running optimally or able to run at full speed. Transport Canada requires vessels experiencing troubles to be escorted by a tug to ensure safe arrival. The container ship slowly headed toward Victoria, travelling at about 3.9 knots, on Saturday evening. It was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Ltd. and the owner is listed as Hanjin Shipping, South Korea, according to Baltic Shipping. Photo: The Canadian Press Assessed values of properties in British Columbia are up again, but the pricey Vancouver area has been upstaged by small towns where value estimates rose by more than 40 per cent. Data posted on the BC Assessment website this week shows market value as of July 1, 2021, increased more than 40 per cent in the communities of Hope, Port Alberni, Lake Cowichan and other rural areas, while Vancouver was up 16 per cent. Condos and townhomes in Vancouver showed even lower assessed values at seven per cent, rising from an average assessed value of $711,000 in July 2020 to $759,000 last July. "Most of the province is up, but when you get outside of the Lower Mainland, it's the smaller towns where it's up most it seems," Bryan Murao, BC Assessment's deputy assessor, said in an interview on Tuesday. The 16 per cent increase in a single-family home in Vancouver raised the average value to almost $2 million, but assessed property values soared in suburban communities further east, he said. Assessed single-family home values were up 39 per cent in Langley, 38 per cent in Abbotsford and 40 per cent in Chilliwack, Murao said. "Throughout the rest of the province, what we saw is a lot of the single-family homes in smaller communities actually were up quite a bit as well," he said. Property value estimates in Hope, located about 150 kilometres east of Vancouver, rose 45 per cent, from $428,000 to $620,000 for the average price of a single-family home. In Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island, property assessments were up 47 per cent and increased 48 per cent in Keremeos in the Interior. BC Assessment officials appraise property values and are not economists, but Murao said during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic they are anecdotally seeing people leaving the cities to work remotely or retire in communities where homes are more affordable. "There's a little more of an opportunity for people to work from wherever now," he said. "You don't need to be in a specific place to work in a lot of jobs. I think that's opened up opportunities for a lot of people to move throughout the province," he said. The movement of people to smaller communities appears to be a nationwide trend, said Murao. The change has resulted in higher property values in B.C.'s smaller towns and rural areas as more people look for homes outside of the Vancouver area, he said. The assessments indicate B.C.'s real estate market remains resilient and homeowners provincewide can expect higher assessment values for 2022. The large increases in values don't always mean corresponding property tax increases, Murao said. "You can't perfectly predict what the impact on property taxation is going to be, but for the most part really what's important is how your property changed relative to other residential properties within that same taxing jurisdiction," he said. The total value of real estate in B.C. is about $2.44 trillion, an increase of nearly 22 per cent from 2021, he said. Photo: The Canadian Press Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, descendants of the principals in the Plessy V. Ferguson court case. Louisianas governor on Wednesday posthumously pardoned Homer Plessy, the Black man whose arrest for refusing to leave a whites-only railroad car in 1892 to protest racial segregation sparked the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cemented separate but equal into law for half a century. The state Board of Pardons in November recommended the pardon for Plessy, who boarded the rail car as a member of a small civil rights group hoping to overturn a state law segregating trains. Instead, the protest led to the 1896 ruling known as Plessy v. Ferguson, solidifying whites-only spaces in public accommodations such as transportation, hotels and schools for decades. Gov. John Bel Edwards held the pardon ceremony near the spot near where Plessy was arrested. The purpose is not to erase what happened 125 years ago but to acknowledge the wrong that was done, Phoebe Ferguson, the great-great-granddaughter of the county judge who imposed Plessy's punishment, said during the ceremony. Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote in the 7-1 decision: Legislation is powerless to eradicate racial instincts or to abolish distinctions based upon physical differences. Justice John Harlan was the only dissenting voice, writing that he believed the ruling will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case an 1857 decision that said no Black person who had been enslaved or was descended from a slave could ever become a U.S. citizen. The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling allowing racial segregation across American life stood as the law of the land until the Supreme Court unanimously overruled it in 1954, in Brown v. the Board of Education. Both cases argued that segregation laws violated the 14th Amendments right to equal protection. The Brown decision led to widespread public school desegregation and the eventual stripping away of Jim Crow laws that discriminated against Black Americans. Plessy was a member of the Citizens Committee, a New Orleans group trying to overcome laws that rolled back post-Civil War advances in equality. The 30-year-old shoemaker lacked the business, political and educational accomplishments of most of the other members, Keith Weldon Medley wrote in the book We As Freemen: Plessy v. Ferguson. But his light skin court papers described him as someone whose one eighth African blood was not discernable positioned him for the train car protest. His one attribute was being white enough to gain access to the train and black enough to be arrested for doing so, Medley wrote. Eight months after the ruling in his case, Plessy pleaded guilty and was fined $25 at a time when 25 cents would buy a pound of round steak and 10 pounds of potatoes. He died in 1925 with the conviction on his record. Keith Plessy, whose great-great-grandfather was Plessys cousin, said donations collected by the committee paid the fine and other legal costs. But Plessy returned to obscurity, and never returned to shoemaking. He worked alternately as a laborer, warehouse worker and clerk before becoming a collector for the Black-owned Peoples Life Insurance Company, Medley wrote. He died in 1925 with the conviction on his record. Relatives of Plessy and John Howard Ferguson, the judge who oversaw his case in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, became friends decades later and formed a nonprofit that advocates for civil rights education. Other recent efforts have acknowledged Plessys role in history, including a 2018 vote by the New Orleans City Council to rename a section of the street where he tried to board the train in his honor. The governors office described this as the first pardon under Louisianas 2006 Avery Alexander Act, which allows pardons for people convicted under laws that were intended to discriminate. Virudhunagar: K T Rajenthra Bhalaji, former Minister during the previous AIADMK regime, was arrested on Wednesday near Hosur in Krishnagiri district, police said. The former Minister, whose anticipatory bail application was dismissed by the Madras High Court last month, was arrested in connection with a job scam, a police official here said. At least two separate FIRs have been registered by the Virudhunagar police following complaints. Photo: The Canadian Press Snow-covered houses and the downtown skyline are seen with the North Shore mountains in the distance in Vancouver on Thursday, December 30, 2021. Those who own a home in British Columbia valued at just under $2 million will still be eligible for the annual homeowner grant. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Homeowners in British Columbia whose property is valued at just under $2 million will still be eligible for the annual homeowner grant. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has raised the grant threshold to $1.975 million for this year. The government says in a news release that the new cap will ensure 92 per cent of residential properties are covered, lowering the amount of taxes people pay on their principal residence. Those who own and live in their homes in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Capital Regional districts are eligible for the $570 basic grant, or up to $845 for those with a disability or who are 65 and older. The basic grant for those in northern and rural areas is $770, or $1,045 for those who are disabled or over 65. The B.C. assessment authority released property valuations this week, showing increases in almost every part of the province. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Wednesday blasted the Congress-led Government in Punjab for a major security lapse ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Ferozepur and said that both Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the state's Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu are acting on the instructions of Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-services Intelligence (ISI). Chugh squarely blamed Channi and Sidhu for joining hands with subversive and anti-national forces to foil the democratic right of the Prime Minister and the BJP to address public meetings. Chugh further held Channi and Sidhu responsible for causing security threats to the Prime Minister. "Channi and Sidhu are dancing to the tunes of Pakistan ISI. Time has come for Punjab to wake up to nefarious designs of the two," said Chugh. He further said, "It is a matter of shame for the State government for not allowing the Prime Minister to address the public meeting." "It was the responsibility of the Congress Government to ensure law and order for the PM's visit but entire Punjab is hanging its head in shame today," he added. He further said that the Prime Minister had been always thinking of the welfare of farmers and it was with due respect to them that he decided to repeal the agriculture laws. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab's Ferozepur was called off citing "major security lapse". The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to the road being blocked by some protesters, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. The MHA has taken cognizance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. PM Modi was scheduled to visit Ferozepur on Wednesday to lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore. According to the statement the PM had landed at Bathinda this morning from where he was to go to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, the PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear. Observing no improvement in the weather conditions, the decision to visit the Memorial via road was taken after which PM Modi proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police. "Around 30 km away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM's convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM," said the statement by the MHA. "The PM's schedule and travel plan were communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed," further said the statement. The Prime Minister headed back to Bathinda airport after the security lapse. "The Ministry of Home Affairs taking cognizance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. The State Government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action," the statement said. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also announced from the stage at Ferozepur that PM Modi canceled his scheduled visit to Ferozepur to address a rally "due to some reasons". (ANI) Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provided "false information" regarding the party's funding to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and hid funds worth millions of rupees. The report of an ECP scrutiny committee probing the party's funds was revealed on Tuesday. It said that the State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) statement revealed that the party had received Rs 1.64 billion in funding, reported Geo News. According to the report, the party did not disclose funding worth more than Rs 310 million to the ECP. The scrutiny committee was formed in 2019 to audit foreign funding received by the PTI. The case began in 2014 when the party's founding member, Akbar S Babar, filed it. Babar alleged that the PTI received funding from illegal sources and that the party was also involved in money laundering, according to Dawn. Today, in a Twitter post, Babar thanked Allah, saying he stands "vindicated". The report lays bare the contradictions in details provided by the PTI to the ECP and actual figures, reported Geo News. According to data provided to the committee by the SBP, PTI has 26 bank accounts. From 2008 to 2013, PTI disclosed funds worth Rs 1.33 billion to the ECP, whereas a report by the SBP shows the actual amount to be Rs 1.64 billion, the report said. PTI failed to disclose details of three banks in the documentation provided to the ECP, it added. It stated that around 1,414 companies in Pakistan, 47 foreign companies and 119 potential companies provided funds to PTI, reported Geo News. PTI received USD 2.3448 million in funding from the US, but the scrutiny committee couldn't obtain access to the party's US bank accounts, the report said. Besides the US, the PTI obtained funds from Dubai, UK, Europe, Denmark, Japan, Canada, Australia and several other countries. Due to a lack of information, the committee's report said that it cannot comment on the source of the funding from any of the countries, reported Geo News. The firm that audited the PTI's accounts based their reports on the same information for five years, the report noted, adding that the PTI changed the firm in the last year but the report's contents remained the same. The report said that the committee arrived at the conclusion that there is a contradiction in the audit reports and the PTI's bank statements. The committee sent the PTI a questionnaire on the funding received from the US and other countries but obtained no clear response, the report added. (ANI) Also Read: 7 Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan's air defence zone A new continuing education course for real estate agents explains how radon can enter a home and cause lung cancer and how homes can be tested for radon. Through this course, real estate agents learn how to inform home buyers about the benefits of testing for radon. Cigarette smoke is the main cause of lung cancer. But other things can cause this disease. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that forms in rocks, soil, and water. It cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled. When radon gets into homes or buildings through cracks or holes, it can get trapped and build up in the air inside. People who live or work in these homes and buildings breathe in high radon levels. Over long periods of time, radon can cause lung cancer. The only way to know if you have unsafe levels of radon in your home or office is by testing. About 400 people in North Carolina die each year from lung cancer caused by radon. Comprehensive cancer control programs bring organizations together to lower the number of people who get cancer. The North Carolina Comprehensive Cancer Control Programexternal icon worked with the North Carolina Radon Programexternal icon to educate people about radon, so fewer people in the state would get lung cancer. Most North Carolina residents think that radon only affects our mountain region, but it is a statewide issue, said Sarah Arthur, program coordinator for the North Carolina Comprehensive Cancer Control Program. The programs developed the fact sheet Safe at Home: Preventing Lung Cancer by Reducing Radon in the Home pdf icon[PDF-492KB]external icon and other materials. But they wanted to do more. Teaching Real Estate Agents About Radon Most people hire a real estate agent or broker when they buy or sell a house. These professionals can explain why its important to test homes for radon. So the comprehensive cancer control program and the radon program worked together to develop a new continuing education course for real estate agents. To encourage more people to get their home tested for radon, we felt the best first step was at the point of sale, Ms. Arthur said. The Radon in Real Estate course teaches real estate agents how radon can enter a home and how homes can be tested for radon. The course also explains that radon can cause lung cancer. Students learn how to help home buyers and sellers hire a radon professional to fix their home if the radon level is high. The Radon in Real Estate course was first offered in 2021, and 387 real estate agents have taken it. To find out if the course was helpful, students were asked to test their knowledge about radon before and after the course. The average score increased from 67% to 88%. Now, staff from the North Carolina Radon Program teach the course in person. In the future, the program hopes to develop an interactive course that students can take online. The comprehensive cancer control and radon programs hope this course will increase the number of homes in North Carolina that have been tested for radon and fixed. Sharing Radon Education Nationwide The North Carolina programs want to help programs in other states teach real estate agents about radon. They plan to develop a Radon in Real Estate continuing education course toolkit. The toolkit will include step-by-step guidance for developing a course, resources, and suggested partnerships. Through training courses like the one in North Carolina, real estate agents nationwide may get access to expert information about radon and learn how to inform home buyers about the benefits of testing for radon. Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and High School Principals: Steps to College 2022 Event and Scholarship Opportunity On behalf of the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento, we are pleased to invite you, your students, and their families to the 11th Annual Steps to College (STC). The STC is the largest bilingual and binational University Fair in Northern California and will be held under a hybrid program, virtually on February 5, 2022, and face-to-face on February 12, 2022. This unique University Fair is a long-term educational project organized on a yearly basis by the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento in partnership with the CDE, the California Student Aid Commission, the University of California System, the California State University System, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the Community College System, Mexican Universities, the Cien Amigos advocacy group, and the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California. Since its implementation, STC has served more than 15,000 students from Northern California through specialized workshops on how to apply to college and access financial aid. The students have also benefited from personalized support from counselors and Cash for College advisors, as well as legal and health experts. Our goal for this 11th Annual STC Fair is to take advantage of a microsite containing valuable information; live virtual workshops; online personal consulting; and hosting over 6,000 students. Additionally, we will provide educational and legal advice and free assistance in applying for financial aid. We aim to reach school districts in rural areas and motivate higher participation of these students, many of them dreamers from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. We ask that you please share this information with your students. In the meantime, please visit the STC website at https://stepstocollegesac.org/ for the latest information. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact Yuriko Garces, Consul for Political Affairs, by phone at 916-329-3516 or by email at ygarces@sre.gob.mx. Sincerely, Tony Thurmond State Superintendent of Public Instruction Liliana Ferrer Consul General of Mexico This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions A Chattanooga man has been arrested after he killed a dog by bludgeoning it with a sledgehammer. Michael Justin Wall, 41, of 9404 Seasons Dr., was charged with aggravated animal cruelty. In the incident early Tuesday morning, Wall said he needed to kill the dog because it was having seizures. He said he turned to the sledgehammer after tries with Tylenol PM and with suffocating the dog with a plastic bag failed. A deputy went to the Wall residence at 3 a.m. on a noise complaint. The backyard neighbor said she had heard heavy breathing and what she thought were three shots from the Walls residence. The deputy found the garage door open and the door to the house ajar. When no one answered, the deputy went to the back yard and found the dog lying on the back porch in a pool of blood. The neighbor said a loud noise had woken everyone up. The deputy was later able to get Wall to the door. He said he had to put the dog down because it was suffering from the seizures. Wall was then taken to the Silverdale Detention Center. A woman on Mill Road told police she was scammed on Facebook. She saw an ad under the name Keanu Reeves selling CBD Gummies. She was communicating with them through messaging and agreed to buy three bottles for $49.99 but she was actually charged $249.99 with no way to cancel the order. She said she had paid with her Citi Bank Mastercard and she then called the bank and they told her the order was actually charged to Bailey Enterprises and they gave her their phone number and told her that she would have to speak with Bailey Enterprises before they could cancel the transaction. She then called them and they told her that they couldnt cancel it. She said she later saw where Facebook took the Keanu Reeves account down and now it's back up this morning. She is worried more people will get scammed. * * * Police initiated a traffic stop on 4500 Amnicola Highway on a silver Nissan Altima bearing a TN tag because the registration returned to a Hyundai sedan. Police spoke with the driver who said she hasn't been able to get her car registered, but did give insurance paperwork and proper documentation showing she was the owner. The woman said the tag is from a previous vehicle she owned. * * * Police spoke with a man at Speedway at 2245 Hickory Valley Road. He said he was from out of town, cold and homeless. The officer transported the man to the Community Kitchen downtown for shelter. * * * A woman on Sheridan Avenue told police her surveillance camera system caught a young man going into her son's vehicle that was parked in front of her residence. She said the car was left unlocked and the suspect took $10 and fled the scene on foot north on Sheridan Avenue. * * * An employee of the Little Theatre at 400 River St. said a homeless white male with long hair was standing near the business and began screaming and yelling for no reason. The man then threw a plastic water bottle at the window and walked towards the walking bridge. Police canvassed the area but the man had already left the scene. The employee was asked to call back should he return. * * * An employee of Regions Bank at 5515 Brainerd Road told police a white male with a tear drop tattoo came inside the bank. The employee said the homeless man began asking clients and workers for money. The employee told him to vacate the premises or he would call police. The man then told the employee that he just got out of prison and left the bank. Police told the employee to contact dispatch if he returned and police would trespass the individual. * * * An officer stopped a blue 2013 Ford Mustang on Highway 153 and gave the driver a warning for speeding. He had valid insurance but had not updated his registration and drivers license with his new address. He apologized for his aggressive driving behavior. * * * A man on East 11th Street said his back door alarm activated and he initially thought someone had broken in. He later realized his girlfriend set off the alarm along with a power outage which caused it to be delayed. * * * A woman at Walmart at 2020 Gunbarrel Road told police someone took her purse after she laid it down inside her shopping cart. She said she was trying on a sweater when the theft occurred. Her car keys were inside of her purse at the time of the theft. The officer checked the parking lot and found her vehicle was still there, locked and secured. The officer transported the woman to her residence to get her spare key to her car. Upon arrival at her residence, the woman said she could not find her spare house key and would have her neighbor take her to her daughter's residence who has an extra key for her. * * * An employee at Tobacco Mart at 480 Greenway View Dr. said a man came into the store and became mad because the tobacco vapor juice sold to him had a seal tear. The employee said she got out her pepper spray because she was afraid he might try and hurt her. At this point, the man left the store. Police told the man he was trespassed and it might be best for him to find another tobacco outlet. Larry Hogan, the governor of Maryland, declared a 30-day State of Emergency on Tuesday after seeing predictions the COVID flu could see over 5,000 people hospitalized in coming weeks in his state. The very same thing could soon happen to a state near you 34.4 percent of corona tests in Tennessee are now coming back positive. That means one in every three tests in Tennessee is positive. There is no room to doubt the worst is yet to come. Marylands tests are 48.4 percent positive, virtually one in every two. This is a state of 6 million people, and a record 82,660 new cases last week have overwhelmed its hospitals. The State of Emergency allows Governor Hogan to call out the National Guard to deploy to hospitals and emergency centers. Tennessees population (6.9M) is larger than Maryland and had 41,642 new cases in the last week but with the raging omicron variant so highly contagious, the tell-tale signs are foreboding. With this new surge of omicron, its important for Marylanders to go back to using common sense and doing the things that will keep us safe: avoiding crowds, keeping your distance, washing your hands, and yes, once again, wearing the damn masks, Governor Hogan said. He added he wouldnt call for a statewide mask mandate because it would be too hard to enforce. Maryland health official reported a record 3,057 persons hospitalized with COVID yesterday - an increase of 500 percent in just the last seven weeks. The Tennessee Department of Health reported 94,029 active cases as of Jan. 2 - a 152 percent increase from the week before. (The Hamilton County Health Department announced 1,014 new cases on Tuesday.) The Tennessee count is a pandemic record for the state which eclipses 65,382 (Dec. 13-19, 2020), and the winter surge is causing graphs to spike in almost every state. As omicron spreads so quickly - a month ago we had barely heard of it - it is viciously attacking those who have chosen not to be vaccinated. There are also a good number of break-through infections (vaccinated persons), but doctors are finding the symptoms are milder. * * * USA HAS OVER ONE MILLION NEW CASES IN ONE DAY FROM NPR: The U.S. reported a record 1,082,549 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. It's the latest in a series of staggering milestones brought on by the highly transmissible omicron variant, which is sweeping across the U.S. and around the world. The U.S. has broken several of its own COVID-19 records in recent days. Last week Johns Hopkins reported more than 480,000 new cases in a single day, more than double the number of daily cases reported during the peak of the delta surge. The seven-day average topped 280,000. These are the numbers health officials are watching at this point in the pandemic For reference: The country was averaging about 70,000 cases a day in early November. * * * OVER 100,000 IN HOSPITALS WITH COVID FROM THE WASHINGTON POST: More than 103,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, according to Washington Post figures, the highest number since late summer, when the delta variant of the coronavirus triggered a nationwide surge in cases. The figure reflects a 27 percent rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States in the past week, while the daily average of new cases during the same period more than doubled. Average daily new deaths from COVID-19 declined by eight percent. * -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine get booster doses five months after their second shots, shortening the interval by one month. * -- A fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine generated a five-fold jump in antibodies a week after the shot, according to preliminary results of a study released Tuesday by the Israeli government. * -- More than 826,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S., and more than 57,078,000 cases have been reported. * -- Per 100K, there has been a 110 percent rise in new cases during the last seven days in the U.S. with 147. Tennessee is 138 percent in the last week per 100K * * * THE OMICRON SURGE IS REALLY DIFFERENT FROM NBC-NEW YORK: As COVID-19 infections with the omicron variant of the virus surge out of control nationwide, emergency rooms are filling up again - and one well-known New York City doctor says what they're seeing now is much different than the last two years of the pandemic. Manhattan emergency room physician Dr. Craig Spencer took to Twitter late Monday night to explain how the current surge is different - both in who's coming to the ER and how they're being affected by the highly contagious virus. "Today it seemed like everyone had COVID. Like, so many. And yes, like before, there were some really short of breath and needing oxygen. But for most, COVID seemed to topple a delicate balance of an underlying illness. Its making people really sick in a different way," Spencer wrote. Spencer cited a few examples - diabetic being tipped into ketoacidosis, the elderly who were so weak from being ill that they couldn't get out of bed, etc. "Whats also different now is those COVID cases are often in beds next to patients whove done everything to avoid the virus, and for whom an infection might have a dramatic toll. The cancer patient on chemotherapy. Those immuno-compromised or severely sick with something else," Spencer said. He acknowledged, as studies around the world have concluded, that the omicron variant seems to cause milder disease than the delta variant that tore through the country last summer. But at the same time, with so many more people infected, for hospital purposes it ends up not really mattering. "But theres just SO much of it and its impacting patients in different ways. So even if just a tiny portion of cases need to stay in the hospital, it can turn into a huge influx," Spencer tweeted. Spencer, a Manhattan ER doctor affiliated with Columbia University who became a Twitter superstar in the early days of the pandemic for his running commentary on the battle against the virus, recently shared a detailed breakdown of what the omicron cases he and his colleagues have encountered look like so far. "Every patient Ive seen with COVID thats had a 3rd booster dose has had mild symptoms. By mild I mean mostly sore throat. Lots of sore throat. Also, some fatigue, maybe some muscle pain. No difficulty breathing. No shortness of breath. All a little uncomfortable, but fine," Spencer wrote. From there, it goes downhill, depending on your vaccination status or lack thereof. * * * 99 PERCENT OF TODAYS COVID CASES ARE OMICRON FROM NBC-NEW YORK: New York COVID hospitalizations surpassed the 10,000-mark and then some Tuesday, totaling their highest levels since early May 2020 as new estimates released by the CDC estimate omicron's regional prevalence to be as high as 99 percent. The variant's estimated share of current U.S. COVID-19 cases is at least 92 percent or higher, according to the federal health agency. Both reflect sharp increases over last week, especially at the national level, and come as New York and America battle record-shattering caseloads almost daily along with soaring virus hospitalizations. The data are almost hard to fathom. More than one in five New York tests are coming back positive these days, and that number is expected to bounce up considerably Wednesday after Governor Kathy Hochul said holiday weekend reporting lags were likely behind "misleading" daily case counts in the 51,000-53,000 range over the last two days after nearing a record 90,000 on the first day of the new year. There's nothing misleading about the skyrocketing statewide hospitalization numbers, however. Statewide hospitalizations stood at 10,411 as of Tuesday, the highest total since April 30, 2020, when the total was 10,993. The level of increase over the last two days alone (1,638), for comparative purposes, is just 238 admissions shy of the total hospitalized statewide exactly three months ago. royexum@aol.com Charles Bruce Spencer passed away on January 1, 2022, at Parkridge East Hospital. He was born on November 3, 1931 in Chattanooga. He was raised and educated in Chattanooga and graduated from Chattanooga High School, where he was a Golden Gloves Boxer. He became a Golden Gloves Champion while at CHS. He attended the University of Chattanooga before going into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After an honorable discharge from the service, he married the late Gloria Jean Ledford and they moved to Athens Georgia, where he attended the University of Georgia and graduated with a B.A. in Journalism. He was a member of Phi Kappa Alpha fraternity while at UGA. He and Gloria moved back to Chattanooga after the birth of their son Wesley. He worked with Arcade Advertising and Lithography, and after their daughter Cheri was born, he started his own advertising agency in 1960. In 1963, Bruce went into the publishing business after purchasing a small magazine, Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse. He grew the magazine into the industry leading authority on Walking Horses. He was also part owner of Battleground Stables in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia with Glorias dad, the late L.O. Sheriff Ledford. The family owned and showed Walking Horses for several years during this time. He was on the board of directors of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders & Exhibitors Association and served two terms on the Horse Industry Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1970, he testified before a U.S. Senate committee and was instrumental in the formation of the regulatory board for the Walking Horse Industry. He was also owner of the Tri-State Auto Auction in Fort Oglethorpe, GA. He published the Voice magazine and several other regional and national magazines until 1976 when he sold the company. In 1982, he formed an association for pipe smokers and began publishing Pipe Collectors International magazine. The magazine had subscribers in 50 states and 42 foreign countries. He was a published author in the World Book Encyclopedia on pipe smoking and collecting. While still running the association, Bruce, with Glorias well wishes, went back to college in his mid 50s to earned his masters degree in Psychology/Community Counseling from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In 1989, he sold the Pipe Collectors Association and magazine, and became a case manager and psychotherapist at Parkridge Medical Centers Christian Counseling Center. For the next 13 years, Bruce worked at Parkridge and Valley Hospitals. He was well known for his Christian counseling, community outreach, family seminars, lectures and television appearances on a variety of mental health subjects. He was on the Board of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies and the Board of the Mental Health Association. He retired in 2003 from HCA. He was a Board Member at Hickory Creek Townhome Association and was the manager there from 2005-2008. He also continued to conduct seminars and lecture to area churches and community organizations. Bruce was a cradle Episcopalian and was active in the Diocese of East Tennessee. He was a member of Grace Episcopal Church and St. Martins Episcopal Church. He was a Lay Reader, Chalice Bearer, Lay Eucharist Minister and served on the Vestry of both churches. He helped to publish Salty Christians, a book on the history of Grace Episcopal Church. After years in the Episcopal Church, Bruce and Gloria changed denominations and joined Covenant Presbyterian Church. He remained an active member there until his passing. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria, his parents, James W. Spencer and Joscelyn C. Spencer, and his brothers George and Dale Spencer. Survivors include his children, son, Wes (Kathy) Spencer and daughter, Cheri (Robbie) Taylor, grandchildren, Logan (Ashley) Spencer and Ashton Spencer, Ryan (Julie) Taylor and Sydney (Ryan) Williams, and great-grandchildren, Malachi, Milana, Taylor, Breck, Calin, Kama, Harper, Kaiden, Jaxon and Tatum. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please make a contribution to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Funeral services will be at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 10, at Covenant Presbyterian Church with Pastor Eric Mullinax and Pastor Render Caines officiating at 8451 E. Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421. Interment will follow the services at Chattanooga National Cemetery with military honors. Family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until time of service at the church. Please share you memories of Bruce with the family at www.chattanoogaeastbrainerdchapel.com Arrangements are by the East Brainerd Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 8214 E. Brainerd Rd., Chattanooga, Tn. 37421. Pam Ladd, hired by the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults (Partnership) as chief operating officer in 2015 and promoted to chief executive officer in 2016, has announced that she will retire on Aug. 24 of this year.Under Ms. Ladds leadership, the Partnership saw a significant reduction in administrative costs. Ms. Ladd ended programs duplicated by other local organizations, created others that aligned with the agencys mission and filled gaps in its offerings, expanded grant revenue and sold an underused facility.Serving Partnership has been one of the greatest honors of my career. The accomplishments achieved were the result of a strong relationship with the board of directors, dedication and compassion of staff and support of corporations and private donors.This is an extensive and complex nonprofit organization that requires cooperation with the community and other local non-profits. This combination led us to where we are today. I am most proud of the staff, who unwaveringly served as front-line workers in the face of COVID-19 to ensure services were delivered to our most vulnerable populations throughout our 25-county service area. said Ms. Ladd.Ms. Ladd, an active Rotarian, holds an M.S. in industrial organizational psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Before joining the Partnership, she served as manager of Custodial Services at Tennessee Valley Authority and as assistant vice-president of Support Services at Provident Life and Accident Insurance Co. She then founded and operated Custom Custodial Inc., an industrial cleaning service. She also is a retired real estate agent with local firm, Real Estate Partners, and served as City Council representative for District 3 Chattanooga.We will be so sorry to lose Pam as our CEO, said Partnership Board President and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at UTC Tyler Forrest. I know I speak for the board and staff when I say that she was a pleasure to work with and that the Partnership benefited from her leadership style and business acumen. Our Search Committee is seeking someone equally committed to our mission and values. The Boards Executive Committee is serving as the Search Committee. They are partnering with Buffkin/Baker, a Nashville based executive search firm, to complete the search. Interested applicants can apply via the Buffkin/Baker career portal at https://buffkinbaker.com/leadersfirst-career-portal/career-portal/.I will support the Search Committee and my successor in any way I can, added Ms. Ladd. Im also confident that the Committee will make a great decision for the future of the Partnership.The CEO job description will be posted at www.partnershipfca.com/careers on Wednesday. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by Feb. 1. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), as an initial step in the process for the development of a new federal courthouse in Chattanooga, is seeking to receive Expressions of Interest (EOI) for potential sites within the city limits. As part of its due diligence process, and in furtherance of the governments market research, GSA is seeking a site of between approximately two to five acres to accommodate a building of approximately 186,000 gross square feet, but may consider other sites of different sizes. Officials said, "This is the start of a complex process and is subject to Congressional authorization and availability of funds. The current courthouse does not meet the Judiciary's requirements for courthouses. As the project proceeds, GSA will determine the best use and reuse opportunities for the current courthouse. "GSA reserves the right to select a site (including a site other than those offered in response to this REOI) that GSA believes is the most advantageous to the Government, all factors considered, without regard to 41 U.S.C. 3101 et seq. "This REOI shall not be construed in any manner to create an obligation on the part of GSA to enter into any agreement, nor to implement any of the actions contemplated herein, nor to serve as the basis for any claim whatsoever for reimbursement of costs for efforts expended in preparing a response." EOI INSTRUCTIONS: EOI may be submitted by site owners or their agents. In the case of an agent, the EOI must be accompanied by written evidence of the agent's authority to represent the owner. GSA shall not be responsible for payment of commissions and/or broker fees related to sale of the property. EOI should include: site address or location parcel identification number (if applicable) contact information and e-mail address of the site owner or their agent an accurate description and sketch of the site offered. EOI should be sent to Sheri DeMartino at sheri.demartino@gsa.gov by Monday, January 31, 2022. GSAs Southeast Sunbelt Region oversees the delivery of real estate, technology and procurement solutions to government and the American people in eight states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee Chattanooga District 9 City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2022 Public Safety and Crime Prevention (PSCP) Federal Advocacy Committee. Councilwoman Coonrod was elected to a one-year term and will provide strategic direction and guidance for NLCs federal advocacy agenda and policy priorities. The appointment was announced by NLC President Mayor Vince Williams of Union City, Ga. Im humbled by this recognition and look forward to working through these tough issues on behalf of Chattanooga residents as we push for real solutions to the public safety challenges that affect each and every one of us, Ms. Coonrod said. The whole community must play a role in crime prevention, from how we raise our kids, to the education they receive, to the training and job opportunities that they have access to as they grow up. Only together can we make a difference. As a member of NLCs PSCP committee, Councilwoman Coonrod will play a key role among a diverse group of local leaders in shaping NLCs policy positions and advocating on behalf of Americas municipalities before Congress, with the administration and at home. NLCs federal advocacy committees are a key tool for gathering insights directly from the communities that our members serve, said NLC President Mayor Vince Williams of Union City, Georgia. I am excited to have Councilwoman Coonrod serve on the PSCP committee and look forward to working with her to fulfill the promise of Americas cities, towns and villages. The full leadership of this years committee will consist of Chair Joel Navarro, council member in Tempe, Az., Vice Chair Brian Kazy, council member in Cleveland, Oh., and Vice Chair Willie Lightfoot, council vice president of Rochester, N.Y. For more information on NLCs federal advocacy committees, visit: www.nlc.org/advocacy/committees. On Jan. 4, Big Hit Music announced that Jin and RM of BTS recovered from the coronavirus (COVID-19). The news of Jin and RMs recovery comes the day after Big Hit Music told fans that Suga of BTS also recovered from the coronavirus. The three BTS members tested positive for the coronavirus after returning to South Korea following the bands trip to Los Angeles. (L-R) Jin and RM of BTS | The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images Jin and RM made full recoveries from the coronavirus Big Hit Music posted a Weverse announcement for ARMY on Jan. 4. The new Weverse post shared that RM and Jin both made full recoveries after receiving treatment at home. In the Weverse post, Big Hit Music wrote: We would like to inform you that BTS members RM and Jin have made full recoveries from COVID-19 and his quarantine has concluded as of today at noon, January 4. RM and Jin who had been receiving treatment from home for the past ten days from Saturday, December 25 are now able to return to their daily activities. Neither member exhibited any particular symptoms during their quarantine. Jin had a slight fever when he first began treatment at home but has since made a full recovery. We would like to thank all fans who have shown concerns for the artists health as well as those in the medical field who are doing their best to overcome COVID-19. RELATED: BTS: Jimin Wants to Attend the 2022 Grammy Awards in Person We Want to Be There RM was diagnosed with the coronavirus after BTS trip to LA On Nov. 27, Nov. 28, Dec. 1, and Dec. 2, 2021, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook of BTS put on four concerts at SoFi Stadium in LA. Following the Permission to Dance On Stage LA concerts, Big Hit Music announced that the seven members will go on a brief vacation until the bands Permission to Dance On Stage Seoul concerts in March. Some members of BTS elected to return to South Korea shortly after the concerts, while other members stayed in the U.S. for the start of their vacation. On Dec. 25, 2021, Big Hit Music announced on Weverse that both Jin and RM tested positive for the coronavirus. For RM, Big Hit Music wrote: After returning on Friday the 17th from the United States following his personal schedule as part of his official vacation period, RM immediately underwent PCR testing, was found negative and entered into self-quarantine in his home as mandated by COVID-19 control procedures. However, he underwent PCR testing today before his scheduled release from quarantine and was found to be positive for COVID-19; he is currently exhibiting no particular symptoms. RELATED: BTS Share Special New Years Messages for ARMY Jin experienced mild coronavirus symptoms While RM tested positive for the coronavirus shortly after returning to South Korea, Jin did not begin experiencing symptoms until after being released from quarantine. Jin returned to Korea on Monday, December 6 and underwent PCR testing immediately after his return and again before his release from self-quarantine, and was found negative on both occasions, Big Hit Music wrote on Weverse. The Weverse announcement continued, However, feeling flu-like symptoms this afternoon he underwent PCR testing and was found positive for COVID-19 late this evening. He is exhibiting mild symptoms including light fever, and is undergoing self-treatment at home. RELATED: BTS Will Go on an Extended Period of Rest Before Releasing a New Album The Matrix Reloaded didnt get the same love that the original sci-fi movie did. Lana and Lilly Wachowski returned to write and direct the sequel, although audiences now hold it to a different standard. However, The Matrix Reloaded has a freeway chase scene is one of the most high-adrenaline car chases in film history. However, getting the scene just right nearly incited a revolt. The Matrix Reloaded freeway chase scene is iconic Keanu Reeves | L. Cohen/WireImage 2003s The Matrix Reloaded follows Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). They pick up their duties to lead the fight against the Machine Army. The trio brings their entire array of incredible fighting skills and weapons to fight back in the hopes of saving the human race. The legendary freeway chase scene finds Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus seeking to save the Keymaker from the Twins, Agent Johnson, Agent Jackson, and Agent Thomas. Neo needs the Keymaker to lead him to the Source, where the Machine mainframe exists. Ultimately, they succeed in rescuing the Keymaker, who tells them about the three ships and the system of the Portal. The legendary freeway chase scene nearly incited a revolt Brian J. Robb writes about Reeves and his career in Keanu Reeves: An Excellent Adventure. The Matrix franchise is a significant time in Reeves filmography. It further established him as a major star worth keeping an eye on. The Matrix Reloaded truly impressed audiences with the freeway chase scene. However, Robb explains that the Wachowskis had difficulty finding a freeway that adequately fit what they were envisioning for the big action set-piece. The final product would prove rather expensive. Failing to find a freeway with the required sense of doom, the Wachowskis decided to build their own, ending up with a two-mile loop on the defunct Alameda navy base in California, Robb wrote. The road cost $300,000 per quarter-mile to build and almost incited revolt among the construction crew who thought the ambition of the project was mad. Robb continued: However, filming on this purpose-built set gave the [Wachowskis] the levels of control and secrecy they required for shooting. After seven weeks on the purpose-built freeway, filming shifted to Sydney, Australia for a mammoth 270-day shoot, with the pair of films costing in excess of $300 million (the combined budget for the three Lord of the Rings movies). Other Matrix Reloaded visual tricks Seven separate special effects studios worked on The Matrix Reloaded, completing a staggering 2,500 shots in total. Robb explained how The Matrix Reloaded set a new standard for virtual cinematography. This allowed the film to get away with more impressive visual tricks. Effects artist John Gaeta explained how virtual cinematography would allow him to remove any visual difference between the real and digital elements of the picture. As a result, It allows Keanus Neo to fly at 2,000mph through a giant metropolis, one of the films dramatic images, Robb explained. RELATED: The Matrix Cast Reminisces About the Franchises Biggest Scenes That Changed Their Lives Forever Can The Matrix Resurrections Do That For a New Generation? Kim Kardashian West and Pete Davidson are taking their romance international with a New Years trip to the Bahamas. Here are all the details we know about the hot new couples trip so far, including what the reality stars husband, Kanye West, is doing. Kim Kardashian West and Pete Davidson have been dating amid her divorce from Kanye West Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian West hit it off when the reality star hosted Saturday Night Live on Oct. 9, 2021. Fans started speculating on a romance between the two when they shared an on-screen kiss during a skit. Since then, Davidson and Kardashian West have been spotted together multiple times. They have gone on dates in California, where Kardashian West lives with her four children, and in Davidsons hometown of Staten Island, New York. Kardashian West is in the process of divorcing rapper Kanye West, who has made several public pleas for the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star to take him back. But court documents related to their divorce say, Irreconcilable differences have led to the irremediable breakdown of the marriage, and there is no possibility of saving the marriage through counseling or other means. Exclusive: Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson take a private jet to the Bahamas https://t.co/n6Sur7jg6E Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) January 4, 2022 Kim Kardashian West and Pete Davidson are reportedly on vacation in the Bahamas The SNL star and the SKIMS founder are taking their romance international. The couple was spotted boarding a plane to the Bahamas on Monday, Jan. 3. They are getting some time away together after allegedly spending New Years Eve apart. Kim and Pete are on vacation spending time together, a source told ET. The two werent able to ring in the new year since she was with her family in California and Pete was hosting his NYE special in Miami. The source shared that the pair may not get to spend a lot of time together in the upcoming months. They have a busy couple of months coming up with her company rebrand and Pete filming various projects, the source revealed. So they wanted to take some time to spend together before things ramp up. Kim Kardashian West | Gotham/GC Images Kanye West is busy dating Uncut Gems star Julia Fox Until recently, rapper Kanye West was making public pleas for Kim Kardashian West to reconcile with him. He said that God would reunite him with the shapewear mogul and that Kardashian West is still legally his wife since the divorce process hasnt ended yet. But it seems like West has decided to move on in the New Year. On Jan. 1, he was spotted dining out in Miami with actor Julia Fox. The 31-year-old is best known for starring in the 2019 Adam Sandler comedy-crime drama Uncut Gems. According to TMZ, a source said that Wests date with Fox was nothing serious, but the Donda rapper is embracing single life and seems happier now than he has in a long, long time. RELATED: Kim Kardashian West and Pete Davidson Double Date With Scott Disick and a Mystery Woman to See Spider-Man Movie Love After Lockup is a popular reality show that premiered on We TV in 2018. The series, which chronicles the lives of those recently released from incarceration and their significant others, can always be counted on to bring the drama. Many fans are invested in Love After Lockup, and to this day, the series remains popular with viewers of all ages. WE tv celebrates the return of Love After Lockup with panel, Real Love: Relationship Reality TVs Past, Present & Future | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images One of the most high-profile stars of Love After Lockup is Michael Simmons, whose dramatic love triangle made headlines for months. These days, fans are following Simmons story for a whole new reason the reality star was recently found guilty of felony child neglect. Michael Simmons is a star of Love After Lockup and Life After Lockup Michael Simmons was first introduced to viewers on Love After Lockup when he was serving time behind bars for parole violations. The drama started with Simmons when he got involved in a love triangle that involved Simmons, his then-wife, Sarah Simmons, and his new girlfriend, Megan Nash. Fans watched as Simmons pursued Nash hotly, all while Sarah Simmons was pregnant with his child and planning on reuniting with him after his release from jail. Sarah screams at Michael & accuses him of not caring about their kids in this exclusive #LifeAfterLockup preview: https://t.co/DD28dZXbcG pic.twitter.com/o6GUzar8w5 HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) February 14, 2020 Throughout the third season of Love After Lockup, Simmons continued the romance with both women. When Simmons got released from jail, he showed up at Nashs home, intent on maintaining his affair with her with his relationship with Sarah Simmons growing ever more volatile in the process. Michael Simmons was recently found guilty of felony child neglect Tonights the season finale weve all been waiting for! Whats in store for your favorite couples from @LuvAfterLockup. Youll have to tune in to @WEtv's hit series #LifeAfterLockup to find out! Life After Lockup airs TONIGHT at 9/8c on WE tv. pic.twitter.com/k319cyndFx Radar Online (@radar_online) August 10, 2019 Ultimately, Michael and Sarah Simmons decided that they wanted to work through their differences for the sake of their two young daughters. Still, Michael Simmons has remained in and out of trouble with the law, which has caused problems with his relationship with Sarah Simmons. In November 2020, Simmons found himself in hot water once again, this time in a situation involving a young child. According to Starcasm, Simmons was ultimately found guilty of felony child neglect in the summer of 2021, a third-degree felony in Florida that resulted in several days behind bars and a fine of $769. As Starcasm reported, there appeared to be no additional punishment levied on Simmons, in spite of the fact that Simmons apparently left a young male child alone in a hotel for upwards of five hours, during which time witnesses watched the young boy wander the grounds completely unsupervised. While Simmons would later claim that he only left the child alone in order to get snacks for the boy, hotel staff was alarmed enough by the unsupervised child to call 911 to report the situation. Whats next for Michael Simmons? #LoveAfterLockup Michael Simmons was arrested in Florida on Wednesday after a series of live streamed antics. Watch the video and check out Michael's latest mug shot. #LifeAfterLockup #LockupAfterLoveAfterLockup https://t.co/yfgNUgaxnQ Starcasm (@starcasm) December 30, 2021 Fans were shocked by the details of Michael Simmons child neglect charge, in particular, the fact that the reality star wasnt mandated to take any parenting classes by the court. Its also unclear how Simmons is related to the child in question since that information was redacted from court documents, according to All About the Tea. In fact, Sarah Simmons, his estranged wife, took to social media in the days following Michael Simmons arrest, clarifying that she is not the mother of the child and that she and her two children with Simmons were not involved. With Simmons back in the spotlight due to his many legal troubles, it seems likely that more information will come to light over the next few months. As to Simmons future on reality TV, the jury is out although if theres one thing that he has proven, its that he has a knack of getting second chances. RELATED: Life After Lockup Premiere: Where are the Love After Lockup Couples Now? Prince Charles has been speaking out about environmental issues, and he recently penned an article urging for more actions to combat climate change. The Prince of Wales also commended his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, for their work in this field. Prince Harry, Prince Charles, and Prince William | John Stillwell WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Charles has been advocating for the environment since the 1970s Charles late father, Prince Philip, was passionate about various environmental causes. Philip even helped found the World Wildlife Fund in the 1960s, which has gone on to become the worlds largest conservation organization. In the 1970s, Charles also began speaking out about climate change. Although he occasionally gets criticized for allegedly being political, Charles continues to promote causes such as sustainability and conservation. He even told Vanity Fair in 2010, I am absolutely determined to be the defender of nature. Full stop. Thats what the rest of my life is going to be concerned with. In a speech at the World Economic Forum, Charles also declared, We are in the midst of a crisis that is now, I hope, well understood. Global warming, climate change, the devastating loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats that humanity has ever faced and one largely of our own creation. Prince Charles recently acknowledged his sons efforts in fighting climate change "The time is now. The eyes of our children and grandchildren are judging us. Let ours be the generation that can. And does." Exclusive: Prince Charles says "our children are judging us" on climate change https://t.co/ehNowMuat6 pic.twitter.com/8pjLiLtVio Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 4, 2022 RELATED: Prince William and Prince Harry Are Absolutely Sick Prince Charles Wants Camilla Parker Bowles to Have Queen Title Destined for Princess Diana, Royal Author Says Like his father before him, Charles has passed his love for the environment to his sons. In recent years, William and Harry have been making their marks on the world, and the two of them are also trying to continue the fight against climate change. Sixty years ago, my late father identified the damage humankind was inflicting on the planet and helped to found the World Wildlife Fund, Charles wrote in a recent article for Newsweek. A decade later, when I first spoke publicly about the environment, many wondered if my sense of urgency was misplaced. That view has shifted in the intervening decades, though all too slowly, and, even today, lacks the urgency needed. Charles added, As a father, I am proud that my sons have recognised this threat. Most recently, my elder son, William, launched the prestigious Earthshot Prize to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years by identifying and investing in the technologies that can make a difference. And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero. Charles went on to urge people to adopt a We mentality and work together to tackle some of the difficult challenges humanity is facing. How is Prince Charles and Prince Harrys relationship? RELATED: Prince Harry and Prince Charles Used to Talk for Hours and Hours Before Their Relationship Went Downhill In early 2021, there were many reports that Charles and Harry had a falling out. Around that time, Harry publicly spoke to media outlets to share grievances about royal life and even criticized Charles parenting skills However, it seems the father-son duo is on better terms now. In December, sources, including royal expert Stewart Pierce, told Us Weekly that Charles and Harry have been communicating and trying to resolve their differences. Trisha Yearwood is proud to say she hails from Georgia in the town of Monticello. Yearwood loves to recreate the food traditions she learned as a young girl from her dad Jack and mother Gwen. Many of these recipes have been featured in her Food Network series Trishas Southern Kitchen. Other than Yearwood, another famous export from the state are sweet, luscious peaches. Yearwood uses these tasty fruits to create all types of luscious and sweet desserts, but perhaps her favorite is Peach Cobbler. Trisha Yearwood | Theo Wargo/Getty Images Peaches are Georgias State Fruit The U.S. Department of Agriculture ranks Georgia as one of the top four peach-producing states along with California, South Carolina, and New Jersey, reported the website Explore Georgia. However, there are other surprising facts about peaches that not everyone is familiar with. Did you know that peaches are a member of the rose family? This relationship is likely why their sugary sweet filling and smell are likened to a floral scent. Georgias peaches mainly grow in Crawford, Taylor, Macon, and Peach counties. The state is known for creating the worlds largest peach cobbler. It is made each year at the Georgia Peach Festival in Fort Valley and is 11 by 5 feet in width and about eight inches deep. While Yearwoods cobbler is not that large, it is just as tasty. The recipe for Easy Peach Cobbler is a cinch to make Trisha Yearwood also uses peaches in her Georgia Peach Cheesecakes. If you have some canned peaches, butter, self-rising flour, sugar, and milk, you can make Yearwoods peach cobbler. Self-rising flour is needed to create the crust above the canned peaches. It makes a sweet topping that gives the cobbler a cake-like consistency. If you do not have self-rising flour at home, it is easy to pull it together with pantry staples. Just mix ordinary flour with baking powder and salt. Trisha Yearwood also makes a mean Peach Melba Pie in a cast iron skillet Yearwood also features her home states fruit in a skillet dessert called Peach Melba Pie, featured on the Food Network website. This particular recipe includes the creation of a dough, which takes a bit more time to make than the cobbler, as mentioned above. However, if you have the extra time, it is well worth the effort for this showstopper of a dessert. The filling includes butter, peach preserves, brandy ginger, lemon juice, fresh peaches, and raspberries. The whole recipe for Easy Georgia Cobbler is available on the Food Network website. Trishas Southern Kitchen airs Saturdays at noon EST on the Food Network. RELATED: Trisha Yearwoods Chicken Tortilla Soup Is a Warm Make-Ahead Marvel: Dinners Done When Calls the Heart star Erin Krakow promises that season 9 of the Hallmark Channel series will feature plenty of romance plus a few steamy scenes when it airs in 2022. Season 8 of the period drama ended with Krakows character Elizabeth finally deciding to pursue a relationship with saloon owner Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally). Fans can look forward to seeing the pairs relationship further evolve next season. Erin Krakow hints at whats to come in When Calls the Heart Season 9 Chris McNally and Erin Krakow in the When Calls the Heart Season 8 finale | 2021 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: RELATED: When Calls the Heart: Chris McNally Shares First Season 9 Photo of Lucas and Elizabeth, and Fans Cant Handle It Krakow, who grew up in Florida, recently spoke with Palm Beach Illustrated about When Calls the Heart and her acting career. We will have more romance and steamy scenes in season 9, she said. My role as Elizabeth keeps me challenged as she delves into fresh adventures. The Army Wives alum has said that shes eager for fans to see whats in store for her and Lucas. I cant wait for everyone to finally see our characters, Elizabeth and Lucas, together as a couple in the new season, Krakow said while introducing a season 9 teaser with her co-star (via Hallmark Channel). Lucas takes Elizabeth on a hot air balloon ride in season 9 clip Fans have already gotten a taste of what to expect from the new episodes. In a season 9 clip shared by Hallmark Channel, Lucas whisks Elizabeth away on a romantic hot air balloon ride. In another teaser, the couple shares a sweet moment together when Lucas meets Elizabeth outside the Hope Valley library. This could be one of those little moments that we can keep on sharing, he says as he walks her home. You realize that by pointing out the little moments you do in fact make them big moments? she replies. Well, regardless, Im looking forward to having more time for all types of moments, he says before kissing her hand. While its not clear what prompted Lucas comment about little moments, it sounds like he and Elizabeth might have had a conversation about his tendency to make grand romantic gestures. Perhaps shes suggested that he doesnt always need to show his love in an over-the-top way. When Calls the Heart Season 9 is all about love Romance and love will be a theme throughout When Calls the Heart Season 9, and not just for Elizabeth and Lucas. Love is in the air, said Pascale Hutton, who plays Rosemary Coulter, in a first look video for Hallmark Channel. Theres new love, theres young love, theres newlywed love, theres mature love. Love. Love is what is happening. That is the storyline for this season. Evan Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry), who was left heartbroken at the end of season 8 when Elizabeth chose Lucas, may have a new woman in his life. Another clip shows him meeting Mei Suo (Amanda Wong), whos new to Hope Valley in season 9. The two share a flirty moment that suggests romance could be in store for the Mountie and the mystery woman. When Calls the Heart Season 9 airs in 2022 on Hallmark Channel. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! RELATED: When Calls the Heart Season 9: Erin Krakow Promises More Drama, Adventure, and Romance The Heubach Group and SK Capital Partners announced the completion of the acquisition of Clariants Global Colorants Business (Clariant Pigments). The combined business will operate under the Heubach brand, creating a global pigment technology and industry leader. The newly combined Heubach Group (the Company) is a leading global provider of comprehensive color solutions, supplying a broad portfolio of organic, inorganic, and anti-corrosive pigments, pigment preparations, dyes, colorants and specialty materials. The Company operates its global business from 19 manufacturing facilities across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, employing approximately 3,000 people. The headquarters of the Heubach Group will be established in Vienna, Austria. Johann Heubach of the Heubach Group, stated The new Heubach is a world-class organization with great talent, technology and assets. For us, product excellence and sustainability are core. We are well-positioned to create significant value for our customers and business partners across the many industries we serve. Aaron Davenport, a Managing Director of SK Capital, noted The combination of Heubach and Clariant Pigments creates an industry leader committed to the highest standards in manufacturing, quality and service. We look forward to supporting management in the growth and improvement of the Company by investing into talent, innovation and market expansion. The Heubach Group is excited to announce the appointment of Stefan Doboczky as Chief Executive Officer of the Heubach Group, effective January 10, 2022. Mr. Doboczky joins the Heubach Group having most recently served as CEO of Lenzing AG, a global leader of cellulosic fibers and biochemicals. Prior to Lenzing, Mr. Doboczky was member of the Managing Board of Royal DSM, the Dutch Life Science and Material Science Group, where he spent almost two decades in various general management roles. Mr. Doboczky holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Technical University of Vienna (A), as well as an MBA from IMD in Lausanne (CH). Stefan Doboczky noted I am very excited to join the new Heubach Group. I am convinced that by combining these successful businesses we will create a powerful offering for our customers in the pigment and colorant space. Pneumococcal pneumonia, the most common type of bacterial pneumonia, is caused by bacteria that can be spread through coughing and close contact with an infected person and is a greater risk to older adults. 5 missing teen girls found, 30 arrested in 'Operation Boo Dat' Five missing and endangered teenage girls were found and 30 individuals were arrested as part of a recent lengthy U.S. Marshals endeavor in the New Orleans, Louisiana, area known as Operation Boo Dat. The operation took place from mid-October until Christmas Eve and resulted in five girls being found, according to a U.S. Marshals announcement released last week. The Marshals New Orleans Task Force coordinated their efforts with the New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office, and the Louisiana State Police. The five teenage girls, ages 14 to 17, were found by authorities, and 30 arrests, including 17 that were for felony sex offender registration violations, were made. U.S. Marshal Scott Illing of the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a statement quoted in the announcement that the operation made the area safer, and credited law enforcement teamwork for their success. This work was accomplished during an interrupted period shortly after the death of one of our areas USMS Senior Inspectors, Jared Keyworth, who died in a line of duty automobile accident in Mississippi, and during post Hurricane Ida recovery and continuing COVID-19 issues, said Illing. We believe that Senior Inspector Keyworth would be proud of the continuing work to reduce violent crime across the nation and dedicate the results of Operation Boo Dat 2021 to his memory. Operation Boo Dat is an annual operation conducted by the Marshals and New Orleans law enforcement, with the 2020 endeavor resulting in the recovery of four missing or endangered children and 32 arrests. According to a press release from 2020, that years operation went from Oct. 19 to Dec. 11, and included more than 100 sex offender compliance checks in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes. Sex Offender compliance checks require law enforcement officers to go to the sex offenders reported address of residence to verify that the person still lives at the provided address, stated the Marshals in 2020. Often times countless hours of follow up investigative work are required during and after a compliance check. In February of last year, authorities in Arizona arrested 37 people accused of child sex crimes and large-scale human trafficking as part of Operation Broken Hearts. Adored Michigan priest dies in crash day after 53rd birthday Barely a day after celebrating his 53rd birthday on Sunday, Fr. David Hudgins, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Lansing and pastor of the St. Joseph Shrine in Brooklyn, Michigan, was killed in a car crash Monday, devastating family, friends and parishioners who absolutely adored him. The Diocese of Lansing announced his death in a statement on Facebook Monday evening, calling for prayers. Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Father David Hudgins, Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Lansing and Pastor of Saint Joseph Shrine in Brooklyn, who was killed in a car accident this morning, the diocese said, noting that the crash occurred just before 8:30 a.m. on U.S. 127 between Page Avenue and South Street in Jackson County. Michael Jester, director of public safety for Blackman-Leoni Township, told Daily Telegram that Hudgins, who was a resident of Brooklyn, was on his way to pick up a family member from the airport when the crash happened. Jester said the pastor, who was driving a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup northbound, lost control of the vehicle on the icy roads, went through a median, rolled over, then landed in the southbound lanes of U.S. 127. He was pronounced dead at the scene and was the only occupant of the vehicle. Officials at the Saint Joseph Shrine were not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Christian Post on Wednesday, but friends like fellow Michigan priest, Fr. Joseph Krupp, shared warm memories on him online. We shared a rectory for 3 years & they were amazing years because of his goodness. He was filled with joy, fueled by prayer & humbly obscured his razor sharp intellect with great humor. We are devastated by this loss in our diocese, Krupp said in a tweet on Monday in which he also recalled how much Hudgins parishioners absolutely adored him. He loved the Eucharist. He was crazy about Chesterton & Tolkien. His parishioners absolutely adored him. I know with all my heart that this morning, a voice he knew & loved all his life said to him Well done, good & faithful servant, Krupp added. Please pray for our Bishop @BishopBoyea. Pray for the soul of Fr. David. Pray for his parishes. Ill miss you, brother; I hope to see you in the clearing at the end of the path. Until that day, pray that Im a good priest. The Catholic Charities of Jackson Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties also expressed sadness about Hudgins passing, noting how he was a strong supporter of their work. We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our friend Fr. David Hudgins, the group began in a statement on Facebook. Fr. Dave was a former Board member at Catholic Charities, a member of our St. Teresa of Calcutta Giving Society, and a tremendous supporter of our work. He will be greatly missed by us all. May the angels welcome him this day to paradise. Eternal rest grant unto him, oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. There will be a visitation on Jan. 7 from 2-7 p.m. at St. Joseph Shrine Church. His funeral will take place on Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., at St. Mary Cathedral located at 219 Seymour Ave. in Lansing. Big Daddy Weaves Jay Weaver dies from COVID-19: My heart's broke for my family' Big Daddy Weaves Jason Weaver, better known as Jay, has died from complications due to COVID-19 after many years of battling other health conditions. Big Daddy Weave frontman Mike Weaver took to Facebook on Sunday to announce that his younger brother and bandmate went to be with Jesus on Jan. 2. He was 42. The late artist was a founding member of the band. He played bass guitar and sang with the Christian group. Even though COVID may have taken his last breath, Jesus was right there to catch him, Weaver shared in the video announcement. While noticeably broken up about his loss, Weaver said he is celebrating the fact that his brother is in Heaven. Hes seeing things now that I long to see. My hearts broke for my family but we all just really wanted to thank you for walking with us through so much for so long, he continued. The Lord used Jay in mighty ways, Weaver testified. The musician is survived by his wife, Emily, and their three children. According to a previous message posted by Big Daddy Weave, Jay Weaver was in the hospital for at least five days fighting a tough battle against COVID. Emily Weaver also released a statement at the time that said, I just want my best friend/everything to get better. Her husband died the following day. Jay Weaver had diabetes for 20 years, and the illness severely weakened his bodys immune system and ability to stave off infection, which resulted in the amputation of both of his feet. He remained in the band for five years following the amputations. However, shortly before his death, the bassist announced hed made the difficult decision to come off the road with Big Daddy Weave for a time to focus on his health. In August 2021, Big Daddy Weave said that the younger Weaver had suffered side effects from his dialysis treatments that led to him being admitted into the intensive care unit. However, God answered their prayers and he recovered. Prayers for healing can now turn into prayers of thanksgiving that Jay is with the Lord! Mike Weaver concluded in his video message on Sunday. Hollywood actor Nathaniel Buzolic compares Dubai's Burj Khalifa to Tower of Babel, shares Gospel Actor Nathaniel Buzolic, known for his roles in Hacksaw Ridge and Vampire Diaries, used a recent visit to Dubai to share a Bible lesson and the Gospel with his 2 million online followers. Buzolic, an outspoken Christian, posted a photo of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai over the holidays and used the account in Genesis of the Tower of Babel to share about the Savior of the world. Come let us build for ourselves a city and a tower with its tops in the heavens and let us make a name for ourselves, he quoted on Instagram along with the photo of the famous building. This was mans plan in the book of Genesis, this was mans desire from long ago. This plan was not to glorify God but to glorify self. To not honor Gods glory but to rival Gods glory with His own. Though he's a mainstream movie star, the Australian entertainer regularly uses his platform to share the Gospel. God will disperse the nations and choose one man after this event, Buzolic continued, speaking of the Tower of Babel. And through that one man God will make a people for himself. A people who would be instructed to honor God, follow God and bring God to all the nations once more. And from Abraham, One man will come from Israel who will tower above all men. For this man was promised by God and sent by God the messiah. The 38 year old then encouraged his followers to trust solely in God. There is only one name in heaven or on earth which can bring about salvation from mans curse of sin. Mans initial desire to glorify self. This name is Yeshua. Jesus of Nazareth, Buzolic wrote. Glory to God in the highest. He ended his post with a description of the photo. Pictured currently the tallest tower in the world the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Stretching as close as it can to the heavens. In recent days, Buzolic has posted several photos of Israel along with Bible messages. In one post, he spoke of Jesus as a healer. The Originals star also shared about Satan tempting Christ in the wilderness. In every message shared, he pointed back to the Word of God and his strong Christian faith. In an interview with Insights in 2018, Buzolic talked about how he navigates being a Christian while working in Hollywood and the television industry. Buzolic explained that his faith is helpful in enabling me to disconnect from a business that is based on how you look, how much money you make, how relevant you are and how many followers you have. Look at the teachings of Jesus. It is an absolute upside-down kingdom where the person who is last is first, the person who serves is considered greatest in the kingdom of God, he added. During that interview, he also declared that the world does not need another star. Instead, it needs to start listening to the truth of what Jesus said. Buzolic came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior at 27, after running into a bunch of dead ends in his life. I saw a huge difference, he said after making the decision to follow Jesus. Since coming to faith, Buzolic revealed he's shared Christ with others on television and movie sets. He noted that when talking to people in show business, what you start to realize is that people who are so against it havent really had a chance to have explained who Jesus is and what He represents very well. Along with acting, Buzolic founded Palm Sundays Co., an apparel and clothing company inspired by the Gospel. Over 100 Christian colleges have ties to Planned Parenthood: report A new report reveals that more than 100 Christian colleges and universities in the United States have had ties to Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion business, in the past two years. The Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, a project of the pro-life group Students for Life of America, released a report detailing Planned Parenthoods relationship with Christian Colleges & Universities in the U.S. over the past two years. Specifically, the report, released last month, analyzed all 784 colleges and universities in the U.S. that are affiliated with a Christian church, finding that 103 of the colleges had some type of relationship with Planned Parenthood. The report is part of SFLAs Christian Schools Project, designed to raise public awareness of Christian schools maintaining relationships with Planned Parenthood in order to encourage infracting schools to restore their Christian values by cutting ties with the abortion giant. According to the report, a relationship with Planned Parenthood represents an endorsement of abortion violence and an alarming departure from the Christian tradition and biblical values. In addition to the report, SFLA published a detailed document providing evidence of the schools relationships with Planned Parenthood. In the report, schools received a grade on a scale from A+ to F based on the degree of their respective relationships with Planned Parenthood. Schools with four or more infractions received an F, while schools with no infractions received an A. A letter grade was docked for each additional infraction up to four. Schools that took the added step of promoting pro-life pregnancy centers as an alternative to Planned Parenthood were awarded an A+. The research conducted by Students for Life of America revealed that the promotion of Planned Parenthood as a student resource constituted 56% of all infractions. For example, Trinity Washington University, a Catholic school in Washington, D.C., includes Planned Parenthood as a Womens Health resource on its website. The Presbyterian-affiliated Illinois College lists Planned Parenthood as an example of where students can put their gender and womens studies degrees into practice. An additional 31% of infractions arose from schools listing of Planned Parenthood as an active internship opportunity where students can receive course credit. The report cited Luther College, a Lutheran institution located in Iowa, as an example of a Christian school allowing students to intern at Planned Parenthood. The remaining types of infractions were partnering with Planned Parenthood for at least one event in the preceding year (6%), listing the abortion provider as an example of a future career opportunity (4%), touting the organization as a volunteer opportunity (2%) and advertising Planned Parenthood events on the school website (1%). Of the 103 schools with at least one infraction, 22% received an F rating, 20% received a D rating, 19% received a C rating, and a plurality (39%) received a B rating. Schools that received an F rating, indicating a committed relationship with Planned Parenthood, included Duke University, associated with the United Methodist Church, and Emory University, affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Duke lists Planned Parenthood as an option for family planning services, advertised the position of public affairs intern at the abortion provider, and includes a web exhibit of Planned Parenthood featuring links to its social media accounts and website. Emorys Rollins School of Public Health includes Planned Parenthood as a resource, and the nearby Planned Parenthood of Atlanta serves as a rotation site for medical students studying gynecology. The 27 schools with F ratings were primarily affiliated with Protestant denominations. Only one Catholic school, St. Michaels College in Vermont, received the lowest possible rating. Three prominent Catholic schools, Marymount University, Sacred Heart University and St. John Fisher College, received D ratings, along with 12 schools affiliated with Protestant denominations. Thirteen schools, all affiliated with Protestant denominations, received a grade of C. Baylor University, a prominent Baptist school in Texas, received a B rating, as did the Washington, D.C.-based American University, which is affiliated with the Methodist Church. The overwhelming majority of Christian schools examined (666) received a grade of A. Methodist-affiliated schools accounted for a little under one-third of the share of Christian schools with a grade of B or lower, followed by 15 Presbyterian-affiliated schools, 14 Lutheran-affiliated schools, eight Catholic schools and two schools affiliated with the Disciples of Christ. Schools affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the Church of the Brethren, the Moravian Church, the Reformed Church in America and the United Church of Christ accounted for one infracted school apiece. Arizona Christian University, home to the Cultural Research Center that conducts polling and analysis of the state of American culture and the beliefs of Americans, the non-denominational Hillsdale College, the notable evangelical institutions Liberty University and Regent University, and the Catholic Church-affiliated Villanova University are among the 49 schools with A+ ratings. While 69 Christian schools had a grade lower than A at the time of the reports publication, an additional 34 schools were also determined to have infractions. However, these schools ultimately severed their relationships with Planned Parenthood after Students for Life of America reached out to them. Fordham University, Georgetown University, Loyola University and the University of Notre Dame were among the schools that took Planned Parenthood off their websites and broke ties with the abortion giant after being notified of the relationship on their websites. All four schools now find themselves among the group of A-rated institutions. The SFLA report also cites Planned Parenthoods annual report, which states that the organization performed 354,871 abortions in 2020, before lamenting that the abortion provider had developed relationships with schools that identify as Christian institutions, despite the fact that scripture and Christian tradition are soundly anti-abortion. In a statement announcing the project earlier this year, SFLA President Kristan Hawkins slammed the unholy partnership between a number of Christian schools and the abortion industry. It is crucial that colleges and universities that claim an affiliation with the Christian faith and biblical values do not contradict those values by partnering with or promoting perpetrators of abortion violence, she added. Ransom paid for all missionaries kidnapped in Haiti but gang was divided on release: family member A family member of several of the formerly kidnapped Christian Aid Ministries missionaries in Hait said a ransom had already been paid for their release but the gang refused to set everyone free before the remaining 12 managed to escape. There had been a ransom agreement reached with the hostage-takers, and to my understanding that ransom was actually delivered the Sunday night that my wife and son and the other lady were released, Michigan resident and missionary, Ray Noecker, told MLive in an interview published Monday. The final 12 of 17 missionaries reportedly staged a daring escape from the clutches of the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti last month while their kidnappers were busy making sure their phones were charged, WZZM reported. The daring escape of the 12 missionaries on Dec. 15, after two months in captivity, came just 11 days after the release of three others on Dec. 5, including Noeckers wife, Cheryl, and his 6-year-old son, Sheldon. His four other children, Cherilyn, 27; Courtney, 18; Brandon, 16; and Kosandra, now 14, were among the Dec. 15 escapees. Two weeks prior to that, the gang released the first two of the missionaries, reportedly for medical reasons. While he doesnt know how much money was paid and who paid for the release of the missionaries, Noecker insisted that payment was made for the entire group kidnapped on Oct. 16. The ransom agreement was for the entire group but there was some division within the gang so they were not able to release all of them at that time (Dec. 5), Noecker said. So that would be one of the reasons the gang would have told the group that were in captivity that they were being released because of the sores, the medical condition of my wife and the other lady. A source with knowledge of the first two releases told The Miami Herald that no ransom was paid even though the 400 Mawozo gang leader, Wilson Joseph, had threatened to kill all the missionaries if his gang didn't receive $1 million each for their release. Christian Aid Ministries previously shared how the group of kidnapped missionaries repeatedly plotted and prayed about their escape and waited for the right signs from God. During a luncheon and prayer vigil celebrating the safe return of his family at West Michigan Research Center, Noecker explained in a WZZM report how rain opened up a window for four of his children and the other missionaries to escape on Dec. 15. Noecker, who was preparing for a day of teaching pastors when the missionaries were abducted, explained that the guards who watched them at night usually gathered around an extension cord to charge their phones. Heavy rains on the night of their escape put the cord under water and forced the guards to move the charging of their phones to the opposite side of the building, opening the door for their eventual escape. Last month, CAM spokesman Weston Showalter said once the missionaries were away from the hostage camp, they moved toward a mountain feature identified as a landmark and journeyed Northwest under starlight. With Gods help, protection, and leading, they quickly made their way through the night. They walked for possibly as much as 10 miles, traveling through woods and thickets, working through thorns and briars. One of the hostages said, Two hours [of the walk] were through fierce brambles. We were in gang territory the whole hike, Showalter noted. The moon provided light for their path. During times they werent sure which way to go, they stopped and prayed, asking God to show them. Noecker said when he was first reunited with his entire family after the kidnapping he yodeled. I just started yodeling, he recalled. On Sunday, just days after the missionary and his family returned to West Michigan, their community came out to thank God and celebrate their safe return. "We just want to celebrate what God did," Pastor Ryan Vanderzwah said. "We prayed and He answered." Despite the kidnapping in Haiti, Noecker told WZZM that if God calls his family to go back and minister there he plans to answer that call. "God calls us to minister to the hurting people," he said. "So that would be why we went as a family, because there was a need and an opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives." Ray Bentley, author and Maranatha Chapel founder, dies from COVID-19 complications Ray Bentley, an author, radio broadcaster and pastor who helped to found the influential Evangelical megachurch, Maranatha Chapel of California, died from COVID-19 complications. In an announcement posted on Facebook Tuesday, Maranatha Chapel said Bentley died at age 64 that afternoon following complications from the coronavirus. We are all in shock and heartbroken, stated the church. We find comfort in knowing that he is rejoicing in heaven with his beloved Jesus. Please pray for [his wife] Vicki and their family and for our church. More information will follow, but for now we needed to let you know and ask for prayer. Greg Laurie, author and senior pastor of the California-based megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship, took to Twitter to offer his condolences. So sad to hear that my friend, Pastor Ray Bentley died due to complications from COVID, tweeted Laurie on Wednesday morning. Death does not have the final word, Christ does! Ray is alive and well in Heaven! He will be deeply missed. Monica Dean, a news anchor with NBC 7 San Diego, whose family was baptized by Bentley, gave her condolences on Facebook, calling him a spiritual leader, a profound biblical teacher, an inspired author, a mentor. He was a shepherd to a global congregation. He loved others with the heart of Jesus and reminded us regularly God is good all the time, said Dean. I am praying for the comfort and peace of the Bentley family may the Lord bless and keep you, make His face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you peace. Joel C. Rosenberg, a bestselling Evangelical author who serves as president and CEO of Near East Media who lives in Israel, took to Twitter to pay his respects to Bentley. Im so grateful for his love for the Lord Jesus Christ, his passion for the Bible and the gospel & his deep love for Israel. Praying for Vicki and family, tweeted Rosenberg. According to his ministry website, Bentley founded Maranatha Chapel in 1984, with the congregation eventually growing to serve approximately 7,000 people a week. Bentley also had a daily radio program on Maranathas Radio Show, wrote six books, and frequently discussed issues of biblical prophecy and history. Bentley was married to his wife for more than 40 years, and the couple had two grown, married children, as well as six grandchildren, according to his ministry website. Lysa TerKeurst announces divorce after battling to save marriage, standing 'firm' in faith despite pain Bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst has announced she and her husband, Art, will be ending their marriage of nearly 30 years after he engaged in chosen patterns of behavior that dishonor God and the biblical covenant of marriage. TerKeurst, the founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, including Its Not Supposed to Be This Way and Forgiving What You Cant Forget, shared the news on social media on Saturday. The 52-year-old said that though she and her husband renewed their marriage vows three years ago after a painful separation, he has since broken those vows. It has crushed my heart to know he has broken those vows, she wrote. Over the past several years, I have fought really hard to not just save my marriage, but to survive the devastation of what consistent deception of one spouse does to the other. Its brutal and heart crushing to constantly fear the hurtful choices of someone you love. Ive had to learn the hard way theres a big difference between mistakes (which we all make) and chosen patterns of behavior that dishonor God and the biblical covenant of marriage. TerKeust, who has five children, said she believes the wisest (and hardest) choice I can make is to stop fighting to save my marriage of 29 years and, instead, accept reality. While there is clear biblical justification for my decision to end this marriage, I am choosing to hold most of the details private out of respect for our children and grandchildren, and to give space and privacy for my family and me to continue to heal, she wrote. In 2017, TerKeurst revealed she would be pursuing a divorce from her husband due to his infidelity and struggles with addiction. In an interview with The Christian Post, she described the experience as an excruciatingly painful time in her life. However, the couple renewed their vows just over a year later after working to restore their marriage. At the time, TerKeurst told CP that while the process of fighting for their marriage was "so, so hard, it was one we want to do. "And we want to give it the necessary time so that trust can be rebuilt, and trust takes an incredible amount of time, she said. Over the years, TerKeurst has openly discussed the emotional turmoil she experienced due to her husbands actions and Gods continued presence in her life. She previously told CP that she strives to share the perspectives and life wisdom that shes gained to highlight the evidence of God's faithfulness that shes witnessed even in the midst of really deep heartbreak. I would just encourage anybody who's walking through stuff there's someone else who needs to hear your story," she said in a 2021 interview. "I think everyone has life wisdom, evidence of God's faithfulness and experiences. ... And I think when we share our stories, if we focus on those things rather than the details of how we were hurt, that's where it becomes really helpful for other people. However, over the years, she kept details of her situation private. And in her latest post, the speaker and author explained that while there is clear biblical justification for my decision to end this marriage, she is again choosing to hold most of the details private out of respect for the couples children and grandchildren and to give space and privacy for my family and me to continue to heal. Its hard to face a future that looks nothing like what I desperately and constantly prayed it would look like, she wrote. I dont like this reality, but the truth is, relationship restoration doesnt always work. Ive cried and grieved over this and waited years hoping this wouldnt be our story. But even when restoration doesnt work, forgiveness always does. The ministry leader said that despite her circumstances, she has never been more grateful for the healing redemption God has done in my heart through the power of forgiveness. "Bitterness and resentment could be eating me alive. But, miraculously, thats not where Im at. With time, prayer, and lots of counseling, my heart is healing, she wrote. Sometimes the culmination of all our efforts and the answer to our prayers is that God restores us in relationships, TerKeurst concluded her post. And sometimes He rescues us out of relationships. I dont understand why circumstances sometimes go the way my story is now going. But Im standing firm in my faith and trusting God with every step. My family and I treasure your prayers and your compassion. A New Years resolution for American pastors Each new year we take time to reflect on where we want to focus our time, money and effort in the coming 365 days. We look at what is most important and what we can accomplish. Pastors do the same, reflecting on their churchs mission and ministry goals. We ask ourselves, where can our churches make a difference for people in our community and around the world? As we step into 2022, we need to consider the challenges facing some of our youngest worldwide. Due to COVID-19, at least 1.8 million children lost a parent, grandparent or caregiver as of May 2021, and that number continues to rise every day. It's a hidden epidemic that should grieve each of us. Additionally, studies are finding that families are struggling to care for their children with a rise in extreme poverty globally, mental health challenges, and increased stress on households. This is a solemn reality. Vulnerable children around the world and their families are in desperate need of support. Pastors, while there are many challenges our churches are facing today and as you are considering your New Years resolutions this month, I urge you to add one more: commit to supporting these children. And also commit to doing it better than we have in the past. Our approaches must focus on strengthening families around the world so they can care well for orphaned and vulnerable children. Historically, churches have rushed to build or support residential care facilities like orphanages after similar crises. My church may have responded in the same way just a few years ago. After 18 years of supporting a residential care facility for street children in Kenya, we thought we understood orphanages. We came to the realization that we didnt. In 2016, we began to ask questions about the effectiveness of our missions programming. Amidst that process, I sat down with a member of our congregation who asked the church to consider another partnership with an orphanage in a developing nation. He had tremendous praise for the orphanage. Of course our childrens home is great! Weve made it so nice, I would even send my children there. This moment was a wake-up call for me. While this person had the best of intentions, I realized then that our church had a lot of work to do. This conversation brought to the surface a deep, and perhaps intuitive, understanding that all children belong in families. I humbly shared my conviction that God designed children to thrive in families, not orphanages. That conversation was a turning point. Over the last two years, our missions department has shepherded our church through the arduous transition from supporting residential care to family care for vulnerable children. Our church used to support an orphanage in Nakuru, Kenya. Now, we partner with Agape Childrens Ministry, an organization that reunifies street children with their families in that same town. With the help of World Orphans, we also partner with a local church in Ethiopia that cares for 20 widowed mothers in their community. Weve had the privilege of witnessing the life-changing power of family strengthening. These mothers and their children are thriving together with support. Through these partnerships, weve come to understand that family separation is often preventable. And when it cant be prevented, like in the heartbreaking case of COVID orphans, other forms of family care make a way for every child to grow up in the setting God designed. When the pandemic hit, we were surprised that orphanages around the world were being shut down, including in Kenya. Members of our congregation wanted to know where the children went. The children went home to their families. The startling reality is that approximately 80 percent of children in orphanages have a living parent, and most of the remaining children have family members who are willing to care for them. However, these families often need support. As children were sent home from orphanages to avoid the spread of COVID-19, some of these families may not have been prepared to care for them, potentially leaving the children in risky situations. Its a sobering truth that emphasizes the need for programs that strengthen families. However, thats where we as Christians come in. Church leaders have an opportunity to play a key role in establishing family care as the leading solution for orphaned and vulnerable children. As Christ-followers, we need to be confident in Gods heart for the orphaned and vulnerable as found in our Holy Scripture and be prepared to say, thank you but no to ministries that do not support family care for children. We must pay attention to the over 30 years of research that prove the adverse effects of residential care. We must also be willing to forsake the traditional short-term mission model of visiting orphanages to hold babies and play with children. Pastors and elders are called by Christ to be shepherds of His flock and equip the saints for the work of ministry. We accomplish this when we are willing to repent of our past mistakes and trust a gracious Father who loves the orphaned and vulnerable more than we do. In 2022, I challenge all of you to evaluate the effectiveness of your churchs support for vulnerable children. The pandemic has placed us at one of the most pivotal moments in history, and children who have lost parents and other caregivers to COVID-19 need our support. We can follow our tradition of supporting orphanages, or we can look to Jesus for a new vision of tending to His sheep. Heading into this new year, my churchs focus on supporting family care has given me a renewed sense of peace in knowing that I am part of a larger movement doing the hard work of family restoration. We have a Savior who is in the business of restoration and my hope is that you will choose to be a part of it too. This week in Christian history: Granada conquered, Methodist missionary born Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance. Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between. Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown by most people. This week Jan. 2-8 marks the anniversary of the birth of accomplished Methodist missionary E. Stanley Jones and the completion of the Christian reconquest of Spain. 1 2 3 Next Actor Chris Tucker turns down over $10 million for movie role over religious objections to content Rapper Ice Cube has revealed that actor Chris Tucker, his co-star in the popular 1995 film Friday, didnt appear in the sequels because of his Christian faith, turning down a $10 million to $12 million offer to portray a character known for cussing and smoking marijuana. Ice Cube shared the information on social media after being asked if Tucker quit because the comedy actor, who portrayed the character Smokey in Friday, was underpaid. We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday but he turned us down for religious reasons, he tweeted. He didnt want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore. In an interview with All Urban Central last November, Tucker, who is best known for his role in the Rush Hour film franchise, had hinted at the reason why he refused to appear in the sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next. Back then, I gotta tell you, one of the reasons why I didnt do the second one was because of the weed. Because I said, man, that movie became a phenomenon. I dont want everybody smoking weed and I never really told people this because I kind of forgot about it, but it was one of the reasons why I didnt do it. Because I said, I don't wanna represent everybody smoking weed. He added, And thats one of the reasons why I said, Nah. I didnt wanna keep doing that character. It probably was good for me because it kept me moving to the next phase and next movies. Tucker has publicly spoken about his Christian faith. In 2018, he told Piers Morgan, who was co-host of ITV's Good Morning Britain at the time, that he prayed for former President Donald Trump. I hope he does a good job, because I pray for him. I hope he does a great job, because we need a good president, he said. We need a lot of things to happen in our country, America. So I hope tomorrow he wakes up and just does the right thing. Tucker also explained why he didnt make fun of Trump. I say a little bit of stuff, but I try and encourage him to do the right thing, he said. Im not a comedian that dogs people out. I want you to do that right thing. Hopefully, we can be friends one day and we can talk. I want him to be successful. I want him to do that right thing. Thats my whole attitude and, in my show, thats what I talk about. In 2014, Tucker told the Canadian newspaper Straight that he returned to stand-up comedy because of his faith. Being a Christian helps me in comedy, he said. I have to talk about other stuff. Normally, most comics talk about stuff thats easy maybe cussing or saying something raunchy. I have to dig deeper to find something thats still funny and not raunchy. Its harder. I like the challenge. Tucker was raised Pentecostal and regularly attended church, according to FaithWire, which says the actor abandoned his faith after becoming famous but later became a born-again Christian after moving back to Atlanta in the late 1990s. Platform behind 'The Chosen' releases season 2 of clean sitcom 'Freelancers': 'People really want to laugh' At a time when clean sitcoms are hard to come by, the streaming platform behind The Chosen has released the second season of the popular, family-friendly crowdfunded series Freelancers. The online comedy show on Angel App, the new platform from Angel Studios, follows five best friends trying to make it as filmmakers and start a production company with no budget, one terrible job at a time. On the heels of the success of season one of the Freelancers which received over 7 million organic views the cast is back for a second season. In season two, we find our freelancers evicted from their house but not from friendship, notes the press release. After finding a new place ... they make videos for teens, daycare centers, local barbers, and even a magically enchanted theme park. They work hard together as best friends to make a dollar. Hopefully. Natalie Madsen, the executive producer of "Freelancers," told The Christian Post that with season two of the show, viewers can expect more of what we delivered in season one but leveled up. Crazy and lovable characters, terrible jobs, and lots of love. And of course, all family-friendly. The series features alums from BYUtvs viral sketch-comedy show, Studio C, who had gone on to create JK! Studios and is driven largely by women. I think we are an excellent show that happens to be run by women, Madsen said. Women, of course, have a unique view of the world, so that informs our comedy. We hope to be thought of as just funny leaders, regardless of our gender. I think female comedians are getting more and more recognition, which makes me happy. But women have always been funny and always been leaders. Exciting that we get the chance to do that now. Angel Studios the Provo-based group behind The Chosen and "Dry Bar Comedy" launched the Angel app to help creators crowdfund and distribute content that amplifies positive, family-friendly content. JK! Studios, which focuses on making family-friendly comedy, created season one of the show with a tiny production budget and no marketing money, yet it still got viewed millions of times, they said. But for season two, creators partnered with Angel Studios to crowdfund. The studios other projects have garnered billions of views worldwide. Dallas Jenkins, the creator of "The Chosen," previously explained to CP that though operating outside of traditional Hollywood structures has its challenges particularly regarding distribution and funding doing so allows creators to produce family-friendly content without backlash. We cant be canceled. Were owned by nobody. We dont have to alter our message whatsoever to please anybody. We play by our own rules, he said. And the support for Freelancers, Madsen said, is overwhelming; creators raised more than $1 million in funding for season two. It shows me that people really want to laugh, and laugh together. There is a need in the world and we are so lucky that we can fill it, she said, later adding: We have been so happy with how its been received and hope to grow the audience even more in 2022. Season two debuted in November, with new episodes released each week until mid-December. Already, Madsen said the response from viewers has been amazing and JK! Studios hopes to do two more seasons and possibly a "Freelancers" movie, in the future. Show creators, she added, are motivated by the idea that they can provide some levity for viewers at the end of what has been a particularly difficult year for many. The stories we hear from fans about watching it together during hard times, Madsen shared. Kids saying they watch us during chemo treatments, families watching it together after a parent has a lost a job. Helping people laugh when its hard to laugh. Thats what its all about. Freelancers season one and two are both available on Angel. Catholic college responds after student gets zero on assignment for using gendered language A Catholic college in New Hampshire has responded to a report claiming that a student in a theology class was given a zero for using gendered language such as "man" and "mankind" when completing an assignment on the book of Genesis. St. Anselm College Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Paul Pronovost told The Christian Post that a report published last week by the conservative youth organization Young America's Foundation mischaracterized grading reports in a Biblical studies course this semester. Students are not asked to change Biblical passages when quoting the Bible directly, and are not marked down when doing so, regardless of the language used in the quoted text," Pronovost said. "In making critical analysis of Biblical texts in their own writing, students in the course are expected to choose words that most accurately convey the meaning of the text, and are assessed accordingly based on how well they meet this expectation. He said that as a Benedictine college, St. Anselm "provides all students with a liberal arts education that encourages the lifelong pursuit of the truth and fosters intellectual, moral and spiritual growth." The college's statement comes after Young Americas Foundation shared a student's screenshots of comments made by Gilberto Ruiz, an associate professor of theology. The student, who asked to remain anonymous citing fear of retribution, sent it to YAFs Campus Bias Tipline. The assignment asked the student to read two passages in the Old Testaments book of Genesis using the NABRE translation and list similarities and differences between them. Both of these readings share a picture of what earth was like before God finished his creation and before God created man, the student wrote in the assignment. According to Ruiz, the students use of the word man violated a portion of the assignments rubric requiring the use of inclusive language, unless exclusive language is used to reflect the biblical texts perspective. In a comment, Ruiz urged the student to instead, use terms like humankind, humanity, human beings, people, and so forth" when referring to the human species. The professor also took issue with the students use of the word mankind when listing the differences between the two Bible passages. According to YAF, the assignment was graded as all-or-nothing. Therefore, the student received a zero for the assignment because it did not use inclusive language. According to the rubric, the student also did not use direct quotations from the NABRE translation, which uses gender-neutral language. Ruiz did not respond to a request for comment. In an interview with CP, YAF spokesman Spencer Brown cited what happened to the St. Anselm student as an example demonstrating that many Catholic colleges have gone very far to the left and sort of bought into the same liberal orthodoxy that we see at larger, liberal colleges. Its sad to see that even courses dealing with biblical text have been corrupted by the lefts influence in higher education, he said. Earlier this summer, another concerned student reached out to the YAF campus bias tipline to share a syllabus from an English class at Iowa State University that warned of retributions for students who used language or made arguments she disagreed with. The professor banned students from committing any instances of othering such as racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, sorophobia, transphobia, classism, mocking of mental health issues, (and) body shaming in class, citing the aforementioned offenses as grounds for dismissal from the classroom. She also banned students from making arguments against gay marriage, abortion, [and] Black Lives Matter. Emporia, KS (66801) Today Rain. Thunderstorms possible...mainly in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 61F. Winds ESE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible. Parents sue Catholic school to nullify $1.35M donation pledge over woke culture School labels couple's claims 'false and unsubstantiated' A Florida couple has filed a lawsuit against a Catholic school, claiming that the academic institution has a woke climate at odds with its claims of being a Catholic entity and wants their $1.35 million donation pledge voided. Anthony and Barbara Scarpo filed the complaint last month against the Academy of the Holy Names of Tampa and its leadership. Adam S. Levine, a law professor and attorney for the Scarpos, provided The Christian Post with a copy of the complaint filed in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court of Hillsborough County. The complaint charges the academy with several counts of breach of contract related to the familys belief that the school provides the antithesis of a Catholic education by focusing solely on the new, politically correct, woke culture. Defendant Academy used Plaintiffs names, images, and personal relationships to raise funds including 1.35 million dollars from Plaintiffs where 1 million dollars was a testamentary pledge and $350,000.00 was a cash gift pledge, stated the complaint. Plaintiffs here sue Defendants seeking further declaration that their 1.35-million-dollar gift pledge be held null and void, that all pending testamentary and cash gift pledges be cancelled, that any already paid funds be returned, and that tuition be refunded and donated to Tampa Bay Catholic Charities designated by Plaintiffs. In an interview with CP Friday, Levine said that the Scarpo family wanted to provide a Catholic education for their two daughters at the Academy of the Holy Names. They were promised a Catholic Education. The Scarpos became enamored with the school and ultimately pledged $1.35 million when a capital campaign was announced, Levine explained. The President, Art Raimo then asked the Scarpos to lead the campaign. The Scarpos became the face of the schools fundraising campaign. According to Levine, the Scarpos had a change of heart when the school invited a radical-left speaker for a school assembly. The speaker reportedly told the students that they were too white and essentially that they should be guilty because their parents could afford to send them to the Academy. The Scarpos tried over the course of two years to resolve the Academys dramatic shift towards its virtue-signaling of being woke. And the president and board all refused to meet with them claiming, as they do now, that they provide a Catholic education, he continued. Neither the Scarpos nor I care not about publicity or building a brand. Rather the Scarpos seek to require the school to either adhere to its Catholic name and educate its students in Catholicism or cease advertising itself as a Catholic school. The lawsuit states that at some point during the Scarpo children's tenure at the academy, "the Academy lost its way." The complaint argues that the school is "embracing the new, politically correct, divisive and 'woke' culture where gender identity, human sexuality, and pregnancy termination among other 'hot-button issues,' took center stage ..." "... Catholicism and the Catholic Catechism were relegated to what was billed as an unfortunate past deserving of its Students guilt for not having been 'woke' sooner," the lawsuit claims. The academy's communications director, Emily Wise, told CP on Friday that while the school could not comment on the litigation, they consider the allegations to be false and unsubstantiated. The Academys curriculum is, and always has been, based on Catholic values and rigorous academic standards. Our graduates have earned admittance to many of the best colleges and universities in America and matriculate prepared for rich and rewarding lives, Wise stated. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, the schools founding order, are dedicated to the full development of the human person through education, social justice, contemplation and the arts. Wise provided CP with a copy of a letter sent in late June on behalf of the school by Tampa lawyer Gregory A. Hearing, contending that the lawsuit was a publicity stunt." The letter expressed plans to file a motion to dismiss. Hearing added that for a court to delve into whether the substance of matters taught by a Catholic school are consistent with a Catholic education would entangle the court excessively in religious matters, and thereby violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Over 42.6M abortions conducted in 2020, surpassing world's leading causes of death Over 42 million abortions occurred in 2020, far surpassing the totals of people who perished as a result of the worlds leading causes of death. According to data compiled by the Worldometer, a reference website that monitors statistics on health, the global population, the use of resources and deaths in real-time, over 40 million abortions are performed worldwide annually. The website tabulates statistics on abortion made available from the World Health Organization. The last available snapshot of the Worldometer as it appeared on New Years Eve, captured by the internet archive tool The Wayback Machine, reveals that more than 42.6 million abortions were performed worldwide in 2020. By comparison, communicable diseases killed more than 13 million people worldwide in 2020. About 8.2 million people worldwide lost their lives to cancer while nearly 5.1 million people and 2.5 million people succumbed to death as a result of smoking and alcohol, respectively. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.8 million people worldwide died of coronavirus in 2020. Other leading causes of death in 2020 included road traffic accident fatalities, of which there were nearly 1.4 million. Additionally, suicides are responsible for nearly 1.1 million deaths across the globe. The total number of deaths worldwide in 2020, excluding abortions, was nearly 59 million. But if abortions were counted as a cause of death rather than just another health statistic, the global death toll in 2020 would increase to more than 100 million. The number of pregnancies terminated worldwide in 2020 is greater than the total number of people that succumbed to all other leading causes of death listed. The year 2020 is not the first where the total number of abortions has surpassed the totals of people who died from the leading causes of death. As previously reported, Worldometer reported that there were about 42.4 million abortions that occurred in 2019. While abortion is the leading cause of death worldwide, it has also been the leading cause of death in the United States in recent years. According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, 862,320 abortions were performed in the U.S. in 2017. That same year, heart disease which is frequently cited as the leading cause of death in the U.S., took the lives of 647,457 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In 2017, the total number of deaths in the United States, excluding abortions, was 2,813,503. Already in 2021, Worldometer shows that there have been over 435,000 abortions since the beginning of the new year worldwide as of Monday evening. As abortion remained the leading cause of death worldwide in 2020, countries across the world elected to take drastically different public policy approaches regarding the polarizing issue. Last week, Argentinas legislature passed a bill allowing elective abortions to take place during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Previously, the South American country only allowed abortions if a woman was raped or if her life was in jeopardy as a result of the pregnancy. In October 2020, Polands Constitutional Tribunal, the countrys equivalent of a supreme court, ruled that a law permitting abortions based on fetal defects violated the countrys constitution. The ruling had the effect of making abortions legal in Poland only in cases of rape or incest or if the mothers life or health were at risk. A survey conducted last year by Ipsos found that support for abortion has dropped in most countries worldwide since Ipsos first began tracking the worlds attitudes about abortion in 2014. Worldwide, the support for abortion dropped from 72% in 2014 to 70% in 2020. The strongest decline in support for abortion was recorded in Germany, where support decreased by 9%. Other countries where support for abortion dropped in that time period included Sweden, France, the United Kingdom and Spain. While Belgium, Australia, Canada and Argentina saw support for abortion increase from 2014 to 2020, no country saw as pronounced an increase as South Korea, where support rose by 20%. Sadie Robertson Huff encourages young adults to find God-centered identity at Passion 2022 Speaker and author Sadie Robertson Huff encouraged young believers to find their identity in Christ and not in what the world or personality tests tell them in order to live God-glorifying lives and discover their purpose. I want to remind you of who you are tonight. I want to talk about identity, which should be a great conversation, right?" the 24-year-old "Duck Dynasty" star told thousands of young adults gathered for Passion 2022 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 2. "As a culture, we love to talk about identity. Were obsessed with our identity," she continued. "We love to talk about who we are. But also, its kind of strange because although we are obsessed with talking about who we are, nobody likes to actually be hit with the question, 'Who are you? For many, there is "anxiety and insecurity" around the question, "Who am I?" Huff contended. Because truthfully, youre sitting here right now and I know there are thousands of you in this room thinking the same thing: I have no clue who I am.' ... That is a hard place to be, friends, but you're not alone, she added. Other times, people tend to be confused about who they are because they identify with many different things instead of finding fulfillment in their God-given identity. A few weeks ago, Huff said, she wrote a post on Instagram which asked her followers the question: "What do you identify yourself with?" The first group of respondents identified external factors such as "my looks" and "my sexuality." The second group of people, however, responded with confidence," "I am who [God] says I am." Although Huff said she finds the second group of people's answers to be awesome, she said, she imagines that some of the people at the Passion conference sent answers from both groups. Thats awesome that you know the answer to that question, she said. Has that actually changed who you are? Has who He says that you are actually changed the nature of who you are? Because we can say it all day long and we can even say it with confidence, but that doesnt mean were a confident person. Huff shared how, in the past, she was "insecure," afraid" and "living in shame" despite understanding what God said about her. "What He said about me didnt actually change me, she said. Friends, you can know everything He says about you, but what ultimately matters is who He is to you. If Hes not on the throne of your life, then what He says about you isnt actually going to change who you are." The Live Original author read from Matthew 16:13, where Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" In response, the Apostle Peter says, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then, Jesus responds by saying: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. "Notice, when Peter recognized who Jesus was, Jesus in return told Peter who he was, Huff explained. Peters identity was not found in who Peter found himself to be," she continued. "Peters identity was not found in who other people told Peter that he was or what they thought of him. Peters identity was found in who Jesus said he was, after first establishing that Jesus is God. Thats the most important question you can answer tonight, friends: Who is God to you? Whoever is on the throne of someones life dictates who they are, she stressed. Therefore, it's important for Christians to know their identity, because who a Christian believes they are will directly impact their actions. After Peter was given his identity, he then was given his mission to build a church. So we have to understand who God is, to understand who we are, to understand what we are called to do," she declared. Many times, Huff said, Christians in society look to the world or personality tests more than they look to Jesus in order to find their identity. "Were trying to take all these personality tests to lead us and guide us through our lives instead of leaning on the Holy Spirit," she lamented. Were scrolling through social media trying to figure out answers to these massive questions about who we are, looking at TikTok, looking at Snapchat articles, trying to figure out, 'Who am I? instead of really leaning into the voice of God, Huff said. She added that though she appreciates personality tests like the Enneagram and MyersBriggs, she understands that none of those things can tell her more about who she is than the One who knit her together in her mother's womb. Because what happens is, when I say that those things are what I identify with, it excuses me to not have to be what Im called to be," she said. "I'll say I have a very fearful personality. Im just going to be afraid because thats who I am. Thats how I was created. This is my identity.' But the Word of God said: Youve not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. Some biblical principles "don't feel natural," Huff said, such as the concept of "turning the other cheek" or resisting sexual temptation. "But Im going to tell you something that culture will never tell you: Although it may be legitimate to have those feelings, more legitimate than that, is the truth of what God says that you are," she said. At a time when the word "truth" has lost its meaning, Huff encouraged audiences to remember that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. "We want to be our own version of truth," she continued. "We want to be loved. We want to be power. We want to get control over our life. And we're trying to take on all these attributes of God. What we're not considering is trying to carry the weight of who God is. You also have to consider that you've got to carry the weight of your sin." Every person is created "original," Huff said, but "we can't go find out more about our originality and our identity by who the world says we are." "We have to find that in who God is, who He created us to be, based off the nature of who He is," she declared. When believers "get a good look at who God is" and know who they are in Christ, the "enemy will no longer try to intimidate you because he's intimidated by who God is within you," she declared. Huff quoted what the Bible says about the character and nature of God, reminding attendees that He is "our Savior, our guide, our peace, our Lord." "When you fall, He will lift you up. When you fail, He will forgive you. When you're weak, He is strong. When you're afraid, He is your courage," she emphasized. "If you believe that that is who your God is, you will not be confused by who you are, because He's not confused by who He is, and He is not confused on the purpose of your life." Launched by Louie Giglio in 1997, the Passion movement "has a singular mission calling students and leaders from campuses across the nation and cities around the world to live for what matters most," reads the event website. Other speakers at this years two-day event included Tim Tebow, David Platt, Jackie Hill-Perry, Christine Caine and others. Students for Life releases first list of Christian colleges with ties to Planned Parenthood A pro-life group has released its first list of Christian colleges and universities in the United States that have ties to Planned Parenthood. On Wednesday, Students for Life of America announced in a press release the preliminary findings of its ongoing investigation into more than 700 Christian colleges and universities across the U.S., which found that as many as 100 have "quiet relationships" with Planned Parenthood that "fly under the radar. The first list names 23 colleges that partner with the abortion giant in some form. Two schools that were on the initial list of 25 have since severed ties with the nation's largest abortion business. Christian colleges found to have relationships with Planned Parenthood in Students for Life's first wave of research include: four Catholic institutions, five Lutheran schools, six universities affiliated with the United Methodist Church, two Methodist institutions, two colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, one Methodist Episcopal university, one university affiliated with the United Church of Christ, one university affiliated with the Disciples of Christ, and a theological seminary affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. Students for Life also provides a map of the U.S. showing the locations of colleges and universities that have ties to Planned Parenthood. The map will be updated as more institutions of higher learning are added or removed. The types of connections Christian colleges' were found to have with Planned Parenthood include such things as " ... advertising Planned Parenthood internships and career postings; referring students to Planned Parenthood as a resource; incorporating Planned Parenthood into medical school rotations; and hosting events for students with the abortion giant. There is an unholy partnership between a number of Christian schools and the abortion industry, said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life. We want to equip pro-life advocates to take action and encourage schools to disentangle themselves from Big Abortion," she added. "It is crucial that colleges and universities that claim an affiliation with the Christian faith and biblical values do not contradict those values by partnering with or promoting perpetrators of abortion violence. In an interview with The Christian Post, Hawkins explained that, surprisingly, many Christian colleges are hostile to the idea of a Students for Life group on campus. The hardest places for us to start a Students for Life group is often on a private school campus and particularly Christian school campuses where we dont have the same First Amendment rights as you would on a public school to be able to a launch a Students for Life, pro-life group on campus. We have to make the case to Christian schools why we need to have a Students for Life, she added. The majority of women who seek an abortion are self-proclaimed Christians. There are abortion facilities, 600 of them operating in the United States, many of them are across the street or within neighborhoods of an active church or parish. So Christians need to speak out against the atrocity of abortion. Hawkins told CP that Students for Life has worked to make the colleges aware of their relationships with Planned Parenthood and asked them to cut ties with the organization. Two of the 25 colleges identified as having relationships with Planned Parenthood in the first released list and then decided to cut their ties with the abortion giant were Messiah College and St. Francis University, both based in Pennsylvania. The two institutions reversed course after being contacted by pro-life advocates. According to Hawkins, some Christian colleges are openly enthusiastic about their association with Planned Parenthood. In some cases, we had situations where the school openly supported Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry and was obstinate in their response to us. And that to me, I think, was the most surprising, she recalled. Hawkins specifically mentioned a correspondence Students for Life had with the campus minister of a college in Minnesota, who talked about how much she supported Planned Parenthood and a womans right to have an abortion, and they were proud to be partners with Planned Parenthood on campus. The list of colleges with ties to Planned Parenthood is just the first of several more to be released by the organization in the coming months. Hawkins said there will be two more waves of schools before the Students for Life Institute for Pro-Life Advancement publishes a full report on the schools found to have ties with Planned Parenthood later this year, most likely in August or September. UN agency publishes guidance pushing controversial' sex education The United Nations Population Fund has released new guidance on comprehensive sexuality education, providing a sex education framework for school-aged children outside of the classroom setting. But some have raised concerns over it. Dr. Rebecca Oas, director of research for the socially conservative Center for Family and Human Rights, believes the International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out-of-School Comprehensive Sexuality Education is part of an effort to ensure that students around the world receive the U.N.s controversial sex education, wherever they are. This particular guidance is about taking that type of education and packaging it in ways where it can be given to students both outside and inside the formal education system, she told The Christian Post. If youre a parent who keeps an eye on these things in school and maybe opts your child out of a class where theyre going to be teaching things that you dont agree with but then you send them to a summer camp and they receive that same education there, its about making it that much more inescapable. One of the major problems with this is that comprehensive sexuality education is trying to teach a comprehensive education through the realms of sexuality as opposed to teaching a comprehensive education of which that is a part. Not everything comes back to that, she explained. But in the end, really, what it comes down to is we need parents to be aware and be vigilant, to decide what kind of influences their children are receiving and to remember that they as parents are the primary educators of their children. The guidance is not binding on any country, she noted, and is more a matter of giving suggestions that people who like the type of educational materials can pick up at the local level as well as at the government level. While acknowledging that the family plays a significant role in educating children and young people about sexuality and that parents prefer to be the source of information on sexuality, the U.N. guidance contends that parents or guardians often lack the competencies to provide evidence-based, age-appropriate sexuality education to their children. Parent-focused approaches to sexuality education are offered as a remedy, where parents/guardians are educated or trained to provide sexuality education to their own children. After listing a variety of scenarios where parents/guardians learn comprehensive sexuality education alongside their children and/or train other parents in such curriculum, the guidance expresses concern that parents wish their children to conform to prevailing gender norms (which are usually unequal), stressing that programmes must therefore help parents/guardians to model more equal gender attitudes and norms. Out-of-school CSE can also include challenging topics and promote a rights-based approach rooted in gender equality and empowerment in a way that may not always be feasible or acceptable in school settings, the guidance suggests. Out-of-school programmes may be better able to provide sexual and reproductive health commodities and link children and young people to services, mentors and other forms of support. The guidance suggests that out-of-school comprehensive sexuality education can contribute to broader goals such as contributing to policy change by influencing governments to pass laws ensuring young peoples access to sexual and reproductive health services. When laying out approaches to teaching and learning that facilitators can use when teaching, the guidance suggests critical pedagogy as an empowerment approach that can empower children and young people belonging to oppressed groups. A glossary definition describes critical pedagogy as a teaching approach, based on the work of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, that guides marginalized or oppressed learners to question and challenge prevailing power dynamics and domination and empowers them to take action to change their own situations. According to Oas, Freire was a Marxist scholar. The guidance provides targeted sex education curriculum for gender-specific groups, young people with disabilities, young people in humanitarian settings, young indigenous people, young lesbians, gays and bisexuals, young transgender people, young intersex people, young people with HIV, young people who use drugs, young people who sell sex and young people in detention. Those teaching transgender youth comprehensive sexuality education are advised to label diagrams of the male and female anatomies inclusively by not using gender-specific language and not assigning body parts to one particular gender. Oas, a former practicing biologist, referred to that provision of the guidance as off-putting. The guidance rejects the idea of gender as a biological fact, with its glossary defining gender as socially constructed characteristics ascribed to women or men, such as norms, roles, attributes and relationships between groups of women and men and girls and boys, adding these characteristics are learned through socialization processes. All out-of-school CSE programmes should include content to promote understanding of gender, diversity and human rights to challenge harmful gender stereotypes based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, the guidance asserts. Gender identity is defined as a persons deeply felt internal experience of their own gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned to them at birth. Estimates from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization finding that globally 263 million children are out of school, including 63 million children of primary-school age, 61 million of lower secondary-school age, and 139 million of upper secondary-school age were cited as the justification behind the need for out-of-school sex education. Possible settings for out-of-school comprehensive sexuality education include community organizations, health clinics, summer camps, religious institutions, families, workplaces, jails and detention centers as well as refugee camps. United Kingdom had record number of abortions in 2019: report More abortions were performed in the United Kingdom in 2019 than in any previous year since the procedure was legalized in 1967, according to a new report. The U.K. Department of Health and Social Care released its annual update on abortion procedure statistics for England and Wales last Thursday. According to the report, there were 207,384 abortions performed on women living in England and Wales in 2019, the largest number since the 1967 Abortion Act was passed. Compared to 2018, the rate of abortions has increased for women over the age of 35 while remaining basically the same for women under the age of 18. The age which saw the highest abortion rate in 2019 was 22, with a reported 31.6 per 1,000 women. This is a slight increase from 2018, in which those aged 21 had the highest abortion rate, with 30.7 per 1,000. Minors seeking abortions have declined over the past several years, according to the report, even though the numbers remained about the same from 2018 to 2019. The decline since 2009 is particularly marked in the under 16 age group, where the rates have decreased from 4.0 per 1,000 women in 2009 to 1.4 per 1,000 women in 2019, explained the report. The abortion rate for 18-19 year olds has also declined from 31.6 per 1,000 women to 23.8 per 1,000 women in the same period. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, a British pro-life group, released a statement declaring the latest statistics a national tragedy. This appalling figure shows us that abortion is becoming more and more normalised. Propaganda telling women that abortion is simple and safe coupled with easier access to abortion pills is driving up abortion numbers, stated Antonia Tully, SPUC director of campaigns. But behind the figures are real women who have taken an irreversible step and who are likely to be suffering physically or emotionally. Jonathan Lord, medical director of Marie Stopes U.K., a major British abortion provider, argued that the uptick in abortions might be due to a lack of good access to contraceptives. The contraceptive needs of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, including those who already have children, have been sadly neglected, stated Lord, as reported by The Guardian. Lack of investment in contraceptive services has led to poor access and unacceptable waits, particularly for the most effective long-acting methods, such as the implant and coil. In England, Wales, and Scotland, elective abortions are legal for up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy, with later abortions permitted provided they fall under certain circumstances. Last October, Northern Ireland had its law prohibiting abortions save when medically necessary overturned, allowing for broader access to the procedure. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashes out after suspensions from Twitter and Facebook Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called Twitter an enemy to America after her personal account on the social media platform was permanently suspended on Sunday for allegedly violating the companys COVID-19 misleading information policy. She revealed Monday that shes also been suspended by Facebook for 24 hours due to a similar violation. Facebook has joined Twitter in censoring me. This is beyond censorship of speech. Im an elected Member of Congress representing over 700,000 US tax paying citizens and I represent their voices, values, defend their freedoms, and protect the Constitution. But apparently they too think the CDC managed #VAERS system on our own government websites are misinformation, Greene noted on the social platform GETTR Monday. To date there has been ZERO investigation into reported Covid deaths from government mandated #covid vaccines. Who appointed Twitter and Facebook to be the authorities of information and misinformation? When Big Tech decides what political speech of elected members is accepted and whats not then they are working against our government and against the interest of our people. Twitter permanently suspended Greene after she shared information on Saturday alleging extremely high amounts of Covid vaccine deaths. In her tweet, she included a chart from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, a government database that keeps track of claims of complications from vaccines submitted by members of the American public. Many have pointed to the VAERS database to voice concerns about the potential effects of the coronavirus vaccines. The project is jointly managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to serve as an "early warning system to detect possible safety problems in U.S.-licensed vaccines." Anyone can report to the database and healthcare professionals are required to report certain adverse events. Manufacturers are required to report adverse events that come to their attention. A disclosure on the website says that the database is not "designed to determine if a vaccine caused a health problem, but is especially useful for detecting unusual or unexpected patterns of adverse event reporting that might indicate a possible safety problem with a vaccine." A Twitter spokesperson told The New York Times that the tweet marked Greenes fifth time violating its COVID-19 misinformation policies, thereby earning her the permanent suspension. Weve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy, Twitter spokesperson Katie Rosborough told the publication. The ruling can be appealed if the post in question is later determined to be true. The CDC maintains that COVID-19 vaccines "are safe and effective" and recommended for anyone ages 5 or older. Critics contend that opponents of vaccines misinterpret the VAERS data to make false claims about vaccines. Greene pushed back on the assertion that she had used all five strikes in a GETTR post Monday: Twitter forgot about the two times they accidentally suspended my account this past year. That means Ive only had 3 strikes in their 5 strike system. Twitter has to reinstate my account immediately. In a Facebook post published Sunday after her suspension, Greene called the company an enemy to America that cant handle the truth. Additionally, Greene alleged a double standard in the enforcement of the Twitter rules: Maxine Waters can go to the streets and threaten violence on Twitter, Kamala and Ilhan can bail out Black Lives Matter terrorists on Twitter, CNN and the rest of the Democrat Propaganda Media can spread Russian collusion lies, and just yesterday, the Chief spokesman for terrorist IRGC can tweet mourning Soleimani, but I get suspended for tweeting VAERS statistics. She also claimed on GETTR that Twitter will be irrelevant by the end of 2022. By the end of this year, Twitter will be irrelevant and will lose its grip on American politics. The arrogant puppet masters should have learned over this last year that silly punishments like kicking me off committees and permanent Twitter bans dont work on me, they only make me more determined, stronger, & effective, she wrote. Im not here for the club, Im only here for the People, which the elites in our government and all powerful media/big tech, and their Communist Global partners just want to abuse and control. They will fail and the People will win, she continued. When Im pushed out, Im able to see very clearly the problems, how to fix the broken system, and more importantly who are the ones to blame. Yesterday started very big things. The sun is setting on Twitter. Greene, who presents herself as a strong Christian in Congress, does not shy away from confrontational politics. In September, she got into a heated exchange with Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., over what it means to be a good Christian shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would codify the right to abortion into federal law. Record number of abortion restrictions passed in 2021, Guttmacher Institute reports A pro-abortion think tank is decrying 2021 as the worst year for abortion rights in nearly 50 years as dozens of laws aimed at restricting access to abortion have passed at the state level in 2021. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research organization formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, released a report earlier this month titled State Policy Trends 2021: The Worst Year for Abortion Rights in Almost Half a Century. The report is the latest of several Guttmacher Institute publications highlighting the passage of numerous laws at the state level this year, which the organization and other pro-choice advocates characterize as setbacks for abortion rights in the United States. Authored by policy associate Elizabeth Nash, the report notes that 106 abortion restrictions had been enacted in 19 states during 2021, marking the highest total in any year since abortion rights were affirmed by the US Supreme Court in 1973. The number of pro-life laws passed in 2021 exceeded the previous record of 89 abortion restrictions enacted in 2011, Nash states. In 2021, many states enacted legislation limiting abortions after a certain point in pregnancy, ranging from heartbeat bills restricting abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy to the more traditional pain-capable bans on abortions after 20 or 24 weeks gestation. Additional laws that took effect this year include a ban on abortions of an unborn baby based on a Down syndrome diagnosis and a similar law in Arizona that prohibits abortions of unborn babies who have genetic abnormalities. Other states took action to liberalize their abortion laws in 2021. Many cited the concern that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving Mississippis 15-week abortion ban. Abortion advocates fear that a ruling in the case could alter longstanding abortion jurisprudence. Delaware and New Mexico repealed unenforceable abortion bans passed before Roe. New Jersey and Hawaii repealed laws that required doctors to perform abortions instead of other medical professionals such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners, thereby expanding the pool of people qualified to perform the procedure. Washington state began requiring college health insurance plans that cover maternity care to cover abortions, while Colorado allowed Medicaid to cover the abortions sought by sexual assault survivors. But the Guttmacher Institute contends that the number of pro-life laws passed in 2021 far exceeds the number of abortion protections enacted (10). A report published by the Guttmacher Institute in October noted that the state with the most new restrictions is Arkansas (20), followed by Oklahoma (16), then Indiana, Montana and South Dakota (nine each). [T]he damage to abortion rights is profound, the report reads. Abortion access is already very limited for many people, including Black and Brown people, low-income individuals, LGBTQ individuals and young people, as well as those living in the South, the Plains and the Midwest. Many states in these regions have enacted bans that violate the US Constitution in the hope that the Supreme Court will soon eliminate federal constitutional protections for abortion. Kristan Hawkins, the president of the pro-life campus outreach group Students for Life of America, said in an email to supporters on Christmas Eve that she believes "2022 will blow this past year right out of the water as there is much to do as we prepare for the end of Roe v. Wade on our campuses and in our communities." "[A]nd you can expect the pro-abortion movement and their allies in government and media are going to try to stop us at every step of the way," she stressed. "But Im honored to alongside you and the rest of the Pro-Life Generation as we work to become the first Post Roe Generation." The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization by June. The state of Mississippi is asking the justices to overturn a lower court decision finding that the ban on abortions after 15 weeks gestation violated the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers arguing on behalf of abortion providers and the Biden administration want to see the lower court decision affirmed. A ruling in favor of Mississippi would significantly weaken the precedent set by Roe and the subsequent decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey. But the central finding of Roe, that a woman has a right to obtain an abortion at some point in her pregnancy, could remain in place. While the law at the center of the Dobbs case was passed three years ago, another law that took effect this year has also faced legal challenges. On Sept. 1, Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect, banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually at around six weeks gestation. The law remains in effect as litigation continues. Other states have sought to implement near-total abortion bans that have not passed muster with the courts in 2021, including Arkansas and Oklahoma. The abortion ban in Arkansas provides an exception for life endangerment, and the Oklahoma abortion ban has an exception for serious threats to the patients health. As the coronavirus pandemic broke out in the U.S., abortion activists pushed for the loosening of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for abortion pills, also known as a chemical or medication abortion. The REMS previously required women to see a doctor in person before taking the abortion-inducing drugs. The Food and Drug Administration recently eliminated the requirement for chemical abortion to be administered in person, allowing women to obtain abortion drugs by mail. Eight states worked to counter the federal push to ease safety protocols for chemical abortions by implementing their own restrictions on medication abortions: Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. In addition to the states passing pro-life legislation, 25 cities supported the pro-life movement by declaring themselves Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, bringing the total number of towns outlawing abortion within the city limits to 41. The Biden administration has worked to reverse many of the Trump administrations policies related to abortion. After taking office in January, President Joe Biden reversed the Mexico City Policy, which prevented taxpayer dollars from funding nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortions overseas. The administration rolled back the Trump administrations Protect Life rule that prevented abortion providers from receiving family planning funding under Title X. Miracle no deaths have been reported as Colorado fire destroys at least 500 homes The governor of Colorado said it will be a New Year miracle if reports continue to say that everyone survived the Marshall fire that broke out in Boulder County, leaving many families with only minutes to evacuate. A rare urban wildfire fueled by strong winds destroyed at least 500 homes and possibly up to 1,000 north of Denver, according to early estimates on the last day of 2021. On Saturday, however, Jennifer Churchill, a spokeswoman for the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, said it's believed that two people are missing, according to the Colorado Sun. Driven by wind gusts of 105 miles per hour, the Marshall Fire briskly spread to about 6,000 acres, destroying at least 500 homes and might have burned down up to 1,000 in heavily populated areas of Superior and Louisville in Boulder County, authorities said, according to Reuters, which added that at least six people were injured, but no loss of life had been reported as of Friday. We might have our very own New Years miracle on our hands, if it holds up that there was no loss of life, Gov. Jared Polis was quoted as saying during a press briefing. We know that many people had just minutes to evacuate. Hundreds of evacuees came back to their neighborhoods Friday after authorities said the fire was no longer considered an immediate threat, The Associated Press reported, adding that winds created a mosaic burn pattern due to which some homes remained untouched next to the ones reduced to smoking ruins. Its unbelievable when you look at the devastation that we dont have a list of 100 missing persons, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said, according to the newswire. Just one person had been reported missing but was later found, The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal reported. By the time I got up here, the houses were completely engulfed, a resident, David Marks, was quoted as saying. I mean, it happened so quickly. Ive never seen anything like that. Just house after house, fences, just stuff flying through the air, just caught on fire. The country sheriff said late Friday that two people had gone missing as a result of the wildfire, according to 9News. One of the missing people has been identified as Nadine Turnbull, a grandmother. They tried to go out the front door with the neighbor. It was engulfed. Check the back door, it was engulfed, Hutch Armstrong, who reported that Grandma Nadine Turnbull had gone missing, was quoted as saying. Their cousin tried to go back for Nadine, but firefighters pulled her away, Armstrong continued. She says two times she was right behind me right behind me. According to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, while some downed powerlines were initially reported to have caught fire, officials found no downed powerlines where the fire started. Alabama woman charged with murder after stray bullet kills pastors wife at Bible study Police have arrested and charged a 26-year-old Alabama woman with the murder of a pastor's wife after a stray bullet killed her as she attended a church Bible study. Police in Prichard, Mobile County, arrested the suspect, Kaillyn Christine Howard Harris, on charges of firing the shot that killed 65-year-old Grace Carter, the wife of a pastor at Sunlight Missionary Baptist Church, Fox 10 reported. Grace Carter was inside the Everlasting Life Holiness Church Tuesday night when she was shot in the chest. I just dont think that people should be shooting in places where you dont know where a stray bullet could do, the victim's husband, Cecil Carter, who's pastor-elect at a separate church, was quoted as saying. Police said they went to the church after 7 p.m. and began CPR on the victim but could not resuscitate her, WKRG reported. An investigator noticed a bullet hole in a door at the church and found she had been shot on her upper right chest. The church shooting was real gut-wrenching for us last night, Lt. Robert Martin with Prichard Police was quoted as saying. Anytime anyone is killed in our jurisdiction or any municipality, it touches the offices in a real compassionate way, and were just really fed up with it. Cecil Carter lost his wife while he was awaiting his installation as pastor at the church. She was really looking forward to it, he said about his wife of 35 years. "She was very proud" of him, he continued. But right now, the emptiness of her not being here for the installation is going to be hard for me. He added, Right now, Im getting strength from knowing that God is able, and knowing that my wife is in a better place with the Lord. And no doubt about it that she loved the Lord. So I have to be strong for her, and myself, and for my family, my children and all. This is the third homicide in the city since Christmas Eve, according to media reports. Its more of a retirement community. Ive been over here at night, no gunfire, no nothing. So its a big shock to hear, a neighbor was quoted as saying. Its sad and I hate that it happened to the church. Like I said, this is a quiet neighborhood and Ive actually met the neighbors; theyre good people, old-fashioned people. Police have said the incident doesnt appear to be an intentional shooting. What to expect from China's science, tech in 2022 Xinhua) 09:34, January 05, 2022 BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The construction of the space station, a stronger supercomputer, new medicines and low-carbon tech are set to define China's science and technology sector in 2022. SPACE EXPLORATION This year, Chinese astronauts will see their single-room studio extended into a "penthouse." After the launch of the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules, two cargo spacecraft and two crewed spaceships, China's new outpost in space will take shape. More than a dozen experiment racks and an extravehicular experiment platform will be installed to support hundreds of research projects in fields such as astronomy, space life science, biotechnology, microgravity, basic physics and space materials. The nation is hoping to boost global collaboration in this regard. Furthermore, China's first solar exploration satellite, launched into space in October last year, is sending data on solar flares back to Earth. It can help deepen our understanding of the sun. Back on Earth, an observatory in southwest China's Sichuan Province is expected to reveal more secrets of the universe. LHAASO has already detected in 2021, its first year of service, ultra-high-energy cosmic accelerators within the Milky Way, a find that is rewriting our understanding of the galaxy. More finds are expected in 2022, fueled by the prospect of further international collaboration. COMPUTING CAPACITY China is mulling the launch of a faster supercomputer. The Chinese team that won the 2021 Gordon Bell Prize described in their winning paper a yet-to-be-published powerful machine that can achieve a sustained performance of 1.2 exaflops of single-precision computing power. Such a device could be used to screen out therapeutical molecules and to simulate the chaotic planet climate which could help slow down global warming. Although the quantum computer is still incapable of solving any problems in the real world, its performance continues to rapidly improve. In 2021, Chinese scientists launched two superconducting quantum computing systems, Zuchongzhi and Zuchongzhi 2.1 within a half year, making China one of the world leaders in the field. The global race to maneuver more entangled qubits will be intense in the new year. BRAND-NEW MEDICINE A pair of original drug candidates in China are currently in the pipeline. They are expected to produce inspiring results this year. Two domestically developed anti-coronavirus candidates, VV116 and FB2001, have been approved for clinical trials respectively in Uzbekistan and the United States. Also, a medicine hoped to treat solid tumors developed by BeiGene, a Beijing-based pharma, is being tested clinically. It is a potential "first-in-class" candidate that uses a new and unique mechanism for treating disease. It came after RemeGen, a Yantai-based pharma, obtained the marketing permit last year for its brand-new drug for treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). China's sci-tech innovation board STAR was launched in 2019 and it funded Chinese biotechs with badly needed R&D investment. Today, these startups are starting to change the country's pharmaceutical landscape. LOW-CARBON TECH As China is aiming to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, technology reducing carbon emissions is in high demand. While the country's drive to develop renewable energy is in full swing, its smokestack and power-intensive industries are being overhauled to make them more eco-friendly. Last year, a test project in northeast China's Liaohe oil field injected 3,200 tonnes of CO2 into a well to pump more oil while fixing the carbon into the soil. Such win-win techniques will be applied more in the coming years, translating China's carbon-reduction promises into lucrative opportunities. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. New Year's resolutions about a relationship with God are popular among young Americans: Poll A relationship with God is among the three most common subjects of New Years resolutions, particularly among younger Americans, according to a new Lifeway Research survey. The online survey, released Tuesday, questioned 1,005 Americans about the topics they have addressed with a New Years Resolution in the past. The survey, conducted between Sept. 3 and 14, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. The Lifeway Research poll found that 44% of respondents said theyve made a resolution about their health in the past. Additionally, 29% said theyve made a resolution about their relationship with God, and another 29% have made a resolution about their finances. Those ages 18-34 (35%) and 35-49 (35%) were more likely to make faith the subject of their New Years resolutions than those 50-64 (25%) and 65 and older (17%). About half (48%) of Christians who attend a worship service at least four times a month said theyve made a resolution about their relationship with God. By contrast, just 20% of those who attend less than once a month have done so. Black Americans (41%) are more likely to have made a resolution about God than white Americans (27%), and the religiously unaffiliated were much more likely to have made a resolution about money (36%), time (29%) or work (22%) than about God (14%). New Years resolutions reflect the changes people aspire to make, asserted Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell in a statement. The COVID-19 pandemic may have forced or encouraged more people to make changes outside of the annual reminder a new year brings. But a New Years resolution is still something most Americans have made at some point in their lives. Making a New Years resolution doesnt reveal who or what a person is relying on to make that change in their life, nor how successful such resolutions are, McConnell added. But higher numbers seen among younger adults, those who attended at least some college, and church-going Christians indicate they have higher motivation to make such changes at least in the form of New Years resolutions. Among all Americans, other popular resolution topics include those about relationships with a family member (26%), use of time (22%), work (18%) and relationships with a friend (15%). The Lifeway Survey comes on the heels of an earlier study conducted this year by Evangelical pollster George Barna and the Family Research Council, which found that only 6% of Americans have a biblical worldview. A previous study conducted last year revealed that the most common religious identity among young adults in the U.S. is none, and that the majority of Americans do not see a belief in God as necessary for someone to be moral and have good values. However, amid the pandemic, more Americans were likely to say that the outbreak bolstered their religious faith, Pew Research found. Nearly three in 10 Americans (28%) reported stronger personal faith because of the pandemic. Bible sales also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Lifeway Christian Resources. David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, and host of the radio program Turning Point, told The Christian Post in a previous interview that amid the pandemic, the Church is more responsive now than I can ever remember except for the possible exception of 9/11. What weve learned from all of this is God doesnt need a building for there to be a church, he said. When everything in which we have trusted is taken away and we are left with ourselves, we have to ask the hard questions. If this is it, what happens to me now? Theres a renewed interest in the Gospel and a desire to know what the Bible has to say. 'Fear itself' is now Americas great problem On March 4, 1933, incoming President Franklin Roosevelt delivered one of the most famous inaugural addresses in history. The nation had plunged into what became known as the Great Depression, with unemployment skyrocketing, banks failing, and despair and fear gripping the nation. At the start of the Great Depression on October 29, 1929 (Black Tuesday), roughly 16 million shares of stock were sold on the New York Stock exchange, bankrupting thousands of investors. The economy worsened through 1933. News sources continually highlighted and hyped the catastrophe and fed further fears, paralyzing the economy. Roosevelt famously warned Americans: So, first of all, let me assert my firm believe that the only thing we have to fear is. fear itself nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. After the last two years of hyperbolic fear-peddling causing panic and paralysis, its time we listened to Roosevelts exhortation. Similar to the consequences of Black Tuesday, the COVID-19 epidemic was a shock to the system. The last nationwide epidemic, the Spanish Flu, occurred over a century ago and was overshadowed by World War I. In the century since the Spanish Flu, scientists had been able to prevent epidemics from ravaging America. Generations lived without pandemics, and during that time Americans developed profound faith in scientists to control any outbreaks within the nations borders. COVID-19 shattered that complacency. Faith in scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci remained high in early 2020, and most Americans accepted the initial shut-downs and quarantines. The rationale for the first temporary shut-down was to flatten the curve and prevent a spike of infections medical resources could not handle. This quickly morphed into semi-permanent shut-downs and mandates, causing division between those worried about the loss of Constitutionally protected freedom and those worried solely about the perceived dangers of COVID-19. Vaccines appeared to offer a way out of COVID-19, but then Americans learned COVID could still spread by the vaccinated. In the early stages of the vaccine, many scientists and media allies promised the vaccine would stop the spread of COVID. Additionally, the vaccines were to end the masking requirements, but that also quickly fell apart. In many Blue states, businesses and schools that had opened were again closed. On top of the persistent fear of COVID and the rising despair and fear of the future, other fears and divisions were being exacerbated. After over six months of left-wing rioting throughout various parts of the nation over George Floyd, the January 6 riot hit the Capitol. After January 6, Democrat pundits and supporting media warned of a national right-wing conspiracy. That didnt transpire, but the fear-mongering about January 6 continues. Progressive media and even Democrat-aligned retired flag officers demonize tens of millions of Americans who voted for Trump. Like what Roosevelt described, the current fear is unreasoned, unjustified terror, completely disproportionate to the alleged threats. According to WebMD, the first and only COVID Omicron variant death was not reported until December 24 (the same day the CDC claimed Omicron made up 73% of the new COVID cases). The data shows the new variant to be relatively benign, and potentially helpful to fighting off COVID through the antibodies generated. Many scientists have noted the much higher infection rates with Omicron, while also noting the potential beneficial effects. Disregarding the facts about Omicron, many in the mainstream media continue hyping up an alleged catastrophic horror. Multiple polls have shown mainstream media viewers to believe COVID death rates and hospitalization rates are well beyond the actual numbers. This dynamic brings overreactions like closing schools, transportation, and business. Disproportionate mandates cause not only paralysis but social and economic harm (which correlates with physical harm and death). The same type of unreasoned, unjustified terror creeps into the fear-mongering about fellow citizens. The political left and supporting media have ratcheted hyperbole about conservatives being an alleged threat to democracy and even a terror threat. Vice President Kamala Harris claimed her greatest fear about national security is this alleged conservative threat to democracy. Three Democrat-leaning retired flag officers, including MG Paul Eaton, a perennial left-wing MSNBC commentator, went so far as to opine in The Washington Post, we are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time. That statement is ridiculous, considering, The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn (the election). There was no coup attempt on January 6, so retired generals, of all people, should not claim to be chilled to the bone about one in 2024. Our nation has spent almost two years being chilled to the bone by fear-mongering. Fear is killing us and must stop. During previous times of national emergency, America put its ultimate faith in God and kept fear under control with faith. In 1933, Roosevelt reminded Americans of that characteristic defining our success and demanded we shed fear. Our nation is fraying, but we can come back. If we can shed our fear and put our primary faith in God. China ramps up new restrictions on Christian content on the internet The Chinese Communist Party, which has been criticized for targeting Christians and wielding its power of internet censorship through big tech companies, is putting even more restrictions on the religious freedom of its citizens with a new law regulating online religious content, according to a report. The new legislation, known as Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services, which was promulgated last month, will be enacted on March 1, reports Bitter Winter, a publication produced by the Center for Studies on New Religion which covers human rights issues in China. The law mandates an Internet Religious Information Service License for any religious group that wants to disseminate religious content on the internet. But it says only legally established organizations can do so, which practically means only groups that are part of the five authorized religions in China can use the internet to distribute religious content. Open Doors USA, which covers persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that China has more than 97 million Christians, many of whom worship in unregistered or so-called illegal underground churches. The five state-sanctioned religious groups in China are the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Even the organizations within the five authorized religions are subject to surveillance and limitations, Bitter Winter reports. As per the new law: [T]hey can broadcast sermons and lessons, but these would be checked by the authorities for their Sinicized content, making sure they promote socialist values and support the party, and are not intended as proselytization tools. Religious universities and colleges may disseminate content via the internet only to their students. Any attempt to spread religious content to minors or induce minors to believe in religion will lead to the termination of the license. Without the license, it will be severely prohibited to share images or comments on religious ceremonies such as worshiping Buddha, burning incense, taking ordination, chanting, worship, mass and baptisms. The law follows complaints by President Xi Jinping that prohibitions on the use of the internet to advertise religion are not enough to prevent religious propaganda. Last May, when another set of regulations on religion went into effect in China, communist authorities removed Bible apps and Christian WeChat public accounts, including Gospel League and Life Quarterly, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported at the time. Bookstores owned by the state-sanctioned Three-self churches had increasingly been selling books that promote President Xi Jinpings thoughts and communist ideology, ICC added. In October 2020, internet censorship targeting Christians in China became so severe that even official government-sanctioned Christian groups started using the Chinese Pinyin initials JD to replace Chinese characters for Christ, China Aid reported at the time. In 2018, the Chinese government banned the sale of Bibles at online bookstores across the country to comply with a white paper that dictated compliance with the core values of socialism. Australia's ABC News reported at the time that copies of the Gospels had been removed from online retailers following the release of a regime document titled Chinas Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief. The white paper declared that Chinese faith communities should adhere to the direction of localizing the religion, practice the core values of socialism, develop and expand the fine Chinese tradition and actively explore the religious thought which accords with China's national circumstances. China ranks as the 17th-worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List. Most violent year for Christians in India: Persecution watchdog For Indias Christians, 2021 was the most violent year in the countrys history, according to a report, which says at least 486 violent incidents of Christian persecution were reported in the year. In almost all incidents reported across India, vigilante mobs composed of religious extremists have been seen to either barge into a prayer gathering or round up individuals that they believe are involved in forcible religious conversions, says the report by the United Christian Forum, which recorded 486 violent incidents of Christian persecution, topping the previous record of 328 incidents in 2019. The UCF attributes the high incidence of Christian persecution to impunity, due to which such mobs criminally threaten, physically assault people in prayer, before handing them over to the police on allegations of forcible conversions. Police registered formal complaints in only 34 of the 486 cases, according to the UCF, which added: Often communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations, where the police stand as mute spectators. While Christians make up only 2.3% of Indias population and Hindus comprise about 80%, the countrys radical Hindu nationalists have been carrying out attacks on Christians under the pretext of punishing the minority for allegedly using monetary rewards to convert Hindus to Christianity. Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List had warned that since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party took power in India in 2014, persecution against Christians and other religious minorities had increased. In 2021, the UCF recorded 274 incidents of violence against Christians in four states in north India alone: Uttar Pradesh (102), Chhattisgarh (90), Jharkhand (44) and Madhya Pradesh (38). There is also one Southern State which is also witnessing a high number of incidents of violence against Christians that is Karnataka with 59 incidents, the report says. Days before Christmas, Karnataka became the 10th state in India to pass an anti-conversion law, which presumes that Christians force or give financial benefits to Hindus to convert them to Christianity. While some of these laws have been in place for decades in some states, no Christian has been convicted of forcibly converting anyone to Christianity. These laws, however, allow Hindu nationalist groups to make false charges against Christians and launch attacks on them under the pretext of the alleged forced conversion. The law states that no one is allowed to use the threat of divine displeasure, meaning Christians cannot talk about Heaven or Hell, as that would be seen as forcing someone to convert. And if snacks or meals are served to Hindus after an evangelistic meeting, that could be seen as an inducement. India ranks as the 10th worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the U.S. State Department to label India as a country of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations. Open Doors USA has also reported earlier that Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences. Hindu extremists believe that all Indians should be Hindus and that the country should be rid of Christianity and Islam, an Open Doors fact sheet explains. They use extensive violence to achieve this goal, particularly targeting Christians from a Hindu background. Christians are accused of following a foreign faith and blamed for bad luck in their communities. The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern warns that the pace of Christian persecution only seems to be accelerating with the arrival of 2022, and adds, Whether 2022 will be as violent of a year as 2021 is yet to be seen. Nigerian priest killed after leading Christmas Eve mass as Christians' concerns of insecurity grow A 37-year-old Catholic priest, who was shot dead by gunmen while returning home after leading a mass on Christmas Eve in Nigeria, was buried Friday as the countrys Christians continue to express concerns about their insecurity. Father Luke Mewhenu Adeleke from the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta in Nigerias Ogun State was buried at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Abeokuta, according to Nigeria Catholic Network. The outlet reported that he was driving when unknown gunmen fired at him and bullets struck his legs. The priest lost a lot of blood and died in his car in the Obafemi Owode local government area. The latest murder furthers the concerns Christian leaders in Africas most populous nation have been expressing about insecurity in the country that seems to target followers of Jesus Christ, writes The Association for Catholic Information in Africa. While the murder in Ogun took place in southern Nigeria, much of Nigerias violence has occurred in the countrys Middle Belt states, where radicalized Fulani herders have been accused of carrying out countless attacks on predominantly Christian farming communities, killing thousands in recent years as limited natural resources have led to increased violence. In Nigerias northeast, Islamic terror groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have killed thousands and displaced millions. The U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern warns that the Nigerian government continues to deny any religious motivation behind the attacks and has recently convinced the U.S. Department of State to do the same. In November, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the U.S. State Departments list of countries of particular concern, a designation reserved for the countries that tolerate or engage in some of the world's worst violations of religious freedom. Nigeria was added to the CPC list in December 2020 during the final months of the Trump administration. ICC identified the African country as one of its 2021 Persecutors of the Year in a report published last November. Nigeria is one of the deadliest places on Earth for Christians, as 50,000 to 70,000 have been killed since 2000, the ICC Persecutor of the Year report states. Watchdog group Open Doors USA ranks Nigeria as the ninth-worst country when it comes to Christian persecution. In late November, heavily armed jihadist Fulani herders stormed a village in Plateau state, set fire to over 100 homes and killed 10 Christians, including children aged 4, 6 and 8, and set fire to 100 homes. David Curry, the CEO of Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, suggested that the exclusion of Nigeria from the list of CPCs was not only a baffling error but likely in direct violation of the International Religious Freedom Act, the law that requires these designations to be made in the first place. Open Doors USA has documented thousands of targeted killings of Nigerian Christians every year for more than a decade, Curry said. In no other country on earth do we see such a sustained level of outright violence directed towards a Christian community, and the situation has only deteriorated over the past 12 months, Curry stated. The Nigerian government has stubbornly refused to address this violence. The removal of Nigeria from this list will embolden bad actors and strongly deter efforts to bring peace to the region. Critics have warned that the governments lack of action in the Middle Belt could lead to a religious genocide similar to those seen in Darfur or Rwanda. However, the Nigerian government has pushed back on such assertions, claiming violence in the Middle Belt is part of decades-old farmer-herder clashes. home World Release International lists hotspots where Christian persecution is expected to get worse in 2022: report Islamic extremists are gaining ground in Africas Sahel region and Afghanistan, which are set to become hotspots for Christian persecution in 2022, religious freedom charity Release International warns in a report, which says India and North Korea are also countries of growing concern. Its not just Nigeria, but the larger Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa where Islamic extremism is growing, as the persecution of Christians is also rapidly increasing in India and North Korea, says the charitys report Persecution Trends 2022. The Sahel region includes Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. The situation facing Christians in Burkina Faso is now similar to Nigeria, a partner of the charity adds in the report. In 2021, jihadists targeted Christians in the north of Burkina Faso, forcing churches to close and meet in secret, the report points out, explaining that attacks ranged from bombings, killings, kidnappings and school burnings to assaults on religious leaders and places of worship. Pressure in the region is likely to continue in 2022, particularly following the drawdown of French troops in the area. The al-Qaeda and Islamic State terror groups have been launching attacks in West Africa since last January. In May, suspected jihadists ambushed a baptism ceremony where they killed 15 Christians in northern Burkina Fasos Oudalan province near the Mali border. Similar pressure is building in neighboring Nigeria, where attacks by Boko Haram terrorists, [Islamic State] fighters and Fulani militia continued throughout 2021, says the report, quoting a partner of the charity as saying, Fulani militants destroyed more than 50 villages and displaced nearly 5,000 Christians. The attacks by the Fulani now include kidnappings for ransom. Churches, church leaders and Christian communities remain the primary targets. The charity warns that attacks could escalate in 2022, as political campaigning gets underway ahead of the 2023 general election, just as attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani extremists have increased over election periods in the past. The report adds that tensions are also likely to exacerbate Afghanistan and North Korea, which are already major persecutors of Christians. In 2022, there is a very real threat of higher levels of violent persecution in Afghanistan, says the CEO of Release International, Paul Robinson, referring to the Talibans takeover of the South Asian country. Our partners tell us that Christians who are unable to follow the outward forms of Islam, such as praying at the mosque and saying the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith, will stand out more clearly, he adds. This increases their vulnerability to persecution and the pressure on them to conform. The report also draws attention to India, where attacks against Christians are rising and more states are imposing anti-conversion laws. Hindu nationalism is on the rise in India. Militant Hindus have called for religious conversion from Hinduism to be made illegal across the country, the report notes. While Christians make up only 2.3% of Indias population and Hindus comprise about 80%, the countrys radical Hindu nationalists have been carrying out attacks on Christians under the pretext of punishing the minority for allegedly using monetary rewards to convert Hindus to Christianity. The anti-conversion laws presume that Christians force or give financial benefits to Hindus to lure them into converting to Christianity. While some of these laws have been in place for decades, no Christian has been convicted of forcibly converting anyone to Christianity. Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List warns that since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party took power in 2014, persecution against Christians and other religious minorities has increased. The number of violent attacks on Christians in India rose nearly 75% to 486 in 2021, up from 279 in 2020, according to a new report by the United Christian Forum, which says 2021 was the most violent year for the Christian minority since the countrys Independence in 1947. Originally published in The Christian Post. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG has acquired Risk Transfer Insurance Agency, LLC. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Orlando, FL-based Risk Transfer Insurance, founded in 2000, is a full-service commercial property/casualty agency and program administrator. This company provides tailor-made insurance solutions and risk management services to professional employer organizations (PEOs) and temporary staffing firms. Thus, the addition will help the acquirer strengthen its presence in the growing PEO industry. Arthur J. Gallagher boasts an impressive inorganic story. The recent buyout is its first acquisition in 2022. The company has a strong merger and acquisition pipeline. Arthur J. Gallagher has made 19 buyouts, representing $190 million in estimated annual revenues in the first three quarters of 2021 and another 18 in the fourth quarter. Arthur J. Gallaghers revenues are geographically diversified with strong domestic and international operations and a compelling product and service portfolio. A solid capital position supports AJG in its growth initiatives and it thus remains focused on continuing its tuck-in mergers and acquisitions. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) insurance broker remains focused on long-term growth strategies for delivering organic revenue improvement and pursuing strategic mergers and acquisitions. AJG is focused on productivity improvements and quality enhancements that should help it post sturdy numbers in the future. Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher have gained 40.2% in a year, outperforming the industrys 29% increase. The efforts to ramp up its growth profile and capital position should continue to drive the share price higher. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Given the insurance industrys adequate capital level, players like Brown and Brown Inc. BRO, Stewart Information Services Corporation STC and HCI Group Inc. HCI are pursuing strategic mergers and acquisitions. Brown & Browns subsidiary Brown & Brown Lone Star Insurance Services has purchased HARCO to boost its presence in Texas. Brown & Brown and its subsidiaries continuously make strategic acquisitions to expand globally, add capabilities and boost operations. Also, these strategic buyouts help Brown & Brown increase commissions and fees, which, in turn, drive revenues. Stewart Information has acquired Devon Title Agency to expand in Michigan. Stewart Information has a sizable merger and acquisition pipeline. It boasts a strong balance sheet with $585 million over regulatory requirements and $74 million on an existing line of credit facility supporting growth initiatives. Stewart Information remains focused on improving operational efficiencies by adding scale, investing in priority markets and strengthening core business with real estate technology and services. HCI Group has agreed to acquire United Insurance Holdings personal lines insurance business in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to expand into new geographies. Well-performing Homeowners Choice and TypTap coupled with conservative reserving practice should continue to support HCIs growth story. Shares of Brown and Brown, Stewart Information and HCI Group have gained 49.2%, 62.8% and 56.6%, respectively, in a years time. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest? Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG): Free Stock Analysis Report Brown & Brown, Inc. (BRO): Free Stock Analysis Report Stewart Information Services Corporation (STC): Free Stock Analysis Report HCI Group, Inc. (HCI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Growth investors focus on stocks that are seeing above-average financial growth, as this feature helps these securities garner the market's attention and deliver solid returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task. That's because, these stocks usually carry above-average risk and volatility. In fact, betting on a stock for which the growth story is actually over or nearing its end could lead to significant loss. However, it's pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks with the help of the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects. EastGroup Properties (EGP) is one such stock that our proprietary system currently recommends. The company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank. Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And returns are even better for stocks that possess the combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Here are three of the most important factors that make the stock of this real estate investment trust a great growth pick right now. Earnings Growth Arguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. For growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for EastGroup Properties is 7.9%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 8.8% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 8.7%. Impressive Asset Utilization Ratio Asset utilization ratio -- also known as sales-to-total-assets (S/TA) ratio -- is often overlooked by investors, but it is an important indicator in growth investing. This metric exhibits how efficiently a firm is utilizing its assets to generate sales. Right now, EastGroup Properties has an S/TA ratio of 0.14, which means that the company gets $0.14 in sales for each dollar in assets. Comparing this to the industry average of 0.12, it can be said that the company is more efficient. While the level of efficiency in generating sales matters a lot, so does the sales growth of a company. And EastGroup Properties looks attractive from a sales growth perspective as well. The company's sales are expected to grow 9.2% this year versus the industry average of 8.4%. Promising Earnings Estimate Revisions Superiority of a stock in terms of the metrics outlined above can be further validated by looking at the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is of course favorable here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. There have been upward revisions in current-year earnings estimates for EastGroup Properties. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 1.1% over the past month. Bottom Line EastGroup Properties has not only earned a Growth Score of B based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above, but it also carries a Zacks Rank #2 because of the positive earnings estimate revisions. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. This combination positions EastGroup Properties well for outperformance, so growth investors may want to bet on it. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest? Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report EastGroup Properties, Inc. (EGP): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Teradyne (TER) closed the most recent trading day at $166.38, moving +0.16% from the previous trading session. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.06%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.59%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.3%. Coming into today, shares of the maker of wireless products, data storage and equipment to test semiconductors had gained 8.85% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector gained 4.06%, while the S&P 500 gained 5.76%. Wall Street will be looking for positivity from Teradyne as it approaches its next earnings report date. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.29, up 17.27% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $867.39 million, up 14.29% from the year-ago period. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Teradyne. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.5% higher within the past month. Teradyne is holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. Looking at its valuation, Teradyne is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 26.27. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 26.79. Investors should also note that TER has a PEG ratio of 1.76 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. TER's industry had an average PEG ratio of 3.1 as of yesterday's close. The Electronics - Testing Equipment industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 124, putting it in the top 49% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest? Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Teradyne, Inc. (TER): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved If you already subscribe to our print edition, sign up for FREE to view the newspaper online! Enter all nine digits of your zip code, without a hyphen. Last Name needs to be in all caps. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL January 5, 2022 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Apple AAPL, Alphabet GOOGL, Microsoft MSFT, Amazon AMZN and Meta Platforms FB. Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog: Should You Buy Apple (AAPL) at a $3 Trillion Market Cap? Apple briefly crossed $3 trillion in market cap in intraday trading on Jan 3, becoming the first publicly traded U.S. company to hit this much-coveted milestone. Shares of the iPhone-maker increased 2.5% to finally close at $182.01, with total market capitalization at $2.986 trillion. Apple reached $1 trillion in market capitalization in mid-2018 and achieved a $2-trillion valuation in August 2020, becoming the first U.S. company to achieve that milestone. Apples robust outperformance can be attributed to strong demand for its iPhone. The companys 5G-supported iPhone has witnessed robust demand despite coronavirus-induced supply chain headwinds and short supply of chips. Apple has benefited from the coronavirus-induced work-from-home and online-learning waves, which drove demand for iPad and Mac personal computers. Since March 2020, when coronavirus first sent the world into lockdown, Apples shares have outperformed its MAMAA peers that include Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta Platforms. The term MAMAA has been coined by Mad Moneys Jim Cramer in replacement of FAANG after Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms. Apple shares have returned 166.4% since Feb 28, 2020 in contrast to Alphabets, Microsofts, Amazons and Meta Platforms returns of 116.6%, 106.7%, 81% and 75.9%, respectively. Apple shares have also outperformed the Zacks Computer- Mini Computers industry. Prospects Remain Robust Apples 2022 prospects remain strong thanks to a continuous iPhone upgrade cycle and strong growth of the Services business. According to latest Strategy Analytics data cited by 9TO5 Mac, Apple is dominating the 5G smartphone space in terms of global 5G shipment share, thanks to strong demand for iPhone 13. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is now speculated to add a 48 mega-pixel lens for its upcoming iPhone in 2022 and periscope lens in 2023, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Apple is now expected to manufacture 259 million iPhones in 2022, up 9% year over year, per estimates by Mizuho Securities analyst Yasuo Nakane. Other notable expectations are a new 27-inch iMac powered by Apple Silicon, a redesigned MacBook Air, a new generation of iPad Pro and Apple Watch that promises a new design, body temperature sensor, as well as new additional health and fitness tracking. Apples augmented-reality headset is the most anticipated product in 2022. The iPhone-maker is now rumored to launch its first AR headset in the second half of 2022. Per 9TO5 Mac, which cited a Digitimes report, the rumored AR headset has completed the second phase of prototype testing and is expected to be in production in the second quarter of 2022. This high-end commercial-purpose device is expected to cost more than $2000. Meanwhile, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to release a new helmet-type headset with Micro-OLED displays and AR/VR capabilities in 2022. This headset is expected to comprise 15 camera modules, of which eight will be dedicated for AR video experiences. AR glasses from Apple, once available, will intensify competition for the likes of Meta and Alphabet division Google. Meta recently announced its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, developed in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica. Apples Services and Wearables businesses are expected to drive top-line growth in fiscal 2022 and beyond. Although Apples business primarily runs around its flagship iPhone, the Services portfolio has emerged as the companys new cash cow. Apples endeavors to open up its ecosystem through partnerships with the likes of Samsung and Amazon are positive for the Services segment. Apple currently has more than 745 million paid subscribers across its Services portfolio. The App Store continues to draw the attention of prominent developers from around the world, helping the company offer appealing new apps that drive App Store traffic. Increasing Regulation is a Concern However, Apple, along with its big tech peers like Google, is facing regulatory headwinds. Both Google and Apple continue to face strict regulatory pressure against their unfair trade practices with small local businesses. Allegedly, both companies have exploited small app makers by charging a significant chunk of their sales and discarding the apps anytime. Apart from this, Apple is accused of abusing its control over its mobile devices, harming competition and inflating prices via iPhone app sales. Apple is now facing regulatory issues in the U.S. and India over its App store practices. In India, Apple will face an investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the chief national competition regulator in India, over allegations of violating certain antitrust laws. CCI ordered the probe following a non-profit organization, Together We Fight Societys, complaint against the tech giants App Store payment rules. Zacks Top Picks to Cash in on Artificial Intelligence This world-changing technology is projected to generate $100s of billions by 2025. From self-driving cars to consumer data analysis, people are relying on machines more than we ever have before. Now is the time to capitalize on the 4th Industrial Revolution. Zacks urgent special report reveals 6 AI picks investors need to know about today. See 6 Artificial Intelligence Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential>> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest? Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report Meta Platforms, Inc. (FB): Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. RNR is well poised to grow on the back of strategic acquisitions and premium growth at both Casualty and Specialty plus Property businesses. Its diversified business and efforts to boost shareholder value bode well. RenaissanceRe with a market cap of $7.7 billion primarily provides property-catastrophe reinsurance to insurers and reinsurers globally. Headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda, RenaissanceRe also provides certain specialty reinsurance coverage on accident, health, aviation, and satellite concerns, and others in various parts of the United States. Courtesy of solid prospects, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock is worth holding on to at the moment. Rising Estimates The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RenaissanceRes 2021 earnings is pegged at 75 cents per share, indicating a massive year-over-year rise from 12 cents. The company beat earnings estimates twice in the last four quarters and missed the same on the other two occasions. The consensus estimate for 2021 revenuesstands at $5.5 billion, suggesting a 27% year-over-year rise. Growth Drivers RenaissanceRe has been witnessing a positive trend in gross premiums written, which have doubled over a span of five years, driven by premium growth at both its Casualty and Specialty plus Property segments. During 2020 and the first nine months of 2021, gross premiums written improved 20.8% and 33.9%, respectively, year over year. This consistent growth in premiums is likely to drive top-line growth for RenaissanceRe. The company focuses on acquisitions and business expansions, which provide growth opportunities. It bought Tokio Millennium Re for $1.5 billion to increase the scale and boost the companys portfolio. In the first nine months of 2021, RNR spent $880.9 million on acquisitions. Also, management doesnt shy away from divesting non-core assets to streamline its operations. RNR has been undertaking divestitures by getting rid of low-return high-risk businesses. It sold off its U.S-based weather and weather-related energy risk management unit to save the company from the associated uncertainties. We expect such strategic initiatives to enable RNR to focus and grow its core operating business. RNR has a strong balance sheet. The companys total debt represents 14.4% of its capital, lower than the industry average of 19.5%. As of Sep 30, 2021, it had cash and cash equivalents worth $1.4 billion, higher than the debt level of $1.1 billion. The company effectively reduced its debt from the 2020-end level. Also, RNR doesnt have any additional debt maturity until 2025. Thus, the companys solvency position looks solid. RenaissanceRe focuses on boosting shareholder value. It has been raising dividends for the past several years and is expected to keep doing so. In February 2021, the companys board of directors approved a 2.9% hike in the quarterly dividend. Also, during the first nine months of 2021, it repurchased $704.5 million worth of shares. Furthermore, it has a share buyback program of $500 million. Key Concerns There are a few factors that are impeding the growth of the stock lately. Increasing costs are eating into its profits. Total costs and expenses for the first nine months of 2021 were $4,304.9 million, up 45.3% from the year-ago period. Also, it remains exposed to high severity loss associated with catastrophic events on a worldwide basis, which has been affecting its underwriting results. Nevertheless, we believe that a systematic and strategic plan of action will drive long-term growth. Better-Ranked Players Some better-ranked players in the Finance space include Ryan Specialty Group Holdings, Inc. RYAN, Brown & Brown, Inc. BRO, and Houlihan Lokey, Inc. HLI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Based in Chicago, IL, Ryan Specialty provides numerous specialty products and solutions for insurance brokers, agents, and others. It acts as a wholesale broker and managing underwriter to provide risk management services. Ryan Specialtys bottom line for the next year is expected to jump 12.6% year over year to $1.21 per share. RYAN has witnessed two upward estimate revisions in the past 60 days and no movement in the opposite direction. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, FL, Brown & Brown boasts impressive growth potential driven by organic means and a prudent inorganic story. Its strategic efforts continue to drive commission and fees, and sturdy performance is boosting cash flows. Brown & Browns 2022 earnings per share are expected to rise 5.1% year over year to $2.27. It has witnessed one upward estimate revision in the past 30 days compared with none in the opposite direction. BRO beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average of 18.3%. Houlihan Lokey headquartered in Los Angeles, CA provides multiple financial services to clients all over the world. Its growing footprint in Europe and Asias investment banking services field will help HLI boost strategic and shareholder value in the coming days. Rising average transaction fees will help HLI increase corporate finance revenues. The full-year 2022 bottom line of Houlihan Lokey is expected to rise 37.7% year over year to $6.36 per share. In the past 30 days, it has witnessed one upward estimate revision and no downward movement. HLI beat earnings estimates in all the last four quarters, with an average of 39.5%. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest? Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RNR): Free Stock Analysis Report Brown & Brown, Inc. (BRO): Free Stock Analysis Report Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (HLI): Free Stock Analysis Report Ryan Specialty Group Holdings, Inc. (RYAN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The historic December storms that drenched California and dropped record-setting snow on the Sierra also destroyed a centuries-old landmark an iconic stone arch on a secluded beach that has been cherished for generations. The arch, perched on a beach bluff at Spooner's Cove near Montana de Oro State Park in San Luis Obispo County, was first reported missing on Christmas Eve after days of rain and heavy surf. This led to many on social media sharing family photos in front of the landmark and mourning its loss. "I have many fond memories wading across the water and hanging out under there watching the waves crash on the rocks," Instagram user Shane Yee wrote. Its actually kind of sad, Im really sad that its gone it really outlaid the area heavily," park visitor Jacob Lyons told KSBY News. "I look at that and thats what I think when I think about Montana de Oro, but now it just looks like the rest of the walls." The California State Parks Department told the San Luis Obispo Tribune that the collapse was likely due to heavy surf after a series of winter storms at the end of the year. Dan Krieger, a history professor at Cal Poly, told the Tribune that the arch was an icon. It was very much as much as Morro Rock is a symbol of the Central Coast. It was one of those hidden jewels that the lucky traveler who discovers Montana de Oro State Park would have as one more treat. And now that is no more." Kreiger said that records show the arch had been standing since the earliest days of Anglo Saxon settlement in the region 500 years ago. The cove was first inhabited by the Chumash and Salinan people around 11,000 years ago. The Houston Health Department will soon open a giant COVID-19 testing center at the site of a former Dave & Buster's near the Galleria, the latest addition of COVID headlines reminiscent of a pre-apocalyptic tragicomedy. Workers at the site, located at 6010 Richmond Ave., will administer tests from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, according to the health department. The site opens for the first time Thursday morning. A second new testing site in the Kingwood Community Center at 4102 Rustic Woods Dr. also opens Thursday with the same hours. The sites are expected to remain open until at least the end of January. The new sites add a combined capacity of 1,800 tests per day, which puts the city's total testing capacity near 30,000 tests per day across four megasites and several smaller neighborhood sites. "Every Houstonian deserves to have access to testing, especially those in our most vulnerable communities," Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement Wednesday. "As we continue to navigate this crisis, I ask Houstonians to keep each other safe by getting tested, vaccinated, and boosted." COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the state and Houston region. Across Harris County, authorities tallied 4,100 new cases Tuesday alone, according to data published by the Houston Chronicle (Chron and the Houston Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another). That spike has prompted Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to potentially raise the county's COVID threat level to its highest, Threat Level 1. Hospitalizations also continue to rise. As of Tuesday, there were more than 2,200 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Houston medical centers up from fewer than 500 in November, according to the Chronicle's data. Houston hospitalizations accounted for approximately 28 percent of the 8,219 COVID hospitalizations reported statewide by Texas officials Tuesday. "The bad news is that cases are through the roof," Hidalgo said in the Chronicle. "The good news is that hospitalizations are rising, but not as much as they had in previous waves relative to cases." Appointments aren't necessary but can be scheduled by visiting this city of Houston website hosted by the city's Emergency Operations Center. For those in the county, appointments can be scheduled through Harris County Public Health. Houston Heights-area restaurant Preslee's is facing backlash this week over a pair of messages mocking leading Democratic party members on the large marquee overlooking the W. 20th Street establishment. Both signs mentioned California Democratic congresswoman and sitting speaker of the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and one featured the popular anti-Joe Biden phrase "Let's Go Brandon." The first sign, a large and brightly lit dig at Pelosi's physical appearance, was captured by the Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook on December 30. The popular Southern-style hangout located in north downtown punctuated its first "No mask needed" with the tag "Unless you look like Nancy Pelosi." It was a particularly busy year for Laredoans, with another boil water notice, border developments and many notable deaths among the top storylines of 2021. But all of them once again occurred in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continued to impact many families lives throughout the year. While many aspects of life returned to as close to normal as possible, COVID remained such a major event that the virus itself led to some of the biggest stories of the year. Thus, well take a look at some of the overall narratives that COVID caused in Part 4 before diving more specifically into the numbers in Part 5. Below are some of the highlights from a busy 2021 that stemmed directly from the pandemic: Problematic initial vaccine rollout As 2021 opened, spirits were high as the COVID-19 vaccine was starting to be distributed. But the simple fact was that unfortunately many were unable to receive it. Demand was extremely high early on. After first responders got the initial doses near the end of 2020, Laredoans lined up for miles with the opportunity to receive their first dose of the vaccine so that they could start to finally have a little more peace of mind following a long and worrisome year. The first major vaccination event took place at TAMIU on Jan. 3 as cars began to wait as early as 3:30 a.m. And the city stated that by 7:30 in the morning, anyone showing up was being turned away. Cars waited with a line from the university spanning all the way to around the Saunders Street exit just for the hope of a vaccine, only for many to find out that their time waiting all day in a vehicle would be for nothing. This was particularly problematic as the eligible category of those who were waiting for the dose were primarially people over the age of 65 and individuals with chronic health conditions. Understandably, this upset many. Adding fuel to the fire were rumors around the area that preferential treatment was also being given at these locations. Some had stated that they saw others receiving the vaccine despite not being in the current qualified categories. Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz criticized the rollout, stating that it needs to get better coordinated. So the city created a public health order to implement rules and make the city a central agency for all local vaccine providers, which were then required to notify the Laredo Health Department daily of the total number of vaccines in their inventory and notify the city if any non-eligible recipients received the vaccine and why. Laredo pivoted to a website, vaccinatelaredo.com, to instead book appointments. However, after opening on Jan. 11 at 8 a.m., the city reported that it had ran out of spots for the whole week in just nine minutes. Again, complaints were heard as some said time slots were not just exhausted but would expire while individuals were filling out their information. Additionally, concerns also grew over the elderly population getting appointments with the site being reduced to an online scramble to input information. Appointments booked specifically via phone were eventually added. Antibody infusion center While vaccines were making their way to the people, another avenue to help protect Laredoans from COVID-19 was also on its way. On Jan. 11, a monoclonal antibody infusion center opened for COVID-19 patients in Laredo. This was an initiative that strived to minimize future hospitalizations and deaths in the community. The infusion procedure meant for people with a mild to moderate case of COVID-19 and who had underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for experiencing severe symptoms featured doses of bamlanivimab, casirivimab and imdevimab all monoclonal antibodies which are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune systems ability to fight off pathogens such as viruses. These drugs are designed to block COVID-19s attachment and entry into human cells. While Laredos hospitals did have access to these medicines, they were not able to use them for a large number of people. Thus the center helped get this treatment to more individuals in need. Frustrations rise as situation worsens As these steps were being taken to help locals battle COVID-19, January and February were well on their way to being the worst months for the virus the city has seen. While having state assistance, an alternate care center was needed, according to Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino, due to Laredo Medical Center expanding their first and second floor intensive care units to be all COVID ICU beds. This left no room for any other type of ICU patients to enter the hospital. Officials were getting frustrated. COVID hospitalizations had eclipsed 230, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had informed the state that curfews for restaurants and bars were barred. The city discussed taking a similar route as Austin and just enacting a curfew anyway, but that city was sued and the Supreme Court sided with the state. Its like a hurricane that never stops, Trevino said. Hospitalizations reached over 240 COVID patients less than a week later, and Laredo set its all-time record for COVID cases in a day soon after with over 2,000. The city began automated calls, emergency alert messages and social media warnings. The messages begged citizens to stay at home, citing that lives are at stake. Trevino soon after pleaded with locals to take all necessary safety steps, stating the city was at a critical point and the community would be medically overrun if the virus spread wasnt stopped. And soon after with over 80 patients in the ICU, Trevino described the situation as COVID hell. And then came the news which really underscored how bad the situation was. The New York Times reported that Laredo was quite literally the largest hotspot in the United States for new COVID cases. Meanwhile, the COVID vaccine continued to be an issue. While Laredo was in perhaps the toughest COVID situation in the country, the vaccines were not coming. The issue centered around how the state distributed vaccines, choosing to tie the countys allotment to the amount of medical personnel it has. As Laredo has long been medically underserved, Laredo was getting much fewer vaccines compared to counties of similar size. New vaccine systems arrive When the winter storm hit Texas in February, many feared the combination of Laredos spiraling COVID situation combined with the impact of the freeze. However, the timing ended up working out favorably as cases plummeted. Whether the storm forced individuals to stay home or it coincided with the end of the virus current push, the situation ended up leading to the end of the second wave locally. In the wake of the storm, Laredo emerged with a new system for vaccine distribution. This time around, the city would create a major waiting list on vaccinatelaredo.com. Individuals would then be sorted by priority by their respective phases, and they would then be contacted when it was their turn. The idea may have been a good one in theory, but it didnt last long. The first day saw the site gather more than 1.4 million hits in an hour. And just a few days later, the waitlist was closed. This time around, the closure was due to a new partnership with Curative. The company that was already operating free testing kiosks around the city would now organize vaccine drives going forward. Some success found, health care worker shortage follows Following the end of the second wave, Laredo found itself in a much more manageable situation. Gone were the days of leading the country in COVID metrics and being a mainstay at the top of the states hospitalization rate. In fact, Laredo actually improved significantly, eventually even having the top hospitalization rate in Texas. In the coming months, Laredo went on to lead the state in vaccinations breaking 50% fully vaccinated in May and thus greatly neutralized the virus third wave when it eventually arrived. Despite the success, local hospitals started facing severe staffing shortages as the state was able to lure health care staff to work for them during the pandemic by paying about three times more than they were making at the hospitals. Due to these shortages, the city was concerned over the states demobilization efforts. A request was made to pause them as the city was lacking in health care workers, but the state denied the request. Still, cases continued to dwindle, and Laredo scaled back near the end of May to updating COVID figures just once a week as they touted the success of their vaccination efforts in regards to the lower cases. It scaled back even further in July despite the third wave starting to emerge and the discovery of the first variant in Laredo. While cases increased in the third wave, they were nowhere near the heights of the second. However, Laredo did feel it was at a tipping point of a public health crisis in August due to so few medical staffers. While only around 40 persons were hospitalized due to COVID at the time, overflow areas were already being utilized. Remembering those who were lost While COVIDs impact has been less significant the second half of 2021, plenty of lives had been lost to the disease locally. Laredoans gathered to remember the 841 people who at the time had died from Laredo during the City of Laredos Lights of Hope Remembrance Walk at Uni-Trade Stadium. The event coincided with Memorial Day, as many felt it was appropriate to honor all those who had died not only in war but in the worlds war against the COVID-19 virus. Laredo ended the year with 986 deaths reported. Focus shifts to children Classes returned for Laredos youth in August as children showed up to campuses wearing their face masks. There was some slight pushback, especially in light of the states efforts to eliminate mask mandates, but overall districts reported that as a whole students were willing to wear masks. In October, Laredo reported its first death from a pediatric patient due to COVID. An 18-year-old unvaccinated individual died due to a convergence of COVID and the flu. Laredos vaccination numbers reached an impressive 90% fully vaccinated and the elderly eclipsed 100%, with both happening in October. As a reminder on how the latter is possible, officials have stated that its eligible population figures are based off U.S. Census data, and due to the citys past of having its population undercounted, its true 100% figure may be more difficult to identify. In November, the age 5-11 population were finally able to be vaccinated as well. Trevino stated that the demand was high as parents had been very interested in finally getting their children vaccinated. The City of Laredo ended 2021 with concern regarding the omicron variant and cases increasing significantly. Still, local health leaders stated that being fully vaccinated and even getting a booster shot were strongly encouraged to increase defenses against initial infection. zdavis@lmtonline.com A woman tried smuggling a girl via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge claiming she was her sister, according to an arrest affidavit. The case unfolded at about 9:43 p.m. Dec. 27, when Daisy Johana Maldonado-Gonzalez and a girl arrived at the bridge as passengers in a bus. Maldonado-Gonzalez claimed the child was her sister, according to court documents. She presented a U.S. passport on behalf of the girl. French President Emmanuel Macron got scoured by his critics for replacing the traditional French flag on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These were right-wing protests who thought using something other than the national flag was not unconstitutional. Many bloc members have misgivings of recent actions, like Poland, that weren't welcome. French flag replaced with EU's President Macron triggered right-wing protests that were outraged after replacing the French national flag that has long decorated the Soldiers Tomb with the European Union's flag. In several member countries, not everyone supports the EU, reported the Express UK. Macron's presidential rival, Marine Le Pen, called for the immediate takedown of the EU flag. In commemorating the presidency at the Council of the European Union, one of the bodies responsible decided to hang the EU flag. The Arc de Triomphe has projected the blue EU flag with 12 gold stars during the affair. The EU flag was also projected on French government buildings and cultural landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Church, including the Louvre, which drew more protests. Le Pen called it a travesty to have French landmarks covered with the EU's colors and not the national one as a serious assault on the national identity, cited Wion. Adding the monuments and soldiers' graves is part of France, and they should be covered in the national colors. It should not be the bloc's identity. Identified as a far-right politician who said that the French president is going against his presidency and ignoring history, all for personal ambition, noted Techno-Charger. Macron should have regarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with more delicate considerations. Read Also: Britain Angered by Joe Biden's Attempt to Appease France Regarding the French, Brexit Fishing Row As Another Misstep in Foreign Policy French presidential aspirants' reactions Le Pen, who is viewed as the primary challenger in this year's presidential race, alleged the French leader had given a "clear signal" to replace the flag. In New Year's tweet, Macron's rival told the president to restore the French tricolor to the Arc de Triomphe. If the EU flag is not removed, Le Pen stated that she'd appeal to the state council, a legal adviser to the executive body, if he would not do as requested. Replacing the French flag is a violation, according to her. Poland said that Brussels overreach should not intrude on the French constitution and its articles. But one more rightist presidential aspirant Eric Zemmour also added to the uproar. He called the replacement of the flag a travesty. Clement Beaune, a junior European Affairs Minister, downplayed the controversy by insisting that the exhibit was temporary. He wrote on Twitter, "The National flag has not been replaced. The electoral campaign is not a free ticket for trivial lies and controversy." Embarking on the body's leadership, the French leader has announced a program that will occupy the half-year tenure of Paris. It will define what he has done as the leader of France. The year 2022 will be as he announced the historic turnaround for the bloc. According to the far right, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier should be recognized as French, not of the bloc, as Macron is in the sights of his opponents. Related Article: Is French Sovereignty at Stake with Joe Biden's Interference in Fishing Row Between UK, France After AUKUS Deal Fallout? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. France and Germany are in hot water for not including easing out Ukraine in talks with Moscow, prompting accusations of fronting an EU plan in their favor. Prior to this, the US and Russia assumed a cold war arrangement that excluded Brussels from a seat at the table. Financial Times journalist Henry Foy disagrees that Ukraine is an outsider in determining the nation's direction. Normandy Format meeting held without Ukraine Germany is trying for a diplomatic solution to the standoff, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's adviser meeting with counterparts from France and Russia this week. However, without Ukraine at the bench, reported the Express UK. Foy posted on social media what he thought of the plan, and he called what France and Germany entered a Normandy Format meeting. Moscow is the third party to decide on the fate of the border, with the lack of Kiev representation being most lamentable. Also, the move will allow bigger countries to determine the destiny of smaller ones, based on the number of tanks and military power, not the GDP. The Normandy Format refers to negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany to end the eight-year-old conflict. The German government spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, has also refused to confirm the information of a possible meeting between Mr. Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin, although Bild stated that the two leaders would convene this month cited Brinkwire. He told the press that Jens Plotner, an adviser to the German Chancellor, is scheduled for a meeting this week. This eased out Ukraine in the attempts to have a better position. Read Also: Joe Biden Outmaneuvered by Putin Regarding the Ukraine Border; Russia at an Upper Hand Advantage That Washington Will Regret Dialogues at NATO Nevertheless, last Tuesday, the White House released transcripts of a call between US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, raising doubts regarding Paris and Berlin's judgment. According to a White House statement, the president underlined the adherence of the United States and its allies and partners to the principle of not excluding important parties. Washington gave Kiev a rock-hard commitment to act if Russia invaded Ukraine. Both leaders are also said to have expressed support for diplomatic endeavors that are set to begin next week with a bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue at NATO by the NATO-Russia Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, noted Radio Free Europe. Zelensky declared at such a press conference last December, indicated Ukraine was ready for discussions in the Normandy Format. He said that Kiev wants sanctions on Moscow to happen before more tensions arise. While France's and Germany's leaders sought to resume dialogue with Moscow despite keeping pressure on the Kremlin to prevent what the West suspects were rehearsals for a new attack on Ukrainian territory. On the fringes of an EU summit in Brussels, French President Macron, Scholz, and Zelensky sat down and discussed ways to revive discussions in the Normandy Format. Upwards of 100,000 Russian troops and weapons and armored vehicles have been amassed across the Ukraine borders. Anne Applebaum mentions in an article that warns that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pre-empting an invasion by warning NATO, although Kiev is not as alarmed. Another development is that Finland is thinking of joining NATO against a warning of NATO expansion. Foy is worried about how talks can be held if Ukraine participates in both NATO and the US are jockeying to have a better position if the time comes. Related Article: Russia Redirects Gas Supplies From Poland as an Economic Transaction That Is Not Politically Motivated by the European Union @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Jason Farmer, a 34-year-old registered sex offender, is behind bars charged with manslaughter, accused of strangling his fiancees sister last week during sex. Angela Montante, 23, was found Friday in a motel room in southwest Houston after Farmer allegedly called police and reported the death. Farmer told police it was consensual sex gone awry, a common defense when an intimate partner is killed during sex. It is the second time Farmer, a registered sex offender, has been accused of choking an intimate partner, and the alleged manslaughter happened just days before Farmer was expected to go on trial for the alleged molestation of two girls. The escalation of violence that allegedly led to Montantes death is a trend prosecutors are trying to slow through a new initiative with law enforcement agencies to aggressively go after suspects who choke or strangle intimate partners but dont kill them. Montante was the countys fifth victim of fatal domestic violence this year including strangulations and shootings a troubling statistic for prosecutors. A person who can strangle an intimate partner is determined to maintain power and control over their victims, said Carvana Cloud, a chief prosecutor in Harris County District Attorneys Office who recently created a strangulation task force. So they look for victims who are susceptible or vulnerable to their manipulation and abuse. Its a different type of rage that a strangler has to have. A non-fatal strangulation is often the last step before domestic violence turns deadly, usually in a fatal shooting, according to prosecutors and experts. Harris County leads the state in the number of domestic violence homicides, Cloud said. We need to punish these offenders and hold them accountable. In the escalation of violence from strangulation theres only one thing left, and thats homicide. Cloud, after taking over the Family Criminal Law Division under DA Kim Oggs administration, put together a strangulation task force that includes experts in domestic violence and representatives from law enforcement agencies, including the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriffs Office, to address domestic violence deaths. The group, which meets monthly, realized that first responders have not been trained to look for all the signs to record, or the right questions to ask, when filing paperwork in a felony case. Because only about half of women who have been strangled have easily observable marks around their neck, many cases filed as misdemeanor assault or not filed at all could have been filed as felonies. Police had not known to look for symptoms commonly observed when the flow of blood or oxygen is obstructed. There are signs that police can ask about, Cloud said. Like raspiness in the throat, a sore throat, ringing in the ears, or if she says she lost consciousness or she says she couldnt see or she says she saw stars. She noted that strangling a domestic partner was not generally filed as a felony until 2009, when legislators passed a bill to strengthen existing law and make obstructing breath or blood by restricting the neck a more serious form of domestic violence. But police usually just looked for the telltale red marks on the neck. By training law enforcement officers and prosecutors that there are more observable signs of strangulation than just red marks, felony filings in domestic violence cases rose by almost 1,000 last year. History of assault Before the DAs initiative, felonies were difficult to prosecute because of a lack of recorded evidence and the unfortunate fact that many victims recant out of fear or even go back to their attacker, hoping it doesnt happen again. We were either dismissing them or reducing them down to a lesser offense at a rate of about half, Cloud said. And its really not a good idea ever to let these guys off with a slap on the wrist. Defense attorneys said they welcome more training for officers, especially in identifying evidence that may be conclusive in high-stakes cases. So many of these cases are the proverbial he said, she said with no evidence, said Tucker Graves president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. If theyre going to take the time to single out these cases, they need to train these officers to make sure theyre investigating them properly. In Farmers case, he spent three years in prison for a 2009 rape at knife point of a woman in her home. After confronting her with a knife, he put his hand around the womans throat to get her into a bedroom where he raped her while her small children remained in the living room. It took her three days to come forward because she was so terrified, court records show. Farmer was arrested for a first-degree felony, a charge that was reduced to a second-degree felony when he pleaded guilty in exchange for three years in prison. After getting out of prison, he apparently lived with friends and family and allegedly continued sexually abusing people around him. A 10-year-old he knew said she woke up near him on a couch one evening in 2013 and realized his hand was under her shirt, a violation that left the girl sobbing. There apparently was not enough evidence to arrest him, so investigators continued to interview the girl and one of her family members, a 13-year-old girl. Almost two years later, the older girl allegedly told investigators that Farmer continually sexually assaulted her for eight months beginning in 2012. She told police he offered her money not to tell and when she refused, he said he would burn down her familys house if she told, according to court records. She said he once gave her a slush that tasted weird that made her sleepy and she woke up to find him sexually assaulting her. In addition to her ordeal as a victim of sexual assault, the young girl learned she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Farmer, when he was arrested Friday for manslaughter, was free on a total of $200,000 bond after being charged with indecency with a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child, accused of repeatedly molesting the 13-year-old victim. He was scheduled to go to trial Monday, where he faced a minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum of life if convicted. He remains in the Harris County jail, in lieu of a $1,000,000 bail. His court-appointed attorney, Miranda Meador, did not return calls for comment. Farmer apparently called the HPD officers about 7 p.m. Friday and said he killed a woman between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday. When police got to the Americas Inn in the 8200 block of Southwest Freeway, Farmer allegedly said he had killed his fiances sister and took officers to the womans body inside the motel room he rented. He told police that he choked Montante while they were having sex, prosecutors said. Farmer told police that Montante panicked and he stopped choking her while she continued to freak out. Her body went limp three to five minutes later. Common defense The rough sex defense, such as that offered by Farmer, is common in similar cases, said prosecutors and experts who do not believe it. Theres no way she consented to that strangulation, said Kelsey McKay, an expert in domestic violence strangulation cases who worked as a prosecutor in Austin for 12 years. During rough sex, if you strangle someone, they go unconscious in about 10 seconds. It takes another 60 to 111 seconds for them to then die. So, their body would be limp and unconscious and you would have to continue that pressure up to two and half more minutes. That defense is such B.S. McKay has been working with the DAs office to increase awareness among law enforcement. A tangible result of the task force has been the creation of checklist for police and first responders that is the size of a business card. McKay, Cloud and others are teaming up to train law enforcement officers to look for evidence of strangulation to get more domestic abusers off the street. Studies show that after one non-fatal strangulation, the offender is eight times more likely to murder (the woman), McKay said. When you look at an intimate partner homicide, 43 percent of the women who were killed by an intimate partner were strangled in the year leading up to it. Its a mission for McKay who said research shows that men who commit domestic violence, especially stranglers, are linked to serial killings, mass shootings and shooting police officers. These are the kinds of perpetrators who are more violent and have more disregard for human life, and they are the ones who go on to be serial killers and mass shooters, she said. A strangulation means you like to feel what its like to kill someone, you are feeling the pulse in their body go limp, you are playing God. Serial killers like to play God. She acknowledged that not everyone who strangles someone is a serial killer, but said serial killers grow out of that action. Still, when a man is accused of killing a woman during sex, the defense is often that rough sex got out of hand. Women are not consenting to strangulation in sex like people want to think they are, McKay said. Its because theyre dead and perpetrators have to come up with something thats mitigating, and they use that all the time. Theyre outsmarting the criminal justice system over and over and over. Houstonians were shocked in 2014 when 18-year-old Eddie Herrera was arrested for strangling 17-year-old Jacqueline Gomez during sex in a hotel room after her prom at Aldines MacArthur High School. She was found dead the next morning in the hotel bed. Herrera told police he and his mother worked together to rent the hotel room, get two bottles of whiskey and at least 20 pills of hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller. He told detectives that he and Gomez drank a bottle and a half of whiskey and took most of the pills before having consensual sex. It was during sex, he told police, that she asked him to squeeze her neck. Prosecutors at trial told jurors Herrera choked Gomez past the point where she was unconscious during a brutal episode of rough sex. He then passed out next to her and woke to find her dead. Herrera was later convicted of assault and faced life in prison. Jurors sentenced him to 25 years in prison. One of the members of the strangulation task force, Barbie Brashear with the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, said the recent emphasis on raising awareness is important to increase safety for survivors across Harris County. Brashear said her agency conducted a study that showed systemic problems in how the DAs staff handled the prosecution of domestic violence cases, including critical protections such as obtaining restraining orders against a violent partner. We found some pretty glaringly obvious changes that needed to be made, Brashear said. With this administration, weve seen a willingness to listen and to work together. With the rapidly-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus making its way through the United States, many schools across the country are moving to remote learning for the first week of the spring semester. The decision could be extended, depending on case numbers moving forward, schools said. The University of Texas at Austin, which saw a weekly positive rate of 8.1% for the last week of the fall semester, a marked increase from its 0.9% average since June 1, 2020, is requesting all students to get tested within 72 hours prior to return to campus. Texas State University is requesting the same thing. Texas Tech has not announced any changes as of yet, but Texas Tech is strongly recommending that all faculty and staff be vaccinated for COVID-19 and face masks are strongly encouraged in classrooms and all other public indoor settings on campus. Face masks are also required for all visitors to the Student Health Clinic. "As we move forward, we will continue to provide educational opportunities online, face-to-face on campus and through a hybrid combination of these, depending on the course," Lamar University said on their website. "Face coverings are required on campus whenever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household." Texas A&M University asked faculty and staff to work remotely due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state and in Brazos County, which will continue until Jan. 7. The university said they will continue to monitor the situation and make changes as needed as more information is gathered. Texas A&M is encouraging students, staff and faculty to get fully immunized against the coronavirus and to get the booster shot. Lamar has also not announced any changes to the start of the spring semester as of yet, nor has Laredo College. Trinity University in San Antonio won't return to class until Jan. 31 to allow time for eligible students and staff to get booster shots and has directed most employees to work remotely for the first two weeks of the semester. Rice University in Houston will start as scheduled but will offer instruction online for the first two weeks of the semester and is requiring vaccine boosters for all employees and students, effective Jan. 10. Rice is also strongly encouraging students to wait to return to campus and on-campus housing until two weeks into the semester. Additionally, the University of Houston said they continue to monitor the situation but return to campus began on Jan. 3, although the university said it was important to continue taking appropriate precautions, including vaccines, boosters and masks. Texas Christian University said they are prepared to reopen as planned on Jan. 5 and to start in-person classes on Jan. 10. The university said they are conducting contact tracing and offering COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and testing to their community. Southern Methodist University has not yet announced any changes for the spring semester and neither has Stephen F. Austin State University, which says it is strongly encouraging everyone who can get vaccinated to be inoculated, wear a mask in public indoor settings, frequently wash hands and maintain physical distance when possible. These precautions are not required, the university said. This article was updated on Jan. 5 to include additional information about reopening plans and scheduling at TCU, Laredo, TAMU, the University of Houston and Stephen F. Austin State University. The prevention of nuclear Armageddon by Russia, China, the UK, the US, and France is the message as the proliferation of nukes, preventing mutually assured destruction is what they are all working for. It doesn't help as the age of ultrasonic or hypersonic weapons can be armed with a nuke or standard warhead, which is virtually unstoppable. But the most powerful nations have pledged to place controls on the most destructive weapons made by mankind. Superpowers pledge to stop the spread of nuclear weapons To avoid a devastating nuclear Holocaust, the superpowers put aside their differences and pledged to restrict the spread of atomic weapons, reported the Sun UK. Despite heightened tensions worldwide, these five countries, who are all permanent members of the UN Security Council, issued an astonishing declaration soothing fear of disastrous aftermath. Last Monday, the joint declaration stated the disastrous consequences faced if a nuclear conflict arises. Nuclear arms are destructive and capable of worldwide havoc, whose use should be avoided at all costs. The White House published the statement in English that discusses what should be creating global security to preserve world peace by limiting it. It also emphasized a need to respond with imminent proliferation and preserve and comply with non-proliferation, denuclearization, and arms control accords, the Print. Additionally, the statement says that keeping and bolstering national measures to control the use of atomic arms from the wrong hands could be disastrous. To underscore the desire to work with all states to promote a security situation that is more favorable to disarmament progress and stopping nuclear Armageddon. An ultimate aim of a borderless world free of nuclear weapons and peaceful for all. Read Also: China Warns Biden To Stop Meddling in Taiwan Affairs To Avoid Consequences Paris published the accord to address the ongoing efforts to keep nuclear arms control and disarmament. The goal will do all measures to maintain a cap on nuclear arms. Declaration released to avoid catastrophic nuclear war This pronouncement comes as the United Nations postponed a vital conference on nuclear weapons caused by an increase in coronavirus cases. Dignitaries are expected to evaluate the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which sought to end nuclear weapons proliferation. Most nations could keep their nuclear stash while concentrating efforts to move in the direction of the eventual abandonment of these weapons of mutually assured destruction. One nation with the most nuclear warheads is Russia, with 6,375 in a closely guarded stockpile, with the US a close a second with 5,800 of them. Since the end of World War Two, they have competed to develop the most advanced tech for weapons seen. Another is how they've been at it since the end of the Cold War that has added China in three corner rings, with India coming up soon. A bright spot is that none of the five, Russia, China, the UK, France, and the US, want to start a devastating WW3, so they are policing themselves and keeping off the red button. They have pledged to abide by nuclear accords that keep their hands tied and stop anyone firing a single nuke. Hearing the declaration gives many nations a sigh of relief, but Ukraine is a nuclear powder keg. Nuclear Armageddon could end civilization, but squabbles worsen, and only calmer heads prevail in the east and west hemispheres. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Threatens Placing Nuclear Missiles on EU Border if US, NATO Continue Provocation @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Midland County Records A week after being extradited from Mexico, Julio Cesar Lopez-Beltran has been booked into Midland County Jail. Lopez-Beltran, of Chihuahua, Mexico, is being charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting that occurred June 21, 2018, at the Whataburger on East Interstate 20. JamesBrey, Contributor / Getty Images HOUSTON (AP) The oldest Texas death row inmate is to be executed in April for killing a Houston police officer more than 30 years ago, prosecutors said Tuesday. A Houston state judge scheduled the execution of Carl Wayne Buntion, 77, for April 21 during a Tuesday court hearing. Luis Alvarez/Getty Images As the post-holiday demand for COVID-19 testing rises amid the omicron surge, San Antonio's Metro Health Department is warning against phony swabbing sites. San Antonians have been sharing their experiences with sketchy locations online and now health officials are sharing some tips to safeguard against rogue operations. "We have just been made aware that fake testing sites are popping up in the Bexar County area and are addressing this issue," Cleo Garcia with Metro Health tells MySA. A geodesic home in Texas has made a recent roundup highlighting the best Airbnb rentals in the United States. The mid-century rental property in Leander has made a list put together by Conde Nasts Traveler publication. Each of the 52 properties featured on the list is run by a Superhost with a rating of 4.8 or higher, according to the publication. Kitschy as the 1970s kit-built exterior may look, this five-bedroom geodome is stuffed with modern amenities like soaking tubs and high-end appliances, the article by Conde Nast reads. At $913 per night, the Texas home is one of the pricier rentals on the list. In addition to the five bedrooms, it also features three full baths, a full kitchen and an observation tower loft library with 360-degree views, according to the official Airbnb listing. Photo provided/Airbnb While the property provides a retreat from city life, it is also only a 30-minute drive from Austin, so there is no shortage of activities for people looking to get out and about. "Originally built in the 90's from the popular geodesic dome home building kits of the 1970s, The Geodome was completely remodeled in 2020 with Wifi-enabled and fully integrated smart devices throughout the entire house," the listing on the Airbnb site reads. The 3,500 square foot home next to Lake Travis has what is described as a "speakeasy" lounge on the bottom floor, a fireplace and 55-inch smart television on the main floor and a spiral staircase leading from the third-floor bedrooms into the observation tower library. If the amenities aren't enough, the photo opportunities might just serve as the icing on the cake. "Throughout the entire house are fun design Easter eggs that will bring a smile to your face and make a great IG post. The elements of natural wood and trend-setting industrial design and MCM furniture will immediately captivate your attention and help you feel right at home," the Airbnb listing reads. For more information on the property, contact the property owner through the Airbnb listing page. F-22 Raptors are considered to be the best plane, but its days are numbered as a new hypersonic infrared missile will keep it at bay. Stealth is good, but as long as it gets close to its target but it's become moot with a projectile that could kill it in seconds after launch. It forms another layer of the missile shield that the PLA is developing and proving a hard nut to crack even in theory. New weapons affecting the old battlefield After several tests performed last year, the Chinese have made a remarkable claim about their superfast missile development. R ushed with unprecedented speed towards obtaining and developing hypersonic weapons in a modern-day arms race, reported the EurAsian Times. They have told the world of advances in next-generation hypersonic armament, an infrared heat seeker that tracks jet exhaust and homes in on it; at Mach 3+. The US is still lagging until 2025, cited the South China Morning Post. According to the scientist, the advanced heat seeker will keep the missiles on target and maintain accuracy and speed. Perfect for hitting the F-35 or F-22 and any vehicle with astonishing speed. Many claims by Chinese military experts have made the US defense establishment worry about how serious they are. F-22 Raptor at brink of dominance Expert says the ground-to-air hypersonic infrared missile would take many of the F-22 Raptors once unloading its ordnance. A kill assured with no escape since it can only affect radar. Read Also: What Makes the F-22 Raptor Tick, and Why It's So Hard to Beat Based on the US Air Force, Heat-seeking missiles killed about 90% of all warplanes downed in the 1980s, and stealth fighters could be targets because the composition of the material warms up easily while in flight. The plane's stealth has doomed it inadvertently. The F-22 Raptor is a lethal American fighter who is also a key unit of the Global Strike Task Force. It is in charge of mobilizing combat-ready forces for nuclear deterrence and worldwide strike missions. America depends on its stealth fighters as advanced units to destroy the missile defense of China especially. It would be a severe blow to the US forces that the superfast heat seekers lock out their stealth jets. If these heat seekers negate stealth, the Chinese levels more than the theatre of war make the plight of the US forces worse. Previously the US military adopted an approach of keeping its assets spread out and harassing the PLA if needed with their F-22 or F-35 fighters. This means the Pentagon will have more work on its hands. Locking onto heat where the superfast missile sensor can find it a low flying level; this lower altitude generates more friction and heat on the stealth jets skin. The next-generation Chinese heat seeker will home in and kill the American plane. At the Zhuhai airshow, a game-changing radar that will detect stealth aircraft is called YLC-8E. The system is very versatile and would give the US headaches to no end, limiting stealth. The days of the F-22 Raptor are numbered if the Chinese hypersonic infrared missile is in full production, limiting the use of the US forces prized asset will be debilitating to its force projection. Related Article: Israel Wants to Buy Ultimate DogfighterF-22 Raptor @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Florida, US (34429) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 88F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. Low 69F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Canadian authorities have reached agreements-in-principle to pledge $31.5 billion as compensation for Indigenous children who were discriminated against and put into the welfare system. The federal government announced the news after Indigenous advocates spent years fighting for justice and reform related to the controversy. On Tuesday, Canadian authorities released a statement which stated that roughly $15.75 billion of the total funding would be distributed to First Nations children who were forcibly removed from their homes and those who did not receive or faced delays in accessing services. Massive Compensation The other half of the massive fund will be set aside for long-term reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services program, which includes funding for young adults aging out of the child welfare system. In a statement, Canada's Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu said that, for too long, the Canadian government did not adequately fund or support the wellness of First Nations families and children, Aljazeera reported. Hajdu added that First Nations children thrive when they are able to stay with their family and loved ones, in their communities, while being surrounded by their culture. They said that there was no amount of compensation that could make up for the trauma that victims have experienced in the past, but they noted that the agreement-in-principle acknowledged survivors and their families and the harm and pain done to them. Read Also: US Sets Alarming Milestone of 1 Million Coronavirus Cases Amid Omicron Surge as Vaccines Race To Protect Younger People Later on, the government and Indigenous advocates will settle the final details of the agreement for the next few months. Once a final agreement has been detailed, it will be submitted to a federal court and human rights tribunal for approval. For nearly 15 years, the dispute has been debated over and includes a human rights complaint and several class-action lawsuits against several federal governments. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was elected in 2015 and pledged to establish reconciliation with Indigenous people at the core of his agenda, has received criticism for his handling of the issue, The Washington Post reported. Indigenous Children During a news conference in Ottawa, Canada's Crown-Indigenous relations minister, Marc Miller, said that, while the recent settlement is the largest in the history of the country, historic injustices required historic reparations. The Manitoba regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse, said that the agreements-in-principle was a "long time coming." She told reporters that First Nations from across Canada have had to struggle to this day to provide redress for monumental wrongs against their people and their children. Woodhouse added that the wrongs were fueled by an inherently biased system. The dispute began in 2007 when several Indigenous advocacy groups claimed in a human rights complaint that the federal government's "inequitable and insufficient" funding of child welfare services on First Nations reserves was discriminatory. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, in 2016, agreed with the advocates, saying the federal government's funding formula was based on "flawed assumptions about children in care." They said that the situation resulted in a system that incentivized the removal of First Nations children from their homes and their cultures, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush Says He Won't Seek Reelection as Congressman After 15 Terms in Office @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access You will receive 5-day a week delivery of the Citizen Tribune newspaper to your home or business, plus full, ad-free access to CitizenTribune.com as well as full access to the Electronic Edition of the newspaper. ONLY $13.99 per month for the first 3 months! Only $16.00 per month after promotional period. Or ONLY $169.99 for a full year Only $192.00 per year after promotional period. Oklahoma City, OK (73106) Today Windy with thunderstorms, possibly strong during the afternoon hours. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 83F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low near 45F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Cruse Bereavement Care has dropped the word care from its name and replaced it with support as part of a brand refresh. The charity made the name switch because it wanted to use more active language that reflects the services it delivers. Cruse Bereavement Support has also outlined a new values focus about being genuine, kind, ambitious and inclusive. As part of the rebrand process it worked with an agency, Red Stone, and brand consultant, Dan Dufour, who conducted research with bereaved people accessing support, the people providing the support, the charitys 4,000 volunteers and staff, and people who had not heard of Cruse. New website Its new brand coincides with the launch of a new website, which includes a new grief self-assessment tool. To fund the new website development it received a grant of nearly 500,000 from the National Lottery Community Development Fund. Need will increase The charity said that being inclusive and reaching people who need support is more important as it expects demand to rise we emerge from the pandemic. Steven Wibberley, chief executive of Cruse Bereavement Support, said: This is an important step for Cruse. As the UKs leading bereavement charity, over the past 60 years we have supported hundreds of thousands of grieving people. As we emerge from the pandemic, the need for bereavement support will increase in the future. We now have a brand that everyone in Cruse can feel proud of. A brand that everyone had an opportunity to feed in to. And a brand that will leave a legacy of supporting and reaching more grieving people than ever before. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Nevada has agreed to back a proposed nationwide settlement worth up to $26 billion resolving lawsuits against three large drug distributors and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson over the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic, the states attorney general said on Tuesday. Nevada was among a handful of states that until now was not participating in the landmark agreements to resolve thousands of opioid lawsuits against J&J, McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc. The settlements backers had agreed to extend to Jan. 26 a deadline for cities and counties in states that backed the proposal to opt-in to the settlements, citing the potential for more states to join. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said he was optimistic the states local governments would join the settlements, allowing Nevada to receive more than $285 million. There is no question that the opioid epidemic has devastated Nevada and money is needed now to address comprehensive statewide remediation, he said in a statement. J&J said it agreed to a $63 million settlement with Nevada consistent with its proposal to pay up to $5 billion to resolve cases against it nationally. AmerisourceBergen and McKesson declined to comment. Cardinal Health did not respond to requests for comment. More than 3,300 lawsuits largely by state and local governments are pending seeking to hold those and other companies responsible for an opioid abuse crisis that led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths over two decades. The companies deny wrongdoing. The distributors said in September that 42 states, five territories and Washington, D.C., had agreed to participate in their $21 billion settlement. A similar number backed J&Js proposal. The extent state and local governments participate will shape how much the companies ultimately must pay and how much outstanding litigation they face. New Mexico, another holdout state, on Dec. 7 signed on. President Joe Biden attempted to calm fears about the Omicron coronavirus variant on Tuesday, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccines protect against serious diseases caused by the virus. Speaking before a meeting with his COVID-19 advisers at the White House, Biden said the United States has the capabilities to protect Americans from serious disease caused by the virus. He also pushed for keeping schools open at a time when the number of cases is on the rise; some school systems are electing to restart the school year remotely. US COVID-19 cases soar to more than 1 million a day On Monday, the United States recorded over 1 million COVID-19 instances, owing in part to backlogs over the New Year's vacation. COVID-19 infections are currently averaging over 480,000 per day in the United States. Hospitals in several areas have been overburdened, prompting the federal government to dispatch workers to assist with the influx of patients, The Hill reported. However, there is some encouraging news regarding the protection provided by COVID-19 vaccinations against omicron. Vaccines and booster doses have been demonstrated to protect against severe illness caused by the Omicron variant. That's why Biden and government health officials are urging people who haven't been vaccinated to get one as soon as possible, as well as those who are eligible for booster shots. Approximately 66 percent of eligible adult Americans have received a full COVID-19 vaccination, with nearly a third receiving a booster shot, according to the CDC. President Joe Biden stated on Tuesday that coronavirus danger has been greatly decreased thanks to vaccinations and treatment medications. Although the US has given out over 500 COVID-19 vaccines, only 62 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The news comes as the United States has quadrupled its order for Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral therapy. Paxlovid will now be procured in 20 million courses, with four million ready by the end of January, according to the drugmaker and the White House. Read Also: Chuck Schumer Threatens to Change Filibuster Rules If GOP Blocks Voting Rights Bill Again Joe Biden erroneously states it's '2020' Per Sky News, it was proven to be approximately 90% effective in reducing mortality and hospitalization among high-risk individuals in a clinical experiment. It was previously allowed for those above the age of 12, and another pill, molnupiravir, was approved in the United States only last month. In the United States, the Omicron variant, which spreads more easily but appears to be less severe than Delta, is the most common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it accounted for 95% of new cases last week. As individuals rush to get their hands on tests, the White House announced on Tuesday that it was finalizing negotiations to purchase 500 million of them for free distribution to the general population. President Biden reassured Americans on Tuesday that there was reason to be optimistic about "2020" - four days into 2022, he misspoke and said the wrong year. Biden's post-New Year's gaffe came as the president urged people to keep wearing masks and get COVID-19 vaccines, citing the Omicron variant's record-high infection rates. Biden's political opponents frequently claim that he is becoming senile, and during the 2020 campaign, former President Donald Trump accused Biden of being "mentally shot." Biden's defenders argue that he's just prone to making mistakes, citing decades of examples. Biden, 79, is the oldest president; and his mental abilities are increasingly being questioned. Last month, Biden made the same mistake he had made twice before when referring to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as "President Harris," as per NY Post. Related Article: Online Critics Mock Joe Biden as He Gets Stuck on Air Force One After Presidential Jet Lands in Snowstorm @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A decision by a California appellate court last month allows both Allstate and State Farm to pursue lawsuits seeking penalties against an Orange County pain-management doctor who is accused of over-billing insurers. Californias Insurance Fraud Prevention Act allows insurers or other parties to file whistleblower lawsuits called qui tam actions that can result in awards of three times the amount charged plus penalties of $5,000 to $10,000 for each fraudulent bill. The law includes a first-to-file rule, which generally means no other actions can follow after an initial lawsuit is filed. A panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal decided Dec. 14 that the first-to-file rule does not prevent two insurers from filing separate actions seeking penalties for separate sets of false claims. The panel reversed a decision by the Orange County Superior court that dismissed a lawsuit filed by State Farm because Allstate had already filed a lawsuit alleging the same fraudulent scheme. Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Co. in September 2019 filed a qui tam suit against Dr. Sonny Rubin of Newport Beach, seeking penalties for false claims made against it after treating auto-accident claimants. A month later, State Farm Mutual Insurance Co. filed an action against Rubin describing a similar over-billing scheme and seeking penalties for all false claims made to any insurer. The 4th District panel noted that the two lawsuits involve separate pools of victims. Allstate is the only overlapping victim, the published opinion says. Thus, even if the two complaints allege the same fraud, State Farm is only precluded from pursuing IFPA penalties for the false claims that defendants billed to Allstate. Even though the IFPA was enacted by the state legislature in 1993, the court said State Farms appeal marked the first time it was asked to consider the question of whether two insurers can pursue separate qui tam actions for the same fraud scheme. Barry Zalma, a former attorney who now runs an insurance consulting firm, noted the significance of the decision in his insurance fraud newsletter. Its just a great thing that insurers are being proactive since the state is lethargic in prosecution of frauds, he said in an email to the Claims Journal. Both lawsuits allege that Rubin over-billed for procedures purportedly performed at the Newport Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery. The Allstate lawsuit says Rubin orchestrates fraudulent conduct in which he routinely recommends predetermined one-size-fits-all treatment plans without regard to medical necessity or patient safety, to fraudulently increase the value of the patients claims and to maximize his own revenue, profit, and income. The insurer said when treating patients referred to him by lawyers and chiropractors, Rubin would unbundle Current Procedural Codes to make it appear more treatment was rendered than actually occurred. State Farms lawsuit describes a similar scheme and gives greater detail. The suit says Rubin collected up to $4,095 in professional fees for each procedure and the ambulatory surgery center he owns an extra $2,000 in facility fees by fraudulently billing for diagnostic procedures and magnetic-resonance imaging scan interpretations that were either not performed or not medically necessary. Allstate is asking the court to award it at least $34,110,000 for violations of the Insurance Code. State Farm alleges that it paid $6 million for Rubins fraudulent billings, but it is also seeking damages for fraudulent claims made to other insurers, other than Allstate. Attorneys with the Khouri law firm, who represent Rubin, did not respond to requests for comment. Rubins lawyers persuaded Orange County Superior Court Judge William Claster to dismiss State Farms lawsuit, called a demurrer in California, based on the first-to-file rule. After State Farm appealed, both the state Department of Insurance and Allstate filed briefs supporting State Farms effort to pursue its own lawsuit. Interestingly, State Farm and Allstate argued different theories before the appellate court. Allstate argued in an amicus brief that the State Farm lawsuit should not have been dismissed because it involved a different set of victims, while State Farm argued that the identity of the victims was irrelevant. The appellate panel said that it usually does not allow arguments to be made on appeal if they werent made at trial, but it decided to consider Allstates brief because of important policy issues. The court ruled that Allstate was correct: The identity of the specific victims underlying a relators request for penalties is material in an IFPA action, the opinion says. Because the purpose of the IFPA is to disgorge unlawful profits, a separate lawsuit that alleges the same fraudulent scheme but a different set of victims should be allowed, the panel decided. The additional funds recovered from such lawsuits will assist the governments efforts in fighting insurance fraud, the opinion says. The California Department of Insurance also filed a brief in support of State Farms position. The law enhances our ability to protect the public given limited investigative resources. The Department of Insurance filed a statement of interest in the Court of Appeal after the case was dismissed by a lower court because the commissioner has an interest in ensuring that the statute is applied in a consistent manner, true to its text and legislative intent, and we believe this suit should be allowed to move forward in the public interest, Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller said in a statement. BOULDER, Colo. (AP)Federal and state investigators have interviewed dozens of people in their search for the cause of a destructive Colorado wildfire, but the results of that investigationand even a progress reportcould take days, if not weeks, the Boulder County sheriff warned. Declaring that the stakes are huge, Sheriff Joe Pelle said he would not release details on the probe until he was ready to announce some progressperhaps that may be a week, perhaps that may be a month. Getting it right, he told reporters Monday, was more important than the urge for speed that a lot of folks are feeling right now. The wind-whipped inferno erupted Thursday, destroying nearly 1,000 homes and other structures and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate in a rapidly-growing suburban area pockmarked by grasslands between the cities of Boulder and Denver. Two people were missing, and crews sifted two locations by hand and used small tools in their search for any remains. Experts say the winter fire was rare but that similar events will become more common as climate change warms the planet and suburbs grow in fire-prone areas. The blaze broke out following months of drought that included a dry fall and a winter with little snow so far. The investigation into the fires origin is focused on an area near Boulder where a passer-by captured video of a burning shed on the day the fire began, Pelle told a news briefing Monday. He said dozens of people have been interviewed thus far and that experts from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Forest Service were involved. Authorities say no downed power lines were found in the area. Known as Marshall Mesa, the area in unincorporated Boulder County is near the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills and overlooks the more heavily populated suburbs to the east that were devastated by the fast-moving fire. The area is surrounded by tinder-dry public open space and private grasslands. A sheriffs official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that several properties were under investigation, including one in the Marshall Mesa area, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) west of the hard-hit town of Superior. A National Guard Humvee blocked access to the neighborhood on Monday. Over the weekend, authorities executed a search warrant, but the sheriff declined to elaborate and did not comment on whether he thought the fire was arson. In the search for the missing, crews were looking for a woman in the town of Superior and a man from the nearby community of Marshall. Louisville Police Chief Dave Hayes said authorities used cadaver dogs to re-check destroyed properties as a precaution. He said no one was reported missing in the heavily damaged city, but that doesnt mean we wont find something. Hayes told reporters after the briefing that he lost his own home and was wearing a change of clothes he asked someone to buy for him. While homes that burned to the foundations were still smoldering in some places, the blaze was no longer considered a threat, especially after a blanket of snow and frigid temperatures tampered flames Saturday. Most of the 991 buildings destroyed by the fire were homes. But the blaze also burned through eight businesses at a shopping center in Louisville, including a nail salon and a Subway restaurant. In neighboring Superior, 12 businesses were damaged, including a Target, a Chuck E. Cheese pizzeria, a Tesla car dealership, a hotel and the town hall. Among the homes that were still intact, utility crews went door to door to check if natural gas and electricity could be safely restored. What a relief, uttered Louisville resident Carl Johns as a utility worker turned on a gas valve and went inside Johns home of 21 years to make sure appliances were lighting up. He had been living with friends since Thursday, when police drove through the neighborhood and urged everyone by loudspeaker to evacuate. Some of his neighbors werent so lucky. Down the street stood a row of burned homes. That just blows me away, Johns said. The houses arent there, and you cant recognize your own block. About the photo: A catastrophe response team truck sits in front of the Costco damaged by the Marshall wildfire, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in Superior, Colo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The wildfire that ignited on Dec. 30 in Boulder County, Colorado destroyed 1,000 structures and caused insured losses of about $1 billion, catastrophe modeler Karen Clark & Co. said Wednesday. The blaze, called the Marshall Fire because it it started off of Marshall Road, was contained after the area received about 10 inches of snow on Dec. 31. But by that time the inferno had become the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, KC&C said. The previous record belonged the East Troublesome Fire of October 2020, which destroyed over 500 structures and cost nearly $500 million in insured losses. KC&C said Colorado has experienced seven major loss producing fires since 2010. Other notable destructive fires include the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, which resulted in around $450 million in insured losses, and the Black Forest Fire of 2013, which resulted in nearly $400 million in insured losses. Months of unusually warm and dry weather along the Colorado Front Range primed the environment for the fast-spreading Marshall Fire, KC&C said. Precipitation had been at record lows in the region since July, and Denver had just experienced its second warmest fall season on record. The unseasonably hot and dry weather led to desiccated vegetation throughout the state, which can easily ignite and spread fire. The exact cause of the Marshall Fire is still under investigation, but KC&C said an intense, downslope wind event that impacted the Colorado Front Range assisted the fast rate of spread. On the morning of Dec. 30, strong winds were flowing nearly due east across the high peaks of the Colorado Rockies in the mid-levels of the atmosphere. By midday, an amplified mountain wave had developed over the Front Range and began to bring those strong mid-level winds to the surface, where gusts of over 100 mph were reported. Downslope wind events of that magnitude are uncommon, but not unprecedented, in Colorado. In fact, a 110 mph wind gust had been recorded in Boulder County during another downslope wind event less than a week before the Marshall Fire, KC&C said. As is typical of downslope winds, the air flowing into Boulder County from the mountains during this event was hot and dry, enhancing the potential for rapid fire spread. The wildfire season does not typically extend into the winter in Colorado because of the usual snow cover and cold temperatures. But KC&C said the Marshall Fire is part of a general trend of a lengthening fire season and drier fuels in the Western United States due to global warming. The Marshall fire burned approximately 6,000 acres and devastated entire subdivisions throughout Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County, Colorado, the catastrophe modeler said. Heres a breakdown of the destruction, according to the Boulder County Sheriffs Office: Louisville: 553 destroyed, 45 damaged. Superior: 332 destroyed, 60 damaged. Unincorporated Boulder County: 106 destroyed, 22 damaged. In Louisville, a suburban area about 20 miles northwest of Denver, hundreds of homes and a large commercial area, including a shopping center and a hotel, were among the destroyed structures. Source: Karen Clark & Co. About the photo: Ron Damario peers into what remains of his charred safe, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in Louisville, Colo. Damario lost his home after a fire ripped through Boulder County on Thursday. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson) Claremore, OK (74018) Today Showers and thunderstorms - possibly severe during the afternoon hours. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 48F. SSW winds shifting to NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. When it comes to leaving their parents for extended periods of time, being homesick is inevitable for some kids. Summer camp staff members may encounter this from time to time and it is good for them to be prepared to comfort children when those types of situations present themselves. The US has charged a retired Colombian commando with involvement in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, making him the first suspect to face charges in the country. According to federal prosecutors, Mario Palacios was apprehended at a Panamanian airport on Monday and was brought to Miami after previously promising to assist with US law police. He was charged with planning to kidnap or kill someone outside the United States when he appeared before a federal court on Tuesday. He was not reprimanded in custody. Colombian suspect may plead not guilty in Haiti President's assassination Per NY Times, Palacios's lawyer, Alfredo Izaguirre, predicted that the client would most likely plead not guilty at a pre-trial session planned for later this month. He might receive a life sentence, according to the US Attorney's Office. Based on conversations with their families and Haitian police, Palacios, 43, was one of two dozen veteran Colombian military special forces personnel who came to Haiti as private security contractors recruited by a Miami-based organization named CTU Security between May and June. According to Haitian police, the US Department of Justice, and Colombian intelligence, their purpose progressively shifted from providing protection to local guests to attacking the presidential home, resulting in Moise's death. Haitian President's wife Martine Moise, who was injured in the incident, said Moise was killed down in his bedroom on July 7 by assassins who spoke Spanish. However, the specific identities of the assassins, the circumstances surrounding Moise's death, and the plot's final mastermind remain unclear although it appears to have been organized in part in the United States. Palacios might be able to offer some light on some of these issues. According to the first investigative report by Haitian police, he was one of five Colombian ex-soldiers who were part of the "Delta Team" who entered his home during the attack. Read Also: China Hits New High Temperature Since 1961, Including Extreme Weather in 2021; Experiment of Artificial Sun Burns 5x Than Real One Haiti PM urges local authorities to work with the US He was the only one of his comrades to flee Haitian police after the attack. He ultimately made his way to Jamaica, where he was apprehended for breaking immigration regulations. According to an affidavit released in Miami on Tuesday, Palacios opted to cooperate with US law officials in Jamaica, delivering various written statements. Per USA Today, the prime minister's office released a short statement, stating merely that it hoped for justice in the killing of Moise at his private property on July 7. Additional queries, such as whether the government was still attempting to prosecute Palacios or deport him to Haiti, were not answered by the office. Former Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph said the United States taking custody of Palacios was a positive move, but he asked local authorities to work with the US to extradite him so he could face justice in his own country. Palacios was one of over a dozen former Colombian soldiers charged with Moise's murder. According to the Colombian authorities, the bulk of the ex-soldiers were tricked into believing they were on a legal mission to offer safety, with only a handful realizing it was a criminal expedition. More than 40 people, including 19 former Colombian military, have been apprehended. Palacios, a 20-year veteran of Colombia's military, is one of them. According to the Justice Department, Palacios traveled to the United States on June 28, 2021, with a co-conspirator to seek assistance in carrying out the killing. Palacios's travel companion, a Haitian-American citizen, was apprehended by Haitian police and is now being held there. Palacios escaped arrest, according to US officials, and fled to Jamaica. He consented to fly to the United States after being deported from Jamaica and during a stopover in Panama, as per Big News Network. Related Article: Haiti Prime Minister Names New Cabinet Amid Ongoing Disorder; Armed Gangs Challenge His Rule @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Beijing is adamant that the US and Russia should have an accord to regulate and reduce nuclear warheads as part of the arrangement in good faith. Compared to China, the stockpiles of the two superpowers are more plentiful, which worries the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) whether they would be used or not. The third superpower has a No First Use (NFU) policy that prevents it from unleashing its nuclear arsenal. If it loses in a conventional conflict, both the US and Russia must commit to not using them, especially the US. Superpowers agree to control the spread of atomic weapons The risk of nuclear Armageddon prompted a declaration last Monday by the top countries in the east and west to control the unbridling tensions. Specially confirming not to resort to nukes and lessen the spread of atomic energy-based weapons to avoid even a limited nuclear conflict, reported the Express UK. Nuclear tension has arisen after the AUKUS deal that would have atomic submarines developed for Australia by the US and UK. A bring spot is the declaration calls for a future disarming of nuclear arsenals. Due to the unpredictability of the United States regarding treaties, as mentioned by Vladimir Putin noted Foreign Policy, Beijing has specially asked Washington, including Moscow, to lessen their current stockpiles. The Director-General of Arms Control in the Foreign Ministry of China, Fu Cong, stated that Russia and the US have 90 percent of today's total atomic weapons. Stressing only the most legally binding agreement will hold the two nations accountable. He denied the US claims that China is increasing its present stockpiles instead of regulating and reducing nuclear warheads as dictated by the accord. Read Also: Ex-Australian PM Blasts Trilateral Nuclear Submarine Deal With US, UK; Doubts Biden's Credibility To Stand Up to China Cong said the NFU policy stands and has not attempted to increase its power for national defense. He disagrees that the US has vastly more, but that's questionable when Beijing's need for security. He called these weapons of mass destruction as the most effective deterrent, not for fighting wars. Adding that Beijing would develop its stockpile to defend itself and safety measures while in storage. 'No First Use' policy China is bothered by the Claims of the US that it wants to increase its warheads to 700 by 2027, then to 1,000 in 2030, cited NDTV. The joint statement on nuclear weapons was due to a review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a cornerstone of arms control. It is said that a nuclear war will have no winners and should be avoided at all costs. Adding to the number of nuclear warheads on earth should be stopped. Removal of all nukes is the vow under the 1970 NPT, as the end all and be all of the accords. Entering the office, the ex-vice president was expected to lessen the funding for nuclear arms, ex-president Donald Trump allotted funds. Biden also was for an NFU policy only if attacked. He echoed Mr. Cong's sentiment that it was deterrence and striking back if no option was present for its leader. Added that it would be used in conjunction with allies. The NPT is under stress China and Russia are challenging the limits of when to fire the nukes. Both countries are remarkably composed as the US seems to lose its grip under President Biden. Beijing is keen to regulate and reduce nuclear warheads with its NFU policy and is looking to what the west will do, more than Russia. Related Article: Australia, France Row Over the Conventional Submarine Deal; Affects European Union Backing Macron @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BEDFORDSHIRE [mdash]Michael A. Litchfield, Age 73, passed away April 23 in Bedfordshire, England. He is survived by his wife Vivian, 2 daughters Donna and Michelle , 4 grandchildren, 2 brothers Alan and Philip, 3 sisters Janet and Karen of Bedfordshire and Patricia Cramer of Clinton. He was Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) The Department of the Interior and Local Government supports the proposal to impose stiff penalties against quarantine violators amid the recent reports of arriving passengers who skipped their hotel quarantine. In this time of pandemic, I will support that strongly. Buhay ang pinagu-usapan natin dito (We are talking about lives here), Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told CNN Philippines The Source on Wednesday. Its really putting the lives at risk. We dont know the person na mahahawaan kung may comorbidity siya o ano mangyayari sa kanya (We are not sure who will be infected, whether they have comorbidity or what would happen to them). Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has filed a bill which seeks to amend the Republic Act No. 11332, or Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act. If enacted into law, the proposed measure seeks to impose P500,000 to P1 million fine, or imprisonment of one to six years. Ano said there were passengers who really find ways to skip quarantine upon their arrival in the country. Mostly kasi yung mga arriving passengers, naghahanap sila ng way para makatakas ng quarantine, he said. Minsan nape-pressure din sila sa mga family members na gusto na makita agad, gustong lumabas agad. [Translation: Most of the arriving passengers, they are looking for ways to skip the quarantine. Sometimes they are pressured by their family members who want to see them already.] The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has filed a complaint against Poblacion Girl and eight others including her parents - for allegedly breaching quarantine protocols. Ano said that Gwyneth Chuas parents helped her skipped her quarantine in a Makati hotel after arriving from the United States. Yung mga kababayan natin na may darating na kamag-anak, kayo na mismo sana ang mag-push na tapusin ang quarantine protocol. Its a law. Akala nila ordinaryong quarantine protocol lang ito, he said. [Translation: Im asking everyone who have arriving relatives from abroad to remind them to finish their quarantine. Its a law. They think this is just an ordinary protocol.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) The country could see up to 11,000 COVID-19 cases today, and the number could double next week before it begins to decline, an OCTA Research expert has warned. "We're expecting mga...10 to 11,000 cases today sa buong Pilipinas. Mga 8,000 sa Metro Manila," OCTA Research fellow Guido David told Wednesday's Laging Handa briefing. [Translation: We's expecting around 10 to 11,000 cases nationwide today. Around 8,000 in Metro Manila.] He added the number of new cases would still climb in the next few days. "By next week, most likely madadagdagan pa 'yan," David said. "Posibleng dumoble pa yan aabot mga 20,000 plus. Pero...kung susundan natin yung South Africa experience at marami tayong bakunado, may chance na pagdating ng kalagitnaan ng January dun na natin makikita yung peak at magsisimula nang bumaba." [Translation: By next week, the number will likely be more. It could double reaching 20,000 plus. But if we follow the South Africa experience and a lot of people are vaccinated, there is a chance that we will see the peak by mid-January and it will start to decrease.] On Jan. 4, the country saw 5,434 new infections, raising the nationwide tally to 2,861,119. The Department of Health also said the National Capital Region was at critical risk for COVID-19 with a 1,475% two-week growth rate and an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 8.79. South China's Hainan issues first RCEP Certificate of Origin CGTN) 10:12, January 05, 2022 On New Year's Day, an enterprise from China's Hainan Free Trade Port started processing goods under the massive free-trade deal the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Haikou customs issued the first RCEP Certificate of origin on January 1, the day when the RCEP officially came into force. Hainan Yanghang Industrial Company said it will export a batch of aluminum sulfate worth over 46 thousand yuan (about $7.26 thousand) to Japan with zero tariffs and tax reductions of about 2,315 yuan. "As the RCEP takes effect, it adds price advantages to our product, and it also enhances the close partnership between export enterprises and foreign customers," said Li Xiaotao, the general manager of Hainan Yanghang Industrial. Fifteen Asia-Pacific countries signed the RCEP agreement in November 2020, comprising 10 ASEAN members and five of their largest trading partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. "Within the 15 countries, China accounts for 58 percent of the economy and other countries will have easier access to the Chinese market through RCEP, allowing them to share the benefits of China's growth," said Cui Fan, a professor of School of International Trade and Economics at University of International Business and Economics. "To some extent, it can also improve the level of the economic integration of the whole region." Bounleuth Luangpaseuth, the Vice President of Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "RCEP would open a new chapter for regional economic and trade ties. It will also put Laos in the global spotlight." According to China's Ministry of Commerce, over 90 percent of the goods traded between the RCEP signatories will eventually achieve zero tariffs. "The implementation of the RCEP, together with the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement that also came into effect on Saturday, brings the number of free trade agreements and preferential trade arrangements in China to 19," said Peng Weiyan, an official at Haikou Port Customs. "In the next step, customs will take the initiative to provide services and guidance for enterprises in conjunction with the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, and to promote the high-quality development of Hainan's foreign trade," said Peng. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu) Kelly Meggs, the alleged head of the right-wing militia organization Oath Keepers, has filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, attempting to prevent the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot from acquiring certain phone data. Verizon was ordered to provide overall call and text message information about Kelly Meggs's wife, Connie Meggs, cell phones from November 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021, by the panel. Connie Meggs said in a complaint filed on Monday that the subpoena violated her constitutional right to a fair trial by tainting the jury pool and breaking marital communications privilege by exposing discussions she had with her husband. Jan. 6 committee seeks phone records of two Oath Keepers Kelly and Connie Meggs are accused of plotting to prevent President Joe Biden's election victory from being certified, Newsweek via MSN reported. According to court papers obtained by Newsweek, Kelly Meggs was reportedly "looking for" Pelosi during the Capitol disturbance over a year ago. On the evening of January 6, 2021, someone sent Kelly Meggs a message claiming he was "hoping to see Nancy's head rolling down the front steps," to which Kelly Meggs replied, "we looked forward to," a message Judge Amit Mehta considered very probably a mistake and meant to be looking for Pelosi. Connie Meggs is said to have been part of the "stack" of persons that made their way up the Capitol steps toward the building. Prosecutors said that this "stack," in which numerous defendants moved in a line with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them, was proof of a planned effort to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election. The Meggs are two of nearly 20 people accused of conspiring to riot, the most serious accusation facing any of the suspected rioters. The subpoena issued by the committee on January 6 was unduly wide, according to the couple's lawsuit, and included "obviously irrelevant periods." It's an argument Donald Trump used to try to keep information from being given over to the committee, which has been looking for papers from the former president since April 2020. While the House of Representatives' general counsel, Douglas Letter, admitted the records may not offer any evidence, he maintained that they were required to assess the "atmosphere" that led to the Capitol incident. Read Also: Joe Biden Urges Concern But Not Alarm as Omicron Variant Cases Rise; President Doubles Order for Pfizer's Paxlovid Pill Pelosi is concealing information about her culpability According to the complaint, the House committee served Verizon with a subpoena on December 18 for information related to Ms. Meggs' Verizon Account, which also includes Mr. Meggs' cellular telephone number on a family account plan for the period of November 1, 2020, through January 31, 2021, which phone is used by Mrs. Meggs and a family. Per Law & Crime, the subpoena also purports to demand the names and addresses of account holders, as well as phone numbers, length of service, and other details, as well as call and message logs. It is "overly broad and excessively discriminatory," according to the complaint. Pelosi is stonewalling, according to Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis. He is the ranking Republican on the House Administration Committee, which is in charge of the Capitol's administration, as per The Washington Times. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday, he restated House Republicans' demand for the release of papers and correspondence related to the decision not to deploy the National Guard for the planned major protests on that day. Davis's letter was dubbed "pure revisionist fiction" by House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, and another attempt by Republicans to "distract and divert" from the Jan. 6 chaos. Related Article: Trump Plans Speech on Jan. 6; Raising Concerns Among Republicans of Potential Fraud Election Claims @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) Laguna is next to tighten its community restrictions, after the Inter-Agency Task Force placed the province under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 7 to 15. In a statement, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the IATF approved the recommendation of the Sub-technical Working Group on Data Analytics on Wednesday to escalate Laguna to Alert Level 3 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The province is the latest addition to the list of areas under the heightened classification following Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal. Under Alert Level 3, physical activities like face-to-face classes, contact sports, funfairs, live voice and wind instrument events are not allowed. Intrazonal and interzonal travel will be allowed subject to guidelines set by the local government unit of destination. Allowable capacity for certain establishments will also be limited to 30% for indoor venues and 50% for outdoor venues. Gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment, and funerals would still be allowed. Operations of casinos are still prohibited. Gatherings in residences of individuals not belonging to the same household are also not allowed. The countrys COVID-19 cases have been continuously increasing for the past few days and surging to 10,775 on Wednesday -- almost twice the number logged the day before. The Department of Health said it is already assuming that the feared Omicron variant is spreading in communities because of the sudden spike in cases. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos said more quarantine facilities in Metro Manila were opened amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. During an online forum Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday, Abalos said from 48 facilities with 4.73% occupancy rate on December 1, there are now 95 quarantine facilities open with a 35.15% occupancy rate. The MMDA chairman is expecting these facilities to be at full capacity soon, which is why he is suggesting having a home quarantine option again. "Baka mapuno ulit itong mga isolation (facilities) natin, tingnan natin yung home quarantine. Baka pwede sa bahay ka na lang, magpagaling ka na lang doon," said Abalos. [Translation: Isolation facilities may be filled up again, so lets consider home quarantine. Maybe you can just stay at home and recover there.] There are some local government units in Metro Manila that do not allow COVID-19 patients to isolate at home. Abalos said he already talked to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon regarding home quarantine, and that the health department may soon come up with an announcement. Increasing COVID-19 cases among MMDA employees From six active cases on Tuesday, the MMDA reported around 70 COVID-positive employees as of Jan. 5. MMDA General Manager Romando Artes said over 60 employees out of 100 who underwent RT-PCR testing on Tuesday tested positive for the virus. Artes said most of these employees showed symptoms, prompting the swab tests. "Kalimitan naman po, mild and asymptomatic ang ating mga breakthrough infections dahil na siguro ang ating mga empleyado, halos 100% vaccinated," Artes said. [Translation: Our breakthrough infections are mostly mild and asymptomatic cases perhaps because almost 100% of our employees are vaccinated.] He explained the affected employees have a high exposure rate to the virus since most of them are in the front line services of the agency. "Rest assured na lahat po yan ay [that all those infected are] currently in isolation, and we are doing intensive contact tracing to isolate yung mga employees na na-expose [exposed employees]," said Artes. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) The national government is eyeing to place more areas in Calabarzon and Central Luzon regions under Alert Level 3, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano said Wednesday. We are looking at other areas in Region 4-A and Region 3 dahil malapit lang sila sa NCR and probably some key cities also, Ano told CNN Philippines The Source. [Translation: We are looking at areas in Region 4-A and Region 3 because they are just nearby NCR, and probably some key cities also.] But the DILG chief said that escalating some areas to a stricter alert level would depend on the trend of infections. Depende sa ating trend [] With our latest interventions, bababa yan, but not immediately. We expect siguro kung tuloy-tuloy tayo, mga second or third week of January, mapababa natin yung numero. For the meantime, kailangan natin yung tulong ng bawat isa, he said. [Translation: It depends on our trend [] With our latest interventions, the numbers will go down, but not immediately. We expect, if we keep going, we can lower the numbers by second or third week of January. For the meantime, we need to help each other.] Meanwhile, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the government will not hesitate to place an area under Alert Level 3 if needed. "Any time na tumama siya sa parameters for Alert Level 3 or higher [Any time an area meets the parameters for Alert Level 3 or higher], then we will immediately escalate," he said in a press briefing. Ano said the Inter-Agency Task Force will meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss if more places will be placed under Alert Level 3. Areas under Alert Level 3 have high and increasing case counts, with the bed and intensive care unit utilization rate also increasing. The national government earlier decided to place the NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal under a stricter Alert Level 3 until January 15 due to the rising COVID-19 cases and threat of the Omicron variant. The countrys COVID-19 cases went back to four-digits since December 30. On January 5, the number of fresh cases spiked to 5,434, with recorded active cases of 29,809. The NCR is now deemed "high risk" following the significant increase of COVID-19 cases. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) The Palace expressed support for the Commission on Human Rights move to pursue legislative measures for the establishment of Human Rights Institute after President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed it in this years 5.024 trillion national budget. Yes, by all means, if they want to pursue legislation, then let them do so, said Dutertes acting spokesman, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Wednesday. Nograles went on to clarify why the chief executive issued a direct veto on the institutes creation, emphasizing the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) also looks into whether budget was requested for it in the first place. Mayroon tayong budget call na isinasagawa," he explained. "Dapat doon po sa budget call pa lamang ay nire-request na po ito. But if pinapasok or ini-insert sa budget, but if it is deemed a rider, then we do not want riders in the budget because the budget, as with any law, pinagbabawalan po yung mga riders. [Translation: We do what is called a budget call where projects should be requested by then. But if this is just inserted in the budget, but if it is deemed a rider, then we do not want riders in the budget because the budget, as with any law, forbids riders.] Its much better if they pursue legislation separately from a national budget, Nograles added. The CHR on Tuesday said it will keep pursuing the institutes establishment through further discussions with the DBM, along with Congress for proposed legislation. The institute will not cause additional burden to the state as it will use the bodys current resources, it added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) With certain brands of paracetamol going out of stock in some drugstores, a pharmaceutical group has assured efforts are in place to immediately replenish supply. The organization and its members are already exerting extra efforts to make sure that demand for paracetamols specifically will be met, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) vice president Jannette Jakosalem told CNN Philippines on Wednesday. In fact, some of them are already looking at airlifting from different parts of the world where they will be able to source the medicines, she added. The Department of Trade and Industry also assured the situation is temporary, given the sudden spike in demand which had surpassed usual inventory levels in drugstores. In particular, popular brands Biogesic and Decolgen (which are paracetamol and analgesics of Unilab) were temporarily out of stock as the increased demand occurred right after their delivery cut-off in December. DTI has already received reports of deliveries coming in this week, read the agencys advisory. The PHAP official also emphasized the organizations members would not be selling the over-the-counter painkiller more expensively despite the shortage. We will not be increasing prices on account of the current situation. Its already been tested during the time of COVID-19. Our organization is composed of very highly ethical members, said Jakosalem, who also serves as Zuellig Pharma managing director. She also advised the public to use generics while the supply is temporarily low, upon consultation with a doctor for the right medicine, dosage and advice. The DTI, meanwhile, noted that some brands and generics have ample supply in outlets. Rhea Generics product lines are supplied by major companies and we are also assured of continuous supply, said the Trade Department, while urging all drugstores to limit purchase quantity and take measures needed to prevent panic buying. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) An event which typically gathers millions of devotees the Traslacion or grand procession of the Black Nazarene is cancelled this year amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The National Task Force has approved the resolution suspending physical activities related to the annual religious feast, which was agreed upon by Manila authorities and Quiapo Church officials, Malacanang confirmed on Wednesday. Heres a rundown of what to expect during this years celebration: No physical masses, processions The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) will be closed from Jan. 7 to 9, according to the document issued by the task force. No masses shall be physically conducted on these dates, it added. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno also confirmed there will be no processions this year. Livestreaming Masses shall instead be aired online nationwide. Moreno said the Quiapo Church will be providing a livestream of the celebration. Sarado ang simbahan, online mass tayo [The church is closed, well have an online mass], he said. Checkpoints The Manila police and the Joint Task Force COVID Shield shall establish checkpoints along concerned areas in the city. Officers will also be deployed to help manage the crowd that may gather near the Church. Liquor ban Moreno said there will be a strict implementation of City Ordinance No. 5555 which bans the sale of alcoholic beverages and drinking of liquor in areas part of the jurisdiction of the Black Nazarene feast. The Traslacion, which was also canceled last year, draws millions of barefoot devotees every Jan. 9, as they flock to the heart of Manila to witness the traditional transfer of the venerated image of the Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church. Filipino Catholics believe the Black Nazarene image can bring miracles, as it has endured fires that destroyed its home church, two earthquakes, floods, and even bombings during World War II. Government officials and health experts have urged devotees to safely celebrate the feast at home. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday said he contracted COVID-19, becoming the third Metro Manila local chief executive to announce infection this week. I wish to inform my fellow Valenzuelanos that I have tested positive for COVID-19 after recently undergoing routine work safety testing at City Hall, he wrote in a social media post. Gatchalian said he is experiencing very mild symptoms. He added he is currently staying at one of the citys isolation units where he will continue his work as mayor. Rest assured the services of City Hall will continue without any hitches. Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad Borja as well as the whole management team of City Hall will also be in full force physically running the affairs of the city, he said. On Sunday, both Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano and Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco also bared they have caught the highly contagious virus. It is the second time for Rubiano, who also fell ill with COVID-19 in February 2021. Amid the surge in cases, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday said Metro Manila is now at critical risk for COVID-19 transmission, with a whopping 1,475% two-week growth rate. READ: DOH: NCR now at critical risk, Region 4A under high-risk Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 6) The Department of Health is currently in talks with US drug manufacturer Pfizer to procure its antiviral COVID-19 pill Paxlovid. Ang team ng DOH nakipagpulong, nakipag-ugnayan kay [US] Ambassador Babes Romualdez at kasama ang kinatawan ng Pfizer para naman doon sa ating pag-angkat ng Paxlovid, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a Wednesday briefing. [Translation: The DOH team has coordinated and is in talks with Ambassador Babes Romualdez and Pfizer representatives for the procurement of Paxlovid.] Paxlovid is the first antiviral drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19. According to Pfizers latest study, Paxlovid was able to cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within a few days of their first symptoms. Duque assured they are fast tracking the process of securing supply, noting that feedback appears to be positive based on the meeting between the department led by DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire and Pfizer representatives. In a separate forum, the Health chief said the Philippine FDA has been ordered to immediately coordinate with Pfizer to expedite the processing of Paxlovids emergency use authorization once he signs the confidentiality disclosure agreement. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 6) Presidential aspirant Leody De Guzman slammed President Rodrigo Duterte for saying the latter will never apologize for the thousands killed in his bloody drug war. Ang paglala ng mga problema sa droga at korapsyon ang pamana ng rehimeng Duterte sa susunod na henerasyon ng mamamayang Pilipino, he said in a statement. [Translation: The worsening drug situation and corruption problems are the Duterte regime's legacy to the next generation of Filipinos.] In his weekly briefing for the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, Duterte said he will never, never apologize for the deaths of possible victims of his drug war, adding it is his duty to protect the country. De Guzman said these issues helped put Duterte in office which is why he will never let these go even if he clearly failed to eradicate these. Imbes na magpakumbaba sa takipsilim ng kanyang miserableng termino, hindi siya humihingi ng kapatawaran sa libo-libong pinatay ng kanyang kontra-mahirap na gyera sa droga at sa bilyon-bilyong pisong patuloy na nawawala sa katiwalian taon-taon, De Guzman said. [Translation: Instead of being humble in the twilight of his miserable term, he did not ask for forgiveness from people killed by his anti-poor drug war and the billions of pesos lost due to corruption yearly.] The President is only using these issues to avoid becoming a lame duck, the labor leader added. During the briefing, Duterte also reiterated he will not face the International Criminal Court, insisting that it has no jurisdiction over the Philippines. The ICCs pre-trial chamber authorized the start of the investigation into the administration's controversial drug war. However, this was later suspended upon the request of the Philippine government, noting that local authorities are already conducting investigations for all reported deaths. READ: ICC asks PH government for proof of 'genuine' drug war investigation If you have not already registered (created a username and password) then click on the link below to register. If you have already registered (you already have a username and password), please click on the Get Started below. Your account number is located in the upper left hand corner on your address label on the Enterprise you receive in the mail or on the renewal form you received. The last name must read exactly as it is printed on your label. Enter the account number WITHOUT the leading zeros on the label. Separate investigations into the actions of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration have been and are anticipated to be discontinued by two district attorneys in the state, shattering the charges brought against him in his last months in office. Cuomo, who was in his third term as governor, stepped down in August after a slew of scandals over the previous year, prompting New York Attorney General Letitia James to launch investigations into both his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and sexual harassment allegations leveled against him. Albany DA declines to prosecute former Gov. Andrew Cuomo Cuomo's office was the subject of James's first investigation in 2020, following accusations that his administration minimized the seriousness of the outbreak in state nursing facilities. Cuomo's administration undercounted COVID-related fatalities in nursing homes by up to 50%, according to her research, which was issued in January of last year, Newsweek via MSN reported. While the findings had little effect on the overall number of fatalities in New York, they did reignite criticism of Cuomo's policy on nursing facilities during the early stages of the pandemic. On Monday, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office abandoned its investigation against Cuomo over charges that he mismanaged nursing homes during the original coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo was also got off the hook by the Westchester County district attorney last week after being accused of improperly groping a female state trooper and kissing a random lady while in office. Brittany Commisso, a former Cuomo staffer and a current state employee who filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo with the Albany Sheriff's Office for groping her in the Executive Mansion in Albany, met with the Albany District Attorney's office on Monday and was told the case would not be prosecuted, according to sources. Read Also: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver Officially Divorced 10 Years After Separation; Division of $400 Million Wealth Remains Confidential Cuomo's sexual assault accusations Cuomo resigned in August, a week after state Attorney General Letitia James issued a 168-page bombshell report accusing him of sexually harassing 11 women, including nine current or former state workers, as a result of the possibility of impeachment. The report featured Commisso's allegations against the governor, albeit the specific date of the alleged grope was murky, as it said in one part that it occurred on November 16, but also included a footnote stating that Commisso couldn't recall the exact date. Rita Glavin, Cuomo's personal attorney, has attempted to discredit Commisso's charges by pointing up a mismatch in the timeframe mentioned in James's report, as per NY Post. However, evidence discovered by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which probed Cuomo's accusations, clarified the timeframe, particularly with regard to a December text that Commisso assisted the governor in sending to another staffer around the time of the alleged occurrence. Cuomo was charged with sexual harassment by 11 women, according to a report by the New York Attorney General's office. Two additional prosecutor's offices, in Westchester County and Nassau County, declined to press charges against Cuomo based on claims made in their areas. The former governor was accused of groping Brittany Commisso's breast during a meet in the governor's residence, according to Commisso. Per ABC News, Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing. Commisso worked in Cuomo's office as an executive assistant. According to a report from the New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee, "She alleged a pattern of inappropriate conduct that began with flirtatious and sexually suggestive comments and escalated to hugging her tightly, kissing her on the cheek, occasionally turning his head to brush her lips, touching her buttocks on multiple occasions, massaging her buttocks while taking a'selfie' with her, and finally reaching under her shirt and groping her breast." Related Article: New York Prosecutor Declines To Charge Ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo Despite Credible Allegations That He Kissed Two Women Against Their Will @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Former state Rep. Cole Wist of Centennial, who spent two years as assistant House Minority Leader in the 2017-18 sessions, announced Tuesday via Twitter that he's leaving the GOP and becoming an unaffiliated voter. Its been 1 year since Jan. 6, 2021. All downhill from there. Election lies, vaccine misinformation, making it harder to vote, excusing Jan. 6 thuggery, conspiracy theories galore.I tried. I encouraged reason. I urged a pivot from Trump. I failed.Im out. #Unaffiliated Cole Wist (@colewist) January 4, 2022 Wist has not been shy about expressing his frustration with the Republican Party, which he accused of abandoning its conservative principles to follow former President Donald Trump. He went on to become a board member of The Lincoln Project, which worked to defeat Trump in the 2020 election. In a 2020 interview with Colorado Politics, Wist said his relationship with the GOP at the time was "complicated." "While I have no intention of leaving the party, there is no secret that I am not happy with the current trajectory of the GOP," he said. Wist referred to himself as a Reagan conservative and said leaders like Reagan and John McCain showed how people can differ on policy and "yet treat each other with respect." "During my time in the legislature, I took great pride in working across the aisle to find workable solutions for our states problems. I believe folks are elected to serve the people, not a party," he said. As for Trump, Wist said he does not believe him to be a conservative. Wist said Trump was damaging the Republican brand, that the then-president had abandoned "enduring American principles that have guided our country since its founding." Wist was first appointed to his House seat in January, 2016, replacing Jack Tate, who was appointed to the state Senate. Wist was once a Democrat, running for the state House in 1996 when he lived in Paonia. He lost that election to Rep. Kay Alexander, R-Montrose. Wist ran afoul of conservatives when he sponsored the first red flag legislation in the 2018 session with Rep. Alec Garnett, D-Denver. The bill failed in the GOP-controlled Republican state Senate. He lost his re-election bid to Democrat Rep. Tom Sullivan of Centennial, in part because Wist was attacked by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. Wist also spoke against the group when it made an aborted attempt to recall Sullivan in 2019. Wist is now of counsel with Squire Patton Boggs and was appointed to the state's ethics commission in 2021. Wist is not the only prominent Colorado Republican to leave the party. Former Rep. Rob Witwer, who served in the General Assembly from 2005 to 2009, left the GOP and became unaffiliated in 2019. State Sen. Ellen Robert, R-Durango, who was viewed as a potential challenger for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in 2016, left the GOP about 10 months after she stepped down from the Colorado Senate in 2017. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. The World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to label a new strain called IHU as a COVID-19 variant days after it was detected in France. According to reports, the WHO will only label a strain as a variant once it shows an increase in transmissibility, or increase in virulence, or a decrease in vaccine effectiveness. According to AL, IHU contains 46 mutations, and it also carries the E484K and N501Y mutations that could be more resistant to vaccines and could become more transmissible. As of press writing, 12 people residing near Marseille have tested positive for IHU. WHO officials urge the public not to panic On Tuesday, WHO incident manager Abdi Mahamud said that IHU has been on their radar, and it also has a chance to pick up. IHU scientists also confirmed that the first person identified with the IHU strain just returned from Cameroon and is fully vaccinated. In their paper, the scientists said that it's still too early to speculate whether the strain can be classified as a COVID-19 variant, according to the Times of India. Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding posted a lengthy tweet confirming that the new strain is being monitored to determine how infectious and dangerous it is. Read Also: COVID-19 Pandemic Could End This Year If People Would Get Vaccinated, WHO Says "There are scores of new variants discovered all the time, but it does not necessarily mean they will be more dangerous. What makes a variant more well-known and dangerous is its ability to multiply because of the number of mutations it has in relation to the original virus," Feigl-Ding said via The Independent. Feigl-Ding added that a strain becomes a variant of concern when it is able to mutate far more than the original virus. The same can be said about Omicron, which is more contagious and more past immunity evasive. Omicron still the dominant variant in the US Two months ago, the first case of Omicron was detected in South Africa. Within hours, the number of active cases in the country doubled. It didn't take long before other countries reported Omicron cases in different states and cities. In the United States, 1 million cases were reported on Monday. But out of all the states, Washington and Florida had the biggest jump inactive cases in the last two weeks. According to NBC News, COVID-19 cases in Washington increased by 902 percent in the last two weeks. And in Florida, the number of active cases increased by 744 percent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 95 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the United States is Omicron, while the other 5 percent is from the delta variant. Omicron, Delta combined could lead to a tsunami of cases Last month, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of WHO, said that the omicron and delta variants fuel an alarming trend. On Wednesday, he said that the combined omicron and delta cases have resulted in a tsunami of cases. In other parts of the world, thousands of omicron cases have also been reported. Last month, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Denmark were named as the four countries with the highest number of omicron cases, according to Business Insider. Related Article: FDA Announces Shorter Waiting Period for 12 to 15-Year-Olds Getting Booster Shots @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Jared Gendron is an interactive copy editor and reporter at the Columbia Missourian. He has reported on higher education and community. He can be reached at jpgk7z@umsystem.edu or in the newsroom at 573-882-5720. Follow this search Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Danville, IL (61832) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 68F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Rain. Low 57F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com. Donald Trump won't push through with his Jan. 6 press conference to commemorate the Capitol riot amid fears that he won't get enough TV coverage. According to reports, the ex-POTUS was scheduled to host the press conference from his home in Mar-a-Lago, and other officials like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will also appear on a split-screen. Donald Trump releases statement But just two days before the virtual event, Trump made his surprise announcement through his post-presidency PAC. "In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona -It will be a big crowd!" he said via the Huffington Post. Following his announcement, reporter Maggie Haberman claimed that Trump's advisers urged him not to push through with the press conference because most TV stations won't likely cover his speech live. Sean Hannity urged to cooperate in the Capitol riot investigation Trump's announcement also came in the heels of the House select committee urging Fox News host Sean Hannity to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Text messages sent by Hannity revealed that he expressed some concerns ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In one of his text messages, he specifically said that he's worried about the next 48 hours. Read Also: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris To Address the Nation During Capitol Riot's First Anniversary; House Won't Be in Session He also told Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, that he doesn't see the Jan. 6 Capitol riot happening the way it's being discussed. The Fox News host also, sarcastically, encouraged Trump to accept his defeat and return home to Florida so that he could watch Biden fail as president every single day. Last month, Hannity's name was also dragged into the ongoing investigations after his text message to Meadows was also released, according to Yahoo! News. In his text, he urged Meadows to instruct Trump to talk to his supporters via a telecast and force them to return home in peace. However, the ex-POTUS did not do as he was told. US Capitol police chief talks about their preparations Instead, Trump reportedly watched the riot unfold on television while he was in the dining room of the White House. The upcoming first anniversary of the Capitol riot has also forced some of those involved to detail their harrowing experiences. US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said they wouldn't be taking any chance, especially on Jan. 6. After all, his task is to protect the building where members of Congress report for work. Manger also said that his agency is now in a much better position to protect the US Capitol. After all, Biden just signed a law that would allow the Capitol police chief to contact the National Guard in case of an emergency. When asked how the officers' morale was ahead of the Capitol riot anniversary, Manger said that it's different for everyone. After all, some officers got hurt during the riot but are now back to work. And there are also those who were killed or committed suicide due to the trauma they experienced, according to WTOP. Related Article: Conservative Attorney Warns Americans Against Donald Trump Staging a Coup in 2024, Says Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Was Just a Rehearsal @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New COVID strain IHU has more mutations than Omicron France has detected a COVID variant named IHU, which scientists said that it has more mutations than the Omicron variant. The Omicron variant has infected nearly 1,900 people in India. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@JagranEnglish The new variant, which probably originated in Cameroon, as per a study, harbours both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein. As many as 12 cases of the new variant were reported near Marseilles, and have been linked to travel to the African country Cameroon. "The mutation set and phylogenetic position of the genomes obtained here indicate based on our previous definition a new variant we named IHU," the authors of the study said. "These data are another example of the unpredictability of the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and of their introduction in a given geographical area from abroad," they added. The B.1.640.2 has not been spotted in other countries or labelled a variant under investigation by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to a paper posted on medRxiv, the genomes were obtained by next-generation sequencing with Oxford Nanopore Technologies on GridION instruments. Fourteen amino acid substitutions, including N501Y and E484K, and 9 deletions are located in the spike protein. This genotype pattern led to create a new Pangolin lineage named B.1.640.2, which is a phylogenetic sister group to the old B.1.640 lineage renamed B.1.640.1, the research paper said. Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding tweeted that the new variants keep emerging but it does not necessarily mean they will be more dangerous. What makes a variant more well-known and dangerous is its ability to multiply because of the number of mutations it has in relation to the original virus, he said. This is when it becomes a "variant of concern" - like Omicron, which is more contagious and more past immunity evasive. It remains to be seen in which category this new variant will fall, the doctor further said. The Omicron variant has infected nearly 1,900 people in India. Disney on Ices Mickeys Search Party World-class skating, high-flying acrobatics and unexpected stunts will be on display in a search for Tinker Bell through the immersive worlds of Coco, Moana, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Aladdin, Toy Story and The Little Mermaid. Thu.-Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m., 3 & 7 p.m.; Sun. noon & 4 p.m. Tickets start at $19. XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Hartford. 860-249-6333. Fri., Jan. 7 WWE SmackDown! The hard-hitting wrestling show returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena after a three-year absence. Headlining the evening will be a three-way fight between Drew McIntyre and The New Days Kofi Kingston and King Woods, and Roman Reigns and SmackDown tag team champions The Usos. Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville. D.A. Foster & The Shaboo All-Stars An iconic figure in Connecticut roots music, D.A. Foster is best known as one of the owners of the legendary Shaboo Inn in Willimantic, which brought some of blues-based musics biggest stars to eastern Connecticut in the 70s and 80s. 8 p.m. $35-$50. Infinity Music Hall, 2 Greenwoods Road, Norfolk. 866-666-6306. Sat., Jan. 8 Eddie Griffin The funnyman-turned-actor, known for the 90s sitcom Malcolm & Eddie and, more recently, movies like A Star Is Born, brings his unfiltered comedy to Foxwoods. 8 p.m. $37-$62. Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket. ONGOING Mummies of the World This traveling exhibition is the largest collection of real mummies (40) and artifacts (85) ever assembled. The assemblage includes ancient mummies from South America, Europe and ancient Egypt, dating as far back as 4,500 years. Connecticut Science Center, 250 Columbus Blvd., Hartford. 860-520-2160. Through Jan. 09 Peace on Earth holiday art show Spectrum Art Gallery presents its annual Peace on Earth holiday show, featuring representational and abstract art, mixed media, sculpture and photography, all with a message of hope and peace. An artisans store will offer fine crafts. Hours: Wed.-Sat. noon-6 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. Spectrum Art Gallery, 61 Main St., Centerbrook, 860-767-0742 Through Jan. 31 Seasons by Thomas Adkins An exhibit of recent works by the Southbury landscape painter showing plein-air paintings of rural northwestern Connecticut scenes that capture his imagination, as well as works from trips to Vermont and Monhegan Island and the Midcoast of Maine. Gregory James Gallery, 93 Park Lane Road (Route 202), New Milford. 860-354-3436. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Chicago public schools and the teachers union have been going back and forth between holding in-person or virtual classes for students. According to reports, the public schools from the Chicago district were forced to postpone face-to-face classes following a sudden surge of COVID-19 cases. However, they initially refused to do so by saying that they have proper regulations in place to combat the virus. Chicago's teachers' union wants children's safety to be prioritized But the teacher's union insisted that the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases is alarming. And the health and safety of the students and the entire community should be everyone's top priority. For their part, the Chicago public schools are saying that the lack of in-person classes was disastrous for the children's learning and mental health. Chicago public school district believe teachers don't want to work In their statement, the schools also suggested that some teachers just didn't want to report to work even though there is a relatively high vaccination rate in the schools. "This decision was made with a heavy heart and a singular focus on student and community safety. We are deeply concerned about this decision but even more concerned about its impact on the health, safety, and well-being of our students and families," they said via the Huffington Post. Since the decision not to hold in-person classes was only made on Tuesday night, some students still went to school on Monday. Read Also: Illinois Reports 12,000 New COVID-19 Cases Daily; New Infections Could Lead to 'Super Immunity' Chicago schools will remain open for COVID-19 testing Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said that the schools would remain open for administrators, staff, and essential services. However, classes won't occur within the school premises until further notice. District officials will also offer food service, and the grounds will be available for COVID-19 testing. Mayor Lori Lightfoot supports Chicago public school district Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot seemingly sided with the Chicago public school district by saying that the cancelation of classes is unnecessary and unacceptable. In her statement, she said that no one signs up to be a home-schooler at the last minute. She also noted that virtual learning is difficult for the students and for their parents who need to work while tending to their children's needs. According to the New York Times, Lightfoot urged teachers in Chicago to report to work immediately and suggested that they were considering an illegal work stoppage. Out of all the people who participated in the voting, 73 percent said they favored pausing in-person classes until stricter measures were imposed. However, some public schools in other states insist that they won't revert to virtual learning. New York refuses to cancel in-person classes New York Mayor Eric Adams said that they would keep schools open and ensure that all the children are in a safe environment. A mom from New York also said that her son could get the virus outside of school, so the risk is the same regardless of whether he's attending face-to-face or virtual classes, according to NBC Chicago. The teachers union in New York has also urged the mayor to postpone in-person classes. But he insists that the mask and vaccination mandates are enough to keep children and teachers safe. Related Article: Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush Says He Won't Seek Reelection as Congressman After 15 Terms in Office @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sue B. Donnelly, 87, of Crossville, passed away at her home on April 26, 2022. She was born on May 18, 1934, in Crossville, Tennessee, daughter of the late James T. Brandon and Clara (Hamby) Brandon. Sue was the owner of Boats and Harbors and of the Baptist Faith. She is survived by her chil Donald Trump's niece, Mary Trump, publicly slammed the ex-POTUS again after it was revealed that his daughter, Ivanka Trump urged him to stop the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. During a recent interview, Mary shared why she thinks the ex-POTUS didn't heed his daughter's request. "He was getting off on it, and there was no way he was going to stop anything because he was enjoying it too much and he probably wanted it to get worse. You know, the only reason people like Ivanka and others were telling him to stop it is that, in their view, it had gotten out of control," Mary said via Yahoo! News. Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. can't stop their dad She also said that Ivanka and Trump's son, Donny Jr., and the ex-president's former aides all thought that they could stop the monster they created. But it didn't take them long to realize that there's really no stopping Trump. Mary went on to say that her uncle must have thought it was fun to watch his supporters being murderous toward each other on his behalf. And Trump must have also considered that a coup is what would've kept him in power. Last month, Mary also shared why she thinks Trump's eldest son texted Mark Meadows instead of his father to ask him to stop the Capitol riot. She said that Donny was a coward for not contacting his dad directly. She also said that her cousin was scared to send his dad a message that he didn't want to hear, according to the Huffington Post. Read Also: House Select Committee Approves Donald Trump's Request Not To Release Some Documents Irrelevant to Capitol Riot Investigation Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson detail Ivanka Trump's text to her dad Earlier this week, House select committee vice-chair Liz Cheney confirmed that the panel has firsthand testimony that Ivanka asked her dad to intervene. Chairman Bennie Thompson added that the White House was also asked to do something, according to CNN. Thompson added that it seems unusual for a person in charge to watch a riot unfold and not do anything to stop it. So, the House select committee is more determined than ever to figure out what Trump's real involvement in the riot was. When asked if he thinks that what Trump did during the insurrection warrants a criminal referral, he said he doesn't know because the investigations are still taking place. But Thompson stressed that they would do exactly that if they find information that they believe warrants a criminal referral. Donald Trump cancels Jan. 6 Capitol riot anniversary appearance Days before the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Trump announced that he would no longer hold a virtual conference in Mar-a-Lago. Instead, the ex-POTUS said he would talk about the insurrection during a rally on Jan. 15. Prior to his announcement, reports revealed that Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to appear on a split-screen to address the nation. However, this will no longer push through. Instead, Biden and Kamala Harris will push through with their plans to address the nation. A prayer vigil, a moment of silence, and other events will also be held on Jan. 6. Related Article: Mary Trump Explains Why Donald Trump Jr. Texted Mark Meadows, Not Donald Trump To Stop the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Gov. Ned Lamont and other top state officials on Tuesday voiced their unwavering commitment to in-person learning despite an unprecedented surge in COVID infections that have stressed the public school system. This message from the Lamont administration comes on the fifth day of record positivity rates in Connecticut. According to the state data on Tuesday, 10,602 new COVID cases were found in 44,449 tests for a positivity rate of 23.85 percent, which is the highest since widespread testing started in the spring of 2020. If I have a message for you, its: 24 percent infection rate is lousy and it may get worse before it gets better. But we have the tools in place provided you take advantage of the tools, the masks, the vaccinations and then the testing we have the tools to keep you going safe and keep going about your lives, Lamont said Tuesday during a press conference on how the state plans to keep schools open amid the surge. COVID hospitalizations also jumped by a net of 110 patients for a total of 1,562 the most since May 1, 2020 when it was 1,590. Of those hospitalized on Tuesday, 32 percent 500 patients are fully vaccinated. In light of these staggering statistics, Lamont, along with the states education and public health commissioners, attempted on Tuesday to instill confidence in parents and educators as they reiterated their commitment to in-person learning. You have to build confidence every day to give teachers, give parents the confidence we are doing everything we can to keep schools open safely, Lamont said. However, its not yet known on the state level how many students and staff members have missed school so far this week with COVID after the holiday break. Staffing shortages have caused some schools to close, including in Ansonia, where classes are not expected to resume until at least next Monday and the days will be made up at the end of the year. However, Lamont said returning to broad remote learning is not an option and will not count toward the 180-day school calendar. I am going to do everything I can to keep kids in the classroom safely, he said. Theres nothing that compares to a great teacher in the classroom. While facing a tenuous situation as the daily COVID positivity rate rose to nearly 24 percent on Tuesday, officials said it remains critical to offer students the in-person learning experience that they lost during the early months of the pandemic. We also know that schools provide critical supports, mental health supports, social emotional supports, nutrition these supports have grown even more critical during the pandemic, state Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said. The press conference, held on the second day since students returned from holiday break, focused on new state guidance meant to keep children out of school for fewer days if they contract COVID-19 or face a potential exposure. The guidance, which the state Department of Public Health stressed on Monday was optional, offers much shorter quarantines for students with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and also eases isolation requirements for people with known exposures to the virus but no symptoms. In most cases, students and staff with a confirmed case of COVID-19 would only need to quarantine for five days before returning to class on the sixth day, which mirrors a recent update to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions guidance on the matter. If you are sick, stay home, get tested. If you have COVID-19, you at least know you must stay there for at least five days. If you dont, you can return sooner if your symptoms resolve and youre fever-free, Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said. DPH also suggested that school districts pivot away from contact tracing, given how widely COVID-19 is spreading right now through communities. Because individual-level contact tracing is a tool that becomes less effective when community transmission levels are high, DPH recommends that schools begin to refocus the activities of health staff away from the investigation of relatively low risk in-school exposures and toward the identification, early isolation, and clinical management of students and staff with active symptoms that could be related to COVID-19, the department said in the guidance. The guidance comes as Connecticut is experiencing some of the worst COVID-19 spread since the onset of the pandemic. While both infections and hospitalizations have spiked in the recent weeks, children have been among those impacted. Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital and Connecticut Childrens Medical Center have also reported increases in pediatric COVID hospitalizations in the past month. With this rise in cases, a groundswell of new COVID-19 infections among the general population, and concerns of adequate support, the states teachers unions sent a unified message on Monday that more stringent safety measures are needed. The unions requested measures such as more aggressive testing protocols, access to testing, N95 masks and vaccines, and prohibiting combining classes for staff shortages and dual teaching. Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teachers union, said Mondays return to classes saw many student and teacher absences, along with limited access to N95 masks and COVID-19 testing. That wasnt the agreement, she said. That doesnt feel safe, it doesnt feel cared for, it doesnt feel responsible. State officials detailed on Tuesday how they are earmarking hundreds of thousands of at-home tests and N95 masks for school districts. A total of 620,000 tests were being sent to schools, and an additional 50,000 were set aside for early child care facilities, according to the governors office. Deliveries and pickups of these tests started Tuesday morning. Officials hope these deliveries can help bridge the gap before the federal government starts to provide test kits to residents across the country. We are still more committed than ever to keeping our schools open, said Josh Geballe, Lamonts chief operating officer. Two men dedicated to preserving and honoring the culture of the Quinnipiac people one an eccentric Stony Creek-based collector of artifacts and the other a Guilford school teacher have made it possible for us to learn about these Native Americans and see those historic items. As a result of their efforts, which have led to increased public interest in the Quinnipiacs, the Quinnipiac Dawnland Museum, kept in the loft of a barn at the Dudley Farm Museum in Guilford, will soon get a new, larger home at the farm. The Stony Creeker who built the collection was Gordon Brainerd. He spent more than 40 years seeking out projectile points (arrowheads) and other Quinnipiac remnants in the woods, fields and beaches of Branford and adjoining towns. Brainerd, a beekeeper by trade who died last August, was never able to establish a bloodline connection to the Quinnipiacs. Nevertheless, he became known as Gordon Fox Running Brainerd. Gordon was not a Quinnipiac, says Jim Powers, the retired school teacher who now oversees the collection. But I think he was Quinnipiac in his soul. He was incredibly dedicated to the idea of preserving the history of the Quinnipiacs, Powers adds. He scrounged around Branford, Madison, Guilford, North Haven, New Haven and West Haven. He wasnt an archaeologist but did have an archaeologists eye. He was self-taught. Hed walk along the shoreline at low tide. Hed go to fields when they were first plowed and he knew the best places in the woods. People would also come to him and say, Gordon, weve got some arrowheads in our backyard. Powers befriended Brainerd in the 1990s when the two men discovered they had a shared interest in the Quinnipiacs. It was Gordons passion for their history that we at the Dudley Museum really hooked into. Brainerd donated his collection to the museum in 2003. Beth Payne, the Dudley Farm Museums director, says, Im pleased were able to do something that would have made Gordon so pleased, and that people are interested in the Quinnipiac collection and his lifes work. Shes also absolutely thrilled that Powers is carrying on Brainerds mission. Jim has the expertise as well as the enthusiasm. Hes on top of it and will make sure its done correctly. Its been a lifelong journey for Powers. As a kid playing in the woods, when my friends and I played cowboys and Indians, I had to be an Indian. I was drawn to it. I found their culture, the little I knew about it, fascinating. Powers took courses in Native American culture at Wesleyan University, where he majored in European history. While at Wesleyan he became friends with Native American students. And when the student later became a teacher at Guilford High School, Powers created the course Local History Through Archaeology. He retired in 2017. Powers then wrote Shadows Over Dawnland, a novel about a Quinnipiac youth whose life is upended by the arrival of English settlers. The Quinnipiacs called their region Dawnland because it was the first place where the dawns light appeared every morning. Powers notes the Quinnipiacs, like most native peoples, welcomed the Europeans. At their peak there were 2,000 to 3,000 Quinnipiac people, Powers estimates. They lived in villages in New Haven, Branford, North Haven and Guilford. But the Europeans brought with them smallpox. The disease spread rapidly through the Quinnipiacs, who had no immunity to it. An epidemic in 163334 wiped out about 80 percent of the Quinnipiac population. For thousands of years up until then, Powers notes, the Quinnipiacs had creatively adapted to changes in the environment, including climate change. They had to be really attuned to their environment. We could learn from native people. Powers says we should also realize how long Indigenous people lived here: perhaps about 14,000 years, compared to just 400 years for European settlers and their descendants. Many of us have lost a sense of place, a connection to where we live, Powers says, and who the people were that lived here thousands of years ago, and the impact they had. Honoring the legacy of Native American groups is important. Some people are starting to understand this. Quinnipiac University student Daniel Galvet is taking a course entitled Practicing Archaeology, which explores our relationship to the Quinnipiac people. The average Quinnipiac student today does not think very much at all about the people the school is named after, Galvet says in an email. I have heard many students say they were not even aware that the name Quinnipiac refers to the Indigenous people of this area. Galvet is trying to find Quinnipiac descendants, as is Powers. Gordon used to tell me Theyre hiding in plain sight, they merged with the general population. Those people are here. Were hoping they come forward. We want to work with them to keep their legacy alive. During a November open house at the farm, one of the visitors to the loft was Shannon Zich of Granby. After seeing the Dawnland collection, she said: I think its really cool. I like that it exists. So many important historical items are lost. Here you see the way people used to do things. And the artwork is beautiful. The tools and projectile points are supplemented by modern-day paintings of Native Americans. There is also a canoe made by Boy Scouts and a large papier-mache head of a Quinnipiac man, created by middle school students. You can also see the ceremonial headdress Brainerd made and used when he blessed public gatherings. One of Powers favorite parts of the collection is an array of projectile points Brainerd collected from different periods. They reflect the evolution of the culture and technology based on the climate. In the future, visitors to the Dawnland collection will no longer have to navigate the staircase to the loft. The museum has received an anonymous gift of $50,000 to build a new structure nearby that will showcase the collection. Powers and Payne are optimistic construction will begin in the spring. Theyre also planning to apply for a Connecticut Humanities grant to hire a consultant who would design the exhibits, adding visual aids. Powers is encouraged by another sign of increased interest in the first residents of Connecticut: Many people are coming forward who want to donate the artifacts they have found. To view the collection: The Dudley Farm Museum (dudleyfarm.com) is open from June through October. For tours of the farm, including the Quinnipiac Dawnland Museum, email Beth Payne at director@dudleyfarm.com. 99 cent introductory offer Includes everything we offer online for 24-7 news. This option allows you to read unlimited stories at ctnewsonline.com, and access our e-Edition (digital replicate of the daily newspaper). $7.99 per month after the introductory offer. This service comes with a complimentary CT Select Card allowing for local discounts. Rates are subject to change. According to top Taliban officials, the Taliban, which has been sanctioned by the United Nations for terrorism, has begun talks with neighboring countries about recovering Afghan planes that Afghan pilots used to flee to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan after the Taliban took control in August. The exact number of Afghan planes that have flown to Central Asian nations is unknown, but according to certain estimates, there are over 164 planes. In August, the Taliban organization recaptured control in Afghanistan after weeks of the triumphant march on Kabul with little to no resistance. In early September, the Taliban resurrected the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, commanded by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, a significant player in the first Taliban administration. Thousands of Afghans sought to flee the country, fearing vengeance from the Taliban and denial of their basic rights and freedoms, Big News Network reported. Taliban admits tensions against Pakistan The Taliban recognized Pakistani tensions on Tuesday, saying that "issues" with Islamabad will be resolved through diplomatic channels. The Taliban government's Foreign Ministry spokesperson acknowledged that there have been few incidents along the Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months, just days after Pakistan's Foreign Minister admitted that there are "complications" regarding the Pak-Afghan border fencing along the Durand Line. It's important to remember that Pakistan and Afghanistan have traditionally had a tense relationship over the almost 2,600-kilometer Durand Line, which has been a source of friction and strife between them since Islamabad began installing walls along the border. Despite Pakistan's assertions that it has walled most of its borderlands, the situation continues to be troublesome. Notably, the problem persisted throughout Ashraf Ghani's prior administration. Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said earlier this week that the Pak-Afghan border barrier has "some challenges," and that the issue is being discussed with the Taliban, as per Republic World. According to Qureshi, "some miscreants" have exaggerated the incident. His remarks come after a video surfaced showing Taliban gunmen removing a section of the Pak-Afghan border barrier on their side of the border. Read Also: US Arrests, Charges Ex-Colombian Soldier Suspect in Assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise Taliban orders to behead mannequins Meanwhile, the Taliban is said to have ordered the beheading of mannequins in Afghan clothing stores, saying that the dolls violate Islamic norms. The directive is alleged to have been issued by Afghanistan's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in the western province of Herat. The Taliban's decision to outlaw mannequins has been criticized by local businessmen. The new laws, according to commentators, would make things much more difficult for businesses, which are already struggling to remain afloat under the Taliban's new administration. The mannequins were referred to as "statues" by Aziz Rahman, the head of the ministry's local arm, who accused people of worshipping them in violation of Islamic law. Those who disobey the decision, according to Rahman, would suffer severe consequences. Marzia Babakarkhail, an Afghan family court judge who now resides in the United Kingdom, told The Independent that the Taliban's order to remove the heads of mannequins indicates "who they truly are." Related Article: Pakistan, Taliban Militants Agree on Ceasefire After Weeks of Negotiations @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. FAIRFIELD First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said shes not planning to reinstate the towns mask mandate despite rising cases based on health officials guidance. During Mondays Board of Selectmen meeting, Kupchick said about 30 people have emailed her asking her to reinstate a mask mandate. She said she and other town leaders posed the questions to the state Department of Public Health during the two statewide COVID calls last week and were told it wasnt needed at this time. I know that people feel that if a mask mandate is on, then all of a sudden the transmission is going to go down dramatically and thats not what were hearing from public health officials, she said. I keep trying to remind residents in our town that I am not a public health official. I take the guidance of public health officials. Fairfield reported 1,036 cases between Dec. 12 and 25 for a positivity rate of 119.3 cases per 100,000 people, according to the most recent state data. Kupchick still encouraged residents to take all of the necessary precautions to keep themselves and their families safe. She also said people are able to leave the store and shop elsewhere if they dont feel comfortable though officials are not seeing the bulk of the transmission happening in stores. Kupchick said contact tracers have found that most of the positive cases are happening in private gatherings and not at stores where the mask mandate would apply. She said shes received some phone calls from residents about people not wearing masks in grocery stores and while she understands their concerns, she reminded people health officials said the greater chance of getting COVID happens if people are unmasked within six feet of each other for at least 15 minutes. What our contact tracers have said over the past many months is that the majority of our positive cases are not where someone goes into a grocery store and someone two aisles away doesnt have a mask on, Kupchick said. Its coming from Thanksgiving events, holiday parties, dinner parties, kids having parties at their homes or just getting together. Thats where this thing is really spreading. Masks are still required for various situations under an existing gubernatorial executive order for schools, hospitals, public transportation and unvaccinated individuals. Certain towns have also brought back mask mandates for town buildings. Gov. Ned Lamont has said hes not bringing back a statewide mask mandate beyond that because of the enforcement component. The government is instead giving out 6 million free N95 masks to encourage people to wear them indoors. Faifield is also set to receive a shipment of free masks from the state. Kupchick said the health department is advising people to continue to take the necessary precautions and encouraged people to get vaccinated because those who are unvaccinated are more vulnerable. Vaccinated people are also showing less severe symptoms. We all know what we need to do wash our hands, take care of yourselves, if youre not feeling well stay away from other people and make sure youre not exposing, she said, adding this is especially true because what someone thinks are allergies could actually be COVID. She said the number of cases in South Africa where the omicron variant was first reported, have plateaued and hopefully that will soon be seen in the U.S. and Fairfield too. The Zoom chat went wild with messages of support when panelist Jill Nowacki, CEO of Humanidei + ORourke suggested during the first-ever CUES RealTalk! program that organizations could set the tone for gender equity by throwing baby showers for expecting dads. In addition, several participants said they had already done so. They contributed their experiences and best advice to this article. Mortgage Services Teams Fun Committee Has Long Hosted Showers The 130-employee mortgage services team at Mountain America Credit Union has been hosting baby showers for all employees for at least 12 yearsas long as CUES member Jennifer Bass has been a part of it. Cullman, AL (35055) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. STORY LINK Pound US Dollar Exchange Rate News: GBP/USD Dips from Seven-Week High as Coronavirus Continues to Spread GBP/USD Mixed as Coronavirus Continues to Dominate Global Stage Pound (GBP) Rangebound amid Increase in Coronavirus Cases US Dollar (USD) Directionless as Investors Await FOMC Minutes GBP/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: Will USD be Supported by Fed Minutes? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate is trading flat in the beginning of todays session in response to coronavirus cases remaining high.At the time of writing, the GBP/USD exchange rate is trading at approximately $1.3539, with minimal market movement.The Pound (GBP) is muted against the US Dollar (USD) at the beginning of todays session, despite refreshing a 7-week high earlier this morning, as coronavirus cases continue to spread across the UK.According to the latest figures, there are 15,044 patients in hospitals across England suffering with Covid-19.On Tuesday, it was reported that the UK had set another record high, reaching 218,726 cases within 24 hours. This is up by 51% from the previous week.In spite of the increase in case numbers, UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson insisted that the UK should ride out the Omicron wave, and has since faced some backlash.Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group, said:The problem, of course, is that if you're thinking about introducing controls, once you're beyond the peak of the infection, then that has much less effect.The next few days will be really, really key for us to try to identify that - children are going back to school, we've had sort of differences in mixing patterns over the Christmas period and we are yet to see what happens in the data as a result of that.On the other hand, Johnsons suggestion than no further restrictions are likely to be reinstated in England offers some support to GBP exchange rates this morning.Meanwhile, the US Dollar (USD) is trading flat against the Pound (GBP) as investors await the publication of the minutes from the Federal Reserves latest policy meeting.The release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes this evening may shed more light on the Feds policy plans for 2022, with USD investors seeking to gauge whether a March rate hike may be on the cards.Moreover, demand for the Greenback is also being supressed by a pullback in US Treasury yields this morning.On the other hand, the high case numbers of the Omicron variant across the US, having reached a global high of 1 million cases per day, may be underpinning USD as it weighs on market risk appetite.Looking ahead, the Pound US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate is likely to be weighed on by US data releases and coronavirus advancements.USD is likely to remain mostly directionless until the release of FOMC minutes this evening. Will a hawkish outlook from the FOMC bolster USD exchange rates?Elsewhere the ISM non-manufacturing PMI for December is scheduled for release on Thursday, with the index forecast to slip from a record high of 69.1 to 66.9, but likely underpinning USD as this will still be a strong result for the US service sector.Meanwhile, the UKs final reading for Decembers services PMI is forecast to drop from 58.5 to 53.2, showing a slowing of growth in the UKs vital services sector. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Dollar Forecasts A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday that China's widely used coronavirus vaccine, Sinopharm and Sinovac, still offer some protection against severe illness caused by the infection despite contradicting information spreading worldwide. The official said that the Chinese treatments can also reduce hospitalization and death rates caused by the spreading Omicron variant despite a decline in protective antibodies. The WHO official, identified as incident manager Abdi Mahamud, made his assessment just days after several preliminary laboratory studies. Sinovac Against Omicron The scientific reviews indicated that three doses of Sinovac did not produce sufficient antibodies to prevent infection from the highly transmissible new variant of the coronavirus. One study conducted by researchers from Yale University, the Dominican Republic's health ministry, and other institutions concluded that two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and a booster shot from Pfizer were not enough to stop a person from being infected with the Omicron variant. On Tuesday, Mahamud said that, while the Omicron variant was evasive of antibodies and could still cause infection, evidence suggested that the vaccines still provided protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death, the South China Morning Post reported. The situation comes after researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a study that found three doses of the Sinovac vaccine did not provide enough antibodies to fight off the Omicron variant. The analysis revealed that Pfizer-BioNTech was much more effective in keeping the infection at bay. Read Also: 12 People in France Infected With Possible COVID-19 Variant IHU; New Strain Has 46 Mutations The researchers found that a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine administered after two initial doses of the Sinovac vaccine provided "protective levels" of antibody against the Omicron variant. Authorities from Pfizer and BioNTech said that their vaccine was able to neutralize the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test using a three-shot course. The recent study was funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund and the Government of Hong Kong. The released statement did not specify how many samples were used in the study and Sinovac did not immediately provide comments regarding the issue, Reuters reported. Efficacy of the Vaccine Another study, conducted by the Pontifical Catholic University in Chile (UC), showed that the Sinovac vaccine booster dose had the potential to activate cellular immunity against the Omicron variant on subjects who were previously given two doses of the same vaccine. Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy director Prof. Dr. Alexis M. Kalergis led the study whose objective was to assess whether the immunity activated by the Chinese coronavirus vaccine booster was able to identify the Omicron variant. In a statement released by Pharmaniaga on Saturday, Dr. Kalergis said that people who received the Sinovac vaccine booster had T-cell levels that were activated against the new variant. "This shows that the vaccine contains antigens that are found in the Omicron variant. The results show that when T-lymphocytes come in contact with the Omicron variant, they are able to produce gamma interferon which is capable of killing the dangerous virus," said Alexis, The Star reported. It was also found that Chile researchers cooperated with the Catholic University, the University of Chile, the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in California, and Sinovac in China. Related Article: US Sets Alarming Milestone of 1 Million Coronavirus Cases Amid Omicron Surge as Vaccines Race To Protect Younger People @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A judge debating whether Virginia Giuffre's sexual abuse lawsuit should go to trial has grilled Prince Andrew's attorneys. In her legal action, Giuffre claims that, when she was 17, she was forced to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein's pals, including the Duke of York. The charges have been strenuously disputed by Prince Andrew, 61, who believes Giuffre is looking for a "payday at his cost." Judge questions Prince Andrew's move to dismiss sexual abuse case During the hearing on Tuesday, lawyers for both sides argued over whether a $500,000 settlement agreement struck in 2009 between Epstein and Giuffre - which was unsealed on Monday - could free Prince Andrew of culpability. The complaint did not identify Prince Andrew as a defendant, but it did include a release for any other person or entity who may have been listed as a possible defendant. The prince's lawyer Andrew Brettler said that the suit's accusations were unclear and didn't indicate when or where the alleged assault occurred, The Independent reported. Brettler went on to state that the lawsuit did not detail the prince's alleged misbehavior. Giuffre's attorney David Boise argued that the 2009 agreement should not apply to Prince Andrew since it covered unrelated claims. Shortly after, Judge Kaplan adjourned the remote session and promised a decision soon. Read Also: QUEEN-IN-WAITING: How Kate Middleton Prepares For the Throne Prince Andrew was mocked for hiding behind Jeffrey Epstein's payout According to Newsweek, Prince Andrew's attempts to get his sexual assault case dismissed have prompted outrage on social media in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Andrew Brettler, the Duke of York's counsel, had a tense debate with a court on Tuesday over whether Virginia Giuffre had the legal right to sue him. According to the prince's legal team, his accuser agreed to a $500,000 deal with Jeffrey Epstein in which "other prospective defendants" were absolved from responsibility. The court, however, suggested that owing to a phrase stating that the document was "not meant to be utilized by any other person," he may not be able to enforce it. The report intends to have further tarnished Prince Andrew's reputation on both sides of the Atlantic, with pundits disgusted by his reliance on Epstein's payoff. Judge Lewis Kaplan did not reach a ruling at the end of the session but hinted one would come "very soon." Prince Andrew's reliance on the Epstein settlement was not the only thing that grabbed notice; his attorneys also claimed that a time extension to the New York Child Victims Act was illegal. Yesterday's hearing was viewed as one of Prince Andrew's final chances to get the civil complaint dismissed before the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year, which would be overshadowed by a trial this autumn. His side maintained that the 2009 agreement Giuffre made with Epstein absolved the duke of any culpability. Virginia Giuffre seeks monetary damages However, Judge Kaplan appeared to dismiss this part of the argument, saying that "potential" was a word that neither he nor Brettler could "find any meaning at all." He went on to say that the "real question" is what Giuffre and Epstein intended when they signed the settlement; and the financier, who committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on additional child sex charges, was not around to say. The arrangement, according to Giuffres' team, does not provide Prince Andrew with any protection. The prince is thought to have listened in on the Windsor hearing. Giuffre is suing the Queen's son, alleging that he sexually assaulted her as a teenager. She is seeking specific monetary damages although it is expected to be in the millions of dollars. She alleged that Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew while she was 17 years old and a minor in the United States. All of the charges have been refuted by Prince Andrew. During the hearing, the definition of "possible defendant" was debated, with Brettler telling Judge Kaplan that it meant "someone who was not listed as a defendant but might have been." Per Daily Mail, Giuffre knew she had "claims against" when she launched the complaint in 2009 against infamous billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, whose former lover Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted this week of soliciting adolescent prostitutes for him. Related Article: Prince Andrew's Accuser Speaks Out After Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict; What The Trial Means for the Duke? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ryan Anderson/Daily Citizen-News "We're a family here, and there's not a time when someone doesn't respond to a need," said Paula Wheeler, Varnell Elementary School's first-year principal. "It was very humbling and wonderful" to receive so many congratulations from the school's staff when they learned she'd be the new principal, and "I'm so excited and thankful to be here every single day." After recently moving from Yucatan, Mexico, to Eugene to live with extended family, 19-year-old Beto Solis and his family members went out to lunch at El Torito Meat & Grocery Store. He ordered a burrito his favorite dish and a horchata, and started to feel at home. The decorations and layout in El Torito reminded him of the supermarkets he grew up with in Mexico. It is laid out exactly as it would be in Mexico, Solis said. It is very authentic. El Torito Meat & Grocery Store is more than a corner market of dulce de leche and tamarind candies it is a carniceria, which means butcher shop in Spanish, with multicultural meat preparations, a queseria, a cheese shop and a taqueria a restaurant that serves tacos accompanied by agua frescas and salsas. On Saturdays and Sundays, the smell of grilling chicken on the outdoor stoves greets people as they arrive at the store with their grocery lists. The stores walls have colorful banners and streamers and an array of pan dulces, Mexican sweet breads, at the front entrance. Employees offer assistance to those who are curious about the diverse Central American, South American and Middle Eastern food options available. El Torito is a chain based in the Willamette Valley. El Torito owners Alfredo Mendez and Liliana Perez opened their Eugene location in 2019. They also have locations in Salem, Woodburn and Lincoln City, Oregon. Rosita Rivera, the store manager of two years, said the grocery store is important for the Eugene community because it offers a lot of various products from regions other than Mexico, such as Peru and the Middle East. The food options range from fresh plantains, empanada dough and regional candies. Rivera enjoys listening to customers when they want to make a food request on a product not found in a store. We always want to hear from the customers on what product they are looking for so we can bring it in, Rivera said. Ivan Mariscal, a butcher in the carniceria for over a year, said he purchases meat from the store to make carnitas tacos or beef stew at home. Mariscal recommends that customers check out the carniceria because of its high-quality products. He is in charge of creating different beef, pork and fish cuts for the display case. I like to work at the butcher shop because of the customer service and making different kinds of cuts of meat, Mariscal said. I enjoy this store because the food is versatile, Jewels Metzner, a local customer, said. Metzner and her husband visited the store to stock up on tamale husks and dried chilies for salsas before their Christmas road trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Metzner likes to make all her foods from scratch during the holidays. I dont necessarily come here a lot, but it usually has what we need for Mexican meals, Metzner said. I am originally from Arizona. You cant go to Albertsons here and get the tortillas or husks you need. Rivera's business succeeded despite the pandemic's effects on the economy. The store was able to meet its growing demands by increasing the menus in the carniceria and adding more diverse products. Rivera also credits the stores success to the employees hospitality. It is a very friendly and helpful atmosphere, Rivera said. The employees always answer a lot of questions. We try our best to answer the best way we can, and if we cant, we will try to find an answer for you. El Torito is a local destination for the expert traveler or the Instagram foodie who do not want to go far to eat their favorite dishes. The staff serve a big part in sharing Latin American cuisine with the local community and dedicate themselves through laborious food preparations. El Torito takes customers out of Eugene, Oregon, and places them into a typical marketplace one would find in Latin America. El Torito is located at West 7th Avenue and Polk Street. It is open all week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Business promotions and updates can be found on their Facebook page. Carolyn Caudill Tipton, age 83, of Corbin, KY, passed away on Saturday April 30, 2022, in Corbin She was born in Ashland, KY, a daughter of the late Rexford & Mollie DeBord Caudill. Carolyn was a retired nursing home LPN. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her child More teenagers were stabbed or shot to death in London in 2021 than ever before. Two of the total of 30 were killed last Thursday night a talented 15-year-old musician in South London and a boy just one year older in Boris Johnson's Uxbridge constituency. It's an appalling toll, one that shames Britain and brings untold grief to families. And, while we may not ever know for certain the reasons behind these tragic deaths, it is an inescapable fact that in a vast number of cases, the cannabis trade is to blame. Sadiq Khan reportedly wants to end the prosecution of young people caught with cannabis Some of these dead children are members of drugs gangs, others are innocents in the wrong place at the wrong time, or victims of mistaken identity. But the burgeoning drugs economy is the real killer. Yet the response of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has not been to crack down on drugs and protect the citizens in his charge, but to do the opposite and start to decriminalise these substances. Delusional Under a new scheme, police in Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich boroughs will be told not to arrest young people caught in possession of cannabis. It is also understood that the amnesty may extend to all class B drugs, including ketamine and dangerous amphetamines like 'speed'. I cannot fathom what Khan thinks he is doing. It staggers me. Perhaps he imagines he can break London's endless cycle of crime he seems unable to get a grip on by simply decriminalising the peddling of drugs because if it's no longer illegal, the pushers by definition will not be criminals. But that is plainly delusional. The reality is that criminal gangs will see their turnover soar as trade increases. And that will attract more crime, not less. The gangs already control a highly organised network stretching across the whole of Britain, the so-called County Lines gangs which rely on children to transport the drugs out to the provinces. Khan's policy will only encourage and strengthen them. As head of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), I am no advocate of hardline, bring back-flogging punishment. We have argued for a long time that heavy-handed sentencing is a completely impractical solution to drug crime. For young offenders, like those on the fringe of gangs, the best answer is to encourage them into better lives through rehabilitation, education and family support. All the evidence shows that young people with full-time jobs have immeasurably better life chances. But it is impossible to steer people on to that right path if the alternative is being openly promoted as legal and attractive by London's mayor and its police the very people who should be enforcing the law. I know how destructive cannabis is because, for 12 years, I ran a charity in the Midlands called Twenty Twenty. Targeting disadvantaged young people with broken lives from the poorest parts of Derby, Leicester and Loughborough, we did everything we could to turn their lives around. At best, it was a difficult job. But when the kids turned up stoned, it was impossible. Under a new scheme, police in Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich boroughs will be told not to arrest young people caught in possession of cannabis (stock photo) A report in the statistical journal Significance in 2013 listed symptoms of cannabis psychosis: 'Hallucinations, difficulty thinking, a reduced ability to solve problems, apathy and a distorted sense of reality.' There is also a wealth of evidence linking the drug to increased risk of heart attacks, infertility, and a range of other psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. That mirrors exactly what we saw, witnessing the enormous damage it could do, both in the disruption to the daily slog of school and in the long-term damage to young brains. I used to visit the inner city estates and discuss individual problems with the families, especially the mothers. Their frustration and despair was heartbreaking. Many told me that, if they ever caught their children with drugs, they would 'go ballistic'. But what use was that when the police were turning a blind eye? Families often expressed a desire to see more stop-and-search on the streets. Their children were dying. Far better for teens to be subjected to the inconvenience of a search if that meant there were fewer knives and handguns. Mr Khan's big idea runs directly counter to what those families wanted and needed. It will amount to no more than a wishy-washy, middle class pipe-dream imposed on communities that often feel powerless to protect their own children and desperately desire more help from the police, not less. A major deterrent to drug abuse is the threat of legal penalties. If people fear the chance of arrest, some will, of course, ignore it but many will think twice. Addictive A 2018 survey by the CSJ found that if cannabis is decriminalised in Britain, as it has been in some U.S. states such as Colorado and Oregon, around a million new people will try it. They don't currently use it, and the chief deterrent is the fact that it is illegal. Figures differ on how addictive cannabis can be. Our data suggests about one in ten users become hooked, but that is a cautious estimate a survey by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found one in five teenagers who smoked the drug casually for three years developed an addiction. A proposed pilot programme would see young adults caught with the Class B drug offered speeding course-style classes or counselling instead of arrest. . Pictured: In April, thousands of marijuana fans flocked to Hyde Park to openly smoke cannabis as they celebrated '420 day' Even at the lower end of those projections, that means decriminalisation equates to roughly 100,000 new addicts, putting a greater burden on our already overstretched health service. The only people who would benefit from Khan's plan are the gangs. Families suffer, young people see their prospects and their health wrecked, and society bears the cost. It is hard enough for youths with limited job prospects and no money as it is: they see a chance to earn more cash than they could ever imagine, in a way that won't affect their benefits, and they do not understand or care how dangerous it could be. Dramatic But if you believe that if the police catch you, you will have a criminal record and you could even go to prison perhaps some will think it's not worth it. The power of that argument is wiped out by the mayor's plan. Other countries have tried this experiment and suffered the repercussions. In a public clean-up campaign in 2020, Amsterdam's coffee shops famed for decades for trading in cannabis and a popular attraction for tourists were barred from selling to non-residents. The effect on public safety was dramatic. The shops had started drawing undesirable visitors to the city what a Dutch government report called 'a motley crew of drugs criminals, a ring of hustlers and parasites, middle-men and extortionists'. Khan's plans risk attracting exactly that kind of drug tourist to London. He seems to feel it is a risk worth taking. But he has not spent the years I have meeting children and young adults in addiction clinics and pupil referral units, or in police and prison cells their lives destroyed by drugs. And those are the ones lucky enough to be alive. Any policy that promotes drug use is a risk too great to take. And when faced with the reality of those damning teenage murder statistics the reality of lives cut short and families ripped apart is that really too hard to understand? A Holocaust survivor who endured the horror of multiple Nazi concentration camps before dedicating her life to telling her survival story to children around the UK has died at the age of 98. Freda Wineman, who was born in France but emigrated to London in 1950, survived periods in Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald's Ragun, and Theresienstadt before being liberated in May 1945. During her ordeal, in which her parents and brother were killed, Wineman came face-to-face with Josef Mengele, survived brutal conditions including being forced to sort through possessions of dead prisoners. After marrying and moving to the UK following the end of the Second World War, she spent her life telling her story at schools across the country. In 2018, she was awarded the British Empire Medal for her service to Holocaust education. Scroll down for video Freda Wineman, who was born in France but emigrated to London in 1950, survived periods in Nazi concentration camps including Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald's Ragun and Theresienstadt before being liberated in May 1945 The Holocaust educator, pictured in 2015, spent her life after the Second World War telling her story at schools across the UK. In 2018, she was awarded the British Empire Medal for her service to Holocaust education Many people have paid tribute to Wineman's work on social media, with the Holocaust Educational Trust describing her as 'a special woman' who 'touched all of our hearts' while Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it was a 'privilege to meet her. May her memory be a blessing.' Born in September, 1923, in Metz, France, Wineman was eight when she moved with her parents and three brothers to Sarreguemines - near the French border. As the Second World War loomed in August 1939, the family evacuated to the south west of the country with nothing but the clothes on their backs - and when German forces invaded a year later, life quickly became difficult for them. Wineman's terrified mother turned to a convent in Le Puy for help but before they were able to go into hiding the family were arrested and sent to Drancy, an internment camp on the outskirts of Paris. Recalling the ordeal as part of the British Library's National Life Stories collection, she said: 'We didn't know what would happen to us. It was only my mother... my mother had lost confidence, she said, "It's finished." Once she was arrested, for her, there was no more hope.' New life in the UK: Wineman is pictured after emigrating to London in 1950. She married a British man called David and had two children The family were quickly sent in a cattle car - with 125 people crammed into one wagon - to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Nazi-occupied Poland. 'From time to time they gave you a drop of water', she said of her time in the death camp. 'You know, and there were already terrible scenes, you know, because people had to release themselves, there were no facilities.' When the family arrived at Auschwitz after around three or four days of travelling, they immediately faced the Angel of Death, Josef Mengele, for selection - either for the work camps or gas chambers. Wineman recounted that her mother was told by Mengele to hold the baby of a 'beautiful' young Dutch woman, with guards lying that she would be looking after children in the camp. She remembered: 'He said, "You go with the young ones over there. The young ones are going to work, and the older ones will look after the children". Campaigner: Wineman is pictured in 2013 with then Prime Minister David Cameron signing the Book of Commitment ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day 'He looked a terribly smart, well-groomed officer, with a big smile on his face and full of confidence. My mother said, "You know, it's finished, this is the end." Her mother was sent to the gas chamber with her young son Marcel while her father and brothers were sent to work on the male camp. Wineman was ordered to go with other young women who had been selected to work in the camp, soon being stripped of her possessions, shaved, branded with the number A.7181 and set to work digging trenches in front of the crematorium. As Jews were murdered and their bodies burned, Wineman described Birkenau's sky as 'black' from the smoke, adding: 'we thought it was night time all the time'. What was the 1944 Sonderkommando revolt? On October 7th, 1944, the Sonderkommando work units of Nazi death camp prisoners attacked their SS guards in Auschwitz. The plan was carefully thought out and saw female Jewish prisoners smuggle gunpowder from the munitions factory to create makeshift bombs and grenades. The group hid tiny packages of powder in the false bottoms of food trays and in corpses being sent to the crematoria. During a roll call one of the prisoners walked up to a Nazi officer and struck him with a hammer - ensuing chaos. The SS were attacked with hammers, knives and explosives and some prisoners tried to cut the wire fences to escape while guards opened fire with machine guns. Three SS men were killed and around a dozen injured. The prisoners who escaped were captured and executed along with hundreds of Sonderkommando prisoners and the women who assisted them. Advertisement After two months, she was forced to work as Kanada Kommando - sorting through belongings of prisoners and murder victims whose valuable possessions would be sold on to fund the Nazis. Wineman would smuggle clothing back for the other girls - but when three of her friends were caught and hanged, she was moved back to the trenches. 'We had to stand there, and we had to witness how these three friends of ours had been killed, she said. 'From that day onwards, we were not allowed to work there any more, and we were also put into a punishing group, and that was a time when we were terribly depressed from losing our friends, we were punished ourselves, having the SS around us with the dogs, having to dig trenches, and being beaten up and given no food.' Wineman also recalled the terrifying weekly selections, where Mengele would pick which prisoners would survive and who would be sent to the gas chambers. She said the second a prisoner looked too weak to work they would be selected to die. 'I can assure you that when you pass Mengele, you didn't look him in the eyes, I can assure you, you couldn't pass quick enough, because, you knew if he points his finger, that was your death sentence, you had it', she said. When the Sonderkommando revolt occurred in October 1944 - which saw prisoners attack SS guards, killing three and injuring a dozen Nazis - Wineman was moved from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen. Conditions at the camp were so poor and crowded that she developed an abscess on her stomach after another prisoner scratched her with a dirty toenail while she slept. The Holocaust educator said prisoners didn't work at Bergen-Belsen and were woken up daily by being beaten with a stick. Food was scarce and conditions were so poor that many died of starvation and lack of medical treatment. She remained in Bergen-Belsen until February 1945 when she was sent to a sub-camp of Buchenwald to work in an aeroplane factory with 750 other women. When she arrived at the camp, called Ragun, a finger abscess had become infested with worms and another prisoner was forced to cut the tip of her finger off with scissors. Wineman was once again moved, this time to Theresienstadt in the now Czech Republic as the Allies advanced. Wineman is pictured with Boris Johnson in 2015 as he hosts Holocaust Memorial Day at City Hall, London in 2015 On May 9, 1945, she was liberated by Soviet troops and discovered that her father and brother Marcel, had been murdered at Auschwitz. On June 4th, she returned to Lyon where she was hospitalised with typhoid before finally being reunited with her remaining brothers David and Armand in August 1945. Five years later, she married her husband David and moved to the UK, having two children and working to spread awareness of the Holocaust. Wineman, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018 for her service to Holocaust education, continued to live in London until her death this week, having dedicated her life to sharing testimony with students across the UK. Sebastian Gorka, a pro-Trump commentator and radio host, filed a lawsuit to block a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee responsible for investigating the events leading up to the unprecedented Capitol Hill riot last year. The individual filed the suit on Tuesday where he accused the committee of overstepping its authorities and requesting a court to stop Verizon from turning over his phone records. The lawsuit argues that the committee did not ask Gorka to answer questions or provide any other documents, Politico reported. Sebastian Gorka's Subpoena Gorka said that he had only been asked to speak at a Jan. 6 rally that was meant to be held in front of the Supreme Court. However, his speech was canceled with him saying that he was merely a spectator for the other events that were observed on that horrifying day. The radio host's attorneys said in the suit that their client was neither a member nor a leader of any organization that sponsored any events on Jan. 6. They added that Gorka was not present at the Capitol on the day that the mob of loyal Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building. The House Select Committee did not previously show signs of having Gorka as a person of interest with regards to the Capitol Hill siege. Other high profile individuals who have been issued subpoenas by the committee, including former United States President Donald Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows, all filed suit against the panel to block subpoenas as well, the Daily Beast reported. The situation comes as the committee plans to have open, televised hearings on the attempted coup that will be held within "months, if not weeks." The news was announced by the senior Democrat and Republican on the committee. Read Also: Trump Plans Speech on Jan. 6; Raising Concerns Among Republicans of Potential Fraud Election Claims Members of the panel said that they had substantial evidence of the personal involvement of former President Trump in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack. The two officials in question, Committee Chair Bennie Thompson and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney appeared on several Sunday morning television interview programs. Attack on Capitol Hill The programs focused on the nearing anniversary of the violent attack that involved protesters claiming that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump. The mob attempted to stop the congressional certification of Joe Biden's presidential win and keep the Republican businessman in the office. NBC's "Meet the Press" program focused entirely on Jan. 6 and started with a lengthy and biting video that depicted the preparation and carrying out of the insurrection. The show also detailed the level of involvement of the former president. The host of the narrative, Chuck Todd, was seen to be unusually explicit when he described the attack as a "violent effort to overturn a free and fair election. He said that the actions were made in support of "unconstitutional legal strategies to declare President Trump re-elected" that the hose said that devised by the Republican businessman's own political advisers and aides. Todd said that the insurrection was not only a show of violence among Trump supporters that were rallied outside the White House. He added that it was the result of "post-election planning by anti-democratic forces at the highest level, up to and including the then-sitting president of the United States, to overturn the election and subvert the will of the American people," the World Socialist Web Site reported. Related Article: Joe Biden Too Old and Ineffective Costing the US Confidence With His Lackadaisical Performance on the Domestic, International Stage @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Supermodel Kate Moss is kicking off 2022 with a bang by starring in a striking new beauty campaign that sees her showing off her incredibly youthful complexion while throwing a smoldering stare at the camera. The 47-year-old fashion icon lends her famous features to a new photo and video campaign, which celebrates the launch of her longtime friend Charlotte Tilbury's latest makeup product, the Beautiful Skin Foundation ($44), and also stars Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor and model Jourdan Dunn. In the campaign, all three women are seen posing for individual portraits, flaunting their picture-perfect complexions while modeling their chosen shade of the foundation - which promises wearers a 'glowing real-skin finish'. For her portrait, Moss ensured her complexion took center stage, modeling a simple gold silk camisole that revealed plenty of skin, flashing a bronzed shoulder towards the camera while tipping her head back to allow her wavy blonde locks to tumble down her back. As well as stepping in front of the camera to help promote Tilbury's new product, Moss also shared an intimate anecdote about what 'makes her feel beautiful', with the starlet admitting that she truly feels her best when she is 'in love'. Supermodel Kate Moss shows off her incredibly youthful complexion in a new beauty campaign for her longtime friend Charlotte Tilbury's eponymous brand The 47-year-old puts her ageless features on full display for the photo and video ads, which see her pouting up a storm for the camera Moss' appearance in the campaign comes almost three decades after she and Tilbury met at the age of 19 Behind-the-scenes video shot during the photo shoot shows Moss holding up a bottle of the new Beautiful Skin Foundation, which promises wearers a 'glowing real-skin finish' 'Being in love makes me feel beautiful,' Moss - who has been dating 34-year-old photographer Count Nikolai von Bismarck since 2015 - shared. News of Moss' romance with von Bismarck first surfaced more than six years ago, with reports revealing that the pair struck up a relationship after first bonding as friends - having met when the model formed a friendship with her future beau's mother. The new Charlotte Tilbury campaign marks the second time that Moss has stepped into the spotlight as a spokesmodel for Tilbury - who praised the fashion star's 'hypnotic, magical magnetism' while opening up about the star-studded photo shoot. As part of the campaign, Moss also opened up about what makes her 'feel beautiful', with the model explaining that she feels her best when she is 'in love'. The mother-of-one has been dating Count Nikolai von Bismarck (pictured together in September) since 2015 'I am thrilled to have my talented, inspiring and iconic friend and brand muse Kate Moss starring in my new Beautiful Skin Foundation campaign!' Tilbury said in a statement about the foundation launch. 'Ive known Kate since the very beginning of my career we met for the first time both aged 19, on a Dazed shoot in the 90s, and have been friends ever since! Kate supported me from the start of my journey from makeup artist to beauty entrepreneur and is always one of the first to try my products before they launch. 'Kate has been trialing my Beautiful Skin Foundation in secret for a long time now and loves it, so it was the perfect opportunity for us to work together and the perfect product for us to launch to the world! 'Kate is a beauty icon - she has a hypnotic, magical magnetism that changes the frequency when she walks into the room.' Moss was quick to return the gushing praise in her own statement, describing Tilbury as a 'great friend' while waxing lyrical about her new foundation. 'Ive known Charlotte forever, weve worked together on countless covers, campaigns, runways, red carpets and shared many personal moments over the years,' Moss said. Moss is joined in the campaign by Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor who was unveiled as Charlotte Tilbury's first-ever official celebrity brand ambassador in October Dynevor, 26, proved herself to be a natural in front of the camera during the shoot, with a behind-the-scenes video capturing her posing like a pro while brandishing the foundation Dynevor ensured that all eyes were on her complexion in the images, choosing to model a simple ivory slip dress the complemented her porcelain features Describing her own views on beauty, Dynevor said that she believes the feeling is all about 'confidence and feeling good from the inside out' 'She is a great friend, and her makeup chair is one of my favorite places to be! We have so much fun on set laughing and dancing non-stop, and I trust her implicitly so its always easy working together. 'Its been really special to work with Charlotte for the launch of her Beautiful Skin Foundation. What I love the most about Beautiful Skin Foundation is that it gives you an amazing natural glow, when Im wearing it, my skin still looks like my skin but better. 'Ive been obsessed since she first gave me the samples to try on holiday! Its so easy to use yourself, it makes me feel my most beautiful, confident self, every day. No one does beautiful makeup and skin like Charlotte I am really happy to be part of this campaign.' Meanwhile Dynevor, 26, who shot to fame last year while featuring as Daphne Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series, explained that beauty to her is all about feeling confident on the inside and out. 'Beauty to me means confidence and feeling good from the inside out,' she explained. Dynevor was first unveiled the first-ever celebrity brand ambassador for Charlotte Tilbury in October, when she starred alongside Dunn in the company's 2021 holiday campaign, modeling a bold red lip and a dazzling gold dress. However her latest turn in front of the Charlotte Tilbury cameras sees her taking on a more demure look, with the actress donning a simple and chic ivory silk slip dress that emphasized her porcelain features - and, of course, drew plenty of attention to her flawless complexion. Model Jourdan Dunn is also featured in the campaign - having previously starred alongside Dynevor in Charlotte Tilbury's 2021 holiday ad, which was released in October Dunn, 31, also opened up about her beauty ethos, explaining: 'For me, having a beautiful soul and a beautiful presence equals a beautiful person' All three campaign stars have been using the foundation in secret for months, with Dunn revealing that she recently wore it on the red carpet at the British Fashion Awards Much like Moss, the actress was full of praise for the new beauty launch, explaining that she loves the 'natural, healthy glow' that it leaves her with. 'I always think of Charlotte Tilbury as synonymous with beautiful makeup,' the Netflix star said. 'She creates products that are easy to use and flattering for everyone, and Beautiful Skin Foundation is no exception. When I first tried this on set of the campaign last summer, I was instantly hooked. 'Ive worn this on the red carpet and day to day and it gives my skin a natural, healthy glow.' Dunn, 31, revealed that she has also been using the foundation formula - which launches on January 6 - secretly for months, and even modeled the product on the red carpet at the British Fashion Awards in November. 'I wear it for everything now!' she said, adding: 'As I have a busy lifestyle its now my go-to foundation for everyday use because it always performs with such little effort.' For her turn in front of the cameras, Dunn followed in her campaign co-stars' footsteps by wearing a simple silk number, while the behind-the-scenes clip also shows her sporting a figure-flattering black tank top. A 12-year-old girl who earned her high school diploma at age nine has become the youngest student to graduate from Broward College in the school's 61-year history. Sawsan Ahmed of Weston, Florida, graduated from the college in Fort Lauderdale with an associate's degree with a concentration in biological science on December 15 after earning a 4.0 GPA. The pre-teen will continue her education this spring at the University of Florida, where she plans to study computer programming, chemistry, and biology. 'Their courses with Python programming through biology really caught my interest,' Sawsan told ABC News. 'It's an amazing place for really studying those topics so it's really cool that I was accepted I get to go there next semester.' Sawsan Ahmed, 12, from Weston, Florida, graduated from Broward College in Fort Lauderdale with an associate's degree and a 4.0 GPA on December 15 She is the youngest student to graduate from Broward College in the school's 61-year history The pre-teen's family realized she was gifted academically when she advanced to a curriculum that was several years ahead of her grade level while she was being homeschooled. Sawsans mother, Jeena Santos Ahmed, told the news outlet that her daughter has been in charge of her education from day one, saying they did their best to encourage her interests. 'We talked to her about new developments that we read about, we let her listen to NPR and learn about new scientific discoveries,' she said. Sawsan was just nine when she earned her high school diploma and passed the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT), a placement test that Florida uses to determine whether a student is ready for college-level course work. Sawsan (pictured with her father, Wesam Ahmed, and mother, Jeena Santos Ahmed) was nine when she earned her high school diploma The pre-teen also passed the state's Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT), which determines whether a student is ready for college-level coursework At age 10, Sawsan enrolled in classes at Broward College, starting with one per semester until she adjusted to the more advanced curriculum By the time she was 10, she was attending in-person classes at Broward College. She started with one class per semester to give herself time to adjust to the more advanced curriculum, but she quickly excelled. 'At the very beginning, everyone was helping me, calling me "honey," "sweetie," things like that," she recalled of the students in her science lab. 'But by the end of the semester, all of the other students were asking me for help on questions.' After the COVID-19 pandemic led to her extracurricular activities being moved online or canceled, she had more free time to take multiple college classes at once. Sawsan and her family found out she was accepted into the University of Florida last summer. Her father, Wesam Ahmed, a physician at the Cleveland Clinics cancer center in Abu Dhabi, would like to see her enter the field of medicine one day. During the pandemic, she was able to take multiple classes at once as she worked towards her associate's degree Sawsan is pictured with Broward College President Gregory Adam Haile, commencement speaker and CEO of Magic Leap, Peggy Johnson, and her mom (left to right) Sawsan will continue her education this spring at the University of Florida, where she plans to study computer programming, chemistry, and biology 'Physicians like my dad save lives one at a time, but if I invented technology that can work in medicine it could save many lives at once,' she said. The college student explained that she is inspired by strong women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), saying Andrea Gellatly a biomedical engineer and team leader on the competition series Battlebots is one of her role models. When she's not studying science, she enjoys art, music, watching Disney movies, and playing video games, just like any other kid her age. Sawsan hasn't even started classes at the University of Florida yet, but she already has big plans for her future. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she would like to earn a medical degree or doctorate. 'Shoot for the stars and don't underestimate yourself,' she advised. 'That mentality is what brought me here.' Advertisement Perched above the sandy beaches of South Australia's Yorke Peninsula is a spectacular luxury mansion with uninterrupted ocean views, its own helipad, dune buggy track, two living rooms and spa deck. Just an hour and 45 minutes from Adelaide's CBD in Nalyappa, the incredible home, dubbed The Dunes, is a luxurious seaside retreat designed with the environment in mind and is completely off-grid. The Dunes is a sprawling 273-acre property packed with luxury features including a bespoke aquaponics geo-dome that can grow vegetables and herbs and has a 45000 litre fish pond home to over 60 edible Silver Perch. Perched on the beach on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula is a magnificent luxury off-grid mansion that has hit the market The sprawling 273-acre property, dubbed The Dunes, is packed with luxury features including its own purpose-built helipad, dune buggy track, and an enormous workshop and garage Just an hour and 45 minutes from Adelaide's CBD in Nalyappa, The Dunes is a luxurious seaside retreat designed with the environment in mind and is completely off-grid A glass corridor and a series of courtyards connect the three structures that make up the six bedroom, five bathroom home. Floor to ceiling double-glazed windows and glass doors wrap around the house and showcase the picturesque surrounding bushland and panoramic ocean views. There are two spacious lounge rooms to relax in, one with its own theatre-style projector screen and a high-end chef's kitchen with a massive pantry and scullery. A glass corridor and a series of courtyards connect the three structures that make up the six bedroom, five bathroom home Floor to ceiling double-glazed windows and glass doors wrap around the house and showcase the picturesque surrounding bushland and panoramic ocean views There is a bespoke aquaponics geo-dome that can grow vegetables and herbs all year round and has a 45000 litre fish pond home to over 60 edible Silver Perch. The primary bedroom has a luxe freestanding bathtub, a huge walk-in robe perfect for any fashion lover and its own ensuite. Outside, there is a spa deck with a sauna, expansive sun deck perfect for lounging and a vine covered alfresco area with a feature stone fireplace. The Dunes is completely off-the-grid and self-sufficient with solar panelling, a rain water tank and a honey-producing apiary. There are two spacious lounge rooms to relax in, one with its own theatre-style projector screen and a high-end chef's kitchen with a massive pantry and scullery. The primary bedroom has a luxe freestanding bathtub, a huge walk-in robe perfect for any fashion lover and its own ensuite. The home has been enjoyed by its owner, Peter Mitchell, since it was constructed in 2014 in a collaborative effort between him and architect Max Pritchard Outside, there is a spa deck with a sauna, expansive sun deck perfect for lounging and a vine covered alfresco area with a feature stone fireplace That year, it caught the eye of judges at the Australia Institute of Architecture Awards and received a commendation in the new residential home category Timber boardwalks wind through the property, leading to the home and to the 2km exclusive beach. The home has been enjoyed by its owner, Peter Mitchell, since it was constructed in 2014 in a collaborative effort between him and architect Max Pritchard. That year, it caught the eye of judges at the Australia Institute of Architecture Awards and received a commendation in the new residential home category. The property is currently listed for sale for the first time in seven years with a price on application. To view the listing head to the realestate.com.au website. A man has warned Australians to double-check for second lines on Covid-19 rapid antigen tests (RAT) after his own positive result was extremely faint. The anonymous Victorian man, who runs the online community 'Covid Pete', shared an image of his test result on Facebook with the second red line barely visible. He then visited a Covid-19 PCR testing clinic which later confirmed he was positive. The Victorian man who runs the online community 'Covid Pete' shared an image of the positive test result on Facebook, and the second red line below the first is barely visible (pictured) 'When I started having symptoms and others who were around me starting testing positive with their RAT test, I decided to do mine. As you can see the second line of mine is very faint,' the caption read. 'You must take that second faint line as a positive test!!! It was confirmed a few days later that I was positive via PCR.' He warned others to be 'aware and cautious of your surroundings' and to get PCR tested even if the faintest line is noticed on RAT home kits. The second line on Covid-19 RAT tests indicate a positive result (left). A woman also revealed how to use photo editing tools to help see faint lines A woman has also explained how to use editing tools on an iPhone to identify faint positives. After taking a photo of the test, she suggested increasing the black point and contrast to 100 per cent 'You can also invert the colours and this will often help you see faint lines,' she wrote. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to make a decision on subsidising RATs for Australians on low incomes. The plan, set for discussion at National Cabinet on Wednesday, will see welfare recipients and pensioners get cash payments for up to five rapid tests, or even more if states also put money on the table. They would need to meet eligibility requirements to qualify for the subsidy. The Prime Minister may also announce that the Federal Government will provide millions of free RAT kits to be handed out at state and territory testing centres. The national cabinet is meeting for the first time this year to discuss community concerns around access to the kits, which have been difficult to source and have risen steeply in price. What should I do if the RAT test is positive? 1. Isolate at home for at least 7 days from the day you had your PCR test. If you have symptoms at Day 6, have another PCR test at a walk in or drive through testing clinic. 2. If test is positive you must stay at home until symptoms are gone or have a negative PCR test. If you have symptoms at Day 12, have a PCR or RAT self-test. 3. Notify your household, school or employer that you have COVID-19. 4. If you have no symptoms at Day 7, you can return to normal living and leave your home. You do not need a further test. Wear a mask when leaving the home and avoid visiting high-risk settings for at least 7 days following negative test or end of symptoms. Source: health.gov.au Advertisement Infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy said the proposed measures would help alleviate pressure on testing clinics, but they should be made free for everyone - not just those on low incomes. 'We can't have a system that doesn't work, we need to be able to test people by PCR if they have got symptoms or if they are a very close contact,' he told the Nine Network on Wednesday. 'We need to do something and rapid antigen tests are the solution.' The consumer watchdog on Tuesday acknowledged community concerns some retailers were price gouging on the tests due to their scarcity and asked the community to report pricing anomalies. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims warned the authority would 'name and shame' retailers doing the wrong thing. Health Services Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes has heard of some retailers selling the rapid tests for $100, and urged for free tests. A mother lines up for a PCR test in Brisbane. Infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy said RATs should be made free for everyone - not just those on low incomes. Covid cases in NSW spiked to 35,054 while Victoria recorded 17,636 new infections overnight but ICU admissions in both states remain steady. Wednesday's numbers in NSW are the highest daily total recorded for any Australian state since the beginning of the pandemic - and are a large jump from the 23,131 infections announced on Tuesday. The number of people in hospital has risen to 1491, from 1344 reported on Tuesday. Of those, 119 are in intensive care units, an increase of 14 in 24 hours. While ICU numbers are rising, the tally is short of the peak of 244 seen in September. Victoria's hospitalisations are at 591, a jump from 516 on Tuesday, with ICU rates dropping by three to 53. Eight more people in NSW lost their lives with the virus while Victoria had 11 deaths. Jana Duggar's charge of endangering the welfare of a child has reportedly been settled out of court. Jana, who turns 32 this month, was scheduled to be in court on January 10 after pleading not guilty to the misdemeanor on September 9. But according to Fox News, the charge has been adjudicated, meaning she will no longer appear in court next week. The My Fine Payment website lists a payment made by Jana My Fine Payment for the amount of $890. After news of the charge broke last month following her brother Josh's conviction on child pornography charges, Jana took to Instagram to defend herself, insisting that the child in question was unharmed but had slipped out of the house and someone had called the police. Jana Duggar's charge of endangering the welfare of a child has reportedly been settled out of court. She was scheduled to be in court on January 10 after pleading not guilty to the misdemeanor on September 9 The My Fine Payment website lists a payment made by Jana My Fine Payment for the amount of $890 According to an Elm Springs, Arkansas court filing, Jana had been cited for the misdemeanor in September and released on $430 bail. Though she initially pleaded not guilty, the confirmation of an out-of-court settlement and the record of an $890 fine paid suggests that she may have changed her plea. The initial court filing did not offer any more details on the circumstances of the citation, leading to widespread speculation so on December 14, Jana shared her version of the events on Instagram. 'I'm only sharing this because the media has been having a field day with it all,' Jana wrote on her Instagram stories this morning. 'I prefer a more private life, but I know my last name means that everything we do is open to public criticism and interest, especially during this time. 'The raw facts: I was babysitting a few months ago when one of the children wandered outside alone. A passerby who saw the child called the police. 'This resulted in a written citation, as well as a follow-up with child welfare who concluded that it was an accident and the child was unharmed. They recognized that it was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment. After news of the charge broke last month, Jana took to Instagram to defend herself She insisted that the child in question was unharmed but had slipped out of the house and someone had called the police 'It all happened so quickly and was scary. I am grateful for law enforcement and those who protect and serve out community. 'I was certainly never arrested like some may have implied. In the end I was just upset at myself that it had happened at all, but so thankful it all ended safely and that's truly what mattered the most to me.' It is unclear whose child slipped out of the house. Jana's younger siblings are all age 12 and older, but she frequently cares for several of her 22 nieces and nephews, who range in age from six weeks to 12 years old. There has been rampant speculation online, with Without a Crystal Ball's Katie Joy claiming a source told her that Josh and Anna's 22-month-old daughter Maryella was allegedly the one to wander out of the house. Josh, 33, is currently awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography last month. When news of Jana's citation made headlines, several family members defended her on social media. 'I was babysitting a few months ago when one of the children wandered outside alone. A passerby who saw the child called the police,' she explained While Jana has no children of her own, she is frequently tasked with caring for her younger siblings, nieces, and nephews (pictured with a niece and nephew, plus her dad Jim Bob) Though her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle who had released a statement that they loved their son Josh after his conviction didn't speak out on her behalf, Jana's sister Jessa did. 'Getting messages about headlines about Jana. Bottom line it was an innocent mistake,' Jessa, 29, wrote. 'She was babysitting and one of the kids slipped out the door unnoticed, but it ended safely. Could've happened to anyone. 'The media is sensationalizing this because of other current family circumstances and it makes me so mad,' she went on, a rare instance of Jessa straying from the family's motto of 'keeping sweet.' 'She's without question one of the most amazing woman I know and I'd trust her with my kids any day of the week. Do me a favor give the girl a break, and all you perfect humans go back to living your lives,' she said. Jessa, who is married to Ben Seewald, has four children: Spurgeon, 6, Henry, 4, Ivy, 2, and Fern, 5 months. Support has also come from two of her younger brothers. Jana's younger sister Jessa, 29, released her own statement on Instagram in defense of her sister Support also came in from two of her younger brothers. James, 20, shared a photo of Jana with the words 'I support Jana Duggar' The post was also shared by Jason, 21, who added the words: 'Bro, same!' Finally, cousin Amy Duggar King - who has been quite vocal in condemning Josh for his 'disgusting' crimes - came to Jana's defense as well James, 20, shared a photo of Jana with the words 'I support Jana Duggar' which was also shared by Jason, 21, who added the words: 'Bro, same!' Jason was one of Jana's 'buddies' in the family's buddy system, which Michelle implimented to help keep track of her children. Each of the older girls Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger was assigned two to three younger 'buddies' that they were in charge of taking care of. Finally, cousin Amy Duggar King who has been quite vocal in condeming Josh for his 'disgusting' crimes came to Jana's defense as well. 'I will call out what is right and I will call out what is wrong,' Amy, 35, wrote in an Instagram Story. 'This couldn't have been intentional. Thank God the child was OK and found!' 'I bet you were exhausted, stressed and just emotionally worn out,' Amy went on. 'Watching multiple kids is hard! Bc there's so many of them and you only have two eyes! It's a very sad situation going on and my heart goes out to @janamduggar love you.' A woman has called out Kim Kardashian for the 'troubling' sizing of her SKIMS line after being gifted a thong that was so small she couldn't pull the shapewear up past her thighs. Jasmine Alexandria, who is known as @jj_alexandria on TikTok, shared her outrage in a viral video that has been viewed more than 10.3 million times, explaining that she was given the brand's core control thong in a size Large/X-Large. 'Now Kim, Kim Kardashian, we're going to need to have a f**king conversation because I got SKIMS for Christmas,' the 29-year-old from California griped. 'Let me just show you what I got, and let me talk about the sizing because the sizing is whats really troubling me.' Scroll down for video Jasmine Alexandria, who is known as @jj_alexandria on TikTok, bashed Kim Kardashian's SKIMS shapewear line for being too small in a viral video The 29-year-old from California explained that she was given the brand's core control thong in a size Large/X-Large for Christmas Alexandria pulled the thong out of its box to show viewers how tiny is, saying she couldn't get it past her thigh because it doesn't have any stretch Alexandria then pulled the thong out of its box to show viewers how tiny is, insisting that it hardly has any elasticity. 'This is a Large/Extra Large and b***h this does not stretch,' she said. 'It does not stretch. When I tell you I couldnt even get this past up my thigh...' Alexandria went on to accuse the Kardashians of having plastic surgery to achieve their famous curves while bashing the brand. 'Its crazy to me because with the Kardashians, its like you guys buy your bodies, right? You know what I'm saying?' she continued. 'You bought that a**. You bought them t****s. So, you know damn well this ain't going to do anything. 'My question to you, Kim Kardashian, is: What size are you wearing in your line?' she asked. 'Because you are not wearing a Large/Extra Large.' In a follow-up clip, she demonstrated her struggle to pull up the tiny shapewear The SKIMS website states that its core control thong 'intentionally runs smaller for a compressive look and feel.' Customers are advised to 'size up' for more comfort Kim, pictured modeling pieces from her line, previously revealed that she wears a size medium in her SKIMS line Kim previously revealed that she wears a size medium in her SKIMS line, which ranges from XXS to a 5X. The SKIMS website states that its core control thong 'intentionally runs smaller for a compressive look and feel.' Customers are advised to 'size up' if they 'prefer more comfort for everyday wear.' However, the brand has received plenty of flack over its wonky sizing over the years, and a number of commenters agreed that the shapewear is ridiculously small. 'I wear a size 6 jeans and a small dress. I wear a 4X in Skims,' one person wrote, while another added: 'Im a size medium. 2xl skims were too small for me.' 'I bought some as well and it's an xl and it fits comfortably on my 16 year old size 0 teenager,' someone else shared. 'These aren't for women for sure. I was mad.' After a commenter refused to believe that Alexandria's tiny SKIMS thong was a size Large/X-Large, she filmed a follow-up video showing the inside of the tag. Before Alexandria tried pulling the thong up, she warned that she didn't want to stretch the underwear too much or rip them because she planned on taking them back 'Oh my god, it hurts,' she said as she struggled to pull up the thong. 'Its cutting off my circulation' After jumping around and working up a sweat trying to get them up, she gave up and took the thong off In a third clip, she demonstrated how difficult it was for her to pull the shapewear over her thighs after a commenter insisted she would look 'snatched' if she put them on. She pointed out that she was wearing SKIMS leggings and a matching bra in a size Large, which fit her decently well. She also warned that she didn't want to stretch the underwear too much or rip them because she planned on taking them back. 'Oh my god, it hurts,' she said as she struggled to pull up the thong. 'Its cutting off my circulation.' Alexandria started jumping up and down to try to wiggle them up without avail, saying she couldn't get them any farther. '[If I had] a team of three to five people at each angle of the drawers pulling them up for me, yes they would fit,' she said at the end of the video, but I'm ain't doing all that to get into shapewear.' Thousands of Australians responded to an urgent call for carers for a sweet elderly Labrador in need of a new home. In a post to their Facebook page yesterday morning, rescue organisation Animals in Need Brisbane put out the special request for someone to foster to adopt 13-year-old Echo. Animals in Need Brisbane said they have now found a carer for Echo after receiving many applications and are now looking for transport to get the senior lab to his new home in the Brisbane suburb of Carindale. Thousands of animal lovers responded to Animals in Need Brisbane's urgent call for a home for a sweet 13-year-old Labrador called Echo Their page's posts usually receive a handful of likes but Echo seemed to tug at the heartstrings of thousands of animal lovers with his friendly face and racked up more than 500 hundred shares. There were also dozens of comments from people from across the country keen to help and have Echo be part of their family. 'If only you were in Tassie sweet boy, youd be coming home with me,' one woman responded. 'Application submitted. We have 2 labs, live in the country on our own property and have the room, love and spare spot beside the fire in winter for a senior to live out their days,' wrote another. Animals in Need Brisbane said they have now found a carer for Echo after receiving many applications and are now looking for transport to get the senior lab to his new home in the Brisbane suburb of Carindale According to his listing, Echo is friendly with other dogs, is not aggressive in anyway and just wants pats from everyone he meets. Echo is an indoor dog who 'just loves to sit with you and to be around people'. To see more pets in need of a home head to the Animals in Need Brisbane Facebook page. One of Britain's most successful influencers has seen her followers plummet after it emerged she'd written a series of racist tweets over ten years ago. Elle Darby, 26, from Wiltshire, who launched her own clothing brand on the back of her success as a social media star, has lost nearly 100,000 followers since tweets she wrote as a teenager resurfaced last week. In the tweets, mother-of-one Ms Darby, who is in a relationship with fellow influencer Connor Swift, called foreigners 'meatheads' who 'speak in grunts', and said she 'hates Polish people and Indians really'. Darby has since published an apology video on her YouTube channel - but some fans have suggested that the influencer comes across as 'insincere' and 'irritated' in the three-minute clip. Scroll down for video Social media star Elle Darby, 26, from Wiltshire, pictured with her partner and fellow influencer Connor Smith, has enjoyed huge success since she began posting content on YouTube and Instagram. However, the emergence of racist tweets written by Darby in 2011 have seen her lose nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram and YouTube this week Darby, pictured with her young son, Saint, had called foreigners 'meatheads' who 'speak in grunts', and said she 'hates Polish people and Indians really' on an old Twitter account, which has since been deleted Ms Darby apologised in a three-minute video for the tweets, saying she feels ashamed of her historic posts, adding that she wants to 'take responsibility' for her actions' Before the tweets were published, Darby enjoyed more than 785,000 Instagram followers but the social media star now has 716,000. On YouTube, a subscriber count of 611,000 has now dropped to 585,000. Comments are currently turned off on the influencer's platforms. MailOnline has contacted Elle Darby's management for comment. Darby's name trended on Twitter after disappointed fans watched the video, with many saying they were less than convinced by it. @hralexandra1x wrote: 'Elle Darbys apology video is so insincere.' @charlcurry96 added: 'Just watched Elle Darbys Im sorry video and she literally looks and sounds like the most insincere, unsorry person Ive ever seen.' @xjodyhayton_ wrote: 'I've always loved Elle Darby but more and more tweets are being leaked now and each one is worse and worse! I don't I'm the only person who is disappointed, regardless if it was 10 years ago.' @georgiahwo added: 'Seeing those Elle Darby and Connor tweets actually made me so upset. I was not a perfect teen, neither any of my friends but never did racism, fat shaming or derogatory terms leave our mouths. Ive noticed a lot of influencers are the same with resurfaced tweets. Disappointed.' Darby, 26, had written a series of 'shameful' messages when she was a teenager, using racial slurs and insulting several ethnic groups The star posted an apology video on YouTube - but fans have said she appeared 'irritated' and 'insincere' in the clip Disappointed fans have said they were left 'hurt' and 'angry' by the tweets Darby's partner Connor Swift published a second written apology for racist tweets he'd sent in the past @bendingtheruIes penned: 'The whole Elle Darby & Connor Swift situation makes me so angry & upset. Angry at how they thought it would be okay to tweet such despicable things. Upset that I spent yrs looking up to them as they were my comfort YouTubers. Disappointed & enraged doesnt even cover it right now.' @KatieRB99 added: 'Considering I thought Elle Darby was one of the most genuine people I watched for years. Her apology video which shows no remorse or genuine apology proves otherwise. I wont send her hate as that makes me part of the problem, however Im sad shes not the person we looked up to.' Connor Swift, Darby's partner, also issued two written apologies to his Instagram after racist tweets he'd written surfaced too. One screenshot posted online appeared to show him tweeting: 'Looked like a black man after work, through all the dust I collected. #StillLookedhot.' He told his 175,000 followers: 'Ive learnt now more than ever before that the words we use are so beyond powerful but I will show that my actions will forever speak louder moving forward. I want to make it clear that I am sorry, to everyone my tweets have affected and caused pain upon.' In 2018, Darby hit the headlines after she wrote to Paul Stenson, the owner of the White Moose Cafe and Charleville Lodge Hotel in Dublin. She asked about a 'possible collaboration' involving free accommodation for her and Swift, who were planning to visit for an early Valentine's Day weekend. But her note was greeted with disdain by Mr Stenson, who not only poured scorn on the request but also posted the exchange online - and vowed to ban bloggers from his hotel. The Duchess of Cornwall is set to follow in the Prince of Wales' footsteps and guest edit Country Life magazine for her 75th birthday. Camilla, who will turn 75 on July 17, is expected to discuss her love of horses and dogs in the issue and her favourite recipes as well as serious topics, including violence against women and loneliness. The issue will be available from July 13 and will also commemorate the magazine's 125th anniversary. The Prince of Wales guest-edited the magazine in November 2013 on the occasion of his 65th birthday, and five years later in 2018 when he turned 70. This second issue was one of the magazine's biggest-selling issues. The Duchess of Cornwall, 74, is set to guest edited the July editor of Country Life magazine to mark her 75th birthday (pictured with her dog Bluebell) The Princess Royal also guest edited the magazine for her 70th, which became a best-seller as well. While Camilla will champion country life in the edition, a source told the Telegraph she will also touch on grittier subject matters. 'She loves the country life, but it wont be just horses and dogs and lovely countryside,' they said. 'There is that slightly confronting side of the difficult issues the countryside faces. The Prince of Wales guest-edited the magazine in November 2013 on the occasion of his 65th birthday (pictured) 'She wants to have a bit more about the challenges facing people, particularly for women,' they added. A spokesperson for Camilla added: 'The edition will also focus on the work of the Duchess as patron of over 90 charities, from Barnardos to The Royal School of Needlework and The Royal Society of Literature.' Meanwhile magazine bosses hailed the duchess' involvement a 'great honour'. Editor Mark Hedges said: 'It is a great honour that the Duchess of Cornwall has agreed to guest edit Country Life in July. 'Her Royal Highness is a passionate countrywoman and we are delighted that she follows her husband in presiding over this commemorative edition.' Meanwhile Camilla's son, food writer Tom Parker Bowles, joked he hoped his temporary boss wouldn't have too many problems with his regular column for the issue. He said: 'As a columnist for Country Life, Im delighted my mother will be guest editing a special issue. But rather hoping she wont try to muck about with my copy.' In 2018, then aged 70th, the heir-to-the-throne once again edited the country publication for his birthday The Prince of Wales first guest edited Country Life in 2013 on the occasion of his 65th birthday, pictured Camila will discuss 'difficult' issues such as violence against women in the magazine (pictured at the Christmas Day morning church service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on December 25) The new year is off to a great start for the Duchess, after it was announced the Queen will be personally awarding her with the highest honour possible thanks to her 'service to the sovereign.' Camilla is to be made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior of the Orders of Chivalry in Britain, Buckingham Palace said. The appointment will be seen as a royal seal of approval for the loyalty and discretion Camilla has shown since her marriage to the Prince of Wales in 2005. It sparked renewed speculation that the 95-year-old monarch may yet endorse Camilla to be Queen when she dies and Prince Charles accedes to the throne. Clarence House said the 'intention' is for the duchess to become Princess Consort, showing sensitivity to previously negative public opinion over Camilla's role in the breakdown of Charles and Diana's marriage. But Charles has never made any secret of his desire for Camilla to become queen by his side. One week after my 16th birthday, my mother informed me she was leaving me and my father. They had a turbulent relationship and although she had threatened to go numerous times, I never thought shed do it. But when I arrived home from my Saturday job the next day, the house was empty she had taken her precious face creams, china and pictures with her. In her wardrobe, the hangers lay bare and motionless. Her shoes no longer lined the bottom shelves. My body went into shock. I felt extinguished, as if my own life had evaporated into thin air. She hadnt disappeared completely, however. I knew exactly where she was. She had simply followed through on her threat and abandoned us for a life with three young male lodgers, living in the house shed secretly bought next door. Diane Danvers Simmons had celebrated her 16th birthday just a week before her 60-year-old mother walked away. Pictured: Diane with her mother, Mary That afternoon, I plucked up the courage to walk from our home, No 49, with its white stucco walls and baby-blue door, to No 47, which was cream-coloured and had a green door. Her new home. I stood outside both houses for a moment, looking back and forth between them. Two houses, two doors, two parents . . . and one me. I felt scared and alone as I rang the bell. Mum opened her door formally, as if she were expecting the Queen over for tea no affection, no expression, and absolutely no guilt. When I asked her what was happening, she sighed and said: Diane, Ive given you and your father 16 years of my life and Im done. Youre big and ugly enough to take care of yourself. She added: Im not asking you to choose. Ive made the decision for you. Im not taking you. Im leaving you with your dad. This distressed me. Wasnt a mother supposed to take her child if she left? How did Dad take it? I asked, in misery and disbelief. Whos going to tell him? For a second, her swagger wavered. You are, she replied. She hadnt even bothered to tell him. This smart, self-centred, narcissistic coward expected me to break the news to my own father. Mum had planned her departure meticulously. A few years earlier she had sold the West London house she had been renting out and, without telling Dad, bought the house next door to us, ostensibly as an investment, negotiating a contract with a local college to rent out the rooms to students. Now, she had the independence and freedom shed been craving and none of the boring drudgery of marriage or motherhood. Diane (pictured) said her mother had been a fiercely independent woman who didn't want to be tied down by yet another child, when her parents hastily married and got on with bringing her up That day, I solemnly vowed never to do to my future children what my mother had done to me. But then, decades later, when my own daughter turned 16, I found myself standing in my mothers shoes and I realised there were worrying parallels. My parents marriage had been one of convenience or, rather, inconvenience, when I came along by accident. Mum, whose name was Mary, was 44 and dating my dad, Lou, who was then 60, when she became pregnant. When the doctor told her she was expecting, she assumed it was some mischievous prank cooked up by Lou and the GP, a pal of his. A recently divorced Catholic woman, she already had two children from her first marriage, then 18 and 14, while he was the widowed father of a 14-year-old. This fiercely independent woman didnt want to be tied down by yet another child, but it was 1959 and there was no other solution. They hastily married and got on with bringing me up. She left Dad and me to live in the house shed bought next door We were a comfortably-off, middle-class family, enjoying holidays on the Continent twice a year. Dad was a self-employed business owner who had at one time been in line to be the mayor of Ealing, in London. When I was five, we moved to the suburbs. Isleworth was idyllic to me, but Mum was miserable, having been plucked from her network of friends, family, and the world she knew. To make matters much worse, Dad, a traditionalist, had forbidden her to work. A working wife was a black mark against his name. But my mother had already raised two kids and had enjoyed a busy life of working in a members bar, managing a newsagent, and acting as landlord to her various properties. Now she felt her spirit was being crushed. Diane said because her mother left her own childhood home when she was 16, to her mind she was a grown woman at that age. Pictured: Diane with her mother, Mary Her courage had given her the strength to leave Ireland in the 1930s, when she was just 16, to start a new life in England alone. And she again found that same strength to unapologetically leave her first husband in the 1950s, against the beliefs of her Catholic Church. Railing against the constraints of her second marriage, she frequently lashed out. I remember a lot of God help me and Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The words depressed and menopause werent bandied about the way they are now, so no one understood her mood swings. She loved to work it gave her a sense of fulfilment and interaction with other people. And, worse, she felt Dad didnt appreciate her. So, when I was 16 and she was 60, her identity in a spiral and her situation not helped by a narcissistic personality, she did the only thing she felt she could: she walked away. This felt horribly familiar, but something inside me was missing Because shed left her own childhood home when she was 16, to her mind I was a grown woman at that age. She refused to see that I was an innocent child and totally unprepared for life without her. Divorce was comparatively rare in the UK, and there were no counsellors at school to help. I kept my abandonment a secret from even my closest friends, compartmentalising my life: school and school friends were my normal, and my best friends home was my refuge. Sport and dance were my salvation, enabling me to release the pain and stress. Thankfully, Dad, then 77, was loving and caring. For the next few years, we lived at No 49 with me running the home, sorting the laundry and cooking his meals. I dutifully dropped in on Mum most days after school. Mum presented the arrangement which suited her, and only her as a perfectly natural way to live. Diane (pictured, age 17) said her mother loved to be the centre of attention and never acknowledged or accepted her wrongdoing Id often find her in her new kitchen preparing food, wearing her favourite pinny, vegetables ready to boil for the lodgers, and a cake tin on the counter. I would be served a cocktail of humiliation and hurt as my mother jested and jousted with the lads. She was a 4 ft 11 in Irish pistol, who could cut you in two with a lash of her tongue and then in the next breath, charm you with her hospitality. Mum loved to be the centre of attention and she was getting far more attention at No 47 than she ever had at home. She treated those boys like nephews or young sons, taking care of them without a shred of remorse. At least having the boys around added levity to my visits. Mum never got into a foul mood if there was company. But her ambivalence towards the situation shed put me in made me feel neglected, inconsequential. My occasional outbursts (I dont know how to run a house! How am I ever going to have time to do my homework, or see my friends?) were ignored. Mum let me flounder. There was never any acknowledgment or acceptance of her wrongdoing. On one visit, she laid into me: Ive wasted 16 years raising you, doing everything for you, and being married to that ungrateful b******. With every ounce of energy I could rally, I challenged her: In other words, what youre really trying to say, Mother, is that I ruined your life, and you wish I was never born? Yes, it would have been better if you werent, she countered. Diane (pictured) said she became seduced by the idea of 'having it all' in her late 20s, but quit her job when daughter Natalie was just three months old At that sledgehammer blow, the emotions Id worked so hard to control since her departure flooded out. I felt valueless to her. Looking at photos of me from that time, there is an unbearable sadness in my eyes. Over the years, my mothers behaviour became increasingly erratic: one moment a love bomb, saving me when I was in debt, the next making grand promises shed retract without explanation. I was 23 when my father died, and Mum encouraged me to stay living next door, although overpowering memories of him (I even thought I saw his ghost) forced me to leave. Finally, at the age of 27, I moved to America to take up a role with an advertising agency in the Saatchi & Saatchi group. It was my fresh start far from the past and Mums shenanigans. She was thrilled. It was all she had wanted I was having the career shed wanted for herself. Perhaps not surprisingly, I had no intentions of becoming a mother myself. I was delighted to be running free from all the family responsibility Id felt so burdened by during my teens. My mother had left because she felt constrained by motherhood and I never wanted to feel that way. Then, in my late 20s, I became seduced by the idea of having it all. Surely I could continue my career as senior vice president of an advertising agency and employ nannies to help with my children? I married Bill at 32 and our daughter, Natalie, was born a year later. But I returned to work when she was just three months old and realised with shock and clarity that I didnt want to be that kind of mother. So I quit. However, being a full-time mum was hard. When Natalie was a year old, I was approached to go back to work and I agreed to return as a consultant, provided I could be home to enjoy dinner with my children and put them to bed (Natalies brother, Nick, came along three-and-a-half years later). Diane said she was in her late-40s and Natalie (pictured) was close to the age she was when her mother left, as she found herself wondering where that fearless career woman had gone Id been living in America for more than 15 years when I flew back with my children to see Mum. On that visit, however, I managed to anger her by staying with my half-sister from her first marriage, from whom she was bitterly estranged, so she retaliated by telling me that Lou, the man I had always known and loved as Dad, might not be my father after all. It was the last straw and it spurred me to see a therapist. That was the first time I heard the words: What your mother did was wrong. You dont need to make excuses for her any more. When Natalie was close to the age I was when Mum left, and I was in my late-40s, I went through a crisis myself. I started asking: Who am I? Id built my life around my family and now I found myself wondering where that fearless career woman had gone. It all seemed so horribly familiar. Now, I too felt as if something inside me was missing, and I had to find a way to spread my wings again without throwing my children out in the process. Bill and I seemed to be going in different directions. We tried living separately, with Bill in a house around the corner but working as a family and getting together for holidays and family events. The irony of this unconventional living arrangement is not lost on me. I was very much in danger of repeating my mothers pattern, and that worried me deeply. The only way to move forwards was to try to forgive my mother for what shed done. So, I went back to the UK and talked to my sister and friends about what had really happened when I was 16. I decided I would share my story the heartbreak, madness, love and hate in a book. Plumbing the depths of my trauma and writing this story has enabled me to feel new-found gratitude, understanding and even, though this may be surprising, admiration for my mother. Shed had a tough life, and, ultimately, her behaviour toughened me up for the world, instilling in me the courage and ambition that set me on the path to a successful career. I cant change what she did, but I can take the good from it and live my life as best I can. The truth is, love is messy, but it is all that matters: the last words my mother said to me before she died were the ones Id always needed to hear: I love you Diane, I always have. Bill and I are happily back under the same roof and I am extremely close with my children. Natalie, now 28, and I have huge fun recording a podcast together, called Mothers & Daughters Unfiltered. Writing about my experiences as a teenager and trying to understand how my mother became the woman next door has given me a greater capacity for empathy, love and, yes, even forgiveness. Adapted by LOUISE ATKINSON from My Mother Next Door by Diane Danvers Simmons, published by Koehler Books at 12.99. Diane Danvers Simmons 2021. Island province expands coconut business By MA ZHIPING in Wenchang, Hainan (China Daily) 10:18, January 05, 2022 An aerial view of a coconut grove in Wenchang, Hainan province. [Photo provided to China Daily] Hainan province plans to build a high-quality and competitive industrial chain for coconuts in the next five years to satisfy the rapidly expanding domestic market, according to a local government report. The tropical island province, being the country's main producer, grows 232 million coconuts a year, 99 percent of China's total output yet only 0.42 percent of the world's production, which is far from meeting the country's needs. Development of Hainan as an international tourism consumption destination, initiated by the central authorities in 2018, is expected to lead to a further uptick in demand. Trips by visitors are projected to reach 100 million annually by 2025, according to experts from Hainan's tourism departments. They said that if a visitor consumes five fresh coconuts during each stay in Hainan, market demand would be about 500 million coconuts a year, while the annual demand in the Chinese mainland market is about 1 billion coconuts. The total demand would be 1.5 billion, or some 6.47 times China's existing production of coconuts. The gap becomes much greater if national processing needs are considered. China's coconut imports make it the leader among 80 coconut importing countries. The nation accounts for about 16.3 percent of the global total, while the United States follows with 12.7 percent, according to the provincial government. In its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for the High-Quality Development of the Coconut Industry, the province plans to expand the area planted with coconuts by 16,670 hectares through promoting new coconut tree varieties developed by Chinese scientists. The current area is about 34,526.7 hectares. Wenye coconut tree, a new dwarf variety developed by experts in Wenchang in northeastern Hainan, produces about 43.35 percent of Hainan's coconuts, and plans call for it to be promoted as a high priority, the plan said. The trees, developed over two generations of scientists, make it much easier for farmers to pick the fruit, which are within reach, while the coconuts on other trees may be more than 10 meters above the ground, said Zhang Yufeng, an official at the Coconut Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. "What is important and remarkable is that the dwarf coconut trees will help increase output. They bear fruit in three and a half years, four years earlier than the traditional tall varieties, and they are more productive, yielding 120 to 140 coconuts in their peak years under standard management, while a tall coconut tree bears only 60 to 80 on average," Zhang said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu) 38F 38F Oneill (68763) Today Light rain. High 38F. Wind NE at 10 to 17 mph. Tonight Snow, light rain, overcast clouds. Low 34F. Wind NNE at 10 to 23 mph. Updated May 02, 2022 8:27 am Full Forecast New York state reported 53,276 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the state continues to see high case numbers driven by the Omicron variant. The new report is a significant drop from case reports last week. The state reported close to 90,000 cases in a day on December 31. However, Governor Kathy Hochul warned at a recent press release that cases could increase later this week, as testing sites were closed over the holiday weekend, causing delays in case reports. Hospitalizations in New York have increased past 10,000 Covid patients, the highest level since the spring 2020 surge NYC hospitals are rescheduling elective surgeries as patients fill beds and large numbers of staff go out sick. New York state reported 53,276 new Covid cases on Tuesday - a decrease from last week, but Governor Hochul warned that case reports in the coming days may be higher During the spring 2020 surge, New York peaked at about 10,000 new cases a day. This was prior to widespread testing availability, however, so true numbers were likely higher In December, New York became a hotspot for the Omicron variant. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Omicron was spreading rapidly in New York and New Jersey before it arrived in other regions of the country. An anime convention held in New York City in late November may have been a superspreading event for the variant, as a number of Omicron cases were tied to the event. As of January 1, Omicron was causing an estimated 98 percent of new Covid cases in the New York and New Jersey region, per the CDC. The state of New York has reported record Covid cases in recent weeks - higher than at any other time during the pandemic. Cases quadrupled in the last two weeks of December, from a daily average of 75 new cases for every 100,000 state residents on December 17 to almost 300 new cases per 100,000 on December 31. On December 31, New York state reported a record 85,000 Covid cases in a single day. During the spring 2020 surge, the state's peak record was closer to 10,000 cases a day - though many cases were going unreported at that time due to limited testing. So far, case reports for New York in the new year have been lower than late December records. On Tuesday, the state reported 53,276 new cases - following reports of 51,698 new cases on Monday and 62,526 new cases on Sunday. However, Governor Kathy Hochul warned in a Monday press conference that the 'numbers are misleading' and 'a result of the holiday weekend.' Covid case numbers typically drop during and after holidays, as testing sites are closed and the public health workers who compile case reports take days off. Many New Yorkers with mild Covid symptoms may also be deterred from testing by the huge lines that have formed outside clinics in recent weeks, as temperatures plunge. Interpreting Covid case data in late December and early January can be particularly tricky, as Christmas and New Years both cause reporting delays. 'Those numbers are probably going to be much higher tomorrow. They didn't go from nearly 90,000 to 51,000,' Governor Hochul said on Monday. 'That is simply a function of people not getting tested over the weekend. So, my concern is that trend that you see there is going to continue going up.' Case numbers may increase in the coming days, as more people are able to get tested at sites that closed over New Years, Governor Hochul said. Pictured: People line up for testing in the Financial District, Manhattan, December 2021 In New York City, case rates have remained high in recent days, with almost 30,000 new cases reported on January 4. According to city data, NYC has reported 2,879 new cases for every 100,000 people in the week ending January 1. In other words, roughly one in every 35 NYC residents tested positive for Covid in the space of a week. These high numbers are still likely significant undercounts, as NYC's data don't include residents who tested positive on at-home rapid tests. The city's test positivity rate is about 35 percent as of January 4, indicating that a number of positive cases are not counted in the official data. Statewide, the test positivity rate is about 22 percent - still much higher than the five percent threshold considered concerning by the CDC. In NYC, roughly one in every 35 residents has tested positive for Covid in the week ending January 1, according to city data The case numbers in NYC are likely significant undercounts as they don't include rapid at-home tests. The city's test positivity rate is over 30% Meanwhile, New York is facing rapidly increasing hospitalization numbers. The state reported 10,411 current Covid patients on Tuesday - the highest number since the spring 2020 surge. During that surge, statewide hospitalizations peaked at 10,993 patients on April 30, 2020, according to NBC New York. Some major hospitals in NYC are rescheduling elective surgeries and taking other measures to address their high capacities. Mount Sinai in South Nassau, one such hospital, told NBC New York that its number of Covid-positive patients reached 100 on Tuesday - filling about one-third of all available beds. At the same time, almost 200 of the hospital's employees were out sick due to Covid cases or exposures. 'The best way to protect ourselves and our children from getting hospitalized with COVID is with the vaccine and booster,' Governor Hochul said in a statement on Tuesday. 'As we continue to fight the winter surge, let's continue to use these tools: Get your second dose and booster when eligible, get your children vaccinated, remember to wear a mask and stay home if you're not feeling well.' 'If we don't, many more New Yorkers will continue to get sick.' A life-extending prostate cancer drug has been rejected for use on the NHS after officials ruled it is not worth the money. The innovative drug is the first precision treatment for the disease, which treats men based on the genetic make-up of their cancer. It has already been approved for use in Scotland but will not be available to men in England and Wales. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said evidence on the benefits of olaparib is uncertain and approving it would not be a good use of NHS funds. The drug has a list price of 2,317.50 per pack of 56 tablets - enough for 14 days use - and an average course of treatment costs 37,491. Roughly 50,000 men in the UK each year are diagnosed with cancer of the prostate a gland found just below the bladder. Eight in ten survive a decade or more. Pictured: Stock image The 2019 PROfound trial found that men treated with olaparib lived 7.4 months before their cancer progressed, compared with 3.6 months when they received one size fits all hormonal treatments. Dr Matthew Hobbs, of Prostate Cancer UK, said the charity was extremely disappointed but was working with Nice on the issues raised. Johann De Bono, professor of experimental cancer medicine at the ICR and leader of the PROfound trial, said: Olaparib is a precision drug that can extend life for men with some mutations in their tumours while sparing them the side-effects of chemotherapy. I was delighted when olaparib was approved for NHS patients in Scotland earlier this year - and its disappointing that this decision means their counterparts in England and Wales will miss out on such a valuable new treatment option. Its an example of the barriers that exist to making innovative drugs available at prices that the NHS can afford and is going to result in postcode prescribing across the UK. Nice looked at people who had already had treatment with the hormone therapies abiraterone or enzalutamide. The current treatment for prostate cancer that has spread and no longer responds to hormone therapy is chemotherapy with docetaxel, cabazitaxel or radium-223 dichloride. Nice said that clinical trial evidence shows that people taking olaparib have more time before their disease gets worse and live longer overall than people having retreatment with abiraterone or enzalutamide. However, it said retreatment with abiraterone or enzalutamide is not considered effective and is not standard care in the NHS. Nice also said it is uncertain how effective olaparib is compared with docetaxel, cabazitaxel, or radium-223 dichloride because there is no evidence directly comparing the medicines. An indirect comparison suggests that olaparib increases how long people who have had docetaxel live compared with cabazitaxel, but this is also uncertain, the watchdog said. Prostate Cancer UK is concerned that Nice has reviewed the same evidence as the Scottish Medicine Consortium, which approved the drug last year, and come to a different decision. By not taking into account the unavoidable uncertainty involved in developing new treatments like this, there is a risk that other new treatments will also be held back in future, the charity added. With the cost of living in Britain soaring, getting a pay rise at work will be at the top of many employees' to-do lists this year. The pandemic has prompted millions of people up and down the country to revaluate their lives, with swathes switching jobs or quitting work for good. Job-to-job moves totalled 979,000 between July and September, figures from the Office for National Statistics in November revealed. In November last year, a survey of 6,000 workers by recruitment group Randstad UK found that 69 per cent were feeling confident about moving to a new role in the next few months, with 24 per cent planning a change within three to six months. Get it done: With the cost of living in Britain soaring, getting a pay rise at work will be at the top of many employees' to-do lists this year Workers who change employer typically add 7.3 per cent to their earnings, which is more than double the 3 per cent pay growth seen by the average employee who stays put, according to jobs website Indeed. But, before deciding to quit a job and move to a new company, if you are happy in your current role, it is worth trying to negotiate a pay rise with your existing employer. There's no magic wand that can be waved to get a pay rise, but Indeed and This is Money have five key tips to securing a pay boost in 2022. 1. Know when to ask for a rise Deciding when to negotiate your salary can be just as important as the conversation itself, according to Indeed. Good times to ask include after you have gained a promotion or further qualifications, when you are taking on a fresh leadership role or when your experience level no longer matches your salary. You could also use online tools, like Indeed's salary checker, to find out if average salaries in your sector have increased. If your current pay packet is out of kilter with industry norms or your experience levels, then you should explain this to your boss during your discussion about a pay rise. It is probably not a good idea to ask for a pay rise after swathing job losses or cuts have been announced at your company. But, if it has just announced a decent profit, you stand in good stead for asking for an increase to your pay packet. 2. Do your research beforehand Research the market you are working in carefully and calculate your individual value to the company you work at before going into any salary negotiation. If you have been with a company for a number of years, your experience will be valuable and your employer may be willing to compensate you for it, Indeed suggests. Plus, when researching job vacancies similar to yours, check the required qualifications and experience are genuinely comparable to your own. 3. Have reasons to hand Identify clear reasons why you deserve a pay rise, and rehearse your negotiation pitch beforehand so you feel as comfortable as possible going into the conversation. Be ready to justify your case for meriting a better salary and consider rehearsing different scenarios and outcomes, such as rebuttals, questions or negotiation offers from your employer. While you cannot be prepared for every scenario, having a written note detailing all the points you want to raise during the meeting will prove invaluable. 4. Be prepared to compromise Be flexible and willing to collaborate with your employer on a solution or compromise when it comes to your salary. Be prepared: Identify clear reasons why you deserve a pay rise, and rehearse your negotiation pitch beforehand According to Indeed, an employer might offer you a different salary package, with more holiday pay or more convenient working hours, if they cannot directly raise the amount of money you are paid. Evaluate carefully whether such incentives might in fact be more beneficial to you than a higher basic salary. 5. Ditch and switch if necessary Do not be afraid to walk away from the negotiations, particularly if you have already been able to secure a new higher paying job elsewhere. But, first ensure that you have tried all different avenues, such as asking for more holiday time or more flexible working hours if that is what is important to you. You may also be able to pause the negotiations and come back to the conversation at a later date, after each party has had a chance to consider everything fully. Mikaela Elliott, senior manager of employer insights at Indeed, said: 'Salary remains the single most important consideration when it comes to a job - be that with their current employer or when they are searching for a new role. 'When it comes to negotiating, either with your current employer or with a would-be boss, doing your research beforehand will set you up for a productive conversation.' She added: 'Not all employers will be able to match your salary expectations, but they may be able to offer other forms of compensation, such as additional holiday days or more flexible working. 'It is a good idea to weigh up the total package before making a final decision, as those extra days off may end up being more valuable to you than a little bit more money. 'Often the best way of securing a raise is to switch jobs. In fact, research suggests workers can double their earnings growth by heading to pastures new. So do not be afraid to walk away from pay negotiations if your employers offer does not fairly meet your expectations.' A British mother took a 13-hour road trip to Italy with her nine-year-old daughter so she could get the Covid vaccine, saying she was 'much happier to gamble on that' than with the virus. Alice Colombo made the 800-mile journey to Milan with her child, who has dual Italian citizenship, in the car to avoid mixing on planes and public transport. Her daughter is currently ineligible for a jab in England as it is currently only available for vulnerable children under the age of 12. So Ms Colombo, from Maidstone in Kent, made the lengthy road trip to protect 'the most precious thing in the world to me'. Alice Colombo took a 13-hour road trip to Italy with her nine-year-old daughter so she could get the Covid vaccine. Pictured: A child receives Covid-19 vaccine in Italy (file pictured) What are the risks of Covid and vaccines to children? Covid Most children only experience mild symptoms after being infected with Covid. Just one in 300,000 children who test positive for Covid die, according to UK Government data. And the risk of being hospitalised and getting admitted to ICU is similarly low. But the risk is higher to children with serious underlying conditions. The JCVI has yet to release its updated guidance on vaccinating children aged 11 and under, but is understood to be 'urgently' reviewing data, with a decision expected before Christmas. But its latest advice on recommending first jabs to over-12s suggested one Pfizer dose only prevents 131 hospital admissions per million 12-15-year-olds. And second doses only prevent nine hospital admissions for every million dished out to the age group. The figures are likely to be less for five- to eleven-year-old, who are less vulnerable to the virus. Previously, the JCVI said the use of vaccines for healthy children could not be recommended on the bases of health alone. However, as more data has become available on the use of vaccines on the age group in the US, and the emergency of the Omicron variant, the benefits have become more compelling. Vaccines Myocarditis an ultrarare form of heart inflammation is the main side effect of the Pfizer vaccine that concerns experts. Data shows the risk is slightly higher in adolescents than adults, particularly in boys. The JCVI has not released data on how many cases are expected in children aged five to 11 but studies show children in younger age groups are less at risk than teenagers. It found myocarditis cases in between 2.6 to 17.7 million first vaccine doses in children aged 12 to 15. And the condition was found in between 20.9 to 42.2 children in the age group per million second doses dished out. Advertisement She told BBC South East: 'I'd much rather as a parent run the risk of getting my daughter a vaccine that we know a fair amount about and that has been very safely rolled out in a number of different countries. 'Over eight million children in her age group have now received at least a first jab and the reported side effects have actually been far lower than in the adult population. 'I was much happier to gamble on that than to take pot luck with a virus about which we know very little - particularly about its long term effects. 'We know far more about the vaccine and its safety than we do about the virus itself. 'This is something that is continually mutating and each mutation brings slightly different symptoms. We have very, very little data on the long term effects of this. 'Why would I not give protection to the most precious thing in the world to me, my daughter, rather than run the risk of her turning round to me in five, 10, 15 years' time, saying 'Mum, I've got heart problems, I've got brain problems, I've got lung problems, why didn't you do all you could at the time to protect me'?' The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five to 11 in November. The majority of children in that age group are deemed to be at very low risk of becoming seriously ill with coronavirus. But that didn't stop the United States, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Spain, Greece and Hungary rolling out jabs for the youngsters. Ms Colombo, who works in public health herself, criticised the UK Government for not following suit and vaccinating children to help stop Covid spreading through schools. She added: 'I think we're not doing enough to mitigate the spread, per say, particularly in schools and in primary schools, we can do significantly more in terms of prevention. 'Sometimes this debate gets presented in a very binary fashion. People who are in favour of increased measures, like me, would favour a lockdown. Absolutely not. 'I want my daughter in school but I want her in school safely. I feel incredibly, incredibly sorry for all those other parents who share my opinion and would like to get their children vaccinated.' In Italy, acrobats dressed as superheroes rappelled down the walls of a hospital in Milan as the city prepared to join the new vaccine rollout. Wearing capes and bodysuits, they stopped to greet patients through the windows at a pandemic ward and other children at a pediatric wing. Meanwhile, doctors at the San Gerardo Hospital in the city of Monza donned hats and colourful fancy dress as they began their vaccine drive. In Italy, acrobats dressed as superheroes rappelled down the walls of a hospital in Milan as the city prepared to join the new vaccine rollout last month. Wearing capes, they stopped to greet patients through the windows at a pandemic ward and other children at a pediatric wing Ministers say further advice regarding vaccination for five to 11-year-olds will be issued in due course after considering scientific data. Two doses are currently being offered to 12 to 15-year-olds in the UK 'to give them the best protection against COVID-19'. Billionaire Dole Food heir Justin Murdock was arrested for allegedly slugging his model girlfriend in the face, leaving her with a nasty black eye at his mansion following a Halloween party they attended at the Scarface mansion in Beverly Hills, DailyMail.com has learned. The 49-year-old's argument with 24-year-old Talia Skye began when she demanded to leave the party early, it was alleged. On her way back to his home in the ritzy Bel-Air enclave of Los Angeles, she texted a girlfriend to come pick her up, expressing concern that he might hurt her. Murdock is the sole surviving heir of David Murdock, his 98-year-old father who is former chairman of Dole Food Products. He allegedly punched Skye before her friend arrived. 'When I got there, she was laying on the driveway crying,' her friend, DailyMail.com will identify as Juliana, told DailyMail.com. 'I picked her off the ground and I saw her face. It was completely swollen, with a green-blue color.' Justin Murdock began dating Talia Skye in August. For their first date, he invited her to his father's sprawling ranch, a source told DailyMail.com. DailyMail.com obtained a horrific photo of Skye's battered and bruised face Billionaire Dole Food heir Justin Murdock, 49, was arrested for allegedly punching his model girlfriend Talia Skye, 24, in the face. They're pictured seated at a table together The incident took place October 29, 2021, at his LA mansion after they left a Halloween party Murdock began dating Skye in August. For their first date, he invited her to his father's sprawling ranch, a source told DailyMail.com. DailyMail.com obtained a horrific photo of Skye's battered and bruised face 'She was crying really hard, not saying anything,' Juliana recalled. She said she saw Murdock standing nearby, shirtless and flailing his arms. The incident took place October 29, 2021, at his LA mansion after they left a Halloween party 'I asked him what happened, and he told me she's crazy and drunk and that she must have done that to herself,' Juliana said. 'He was hysterical. He was screaming at me, saying 'I don't hit women.' After they drove off, Skye reported the alleged assault to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who arrested him later that morning. He posted $50,000 bail and is due back in court March 2. The district attorney's office has yet to charge him, as the police investigation continues. Murdock's lawyer, James E. Silverstein, told DailyMail.com that his client believes this was all a setup, that her wound was 'self-inflicted' and that this was nothing more than a ploy to extort him. Silverstein said that shortly after the arrest, Skye's lawyer Duncan Levin called him and 'carefully suggested that this could all go away in exchange for a large sum of money and that his client would not leak this story to the media if the sum was paid. 'Murdock refused to pay any such sums because he is innocent and will not be blackmailed, even though he realized that this horrendous and damaging claim would then be made public,' Silverstein said. He also said that his side has shared video, audio and photo evidence and presented 'independent third-party witnesses' who will 'prove that this woman's facial injury was self-inflicted.' The lawyer put DailyMail.com in touch with two witnesses, both friends of Murdock. Neither was present when the alleged assault took place, but both said they saw them at the party and that she appeared intoxicated, bumping into people on the dance floor. The defense witnesses said that after the couple left, Murdock called, asking them to come over to his mansion because Skye was acting up and that he feared he was being set up. One of his friends, a female, said that when she arrived, Skye was leaving with her friend. 'I asked her what happened,' the woman told DailyMail.com. 'She said she'd hurt her head, but I didn't see any marks on her.' Skye reported the alleged assault to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who arrested him later that morning. He posted $50,000 bail and is due back in court March 2 Murdock is the sole surviving heir of David Murdock, his 98-year-old father who is former chairman of Dole Food Products. Father and son are pictured together in 2002 Skye, a model and artist, has 138,000 followers on Instagram where she regularly posts racy photos of herself The Murdock family fortune and misfortunes Justin Murdock, 49, is the son of David Murdock, 98. David made his $2.4 billion fortune at the helm of the Dole Food Company, a fresh fruit producer and marketer. He came from humble beginnings, moving to Los Angeles in the 80s and working as a real estate developer. In 1985 Murdock took over the nearly bankrupt Hawaiian firm Castle & Cooke, which owned Dole Food Company - turning Dole into the world's largest producer of fruits and vegetables. He has been married six times, has three children and has had a life marred with tragedy. His wife Gabriele was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1983 and died in 1985. A year later, his son Eugene died after hitting his head while swimming in the family estate's swimming pool. In 2004 his son David Jr. died in an auto accident on the Santa Monica Freeway. His remaining son Justin is the CEO of Activate Immunotherapy, formerly NovaRx, and previously served as vice president of investments at Castle & Cooke Inc. and on the board of directors at Dole Food Company. In 2011, Forbes ranked David Sr. as the 190th-richest person in the 'Forbes 400' list and 613th in the 'World's Billionaires' list, with a net worth of 2.4 billion as of March 2013. Advertisement Murdock is the CEO of Activate Immunotherapy, formerly NovaRx, and previously served as vice president of investments at Castle & Cooke Inc. and on the board of directors at Dole Food Company. He's also an uber-wealthy playboy, who's reportedly dated Avril Lavigne and Lana Del Ray, and a reputed bad boy. He once got into a bar brawl with oil heir Brandon Davis in Hollywood. In 2010, a former employee at Castle & Cooke filed a sexual harassment suit against Murdock, accusing him of regularly debasing her and other women, including ordering her to book sex dates for him on her credit cards and threatening to fire or kill her if she objected, according to a report at the time in the New York Post. He also allegedly forced her to create a Facebook account for him under the name 'Cobra McJingleballs,' and filled it with raunchy and occasionally racist images, the Post reported. Murdock's lawyer, however, told DailyMail.com that the suit was dismissed. Murdock and Skye met through a mutual friend in July. Skye, a model and artist, has 138,000 followers on Instagram where she regularly posts racy photos of herself. She was previously rumored to be dating Justin Bieber, who posted a photo of himself in 2015 cozying up to the then-teenager, his hand holding her waist, according to Hollywood Life, a gossip site that reposted the picture. Bieber was also rumored to have dated Skye's cousin Chantel Jeffries, who was reportedly with him when he got arrested for drag racing in Miami in 2014. Murdock began dating Skye in August. For their first date, he invited her to his father's sprawling ranch in Thousand Oaks, California, a source told DailyMail.com. Skye's close friend Juliana said Murdock was anything but a gentleman when she'd see them together. She described him as 'extremely aggressive and nasty' toward Skye and also her. 'He would make gross sexual comments toward me which I didn't appreciate,' Juliana told DailyMail.com. 'He'd ask me how many men I'd had sex with and what I like in bed, things of that nature.' Murdock is an uber-wealthy playboy, who's reportedly dated Avril Lavigne and Lana Del Ray. He's pictured in Lana Del Rey in 2012 Skye was previously rumored to be dating Justin Bieber, according posted a photo of himself in 2015 cozying up to the then-teenager, his hand holding her waist Justin Murdock is a notorious playboy and has been seen getting cozy with Ashley Shelton (left) and Jamie Lynn Sigler (right) The Halloween party was held the night of October 29 at the mansion featured in the movie Scarface. A source close to Skye told DailyMail.com that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to leave while the party was still raging. They started arguing as soon as they got into the car, the source said. Juliana said Skye texted her to pick her up at his house, where she'd left her car. Upon returning to his mansion, Murdock grew angrier when he saw Skye texting her friend, yelling and shoving her toward the door, a source said. Skye got into her car to wait for her friend. Murdock then stormed over to her and grabbed her keys and phone, the source alleged. A short time later, Juliana arrived with another friend and drove her home. Skye reported the incident to police later that morning and went to the hospital the next day. Reached by DailyMail.com, Skye declined to comment, fearing Murdock might follow through on a threat to sue her for defamation if she spoke out. Her lawyer, Duncan Levin, also wouldn't comment, other than to say, 'My client is grateful to law enforcement authorities who are actively investigating this serious matter.' A rural Alaska man who threatened to kill the state's two US senators in a series of violent, profanity-laced voicemail messages has pleaded guilty. Jay Allen Johnson, 65, of Delta Junction, entered guilty pleas Monday in federal court in Fairbanks to two counts of threatening to kill a US official after leaving messages at their offices in Washington, DC. '(I'll take my) .50 caliber out. I will be having a GoFundMe page for f****** shells. And I'm coming with a vengeance,' one terrifying message said. 'You ever seen what that does to a human head?' 'I will find out all your properties, and I will burn everything you hope to have, and I will burn everything you hope to own,' he said in another message. 'Just like ... Antifa.' He faces up 10 years in jail on each charge and will be under a protective order for three years not to contact either US Senators Lisa Murkowski or Dan Sullivan, any of their family members or staff. Johnson's wife, Catherine Pousson-Johnson, testified during her husband's detention hearing in October that he was recovering from recent surgeries. 'He's in pain right now. My husband is an old man, and he gets very angry listening to politics on the news,' she said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, leave the chamber after a vote. Jay Allen Johnson, 65, pleaded guilty to sending a series of threats to the two senators US Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, left, is one of two US officials that received violent threats from Jay Allen Johnson between April and September Johnson was charged after leaving 17 threatening voicemail messages between April and September, as outlined in both Johnson's indictment and in the plea agreement. In one message left September 2 for Murkowski, he said, 'You, my dear, are not welcomed in the state of Alaska,' and vowed to shut her down. He then claimed he could tap his skills as a 'veteran,' using a .50 caliber shell. However, prosecutors said they found no evidence that Johnson served in the US military, confirming what the services earlier told The Associated Press, that they could find no record for him. Later that month, he left another voicemail for Murkowski, claiming he would hire an assassin for $5,000 to kill her. 'Just resign or get the f*** gone,' he said. In another September call, this time to Sullivan's office, Johnson said he was tired of politicians continuing to destroy the country, before again threatening to use a .50 caliber firearm against him. Pictured: a Barrett .50-caliber firearm, which Johnson specifically mentioned in his threats to two US Senators from his state of Alaska. 'You ever seen what that does to a human head?' Sen. Lisa Murkowski, left, speaks at a hearing on the federal coronavirus response. Sen. Dan Sullivan, right, speaks during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing Johnson must forfeit two pistols, three revolvers, a shotgun and a rifle found at his home in the small community of Delta Junction. He's not legally able to own handguns because he's a felon for repeated drunken driving convictions. In exchange for his guilty plea to the two counts, the government agreed to drop four other charges against Johnson, including making interstate threats and threatening to damage property by fire or explosives. 'Threatening public officials in an attempt to interfere with the performance of their duties is antithetical to our democratic system of governance,' John E. Kuhn Jr., the US attorney for the District of Alaska, said in a statement. 'To protect the functions of our government institutions and our public officials themselves, the Department of Justice will work to ensure our elected officials can serve without fear of harm.' Murkowski did not have an immediate comment, her spokesperson said in an email to the AP. Messages seeking comment left Tuesday for Sullivan and Johnson's attorney were not immediately returned. During several court appearances, and often against the advice of his attorney, Johnson spoke in open court. At one hearing, Johnson said he is 'a senior citizen and I am highly disabled and I will not be carrying out any of these threats.' 'I just apologize to everybody,' he said later at the same hearing. Federal prosecutor Ryan Tansey later asked Pousson-Johnson if she was aware her husband was making threats against two US senators. 'Who hasn't?' she replied. US District Judge Ralph Beistline accepted Johnson's pleas and set sentencing for April 8. Johnson, who has been in custody since his arrest October 4, has since asked for an earlier sentencing. Three people are in police custody after a shooting outside an Illinois high school left two teenagers injured. Police said three people were arrested after a boy and girl, both 17, were shot Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot at Auburn High School in Rockford, located about 90 miles from Chicago. Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd told reporters the teenage boy suffered 'serious' injuries while the teenage girl suffered 'non-life threatening injuries' in the shooting. Three people were arrested after a 17-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were shot Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot at Auburn High School in Rockford Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said the teenage boy suffered 'serious' injuries while the teenage girl suffered 'non-life threatening injuries' in the shooting Chief Redd said that following the shooting a car fled the scene but was located by police a half an hour later. When officers tracked the vehicle three people ran away from the car but were soon captured and taken into custody as 'persons of interest' in the shooting. Two guns were recovered from the incident, police said. 'The gun violence has to stop, it's ridiculous,' Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd (pictured) said on Tuesday The shooting took place in the parking lot at Auburn High School in Rockford, located about 90 miles from Chicago Chief Redd also added that the shooting was not random, saying the shooters 'knew who they were going after,' and that the injured teens were 'international targets' to the gunfire. 'The gun violence has to stop, it's ridiculous,' Chief Redd said. In the aftermath of the shooting Rockford Public Schools and surrounding schools were placed on lockdown for several hours as a precaution. Soaring demand for rapid antigen Covid tests is making them increasingly hard to find - and they're now popping up for sale in unusual places and at exorbitant prices. One Adelaide burger joint has been accused of cashing in by selling a two-pack of the tests for $50 on UberEats alongside their usual menu items. 'You should not be selling these tests full stop. No one should be capitalising on a pandemic,' one person wrote on the cafe's social media. The Big Grill issued an explanation on their Facebook page on Tuesday after a series of bad reviews and defended selling the item saying the cost was in line with 'current market prices'. The Big Grill in Adelaide's north was charging up to $50 for a two pack of rapid antigen tests on Uber Eats (pictured) but have removed the item amid backlash The at-home tests have been available in Australia since early November (file image) 'We sell a 2 pack of Rapid Antigen Tests for $40 in store and we sell a 2 Pack of Rapid Antigen Tests for $50 through our delivery partners,' the store said. 'The price increase is due to their exorbitant fees. 'We are aware of multiple posts being shared with misinformation and in regards to our pricing and requesting people leave poor reviews on our social media and Google. 'We would like to apologise for the confusion caused and hope this resolves any issues and concerns.' The Big Grill the only business selling the tests through UberEats with a number of others also listing the item. Crystal Mart Waterloo in NSW is selling a two-pack of tests for $60, while another convenience store Ready To Go in Hurlstone Park was listing them for $65. Electronics retailer Dick Smith is selling the a single rapid antigen test through its online store for $44 and a two pack for $84. Ready To Go Convenience in Hurlstone Park in Sydney's inner-west was charging $65 for a pack of two rapid antigen tests Health workers hand out rapid antigen tests at Firbank Grammar School in Brighton, Victoria (pictured) On Tuesday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it would investigate claims of price gouging in regards to the tests after receiving more than 100 complaints. The consumer watchdog said they had establish a team to contact retailers and suppliers and warned they must be able to substantiate any statements about the reason for higher prices. 'We won't be shy to name and shame suppliers and retailers we consider to be doing the wrong thing,' ACCC chair Rod Sims said. 'The ACCC is monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action under its existing powers,' he added. There are calls for rapid antigen tests to be free as demand soars amid the Omicron outbreak (pictured, an out of stock sign at a Sydney pharmacy) The Big Grill was forced to defend selling the item on Tuesday before they eventually removed the tests from sale Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday his government would not provide free rapid antigen tests to the public. 'We're now in a stage of the pandemic where you can't just go around making everything free,' he told Sunrise on Monday. 'When someone tells you they want to make something free, someone's always going to pay for it, and it's going to be you,' he added. He also said his government didn't want to undercut private businesses selling the test such as supermarkets and chemists. PCR testing clinics have been inundated with demand through the holiday season (pictured: a Sydney testing facility on December 28) But peak body for chemists, Professional Pharmacists Australia on Tuesday said they wanted the government to provide free tests. 'We represent the vast majority of pharmacists in Australia, and we're calling on the Federal Government to act urgently and provide the tests free to all given the surge in cases and the change in testing regimes,' said PPA chief executive Jill McCabe. 'We should be protecting the health and safety of all workers and their families, not just those who can afford to buy the tests Most Australians find the cost of testing their family prohibitive if they're able to find testing kits at all.' 'They're paying up to $20 [for each test] that's $100 for a family of five.' The UK is providing the tests free to their citizens who are able to collect two packs of seven tests from community location such as libraries or have them delivered to their door. Capitol Police officers are said to be unhappy that a black colleague who became a figurehead in the wake of the January 6 riots talks too much about being racially-abused during the violence. The officers have grown uneasy with Sgt. Harry Dunn's self-appointed role as an advocate for the force. Those unnamed cops saying he is too focused on racial issues given two of the officers who died after the attack were white, the New York Times reported, and that Dunn is making the violence 'all about race.' Dunn testified to the January 6 House Select Committee that rioters had called him the n-word and made other racist remarks towards him. He has also made several media appearances where he addressed the alleged racism of January 6, 2020, but also applauded the bravery of the entire police force. However, numerous officers are not thrilled that he has become the voice speaking for the entire Capitol Police force. They allege he has grown 'increasingly despondent' since the attack and often eats his lunch alone in his car. Some Capitol Police officer have complained that Sgt. Harry Dunn (pictured testifying in July) has made the January 6 insurrection 'all about race' Dunn - someone was usually extroverted and spoke his mind - grew depressed after last year's riots at the US Capitol. He was reportedly bothered by accusations from critics who alleged the police were sympathizers to the riots and 'desperately wanted to offer the contrary facts'. The sergeant alleged officers were overwhelmed by the riot and, although there were a few instances of poor judgement, had 'generally acted heroically and were not complicit' in the attacks. Days after the attack, he conducted an anonymous interview with Buzzfeed, recounting the incidents on January 6 and crying out 'is this America?' in the Capitol rotunda. After receiving clearance from officials, Dunn began making more media appearances and even testified in front of the January 6 panel. Dunn alleged rioters yelled racial slurs at him during the Jan. 6 insurrection (Pictured: Police and Capitol rioters facing off on Jan. 6, 2020) The chaos on January 6 (pictured) erupted as the Senate and House of Representatives met to certify Joe Biden's victory in November's presidential election. Dunn said, during his testimony, he instructed a group of rioters to leave the Capitol and was told: 'This is our house. Trump invited us here. We're here to stop the steal.' The rioters allegedly told him 'nobody voted for Joe Biden' and that former President Donald Trump had actually won the 2020 presidential election. 'Well, I voted for Joe Biden. Does my vote not count? Am I nobody?' Dunn told the protestors. He claims a woman in a pink MAGA shirt responded: 'You hear that, guys, this n***** voted for Joe Biden!' The crowd alleged started chanting: 'Boo! F*****g n*****!' 'No one had ever called me a n***** while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer,' Dunn said, adding that several other black officers had reported similar incidents. The sergeant has continued to share his story despite the alleged criticisms from his colleagues. He claims they are only focusing on the one portion of his on-air discussions and are ignoring how he commends the force for their bravery. The officers have grown uneasy with Sgt. Harry Dunn's (right) self-appointed role as an advocate for the force, saying he is too focused on racial issues given two of the officers who died after the attack were white (Pictured: Officers testifying in July to the Jan. 6 panel) The chaos on January 6 erupted as the Senate and House of Representatives met to certify Joe Biden's victory in November's presidential election. In what was said to be the most violent attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812, supporters of the defeated Republican president forced lawmakers and Trump's own vice president, Mike Pence, to scramble for safety. Five people died in connection to the riot, and at least 100 law enforcement agents were injured. More than 700 people have been arrested for their alleged roles in the riots. A commemoration will be held at the US Capitol on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of January 6th insurrection. There will be a series of events organized by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats in 'solemn observance' for the officers who died protecting the Capitol from the rioters. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks at the memorial. New New York City Mayor Eric Adams publicly demanded Wall Street banks and other big-time Big Apple employers bring their workers back to the office to save the city's small businesses. Adams, speaking with CNN's Brianna Keilar Tuesday, said he was unhappy with many places like Goldmann Sachs and JP Morgan beginning 2022 with remote work after return to office dates were pushed back by the COVID Omicron variant. 'We have to open up,' Adams said. 'I need my city to open. And we have to be safe, we have to double down on vaccinations and booster shots. We have to double down on testing. But we have to reshape our thinking of how do we live with Covid.' Recently, Goldmann, JPMorgan, Citigroup and Jefferies have all changed their return-to-office plans due to the spread of the Omicron variant. New New York City Mayor Eric Adams (pictured) publicly demanded Wall Street banks and other big-time Big Apple employers bring their workers back to the office on CNN Tuesday Recently, Goldmann, JPMorgan, Citigroup and Jefferies have all changed their return-to-office plans due to the spread of the Omicron variant Some of the banks have told their workers to remain remote, while JPMorgan and others made it optional Some of them have told their workers to remain remote while JPMorgan and others made it optional. Wall Street has been pushing for workers to return to their desks as soon as possible. Adams believes that these policies could hurt surrounding businesses, many of them independently owned and staffed by low wage workers, who rely on Wall Street customers and business travelers for their income. 'We have low-skilled employees who can't do remote employment from home, or telecommuting,' Adams said. 'It is time to open up, and feed our ecosystem, our financial ecosystem.' Adams - a former police officer, state senator and most recently, Brooklyn's Borough President - said that he understood the danger of Omicron despite this push. Adams - a former police officer, state senator and most recently, Brooklyn's Borough President - said that he understood the danger of Omicron despite this push 'We must get open. Let me tell you why,' Adams said. 'That accountant from a bank that sits in an office, it's not only him. It feeds our financial ecosystem. He goes to the cleaners to get his suits cleaned. He goes to the restaurant' 'I know how hard it is,' Adams noted. 'I was on the ground when Covid hit the city. I watched the morgues outside of hospitals. I watched family members dropping loved ones off to never see them again.' The new mayor, who was sworn in just after midnight on January 1, did an interview Monday where he further explained what's going on in talks with the big banks. 'We must get open. Let me tell you why,' he said. 'That accountant from a bank that sits in an office, it's not only him. It feeds our financial ecosystem. He goes to the cleaners to get his suits cleaned. He goes to the restaurant. He brings in a business traveler, which is 70 percent of our hotel occupancy. He buys a hot dog on our streets, I hope a vegan hot dog, but he participates in the economy.' The banks have all refrained from comment on Adams' remarks. JPMorgan has insisted that they still plan to return employees to the office 'no later' than February 1. 'You can't run New York City from home,' Adams said. 'We must have everyone participating in our financial system to allow the low-skilled and unskilled and ... hourly employees to actually be part of our ecosystem.' 'Covid is a moving target. It's a formidable opponent,' he added. 'But Covid doesn't realize New Yorkers are a formidable opponent. We're resilient.' Users should be careful when downloading Telegram for desktop. Researchers recently discovered a hacking scheme that pretends to be the legitimate Telegram installers but drops malicious files instead. Even worse, this Purple Fox malware threat is hard to detect once installed. Adding malicious files in counterfeit installers is a popular hacking strategy. However, researchers have raised the alert against the newly discovered threat. They explained that Purple Fox is a highly sophisticated malware that launches multiple attacks. Telegram Installers Infected by Purple Fox Malware Experts from Minerva explained the steps of the attack. They emphasized that the threat has a very low detection rate because it separates the attack into several small files. The final stage of the attack leads to rootkit infection. The malicious Telegram installer is a compiled AutoIt script called "Telegram Desktop.exe." Once installed, the AutoIt script creates a new folder called "TextInputh" on the file path "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp\." The file drops a legitimate Telegram installer, which fools users with its authenticity. While users download their Telegram, the malware also starts downloading small but dangerous files. Two of these dangerous files will be hidden in a new folder named "1640618495" on file path "C:\Users\Public\Videos\ directory." These files will ensure that any other malicious payloads downloaded and executed will be undetected to 360 AV. After everything is discreetly executed, the hacker should have backend access to an infected device. Minerva researchers said they found a number of malicious installers using the same strategy. They said Purple Fox malware is also being delivered via emails and phishing websites. Although there are indicators for the attack, a lot of other users might be unaware that their device is already being infected. Read Also: NASA Hubble Names Spiral Galaxy Image as Best Photo of 2021; Celebrates Incredible 1 Billion Seconds Milestone How to Stay Safe Against Purple Fox Malware Scams and malware attacks are becoming more frequent in these last few months. This is because malicious attackers are taking advantage of the digital systems due to the digital lifestyle amid the pandemic. Users are recommended to be responsible for their own safety by watching out for indicators of malware. According to an earlier article, most scam strategies are delivered to end-users via mobile virus scams, SMS phishing and voice mail scams. Also, be warned that dangerous links from suspicious internet websites can be an inventory for malicious files. Users should watch out for three scam strategies that try to entice users to download a malicious file. These are: Urgency or threat: Scammers often take advantage of users' fears by using topics like "your account has been hacked" or "the offer will soon expire." Scammers often take advantage of users' fears by using topics like "your account has been hacked" or "the offer will soon expire." Empathy: Scammers use this strategy to make it hard for a user to reject the request. This strategy uses tactics like "one-click installation" or "easy access" to premium services. Scammers use this strategy to make it hard for a user to reject the request. This strategy uses tactics like "one-click installation" or "easy access" to premium services. Grand promises: On the flip side of the first strategy, scammers try to appease users with deals that are too good to be true. These are topics like "winning a new promo" or a "special discount." Whenever users face this kind of offers, they are recommended to ignore it. Instead, only download necessary files from the internet from secure and legitimate websites. Related Article: Ethereum Users Fall Victim to EtherWrapped Scam; Lose Over $200,000 After YEAR Token Airdrop Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tore into Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over the New York Democrat's desire to get rid of the filibuster to pass voting rights bills. 'It appears as if the majority leader is hellbend to try to break the Senate,' McConnell said at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday. 'His argument is that somehow state legislatures across the country are busily at work trying to make it more difficult for people to vote.' McConnell said that simply wasn't true. 'Of course that's not happening anywhere in America,' the Kentucky Republican said. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tore into Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over the New York Democrat's desire to get rid of the filibuster to pass voting rights bills Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has pitched changing the rules so there's a carve-out for the voting rights bills, though he's getting resistance from moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin On the Senate floor Tuesday McConnell also offered, 'Most Washington Democrats want to appoint themselves a nationwide Board of Elections on steroids.' He also said that the Democrats had their own 'big lie' - which was that 'democracy is dying because Democrats sometimes lose elections.' 'Our democracy is not in crisis. Repeating this rhetoric doesn't make it factual. The 2020 election saw the highest turnout in more than 100 years,' McConnell argued. After Democrats won back the White House in 2020 with the election of now President Joe Biden, Republican-run states like Georgia and Arizona have pushed back and made things like mail-in voting more difficult. Mail-in ballots were widely used in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats have also voiced concerns about Republicans pushing voter ID provisions - which often impact young people and voters of color who tilt more Democratic - and GOP legislatures politicizing state election boards. House Democrats have passed two voting bills, but they've been stuck in the Senate as 60 votes are needed to overrule a GOP-led filibuster. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris utilized as the tie-breaking vote. Schumer has pitched changing the rules so there's a carve-out for the voting rights bills, though he's getting resistance from moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. He needs every Democratic senator to support the move. Speaking from the Capitol Tuesday night, Manchin said the 'filibuster needs to stay in place any way, shape or form that we can do it,' according to Punchbowl News. Manchin was meeting with Schumer. Manchin, however, remained open to some rules changes and while he supported a bipartisan vote to change the rules, he didn't close the door on joining just Democrats in the maneuver. Champion Australian surfer Taj Burrow has blasted Covid vaccines and said he refuses to give his children the jab in a bizarre online rant. The ex-athlete, who shares two young daughters with his wife Rebecca, said he still has doubts about the vaccine in a 20-second Instagram video. 'When it comes to our children and this injection I have lots of questions,' he said while speaking to the camera in front of a plain white background. 'We do not want to get it wrong these are our children. Until my questions are answered, I say no.' Burrow, 43, did not say exactly what his questions are about the vaccine, which has been approved by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation for children between the ages of five and 11. His wife is a former Australia's Next Top Model contestant who has openly criticised coronavirus vaccines. Champion Australian surfer Taj Burrow pictured with his wife Rebecca and daughters Arabella Rose (centre) and Robbie Lou (right) The video was filmed in partnership with the organisation Parents With Questions. The advocacy group's website urges parents to do their own research about Covid vaccinations for children and 'say "no" until we are 100 per cent sure'. 'Almost all of us have vaccinated our kids against measles, mumps, rubella and others,' the website reads. 'These treatments have endured decades of scrutiny into every conceivable short and long term side effect. 'Can the same be said for the Covid-19 vaccines?' Australian children from the age of five to eleven will start getting Covid jabs from January 10. Burrow, a legendary Australian surfer, and his now-wife Rebecca at the World Surfing Awards on February 25, 2015 Burrow with his family. The 43-year-old did not say exactly what his questions are about the Covid vaccine, which has been proven to be safe and effective Burrow's wife Rebecca (pictured with the couple's two daughters) said the criticism aimed at anti-vaxxers during the pandemic was 'really unfair' AUSTRALIA'S COVID VACCINE ROLLOUT IN CHILDREN FIVE TO ELEVEN Children as young as five will be eligible for vaccination against Covid-19 from January 10. Polling by the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne shows about half of parents surveyed intend to get their children aged between five and 11 vaccinated. One-quarter of 1259 parents surveyed in July were against it while almost one-third were unsure. Side effects, convenience and accessibility were key factors influencing parents' willingness to vaccinate their children. Pfizer vaccines to be given to children contain one-third of the standard dose following final approval from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. Advertisement Polling by the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne shows about half of parents surveyed intend to get their children aged between five and 11 vaccinated. Burrow married his wife Rebecca in 2018 and they have daughters - Arabella Rose and Robbie Lou. Last August, Burrow's wife said the criticism aimed at anti-vaxxers during the pandemic was 'really unfair'. 'Just because people are advocates for medical freedom without Australia and are against restrictions being made to our civil human rights... does not mean they dont also care about the state of the rest of the world,' she said. An alleged plot to smuggle 99kg of meth into Australia came to a dramatic end when the getaway van crashed into police car. Cops dragged three burly, tattooed men out of the upturned vehicle on a patch of grass in southeast Perth and arrested them on December 30. Little did the trio know they were allegedly racing away from police without a single gram of drugs on board after border agent swapped out the drugs day before. Joseph Davids, 32, Darren Dexter Fletcher, 35, and Reece Raymond Neil OConnor, 31, likely didn't learn the truth until they were hauled before court the next day. They rung in the new year behind bars charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs, facing life in jail. Three men have been charged for allegedly attempting to deliver almost $1million worth of methamphetamine into Australia ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations Border Force officers were first alerted to the delivery when a 550kg shipment of latex pillows arrived in Fremantle on a container ship on December 17. The consignment was loaded onto the ship in Asia, however investigations will continue into the source of the drugs. Officers searched the delivery and discovered a 'crystal-like substance' stuffed inside the pillows. It was given to the Australian Federal Police for testing, coming back as positive to meth. Forensic specialists estimated there was about 99kg of meth inside the pillows, with a street value of at least $100 million. The meth was replaced with a harmless substance and repacked before the cargo was released to be collected and the sting was on. The shipment was seized as the men left a property in Maddington, about 20km southeast of Perth, where the drugs were allegedly kept in a shipping container ABF officers were first alerted to the alleged drugs when a 550kg shipment of latex pillows (pictured) arrived in Fremantle on a container ship on December 17 On the morning of December 29, two men arrived to allegedly pick up the boxes of pillows and take them back to a house in Maddington. The pick-up was witnessed by officers from the ABF, the AFP, and Western Australian police officers who were assisted by Home Affairs and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. The two men were met then met another group, who then allegedly helped to unload the boxes of latex pillows into a shipping container at the property. Three men returned to the house the following evening and entered the shipping container to access the boxes. AFP and ABF officers swooped on the trio as they left the site in a white van, resulting in a dramatic collision after the men allegedly tried to evade police. AFP and ABF officers swooped on the trio as they left the site in a white van, resulting in a dramatic collision after the men allegedly tried to evade police The trio were arrested by members of the Australian Federal Police on December 30 after the Australian Border Force discovered the drugs almost two weeks earlier Police said the 99kg of meth - estimated to be worth about $100million - could have been sold to a million people in individual street deals. AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner John Tanti said the price of the illicit substance skyrocketed in WA due to border closures that restricted the supply. 'Criminal syndicates are looking to exploit this demand and sell methamphetamine in WA to maximise their profits, they do not care about the immense harm that this drug causes,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Tanti said. 'We believe it is also no coincidence that the drugs had arrived in Perth just in time for New Year's Eve celebrations one of the busiest nights of the year for drug and alcohol fuelled harm.' He said the estimated cost of the drugs entering the West Australian community would have been $22.65 million through crime, increased healthcare and justice costs, and loss of productivity. Police have stated the 99kg of meth - estimated to be worth about $100million - could have been sold to one million people in individual street deals The men face a potential life sentence if convicted of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs Australian Border Force Acting Assistant Commissioner West James Copeman said this had been a 'significant detection' by officers using 'sophisticated technology'. Assistant Commissioner Copeman said ABF officers had seized about 5.2 tonnes of meth at Australian borders through 1,745 detections in the 2020-21 financial year. The trio faced Perth Magistrate's Court on 31 December and were remanded in custody to reappear on Wednesday. The men face a potential life sentence if convicted. Former President Donald Trump mysteriously canceled his January 6 Mar-a-Lago press conference, sending out a statement Tuesday night that he would be discussing 'those topics' instead at his January 15 Arizona rally. 'In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona,' he wrote, adding, 'It will be a big crowd!' The ex-president was to face reporters at his Palm Beach resort on the anniversary of the deadly Capitol attack, while in Washington President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders are expected to make solemn tributes on the one-year anniversary of Trump's MAGA mob storming the Capitol Building. Former President Donald Trump, photographed on New Year's Eve, mysteriously canceled his January 6 Mar-a-Lago press conference, sending out a statement Tuesday night that he would be discussing 'those topics' instead at his January 15 Arizona rally Trump was supposed to host reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Janaury 6, which marks the one-year anniversary of the MAGA mob storming the U.S. Capitol. Instead he said Tuesday night that he'll address 'those topics' at his January 15 Arizona rally Axios reported Tuesday night that several of Trump's key allies - including GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham - questioned whether holding a press conference on the anniversary was smart. Graham told Axios that he and Trump discussed the forthcoming press conference during a game of golf over the weekend. Graham said he told the ex-president, who brought the press conference up, 'there could be peril in doing a news conference. ... Best to focus on election reform instead.' Axios also reported that Republican Congressional leaders viewed the Trump press conference as a political headache. Ingraham had asked GOP Rep. Jim Banks, a Trump ally, a leading question on whether he thought it was 'smart for President Trump to do a rally on particular day, versus next week or the week before?' Banks said he was looking forward to the press conference. Trump claimed Tuesday that he scratched the press event because it has 'become more and more obvious to ALL' that the 'LameStream Media will not report the facts.' The ex-president then, again, peddled a false claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Capitol Sergeant-at-Arms denied requests from the D.C. National Guard and the military to be present at the Capitol that day. Last month, Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill told USA Today that her office was not consulted or contacted in regards to any National Guard requests ahead of January 6 - the day lawmakers gathered to certify Biden's election. Hammill added that Pelosi doesn't have the power to reject that type of request. 'This is the Democrats' Great Cover-Up Committee and the Media is complicit,' Trump charged. Trump also accused Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the Democratic members of the committee and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, of changing a statement made by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, a top Trump ally. The committee had previously said that a graphic created for Schiff of a text message sent by Jordan included a period added 'inadvertently.' 'Why will Crazy Nancy Pelosi not provide her communications with the House Sergeant-at-Arms and the House Chief Administrative Officer, or promise to retain these vital messages, which many feel she has already destroyedperhaps illegally?' Trump also asked. 'Also, why is the primary reason for the people coming to Washington D.C., which is the fraud of the 2020 Presidential Election, not the primary topic of the Unselect Committee's investigation?' he continued. 'This was, indeed, the Crime of the Century.' Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden, but continues to push the so-called 'big lie' - that he was robbed a second term due to election fraud. 'I look forward to seeing our Great American patriots in Arizona next weekend for a big rally to Save America!' Trump added. The January 15 rally, which coincides with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, will take place in Florence, a small town outside of Phoenix. Representatives from MLK's family will be in Phoenix on January 15 holding a rally pushing for federal voting rights protections, bills that Trump doesn't support. Schools faced delayed deliveries of Covid tests for the start of term yesterday as some reported one in five teachers calling in sick with the virus. As pupils began their return after Christmas, heads warned of testing chaos as some still had not received supplies. And problems were deepened as the Department for Education (DfE) gave schools short of tests a 5pm deadline yesterday to order more or face a two-week wait. Issues were compounded by staff absences caused by Covid, as Ian Bauckham, the boss of exams regulator Ofqual, said schools could suspend subjects like music to cope with shortages. As pupils began their return after Christmas, heads warned of testing chaos as some still had not received supplies (File image) A school in Swansea Valley, Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera, asked Years 7 and 8 to learn remotely until January 10. In north London, Evelyn Forde, head of Copthall School, said 13 staff were absent and four children tested positive for Covid on-site. Staffing is looking pretty horrendous, she added. Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Charitable Trust, which has 52 schools across England, said early indicators suggested 20 per cent of his staff could be absent. All secondary pupils are being tested for Covid this week, but for some the lateral flow tests failed to arrive in time (File image) Last night it emerged a secondary school was segregating children who do not wear face masks or fail to test twice a week. Walton High, an academy in Buckinghamshire, said any pupils exempt from wearing face masks will be seated at the back of classrooms at the furthest point from the teacher. Michelle Currie, executive principal, also told parents that if their child had not yet been vaccinated, this could have consequences, including that it may limit their career options later in life, according to The Daily Telegraph. All secondary pupils are being tested for Covid this week, but for some the lateral flow tests failed to arrive in time. Geoff Barton, general secretary of heads union ASCL, said: It is clearly imperative that schools and colleges have enough test kits to follow the government guidance. A DfE spokesman added: A further 17.6 million test kits will be delivered by the end of next week. Canada's transportation minister is investigating after a chartered Sunwing plane filled with maskless passengers became the scene of a booze-filled party. Shocking footage of the trip from Montreal to Cancun was shared online as Canada battles a surge of new Covid cases that are overwhelming hospitals and prompting school closures in Quebec and neighboring Ontario. The passengers -reportedly social media 'influencers' were filmed vaping, dancing, and snapping selfies in violation of numerous air transport rules. They now face fines and potential flight bans, Le Journal de Montreal reported, and have all been barred from traveling home with Sunwing. Canada's transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Twitter he had asked regulator Transport Canada to investigate the wild December 30 scene. Unmasked revelers were filmed partying on a plane from Montreal to Cancun, sparking a probe by Canadian government A group of rowdy Quebecois passengers defied numerous aviation rules December 30 while partying maskless on a chartered Sunwing airplane from Montreal to Cancun. One woman even filmed herself vaping while in the air This man appeared to be enjoying the party vibe - but he and everyone else aboard the flight have had their return trip axed by Sunwing 'I am aware of the reports of unacceptable behavior on a Sunwing flight,' Alghabra said. It's not clear where the flight crew was during the ruckus. The Toronto-headquartered leisure operator said by email that the behavior of a group of passengers on the private charter flight 'was unruly and contravened several Canadian aviation regulations as well as public health regulations.' Passengers were seen in video footage taking gulps from a bottle of Grey Goose vodka Passengers in one video could be soon sharing a large bottle of Grey Goose vodka; in another, they took turns speaking to passengers over the plane's intercom system. A group called 111 Private Club took credit for the party on Instagram, the Toronto Star reported. The group's social media account includes video footage of passengers cheering and screaming. Sunwing said it has canceled the group's return flight to Montreal scheduled for January 5 as a result of the carrier's investigation and due to a refusal by the group to accept all terms of carriage. Sunwing said the flight to Cancun triggered an investigation by its security department and an initial notification to Transport Canada. The Canadian regulator was not immediately available for comment. 'This is unacceptable behavior from passengers that puts our cabin crew at enormous risk,' said Rena Kisfalvi, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local which represents Sunwing flight attendants. 'We need the airlines and the federal government to support and protect our members against this kind of mob behavior and make sure it never happens again.' Canadians flocked to social media to express their dismay over the party held as Canucks on the ground returned to lockdown, with gyms and other non-essential businesses once again shutting. Canadians flocked to social media to express their dismay over the party held as Canucks on the ground returned to lockdown A number of Canadians, including Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, took to Twitter to condone the behavior 'If you ever wondered why so many Mexicans detest Canadian tourists, it's because they've adopted what used to be solely American behaviours,' tweeted @DaGorro. 'It only gets worse once the plane lands in Cancun.' Added another user: 'In case youre wondering why Sunwing is trending No, it didnt go out of business (yet). Moronic Quebec influencers decided to turn a Cancun-bound plane into their own personal nightclub.' Another social media user claimed flight attendants were forced to hide out during the flight. 'These fools acted like wild animals on their flight south, even the flight attendants hid away from them, there was zero control,' @MarieCh48003039 tweeted. 'The latest? Pending criminal charges/bans from airlines and Sunwing has cancelled their return home.' South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has been labelled 'out of touch' by frustrated hospitality owners after he declared the 'tills are still ringing' despite enforcing measures onto the industry. Just days before the New Year, Mr Marshall brought back a string of Covid-19 restrictions which left owners of pubs and restaurants reeling. Dining density limits were scaled back to one person per 4sqm indoors and one person per 2sqm outdoors, forcing many venues to close altogether. Simone Douglas, publican of the Duke of Brunswick in Adelaide and co-founder of Hospo Owners Collective said she was 'in disbelief' to hear the state leader's comments which she thought were 'out of touch'. An Adelaide publican has slammed South Australian Premier Steven Marshall after he said the 'tills were still ringing' while hospitality industries face Covid-19 restrictions 'It takes a certain level of arrogance and indifference to make a statement like that that you know is going to go out to people who are affected,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's a bit like giving us the two fingers.' Ms Douglas said that in just three weeks she estimates she lost around $120,000 in revenue due to Covid measures and the amount of residents isolating. She said it was frustrating to see other industries such as retail not be given the same restrictions those in hospitality were, and even worse that South Australia was the worst hit despite having significantly less Covid cases than Victoria and NSW. 'There's a perception that we are whinging but the reality is we are just trying to keep our staff employed so they can pay rent,' she said. Dining density limits for pubs and restaurants in SA were scaled back to one person per 4sqm indoors and one person per 2sqm outdoors, forcing many venues to close altogether 'We have the toughest restrictions in the country yet we have the least cases and the smallest population density.' Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Marshall said the government wasn't 'taking our health advice from the hospitality sector', but from medical professionals. Ms Douglas said the 'bare minimum' for hospitality industries to survive was to have 50 per cent capacity indoors - a lot higher than the current 25 per cent. She added that while she doesn't expect density limits to change anytime soon, some greater financial assistance from the government would not go astray. The publican is calling for 75 per cent of fixed overheads to be covered for venues which have had to limit customers to 25 per cent capacity indoors. Businesses such as gyms, tourism and hospitality venues have been offered cash grants of $3,000 with an additional $7,000 offered for those with turnover above $2million. 'Retail is running at 50 per cent, the casino is operating at 50 per cent - cut the little guys a break,' Ms Douglas said. 'Hindsight's a wonderful thing. Clearly opening the borders was a mistake if it was going to have this kind of impact at large and on state's economy.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the premier's office for comment. A North Carolina State Trooper killed his cop brother and a driver after accidentally smashing into his sibling's cruiser while helping him respond to a traffic stop. North Carolina State Trooper John Horton was killed in Rutherford County on Monday after his brother, Trooper James Horton, accidentally crashed into John's parked cruiser, sending it flying into James and driver Dusty Luke Beck, 26. John, a 15 year veteran cop, had pulled Beck, a father-of-three, over for undisclosed reasons, with James - who is also known as Nick - crashing while traveling to assist his brother. Trooper John Horton of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol was killed on Monday when his brother lost control and collided with him during a traffic stop While on his way to to assist, State Highway Patrol Trooper James Horton (pictured bottom) lost control of his vehicle and collided with his brother's (pictured top) parked patrol vehicle 26-year-old Dusty Luke Beck (pictured) was also killed in the collision on Monday Flowers were placed at the scene of the collision on Tuesday in honor of the victims in Rutherford County The State Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the cause of the deadly accident Trooper John Horton was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries while Beck was pronounced dead at the scene. Trooper James Horton suffered minor injuries in the accident. The State Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the cause of the accident. The State Highway Patrol said they plan to stand along side Horton's family- which includes his wife Ashley and their six children. 'Our hearts are broken with the loss of our friend and our brother, Trooper John Horton,' Colonel Freddy L. Johnson Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol, said in a statement. 'For all involved in this tragic event the coming days will undoubtedly be difficult, but we are committed to stand alongside with them with our thoughts, prayers and unwavering support.' Trooper John Horton of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol pictured with his wife Ashley and their six children Trooper John S. Horton pictured with his wife Ashley. The pair shared six children together North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper John Horton pictured at the departments 3rd Annual Christmas Charity Coyote Hunt Family and friends are mourning Dusty Luke Beck, the 26-year-old father of three from South Carolina The tragic incident has left community members, who remembers Horton as a 'friendly guy', shaken as well. 'It has been pretty somber,' Tommy Baldwin, a friend of Horton and the owner of Earl's Short Stop Inc told WBTV. 'Normally, you know, people coming in and out are always laughing and joking. It's not quite that right now. Everybody is upset. People that knew him and people that didn't know him.' Also being mourned is Beck, who is being remembered as a loving father to three children who was 'full of life.' 'I've seen so much about the officer who was killed but this sweet soul needs to be remembered also,' a friend of Beck's posted on Facebook. 'Dusty was so full of life. I remember seeing him so much during my teenage years. He was such a character!! And so full of life!! He's a son, a brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and father!! My heart breaks for them all during this! His life was taken too. And he is going to be missed terribly!! I pray for everyone involved in this horrific accident but Dusty's name needs to be out there too,' Multiple fundraisers have been set up for the victims, including a GoFundMe for the Horton's family that has raised over $15,000 in a day, and a GoFundMe set up by Beck's family to help with funeral costs that has raised over $1,000. The four-year-old great-niece of George Floyd has been shot in her bed, during a 'targeted attack' on her Texas apartment in the middle of the night. Arianna Delane is expected to survive but had to undergo surgery in Houston over the weekend after bullets punctures her lung and liver, leaving her with three broken ribs. So far, police have not revealed a motive nor have they provided a description of the shooter. But the family have said they know who opened fire, and have suggested the shooting was targeted, without commenting further on a possible motive. George Floyd's four-year-old niece, Arianna Delane, was shot at her home in South Houston over the weekend. She is pictured making a recovery in hospital 'My daughter jumped up and said, 'Daddy, I been hit,'' her father, Derrick Delane, pictured, said Delane showed the media where the home had been hit by various bulletholes Several bullets struck the home leaving holes in various walls and doors to the building Gunshots were fired randomly by suspects into the family home on the second floor at around 3am on Saturday night. At the time of the shooting there were six people inside the property in south Houston with four adults and two children all asleep, with Arianna in her bed in a front bedroom. 'My daughter jumped up and said, 'Daddy, I been hit,'' her father, Derrick Delane told ABC 13. 'I was shocked until I seen the blood and I realized my four-year-old daughter was really hit,' Delane recalled. 'She didn't know what was going on. She was asleep.' Arianna was shot in the torso while she was asleep in her bed leaving her with a punctured lung and liver together with three broken ribs The little girl was asleep in a front bedroom of the apartment on the second floor when the attack occurred The attack took place at the home in South Houston over the weekend Delane said that he hoped his daughter would still be able to achieve her dream of becoming a dancer or cheerleader. 'Why would my house get shot up?' Delane asked. 'My daughter don't know. I can't explain that to her. As the father, you're supposed to protect the kids. 'She's healing very fast. The last time I checked on her she was breathing on her own. She was doing really great,' Delane said speaking of her recovery. The family have also claimed that the police did not arrive until 7am - four hours after the incident occurred. An investigation is now underway to examine why the police response was so delayed. 'I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation. I ask the city continue to pray for the child's full recovery and assist in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects responsible,' Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement. Arianna was one of two children asleep inside the home at the time of the shooting A woman stands in front of a mural of George Floyd on May 25, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Arianna had been seen at several Black Lives Matter protests the followed the killing of her great uncle, George Floyd. She was related to George through her grandmother, LaTonya, who was his sister. Video emerged of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck as he lay on the ground for nine minutes during his arrest Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, having been arrested for allegedly attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a grocery store. His triggered protests around the globe against racism and police brutality. Shortly after the incident, video emerged of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck as he lay on the ground for nine minutes. Floyd cried out, 'I can't breathe!' over and over. His words became a rallying cry for demonstrators the world over. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. Three other officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng, were fired from the police department who did nothing to intervene while witnessing Floyd's death. Women are nearly a third more likely to die when operated on by a male surgeon, a study has found. Female patients are also at higher risk of complications and readmission and are more likely to stay in hospital longer when a man carries out their surgery, researchers said. However, when female surgeons operated on men the outcomes were unchanged, if not improved suggesting the link is one sided. And while the reasons are unclear, scientists warn the findings 'sound the alarm for urgent action'. A team from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, looked at more than 1.3million patient records involving nearly 3,000 surgeons. Out of all the female patients, 93,000 had a female surgeon while 667,000 had a male surgeon. And out of all male patients, 510,000 had a male surgeon and 50,000 had a female surgeon. Female patients are also at higher risk of complications and readmission and are more likely to stay in hospital longer when a man carries out their surgery, researchers said (stock image) The analysis of the data, which was published in the journal Jama Surgery, found that women were 32 per cent more likely to die when a man rather than a woman carried out their operation. They were also 15 per cent more likely to suffer a bad outcome, had a 16 per cent greater risk of complications, had an 11 per cent greater risk of readmission and were 20 per cent more likely to have to stay in hospital longer. This was true for many of the 21 types of common surgery analysed, the researchers said. For example, when women had heart or lung surgery their chance of dying after an operation by a female surgeon was 1 per cent. When a male surgeon carried out the operation this rose to 1.4 per cent. For neurosurgery, the chance of death increased from 0.9 per cent with a female surgeon to 1.2 per cent with a male surgeon. Dr Angela Jerath, co-author of the study, said male and female surgeons undergo the same training, but implicit 'sex biases', in which surgeons 'act on subconscious, deeply ingrained biases, stereotypes and attitudes', could be one explanation for the results. The analysis of the data, which was published in the journal Jama Surgery, found that women were 32 per cent more likely to die when a man rather than a woman carried out their operation (stock image) Previous studies have suggested that doctors, particularly men, underrate the severity of symptoms in female patients. Other analysis indicates patients may be less likely to report post-operative pain to male surgeons. Commenting on the latest study, Andrea Riner, from the University of Florida College of Medicine, said the findings 'sound the alarm for urgent action'. She said: 'Although the underlying reasons for this disparity are not fully understood, action should be taken immediately. 'Sex disparity in surgery is not unique to Ontario. Efforts to recruit women into surgery need to be ramped up.' In Britain, women account for 41 per cent of surgeons in the earlier stages of the career but only 14 per cent of senior surgeons. Experts have warned that this could be due to a lack of flexibility in training schedules and rotas. InWith Corporation is preparing to present what might be the ultimate way to enter the metaverse. Instead of heavy and bulky goggles, they developed futuristic contact lenses that should be capable of tunable and augmented vision. It is super lightweight, virtually invisible and possibly worth millions of dollars! InWith corporation is a private company that specializes in patent technology over smart contact lenses and implants. On Monday, they announced their latest project, a wearable contact lens for the metaverse. Many fans expect InWith to demonstrate their wearable contact lenses at CES 2022. The presentation should take place in Las Vegas, sometime on Wednesday. InWith Company: The Metaverse Contact Lens Sources from Cision researched and explained the technology behind the contact lens. They said InWith used patented key techniques to integrate solid components and circuits into hydrogel materials which expand and contract on the manufacturing process. The end result is a stretchable electronic circuitry and augmented vision display chip embedded on soft hydrogel contact lenses. InWith emphasized that the design was meant for easy transition from the real world to the metaverse. The lens will provide a fully immersive metaverse viewing, seamlessly going back and forth between the real world. Ideally, the contact lenses are a big improvement compared to AR and VR goggles. Users will no longer worry about heavy headgear and battery issues. Users can also avoid unfortunate incidents like hitting furniture or slamming to the wall because they cannot "see" what's in front of them. However, fans should keep in mind that the InWith lens is still in the announcement phase. Experts and other related industries have yet to test the contact lens' efficiency and reliability. For now, readers are advised to take in these speculations with a grain of salt and a level of skepticism. Read Also: Purple Fox Malware Spreads Through Malicious Telegram Installers; Steals Data, Hacks Your Device How to Join the Metaverse: InWith Company and Meta According to Electronics 360, InWith plans to apply for FDA approval sometime this year. Once recognized, the team will put their cutting-edge technologies on the market. InWith said they are confident in their unique contact lenses, per TVB Europe. InWith emphasized that they are the only company capable of integrating the component circuitry in modern contact lens, which is recognized by the top Fortune 50 companies. The situation is still progressing, and InWith has yet to present the full details of their contact lenses. Afterward, other companies still have to decide whether they would adopt this unique technology or not. For now, the potential of this project is undeniable. Fans are looking forward to these easy-to-wear contact lenses, which could promote immediate AR and XR applications. More details on this exciting piece of technology should be made available in the coming days. Fans are recommended to monitor InWith contact lens development on the CES 2022 program. Related Article: NASA Hubble Names Spiral Galaxy Image as Best Photo of 2021; Celebrates Incredible 1 Billion Seconds Milestone People have been evacuated from Oldham town centre after a man entered a police station and assaulted a police officer. Reinforcements rushed to the scene after the man gained entry to the grounds of Oldham Police Station just before 10pm. The man, who assaulted a police officer, was arrested by officers who used a taser on him. People have been evacuated from Oldham town centre after a man entered a police station and assaulted a police officer GMP Oldham said they were dealing with an incident in Oldham town centre and a cordon was in place He has now been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, assault of a police officer and being found on enclosed premises. It is not known if the police officer was injured in the incident. The centre of Oldham was sealed off and businesses evacuated as officers examined a car believed to be linked to the suspect. A cordon is now in place in the region as specialist officers examine a suspicious vehicle which is believed to have belonged to the man. Police sealed off the area while they examined a car believed to be linked to the arrested man A large cordon was in place in the centre of Oldham for several hours while a car was probed A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'Just before 10pm tonight (Tuesday 4 January 2022), a male gained entry to the grounds of Oldham Police Station. 'The male was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, assault of a police officer and being found on enclosed premises. During the arrest the male was tasered. 'A vehicle found nearby is believed to belong to the man. 'A precautionary cordon is in place while the contents of the vehicle are examined by specialist GMP officers. 'There are a number of road closures are in place and some premises have been evacuated.' The cordon was lifted after around four hours. The prestigious Mayo Clinic fired 700 employees who refused to comply with the hospital's COVID-19 vaccine policy. Workers had until Monday to get their first shot or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the healthcare system's vaccine mandate. The clinic, which is the largest employer in its home state of Minnesota, reportedly granted the majority of exemption requests. 'While Mayo Clinic is saddened to lose valuable employees, we need to take all steps necessary to keep our patients, workforce, visitors and communities safe,' the clinic told the Star Tribune. 'If individuals released from employment choose to get vaccinated at a later date, the opportunity exists for them to apply and return to Mayo Clinic for future job openings.' The prestigious Mayo Clinic fired 700 employees who refused to comply with the hospital's COVID-19 vaccine policy Mayo Clinic, which first informed employees about the vaccine mandate last July, has faced heavy criticism over the vaccination requirement. While primarily associated with Minnesota, where it was founded, the healthcare system also operates hospitals in Arizona, Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin. A group of 38 lawmakers issued a letter to the hospital last month listing several reasons they should nix the policy, arguing the 'heavy-handed, all-or-none employee policy does not fit the reputation or image we know the Mayo Clinic to have'. On Monday, after learning of the firings, Minnesota Rep. Peggy Bennett - who orchestrated December's letter - slammed the policy, which the clinic claims was made 'based on science and data'. 'We're in a precarious situation and we need to look at this reasonably, rationally and with common sense,' Bennett told KTTC. 'Common sense tells me if everybody can catch it and spread it then why are we firing these employees?' Rep. Tina Liebling, however, applauded the policy, saying: 'Mayo Clinic is making these decisions based on its needs and I think that should be respected. I think Mayo should be able to make these decisions, it's a private business. A group of 38 lawmakers issued a letter to the hospital last month listing several reasons they should nix the policy, arguing the 'heavy-handed, all-or-none employee policy does not fit the reputation or image we know the Mayo Clinic to have' Mayo Clinic introduced its vaccine policy last year, claiming it was essential to providing the safest environment at the hospital. On Monday, the organization echoed their prior sentiment and touted the benefits of getting vaccinated. Minnesota Rep. Peggy Bennett (pictured) - who orchestrated December's letter - slammed the policy, which the clinic claims was made 'based on science and data'. 'Based on science and data, it's clear that vaccination keeps people out of the hospital and saves lives,' the hospital said in a statement. 'That's true for everyone in our communities and it's especially true for the many patients with serious or complex diseases who seek care at Mayo Clinic each day.' Nearly 99 percent of staff across all Mayo Clinic location have complied with the requirement, meaning they were either vaccinated or received an exemption. 'This means that approximately 1 percent of staff across all locations will be released from employment as a result of the required vaccination program,' the clinic said. 'This is comparable to what other health care organizations have experienced in implementing similar vaccine requirement programs.' Mayo Clinic LPN Kim Ristau, who spoke to the TV station, said while she supports personal choice, she believes the mandating vaccines was the correct choice. 'Within our entire department, we are losing some very valuable nurses and we absolutely hate to see them go, but again they have a responsibility as healthcare workers, in my opinion, to do the right thing and be vaccinated,' she said. Healthcare professionals prepare to screen people for COVID at a testing site erected in a parking lot at Mayo Clinic on April 02, 2020 in Phoenix, Mayo Clinic LPN Kim Ristau (pictured) said while she supports personal choice, she believes the mandating vaccines was the correct choice. 'I do understand the whole my body my choice and I can respect that, but to work in the healthcare industry, you have to comply.' Vaccine mandates have caused controversy across the nation as the Omicron variant continues to surge. Last month, the Society for Human Resource Management revealed that a quarter of large US employers - including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and several airlines, among others - were requiring workers be vaccinated against COVID. The issue of mandates has been highly polarizing, causing some employees to leave their organizations while others say the requirement makes them feel safe. 'As we've seen, an organization's vaccination policy can be a polarizing issue,' William F. Ziebell, CEO of Gallagher's benefits and HR consulting division, said in December. A record-high number of cases in the US was reported Monday, when 1,082,549 Americans tested positive for the virus More than 56 million Americans have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic, which has killed more than 827,000 people throughout the nation 'Some employees may end up leaving due to a vaccination policy, while others may leave over safety concerns. Conversely, some employees may be attracted to an employer who mandates the vaccine as a sign that their personal values are aligned with the organization,' he added. Meanwhile, the US recorded a million new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, shattering the global record it previously set, and making the U.S. by far the hardest-hit nation of the pandemic. There have now been 827,753 deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19. There were 826,065 deaths during the same time frame analysis performed by DailyMail.com, meaning fatalities increased by 1,688 over the same timespan that infections surged by one million. Monday's number is almost double the previous record of about 590,000 set just four days ago in the U.S., which itself was a doubling from the prior week. Outside the U.S., the highest number of cases recorded in a single day was in India, when more than 414,000 people were diagnosed on May 7, 2021. Record-breaking Jeopardy! contestant Amy Schneider fell victim an armed robbery close to her Oakland home, which saw her phone, credit cards and ID stolen. Schneider, 42, revealed she'd suffered upsetting crime on her Twitter account on Monday, shortly before she was seen on TV later on the same evening scoring her 24th straight victory on the iconic game show. 'Hi all! So, first off: I'm fine,' she tweeted earlier on Monday. 'But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone. I then couldn't really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything.' Schneider is transgender, although there is not yet any suggestion that the robbery in crime-ridden Oakland was hate-related, and no arrests have been made. It is also unclear if she was targeted because of her fame and burgeoning bank balance. In a second tweet, Schneider wrote that she doubted whether she'll 'start writing tonight's game thread', where she updates fans on what went on behind the scenes, because of the robbery. 'And if I keep winning, it may take a bit for me to get caught up,' she added. 'Thanks for your patience!' Amy Schneider, 42, made the announcement to her 52,000 followers on Twitter on Monday evening Clearly affected by the robbery, the 25-game winning champion said it would be unlikely that she would 'start writing tonight's game thread' on Monday's show of Jeopardy! The woman with the highest earnings in the show's history lost her valuables including her ID, credit cards and phone, shortly before she was seen on TV later on the same evening scoring her 24th straight victory on the iconic game show. Schneider was robbed close to the Oakland apartment building where she lives, pictured Schneider was referring to her habit of sharing her highs and lows of each game via threads after games with her 52k followers. However, she said the robbery would likely prevent her from finishing up a recap of Monday night's game when she earned her 24th victory and increased her earnings to $897,600, the fourth biggest amount in the show's regular-season's play. Oakland Police shared a statement today that officers were investigating an armed robbery that took place on Lenox Avenue on Sunday shortly after 3.30p.m, close to Schneider's home. They didn't name Schneider as the victim, but both the San Francisco Chronicle and NBC News have reported that she is the victim. Two unidentified robbers one armed with a gun Schneider and ordered her to give them their belongings. She passed on their items before the thieves fled the scene, officials said. As of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests have been made. Schneider will appear on Tuesday evening's show to win her 25th game, with The Jeopardy Fan website suggesting that if she keeps on winning at the rate she's currently on, then she could win more than $1million in earnings this week, putting her outside the podium, behind no. 3 winner Matt Amodio, who had a total of $1,518,601 by 38 regular-season games in early October. With her Christmas Eve victory, Schneider's hot run has earned the contestant more money than any other woman in the show's history, overtaking Larissa Kelly's earnings of $660,930 in 2008. Schneider overtook Larissa Kelly's earnings of $660,930 in 2008 on Christmas Eve to become the woman with the highest total in the show's history at $855,600 Schneider has also been targeted by social media trolls since her recent rise to stardom, including those commenting about her identity. In a New Year's Eve tweet, she responded to transphobic comments she was mentioned in after finishing first in the winnings for women players The Ohio native is also active on social media, engaging with her followers on Twitter on being a transgender woman. She knows that her journey as the first transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions on the show, where the best players from each season compete against one another, means a lot to others in the trans community. 'I am from Ohio where the only trans people I thought of were drag queens or prostitutes.' Schneider told NBC News, although she doesn't see herself as being 'special' regarding her gender identity change. 'I don't actually think about it that much,' she told Yahoo. 'I was definitely aware, going on the show, that being a trans person in the spotlight could be an interesting thing. But, you know, it's just what I am, and there's sort of, like, nothing to do about it. It's just who I am.' Schneider has also become a target of social media trolls since her recent rise to stardom, including those commenting about her identity. In a New Year's Eve tweet, she responded to transphobic comments she was mentioned in after finishing first in the winnings for women players. 'I'd like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I'm a man,' Schneider said. 'Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind.' Murders in Oakland rose by 70 per cent between 2019 and 2021, and rocketed past 131 in mid-December, the highest number since 2006. The California city - which sits across a bay from violence-plagued San Francisco - initially moved to defund its police in the wake of George Floyd's murder, but is now frantically trying to hire more cops to stem its soaring crime levels. French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday he wanted to 'p*** off' the unvaccinated by introducing fresh legislation to ban them from public venues. The cutting remark prompted howls of condemnation from opposition rivals less than four months before the next presidential election. Macron, 44, was responding to a nurse during a question and answer session with readers of Le Parisien when he addressed how the government will handle non-vaccinated people. 'By and Im sorry for putting it this way by p***ing them off even more,' Macron said. 'Im generally opposed to the French being p****d off. I complain all the time about administrative blockages. But when it comes to the non-vaccinated, Im very keen to p them off. So were going to do it, the end. Thats our strategy.' France last year put in place a health pass that prevents people without a PCR test or proof of vaccination from entering restaurants, cafes and other venues. The government wants to turn it into a vaccine passport that means only the vaccinated can have a health pass. The legislation will remove the option of showing a negative test, effectively barring unvaccinated people from hospitality venues or trains. The plans have faced fierce resistance from anti-vaccination campaigners and far-right and far-left groups, but is backed by the government which has a majority in parliament. French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday he wanted to 'p*** off' the non-vaccinated. The plans for a vaccine pass in France have received considerable backlash from far-left and far-right groups, but the legislation is backed by the government which has a majority in parliament (protest against Covid-19 sanitary pass in Paris, August 2021) In a particularly snarky interview, the French president said he aims to irritate the unvaccinated into submission, rather than round them up and prosecute them. 'I won't send (the unvaccinated) to prison, I won't vaccinate by force. So we need to tell them, from Jan. 15, you won't be able to go to the restaurant anymore, you won't be able to down one, won't be able to have a coffee, go to the theatre, the cinema...' Macron's use of a very informal French phrase, which can be translated as 'to p*** them off', prompted immediate criticism by rivals on social media. 'A president shouldn't say that,' far right leader Marine Le Pen said on Twitter. 'Emmanuel Macron is unworthy of his office.' Until now France has enforced a COVID-19 health pass, which means in order to get into restaurants, cafes or cinemas or board trains, people need to either show a fresh negative test, or proof of vaccination. But the new legislation to effectively ban the unvaccinated from many public venues is set to be ushered in on January 15. French government officials yesterday vowed to enact the law as planned by mid-January despite the legislation hitting a procedural hitch in parliament overnight. 'January 15 remains our goal,' for the law coming into force, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told LCI television. Protesters hold posters reading 'Freedom' and 'No To Health Pass' during a demonstration held last year by right-wing party 'Les Patriotes' against the COVID-19 sanitary pass which grants vaccinated individuals greater ease of access to venues in France, in Paris, France Until now France has enforced a COVID-19 health pass, which means in order to get into restaurants, cafes or cinemas or board trains, people need to either show a fresh negative test, or proof of vaccination. But the new legislation to effectively ban the unvaccinated from many public venues is set to be ushered in on January 15. French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) candidate for the 2022 French presidential election Marine Le Pen said of Macron's comments: 'A president shouldn't say that. Emmanuel Macron is unworthy of his office.' In the detailed interview, Macron's first in the new year, the president also said he had a good mind to run for re-election in April, but did not explicitly announce his intention to run. 'I would like to do it,' Macron said. As the clear favourite in the polls, Macron has not yet officially said he was running, although his lieutenants are already preparing a campaign. Macron also announced yesterday that France would not see fresh Covid restrictions amid a surge of new infections ahead of a government meeting today. France registered around 270,00 new daily cases earlier on Tuesday, a new record. The French president has been criticised in the past for off-the-cuff remarks which many French people said came across as arrogant, cutting or scornful. He has later expressed contrition on several occasions. Ghislaine Maxwell could lodge a claim of mistrial after it emerged one of the jurors who convicted her was a victim of child sex abuse. Scotty David said he had helped the other members of the jury understand things from a victim's point of view. He also claimed the five guilty verdicts returned last week, possibly condemning Maxwell to spend the rest of her life behind bars, were for 'all the victims'. But legal experts said if he did not disclose his past experiences before the jury deliberations, Maxwell could have grounds to claim a mistrial and have her convictions quashed. Moira Penza, a former federal prosecutor in New York, said: 'I certainly hope the juror disclosed this fully on his questionnaire. Scotty David said he had helped the other members of the jury understand things from a victim's point of view. Pictured: A sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell in court at her trial in New York 'A little strange the defence didn't strike him. It could definitely be an issue. 'In the first instance it would likely form the basis for a motion to Judge [Alison] Nathan for a new trial.' The jury took 40 hours to reach their decision and convict Maxwell on five of the six counts against her. She is facing up to 65 years in jail. She was convicted of trafficking young girls to be abused by her paedophile boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. Mr David told the Independent: 'I'm glad Maxwell has been held accountable.' Channel Nine news producers have been left red-faced after showing a map of Australia with Adelaide mislabeled by almost 700km. The map was used for a segment about housing prices in each capital city but wrongly pointed to Adelaide being next to Melbourne instead of in South Australia. The gaffe was shared to Reddit with many poking fun at the mishap, with some declaring new cities such as 'Adeelong' and 'Geelongaide'. Nine News has been left red-faced after showing a map of Australia with Adelaide incorrectly labelled in Victoria 'The secret is out. The plane just goes around in circles and pretends to cross the border,' one person joked. 'First they steal the Grand Prix, then they steal the whole city,' said another. 'Typical Victoria having two capital cities,' one wrote. Many poked fun at the news channel for the obvious gaffe Others said it was even worse as it was the Melbourne office who produced the map, with some suggesting the Victoria capital city was also too far south-east. 'New state of South Victoria? What's the capital city.... Adelbourne or Melbaide?' commented one. Nine News has been contacted for comment. American academics want ubiquitous Australian phrase 'no worries' banned because they don't understand how to use it properly. Lake Superior State University in Michigan revealed its annual list of 'banished words' in 2022, with 'no worries' making the list at number two - leaving Aussies outraged. 'Wait, what?', ranked in at number one while 'asking for a friend' and 'circle back', also made the list for being either overused, nonsensical, or just plain annoying. Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Michigan has compiled its annual list of banished words in 2022 with 'wait, what?' ranking number one (pictured, stock) The top 10 were chosen from more than 1,250 submissions across the globe and has been an annual exercise for LSSU since 1976. 'Most people speak through informal discourse. Most people shouldn't misspeak through informal discourse,' executive director of marketing and communications Peter Szatmary said. 'That's the distinction nominators far and wide made, and our judges agreed with them.' While Covid-related phrases like 'new normal', 'you're on mute' and 'supply chain' made the list, 'no worries' ranked at number two. A phrase made popular by Australian icons Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin was targeted for its 'misuse and overuse', according to the LSSU. Judges claimed the phrase was an incorrect substitute for 'you're welcome' when someone said 'thank you', deeming the phrase as 'meaningless'. An Aussie favourite 'no worries' came in at close second for being misused and overused (pictured, stock photo) 'If I'm not worried, I don't want anyone telling me not to worry,' a nominator said. 'If I am upset, I want to discuss being upset.' But language researcher Tim Webb and chair of the ABC's English usage committee argues the phrase 'no worries' is misunderstood due to its increase in popularity. '"No worries" is a victim of its own success, and has since become naturalised in America, that is, stripped of specific Australian connotations,' Mr Webb told The Guardian. 'In my view the compilers of the Banished Words list at LSSU are idiotically mistaken to view "no worries" as misused, overused, or incorrect.' Postdoctoral fellow at Macquarie University Lauren Sadow, who has a background in linguistics, suggests the list misunderstands the phrase's usage in Australian English. 'Although it is used in the same place as 'you're welcome', the meaning is quite different,' she said. Ms Sadow pointed out the term is actually very similar, in fact essentially identical, to American's use of the phrase 'no problem'. 'I would say that its usage has been misunderstood by people who do not have it in their own idiolect,' she said. The university releases its list of banned words and phrases every year since 1976, each year on New Years Eve to 'start the New Year on the right foot, er, tongue'. Over the past year, people submitted more than 1,250 suggestions for consideration, with nominations coming in from the US, Norway, Belgium, England, Scotland, Australia, and Canada. Ministers are set to scrap pre-departure Covid traveller tests today in a massive boost for winter sunseekers and the beleaguered tourism industry. As fear subsides about the Omicron variant, concern is growing about travel firms going bust due to beefed-up testing rules. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is thought to be pushing for relaxed measures. The 'Covid O' Cabinet meeting is likely to see pre-departure tests scrapped. The meeting will also discuss down-grading post-arrival tests from costly PCR swabs to cheaper rapid lateral flow swabs. This is less likely as health officials favour PCRs, which can be sequenced to detect variants of concern. However, the airline industry is today demanding the government goes a step further and axes all travel tests. Ministers are set to scrap pre-departure Covid traveller tests today in a massive boost for winter sunseekers and the beleaguered tourism industry (stock image) Testing regime that may be scrapped as the Omicron threat dwindles: Travelling home from another country has been a nightmare for may due to new restrictions amid Omicron. The rules for the fully vaccinated, which are likely to change, are... Before travel: Take a test in the 2 days before travel to England Book a PCR test to be taken after you arrive in England Complete a passenger locator form On arrival: Take a PCR test Take the test any time after arrival and before the end of day 2 Quarantine in your home or the place you are staying Advertisement The Manchester Airports Group funded and commissioned a study into the matter, which its chief of staff Tim Hawkins says provides evidence to scrap all testing. 'We were really encouraged last month as the Health Secretary was very clear that restrictions would be removed if they stopped playing a useful role in limiting the spread of the virus,' he told BBC Radio Four's Today programme. 'This research shows that with more than two million cases already in England, we're definitely past that point now and testing isn't an effective or sensible way to try and limit the peak number of cases or the pressure on the NHS. 'The government was clear they saw a temporary role for those tests. 'If you're able to restrict the number of international arrivals and limit the entry of a virus in the early stages there is some force behind that argument you can slow down the arrival and provide some breathing space. 'But what this research is showing now is we're well beyond that pointif there's no benefit to it, we shouldn't be doing it and we should take those measures out. 'This research shows there'd be a basis for taking out all tests, not just pre-departure but post-arrival is equally playing no role in managing case number and hospitalisations in the UK, so that is what we are asking the government to take the opportunity to do today.' Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, added: 'With the Omicron variant now representing 90% of Covid-19 cases in the UK, there is no justification for pre-departure test before travel to the UK, nor costly PCR testing upon arrival. 'New modelling, conducted by Oxera and Edge Health on behalf of Manchester Airport Group, shows that the introduction of these measures did very little to protect the UK against Omicron transmission and that the removal of all travel testing in January would have no impact on the prevalence of the variant in the community, but would deny the British public the opportunity to connect with loved ones and for business to grow. 'We call on HMG to follow the science and data and remove all travel testing requirements on January 5th, allowing for frictionless air travel and the reallocation of vital testing capacity to where it is needed the most - in hospitals, schools and crucial infrastructure.' However, Laboratory and Testing Industry Organisation (LTIO), the trade association for testing companies and laboratories, hit back at the pleas from the travel industry. A spokesman for the LTIO said: 'It is irresponsible for some in the travel industry to call for the abandonment of all testing. 'Vaccination alongside testing provides the best protection against new, dangerous variants from entering the UK. 'We strongly believe that PCR tests are the best way to protect our population from the dangers of COVID-19, especially to detect new variants that could be brought into the UK from those travelling from abroad. 'That is not just our view, but the view of Dr Jenny Harries, the Chief Executive of UKHSA, who told the Transport Select Committee that travel PCR tests meant that they 'found Omicron very quickly and acted extremely quickly'. 'She added that 'a PCR test allow us to sequence that test and therefore keep an eye on other variants that might pop up as well. This is why it is quite critical to the health security of the nation'. 'Given the likelihood that there will be more variants this year, it would be a serious error to simply abandon testing. Such a decision would leave our country exposed to any new variants and risk further restrictions and infections.' Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) is thought to be pushing for relaxed measures The UK is the only country in Europe demanding that even fully-vaccinated holidaymakers take two tests when returning home. Under the current rules, one rapid swab must be taken pre-return within 72 hours of travel to the UK and a post-arrival PCR test by day two. Travellers must self-isolate until the results of this latter test are received, and can be stuck in quarantine for days if results are delayed. Ministers will also discuss the need for quarantine today. The rules were beefed-up at the end of November in a bid to stem the importation of Omicron. They added hundreds of pounds in testing bills to the cost of foreign breaks for families. They also increased fears about being stranded abroad if pre-return test results are positive. As a result travel firms reported mass cancellations. Prior to the November changes, travellers were required to take just one rapid test post-arrival by day two. But there is 'no official' update yet on whether testing rules will be changed in England so that those who test positive in lateral flow tests will not need a confirmatory PCR, according to a health minister. Gillian Keegan told BBC Breakfast: 'The teams are looking constantly at what makes sense and what works, etc, but I don't have any official news or updates for you this morning.' Pressed on whether the rule change was being brought in for those who are asymptomatic, the minister replied: 'As I say, I don't have any official news on that but I know that the teams are looking at testing and testing regimes. 'We've introduced so many lateral flow tests now and they are very accurate - they are really accurate if people are infectious, so I guess they are looking at the regime all the time in terms of what makes sense. 'I don't have any official news but the teams will announce it once they have come to their conclusions.' Asked whether the announcement could come today, she said: 'You may be able to expect some news - I don't know when.' Returning to one post-arrival test will likely boost bookings and confidence among would-be travellers to press ahead with plans for foreign holidays or reuniting with relatives abroad. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, which represents major carriers such as British Airways, Jet2 and easyJet, said it would also boost domestic tourism businesses because laxer rules will attract more foreign visitors. He said: 'This isn't just about outbound holidays. 'We're losing billions in revenue from people who ordinarily would want to travel to the UK to spend money, including in our shops and restaurants. 'This is a competition at the end of the day - we need to attract people to the UK, not put up a big 'closed for business' sign. 'We can't have international travel - and the hundreds of thousands of jobs and livelihoods that depend on it - being treated differently to hospitality and other domestic sectors. 'If Omicron doesn't warrant further restrictions at home, then the case for continuing with the emergency testing requirements for aviation is undermined, especially now it is the dominant variant in the UK.' Under the current rules, one rapid swab must be taken pre-return within 72 hours of travel to the UK and a post-arrival PCR test by day two (stock image) Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M), told BBC Breakfast that lateral flows were very accurate when it came to recording a positive result. 'Of course, with a PCR test what happens is a number of those can get sent away for sequencing and then you get more information regarding the virus itself. 'So, that sort of information may potentially be lost, but only a subset of those PCR tests are sent away for sequencing anyway, so, hopefully, we won't be losing the levels of information that we already have in this country that enables us to identify variants and so forth.' He said it was 'very, very important' that if any changes were brought in regarding dropping some PCRs that people still recorded their results from lateral flows. Regarding the potential change to travel testing requirements, he said when there were very high numbers of cases in the UK, testing upon entry to the UK 'becomes less important' as cases are already circulating. ' So, again, that's probably why the change is coming in to support the travel industry and reduce a lot of the testing requirements.' Mr Hawkins added that the restrictions had a significant effect on the number of travellers using its services. 'We have seen passenger numbers fall back by about a third between October and November,' he said. 'Passengers responded to the lifting of travel restrictions very positively and we saw a good level of recovery coming through but the new measures at the end of November and December knocked that back by about a third. 'We were at about 60% of travel levels compared to 2019 and we fell back to just above 40%. 'We are seeing higher absences along with most other businesses and transport providers and it's putting them under a certain amount of pressure. 'But January is generally a quieter month for us anyway, and the testing requirements have knocked back by our recovery by a third. 'So we do have some headroom to absorb those kinds of pressures at the moment, but we're keeping a very close eye on absence levels and trends over the coming weeks.' Australia is heading into a summer washout after the glorious weather that started the year turns into a five day steamy soaking. Hordes of Sydneysiders lapped up the sunshine at popular Bondi Beach on Tuesday but woke up on Wednesday to a drenching - and it's only going to get worse. Hot and humid temperatures are predicted with the arrival of thunderstorms and heavy rain in the next few days. There will be some muggy nights ahead in Sydney with temperatures not getting below 22C while daytime temperatures remain up to 30C despite the rain. Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi Beach (pictured) on Tuesday to enjoy the warm weather Victoria and NSW can expect rain over the next week as the burst of warm summer weather is set to end (pictured: Sydney in December) After weeks of rain surfers and sunseekers have been heading to the beach in droves (pictured: Bondi on Tuesday) Weatherzone meteorologist Joel Pippard told Daily Mail Australia the ex-tropical cyclone Seth causing chaos in Queensland will be to blame for the wet conditions. Mr Pippard said the weather system was 'feeding moisture' into a large trough heading towards Victoria and the middle of NSW. He predicted the deluge in both of the eastern states would begin to deepen on Wednesday and would linger until next Monday. 'We'll start to see heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms across a fairly broad region which includes Melbourne,' the meteorologist said. Bondi Beach was packed with sunseekers desperate to make the most out of the good weather before the rain moved in While Victoria will be hit with rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday, NSW will only receive the 'peripherals' of the wild conditions until Friday. Mr Pippard explained that this is when the trough will start to track across the Sydney region bringing with it sticky temperatures and humidity. Sydney is expected to receive anywhere from 5mm to 25mm of rain on Wednesday, with about 10mm to 15mm forecast for the following day. In Queensland, the lasting effects of ex-tropical cyclone Seth continue to be felt as the weather system edges closer to the coast. The cyclone has seen the closure of 40 beaches along the Gold Coast with Surf Life Saving Queensland deeming the conditions too dangerous for swimmers. Beach-goers were advised to stay out of the water as hazardous surf conditions lashed large parts of the coast and giant waves were measured at 9m. Mr Pippard said the region between Byron Bay and Bundaberg would receive moderate to heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. Rain is set to develop for NSW and Victoria over the next week as a cyclone moves over Queensland A cyclone in the Queensland will 'feed moisture' into the southern states over the next week leading to wet and humid conditions Hordes of Sydneysiders were seen soaking up the rays at the popular Bondi Beach during the first days of 2022 on what could be the last sunny day for a week Another tropical low forming in the far north of the Sunshine State near Cooktown could see wet conditions in Cairns and heavy rain in the northern tropics. As for the rest of the country, the meteorologist said the interior of the country would remain dry with most of the deluge hitting the eastern states. Some thunderstorms are forecast around the interior of Western Australia stretching from the Kimberley to the central areas with storms moving north to south. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned water levels could reach or go over the highest tide of the year by at least 0.1metres in northern NSW on Wednesday. Sydney really turned up the heat on Tuesday with thousands of punters flocking to the sand to soak up some rays It wasn't easy work for the life guards with a sea of people swarming the sand and the water at Bondi on Tuesday Areas that could be affected include Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Ballina, Evans Head, Yamba, Woolgoolga, Settlement Point, Southwest Rocks, Forster and Sawtell. On Monday, a 47-year-old woman tragically drowned at Park Beach in Coffs Harbour, on the NSW Mid-North Coast during a trip with her family. NSW Ambulance Inspector Joel Casey said just before 1pm there were reports of a woman unconscious in the water. Surf Life Saving volunteers found the swimmer struggled in the 'very severe water conditions' and gave her CPR until emergency crews arrived. 'Unfortunately, even with all the resources down here at the beach the 47-year-old has passed away, she was unable to be revived,' Inspector Casey said. Many were in need of the water to cool down as temperatures soared but sadly, the beach plans will have to be put on hold next week Beachgoers braved the sizzling temperatures on Tuesday to work on their tans and take a quick dip Dame Helen Mirren has been criticised after she was cast as Israel's former prime minister Golda Meir despite not being Jewish. Actress Dame Maureen Lipman said Dame Helen should not have been asked to play the Israeli leader, adding that she was uncomfortable with the casting. A publicity image of the film Golda, where Dame Helen portrayed Ms Meir during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, showed Dame Helen covered in prosthetic to look more like the politician. Dame Maureen told the Jewish Chronicle: 'The Jewishness of the character is so integral. I'm sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be allowed for Ben Kingsley to play Nelson Mandela. You just couldn't even go there.' Ms Meir was the fourth prime minister of Israel and held the position from 1969 until 1974. It comes after Tamsin Greig told The Daily Telegraph last month she 'probably shouldn't' have played a Jewish mother in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner. Ms Greig is a practising Christian, although does have Jewish ancestry. Actress Dame Maureen Lipman (left) said Dame Helen Mirren (right) should not have been asked to play the Israeli leader Golda Meir, adding that she was uncomfortable with the casting A publicity image of the film Golda, where Dame Helen portrayed Ms Meir during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, showed Dame Helen covered in prosthetic to look more like the politician. But Patrick Marber, the playwright who directed Sir Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt, said he did not think 'lived experience' should be taken into consideration when casting for roles. He said to force actors to have experienced lives similar to the characters they play would deny the actor the challenge and right to impersonate someone else. Sarah Silverman, the US comedian, has previously slammed the casting of non-Jewish actress Kathryn Hahn as Joan Rivers, calling it 'Jewface'. Elliot Levey, who is currently playing a German Jew in Cabaret in the West End, called the argument a 'dystopian nightmare' as he criticised the idea of 'people showing their papers to authenticate Jewish ancestry'. Dame Helen is a supporter of Israel, adding her name to an open letter rejecting a cultural boycott of the country. While promoting her film The Debt, in which she played a retired Mossad agent, she was asked by The New York Times whether she might be 'a secret Jew'. Ms Meir (pictured in 1969) was the fourth prime minister of Israel and held the position from 1969 until 1974 She said she 'wouldn't be surprised'. Last year internet trolls branded Dame Helen racist and described her as a well known Zionist and Israel-worshipper after taking on the role of wartime prime minister Ms Meir. The film, Golda, is set during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when Arab states attacked Israel. Dame Helen described Meir as a formidable, intransigent and powerful leader and said it was a great challenge to portray her at the most difficult moment of her extraordinary life. But critics on social media described the production as fascism, sick and tasteless. One Twitter user, who said they were Palestinian and proud, wrote: How sick making a biopic on criminal Golda Meir and yes no surprise Helen Mirren the racist is happy to portray the pure distorted version of a disgusting individual. Another wrote: Helen Mirren doing a film about the first female prime minister of Israel is a slap in the face to all the people of Palestine, they are literally celebrating taking over Palestine and taking families out of their homes, murdering children, families! Tasteless film! It comes after Tamsin Greig (pictured right) told The Daily Telegraph last month she 'probably shouldn't' have played a Jewish mother in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner. Ms Greig is a practising Christian, although does have Jewish ancestry One social-media user said it was hugely disappointing that Helen Mirren is volunteering for this role, while another wrote: More fascism to show how wonderful Israel is. Born in Ukraine in 1898 before moving to the US as a child, Meir made history in 1969 as Israels first female prime minister. She soon provoked international controversy, saying: There were no such thing as Palestinians. Meir faced huge criticism in Israel for failing to adequately prepare for the threat of war, despite receiving word that Syrian forces were gathering for an attack. Following the backlash for her handling of the war, Meir announced her resignation in 1974. She died in 1978 aged 80. Dame Helen has faced criticism in the past for saying that she was a believer in Israel and that she rejected calls to boycott the country. The film also stars Call My Agent! actress Camille Cottin as Meirs personal assistant and Israeli Lior Ashkenazi as her chief of staff. South Korean rapper Dok2 has appealed a court ruling ordering him to pay an unpaid bill to a jeweler in Los Angeles, court officials said Wednesday. Last month, the 31-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Lee Joon-kyung, was ordered by the Seoul Southern District Court to pay 41.2 million won ($34,740) and interest on the unpaid bill. The jeweler sued Dok2 in September 2020, claiming the rapper had not paid that amount of money when he purchased seven pieces of jewelry worth $206,000 in 2018. The jeweler previously filed a complaint against Illionaire Records, a local record label co-founded by Dok2, in October 2019 but lost the suit, as the court did not hold the hip-hop label responsible for the rapper's debt. Dok2 stepped down as the CEO of the now-closed Illionaire Records in November 2019 and left the label in February 2020. Last year, Dok2 signed with Last Kings Records, a record label established by American rapper Tyga, and said he plans to make music in the United States. (Yonhap) Australia is signing an historic defence pact with Japan to counter China's aggression just six weeks before the 80th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a treaty would be signed between the two nations during a virtual leaders' summit on January 6. His new Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida will be adding his signature just three months after he took over as Prime Minister, following Yoshihide Suga's troubled one-year stint as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The signing of the defence and security co-operation agreement is occurring six weeks before the 80th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin, commemorating February 19, 1942. During World War II, Japan was Australia's most ferocious enemy, dropping bombs on Darwin during 64 air raids between February 1942 and November 1943 that killed 252 Allied soldiers and civilians. Australia is signing an historic defence pact with Japan to counter China's aggression just six weeks before the 80th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin. Fumio Kishida (pictured) will be adding his signature just three months after he took over as Japan's Prime Minister, following Yoshihide Suga troubled one-year stint as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party Despite that history, and the torture and forced labour of Australian prisoners of war on the Thai-Burma railway after the fall of Singapore, Mr Morrison said 'Australia and Japan are the closest of friends'. Since the end of the war, Japan has been restricted to only using its military for self-defence purposes but its defence capabilities are being tested as China militarises the South China Sea. 'This landmark treaty will underpin greater and more complex practical engagement between the Australian Defence Force and the Japanese Self-Defence Forces,' Mr Morrison said in a statement. 'It will, for the first time, provide a clear framework for enhanced interoperability and co-operation between our two forces.' An in-principle Reciprocal Access Agreement between Australia and Japan was agreed to in November 2020, to enable more defence co-operation. The treaty signing on Thursday will formalise that. Mr Morrison and Mr Kishida, as leaders of centre-right political parties, are negotiating closer defence ties to counter the rise of a more assertive China under the Communist leadership of President Xi Jinping. 'Our Special Strategic Partnership is stronger than it has ever been, reflecting our shared values, our commitment to democracy and human rights, and our common interests in a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific region,' Mr Morrison said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a treaty would be signed between the two nations during a virtual leaders' summit on January 6 (he is pictured in Washington on September 24, 2021 attending a Quad summit with the US, India and Japan) The signing of the defence and security co-operation agreement is occurring less than six weeks before the 80th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin. During World War II, Japan was Australia's most ferocious enemy, dropping bombs on Darwin during 64 air raids between February 1942 (the remains of burning ship 80 years ago, pictured) and November 1943 that killed 252 Allied soldiers and civilians China wasn't mentioned in Mr Morrison's media statement but he mentioned the Quad arrangement with Japan, India and the United States to advance renewable energy technology. Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said the treaty would see Australia and Japan access each others military facilities along with ports and air strips. Mr Jennings said a defence pact between Australia and Japan would stymie China's attempts to move Association of Southeast Asian Nation members away from the world's democracies to 'weaken their regional cooperation'. Now Mr Morrison and Mr Fumio, as leaders of centre-right political parties, are negotiating closer defence ties to counter the rise of a more assertive China under the Communist leadership of President Xi Jinping (pictured are People's Liberation Army soldiers standing in front of a giant screen of the Chinese Communist Party leader) 'By aligning our diplomatic efforts in Southeast Asia, we strengthen our chances to stop Beijing turning the region into a series of isolated client states,' he said in an opinion piece. From 1967 to 2008, Japan was Australia's biggest trading partner until China took over that role. Almost a century ago, Japan was the aggressor in Asia culminating in the 1931 invasion of Manchuria in China. Now there are fears China could military invade Taiwan, an autonomous democratic island state, to bring it under its direct control. It's an expression used by younger generations in place of the perfectly serviceable phrase youre welcome. No worries has now been included in an annual list of sayings that academics argue should be banished for being ineffective, baffling or irritating. They took particular aim at the Australian saying, which was popularised by the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. Despite describing the phrase as meaningless, academics said that it now enjoys such widespread use that Googles predictive text function even suggests users write it in emails. No worries has now been included in an annual list of sayings that academics argue should be banished for being ineffective, baffling or irritating After choosing from entries submitted by pedants across the globe, judges from Lake Superior State University, in Michigan, also added the phrase at the end of the day as well as you are not alone to its top ten. A contributor to the list said: If Im not worried, I dont want anyone telling me not to worry. If I am upset, I want to discuss being upset. The US university received more than 1,250 nominations for bothersome phrases. University president Rodney S Hanley said: Say what you mean and mean what you say. Cant get any easier, or harder, than that. While last years list was dominated by phrases related to the pandemic, most of this years entries are conversational. Judges picked the phrase wait, what? as the most offensive term, saying the two words should never be used together. Widely used on social media, the panel said the phrase was misused and overused as a response to a statement to express astonishment, misunderstanding, or disbelief. No worries was first recorded in 1965 in the Australian magazine, Oz, and experts say that the phrase became popular after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and through the TV work of zookeeper Steve Irwin. It is now widely used in both the UK and US. The rollout of the Covid vaccine for kids between the ages of five and 11 has begun in Australia as authorities battle to contain rising transmission rates among children. Covid-19 vaccines will go into the arms of five to 11-year-olds across the country from Monday, but as of Wednesday parents can start booking their children in for their vaccine online or over the phone. The new vaccination drive comes amid rising cases of the virus in children, with infection rates in Victoria increasing from 2 per cent to 30 per cent in just a month. There were also 325 childcare centres closed due to exposure to Covid in NSW on Wednesday. The rollout of the Covid vaccine for kids between the ages of five and 11 has begun in Australia as bookings for the weakened jab opens to the public (file image) A Covid-19 testing station in Hindmarsh, Adelaide. The new vaccination drive comes amid rising cases of the virus in children How to book your child a vaccine appointment: Those wanting to book in their child for a vaccination are encouraged to visit the Vaccine Clinic Finder website Once there, parents can type in their address and find the nearest clinic which offers the jabs. Alternatively those in each state can visit their local GPs or health clinics NSW: Visit a NSW Health clinic or find a location near you on the Vaccine Clinic Finder Victoria: Bookings are available at Victorian GPs and pharmacies using the Australian Governments Vaccine Clinic Finder and at state vaccination centres ACT: Parents can ring (02) 5124 7700, between 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week to book in their child at a vaccination centre or use the Vaccine Clinic Finder to book in at a GP WA: Parents can register for their children to book a vaccination online through the VaccinateWA site SA: Appointments can be booked on the state government's website and are available at most GPs, pharmacies and clinics NT: Bookings are available online through the state government's Covid-19 website Tasmania: Parents can book appointments for special childrens clinics by visiting the booking page or calling the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738. Queensland: Parents can create a 'dependent person' in the Queensland Health vaccine booking system and use the Vaccine Clinic Finder to book their child in Advertisement Children in the five to 11 age bracket will be given two doses eight weeks apart. Each dose will be a third as strong as the vaccines given to those over the age of 12. In Victoria, 18 state-run vaccination centres have created nature and animal-themed areas for the children to make them more comfortable while getting the jab. The vaccine is a special formulation and will be delivered in doses small enough to generate an immune response that's as strong as a full adult dose. The aim is to prevent them from developing severe illness or transmitting the virus to another person. 'I know many parents will be very keen to get their children vaccinated so they can join the rest of us and face a future with more confidence,' Victoria's Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said. NSW Chief Paediatrician Matthew O'Meara said the weakened vaccine has been tested on thousands of children first and second doses have been given in other countries and is safe for children aged between five and 11. Dr O'Meara said any side effects were minor. 'Many kids complain about a bit of a sore arm for a day or two afterwards,' he said. 'But the headache, muscle ache, fever, chills and nausea ... is pretty uncommon in children and can be managed with the usual pain-relieving medications.' Dr O'Meara acknowledged parents may be weighing up the risks and benefits of giving a young child a vaccine but stressed Covid-19 was usually mild in children. 'In fact, many children will have no symptoms at all and a large number will have mild symptoms of a cough, cold, runny nose and fever that lasts up to five days.' But some children can become seriously ill and require hospitalisation if they aren't vaccinated. About one or two in every 100 would need to go to hospital and one in 1000 would end up in intensive care. 'We expect those numbers to be lower with the Omicron strain but it's still not an entirely benign disease,' Dr O'Meara said. Premier Dominic Premier says the rollout will ensure schools open on time for the first day of the new term in 2022. 'We want a seamless transition back into the school year,' he added. Currently, vaccinations are offered to children aged 12 to 15 and so far 81.4 per cent have had their first dose and 78 per cent have had two. Minister for Health Greg Hunt. Covid-19 vaccines will go into the arms of five to 11-year-olds from Monday In the 16 years and older cohort - which includes adults - 95 per cent have had one dose and 93.6 per cent have had two. NSW Health Deputy Secretary Susan Pearce said the vaccine take-up in the 12-15 years group had been 'really rapid' and she'd like to see the same again in the five- to 11-year-old cohort. Those wishing to book a vaccine for their children online can visit this website here. Compare the relative magnitude of these Prime Ministerial wrongdoings. Boris Johnson allowed a couple of cheese and wine parties to be held at Downing Street, in possible contravention of Covid restrictions. Tony Blair, via his chief of staff Jonathan Powell, allegedly ordered ministers to destroy advice from the attorney-general that the Iraq war could be illegal. He then gulled Parliament into backing military action via a 'dodgy dossier' of doctored evidence a deception that ultimately cost countless lives. And the upshot? Mr Johnson's howling critics say he should resign. Mr Blair has been elevated to the Order of the Garter and is now entitled to call himself Sir Tony. Tony Blair, via his chief of staff Jonathan Powell, allegedly ordered ministers to destroy advice from the attorney-general that the Iraq war could be illegal What bizarre times we live in. We don't seek to absolve Mr Johnson. Those who make the rules must abide by them. But his crime was essentially carelessness. Mr Blair's was a deliberate plot to mislead the country into backing an illegal war. So by what twisted logic could he possibly deserve Britain's highest chivalric honour? In a poignant letter to the Queen, the mothers of five soldiers killed in Afghanistan (Mr Blair's other ill-fated war) beg her to rescind the knighthood, which they say 'tramples on our sons' sacrifice'. If he had a shred of dignity, he would give it up voluntarily. But of course he won't, because he refuses to acknowledge the enormity of his sins. Ex-defence secretary Geoff Hoon (pictured), who says he was one of those ordered to destroy the Iraq legal advice, also accuses the Downing Street press office, then run by Alastair Campbell, of bolstering the case for war by telling newspapers Saddam could fire missiles into UK bases in Cyprus within 45 minutes a claim later demolished Ex-defence secretary Geoff Hoon, who says he was one of those ordered to destroy the Iraq legal advice, also accuses the Downing Street press office, then run by Alastair Campbell, of bolstering the case for war by telling newspapers Saddam could fire missiles into UK bases in Cyprus within 45 minutes a claim later demolished. Last month, that same Mr Campbell launched a searing Twitter attack on Mr Johnson. He wrote: 'When you elect a liar as PM, and when those who work for him have to lie to cover up his lies, it will eventually unravel.' Well, if anyone should know, it's him. Going to pot on drugs Insanity, Einstein said, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In which case, London mayor Sadiq Khan's plan to decriminalise cannabis possession is surely a descent into madness. A similar scheme was tried in Lambeth some years ago with baleful effect. The police stood off, dealers took control of the streets and 'drug tourists' flocked into the area. Residents suffered a sharp spike in crime and demanded action. The police had to recant and enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy on drugs to restore order. Insanity, Einstein said, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In which case, London mayor Sadiq Khan's plan to decriminalise cannabis possession is surely a descent into madness Cannabis is not a 'soft' drug. Countless studies have linked it especially in its stronger forms to severe mental illness. Decriminalisation would be an act of extreme recklessness. Ironically, Mr Khan made his announcement on the very day his party leader Sir Keir Starmer was promising in a keynote speech to make people feel safer in the streets. As history shows, this hare-brained scheme would do exactly the opposite. Cut this house arrest Soaring infections (218,724 yesterday) alongside falling death rates perfectly illustrate how staff shortages in key areas are becoming a bigger problem than coronavirus itself. Several hospital trusts are struggling, not primarily because of a surge in Covid patients, but as so many staff are having to isolate, many with trivial symptoms. With absenteeism rising dangerously across all industries and services, it's surely time to reassess the quarantine period. It has already been cut from ten days to seven. Shouldn't we emulate the US, France and Greece and reduce it to five for those who test negative? A senior minister sacked by Boris Johnson has pleaded with Tory MPs not to force the Prime Minister out. Former trade secretary Liam Fox said it was the wrong time to launch a leadership challenge that would result in division and paralysis. This is a time for the whole Government to concentrate its efforts on the substantial tasks at hand rather than engaging in a bout of navel-gazing, Dr Fox wrote on the Conservative Home website. In a swipe at those around Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss who are said to be plotting to overthrow Boris Johnson, he added: We do not need potential candidates forming shadow campaign teams. Former trade secretary Liam Fox (pictured) said it was the wrong time to launch a leadership challenge that would result in division and paralysis His intervention came as an Ipsos Mori poll found an overwhelming majority of voters believe the Government is doing a bad job on the NHS, crime, borders and the economy. Respondents said the Prime Minister was failing to manage the economy, handle Brexit and solve issues of immigration after being elected in 2019. The one positive was that those surveyed said ministers were doing a good job of ensuring the public are vaccinated against Covid. The polling found that 70 per cent of people said they were doing a bad job on the NHS. On handling immigration 73per cent of those polled said the Government had done a bad job of managing immigration, while just 14 per cent said it had done a good job. Well over half of respondents said Mr Johnsons administration had done a bad job of dealing with crime (59 per cent), handling Brexit (57 per cent) and pursuing its levelling up agenda (66 per cent). His intervention came as an Ipsos Mori poll found an overwhelming majority of voters believe the Government is doing a bad job on the NHS, crime, borders and the economy The Government also fared badly on the economy (49per cent), taxation (58per cent) and education (55 per cent). But despite these negative impressions, voters have responded positively to the UKs Covid vaccine roll-out. Eighty-four per cent of the 1,005 people polled between December 3 and 10 said the Government had done a good job on the vaccine roll-out, with only 11 per cent saying it had done a bad job. It comes after weeks of bad headlines following claims a series of Christmas parties were held in Number 10 and Government departments despite the public being banned from holding their own, and sleaze allegations about ministers. A Philadelphia man has been freed after spending 37 years in prison after police offered a witness sex and drugs in exchange for a false testimony which they used to close a murder case. Willie Stokes, 61, was convicted of murder in 1984 and freed Tuesday after an investigation by the Philadelphia District Attorneys office revealed a key witness lied during his trial and, subsequently, Stokes did not get due process. 'Hes only known for a half hour he was going to be released, this isnt something that we expected,' his attorney Michael Diamondstein told CBS 3 outside the prison. 'Today is a tremendous day. We're all very thankful. However, it's also a sad day, because it reminds us of how lawless, unfair and unjust Philadelphia law enforcement was for so long.' When Stokes walked out of the state prison Tuesday, he was reportedly eager to hug his mother and enjoy a corned beef hoagie. His mother, unfortunately, was not present for his release because she was 'too nervous' to come after several earlier disappointments. Stokes, however, was greeted by other family members instead. Willie Stokes, 61, was freed from a Pennsylvania state prison after serving 37 years for murder Last month, a federal court found that Franklin Lee, a key witness in Stokes' murder trial, had lied in court after detectives allegedly offered a witness sex and drugs at police headquarters in 1983 in exchange for false testimony. Lee was charged with perjury just days after Stokes was convicted of murder in 1984, but Stokes didn't learn about the perjury plea until 2015, decades into a life sentence. 'The homicide prosecutors that used Franklin Lee's testimony to convict Willie Stokes then prosecuted Franklin Lee for lying on Willie Stokes. And they never told Willie Stokes,' Diamondstein argued at the November hearing in federal court. The US magistrate who heard the appeal called the omission an 'egregious violation of (Stokes') constitutional rights,' and a US district judge agreed, overturning the conviction last week. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, whose office has championed about two dozen exoneration cases, supports Stokes but has not yet formally decided whether to retry him. That decision should come before a scheduled Jan. 26 hearing in state court, a spokesperson said. Stokes (seen leaving the prison on Tuesday) was convicted of murder in 1984 and freed Tuesday after an investigation by the Philadelphia District Attorneys office revealed a key witness lied during his trial and, subsequently, Stokes did not get due process The witness was charged with perjury just days after Stokes (pictured Tuesday) was convicted of murder in 1984, but Stokes didn't learn about the perjury plea until 2015, decades into a life sentence Meanwhile, both officers who allegedly offered Lee the sex-for-lies deal are now deceased. The one surviving prosecutor, now in private practice, did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday. However, he has given a statement saying he doesn't remember either case, according to court files. Philadelphia police offered no immediate comment on the case. Lee was in custody on unrelated rape and murder charges at the time of Stokes' trial, and said he was also promised a light sentence for providing the false testimony, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, which first reported on the case. 'I fell weak and went along with the offer,' Lee told a federal judge in November, recalling his testimony at a May 1984 preliminary hearing when he claimed Stokes, a neighborhood friend, had confessed to killing a man during a dice game named Leslie Campbell. His attorney Michael Diamondstein (left) argued during appeal process that Stokes (center) was never told the witness had committed perjury. The US magistrate who heard the appeal called the omission an 'egregious violation of Stokes' constitutional rights' In federal court testimony last November, Lee said his girlfriend - who detectives summoned to have sex with him at police headquarters back in 1983 and who was allowed to bring marijuana and a few dozen opioid pills - told his mother about the deal he'd struck. His mother told the woman not to go down to the station again. Instead, police secured him a sex worker the next time, Lee said. 'Once I talked to my mother, she told me, "I didn't raise you like that, to lie on a man because you got yourself in a jam,''' Lee testified, according to the transcript. 'She said, "I couldn't care if they give you 1,000 years. Go in there and tell the truth." And that's what I did.' Despite the fact that Lee recanted the confession story at Stokes' murder trial in August 1984, Stokes was still convicted and sent to prison for life. Stokes said he was eager to hug his mother, Gloria Stokes (pictured at her Philadelphia home waiting for her son to be released), and enjoy a corned beef hoagie Stokes (center) walks from a state prison in Chester, Pennsylvania on Tuesday after his 1984 murder conviction was overturned because of perjured witness testimony Days later, Philadelphia prosecutors charged Lee with perjury - not over his trial testimony, but over the initial testimony he'd given at the preliminary hearing. Lee pleaded guilty, admitting he'd made up the confession, and was sentenced to a maximum seven-year prison term. He ended up serving 35 years on the rape, murder and perjury charges. He got out of prison two years ago and now works as an assembly line supervisor. Lee apologized to Stokes last November in court 'for the problem I caused.' 'I'm going to take his tears to indicate he's accepting the apology,' US Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells said. Experts fear true number of infections is higher after dozens failed to get tested At least 17 private testing clinics failed to open as planned causing major delays Sunshine State recorded 6,781 new cases up from 5,699 detected on Tuesday Covid-19 cases have risen again in Queensland with 265 people in hospital Queensland has recorded 6,781 new Covid-19 cases, a significant uptick from the 5,699 cases detected on Tuesday. There are now 32,000 active cases across the Sunshine State, but health authorities say the figure is much higher due to queues at testing clinics and the time it is taking to receive results. There are currently 265 people in hospital with the virus including 10 patients in ICU, a positive sign the number of admissions remains steady. Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard reassured Queenslanders that the majority would only experience mild symptoms as case numbers explode across the state. 'The vast majority of us, particularly if we are young and healthy and don't have underlying immune disorders, or major medical conditions, will have a mild illness when we acquire Covid-19,' Dr Gerrard said on Wednesday. Queensland has recorded 6,781 new Covid-19 cases, a significant uptick from the 5,699 cases detected on Tuesday (pictured, a woman leaves a testing site on Tuesday) There are now 32,000 active cases across the Sunshine State, but health authorities say that figure is much higher due to queues at testing clinics and test wait times (pictured, queues outside a testing clinic in Annerley on Sunday) The rise in cases comes as huge lines formed at Queensland Health testing clinics for a second consecutive day after a number of private hubs remain shut. At least 17 private testing clinics failed to open as planned on Tuesday morning, putting public sites under pressure. It is understood two QML testing sites, at Boondall in northern Brisbane and Robina on the Gold Coast, have again closed on Wednesday. Queensland Health said it didn't have information about which private clinics were shut or the waiting times at clinics run by individual hospital and health services. 'It's really important to highlight the spread of the virus and that of course, we will see an increase in testing as a result of how infectious Omicron is,' a spokesman said. There are currently 265 people in hospital with the virus and only 10 patients in ICU (pictured, people shield themselves from the sun while waiting to get tested in Brisbane) At least 17 private testing clinics failed to open as planned on Tuesday morning, putting public hubs under pressure (pictured, locals are tested in Brisbane) Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said a 'significant' number of people were lining up and queueing in traffic for tests in the southeast, where temperatures are set to reach 29C. 'But what we're asking, of course, is that the community tries to exercise patience,' he told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning. 'As I said, those people I saw this morning are probably in for a long wait, and it's pretty hot. It's important they get tested but they need to exercise patience.' Health Minister Yvette D'Ath on Tuesday said it was extremely hard to ramp up capacity at public clinics because staff would need to be taken out of hospitals. Ms D'ath expressed frustration at private clinics which failed to advise the government that they wouldn't be opening. Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said it was extremely hard to ramp up capacity at public clinics because staff would need to be taken out of hospitals (pictured, queues at Brisbane sites) Pathology group QML closed eight drive-through clinics due to staff shortages while other resources were redirected to emergency testing at aged care sites. The health minister said the miscommunication left authorities unprepared and caused extensive wait times for residents wishing to get tested. 'We reached out to them to see how many were opening and if they could open of course we want them opening up as quickly as possible,' she said. 'My understanding is that we reached out to all the private pathologists to talk about them opening up after the Christmas break.' Ms D'Ath urged residents to come forward for their second jab after stating the state's second dose rate 'should be higher right now'. 'There are some people in Queensland now who are eligible for their second dose who have not come forward,' she said. When the Sunshine State hits the 90 per cent double-dose rate, unrestricted interstate and international travel will become available for those who are vaccinated. As of Wednesday, 86.9 per cent of Queenslanders were fully vaccinated. Residents have been asked to exercise patients while waiting in testing lines across Queensland (pictured, residents wait to get swabbed in Brisbane suburb of Annerley) It comes after Dr Gerrard revealed the highly-contagious Omicron variant had forced health authorities back to the drawing board to come up with a new approach. 'The Omicron strain really has changed everything,' he said. 'I know it sounds like a cliche, but that has completely changed all the planning. 'When one person is on average infecting between seven and 10 others that bares no resemblance to the Covid we've been dealing with right up until now.' Epidemiologists warned Wednesday's 6,781 new cases is just fraction of the active cases in the community after hundreds struggled to get a PCR test this week. Dr Gerrard reported 23 per cent of the tests conducted at state-run clinics were coming back positive which indicates a high level of community transmission. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has declared a two-week state of emergency in the Central Asian nation's biggest city Almaty and in the western Mangistau province where protests over rising energy prices turned violent, his office said today. The move includes an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, movement restrictions, and a ban on mass gatherings, according to documents published on the president's website. 'Calls to attack government and military offices are absolutely illegal,' Tokayev said in a video address a few hours earlier. 'The government will not fall, but we want mutual trust and dialogue rather than conflict.' The southeastern city of Almaty, Kazakhstan's financial capital, was in chaos from late on Tuesday as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to quell unrest that began in the west of the country over a spike in local prices for Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG). The oil-rich country's government announced late on Tuesday it was restoring some price caps on LPG, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has declared a two-week state of emergency in the Central Asian nation's biggest city Almaty and in the western Mangistau province where protests turned violent, his office said early on Wednesday. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades in a bid to break up an unprecedented thousands-strong march in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, after protests that began over fuel prices threatened to spiral out of control A police car was set on fire on fire during clashes between protesters and law enforcement in the centre of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1. After the price of the fuel spiked, rallies involving thousands of people erupted on Jan. 2 in the town of Zhanaozen. Zhanaozen was the scene of the deadliest unrest since the republic gained independence in 1991, when at least 14 striking oil workers were killed in 2011 as police crushed a protest over pay and working conditions. Demonstrations spread to other parts of surrounding Mangistau province and western Kazakhstan, including provincial centre Aktau and a worker camp used by sub-contractors of Kazakhstan's biggest oil producer, Tengizchevroil. The Chevron-led venture said output had not been affected. Messenger apps Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp were all unavailable in the Central Asian country on Wednesday, while two independent media websites that reported on the protests appeared to have been blocked. Smaller protests had been staged in cities across the republic of 19 million people from Sunday. Demonstrators try to block a police bus during a protest in the centre of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 A view shows a burning police car during a protest against LPG cost rise following the Kazakh authorities' decision to lift price caps on liquefied petroleum gas in Almaty, Kazakhstan January 5, 2022 In Almaty, police appeared to have taken control of the main square shortly after deploying flashbang grenades, according to online video streams from the area. But explosions were heard for hours on nearby streets and in other parts of the city. Videos published online showed torched police cars in the city, as well as armoured vehicles moving through one of its main thoroughfares. On Tuesday evening, the government announced it was restoring the price cap of 50 tenge (11 cents) per litre, or less than half the market price, in Mangistau province. Public protests are illegal in the country of 19 million unless their organisers file a notice in advance. Tokayev, the hand-picked successor of Soviet-era Communist boss Nursultan Nazarbayev who stepped down in 2019, faces no political opposition in parliament. The president said on Twitter on Tuesday that he would hold a government meeting the following day to discuss the protesters' demands. He urged protesters to behave responsibly. Protesters attend a rally in Almaty on January 4, 2022, after energy price hikes Tokayev took office in 2019, handpicked as a successor by Nazarbayev, a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin. But Nazarbayev, who is 81 and had ruled Kazakhstan since 1989, retains control over the country as chairman of the security council and 'Leader of the Nation' -- a constitutional role that affords him unique policymaking privileges as well as immunity from prosecution. Spontaneous, unsanctioned protests are illegal in Kazakhstan despite a law that passed last year easing some restrictions of freedom of assembly in the authoritarian state. A massive 2.8trillion would be added to the savings of Britain's workforce if more people were automatically given company pensions, a report claims today. Current 'auto-enrolment' rules should be expanded to include all employees over 18 rather than 22 as well as those who earn under 10,000, the Onward think-tank argues. It claims the move would help huge numbers of part-time workers and young apprentices. Tory MP Richard Holden is bringing draft legislation today to make the reform happen years before the Government plans. Tory MP Richard Holden (pictured) is bringing draft legislation today to make the reform happen years before the Government plans He said: 'Auto-enrolment has been one of the massive hidden triumphs of the last decade in the UK, but sadly millions of hard-working British people aren't benefitting because they're under 22 or simply not working enough hours. I want to change that. 'In 2017 the Government said that it would look at extending auto-enrolment by the mid-2020s but to hit those dates we need legislation now to make it happen and allow business time to phase in these important changes. That's what my Bill will do. 'Nothing could show clearer intent towards long-term levelling up than ensuring that everyone who works hard will see a safer and more secure retirement and I hope that the Government backs my campaign for action now.' Under the policy - introduced in 2012 - to automatically enrol millions of workers into pension schemes run by their employers unless they opt out, the proportion of people with private savings has soared from under half to more than three-quarters. But it is limited to staff aged 22 and above and who earn more than 10,000 a year, which excludes large numbers of part-time workers as well as young employees who miss out on several years of contributions to their retirement savings. The Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill will be set out in the Commons today but is unlikely to become law unless it gains Ministerial support - and the Department for Work and Pensions does not plan to expand automatic enrolment until the mid-2020s. Hare coursing will attract tougher sentences of up to six months in prison as part of a crackdown. The act of hunting brown hares, a declining species, with dogs is associated with theft, criminal damage, violence and intimidation of landowners who challenge the criminals. Proposed legislation includes unlimited fines and for the first time a prison sentence of up to six months. A dog chases a hare on the first day of the Waterloo Cup hare coursing event at Altcar, in 2005. As a result of anti-hunting laws it was one of Britain's last major hare coursing events Courts will have new powers to ensure police are reimbursed for kennelling dogs and to disqualify convicted offenders from owning or keeping a dog. Tim Bonner, Countryside Alliance chief executive, said hare poaching has been a blight on rural communities for far too long. He added: Despite their best efforts, police forces across the country struggle to tackle hare poachers and we have long campaigned to give them and the courts additional powers. The measures will apply to England. There will be discussions with the Welsh government over their application there. Those most severely affected by the illegal activity are farmers. Coursing can cause immense damage to the farm as coursers illegally often damage fences and security features, once on the land crops can be trampled and damaged, livestock will be spooked or chased, and fields can be spoiled by both car tracks and discarded hare carcases. Environment Secretary George Eustice said: There are persistent groups who illegally perpetuate hare coursing, creating challenges for the police. The act of hunting brown hares, a declining species, with dogs is associated with theft, criminal damage, violence and intimidation of landowners who challenge the criminals These new measures will give the police the additional powers to bring prosecutions and confiscate dogs from owners involved in hare coursing. Home Secretary Priti Patel said: Illegal hare coursing has blighted rural communities for too long, resulting in criminal damage, threating violence and intimidation against farmers and landowners. Those responsible are often involved in other criminal activities - including drugs and firearms offences. I have been a longstanding supporter for essential reforms to our laws to stop hare coursing which is why we will act to prevent more people from suffering as a result of the actions of a law-breaking minority. The cast of the musical, "The Lion King" / Courtesy of S&Co By Park Ji-won This year's event schedule for theatrical performances is filled with large-scale musicals, as well as new works that have been waiting for the right time to be presented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The original musical, "Lion King," of Disney fame, one of the most successful stage shows in history, will embark on its Seoul tour between Jan. 26 and March 18 at the Seoul Arts Center, followed by Busan in April. The original songs of the musical, composed by Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, and featuring other works by musicians, such as African composer Lebo, first presented its international tour in Korea in 2018 and tickets sold out. This tour will be the musical's first international run since it was presented in Auckland, New Zealand, last year. The original French production of the musical, "Notre Dame de Paris," which has been running since November of last year, will hit the stage again in Korea between February and April at Blue Square Shinhancard Hall in Seoul as an encore show. Cirque du Soleil's "Alegria" will be also presented at Jamsil Olympic Stadium from Oct. 21 to Jan. 3. EMK, one of the leading production companies here, will premiere the musical, "Frida," portraying the life of painter Frida Kahlo, at the Sejong Center for the Performing arts from February to May, as part of its efforts to make more musicals for smaller theaters. The licensed musical, "Jekyll Hyde," based on the 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, has been running from Oct. 19 to May. 8 at Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, Seoul. The Korean production of "West Side Story," the landmark musical inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, will premiere in November at Chungmu Arts Center in Seoul. Kim Dong-yeon will direct the performance jointly with Julio Monge. The musical adaptation of "Crash Landing on You," the megahit Netflix original Korean series, will also premiere at COEX Artium, Seoul, from Sept. 15 to Nov. 6. "Hotel del Luna," the tvN drama, will also be adapted into musical format within this year. The poster for the play, "Freud's Last Session" / Courtesy of Park Company A group of beekeepers were arrested in Chile when police officers were stung at a protest calling for support for the beleaguered industry. The keepers swarmed the presidential palace in the capital, Santiago, demanding government help after a prolonged drought, which has ravaged the industry. Seven officers were stung after being sent in to clear some 60 hives containing around 10,000 bees set up to block a main road. Passers-by were forced to duck and flee as bees escaped when police officers tried to move them. Beekeepers in Chile who demanded government measures to face the persistent drought that affects the country are detained by riot police The beekeepers want government reform to improve honey prices or to provide subsidies to honey producers. They have asked to meet with President Sebastian Pinera. One of the beekeepers, Jose Iturra, told local reporters that the drought in the Colina commune north of Santiago was killing the local bee population. 'Bees are dying,' Mr Iturra said. 'There would be no life if the bees die. That's what we wanted to highlight with this demonstration.' A representative for the Ministry of Agriculture in the Santiago region said the agency was also concerned about the effect the drought was having on the bees. The government has been providing aid for months to 20 communities experiencing severe water shortages, Omar Guzman, the regional agricultural secretary, told reporters. Bees fly around riot police during the protest outside the presidential palace in Santiago, Chile Some passers-by were alarmed by the risk the bees posed to the public. 'It's dangerous for the people who are allergic (to bees) because they can cause death,' one local said. Seven national police officers, called Carabiniers, were stung trying to arrest the beekeepers and move the beehives out of the street, police officials said, and were taken to the hospital. Droughts and rising temperatures from climate change have affected bee populations worldwide. A 2020 study published in the journal Science found that populations fell by around 50% in North America and 17% in Europe in one generation. Controversial US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has called on Republicans to quit Twitter after she was banned from the social media network - and accused it of 'declaring war' on the GOP. Speaking to Tucker Carlson on Fox News on Tuesday night, Greene urged her followers to leave the social network and to follow her on other platforms instead such as Gab and Gettr. 'We don't have control right now so Republicans in congress can't do anything for these American people that are sitting silent. 'But when a private company that is not elected by anyone in this country declares war on a sitting member of congress and a sitting president that both happen to be both from the Republican party it is up to leadership to do something about this,' Greene, 47, started. Marjorie Taylor Greene has said her Twitter ban means the platform has declared war on the GOP 'I'm asking everybody to leave Twitter. Twitter has declared war on our party. Are we just going to sit there and say let's wait until we get the majority back? When we get full control of the going to pass laws to stop this? Nothing's been done in the past and nothing is being done now,' she continued. 'I went to Gettr, Gab and Telegram. I think everybody should leave and I am asking my entire conference to do it. You don't keep eating bad food at a restaurant. When you do, you get up and leave and go somewhere else where you are treated well. 'The reason why I'm going about this on my own is because I care about the American people. I think they should do the same thing. We can make Twitter powerless if we all decide to leave.' Greene appeared on Tucker Carlson where she urged her followers to join her on Gab, Gettr and Telegram social media platforms Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene joins @TuckerCarlson to talk about Twitters decision to permanently suspend her. pic.twitter.com/mDUcftxIGi Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 5, 2022 Greene's personal Twitter account was permanently banned after she shared COVID misinformation last week. The Georgia GOP rep's account - @mtgreenee - was ultimately axed on Sunday. The Georgia Rep's personal account was suspended Sunday, Twitter confirmed Greene's personal account was suspended on Sunday, as seen in this grab, after Twitter previously said On Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy issued a statement supporting Greene. 'Diversity of opinion is the lifeblood of our democracy,' claimed McCarthy, R-Calif. 'And yet that fundamental American value is under assault by Big Tech entities that have amassed more power and more control over more speech than any other institution in history.' 'Their recent decisions to silence Americans including a sitting member of Congress and renowned physicians who share views different from the political and media elite have real world costs.' 'In fact, as we get more information on the virus it is clear many of the views once demonized by technology companies and the political elite are turning out to be true. The doctrines of lockdowns, school closures, and the threat of covid-19 illness according to age groups and previous infection are currently being reversed,' said McCarthy. Her official work account remains live but she has not tweeted from it since December 24 Greene's final tweets show her railing at what she blasted as government overreach about COVID and discussing how life had changed since the virus hit US shores. Greene, who is also known for espousing QAnon conspiracy theories, still has access to her work account, @RepMTG, where she last posted on Christmas Eve. 'Twitter is an enemy to America and cant handle the truth. That's fine, Ill show America we dont need them and its time to defeat our enemies,' she said in a statement on the encrypted messaging app Telegram sent to the media by her communications director, Nick Dyer. Greene added: 'Social media platforms cant stop the truth from being spread far and wide. Big Tech cant stop the truth. Communist Democrats cant stop the truth. 'I stand with the truth and the people. We will overcome!' This is the fifth strike for Greene on Twitter who was last suspended in August for saying that vaccines were 'failing' to reduce the spread of COVID and that the FDA shouldn't have approved them. She got her third strike in July after tweeting that COVID wasn't dangerous. She was also suspended in January, days after the Capitol riot, for tweets echoing conspiracy theories about voter fraud in her home state of Georgia. Two or three strikes earn a 12-hour account lock; four strikes prompt a weeklong suspension, and five or more strikes can get someone permanently removed from Twitter. Twitter has a five-strike policy for users who spread COVID-19 misinformation. The latest strike appears to have been her last Greene, 47, has faced repeated criticism over her use of social media to spread misinformation Greene tweeted in August that the FDA should not approve the COVID vaccines because there were 'too many reports' of breakthrough cases. Twitter marked the tweet misleading and blocked users from interacting with it A Twitter spokesperson said: 'We permanently suspended @mtrgreene for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy. Weve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy.' In a statement released by her office, Greene said she was suspended for sharing a tweet citing numbers from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a self-reporting tool for vaccine side effects managed by the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration. Greene's suspension comes almost a year after Donald Trump was permanently suspended days after the January 6 riot. Last month, Greene, 47, compared COVID to cancer in a four tweet thread calling for Americans to take a more laid back attitude to the virus. Greene has also taken repeated aim at White House COVID tsar Dr Anthony Fauci, and even shared snaps of herself wearing a face mask emblazoned with the words 'Fire Fauci.' When her account was suspended in August 2021, a Twitter spokesperson said: 'The account will be in read-only mode for a week due to repeated violations of the Twitter rules' but now it is appears her suspension is for the foreseeable future. Sir Chris Whitty said he was 'saddened' by proportion of unvaccinated in ICU A requirement for booster jabs to travel to other countries is likely to come into force within weeks, Boris Johnson has warned. Speaking at the Downing St press briefing last night, the Prime Minister said a third dose to enter foreign countries was likely to become 'the norm' very soon - as he urged people to come forward and get vaccinated. He added that the Government would 'give people plenty of time' before requiring a third jab for vaccine passports in the UK. 'It's already the case that to travel to some countries you need a booster to be considered fully vaccinated,' Mr Johnson added, saying: 'It's likely that within weeks this will increasingly become the norm.' The booster jab, which can provide extra protection against Omicron, was already planned to be made a requirement for vaccine passports when everyone in the UK was offered one. The Prime Minister has said a third dose to enter foreign countries was likely to become 'the norm' very soon - as he urged people to come forward and get vaccinated. It comes as ministers are set to scrap pre-departure Covid traveller tests today in a massive boost for winter sunseekers and the beleaguered tourism industry (stock image) That deadline has now been met, but there are still nine million eligible people in Britain who are yet to receive theirs. Mr Johnson added that it was 'crazy' there were two millions appointments available this week alone. The slowing rate of take up is concerning health ministers after the NHS almost hit 1 million vaccinations a day on December 21. Countries including Croatia, Austria and Switzerland have not mandated a third jab for entry, but have said they will limit the validity of vaccine passports for travellers 'fully vaccinated' for one year after their second dose or booster jab, CN Traveller reported. It comes as ministers are set to scrap pre-departure Covid traveller tests in a boost for winter sunseekers and the beleaguered tourism industry. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is thought to be pushing for relaxed measures. The 'Covid O' Cabinet meeting is likely to see pre-departure tests scrapped. The meeting will also discuss down-grading post-arrival tests from costly PCR swabs to cheaper rapid lateral flow swabs. This is less likely as health officials favour PCRs, which can be sequenced to detect variants of concern. The UK is the only country in Europe demanding that even fully-vaccinated holidaymakers take two tests when returning home. Under the current rules, one rapid swab must be taken pre-return within 72 hours of travel to the UK and a post-arrival PCR test by day two. Travellers must self-isolate until the results of this latter test are received, and can be stuck in quarantine for days if results are delayed. Travel abroad has been severely limited for the unvaccinated, with quarantine stays in place at some destinations for those who have not been fully jabbed. At the press briefing, England's chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty said he has been left 'saddened' by the proportion of unvaccinated patients in intensive care. England's chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty said he has been left 'saddened' by the proportion of unvaccinated patients in intensive care Sir Chris 'the great majority' of those who were in intensive care and had not been jabbed were 'not anti-vaxxers in the ordinary sense with some really weird ideas' but had been taken advantage of by those seeking to misinform them online. He said 'misinformation' on the internet, 'a lot of it deliberately placed', about potential side effects from jabs was fuelling fears about whether Covid-19 was important enough to warrant vaccination, as well as whether the vaccines were effective against the disease. 'Insofar as I am frustrated it is simply people deliberately trying to scare away fellow citizens from something that is potentially going to be life-saving for them,' he said. Sir Chris said the booster provided around 88% overall protection against being admitted to hospital. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was 'absolutely crazy' that people were ending up in intensive care with Covid because they had not been vaccinated. 'How absolutely crazy it is, absolutely crazy, that there are two million slots this week for people to get vaccinated and yet the majority of people in ICU for Covid are not vaccinated - 61 per cent,' he told the press conference. 'It is sad but it is also a huge opportunity for us to correct it.' Mr Johnson added: 'There are still almost nine million people eligible, who haven't had their booster. 'It's absolutely heartbreaking that as many as 90% of those in intensive care with Covid have not had their booster, and over 60% of those in intensive care who have Covid have not had any vaccination at all. 'People are dying needlessly because they haven't had their jabs, they haven't had that booster.' Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said there were 'extraordinarily high levels of infection at the moment' in the UK. Hospital pressures would depend on how Omicron impacted on the older generation, he said. The press conference was held on the day a further 218,724 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were recorded in England and Scotland. It was the first time the daily recorded figure has passed 200,000, though the number will have been inflated by some delayed reporting from over the holiday period. A shocking new report has found Australians are spending $3 billion on substituted, mislabelled, and fraudulent food. AgriFutures Australia found Australians are deceptively being sold products containing low-quality ingredients compared to what they advertise. While there isn't an agreed upon worldwide definition of food fraud, the issue costs up to $50-billion-a-year globally and is a $3 billion problem in Australia. A recent report found Australians are spending $3billion on substituted, mislabelled and fraudulent food products (pictured, stock photo) Co-author of the report and Deakin University Professor Rebecca Lester told The Age the full scope of the problem in Australia is still 'largely unknown'. 'It's difficult to tell how big a problem it is within Australia because there are just not a lot of studies that actually test,' she said. 'We don't have common commercial labs that are doing this on a regular basis, so most examples are from overseas, or from specific research projects.' Professor Lester warned 'potentially anything' could be faked from dairy products, meat, vegetables, herbs, and even honey and oil. The study looked at six fraudulent practices involving adulteration, concealment, counterfeiting, dilution, mislabelling, and substitution of products. Marketing products as 'organic' and 'halal' when they are not is considered` concealment while dilution is a common practice with milk, juices, and wine. Wine (pictured, stock photo) was also found to be subject to adulteration - where an undeclared ingredient is included to reduce production costs Beef, seafood and wine industries were found to be high risk to substitution with the use of fillers to increase volume and mislabelling to forge provenance and quality. Food fraud involving seafood mostly involved species substitution along with mislabelling on whether produce was farmed, wild caught, frozen, or fresh. Wine was also found to be subject to adulteration, where an undeclared ingredient is included to reduce production costs, or incorrect grape varieties listed. The report found products were most vulnerable to fraud where there was a large difference in value depending on where the product was from or if it was organic. Verifying labelling claims also prove more difficult when meat is sold in cuts rather than a whole recognisable item. The report found products are most vulnerable to fraud where there is a large difference in value depending on where the product is from or if it is organic The findings also suggest fraudsters may be more inclined to cut corners when laws and control systems are ineffective in deterring fraudulent practices. Professor Lester said some industries and businesses are choosing to bury their heads in the sand as product fraud remains largely unregulated in Australia. She added increased consumer awareness was important in getting businesses to take action and advised shoppers to buy local to help shorten the supply chain. 'A banana is a banana but as soon as it's packaged and mixed with other things, there are opportunities for fraud,' she said. Pacific Gas & Electric power lines sparked last summer's Dixie Fire in Northern California that swept through five counties and burned more than 1,300 homes and other buildings, state fire officials said Tuesday. The blaze was caused by a tree hitting electrical distribution lines west of Cresta Dam in the Sierra Nevada, where the blaze began on July 13, according to investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Cal Fire said its investigative report was sent to the Butte County district attorney's office, which will determine whether criminal charges should be filed. The finding was no surprise. PG&E already had indicated its equipment may have been involved in the Dixie Fire, which burned nearly 1 million acres (3,900 square kilometers) in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta, and Tehama counties. It was the second-largest fire in state history. 'This tree was one of more than 8 million trees within strike distance to PG&E lines,' PG&E said in a statement. 'Regardless of todays finding, we will continue to be tenacious in our efforts to stop fire ignitions from our equipment and to ensure that everyone and everything is always safe.' This Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, aerial photo provided by the United States Forest Service Lassen National Forest shows the Great Basin Team 1 Air Attack operations on the Dixie Fire on the Horton Ridge in Plumas County, Calif. Fire officials have now announced that Pacific Gas & Electric power lines sparked last summer's Dixie Fire in Northern California The company said it has committed to burying 10,000 miles (16,100 kilometers) of power lines and taking other measures to help prevent wildfires. Those have included shutting off power to thousands - and in one case, millions - of customers during periods of hot, dry weather coupled with high winds that can knock down trees or hurl branches into power lines. A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires fiercer and harder to fight in the American West. PG&E equipment has been blamed for several of California's largest and deadliest wildfires in recent years. Last September, PG&E was charged with involuntary manslaughter and other crimes because its equipment sparked the Zogg Fire in September 2020 that killed four people and burned about 200 homes west of Redding. Investigators blamed a pine tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line. The company could be heavily fined if convicted. Pictured: A home is engulfed in flames as the Dixie fire rages south of Janesville in Northern California, on August 16, 2021 A strike team works a line after more structures were burned overnight in Indian Valley, California, U.S., August 10, 2021 Shasta and Tehama counties have sued the utility alleging negligence, saying PG&E had failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. The utility said the tree was subsequently cleared to stay. In November, PG&E acknowledged that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney's office seeking documents related to the Dixie Fire, and the Californian utility expected to take a loss of $1.15 billion. It was one in a slew of legal actions against the nations largest utility, which has an estimated 16 million customers in central and Northern California. The utility pleaded guilty in 2019 to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for a 2018 blaze ignited by its long-neglected electrical grid that nearly destroyed the town of Paradise and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. PG&E also filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 after that blaze and others were blamed on its ageing equipment. The utility emerged from bankruptcy in 2020 and negotiated a $13.5 billion settlement with some wildfire victims. Pictured: Pacific Gas & Electric vehicles are parked at the PG&E Oakland Service Center in Oakland, Calif. Pacific Gas & Electric power lines sparked last summer's Dixie Fire in Northern California that swept through five counties and burned more than 1,300 homes and other buildings, state fire officials said Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 Pictured: A map showing the scale of the Dixie fire on September 13, 2021, around the time when the fire was at its largest. The fire wouldn't be fully contained until late October But it still faces both civil and criminal actions from other fires. The company has pleaded not guilty to Sonoma County criminal charges over the 2019 Kincade fire, which injured six firefighters, choked local skies for two weeks and forced nearly 200,000 residents from their homes. Last fall, PG&E reached a $125 million settlement agreement with the California Public Utilities Commission over that fire. California Public Utilities Commission had voted unanimously in April last year to toughen oversight of PG&E, saying the utility had largely failed to perform required tree-trimming work near power lines in areas with the highest risk of wildfires. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday backed its week-old guidance halving COVID-19 isolation for people who test positive to five days and refused to add a testing mandate. The agency had been pressured by health experts to institute a test requirement after it cut in half its guidance last week for people to isolate after a COVID-19 infection to five days from 10, but refused to do so. It said the move was based on science around transmission of the virus. On Tuesday, the CDC added an explanation on its website, saying that a review of 113 studies from 17 countries showed that most transmission occurs early in the course of infection. It said the average period of infectiousness and risk of transmission was 'between 2-3 days before and 8 days after symptom onset.' Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease official and President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, in television interviews on Sunday said officials were considering asking people to get tested after a five-day quarantine period - but that suggestion now appears to be dead in the water. The requirement was dramatically cut back as the Omicron variant triggered a record 1.08 million new infections on Monday, the vast majority of them mild. 'If an individual has access to a test and wants to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the five-day isolation period,' the agency said. The CDC issued an explanation of why it had halved the isolation period for infected Americans from ten days to five on its website on Tuesday CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told Stephen Colbert on his late night show on Monday that people can take an antigen test after isolating for five days and go out once more if they test negative The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50 percent in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, according to data collected by John Hopkins, marking the first time that threshold has been reached in a year The isolation period should be followed by strict mask use for an additional five days, the CDC said last week and again on Tuesday. However, if an individual tests positive after five days, they should isolate for the full 10 days, it said. The highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread rapidly, leading to worker shortages at airlines, schools and businesses. Delta Airlines and others had publicly pressured the CDC to cut the isolation period. The CDC subsequently shortened the recommended isolation time. Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN that the CDC had heard the complaints. 'They have certainly received feedback and questions about the role of testing in shortening that quarantine period and they're actually working right now on issuing a clarification on that,' he said. The policy is in line with comments CDC Director Rochelle Walensky made late on Monday. If people have access to a rapid antigen test, they can go ahead and take it five days after testing positive if their symptoms are gone and they feel well, she told CBS' 'The Late Show' program. 'If it's positive, stay home for another five days,' she said. 'If it's negative, I would say you still really need to wear a mask' because the infection could still spread, she added. 'You still should probably not visit grandma, you shouldn't get on an airplane and you still should be pretty careful when you're with other people.' The United States reported nearly one million new coronavirus infections on Monday, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous U.S. peak set a week ago as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50 percent in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, according to data collected by John Hopkins, marking the first time that threshold has been reached in a year. A dozen lucky Australians are millions of dollars richer and they don't even know it yet, because they haven't checked their lotto tickets. There are 23 division one or major lottery prizes valued almost $25 million that have gone unclaimed for weeks, months, or even years after the draws. Nine people each in Queensland and NSW, two in ACT, and one each in Victoria and South Australia have yet to claim their prizes. Aussies urged to check their old Lotto ticket as there are currently 23 division one or major lottery prizes valued almost $25 million that have gone unclaimed by winners (stock) Lotto Australia encouraged players to keep an eye out for old tickets and check them while entering this week's Powerball draw. One in six Australians are expected to enter the $60 million Powerball draw on Thursday, the first big draw of 2022. 'As one of the first big jackpots of 2022, we're expecting up to one-in-six Australian adults to have an entry in their hands for this week's Powerball draw,' The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said. 'With $60 million on the table, it's a chance to start the year as a multi-millionaire. Lotto Australia spokesperson Matt Hart (above) has encouraged people to keep an eye out for old tickets and check them while entering this week's Powerball draw 'I'm sure many Aussies are dreaming about what the rest of 2022 and the rest of their lives might look like with a prize of this magnitude.' Mr Hart reminded players that unclaimed winnings have different expirations dates depending on the state they were bought in. 'In Queensland, people have seven years to claim their lottery prizes, but in Victoria, players have only six months to claim their prizes directly from us after this time they can claim their prizes from the Victorian Government,' he said. The table above shows the 23 unclaimed major lottery prizes across Australia as of January 5 2022 'The oldest unclaimed division one win is in Queensland in June 2015, a ticket purchased in Morayfield won a Saturday Gold Lotto prize worth $1 million. 'One of the most recent unclaimed division one wins was from just last month a ticket purchased in Cobber Pedy won a Monday X Lotto prize of $1 million. 'The biggest unclaimed lottery win is a $4.8 million Set for Life win from April last year from an entry purchased in Woden in the ACT.' The two week search is continuing for missing Afghan girl Lina Sadar Khil, 3 An FBI dive team has joined the search for a three year-old Afghan refugee girl who vanished close to her San Antonio home on December 20 while her mother allegedly left her unattended. Lina Sardar Khil was last seen in the playground of a northwest San Antonio apartment complex during the late afternoon of December 20. The 12-member FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team flew in from Washington, D.C., Monday night and searched water bodies near the girl's family's apartment all day Tuesday, Police Chief William McManus said. Appearing downcast, McManus said the team was merely checking a lead, of which there have been few. 'Anything we get that has any kind of potential at all, we're following it up. I wish I could be more uplifting. I know this looks like we're really onto something. But all we're doing here is following up,' he said at a briefing at the search site. He refused to comment further on the lead that had led divers to the body of water. Law enforcement have also been searching a field a few miles from the apartment complex where the girl disappeared. 'Anything we get that has any kind of potential at all, we're following it up. I wish I could be more uplifting. I know this looks like we're really onto something. But all we're doing here is following up,' Police Chief William McManus said at a briefing at the search site Police in San Antonio looking for little Lina, who vanished from an apartment complex's playground on the afternoon of December 20 Lina was last seen wearing a red dress, black jacket and black shoes and had her brown hair in a ponytail, police said. The child's family had reported that she was at the playground with her mother, who had walked away briefly and found the child missing upon her return. Last Friday, McManus spoke at a press conference 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. An FBI dive team has now joined the search for the three-year-old San Antonio girl 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 Appearing downcast, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the team was merely checking a lead, of which there have been few '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. 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. The child was last seen in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road between 5 and 6pm on Monday, December 20 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 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. Riaz Khil, the father of the missing three-year-old, says the family believe she may have been abducted '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.' The family moved to the U.S. in 2019 from Afghanistan after fleeing from 'threats that were posed to us,' Linas father, Riaz Sardar Khil, told KENS-TV. Although police say they do not have a description of a possible kidnapping suspect, they are investigating the case as a child abduction Khil said through a translator that his wife, who is pregnant, was watching their daughter at the playground between 5 and 6pm 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. The father said that the FBI have questioned him and his wife for several hours. 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. Angry travelers were asking on Tuesday night how it was possible to be so woefully abandoned by America's private and public transport providers, after thousands of people were stranded following Monday's snow storm on the East Coast. Train passengers traveling from New Orleans to New York City on Amtrak's Crescent Train 20 endured delays of such magnitude that their 30-hour journey arrived one day, six hours, and 34 minutes late. Passengers were stuck for so long near Lynchburg, Virginia, that the toilets overflowed and they ran out of food. Motorists driving through Virginia along the I-95 were stuck in their cars for over 20 hours amid ferocious snow storms that swept the area on Sunday night and through Monday. Many were asking why the delays could not have been foreseen, with trains cancelled well in advance and roads closed as soon as the accidents happened - ideally before. Furthermore, how was it possible that a country with such wealth and technology ground to a halt following an expected winter storm? One of the biggest problems was communications on board Amtrak. Passengers are seen disembarking in New York City after a terrible Amtrak journey, with a 28-hour delay Snow storm Frida knocked down trees on top of railways in Virginia on Monday, causing Amtrak trains to stall, some for up to 30 hours Amtrak said the trains would resume once the tracks have been cleared up Riders aboard the two delayed trains expressed their frustration on Twitter Lavita Booker (left) said she and about 200 other passengers aboard the Amtrak Crescent were stuck for more than 30 hours in Lynchburg, Virginia Passengers complained about being left in the dark, with little information about what was happening. Amtrak on December 30 reduced its schedule until January 6, citing poor weather and COVID-19 cases among employees, despite 97 per cent of workers being vaccinated. That likely impacted the staff who'd otherwise have been able to brief the stranded passengers on what happened, and help try to organize a rescue more promptly. Executives warned Congress last month that a coronavirus vaccination mandate threatened to leave it short-staffed, and the mandate was suspended on December 14. A broader labor shortage was also posing challenges as Amtrak tries to recover from the pandemic's downturn in travel. Amtrak, funded by taxpayers, is chronically under-resourced as it maintains its network of unprofitable rail lines - only the Northeast Corridor routes are economically viable. Since 1971, when Amtrak was founded, federal law has required Amtrak operate a national passenger rail system that includes long distance routes. Joe Biden, an Amtrak devotee from his time commuting by train from his Delaware home to Washington DC, has allocated $66 billion in new funding for rail, as part of his Build Back Better plan. The money is designed to address Amtrak's maintenance backlog, along with upgrading the high-traffic Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston. But the money is yet to be felt. William Flynn, the CEO of Amtrak, is stepping down on January 17. He is pictured during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing in October 2020, titled 'Passenger and Freight Rail: The Current Status of the Rail Network and the Track Ahead' Furthermore, Amtrak is in the midst of a leadership change, with William Flynn, chief executive officer, stepping down on January 17. He will be replaced at the head of the $5 billion-a-year organization by Stephen Gardner - currently Amtrak's president, leading the railroad's day-to-day operations, customer growth initiatives and strategies to modernize Amtrak's products, services, infrastructure and fleet. Amtrak's struggles - in particular their communication failures - are not the only factor in the chaos this week. America's rail network is a complex patchwork of ownership and responsibilities. Responsibility for maintaining the train system is jointly between federal, state and private companies. Congress is yet to confirm the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, leaving the agency - part of Pete Buttigieg's Department of Transport - in limbo. In April, Amit Bose was nominated by Biden for the role of administrator. In October the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee voted to approve his candidacy, but there has not been a full vote to confirm his position. He remains the acting administrator. At the state level, the Railroad Regulation section is in charge of Virginia's train tracks. Part of the Division of Utility and Railroad Safety, according to the state website it 'conducts inspections of railroad facilities including track and equipment to ensure safe operation of jurisdictional railroads within Virginia.' In March last year, the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, announced a $3.7 billion investment which will see Amtrak, rail company CSX - which operates 20,000 route miles of track in 23 states - and Virginia Railway Express work together to expand and improve passenger, commuter, and freight rail in Virginia. It was unclear who out of Amtrak, CSX and Virginia's own rail agencies had responsibilities for clearing the tracks. In November, CSX said that they had struggled with staffing, but said their hiring had improved. The transport company was among the myriad of industries hard-hit by 'the great resignation', as workers quit their jobs. The pandemic has also caused problems. 'Train crew shortages that have affected service on Class I railroads this year also have cropped up on short lines, as rail workers seek greener pastures and new hires are hard to find,' reported Trains.com in November. 'CSX and Norfolk Southern appear to be hardest hit among the big systems.' For the motorists stuck on the I-95, Northam said it was simply due to the weather. 'This was a perfect storm,' Northam said. 'We were prepared for a few inches of snow but got a foot. I certainly understand the frustration.' The terrible storm also caused similar delays along the I-95 in Virginia The snowy pile-up between Dumfries Road, which is nearly an hour to Washington, DC, and Carmel Church, only 8mi from the Capitol, began after a six-vehicle crash in Stafford As travelers reached their 24th hour without food and water, they grew desperate for the National Guard to help them As of Tuesday morning, Virginia State Police had responded to more than 2,000 traffic crashes and disabled vehicles statewide, state transportation officials said. 'First we had rain, which meant that we couldn't adequately pretreat the roads,' he told reporters on Tuesday. 'Then we had slushy snow that fell a lot faster than our snow plows could move it. 'And then, as night fell, the temperatures dropped below freezing. All those together created the perfect storm for what happened on I-95.' In addition to the preliminary conditions, multiple tractor-trailers that jackknifed on the highway, further complicated cleanup efforts. 'When that happens, it's going to create a mess, and it's going to take time to clean up, whether it happens in a winter storm or on a sunny summer day,' Northam said. Yet suspicion remained that there had been systemic failures. 'I am feeling frustrated more than anything,' said Sean Brocato, 35, who was stuck until Tuesday afternoon as he was trying to drive south to Raleigh, North Carolina. 'The problem with the entire situation is that the Virginia Department of Transportation did nothing to keep drivers informed,' he told NBC. 'Was VDOT unaware of the snowstorm? Did they not realize the road conditions?' In 2018 the Virginia Department of Transportation was exposed as a den of corruption and vice, amid an astonishing trial based on FBI wiretaps. Seven defendants were convicted, and all said that the corruption was endemic to the culture and more extensive than the scheme that put them behind bars. 'It is happening now, it will happen in the future,' contractor John Williamson said before being sentenced to three months in jail. 'It is rampant, and it is part of the culture of the agency.' Prosecutor Samantha Bateman told the court that 'this is a more pervasive problem in the Virginia Department of Transportation than is known.' The court heard that officials demanded bribes from snowplow drivers in exchange for work, with one regional manager, Anthony Willie, booking into a hotel during a snow storm and trying to get contractors to send women to his room. He even tried to get one female snowplow driver to pay him a visit, telling her: 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Because I do extra for who you're working for and make sure you are going to get yours.' Willie, the former superintendent of the Virginia Department of Transportation's Burke Area Headquarters, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a bribery scheme involving the awarding of nearly $11 million in snow removal work over the course of more than five years. In a tweet liked almost 2,000 times, one woman noted: 'Given the potentially life-threatening situation on I-95 in Virginia, I'd like to remind you that VA DOT is plagued by corruption. 'In 2018, seven employees pleaded guilty for their roles in an $11 million bribery scheme related to snow removal contracts.' Australia could see a return to panic buying as a surge in Omicron cases causes a shortage of supermarket goods and fewer staff to serve customers. Hundreds of abattoir workers have been put into home isolation, adding to an already strained supply chain. Shelves at Coles and Woolworths have been stripped bare as supermarkets struggle to refill their stores after the Christmas and New Year shopping rush. The surge in Omicron cases is coinciding with a shortage of the diesel additive AdBlue, which is needed for modern truck engines to start. Michael Donovan, the Victorian secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, feared customers would become aggressive again to retail workers as they fiercely competed for goods in short supply. 'We don't want people to start panic buying and see the tremendous impact on retail workers,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video Australia could see a return to panic buying as a surge in Omicron cases causes a shortage of supermarket goods and fewer staff to serve customers (pictured is a Coles on Queensland's Sunshine Coast) 'There's an enormous spike in aggression and both customer abuse and at times violence - our members experienced that last year, some terrible behaviour and we certainly don't want to see another episode like that.' Mr Donovan said supermarkets could also be short of staff should more workers test positive to Covid and be made to self isolate. 'We're speculating at this stage. I don't want to contribute to people panic buying,' he said. 'Anybody who is unfortunate enough to catch Covid should be able to have time off - that should be time off with pay. 'Many of the companies provide that but the federal government should make it as a uniform entitlement under the national employment standards that everyone can have paid leave separate from sick leave.' Without this sick leave, a state leader of Australia's biggest trade union said many workers could end up not getting a Covid test and turning up to work infecting other people. 'That's one of the impacts, they may go to work if they are unwell,' he said. Matthew Swindells, the chief operating officer at supermarket giant Coles, said shoppers would suffer a 'couple of difficult weeks' during January as Omicron worsened existing labour shortages. 'We were facing a number of supply chain challenges already - a shortage of pallets and a shortage of truck drivers,' he told the Today show. The Victorian secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, feared customers would become aggressive again to retail workers as they fiercely competed for goods in short supply. 'We're somewhat on the back foot trying to make sure that we can keep the food supply lines going. 'We've got probably another couple difficult weeks.' The supermarket executive warned shoppers they may need to change brand to find their favourite products. 'You might have to change brand or buy a different pack size,' he said. 'As it's a new year, try something different. 'It will take us a few weeks to fully recover from this and importantly, we need to get those team member numbers that are isolating back into the workforce to recover all of those food supplies.' The Omicron variant has meant as much as 70 per cent of factory and farm workers are unable to go to work. Mr Donovan said supermarkets could also be short of staff should more workers test positive to Covid and be made to self isolate The Australian Meat Industry Council is calling for rapid antigen tests for workers, with the peak body's chief executive Patrick Hutchinson fearing meat would run out by Australia Day on January 26. Michael Donovan, the Victorian secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, wants all employers to provide separate paid Covid leave to existing sick leave 'We're now seeing a large amount of meat workers who actually can't get to work,' he told Seven News. 'There's hundreds and hundreds of staff up and down the eastern seaboard, certainly Queensland, NSW and VIC who aren't able to get to work at this stage.' 'I'm actually concerned we will have a shortage because we just won't have the people on site over the next month to six weeks to be able to process anything.' Energy Minister Angus Taylor on December 9 declared Australia only had enough AdBlue to last five weeks, or until the middle of January. Shipments of the diesel additive bound for Australia would add another two weeks. With Australia due to run out of AdBlue by the start of February, the federal Department of Industry and Energy is giving Incitec Pivot a $29.4million grant to produce 5,000 tonnes a month of technical grade urea, from the end of January 2022, for domestic AdBlue manufacturers. This ramping up of production would be sufficient to produce 15million to 17million litres of AdBlue to meet the usual monthly demand in Australia. gettyimagesbank By Anna J. Park The year 2021 logged the all-time record high of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the Korean market, with the transactional amount standing at some $181 billion in 3,423 M&A deals. According to Bloomberg data, it was a record amount, since the data was first compiled in 1998. This year is expected to see the M&A boom continue in the local market as well. Various mega deals worth trillions of won are waiting in line to close this year in diverse sectors. The first major deal of this year was marked by MBK Partners. The private equity firm completed the acquisition of a 100 percent stake in Dongjin Textile earlier this week, a month and a half since the two parties signed a sales and purchase agreement (SPA) in mid-November. Dongjin is a footwear textile supplier to global firms, including Nike and Adidas. The price for the acquisition is known to be about 780 billion won ($650 million). Another private equity firm, VIG Partners, also signed a SPA deal early this week, in which it agreed to resell its 51.03 percent stake and the management rights to Star Vision to its original founder. Star Vision operates some 280 colored contact lens stores called "O-Lens." The firm also has the sunglasses brand "CARIN." Following the PE firm having acquired the stake in June 2018, it is expected to walk away with more than double its original investment. Hanon Systems, a local auto parts supplier, is expected to be one of the major deals this year. Hahn & Co. acquired a 50.5 percent stake in the auto parts company in 2014 for 2.8 trillion won, and has been trying to sell it off since last year. It is estimated that the selling price could be as high as 8 trillion won. Various rumors swirled around the Hanon Systems deal throughout last year, yet nothing seems to have been confirmed since. Hyundai LNG Shipping, currently owned by IMM Private Equity and IMM Investment, is also currently up for sale in the market, with a price tag of between 1.5 trillion won and 2 trillion won. The IMM consortium owns a 100 percent stake in the shipping company, having acquired the shipping company for some 1 trillion won in 2014. ECO Management Korea (EMK) is considered another sale item by IMM Investment, with an estimated price tag of 1 trillion won. IMM Investment acquired EMK for 390 billion won from JPMorgan in 2017. Burger King and Ministop Korea are also seeking new owners. Affinity Equity Partners tapped Goldman Sachs recently as the sales manager for selling a 100 percent stake in Burger King Korea and Burger King Japan. Burger King Korea's price is estimated at around 600 billion won. The acquisition of Ministop Korea, the country's fifth-largest convenience store brand, has drawn the interest of various PE companies as well as Emart24, the fourth-largest convenience store brand here. The recent M&A market boom is not limited to Korea. The annual global M&A market size has reached its all-time high of over $5.6 trillion, way higher than the previous peak of 4.4 trillion won set in 2007, according to figures of Dealogic. The U.S. showed the highest year-on-year increase rate of nearly 100 percent last year, much higher than Europe's year-on-year increase rate of 47 percent or Asia's 37 percent. A dog in New Hampshire was being hailed as a real-life 'Lassie' Tuesday after leading police to the scene of a serious car crash that left her owner injured and suffering from hypothermia. The one-year-old dog, a breed known as a Shiloh Shepherd called Tinsley, ran down where Interstates 89 and 91 meet, in Hartford, on the New Hampshire border with Vermont late Monday, prompting motorists to alert the highway patrol. Cops arrived at the scene and initially mistook Tinsley for a stray. But when they tried to catch her, she kept running and led them into Vermont, where the officers spotted a gap in the guard rail and discovered a badly damaged pickup truck that had rolled over. Two people, including Tinsley's owner, Cam Laundry, 31, had been thrown from the vehicle and were already suffering from the onset of hypothermia. The passenger was Justin Connors, 40, who is described as 'fine,' having escaped with minor injuries. Tinsley, a one-year-old Shiloh Shephard, ran to New Hampshire State Police on Monday to bring them where her owner and another passenger were injured and suffering from hypothermia after their truck had flipped over in Hartford, New Hampshire The scene of the severe car crash, where 31-year-old Cam Laundry, Tinsley's owner and Justin Connors, 40 were found injured and suffering from hypothermia on Monday on New Hampshire's border with Vermont 'It quickly became apparent that Tinsley led (law enforcement) to the crash site and injured occupants,' New Hampshire police said in a statement on their Facebook page. 'They could tell the dog was trying to show them something because she kept trying to get away from them but didn't run away totally,' New Hampshire police officer Daniel Baldassarre told local news channel WCVB. 'It was kind of, 'Follow me. Follow me.' And they did that and, to their surprise, to see the guardrail damaged and to look down to where the dog is looking at, they were almost in disbelief.' 'I kind of compare it to, for those who remember, a real-life 'Lassie' story, where the people are in distress and the dog goes and gets help and brings them right to where the person is,' said Baldassarre. As emergency rescue workers began their medical care of the injured, the dog 'sat there nice and calm right next to its owner,' said Captain Jack Hedges of the Hartford fire department. Tinsley's owner said she would be highly rewarded with venison for her potentially life-saving deed Laundry was not seriously hurt in the crash, and said Tinsley would be highly rewarded with venison for showing such intelligence and devotion. 'She's my little guardian angel' he told WCVB. 'It's a miracle that she had that kind of intelligence to do what she did.' Vermont State Police are opening an investigation on what led up to the crash, according to a VSP spokesman. Laundry said an interview that he had some drinks earlier that night, but he added that he didn't think he had too much to affect his driving. 'It definitely was a wake-up call,' Laundry said. 'It all could've been a lot worse.' Western Australia has locked out Tasmanian and ACT residents with even the most compelling compassionate cases after a spike in Covid infections. Both will be classified as 'extreme risk' from 12.01am on Saturday and even grieving family members banned from arriving in the state. Only certain 'certain government and specialist workers' will be allowed in under any circumstances until the WA hard border finally ends on February 5. Those who do get in will need to complete a 14 day hotel quarantine and undergo Covid testing with 24 hours of arrival as well as days 5 and 13. From 12:01am on January 8 visitors from Tasmania and the ACT to WA will be limited to 'certain Government and specialist workers' and will need to complete 14 days hotel quarantine WA Premiere Mark McGowan warned West Australians in other states to come home before the deadline or risk being locked out By Saturday, the Northern Territory will be the only state not classified in the 'extreme risk' category by Western Australia. WA Premier Mark McGowan warned anyone who had an exemption, which are almost impossible to obtain as it is, to fly in immediately. 'Because once the reclassification takes effect, they will not be able to do so, except for the most extraordinary circumstances,' he said. Mr McGowan threw the two jurisdictions into the highest risk category after Tasmania recorded 867 new Covid cases on Wednesday and the ACT had 810. 'This means travel will not be permitted to WA except in extraordinary circumstances,' Deputy Premier Roger Cook said. 'Exemptions will be limited to travelers who meet the following criteria - Commonwealth and state officials, members of parliament, diplomats, specialists or extraordinary circumstances determined by the state emergency coordinator or chief health officer.' By Saturday the Northern Territory will be the only state not classified in the 'extreme risk' category by Western Australia WA itself had five new cases, all but one from its very small Delta outbreak kicked off by an unvaccinated French backpacker who arrived from Queensland. Mr Cook said two of the cases were in the community while infectious, one while working at The Lucky Shag bar in Perth's CBD. WA is also investigating the close contacts of a hotel security guard who tested positive to the Omicron variant earlier this week. Mr Cook said WA needed to brace itself for more exposure sites to appear. Anyone who visited an exposure site is urged to isolate and test if symptoms appear. Western Australia did not partake in National Cabinet's decision to redefine 'close contacts' last week. The news comes as five new local covid cases were identified overnight, including two cases that had been in the community while infectious WA did not partake in National Cabinet's decision to redefine 'close contacts' last week that saw other states define a close contact only as someone who had been in a household setting with a positive case for more than four hours Other Australian states have chosen to define people that have been in a 'household like setting' for more than four hours with a positive case as close contacts. WA Covid vaccine commander Chris Dawson admitted it would not be possible to eradicate the outbreak before February 5 and the plan was just to keep a lid on it. 'I wouldn't share a lot of confidence we'll keep Omicron out, because one, we've already got it here so to totally eradicate it would be fanciful,' he said. 'What we do know and it's very compelling is that the third dose is particularly important in the extra layer of protection for the Omicron variant but there are still some members in our community who haven't had a first dose.' A cocaine-addicted Nevada psychologist was imprisoned for 10 years for killing his wife with antifreeze and making it look like a suicide in order to obtain a $1 million life insurance policy to pay off his drug debts. On Tuesday 59-year-old Gregory 'Brent' Dennis Henderson struck a plea deal which saw him enter an Alford plea to the voluntary manslaughter in the 2015 killing of his 48-year-old attorney wife Susan Winters. That means he agrees there is sufficient evidence to convict him of killing Winters. Winters was found dead with a deadly amount of oxycodone and antifreeze in her system. Her killer also stood to benefit from a $1 million life insurance policy taken out in his spouse's name, as well as a $1 million inheritance she planned to bequeath him. Gregory 'Brent' Dennis Henderson, 59, (pictured) pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 2015 killing of his 48-year-old attorney wife Susan Winters Investigators discovered that the pair (pictured together) were on the verge of separation and Dennis was also in the midst of a cocaine addiction and he was in debt Dennis worked as a psychologist until his license expired in 2020 despite admitting to the board in 2017 that he occasionally used cocaine and methamphetamine prior to meeting with his patients, 8NewsNow.com reported. He initially told police that he was not aware there was antifreeze in the house but then only hours later showed them some bottles in the garage, which police photographed without taking into evidence, 8NewsNow reported. Dennis told police that he believed Susan had ingested antifreeze because of her supposed internet search history seeking information on antifreeze poisoning made the night before her death. But months later investigators later found that the last of the searches on antifreeze poisoning was done at 5:15 am when Winters was already unconscious and nearly dead. Police initially ruled her death a suicide until local news began reporting on her death and her family hired private investigators. On Tuesday Dennis (pictured) entered an Alford plea in which he does not admit guilt but concedes that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to prove his guilt Susa Winters (pictured) was found dead in 2015 with a deadly amount of oxycodone and antifreeze in her system After police reopened the case Dennis was charged with murder in February 2017. Investigators discovered that at the time of Winters' death, the pair were on the verge of separation, prosecutors said. Dennis was also in the midst of a cocaine addiction that led him into debt and he was poised to gain $1 million in life insurance money if Winters died. On Tuesday Dennis, who has remained free on a $250,000 bail, entered an Alford plea in which he does not admit guilt but concedes that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to prove his guilt. Dennis will be formally charged by a judge in May and faces between 3-10 years in prison. 'Brent Dennis resolved this case without making any admission of guilt in order to eventually return his life to normalcy,' Dennis defense attorney, Richard Schonfel told the Review Journal in a statement. Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo agreed that because of his age, a ten-year sentence 'is a fairly reasonable solution.' 'For him it was all or nothing he goes to trial, jury convicts him, he goes to prison for the absolute rest of his life,' prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo told the Review Journal. Crazy queues for Covid lab tests, which have seen lines snaking several kilometres as people wait up to eight hours, could now be over as the government announces anyone with a positive rapid test will no longer need to get a PCR. Previously, anyone who tested positive to RAT had to get a proper viral swab to confirm their infection - but now will be treated as Covid positive without having to get further confirmation. Scott Morrison made the change on Wednesday afternoon, which should reduce the unpopular spectacle of anxious Aussies waiting hours to get PCR lab tests. Millions of low-income and vulnerable Australians will now able to get rapid tests free from chemists, while all Aussies who have symptoms or are close contacts can also collect them for free - but from a designated queue at testing centres. Covid testing systems are under massive pressure with new infections dramatically rising in Sydney and Melbourne. Crazy queues for Covid-19 testing look set to end as Scott Morrison announced people will no longer need a PCR to confirm if they have Covid if they've had a positive rapid test What happens if my RAT shows positive? You no longer need to obtain a PCR test. A positive rapid antigen test (RAT) result is sufficient. The PM suggested people who test positive with a RAT 'call their GP' to inform them of the positive test. You can also contact the National Coronavirus hotline on 1800 020 080. Official NSW Health advice says most fully-vaccinated people aged under 65 'can safely manage COVID-19 at home' - provided you don't suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant. 'Most people with COVID-19 will have a mild illness and will recover in a few days or so. Some people may not have any symptoms at all.' But if you develop severe symptoms (particularly severe headache or dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pressure or pain) you should call Triple Zero (000) immediately and tell the ambulance staff that you have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Advertisement New Covid cases in NSW spiked to 35,054 on Wednesday while Victoria recorded 17,636 new infections, although ICU admissions in both states remained steady. The 6.6 million most vulnerable Australians will now be given free rapid Covid tests after an emergency National Cabinet on Wednesday agreed to make stark changes to improve the chaotic testing system. In an emergency press conference shortly after National Cabinet, Mr Morrison confirmed Australians will no longer need to seek a PCR test if they test positive on a rapid antigen test, and should count themselves as Covid positive. He also agreed to provide low income earners, welfare recipients and pensioners with 10 free RATs over a three-month period which can be collected from pharmacies. Mr Morrison confirmed holders of Commonwealth seniors health cards, healthcare cards, low income cards, pension concession cards, DVA Gold cards or a DVA white cards could get the RATs without charge. The Commonwealth will provide 10 million RATs to be distributed throughout the states and territories for eligible Aussies. Mr Morrison also announced a $66,000 fine or five years in prison for anyone attempting to sell RATs at more than 20 per cent above cost price. The change is unlikely to end the frustrating Covid testing queues entirely though. Photos and video posted to social media showed hundreds of Australians queuing to get hold of RAT kits from chemists at Dee Why and Bondi on Wednesday. Scott Morrison made the change on Wednesday afternoon, which should reduce the unpopular spectacle of anxious Aussies waiting for hours to get PCR lab tests to see if they have Omicron (pictured, queues in Melbourne on Wednesday) Massive lines were spotted snaking from chemists as Aussies desperately try to get their hands on rapid Covid tests. Pictured is a queue outside a Bondi chemist on Wednesday The images emerged before the PM made the latest change to the testing regime. There were even reports people were so desperate to get hold of rapid test kits, which have been in short supply, that after they swarmed on a Sydney chemist police had to be called. There are mounting concerns Australia's active Covid cases could be higher than reported as people refuse to wait in hours-long queues for a PCR test after receiving a positive result on the rapid antigen kits. The new system is likely to only exacerbate this problem. Civil servants in Belgium will no longer have to answer work calls from their bosses outside of normal working hours. From February 1, federal employees will have the 'right to disconnect' enshrined in law. It is expected the move will be rolled out to the private sector, while a move to a four-day working week is also being considered to instill a 'culture change' in Belgian business. Civil servants in Belgium will no longer have to answer work calls from their bosses outside of normal working hours (file image) Staff may only be contacted 'in the event of exceptional and unforeseen circumstances requiring action that cannot wait until the next working period', the memo seen by De Morgen from the Minister of the Civil Service, Petra De Sutter, states. A civil servant 'should not be disadvantaged by not answering the phone or reading work-related messages outside normal working hours', according to the new measures. De Sutter said the change will help fight 'excessive work stress and burnout', particularly at a time when working from home has blurred the lines between the professional and social life. She explained in her circular that disconnecting 'is linked to positive well-being outcomes such as better focus, better recuperation and a more sustainable energy level'. The minister added: 'The computer stays on, you keep reading the e-mails you receive on your smartphone To better protect people against this, we now give them the legal right to disconnect.' The exceptional and unforeseen circumstances that allow a work call have not been made explicitly clear under the new rules. Iceland's four-year experiment with a 'four-day working week' has been dubbed an 'overwhelming success' by researchers who want the model adopted elsewhere (file) But agreements can be made between managers and their staff or trade unions to put measures in place. A spokesperson for Federal Labour Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne told The Brussels Times that a similar arrangement is in place for the private sector. This would come into effect with the introduction of the four-day week, he said. That proposal was tabled by the liberals in October, suggesting full-time employees would still work 38 to 40 hours a week but spread over four days instead of five. But the socialist trade union has already spoken out against the move, saying staff should be working fewer hours per week. Iceland trialled a four-day week and results published last year deemed it an 'overwhelming success'. Workers were less stressed and had a better work-life balance while bosses saw no significant drop-off in productivity or provision of services, analysts said As a result of the experiment, which ran from 2015 to 2019, some 86 per cent of Icelandic workers have now negotiated contracts with permanently shortened hours. A 21-year-old woman who vanished three days ago has been found safe and well following a police appeal. Seema Patel was last seen around the Astley Bridge area of Bolton just after midnight on Sunday, January 2 before disappearing, sparking desperate pleas to find her. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) described her as an Asian woman, 5ft 6ins tall, of medium build and with shoulder-length black hair, who drives a silver Toyota Yaris and has links to the Preston and Chorley areas. A spokesman for GMP today told MailOnline: 'Seema has been found safe and well.' Seema Patel was last seen around the Astley Bridge area of Bolton just after midnight on Sunday, January 2 before disappearing, sparking desperate pleas to find her GMP said in an appeal on Tuesday: 'Officers are becoming increasingly concerned about Seema and want to make sure she is safe and well' GMP had said in an appeal on Tuesday: 'Officers are becoming increasingly concerned about Seema and want to make sure she is safe and well. 'Anyone with information about her whereabouts should contact police on 0161 856 5748.' An appeal on Facebook was shared more than 2,300 times, and concerned social media users wished for her safe return. One said: 'Let's hope Seema is found safe and well, 21 is no age, come on Seema if you're out there make contact.' Another wrote: 'Hope the young lady is found soon and safe.' Schools across the UK are closing or telling entire year groups to study remotely as some areas have reported as many as one in five teachers calling in sick with Covid. Meanwhile, heads have warned of chaos after facing delayed deliveries of Covid tests following the return of pupils after Christmas yesterday. Those pupils who have been allowed to return, but did not bring masks, were segregated and sat at the back of classrooms in some schools yesterday. Today, a number of schools have been partially shut due to outbreaks of the virus. This included King Charles I School in Kidderminster is closed to Years 7 and 8 and Outwood Academy in Ormesby, Middlesbrough warned Years 9 and 10 pupils to stay away. Elsewhere, classes for six out of the seven year groups at Thorpe Primary School in Bradford have been shut, while Haveley Hey Community School in Wythenshawe, Manchester, told its two Year 6 classes to stay at home yesterday. In Scotland today, Kincardine O'Neil School and Wallacestone Primary School in Falkirk are not open to any pupils due to Covid, while Drumblade, Catterline and Kinneff - all in Aberdeenshire - are also shut, but owing to issues with heating and power. Furthermore, a school in Swansea Valley, Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera, has asked Years 7 and 8 to learn remotely until January 10. While in north London, Evelyn Forde, head of Copthall School, said 13 staff were absent and four children tested positive for Covid on-site. She added: 'Staffing is looking pretty horrendous'. Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Charitable Trust, which has 52 schools across England, said early indicators suggested 20 per cent of his staff could be absent. In Scotland today, Kincardine O'Neil School (pictured) and Wallacestone Primary School in Falkirk are not open to any pupils due to Covid Classes for six out of the seven year groups at Thorpe Primary School in Bradford (pictured) have been shut Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Charitable Trust, which has 52 schools across England, said early indicators suggested 20 per cent of his staff could be absent Meanwhile, problems with testing were deepened as the Department for Education (DfE) gave schools short of tests a 5pm deadline yesterday to order more or face a two-week wait. Issues were compounded by staff absences caused by Covid, as Ian Bauckham, the boss of exams regulator Ofqual, said schools could suspend subjects like music to cope with shortages. Last night it emerged a secondary school was segregating children who do not wear face masks or fail to test twice a week. Walton High, an academy in Buckinghamshire, said any pupils exempt from wearing face masks 'will be seated at the back of classrooms at the furthest point from the teacher'. Michelle Currie, executive principal, also told parents that if their child had not yet been vaccinated, this could have 'consequences', including that it 'may limit their career options later in life', according to The Daily Telegraph. All secondary pupils are being tested for Covid this week, but for some the lateral flow tests failed to arrive in time. Geoff Barton, general secretary of heads' union ASCL, said: 'It is clearly imperative that schools and colleges have enough test kits to follow the government guidance.' A DfE spokesman added: 'A further 17.6 million test kits will be delivered by the end of next week.' As pupils began their return after Christmas, heads warned of testing chaos as some still had not received supplies (File image) Dishing out fourth Covid vaccines may only offer a small benefit, according to early research. Israel has already announced over-60s and health workers will get a second booster jab in an effort to 'protect ourselves' from Omicron. Preliminary results of a trial, carried out before the country pressed ahead with the scheme, showed extra jab led to a five-fold increase in antibody levels. For comparison, this is half the level recorded in similar studies following a third jab. Developed nations rolling out Covid boosters when many people around the world have yet to receive a first dose has become increasingly controversial. And UK experts have repeatedly questioned the idea of repeatedly dishing out jabs every few months, labelling the idea 'untenable'. Sir Patrick Vallance, No10's chief scientific adviser, last night said the inoculation drive would soon 'settle' into a yearly programme, like for flu. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett unveiled the findings by academics at Sheba Medical Center last night. 'A week into the fourth dose, we know to a higher degree of certainty that the fourth dose is safe,' he said. 'We know a week after administration of a fourth dose, we see a five-fold increase in the number of antibodies in the vaccinated person. 'This most likely means a significant increase against infection and... hospitalisation and (severe) symptoms.' Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said a preliminary study on the effectiveness of a fourth Covid vaccine showed antibody levels increased five-fold a week after being administered The graph shows the countries who have given the highest total number of vaccine doses and boosters per 100 population. It demonstrates how a number of nations are now, on average exceeding two doses per person. The UK is a mid tier performer in the lower cohort of the top 20 performers while the US doesn't even manage to make the cut This map shows the number of vaccines administered per 100 people, Africa, where Omicron was first identified and is believed to have emerged, has, as a continent, among the lowest number of vaccinated people in proportion to its population in the world. Developing countries like the UK and Israel rolling out boosters while so many people globally have yet to receive their first dose has been criticised by experts and the World Health Organization Universal Covid vaccine moves one step closer A Covid vaccine booster designed to take on multiple variants has shown promising results, early data suggests. Results of a phase one trial showed the jab, made by California-based biotechnology firm Gritstone, triggered high levels of neutralising antibodies. The proteins help the body to fight off the virus, stopping it from infecting cells and taking hold. The immune response was similar to already-approved mRNA vaccines, created by Pfizer and Moderna. But the team did, however, find antibody levels were up to 10 times lower among its volunteers. Data also showed the vaccine, scientifically called GRT-R910, was also generally safe and well-tolerated. The jab was initially trialled on 10 individuals but the researchers want to expand the study to include 120 over-60s, who are in good health and have previously received two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. A universal Covid vaccine is a highly-coveted 'Holy Grail' among the pharmaceutical industry, with several candidates already in development. Advertisement The Sheba Medical Center data is taken from its staff who were involved in a trial of fourth jabs during a nationwide surge of Omicron infections. Israel became the first country in the world to roll-out a second round of boosters, in response to fears that immunity wanes among the vulnerable and elderly. Both the UK and US will eventually face pressure to follow suit, but both nations have insisted there are no plans to administer fourth doses yet. But the country often hailed for having a world-beating inoculation drive has embarked on a different programme to the UK. For example Britain spaced out the first and second dose by 12 weeks and used three different types of Covid jabs, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna. Israel on the other hand stuck to three weeks for the primary course and has thus far relied entirely on Pfizer jabs. Some experts have argued that a longer gap between jabs primes the immune system better. The UK originally began offering Pfizer boosters after six months, before chopping the gap down to three months to help ward off Omicron. Experts believe the mix-and-match approach may offer bigger benefits compared to sticking to the same jab. Israel has opted for a three month gap for its booster followed by a fourth month gap for another additional dose in certain demographics. There has been speculation that rolling out booster jabs so quickly may come with diminishing returns. A previous study, from the Sheba Medical Center, on the impact of a third Covid jab appears to indicate this. Published in September, it recorded a 10-fold increase in antibodies among medical staff after a third Covid jab. Other studies from vaccine manufactures Pfizer and Moderna have also seen higher antibody boosts following a third jab in tests against the Omicron variant. The latest Sheba Medical Center research began on December 27 and involved 150 medical workers who had received their third jab four-to-five months ago. A separate group of staff is set to receive Moderna's vaccine for their fourth dose this week. Antibodies form only one part of the immune system, and primarily prevent people becoming infected with Covid in the first place. Israel, like the UK, has experienced a growing number of Omicron cases since mid-December according to Oxford University backed data. As of January 3 Israel recorded 627 daily new Covid cases per million people and the UK recorded 2,742 cases per million people Sir Patrick Vallance says giving out Covid jabs every six months is 'untenable' Sir Patrick Vallance says giving out Covid jabs every six months is 'untenable' and the vaccination drive will soon 'settle' into a yearly inoculation programme similar to that for flu. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference yesterday, England's chief scientific adviser said jabs were being dished out so often because the virus was relatively new and people were still building up immunity. But once adequate protection emerges, it is likely that several jabs a year will no longer be needed. Sir Patrick said that every time someone is vaccinated or catches the virus their immunity is broadened, making it better at fighting off current and future variants. He added that it 'isn't tenable' to keep rolling out Covid vaccines several times a year, and that this was not the 'long-term plan'. It comes after Professor Andrew Pollard, who was part of the team that developed the Oxford Covid jab, warned administering booster vaccines to everyone every six months was 'not sustainable'. Advertisement While levels are boosted following a vaccination or infection, they are known to wane over time. But this does not mean someone is completely susceptible to the virus, or becoming severely ill. Another part of the body's natural defence, T cells, help fight off the virus once an infection occurs. They last much longer than antibodies but are harder to detect. One expert who has slammed the idea of rolling out booster jabs every few months is England's chief scientific Sir Patrick. At a Downing Street press conference yesterday, he said giving out Covid jabs every six months is 'untenable' and that the vaccination drive will soon 'settle' into a yearly inoculation programme similar to that for flu. He added that Covid jabs were currently being dished out so often because the virus was relatively new and people were still building up immunity. But once adequate protection emerges, it is likely people will no longer need several jabs a year. He added that it 'isn't tenable' to keep rolling out Covid vaccines several times a year, and that this was not the 'long-term plan'. A recent analysis by the UK Health Security Agency found two doses a Covid vaccine still reduced the chances of being hospitalised with the virus by 72 per cent and a booster further reduced this to 88 per cent. Israel, like the UK, is currently experiencing a high number of Covid cases following the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Daily infections in the country have increased 10-fold over the past month. Incidences of severe illness has also increased but at a far slower pace, according to Health Ministry data. Statistics compiled by the Oxford University-based research platform Our World in Data recorded that as of January 3 Israel had 627 daily new Covid cases per million people. In comparison, the UK recorded 2,742 cases per million people on the same date. Around 60 per cent of the Israel's 9.4million population are fully vaccinated, similar to the UK in terms of proportion vaccinated. Advertisement One of the Government's leading Covid modellers today appeared to back Boris Johnson's plan to 'ride out' the Omicron wave as he claimed that imposing more restrictions now would have little effect. Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) which feeds into SAGE, said 'we're starting to see things turn around'. He claimed that if measures had been imposed before Christmas they may have reduced the number of infections but admitted restrictions would be 'much less effective' now the outbreak may be peaking. However, he refused to rule out needing more curbs if the wave starts to grow again. Dr Tildesley pointed to Omicron hotspot London, where infections and hospital admissions appear to be flatlining already, as reason to be optimistic about how the epidemic will play out in the rest of the country. There were 347 admissions in the capital on New Year's Day, the latest day with data, down 7 per cent compared to the previous week. It is the second day in a row admissions have fallen week-on-week. It comes after the Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference last night that England had a 'chance to ride out this Omicron wave without shutting down our country' because it is milder than older strains. While daily infections are running at record levels 218,000 people tested positive yesterday the number of Covid patients in hospital is still a fraction of previous peaks. There are 15,000 Covid inpatients now compared to nearly 40,000 last January and about a third of current patients are not primarily sick with the virus. Fewer sufferers are also requiring ventilation. Dr Tildesley, from the University of Warwick, told BBC Breakfast: 'It does look like we may be in a situation where we're getting cases very, very high but there's early evidence that things might be turning around in London. 'The problem, of course, is that if you're thinking about introducing controls, once you're beyond the peak of the infection, then that has much less effect. 'So, our modelling work that was done before Christmas did suggest that early interventions would have had some impact in reducing the number of cases and reducing the pressure on hospitals. 'But at this point, talking in the early new year when we're starting to see things turn around, the impact of any interventions being introduced now would be that much less effective.' Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) which feeds into SAGE, questioned the need for more curbs when 'we're starting to see things turn around' The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday that England had a 'chance to ride out this Omicron wave without shutting down our country' because it is milder than older strains There are 15,000 Covid inpatients now compared to nearly 40,000 last January, with Omicron sufferers being admitted quicker and presenting with milder illness More than a quarter of Covid inpatients on December 28 were not primarily sick with the virus. Fewer sufferers are also requiring ventilation The above graph shows the proportion of Covid patients needing ventilators while Delta was dominant (November) and after Omicron took hold (late December). It shows the proportion has halved, in yet another sign the disease is milder Dr Tildesley's modelling before Christmas was heavily criticised for being too pessimistic after projecting thousands of daily deaths without any curbs. 'The next few days will be really, really key for us to try to identify that children are going back to school, we've had sort of differences in mixing patterns over the Christmas period and we are yet to see what happens in the data as a result of that,' he said. Omicron isolation crisis: Warning disruption could last for WEEKS with one in 10 workers off sick as bin collections, care homes and shops continue to be hit by milder wave Commuters heading into the office in Britain faced travel disruption again during the morning rush hour today with hundreds of trains cancelled as Covid self-isolation rules wreaked havoc on essential services. The misery of staff shortages that has led to reduced timetables across the UK was compounded by faults with trains and points this morning for those travelling to work across London and Birmingham. One in ten NHS staff are now off sick or self-isolating with the milder but more contagious Omicron variant - and bin collections have been disrupted in Manchester, Birmingham, London, Cheshire, Essex and Cumbria. Meanwhile a care home group boss in Yorkshire said the staffing challenge 'is now at the worst it has been throughout the pandemic', and school leaders told of their worries that staff shortages could worsen. And shoppers have described long queues due to a lack of checkout staff and some empty shelves, especially for fresh items such as milk - with Iceland saying its number of staff self -isolating is now 1,000 up on a week ago. The continuing shortage of HGV drivers is also causing problems, leading to fears that some stores may have to shut. On the trains, there was disruption for those using TfL Rail services between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington in West London due to a points failure between Hanwell and Southall which was blocking some lines. There were also delays on the Circle line on the London Underground today due to train cancellations. Those using Greater Anglia trains from Essex as well as TfL Rail services in East London also faced delays this morning between Romford and London Liverpool Street due to a fault on a train at Stratford. And in the West Midlands this morning there was disruption on CrossCountry and West Midlands Railway services between Birmingham New Street and Redditch due to a broken down train. Most operators around Britain have already been forced to slash dozens of daily services due to around one in ten rail staff calling in sick and some train firms will now run reduced services for several weeks. TransPennine Express cancelled 24 trains yesterday, and CrossCountry has cut around 50 daily services until next week. LNER has removed 12 services a day on the East Coast Main Line between London and Leeds until Friday. Southern is not running any services in and out of London Victoria until next Monday while the Gatwick Express, which resumed only three weeks ago after an 18-month closure, has been suspended indefinitely. ScotRail will cut around 160 trains from its normal 2,000 a day until January 28, meaning fewer services in and out of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Meanwhile Transport for Wales cancelled almost 100 trains, including services between Newport and Crosskeys and Chester and Liverpool Lime Street. Advertisement 'The next week or two we'll have a real indication as to whether we really have peaked and things are starting to turn around, then we'll have much more information as to what the effectiveness of interventions may or may not have been at this point.' Dr Tildesley said it was 'really important that in the longer term we do need to think about living with the virus', rather than relying on damaging restrictions. He added: 'We can't be having a conversation in two years time about putting in lockdown to deal with whatever might be circulating. 'We do need to get more into the mindset of how are we going to manage living with the virus and continuing with our lives. 'Now, the Omicron variant when it emerged of course it was a real concern because it's very transmissible, which obviously is a huge worry, but much less severe than the Delta variant. 'If that is the pattern that we will see in the future, then hopefully we will be more into a situation of Covid circulating endemically in the UK, hopefully much milder. He added: 'And maybe we have to have vaccination campaigns to protect the vulnerable similar to what we have to do with flu every winter, but we can do this without any restrictions. 'I don't think we're quite there yet, but hopefully once we get beyond this winter wave we can start to think more like that as we move further into 2022.' There is now an acceptance that Omicron is unlikely to overwhelm the NHS directly, however the sheer volume of people testing positive is putting strain on vital services and businesses. Business chiefs have begged the Prime Minister to cut self-isolation as around 1.3million people languish under house arrest and rail services and bin collections grind to a halt. Mr Johnson is facing mounting pressure to trim the quarantine period again from seven days to five after he gathered his Cabinet ministers to sign off on sticking to 'Plan B' restrictions today. As Parliament returns from its Christmas break, Mr Johnson will face a PMQs grilling this afternoon before making a Covid statement to the House. Testing rules are set to be loosened in an effort to reduce the pressure on the system, with people who are positive on lateral flows spared having to do a confirmatory PCR. Meanwhile, travel regulations are also due to be overhauled, axing the requirement for tests before arriving in the UK. However, the PM has up to now batted away calls for a change on self-isolation, voicing concern it could make the problems worse. Staff absences are threatening to cripple the country after infections hit another record daily high of 218,000 - meaning nearly 1.3million people have been positive in the past week. Richard Walker, managing director of the Iceland supermarket chain, warned that although it is coping so far the absentee chart is now 'almost vertical' - with levels more than double the peak of the 'Pingdemic' last year. 'I think it is fair to say that business is under strain as never before. This new variant seems to be a lot more contagious and that is having a big impact,' he told Sky News. 'My call on government would be firstly to prioritise lateral flow tests for key workers including food retail front line shop workers, but also to revisit the onerous isolation rules. 'Seven days is a long time for people who are triple jabbed when the symptoms are for the vast majority of people not more than a common cold or mild flu.' Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, also suggested he would support the move as long as it is science-led. 'If the science says it is possible for people to go back to work earlier, then of course NHS leaders will want that to be possible,' Mr Taylor said. The NHS has been hard hit by absences and rising hospitalisations, with Mr Johnson declaring at a Downing Street press conference last night that it is on a 'war footing' and a slew of trusts declaring serious incidents. The PM said now is the moment for 'utmost caution', but made clear he is determined to avoid fresh restrictions -stressing Omicron is milder and cases are not translating into the same intensive care demand as previous waves. The government is expected to say that only people with symptoms should take PCR tests, although those who are asymptomatic and positive on lateral flows should still isolate for at least seven days. Under the existing rules people are freed at that point as long as they return negative results at least 24 hours apart on days six and seven. The change appears designed to ease the pressure on labs rather than free up the workforce - as the isolation period begins when asymptomatic individuals are positive on a lateral flow, not when they get a PCR. Hawkish ministers have hailed Mr Johnson's resolve in refusing to bow to calls for more restrictions before Christmas. One Cabinet minister told MailOnline the public would give him credit for 'bravery'. 'I think the PM took the right decision. It was the brave decision. He was right about Freedom Day and now this.' Pointing to a poll suggesting the Tories recovering ground over the past fortnight, the minister said: 'The public like people to take brave decisions. I think they are giving him credit for Christmas.' But there is increasing pressure for action to ease pressure on workforces. Craig Beaumont of the Federation of Small Businesses said: 'Five-day isolation would help tackle some of the staff absences that we are seeing now really climb.' A mother with terminal cancer has taken out a Times Square billboard to help find her daughter a boyfriend. Beth Davies was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, and was treated with chemotherapy. However, in June 2020, doctors informed her she had developed metastatic breast cancer, which had spread to her bones. Now, the 61-year-old from Boston is on a quest to see her daughter Molly down the aisle before it is too late, and 'to know I am leaving her in good hands.' Last week, a 47-by-25-foot advertisement went up at New York's famous crossroads, with a photo of her 30-year-old daughter Molly and a URL to her dating profile. Last week, a 47-by-25-foot advertisement went up at New York's famous crossroads, with a photo of Beth's 30-year-old daughter Molly and a URL to her dating profile (pictured today) Along with her 62-year-old husband Rick, Beth is determined to walk her daughter down the aisle. 'I would like to see my daughter well-settled,' Beth told the New York Post. She is currently being treated with Ibrance tablets, which she hopes will keep the cancer under control for at least two years. 'Considering that I have serious health issues, there is urgency,' she added. Pictured: The billboard seen in NYC's Times Square on January 5 Pictured: The billboard seen in NYC's Times Square on January 5 She took to dating app 'Wingman' which sees friends and family provide testimony to users, in an effort to pitch them as a suitable partner. Molly told The Post that the app and billboard 'cases a wider net'. She said: 'I want someone who adores me and someone I adore as well. I want someone who adds to my life. If this broadcasts that, it will all be worth it.' Beth agreed. 'It is only fair since Molly acted as my wingman, escorting me to various oncology appointments,' she told the newspaper. Since the billboard went up, Beth and Molly have been together to visit Times Square, with Beth taking photos of them together smiling beneath it, and putting them on Facebook. Since the billboard went up, Beth and Molly have been together to visit Times Square, with Beth taking photos of them together smiling beneath it, and putting them on Facebook The mother said that some friends have told her their daughters would 'kill them' if they had done the same thing. However, Molly said she appreciated her mother's judgement and her mission to find her a good partner. Of her daughter, Beth told NBC news: 'She wakes up every day, just trying to make the lives of others better.' 'I'm hoping that the right person is confident enough to not be dissuaded by the unorthodox,' Molly added. On the billboard, she said: 'It's such a trip. Especially up there next to Gen-Z icon Olivia Rodrigo.' Molly's profile caught the attention of Wingman's founder Tina Wilson, who was the one who arranged for the billboard to be put up in Times Square. 'She still is focused with love and attention for her daughter and so I wanted to help her accelerate that search and find someone great,' Wilson told NBC. North Korea launched an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea, Wednesday, South Korea's military said, in the reclusive regime's first show of force this year. The North launched the missile eastward at around 8:10 a.m. from a land-based platform, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said without further elaboration. "For additional information, the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are conducting a detailed analysis," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters. South Korea's military in cooperation with the U.S. is closely watching related North Korean movements and maintaining a readiness posture against the possibility of additional launches, the JCS said. It marks the North's first launch since the regime fired off a new submarine-launched ballistic missile in October last year. The latest saber-rattling came just days after the North concluded a five-day Central Committee plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, Friday, highlighting its key focus on economic issues and its pandemic response. During the meetings, participants stressed the importance of boosting their country's defense capabilities, pointing to the growing instability of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not issue any particular messages for the South or the United States at the gathering, but the latest launch appears aimed partially at raising the stakes for future talks with the allies, analysts said. Wednesday's launch could also be part of the North's wintertime drills, some observers said. The launch came amid expectations the North could refrain from major strategic provocations that could undermine the mood for peace in the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics slated for next month. (Yonhap) Advertisement Dramatic drone images show a massive cliff fall next to a holiday park full of hundreds of caravans - leaving many close to the edge. The pictures reveal a huge landslide next to the caravan park in Sandy Bay in Exmouth, Devon. They were captured by Ziggy Austin at Rock Solid Coasteering on Monday - with some caravans appearing just metres away from the edge. It follows a number of cliff falls in the area over the last 18 months, with Exmouth and Sidmouth seeing some of the most severe. These pictures show a massive cliff fall next to a campsite - leaving hundreds of caravans close to the edge The pictures were captured by Ziggy Austin at Rock Solid Coasteering on Monday - with some caravans appearing just metres away from the edge The drone images show the huge landslide next to the caravan park in Sandy Bay in Exmouth, Devon Serious coastal erosion near Sandy Bay caravan park near Exmouth, capturing the extent of east Devon's cliff falls It follows a number of cliff falls in the area over the last six months. In a statement on Facebook last year, the local Beer Coastguard Rescue Team said: 'Cliff falls this morning, please stay away from the base of cliffs and take note of the signs, they are there for a reason' In August, the cliffside endured five huge falls in just one morning, Devon Live reported. Crumbling clay fell from the cliffs between Sidmouth and Salcombe Mouth, prompting the Beer Coastguard Rescue Team to issue a warning. In a statement made on Facebook, a spokesperson had said: 'Cliff falls this morning, please stay away from the base of cliffs and take note of the signs, they are there for a reason.' It came just one month after a number of beach-goers were pictured sitting directly under crumbling cliffs there, despite an enormous sign warning them. Revellers were seen near Sandy Bay as Britons rushed to the coast to take advantage of the heatwave. Beach-goers were pictured beside a yellow sign which reads 'DANGER - beware of falling rocks'. The drone images show the huge landslide next to the caravan park in Sandy Bay in Exmouth, Devon Virginia Giuffre's ex-boyfriend has told of his fears over her sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew as the Duke's lawyers battle to dismiss the case on a 'technicality'. Anthony Figueroa, who was in a relationship with Ms Giuffre at the time of the allegations in 2001, says he hopes the prince 'has to face everything he is accused of'. Ms Giuffre, 38, is one of billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile victims and claims she was trafficked by him and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions when she was 17. However, the prince's legal team are bidding to have the case thrown out on the basis that she waived her right to to sue him when she signed an earlier 370,000 ($500,000) legal settlement with Epstein. The duke, 61, vehemently denies the claims and says Ms Giuffre is after 'another payday at his expense'. Judge Lewis Kaplan told his lawyer at a hearing in New York on Tuesday that he would 'have the decision pretty soon'. Mr Figueroa appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain today to give his reaction to the hearing, raising his concerns that 'somebody is going to get away with it'. He said: 'Until I see him face the music about any of this, I honestly feel like more than likely somebody is going to get away with it. 'He [Prince Andrew] is royalty, so out of anybody, I imagine he would probably be one of them to not have to deal with any of this. 'Then again, I have no clue. I hope he does end up having to face everything he is accused of.' Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London, in March 2001 Prince Andrew came under fire after he was spotted taking a stroll through New York's Central Park with Epstein following his prison term in 2011 Virginia Roberts holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually Ghislaine Maxwell's house in Belgravia, London, where Virginia Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, Duke of York Virginia Roberts's, who is suing Prince Andrew under her married name Giuffre, ex-boyfriend Anthony Figueroa on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday morning Mr Figueroa pictured alongside Ms Giuffre. He said today he hopes Prince Andrew 'faces everything he is accused of' How Andrew is trying to have sex assault case thrown out Prince Andrew's lawyers appeared at a New York court Tuesday to try to get his sex assault case dismissed. Virginia Giuffre, 38, claims she was 17 when she slept with Andrew three times in 2001 under orders from Jeffrey Epstein, a friend of the duke. She is suing for claims of battery and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Andrew has called her accusations 'baseless' and repeatedly denied them, claiming that she is seeking a 'payday at his expense'. His lawyers are using details of a $500,000 settlement reached in 2009 between Ms Giuffre and Epstein to block the case against the duke. They will argue that Andrew was essentially identified as a defendant in that settlement and so Ms Giuffre signed away the right to sue him. The unsealed court papers revealed that she agreed to 'release, acquit, satisfy and for ever discharge' Epstein and 'any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant'. Andrew is not named in the settlement but his lawyers believe he is covered as a 'potential defendant'. The document also references the term 'royalty', something the duke's lawyers also suggest gives them 'strong legal ground' to dismiss the case. It says: 'In addition to being continually exploited to satisfy the defendant's every sexual whim, (she) was also required to be sexually exploited by (Epstein's) adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen, and/or other professional and personal acquaintances.' His lawyers believe the document gives him a strong case to have the claims against him dismissed, though experts say its wording is 'vague'. If unsuccessful, Andrew faces the prospect of a lengthy discovery and deposition process that could involve close members of family and his police protection officers, ahead of a trial in the autumn. Advertisement The ex-boyfriend also recounted finding out about Ms Giuffre's trip to London in 2001, where she alleges she was sexually assaulted. He said: 'She had told me before that she was going to meet him [Prince Andrew in London] with Jeffrey Epstein. 'When they were on their trip she called me and she was talking about that she knew what they wanted her to do. She was really nervous and scared because she didn't know how to react to it. 'I had explained to her that "you're out the country and there's nothing I can do to help you, you need to do whatever you can do to feel safe. If there's anything that's going to happen, it is completely out of my hands." I wanted her to be safe.' And asked if he wanted to intervene upon hearing of Ms Giuffre's abuse claims at the time, Mr Figueroa added that he felt 'powerless'. He said: 'What could I have done? I was 19 at the time. They were billionaires and had way more power than I did. 'I was basically powerless. I couldn't really do anything.' His interview came just hours Prince Andrew's hopes of getting the case by his US sex accuser thrown out of court were said to be hanging by a thread last night following a 'brutal' hearing in New York. Judge Kaplan put his legal team through a bruising encounter before telling the royal he would find out 'pretty soon' - most likely within days - of his bid to have the lawsuit dismissed would be successful. One legal expert said that the hearing 'could not have gone worse' and pointed out that the fact that his lawyers were reduced to saying they 'respectfully disagree' with the judge did not bode well- adding 'respectfully disagreeing with the judge means you are about to lose.' The prince denies the claims and says he has no recollection of even meeting her. Judge Kaplan, though, appeared mostly dismissive of the arguments by the duke's lawyer, Andrew Brettler. He said that part of the 2009 settlement protecting 'other potential defendants' that Andrew's lawyers had appeared to be leaning on was 'unclear' and pointed to two sentences in the text that seemed to suggest it could not be used by Andrew. Judge Kaplan also pointed to language in the agreement stating it is 'not intended to be used by any other person' to protect themselves from lawsuits without the agreement of Miss Roberts and Epstein - again suggesting Andrew could not rely on it. While he did not immediately rule at the end of the hearing, he made clear that he was not leaning Andrew's way as he rejected much of the reasoning offered by Mr Brettler, who said the case 'should absolutely be dismissed'. The hearing is seen as one of Andrew's last opportunities to get the civil lawsuit thrown out before a trial this autumn, which would potentially overshadow the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year. His side argued that the deal Ms Giuffre cut with Epstein in 2009 released the duke from any liability. The settlement saw Ms Giuffre agree to 'release, acquit, satisfy and forever discharge' not only Epstein but also 'any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant'. However, Ms Giuffre's team say the deal offers Andrew no protection. She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be millions of dollars. The Ministry of Defence has been accused of blowing 13billion of taxpayers money over the past decade on a litany of delayed or scrapped programmes. A wide-ranging 'dossier of waste' compiled by Labour claims that the cash was blown on cancelled contracts, projects that went over-budget and investments in programs that later had to be written off. The opposition claims that the amount wasted since current Defence Secretary Ben Wallace took over in 2019 is 4billion, enough to build four new Type 45 destroyers for the Royal Navy. Among the cash spent was 5.7million on earplugs for personnel later found to be unsuitable for use on military operations. It comes at a time when the MoD has complained of a funding black hole of up to 17.4 billion, with cuts to the British Army's manpower and tank forces. Shadow defence secretary John Healey said: 'The MoD is a uniquely failing department, yet ministers have taken no serious steps to secure value for taxpayers' money. 'This scale of waste is totally unacceptable. Ministers are failing British troops and British taxpayers.' Shadow defence secretary John Healey said: 'The MoD is a uniquely failing department, yet ministers have taken no serious steps to secure value for taxpayers' money.' The opposition claims that the amount wasted since current Defence Secretary Ben Wallace took over in 2019 is 4billion That would be enough to build four new Type 45 destroyers for the Royal Navy at 1billion a time (HMS Diamond pictured) In the 16-page dossier the opposition identified 67 cases of 'waste' since 2010. The money lost includes 4.8billion on cancelled contracts, 5.6billion on project overspends and 2.5billion of written-off investments. Labour argues that this money lost would have filled in a sizeable chunk of the MoD's black hole. The Army's manpower is set to fall to 72,500 by 2025, while its tank numbers are set to be cut by a third from 227 to 148. Labour's dossier argues that the waste identified in 2019-2020 (406million) alone could have almost paid to maintain tank numbers at the higher level (430million). Among other cases it identifies from publics sources are: A 1billion overspend on building the Mensa nuclear warhead facility near Reading A 1billion overspend on the Astute attack submarine programme A 325million overspend on the Protector drone project A 333million overspend on a new nuclear submarine core facility in Derby The cancellation of planned modernisation of the Warrior armoured vehicle fleet at a cost of 595million The 231million cost of writing off land vehicle used in previous deployments, including Mastiff, Ridgeback and Wolfhound armoured vehicles. Last year the National Autdit Office (NAO) labelled the military's equipment plan - covering projects from jet fighters to frigates - as 'unaffordable' for the fourth consecutive year. The equipment plan covers the period from 2020 to 2030 and has an estimated cost of 197.4 billion, covering equipment already in use such as the F-35 Lightning II jets and projects still in development including the Type 26 frigate. While the MoD estimates the shortfall in funding as being 7.3 billion, it could be as high as 17.4 billion in a worst-case scenario. Last November the Public Accounts Committee said that the MoD defence equipment systems were 'broken and repeatedly wasting billions of taxpayers' money' An MoD spokeswoman said: 'This government is serious about investing in defence modernisation to ensure the UK armed forces have the relevant capabilities to face today's threats. 'That means taking tough decisions to replace old equipment and halt programmes that no longer fit requirements.' An eight-year-old girl has died after strong winds lifted up a bouncy castle at a Spanish fairground, leaving eight other children injured. The girl died was playing on the inflatable in Mislata near Valencia when it was lifted several feet into the air before she landed on her head when it hit the ground. She died 12 hours later after she was rushed to La Fe Hospital in Valencia. An eight-year-old girl has died after strong winds lifted up a bouncy castle at a Spanish fairground, leaving eight other children injured The girl died was playing on the inflatable in Mislata near Valencia when it was lifted several feet into the air Another girl aged four was also seriously injured and remains in hospital. Seven other youngsters were hurt and required hospital treatment although their injuries were mostly described as non-serious. A police investigation is now underway to ascertain whether the incident was linked to any negligence. Mislata's mayor Carlos Fernandez Bielsa said: 'It will be up to the police to determine what has happened.' A spokesman for local firefighters, who attended the scene along with police and paramedics, announced the news of the girl's death. Seven other youngsters were hurt and required hospital treatment although their injuries were mostly described as non-serious A police investigation is now underway to ascertain whether the incident was linked to any negligence They said: 'Several children have been assisted by paramedics following an incident involving a bouncy castle in Mislata. 'We have checked the structure to make sure there were no other minors beneath it and rule out anyone being trapped.' Mislata Town Hall said in a statement after learning of the death: 'Following the tragic incident last night, we have declared a period of official mourning until January 7 because of the death of one of the girls involved. 'We would like to transmit our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the youngster who lost her life. She was only eight years old.' A spokesman for local firefighters, who attended the scene along with police and paramedics, announced the news of the girl's death It also announced it was suspending a scheduled Three Kings Day parade. A similar incident in Australia last month caused the deaths of six children aged 11 and 12. Chace Harrison became the sixth youngster to die of his injuries after his life support was switched off at a Hobart Hospital on December 19. He was among nine students who fell 32 feet from an inflatable castle when it was lifted up by wind at a school fair in Devonport, Tasmania. The other five children who lost their lives have been named as 11-year-old Addison Stewart, and 12-year-olds Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, and Peter Dodt. The socialite and former husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone, James Stunt, has appeared in court to face money laundering charges. Stunt appeared for a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday. The 39-year-old is charged with money laundering and forgery and is due to go on trial with seven other people on April 25. Stunt was wheeling a suitcase as he went into the court building, accompanied by his girlfriend, Helena Robinson. The defendant married Ms Ecclestone, daughter of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, in Italy in 2011. They had three children together a daughter followed by twin boys but divorced in 2017. James Stunt, pictured this morning appearing at Leeds Crown Court with his girlfriend Helena Robinson where he is on trial accused of money laundering and forgery Stunt, pictured, who is Bernie Ecclestone's former son-in-law, has been charged with money laundering and forgery Earlier, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: 'The CPS has made a decision to charge James Stunt with offences of money laundering contrary to section 327 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and forgery contrary to section one of Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police.' Stunt, who is on bail, is due to appear remotely at the same crown court on Friday for a further hearing. He arrived at court on Wednesday wearing a navy blue three-piece suit, a white shirt and lighter blue tie. Stunt has strenuously denied the claims ahead of today's hearing. The businessman had earlier said he intends contesting both charges at Leeds Crown Court Stunt, pictured right, had three children with Pera Ecclestone, left. The couple, pictured at the Serpentine Gallery in July 2010 divorced in 2017 following six year's of marriage His legal team, commenting in May 2020 said: 'Our client denies any criminality and will be contesting the charges.' Stunt later told his 90,000 followers on Instagram: 'So what's the headline? 'A man they have arrested got charged with money laundering'? I will be tendering a defence. 'I hope this goes to trial and you can explain how James Stunt, the biggest clueless guy ever, is not a money launderer. 'I have to now prove my innocence, and I won't just use my photographic memory. 'James Stunt is prosecuted for money laundering this is the biggest miscarriage of justice.' Advertisement Covid cases in Omicron hotspot London are now only going up in over-60s, official figures show amid warnings that the outbreak may not have peaked in the capital. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) statistics showing that infections in the city began to fall before Christmas sparked hopes that the worst was over. But rates are only tumbling in under-60s currently, according to the same dataset which doesn't yet reflect New Year's Eve celebrations. Cases in over-60s, who are more vulnerable to the virus, have yet to slow down since the extremely-infectious variant took off. Sir Chris Whitty last night said it was too early to say London's crisis had peaked because hospital pressures were likely to worsen over the coming weeks because of the trajectory. However, other experts expect the trend in over-60s to follow that of younger adults and begin falling in the next week or so, mirroring the trend in South Africa the first country in the world to fall victim to the variant, where infections now appear to be in freefall. Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that infection numbers are 'bumpy' over the festive period because of reporting delays and fewer testes being carried out. He said: 'Nonetheless, the rate is the under-60s does look to have peaked and be falling convincingly. 'This pattern of a short sharp peak is what you would expect from Omicrons increased transmissibility [and] it also tallies with South African experience.' Growth rates already suggest that the infection rate in older people is slowing down. Professor Livermore added: 'I would expect a similar peak and drop off, within a week or thereabouts, among the over 60s.' UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show Covid cases in Omicron hotspot London are now only going up in people aged 60 and above. Graph shows: The case rate per 100,000 in people aged 60 and above (yellow line) and under-60 (red line). Cases have started to drop in under-60s, though the rate still remains above the more vulnerable older age groups UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show confirmed infections have fallen week-on-week on seven of the eight days leading up to December 30 - the latest date regional data is available for - in people aged 59 or below. Graph shows: The week-on-week rate of growth in average cases in under-60s (red line) and people aged 60 and above (yellow line). Cases are falling in under-60s and the rate of growth is slowing in over-60s Graph shows: Covid cases across the capital from the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Official testing data shows there was a drop in the run-up to Christmas HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS: The number of patients being admitted to hospital with Covid dipped 7.22 per cent from 374 on December 26 to 347 on January 2, the latest date data is available for HOSPITAL PATIENTS: The number of patients in hospital with Covid is still increasing, jumping 32 per cent to 3,993 yesterday PATIENTS ON MECHANICAL VENTILATOR BEDS: The number of patients requiring critical care has remained relatively stable since September, remaining unaffected by increased in admissions and cases caused by Omicron so far DEATHS: The number of people dying within 28 days of a positive Covid test is also remaining flat in the capital, rising nine per cent in a week from 21 to 23 on December 30 Even NHS chiefs back cutting self-isolation period to five days amid staffing crisis An NHS leader today revealed he would support slashing Covid self-isolation to five days amid an escalating staffing crisis that has engulfed hospitals and led some to cancel routine operations. Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation an organisation which represents trusts, said two more days should be shaved off the period as long as it was backed up by the science. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the situation was 'desperate' and any way of getting staff back into work was a 'good thing'. But he said it would be 'completely counterproductive' to have infectious staff return to wards because it would exacerbate the spread of Omicron. Last month ministers cut the self-isolation period to seven days, providing someone tested negative using a lateral flow on days six and seven. But pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson to follow the US, which has squeezed quarantine to only five days for anyone without symptoms. One in ten NHS employees are currently thought to be off sick or self-isolating, and Boris Johnson yesterday revealed plans are being drawn up to call in the Army if the crisis continues to worsen. One ambulance trust began asking patients with life-threatening heart attacks and strokes to get a lift to hospital because it did not have enough paramedics. Advertisement Overall, cases in London fell 10 per cent from 27,820 on December 23 to 25,038, the latest date official statistics are available for. Government data showed the number of positive tests had dropped in the run up to Christmas, with a slight blip in the days immediately following festivities, before the trend resumed. And MailOnline yesterday revealed cases were now falling in two-thirds of London's neighbourhoods. It prompted 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson an influential No10 adviser whose grim death projections spooked ministers into adopting draconian restrictions back in spring 2020 to say he is 'cautiously optimistic' that the capital's cases were plateauing, and could fall nationally within as little as a week. But the raw case numbers are unreliable because fewer tests are being carried out and the positivity rate shows no signs of slowing down yet. However, separate figures show hospitalisation rates are already falling in London. Ministers are believed to be watching admissions in the capital closely, with 400-a-day thought to be a tipping point that requires nationwide intervention, given that London has acted as the canary in the coalmine for the UK's Omicron crisis. Latest data shows daily hospital admissions are falling in the capital, dipping 7.22 per cent from 374 on December 26 to 347 on January 2, the latest date data is available for. They were only above 400 for four days. Meanwhile, the number of infected patients in hospital rose by nearly a third over the course of a week to 3,993 yesterday, roughly half the level seen during the darkest days of the second wave. Critics argue the figures are over-inflated because they include 'incidental' cases, meaning people who've been admitted for unrelated problems like a broken leg. Critical care bed occupancy which paints a clearer picture about the true state of the Omicron outbreak has barely risen over the same time-frame, according to statistics proving the fight against Covid is significantly different to last year. The number of patients on mechanical ventilator beds remains low, rising 13 per cent to 245 yesterday, compared to highs of more than 1,200 last January. But there are fears this could increase now that cases are only going up in over-60s, even if there are overall fewer cases being detected currently. Slide me The above map shows the Covid infection rates across London's almost 1,000 neighbourhoods for the week ending December 22 (left) and December 29 (right). Areas coloured black have an infection rate of more than 1,600 cases per 100,000 people, while areas coloured dark purple have an infection rate between 800 and 1,599. The areas coloured purple have an infection rate between 400 and 799. This shows the percentage drop in Covid cases across 20 London MSOAs out of almost 1,000. Some 25 per cent of these areas saw their cases drop by more than a third Data from the ZOE Covid Symptom study pictured above also suggests that Covid cases are falling in London. This relies on daily reports from almost a million Britons on whether they are unwell and if they have tested positive for Covid Number of Covid patients on intensive care wards is HALF its peak level 12 months ago, data shows Intensive care admissions are half the levels of previous peaks with Boris Johnson insisting this means he is confident the NHS will not be overwhelmed. Despite record cases and soaring admissions, the number of patients in intensive care units has remained flat since Omicron arrived in the UK. Just five per cent of patients in hospital with Covid-19 are on mechanical ventilators, compared with 11 per cent at the peak of the pandemic last January. The Prime Minister said Omicron is milder than previous variants and keeps people in hospital for a shorter period. He told a Downing Street press conference yesterday: While hospital admissions are rising quickly, this is not yet thankfully translating into the same numbers needing intensive care that we saw in previous waves. Advertisement Hospitals in the capital are already in crisis mode amid fears up to one in 10 staff are off sick. Non-urgent operations are being cancelled across the country to cope with staff absences and Boris Johnson last night revealed plans to call in the Army if the situation escalates further. The Government data shows the weekly case rate per 100,000 people in under-60s fell from a peak of 2,279 on December 21 to 1,842 on December 30. For comparison, the rate increased from 701 to 1,212 in people aged 60 and over the same period. Covid cases have fallen week-on-week for seven out of the last eight days in under-60s. This compares to record week-on-week increases of more than 200 per cent in the middle of December, when the mutant strain took off in the capital. Confirmed infections are still rising in over-60s, but their average rate of growth fell consistently from December 17. Cases were rising by 191 per cent week-on-week on that date but now were only increasing by 40 per cent on December 27, suggesting growth may be slowing. Data is not available over the last week so it is not possible to discern the current trends. Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: 'Every epidemic has to peak eventually as you would run out of people to infect. 'The question is always when will it peak and how high will the peak be. 'Although infections are still increasing in the over 60s in London it does look like this is starting to slow already but of course there is a problem with Christmas affecting reporting so we cant be certain. 'It will be next week before the Christmas effect gets removed from the recent data.' The number of people dying within 28 days of getting a positive Covid test is also remaining flat in the capital, hovering at around 20. Professor Livermore said: 'A major point to highlight is that were now 21 days from when the rate in the over 60s took off on December 14 to 15. 'Thats longer than the typical period around 19 days between infection and death for those who are going to succumb. Yet theres no significant uptick in deaths. 'This supports the view that Omicron is less able to cause severe disease, or that its severity has been blunted by widespread vaccination and prior infection. I think were now at the beginning of the end.' A teenage refugee who killed himself was struggling with alcoholism, traumatised by his friend's suicide and worried about his application to stay in the UK, an inquest has heard. Alexander Tekle, from Eritrea, East Africa, was found dead in Mitcham, south London, in December 2017, less than a year after arriving in the UK and shortly after his 18th birthday, Westminster Coroner's Court heard. While staying at a hostel for adult asylum seekers in London, Alexander, known as Alex, was assaulted and stabbed in the street in a random attack, MyLondon reported. The inquest was told that Alexander was struggling with alcoholism and was stressed by his 'uncertain' immigration status, while his girlfriend said he 'regretted ever coming to the UK'. Alexander Tekle (pictured), from Eritrea, East Africa, was found dead in south London, in December 2017, less than a year after arriving in the UK, Westminster Coroner's Court heard His friends told the court they believed drinking was how he dealt with the trauma he had experienced, including his close friend's suicide, who was also an Eritrean asylum seeker. While trekking across the desert from Eritrea, Alex saw women and children die before he lived in a tent in Calais' Jungle camp for around a year, the inquest heard. Alex, then 17, was rejected by the Home Office to come to the UK legally after the camp was cleared, and Alex smuggled himself into the country in the back of a lorry at the end of 2016. His girlfriend Luul Mohamed said in a statement that Alex had told her that he had seen people die in front of him while walking through the desert. Ms Mohamed told the court that Alex had an alcohol problem and would become 'angry and violent' after drinking, while he was normally 'calm and quiet'. She said his 'uncertain' immigration status caused him 'a lot of stress', saying he told her that he didn't know why he 'bothered' to come to the UK because he couldn't get his papers. Benny Hunter (left), a British charity worker, said his friend Alex slept in the woods in Calais when he was rejected for asylum in the UK, before coming to the country in the back of a lorry She added: 'He said he regretted ever coming to the UK. Alex thought no-one wanted to help him.' In a statement, Alex's father Tecle Sium Tesfamichel described his son, who wanted to be a professional cyclist, as a 'loveable and sociable young man' who was always 'looking after other people'. He continued: 'Although he didn't say much about how he was feeling, I know he must have been very scared about what he saw. 'When he arrived in the UK at the end of 2016 he was so relieved. He missed his family desperately and told his sisters he hoped they would join him in the UK and go to school there. He wanted to find a job and send money to help and support us. 'When I think of Alex and the hopes for his life in the UK and know he has gone, I feel deeply sad. I didn't know much about the problems Alex had in the UK at the time.' His devastated father said that he still doesn't understand what happened to his son and said he believed Alex would be 'safe' in the UK. He added: 'I hope the inquest will help me understand what happened leading up to Alex's death and if any lessons can be learnt to help protect this from happening to other young people.' Benny Hunter, a British charity worker who became friends with Alex, also gave evidence to the court and said Alex slept in the woods in Calais when he was rejected for asylum in the UK. Mr Hunter said he was told by police in December 2016 that Alex had made it into the UK in the back of a refrigerated lorry, and was staying at a children's immigration centre in Ashford, Kent. The inquest was told that Alexander, known as Alex, (pictured) was struggling with alcoholism and was stressed by his immigration status, saying he 'regretted ever coming to the UK' But the inquest heard there was a dispute over Alex's age as he initially told a social worker he turned 18 a few weeks later, but official documents said he would turn 18 in August. Alex was moved to a hostel for adult asylum seekers in London after Kent social services ruled it would be 'unsafe' for him to stay in children's accommodation, the inquest was told. The teenager was assaulted at the adult hostel and became homeless. He developed a drinking problem and was admitted to hospital on several occasions with hypoglycaemia - a low blood sugar level which can be caused by heavy drinking and not eating enough. Alex's inquest is the fourth to be heard into the suicides of four Eritrean asylum seekers, who all died within a 16-month period. Their deaths raised concerns over how young refugees are being treated in the UK, as the boys were at an age where they were not eligible for support and were unable to work. Alex, Filmon Yemane, 18, Mulubrhane Medhane Kfleyosus and Osman Ahmed Nur all took their own lives after being smuggled across the Channel from Calais' Jungle camp. The inquest continues. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details. Advertisement South Africa's Omicron wave has completely collapsed and the country has reached the 'turning point in the pandemic', a doctor on the frontline in Johannesburg claimed today amid growing hopes that Britain's outbreak will also be short-lived. Professor Shabir Madhi, a vaccine expert at the University of the Witwatersrand, said the variant was 'very much subsiding' and had already 'pretty much subsided' in Gauteng the first province to fall victim to the extremely-infectious variant. He estimated up to 50 per cent of the country's 58.8million people caught Omicron since it first emerged, despite just 500,000 infections being recorded since the strain was first spotted on November 23. While Covid infections soared to an 'unprecedented' level, Professor Madhi said there was a 'complete uncoupling' of hospitalisation and deaths. Figures show hospitalisations barely reached a third of rates seen in previous peaks, while fatalities stayed 10 times lower. Professor Madhi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think we are in a good place in South Africa and I think we've reached the turning point in this pandemic.' It comes after another 8,078 cases were recorded in South Africa yesterday, a rise of 12 per cent in a week, after tumbling for 17 days in a row. Officially, daily cases peaked at nearly 27,000 on December 15. Hospital admissions also rose 8 per cent with 309 reported, however they have also been trending downwards for the past fortnight. Deaths the biggest lagging indicator rose to 139, the highest since the Omicron wave took off. But they are still a far cry from the 600 per day at the peak of the Delta wave. The shrinking wave comes despite only a quarter of South Africans being double-jabbed. There is growing hope that Britain's variant-fuelled outbreak will follow a similar trajectory, where more than 70 per cent have had two jabs and half have had three. In London the UK's Omicron epicentre infections and hospitalisations appear to be flatlining already. There were 347 admissions in the capital on New Year's Day, the latest day with data, down 7 per cent compared to the previous week. It is the second day in a row admissions have fallen week-on-week. While daily infections nationally are running at record levels 218,000 Britons tested positive yesterday the number of Covid patients in hospital is still a fraction of previous peaks. There are 15,000 Covid inpatients now compared to nearly 40,000 last January and about a third of current patients are not primarily sick with the virus. Fewer sufferers are also requiring ventilation. Covid cases rose 12 per cent in South Africa yesterday but have been tumbling for 17 days in a row after appearing to peak at 26,976 on December 15 Professor Madhi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Across the country the wave is very much subsiding. 'Certainly, what was initially the epicentre Gauteng, the wave has pretty much subsided and what weve experienced is an unprecedented number of cases compared to what was experienced in the past. UK daily Covid cases hit record 218,000 Britain's daily Covid cases hit a new record high of 218,000 yesterday, according to official figures released just moments before Boris Johnson held a 5pm Downing Street press conference. The new infection number represents a 58 per cent rise compared to last week but includes several days of backlogged cases in Wales and Northern Ireland. Hospitalisations also continued to rise yesterday with England recording 1,819 on January 1, the latest date with data, marking a 42 per cent rise on the previous week. But the statistics do not differentiate between patients that were admitted primarily for Covid and those who were admitted for a different illness and tested positive after admission. So-called 'incidental' admissions now make up about a third of all Covid inpatients, and fewer patients primarily sick with Covid are needing to be hooked up to ventilators. Despite the rising figures, the Prime Minister did not announce any further curbs at a press conference last night and instead encouraged more people to come forward for their booster jabs. Ministers have taken confidence from the fact that hospital admissions already appear to be falling in Omicron hotspot London, which is two weeks ahead of the rest of the country in its outbreak. There were 347 admissions in the capital on New Year's Day, down 7 per cent. Advertisement 'But weve also seen a complete uncoupling of the hospitalisation and death rates. 'So the hospitalisation rate this time round is about one third relative to what was experienced during the course of the delta variant wave and the death rate is around about 10 per cent of what was experienced during the course of the Delta variant wave. 'So weve seen a complete uncoupling of infections and severe disease.' But he said Omicron infections only plateaued and fell after up to half of the population became infected. Professor Madhi said: 'This time around its probably been a greater proportion of the population that has been infected. 'South Africa does about one fourteenth of UK testing. So when we report about 25,000 cases per day you could probably multiply that by about 14. 'My estimate is it is about 40 to 50 per cent of people in South Africa possibly have been infected during the course of this particular wave.' High levels of immunity among the population from previous Covid infections prevented further cases and drove down transmission, he said. But Professor Madhi warned South Africa's experience with Omicron may not be replicated in the UK and other countries that do not have high levels of natural immunity. Around three-quarters of South Africans are thought to have been infected before Omicron emerged, but just 25 per cent have had a least one Covid jab. Experts estimate less than half of people in the UK have had Covid, while 90 per cent of over-12s have had at least one jab. He said: 'The big question is whether immunity primarily through vaccination plays the same role against protecting against severe disease as does natural infection-derived immunity. And I believe it does.' Professor Madhi said it is 'certainly unpredictable as to what the next variant will look like' but T-cell protection from infection and vaccination protects against severe disease and is 'relatively well-preserved'. 'So I think we are in a good place in South Africa and I think we've reached the turning point in this pandemic,' he added. It comes after Britain's daily Covid cases hit a new record high of 218,000 yesterday. The new infection number represents a 58 per cent rise compared to last week but includes several days of backlogged cases in Wales and Northern Ireland. Data from South Africa's National Institute For Communicable Diseases (NICD) shows the number of daily confirmed Covid cases since the pandemic began (blue bars) and the cumulative cases (orange line). Some 3.4million cases have been detected across South Africa since the pandemic began, more than half a million of which have been recorded since Omicron was first detected The NICD graph shows the number of infections recorded per province since March 2020. Gauteng (grey line), the epicentre of the Omicron outbreak, recorded the biggest spike in cases in the most recent Omicron wave NICD data displays the number of positive Covid tests recorded per age group, showing that 20 to 39-year-olds (green line) and those aged 40 to 59 (light blue line), fuelled the most recent outbreak Business chiefs beg Boris to cut Covid isolation to five days Business chiefs today begged Boris Johnson to cut self-isolation as around 1.3million people languish under house arrest and rail services and bin collections grind to a halt. The PM is facing mounting pressure to trim the quarantine period again from seven days to five after he gathered his Cabinet ministers to sign off on sticking to 'Plan B' restrictions. The PM has up to now batted away calls for a change on self-isolation, voicing concern it could make the problems worse. Staff absences are threatening to cripple the country after infections hit another record daily high of 218,000 - meaning nearly 1.3million people have been positive in the past week. Richard Walker, managing director of the Iceland supermarket chain, warned that although it is coping so far the absentee chart is now 'almost vertical' - with levels more than double the peak of the 'Pingdemic' last year. 'I think it is fair to say that business is under strain as never before. This new variant seems to be a lot more contagious and that is having a big impact,' he told Sky News. 'My call on government would be firstly to prioritise lateral flow tests for key workers including food retail front line shop workers, but also to revisit the onerous isolation rules. 'Seven days is a long time for people who are triple jabbed when the symptoms are for the vast majority of people not more than a common cold or mild flu.' Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, also suggested he would support the move as long as it is science-led. 'If the science says it is possible for people to go back to work earlier, then of course NHS leaders will want that to be possible,' Mr Taylor said. Advertisement Hospitalisations also continued to rise yesterday with England recording 1,819 on January 1, the latest date with data, marking a 42 per cent rise on the previous week. But the statistics do not differentiate between patients that were admitted primarily for Covid and those who were admitted for a different illness and tested positive after admission. So-called 'incidental' admissions now make up about a third of all Covid inpatients, and fewer patients primarily sick with Covid are needing to be hooked up to ventilators. Despite the rising figures, the Prime Minister did not announce any further curbs at a press conference last night and instead encouraged more people to come forward for their booster jabs. Ministers have taken confidence from the fact that hospital admissions already appear to be falling in Omicron hotspot London, which is two weeks ahead of the rest of the country in its outbreak. There were 347 admissions in the capital on New Year's Day, down 7 per cent. But sustained high daily cases across the UK - which have exceeded 100,000 for nearly two weeks - has left 1.3million people isolating at home. Business chiefs today begged Mr Johnson to cut the self-isolation period from seven days to five days as rail services and bin collections ground to a halt. Testing rules are set to be loosened in an effort to reduce the pressure on the system, with people who are positive on lateral flows spared having to do a confirmatory PCR. Meanwhile, travel regulations are also due to be overhauled, axing the requirement for tests before arriving in the UK. However, the PM has up to now batted away calls for a change on self-isolation, voicing concern it could make the problems worse. Staff absences are threatening to cripple the country after infections hit another record daily high of 218,000 - meaning nearly 1.3million people have been positive in the past week. Richard Walker, managing director of the Iceland supermarket chain, warned that although it is coping so far the absentee chart is now 'almost vertical' - with levels more than double the peak of the 'Pingdemic' last year. 'I think it is fair to say that business is under strain as never before. This new variant seems to be a lot more contagious and that is having a big impact,' he told Sky News. 'My call on government would be firstly to prioritise lateral flow tests for key workers including food retail front line shop workers, but also to revisit the onerous isolation rules. 'Seven days is a long time for people who are triple jabbed when the symptoms are for the vast majority of people not more than a common cold or mild flu.' Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, also suggested he would support the move as long as it is science-led. 'If the science says it is possible for people to go back to work earlier, then of course NHS leaders will want that to be possible,' Mr Taylor said. A once glorious mansion used as the backdrop for Hollywood blockbusters - including Batman Begins and Eyes Wide Shut - has been captured in a sad state of decay in a series of photographs taken by an urban explorer. Mentmore Towers, built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family in the village of Mentmore, in Buckinghamshire, is seen practically derelict and with a collapsing roof in a series of photos taken by the Instagram account @places_forgotten. The sprawling home features a revival of late 16th and early 17th century Elizabethan and Jacobean styles and was originally created as a display case for Baron Meyer de Rothschild's huge fine art collection. Its grandiose furnishings and lavish architectural details made it the perfect filming location for films, including the Mummy Returns, starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Mentmore Towers (pictured) was built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family in the village of Mentmore, in Buckinghamshire Actor Christian Bale walks down the steps of Mentmore Towers in Batman Begins It is now seen practically derelict and with a collapsing roof in a series of photos taken by the Instagram account @places_forgotten (Pictured: The vaulted hall used in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut) An iconic scene from Eyes Wide Shut was filmed in the vaulted hall of Mentmore Towers The sprawling home features a revival of late 16th and early 17th century Elizabethan and Jacobean styles (Pictured: Vaulted room used in Eyes Wide Shut) The mansion's grandiose furnishings and lavish architectural details made it the perfect filming location for flicks (Pictured: A living room adorned with gold leaf detailing) Others may recognise parts of the property as Wayne Manor, the home of Bruce Wayne in the 2005 film Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale (Pictured: Library with secret rooms behind the bookcases, which featured in the film) The pad also provided the backdrop to Terry Gilliam's Brazil, Philip Kaufman's Marquis de Sade biographical film Quills and as the PM's residence Chequers in Ali G Indahouse in 2002 Ex-billionaire's plan to turn Mentmore Towers into UK's first six-star hotel quashed by financial crash and bankruptcy Mentmore Towers was bought by Syrian-born property tycoon Simon Halabi, 63, in 1997. He had plans to turn the 25million estate into Britain's first ever six-star luxury hotel. It would have featured 171 suites, including 122 in a new wing on the slope below the house. But the plans were delayed after a local resident pushed for a judicial review of the planning permission. The challenge was defeated but the global financial crash of 2008 saw the project stall. Mr Halabi - once worth 3 billion and once Britain's richest man - then declared bankruptcy in 2010 and the property has fallen into decay ever since. In 2007, Halabi appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List and owned the city headquarters of JP Morgan, Aviva and Old Mutual. His property portfolio included a 3million house in Mayfair, the Naval and Military Club in Piccadilly and a chateaux in France. He also owned a fleet of Bentleys and Rolls Royce Phantoms, a 130-ft yacht and a vineyard in France. He was also one of the original developers of the Shard, but pulled out after a disagreement with business partners. However, the tycoon fell on hard times during the credit crunch before he was declared bankrupt in 2010. He failed to pay back a 56million bank loan and was later sued for divorce by his Lithuanian born wife Urte. Advertisement The vaulted hall used in Stanley Kubrick's 1999 epic Eyes Wide Shut starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise can also be clearly seen in the images. Others may recognise parts of the property as Wayne Manor, the home of Bruce Wayne in the 2005 film Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale. The pad also provided the backdrop to Terry Gilliam's Brazil, Philip Kaufman's Marquis de Sade biographical film Quills and as the PM's residence Chequers in Ali G Indahouse in 2002. And even the Spice Girls visited in 1998 to film the music video for Goodbye, following in the footsteps of other artists, including Roxy Music, Mike Oldfield and Enya. However after a deal to turn the site into a hotel fell through, it now lies derelict and crumbling, with water pouring through the roof, some of which has now collapsed. In fact, it is now languishing on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register, with its condition described as poor and there being 'immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric.' Much of the house's parkland was sold off in 1944 but the house remained in the family until the mid 1970s when the contents were auctioned and it was sold to the Maharishi Foundation, which plugs meditation. But in 1999 it was purchased by investor Simon Halabi who planned to turn it into a hotel, however the plans fell through and it has been empty ever since. The hotel would have featured 171 suites, including 122 in a new wing on the slope below the house. But the plans were delayed after a local resident pushed for a judicial review of the planning permission. The challenge was defeated but the global financial crash of 2008 saw the project stall. Mr Halabi - once worth 3 billion and once Britain's richest man - then declared bankruptcy in 2010 and the property has fallen into decay ever since. Pictures of the manor house taken by an urban explorer and photographer show the heartbreaking state of its decline. Water has come through ceilings in the kitchen quarters while wallpaper has shrivelled and is falling from walls and tapestries are still clinging on in some rooms. However, grand furniture still remains in the main hall - seen in an iconic scene in Eyes Wide Shut - and huge entertaining rooms are covered in gold leaf. After a deal to turn the site into a hotel fell through, it now lies derelict and crumbling, with water pouring through the roof, some of which has now collapsed (pictured) The home is now languishing on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register, with its condition described as poor and there being 'immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric' In 1999 it was purchased by investor Simon Halabi who planned to turn it into a hotel, however the plans fell through and it has been empty ever since (Pictured: Grandiose hallway which has featured in several blockbuster films) Pictures of the manor house taken by an urban explorer and photographer show the heartbreaking state of its decline A red carpet runs through a stone-walled hallway of the once glorious Mentmore Towers Clothes and old furniture can be seen stuffed inside one of the rooms and the now derelict Mentmore Towers The photographer who snapped the scenes inside the house and runs the Instagram account @places-forgotten, said: 'Sadly now most of it is falling apart and needs gutting, which is such a shame. 'Ceilings are falling down. It's hard to see how anyone will be able to do anything with it because it would cost too much money. 'There is a library with secret rooms behind bookcases. I recognised it from the Batman film. 'It's sad when you think of its history and what has been filmed there as it is such a beautiful house.' A Rabbi has today defended Dame Helen Mirren amid a 'Jewface' row over her casting as Israel's former prime minister Golda Meir. Rabbi Jonathan Romain, director of Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire, today took to Twitter to express his view, saying: 'You don't have to be Jewish to play a Jew'. His comments come after Dame Maureen Lipman, who is Jewish, said Dame Helen, 76, should not have been asked to play the late Ms Meir in her latest film 'Golda'. Dame Maureen told the Jewish Chronicle she felt the uncomfortable at the casting of the multi award-winning actress, who is not Jewish, because the 'Jewishness of (Meir's) character is so integral'. Fans today pointed out that Olivier prize winner, Dame Maureen, 75, once starred as a Church of England vicar in a comedy special of The Vicar of Dibley. Meanwhile, prominent Jewish figures in the UK have also defended Dame Helen's casting, including Rabbi Romain and Jewish Chronicle editor-at-large Stephen Pollard. Taking to Twitter, Rabbi Romain, 67, wrote: 'We had a discussion on this at Maidenhead Synagogue two weeks ago; the unanimous verdict was that actors should act - that's what is their skill. 'You don't have to be Jewish to play a Jew or orphaned to be an orphan. But it's wise to have an adviser from whatever is the context.' A publicity image of the film Golda, where Dame Helen portrayed Ms Meir during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, showed Dame Helen covered in prosthetic to look more like the politician. Actress Dame Maureen Lipman (left) said Dame Helen Mirren (right) should not have been asked to play the Israeli leader Golda Meir, adding that she was uncomfortable with the casting Dame Maureen's comments sparked fans to point out that she herself had played a vicar in a 2015 Red Nose Day special of the Vicar of Dibley. In the comedy special, Dame Maureen's character (pictured centre) competed with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Emma Watson and Ruth Jones, Annette Crosbie for the job of archbishop Ms Meir (pictured in 1969) was the fourth prime minister of Israel and held the position from 1969 until 1974 Rabbi Jonathan Romain, director of Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire, today took to Twitter to express his view on the row, saying: 'You don't have to be Jewish to play a Jew' Meanwhile, Mr Pollard, who was up until last month the editor of the weekly newspaper, Tweeted: 'I adore Maureen Lipman but she couldn't be more wrong on this. 'The logic of her position is that the only character any actor can play is themselves.' However journalist Nicole Lambert, responded to say the position is 'more nuanced'. She wrote: 'I think a more nuanced take is that sometimes these roles of brilliant Jewish women should sometimes be played by Jewish women. And they never are.' The row comes after Dame Maureen spoke to the Jewish Chronicle and gave her view on the casting. In November a publicity image of the film Golda, where Dame Helen portrayed Ms Meir during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, showed Dame Helen covered in prosthetic to look more like the politician. Ms Meir was the fourth prime minister of Israel and held the position from 1969 until 1974. During her time as premier she faced dealing with the fourth Israel-Arab conflict - which came to be known as the Yom Kippur War. The short 19 day war ended in a Israel victory. But her government became plagued by infighting and questions over Israel's lack of preparation for conflict. Her party won the next election, but her coalition government lost seats and was unable to form a majority, leading to her resignation. The times that Dame Maureen Lipman has played non-Jewish characters Up the Junction (1968) - Sylvie - A working class girl who befriends a wealthy young heiress The Smashing Bird I Used to Know (1969) - Sarah - A lesbian prisoner who befriends an inmate from a middle-class background On Your Way, Riley (1985) - Kitty McShane - A fictional version of the real-life Irish actress Educating Rita (1983) - Trish - A room mate of the titular character Rita Water (1985) - Margaret Thatcher - A fictional version of the real-life British prime minister Bookmark (1992) - Enid Blyton - A fictional version of the real life English writer Coronation Street (2002) - Lillian Spencer - A relief manager who helps run the Rovers Return Inn Doctor Who (2006) - The Wire - An energy being villain that takes the souls of TV-watching Britons during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation Holby City (2011) - Bonnie Walters - A patient at Holby City Hospital The Vicar of Dibley (2015) - Alicia - A Church of England vicar competing with five other women to become an archbishop Coronation Street (2018 to Present) - Evelyn Plummer - the grandmother of established character Tyrone Dobbs Advertisement Two years later, in 1975, Meir was awarded the Israel Prize for her special contribution to society and the State of Israel. Speaking about the casting of Dame Helen for the role of Golda, Dame Maureen said: 'The Jewishness of the character is so integral. 'I'm sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be allowed for Ben Kingsley to play Nelson Mandela. You just couldn't even go there.' Dame Maureen's comments sparked fans to point out that she herself had played a vicar in a 2015 Red Nose Day special of the Vicar of Dibley. In the comedy special, Dame Maureen's character competed with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Emma Watson and Ruth Jones, Annette Crosbie for the job of archbishop. It is later revealed there are five positions open and Dawn French's character is the only one not to be selected. She returns to find she has been replaced in her Dibley role by another vicar, played by presenter Fiona Bruce. It comes after Tamsin Greig told The Daily Telegraph last month she 'probably shouldn't' have played a Jewish mother in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner. Ms Greig is a practising Christian, although does have Jewish ancestry. But Patrick Marber, the playwright who directed Sir Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt, said he did not think 'lived experience' should be taken into consideration when casting for roles. He said to force actors to have experienced lives similar to the characters they play would deny the actor the challenge and right to impersonate someone else. Sarah Silverman, the US comedian, has previously slammed the casting of non-Jewish actress Kathryn Hahn as Joan Rivers, calling it 'Jewface'. Elliot Levey, who is currently playing a German Jew in Cabaret in the West End, called the argument a 'dystopian nightmare' as he criticised the idea of 'people showing their papers to authenticate Jewish ancestry'. Dame Helen is a supporter of Israel, adding her name to an open letter rejecting a cultural boycott of the country. While promoting her film The Debt, in which she played a retired Mossad agent, she was asked by The New York Times whether she might be 'a secret Jew'. She said she 'wouldn't be surprised'. Last year internet trolls branded Dame Helen 'racist' and described her as a 'well known Zionist and Israel-worshipper' after taking on the role of wartime prime minister Ms Meir. The film, Golda, is set during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when Arab states attacked Israel. Dame Helen described Meir as 'a formidable, intransigent and powerful leader' and said it was 'a great challenge to portray her at the most difficult moment of her extraordinary life'. It comes after Tamsin Greig (pictured right) told The Daily Telegraph last month she 'probably shouldn't' have played a Jewish mother in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner. Ms Greig is a practising Christian, although does have Jewish ancestry But critics on social media described the production as 'fascism', 'sick' and 'tasteless'. One Twitter user, who said they were 'Palestinian and proud', wrote: 'How sick making a biopic on criminal Golda Meir and yes no surprise Helen Mirren the racist is happy to portray the pure distorted version of a disgusting individual.' Another wrote: 'Helen Mirren doing a film about the first female prime minister of Israel is a slap in the face to all the people of Palestine, they are literally celebrating taking over Palestine and taking families out of their homes, murdering children, families! Tasteless film!' One social-media user said it was 'hugely disappointing that Helen Mirren is volunteering for this role', while another wrote: 'More fascism to show how 'wonderful' Israel is.' Born in Ukraine in 1898 before moving to the US as a child, Meir made history in 1969 as Israel's first female prime minister. She soon provoked international controversy, saying: 'There were no such thing as Palestinians.' Meir faced huge criticism in Israel for failing to adequately prepare for the threat of war, despite receiving word that Arab forces were gathering for an attack. Following the backlash for her handling of the war, Meir announced her resignation in 1974. She died in 1978 aged 80. Dame Helen has faced criticism in the past for saying that she was a 'believer' in Israel and that she rejected calls to boycott the country. The film also stars Call My Agent! actress Camille Cottin as Meir's personal assistant and Israeli Lior Ashkenazi as her chief of staff. People watch a TV screen showing an image of North Korea's launch of a missile during a news program at Seoul Station, Jan. 5. Yonhap The presidential National Security Council (NSC) expressed concerns Wednesday over North Korea's launch of a suspected ballistic missile and called for resuming talks to ease tensions. A pilot has been forced to make an emergency 'belly landing' in a South Korean F-35A fighter jet after suffering a malfunction in the air. Landing gear on the jet failed to extend but instead of ejecting, the pilot decided to land the 75million US-made craft at an airbase on its belly. It is the latest in a series of incidents for the stealth fighter after a British F-35 toppled into the sea during a failed takeoff from HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean. A pilot has been forced to make an emergency 'belly landing' in a South Korean F-35A fighter jet after suffering a malfunction in the air. Pictured: A South Korean fighter jet lands in Chungju in 2019 The jet has been involved in seven other incidents including a pilot who was forced to eject after a crash on landing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The US Air Force said the pilot and plane systems were at fault for the crash. A Japanese F-35 also crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Japan, which killed its pilot in 2019. Officials blamed the crash on spatial disorientation. In the latest crash, the first in South Korea, the equipment failed due to electronic issues, a South Korean Air Force spokesman said, forcing the pilot to take the unprecedented action. A military official refused to confirm if the jet suffered any damage in the incident but the pilot walked away uninjured. It comes just months after another F-35 jet in the British Armed Forces toppled into the sea during a failed takeoff from HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea He said: 'The jet did an emergency landing as the landing gear did not extend. This would mean the jet did the 'belly landing'.' In response, South Korea has grounded its entire fleet of advanced F-35 fighter jets pending a probe into the dramatic landing. 'With the investigation under way, the entire (F-35) fleet is suspended from flying,' a defence ministry official told AFP. South Korea ordered 40 F-35A variants from its American maker Lockheed Martin in 2014, receiving the first batch five years later. Republic of Korea Air Force vice chief of staff Shin Ok-chul shared the dramatic details at a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday. The jet is seen disappearing over the edge of the aircraft carrier and the pilot's parachute floats into view in leaked footage of the crash The F-35A was flying at low altitude when the pilot heard bangs, prompting him to check aircraft systems, Shin told lawmakers. 'All systems had stopped working except flight controls and the engine,' he said, adding that the pilot then chose not to eject and decided to attempt a belly landing. The military sprayed a special foam on the runway at the air force base to prevent an explosion from the friction caused by the plane making contact with the surface at high speed, Shin said. He said it was the first time a belly landing was attempted in an F-35. The supersonic F-35 Lightning II is one of the most potent and agile fighters in the world, featuring stealth technology and advanced communications. Its three variants are designed for a wide variety of missions. And while its per-unit cost has come down in recent years, it is considered the most expensive weapons system ever developed by the United States. A US pilot was forced to eject midair after an F-35 jet crashed in South Carolina in 2018, destroying the aircraft Japan's Coast Guard searches the wreckage of an F-35 jet after it crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2019 The programme has also been plagued by numerous delays, cost overruns and technical setbacks. Before the South Korean incident, the jet's most recent accident involved a British F-35B plunging into the Mediterranean during takeoff from the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in November. The jet accelerated up the ramp of HMS Queen Elizabeth's flight deck, before the pilot ejected when the plane reached the top. The incident triggered a frantic underwater race to find the wreckage of the stealth jet and secure the crash site a mile below the surface before Russian divers could get there first. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but it is thought that a red plastic rain cover for the jet was accidentally left on and sucked into an engine. Lockheed Martin says the F-35 'is the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world, giving pilots an advantage against any adversary and enabling them to execute their mission and come home safe.' Robert de Niro has claimed his ex-assistant used his frequent flyer miles worth $300,000 and paid for dog-sitting, Pilates classes and hotels using a company credit card, according to new court documents. The actor, 78, is suing Graham Chase Robinson for $6 million, claiming she helped herself to cash in a four-year spending spree while working for his company Canal Productions. Robinson has launched her own legal action against de Niro which seeks $12 million in damages, alleging that the Raging Bull star was verbally abusive, made 'sexually charged comments,' and subjected her to 'unwanted physical contact.' In newly-filed court documents obtained by RadarOnline, de Niro has included a 2019 letter from his lawyer to his ex-employee who had worked her way up from personal assistant to Vice President of Production and Finance. 'I was asked to respond to your recent emails addressed to Bob. Please note that Bob does not wish to communicate with you. As such, please direct correspondence regarding this matter to me,' the letter states. Robert De Niro as 'Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran on the set of The Irishman on September 21, 2017 in New York City (left) and his ex-assistant Graham Chase Robinson It went on to accuse Robinson of using the company American Express card to buy food, Uber trips, dog sitting, groceries, cameras, iPhones, Pilates classes, dry-cleaning, and flowers, and also alleged she had 'helped' herself to petty cash. The former staff member was also accused of having converted over 7 million Delta SkyMiles over a two-year period, using three million for personal travel and transferring an additional 4.5 million to a personal account. The letter also claimed Robinson improperly used Canal's credit cards to buy taxis and cover her food costs while on vacation in London, and alleged she charged $2,600 for a stay at the Montage Hotel on a trip to Los Angeles, as well as $156 for dinner at Nobu, $604 on a second meal at the upmarket eatery, $729 on a rental car and several hundred dollars more on cabs, despite having the rented vehicle at her disposal. Robinson has denied she improperly used the credit cards and calls into question whether she made all the purchases mentioned. In her own lawsuit accusing de Niro of gender discrimination, Robinson claims that the actor only launched his legal action to premeditate hers. 'De Niro was enraged at the prospect of Ms. Robinson bringing a lawsuit challenging his behavior. So, he retaliated and struck first,' the complaint says. In her own court documents, she alleged the Casino actor forced her to endure a toxic workplace where he branded her a 'b****' and spoke to her in a 'hostile, abusive and intimidating manner.' The actor has previously branded the lawsuit 'completely absurd.' But in a 2012 voicemail leaked last year De Niro can be heard shouting at Robinson, calling her a 'spoiled brat,' saying 'how dare you f***ing disrespect me,' and threatening her, saying 'you're f***ing history.' Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen attend The National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 08, 2020 in New York City She claims such behavior wasn't unusual for the iconic actor, who is alleged to have abused his employee on multiple occasions. 'It was a routine occurrence for Mr. De Niro, when intoxicated, to call Ms. Robinson -- to call her names, to berate her, to curse at her,' her lawyer Alexandra Harwin told Fox Business in January 2020. Harwin also alleged that Robinson 'was asked to do things that her male colleagues were never asked to do, like scratch Mr. De Niro's back, button his buttons, tie his ties.' The lawsuit also states that she was directed to wake him when he was in bed and imagine him on the toilet. Both lawsuits are ongoing. Advertisement Motorists have been warned to take extra care in the morning rush hour as overnight temperatures plummeted to -12C in Scotland and -6C in parts of London. The Met Office warned of dangerous weather conditions on Thursday and Friday with as much as 10cm of snow falling on the highest ground, as well as the risk of dangerous icy patches and of lightning strikes from isolated thunderstorms. Meteorologists say Britons will be feeling the cold overnight as temperatures are set to quickly fall after dark, bringing a widespread frost. Forecasters issued a yellow weather 'snow and ice' warning for Thursday, covering much of western Scotland, down through Manchester in the north-west of England and even reaching the edge of Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands, along with the western half on Northern Ireland. Frequent sleet, hail and snow showers could 'lead to some disruption to travel during Thursday night and Friday morning', meteorologists said, warning that roads and railways are likely to be affected. Some 'brief power outages are possible', the Met Office said, adding there was a risk of 'isolated lightning strikes'. The snow and ice warning runs from 8pm tomorrow to 11am on Friday. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'As we go into the overnight period temperatures will start to drop and in some of the sheltered glens in Scotland we could see minus 10C or even colder temperatures recorded. Across the UK there is not going to be many places that will remain above freezing.' The Met Office later posted an update on Twitter, saying: 'It's going to be cold tonight, temperatures will quickly fall after dark giving a widespread #frost. Rural spots will be even colder, -12C is possible in rural Scotland.' As winter begins to bite after a record-breaking mild new year, in the early hours of Thursday temperatures could feel as cold as -4C in Glasgow while in Edinburgh the Met Office has said commuters would face temperatures as low as -3C. In Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the mercury could plunge to -8C in the early hours, and when the wind is taken into account it could feel as cold as -11C. Snow covered fields and rooftops in Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland yesterday Huge waves tower above Tynemouth lighthouse in North Tyneside yesterday as the Met Office warns of dangerous weather conditions ahead Frequent sleet, hail and snow showers could 'lead to some disruption to travel during Thursday night and Friday morning', meteorologists said, warning that roads and railways are likely to be affected Water levels rise and land remains flooded after the Faversham Creek burst its banks this week after a large tidal surge A motorist attempted to make their way across a flooded road after the Faversham Creek burst its banks yesterday Huge waves were seen in North Tyneside this evening as the country gears up for colder and harsher weather conditions A van tries to make its way along the flooded road around the Shepherd Neame Brewery after the Faversham Creek bursts its bank First snow fall on the Beacon Lickey Hills in Birmingham today. In Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the mercury could plunge to -8C in the early hours, and when the wind is taken into account it could feel as cold as -11C Faversham Creek burst its banks following a large tidal surge and the Environment Agency are monitoring the situation Water splash against the Tynemouth lighthouse this evening as the cold weather begins to set in and temperatures begin to fall Pictured left: The Met Office's prediction of sub-zero temperatures across most of the country overnight - with London facing a brisk -3C. Temperatures were set to rise slightly by 5am on Thursday (pictured right) The Met Office warned of dangerous weather conditions on Thursday and Friday with as much as 10cm of snow falling on the highest ground, as well as the risk of dangerous icy patches and of lightning strikes from isolated thunderstorms. Pictured: Skier on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland Traffic passes the A470 in Brecon Beacons, South Wales yesterday. On Thursday, the Met Office issued a separate warning of snow, which stretches from the Highlands, through Glasgow and Edinburgh, and into the north of England, and warned of disruption to roads A car in a ditch at the side of Holmfirth road, heading towards Oldham after spinning out due to an ice patch Castle Hill, West Yorkshire yesterday. Forecasters issued a yellow weather 'snow and ice' warning for Thursday, covering much of western Scotland, down through Manchester in the north-west of England and even reaching the edge of Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands, along with the western half on Northern Ireland The Met Office issued a yellow weather 'snow and ice' warning for Thursday, covering much of western Scotland, down through Manchester in the north-west of England and even reaching the edge of Stoke-on-Trent, along with the western half on Northern Ireland What is thundersnow? Thunder and lightning are more usually associated with warmer climates but under certain conditions they can occur in cold ones too. Thundersnow starts out like a summer thunderstorm - the sun heats the ground and pushes masses of warm, moist air upward, creating unstable air columns. As it rises, the moisture condenses to form clouds, which are jostled by internal turbulence. Lightning is caused by this rubbing of the clouds against each other - thunder is the sound of lightning but as sound moves more slowly than light we hear it later. The tricky part for thundersnow is creating that atmospheric instability in the winter. When it is cold, and particularly in air conducive to snowfall, the lower atmosphere is dry, cold and very stable. For thundersnow to occur there needs to be a precise set of circumstances - the air layer closer to the ground has to be warmer than the layers above, but still cold enough to create snow. When this happens warm air rises, snow falls and thunder, lightning and snow all occur at the same time. Advertisement On Thursday, the Met Office issued a separate warning of snow, which stretches from the Highlands, through Glasgow and Edinburgh, and into the north of England, and warned of disruption to roads. It said many areas would see one to two hours of snow, with a risk of temporary slushy accumulations above 100-150m, with snow leading to difficult travel conditions. On higher routes, forecasters have predicted strong winds could lead to drifting and temporary blizzard conditions, and the alert is in place from 10am to 4pm. Grahame Madge, spokesman at the Met Office, said: 'We have got an area of high pressure across the UK, that will remain in situ until the early hours of tomorrow morning. Then we will start to see the weather front coming in. 'As conditions get cold tonight, we're seeing temperatures drop down to freezing quite widely. As we get the cold air, that will bring the temperatures right down, we've got the weather front coming in from the west and that moisture is going to bump into the cold air and where you get that you will get snow.' The forecaster added that the prospect of thundersnow was driven by the same conditions which cause thunder in the summer, the difference in temperature between the ground and the air surrounding it. 'Because you have got that differential it's possible, quite easily, for warm air at ground level when it heats up to start to rise very quickly up through the cold air and that's what creates the potential for thunderstorms, so we are likely to see along with the other wintery showers, likely to see hail and snow,' he said. Thundersnow is not meteorologically different to thunder in the summer, but rather than hail or rain there is snow which can affect the acoustics of the thunder, the forecaster said. In advance of the freezing temperatures, Traffic Scotland has urged people to drive with care because of the risk of ice. A skier on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland yesterday morning A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland yesterday morning Pictured left: Met Office prediction for 6am Thursday. Right: Temperatures for 2pm yesterday. As winter begins to bite after a record-breaking mild new year, in the early hours of Thursday temperatures could feel as cold as -4C in Glasgow while in Edinburgh the Met Office has said commuters would face temperatures as low as -3C A swimmer makes their way into the sea as the sun rises over Boscombe beach in Dorset yesterday morning A swan looks for food on the River Thames in Windsor yesterday morning. On Thursday, the Met Office issued a separate warning of snow, which stretches from the Highlands, through Glasgow and Edinburgh, and into the north of England, and warned of disruption to roads Deer in the Great Park in Windsor yesterday. Temperatures in northern England could fall to around -6C tonight, and it could be -4C (25F) in the south A woman walking her dog in the snow at Lickey Hills, Birmingham yesterday morning. Forecasters have now issued a yellow weather 'snow and ice' warning for Thursday, covering much of western Scotland, down through Manchester in the north-west of England and even reaching the edge of Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands, along with the western half on Northern Ireland Fudge the dog running through the snow at Lickey Hills, Birmingham this morning. On Thursday, the Met Office issued a separate warning of snow, which stretches from the Highlands, through Glasgow and Edinburgh, and into the north of England, and warned of disruption to roads England may be escaping the worst of the snow and ice, but it bears the brunt of 11 government flood warnings - meaning flooding is 'expected' - and 47 flood alerts, warning that they are 'possible'. The flood warnings cluster largely around eastern England Another yellow weather warning for snow was also issued, running from 10am tomorrow until 4pm that afternoon, overlapping with much of the terrain covered in the later warning, but generally more inland and further east People jog along Boscombe beach in Dorset today. Temperatures in northern England could fall to around -6C tonight, and it could be -4C (25F) in the south It comes a week after a record-breaking balmy New Year weather in recent days saw the mercury hit 16.3C (61.3F), but Britain now now faces bitterly cold conditions as sub-zero temperatures and wintry showers are expected to dominate for most of the week. Temperatures in northern England could fall to around -6C tonight, and it could be -4C (25F) in the south. Forecasters have warned of winds reaching 80mph in the Highlands with up to 6in (15cm) of snow potentially causing blizzard conditions. England may be escaping the worst of the snow and ice, but it bears the brunt of 11 government flood warnings - meaning flooding is 'expected' - and 47 flood alerts, warning that they are 'possible'. The flood warnings cluster largely around eastern England. Tonight in Scotland, the mercury could drop to -8C (17F) or even lower. Boris Johnson today suffered a cross-party battering over the cost of living crisis as MPs said the Prime Minister should be doing 'much, much more' to prevent 'millions of people going hungry and cold this year'. Mr Johnson faced a number of bruising exchanges over rising energy bills and soaring inflation as he was grilled during PMQs in the House of Commons this afternoon. Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the PM should be taking greater action now because many families are 'already afraid even to open their heating bills' ahead of further price rises in April. Tory MP and former minister John Penrose said the crisis requires a major overhaul of the energy price cap to protect households as he told Mr Johnson the UK must get to a position of energy self-sufficiency in order to 'uncouple us' from Russian gas. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused the PM of failing to take the threat of spiking inflation seriously enough as she warned households are facing 'ballooning prices'. Meanwhile, the Tory chairman of the Education Select Committee, Rob Halfon, called on Mr Johnson to suspend green levies to cut household energy bills. It came as Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was due to hold crunch talks with energy industry chiefs to discuss how the Government could help protect consumers from surging prices and prevent more firms from going under. The meeting comes after Rishi Sunak is said to have told colleagues that there is a limit to how much the Government can do to combat rising energy bills. The Chancellor believes any help from the Government should be targeted towards people who need it the most. Labour has urged the Government to slash VAT on energy bills to help struggling households but Mr Johnson last night poured cold water on the calls as he described it as a 'blunt instrument'. Boris Johnson today suffered a cross-party battering over the cost of living crisis as MPs said the Prime Minister should be doing 'much, much more' to prevent 'millions of people going hungry and cold this year' Kwasi Kwarteng was due to hold crunch talks today with energy industry chiefs amid mounting pressure on the Government to do more to tackle the cost of living crisis The energy price cap is due to be reviewed in April and experts expect it to rise by more than 50 per cent The wholesale price of gas spiked at the end of 2021 because of high demand around the world. Predictions have suggested that bills could increase by more than 50 per cent in April when a review of the energy price cap is conducted. The cap is currently set at an already record-beating 1,277 but analysts believe it could go up to 1,995. Sir Ed told Mr Johnson at PMQs: 'People's already high heating bills are about to jump by over 50 per cent with average energy bills rising by nearly 700 a year. 'Gas price rises will push millions more families into fuel poverty when we know many are already afraid even to open their heating bills. 'Does the Prime Minister accept that he could be doing much, much more than he is doing to prevent millions of people going hungry and cold this year while he remains, for now at least, in the warmth and comfort of Number 10.' Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had mistakenly called the Lib Dem leader 'Ed Balls' when he was called to ask his question. Sir Ed had also asked Mr Johnson to welcome Helen Morgan, the new Lib Dem MP for North Shropshire, to the Commons after the party defeated the Tories at a recent by-election. The PM said: 'Of course I welcome the honourable lady to her place but for the rest of what he had to say, I think balls was the word. You were right first time, your word Mr Speaker, not mine.' Ms Rayner, who was standing in at PMQs for Sir Keir Starmer who is self-isolating, criticised Mr Johnson over rising inflation as she said: 'In October, the Prime Minister said that fears about inflation were unfounded. 'But working people across the country are starting the New Year facing rising bills and ballooning prices. So how did he get it so wrong?' Mr Johnson replied: 'Of course I said no such thing because inflation is always something that we have to be careful about. 'But what we are doing is making sure that we protect the people of this country throughout what is unquestionably going to be a difficult period.' Mr Penrose told Mr Johnson that 'the biggest factor driving up our fuel bills and cost of living is the skyrocketing international price of gas which is currently dancing to a tune set in Moscow'. He said the current crisis 'demands structural reform to the energy price cap rather than just resetting it later this year and energy self-sufficiency to uncouple us from Russian gas as well'. Mr Johnson said Mr Penrose was 'completely right, and that is why this Government is taking the tough decisions to invest in the long term future of our energy supply'. Meanwhile, Mr Halfon called for green levies on energy bills to be suspended to help alleviate pressure on families. He told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme that the move could provide consumers with a saving of almost 200 on their annual bills. He said the green levies are an 'elephant in the room' and ministers should 'at least suspend' them while global gas prices are high. The Government is considering a range of options for how it could prevent a large surge in energy bills and to support the wider industry. Options which have been looked at by Whitehall officials include cutting VAT on bills, boosting help for vulnerable households and handing loans to firms to help them spread the cost of elevated gas prices over a longer period. The energy industry is pressing for the Government to take action now after numerous firms collapsed at the end of last year because of the surging price of gas. But there are fears inside Whitehall that elevated energy prices could last for a lengthy period of time and there would be pressure on the Government to keep in place any measures until there is a dip, potentially resulting in a massive bill for the Treasury. Mr Sunak is said to be of the view that any support should be targeted, with an ally of the Chancellor telling the Financial Times: 'There's only so much the government can do.' Rishi Sunak is said to have told colleagues that there is a limit to how much the Government can do to combat rising energy bills Labour has repeatedly urged the Government to cut VAT on fuel bills to provide some respite to households. Mr Johnson last night said ministers have not ruled out further assistance for families. But he suggested scrapping VAT would not be the most effective way to help those under the greatest pressure. He told a Downing Street press conference: 'I'm not ruling out further measures. The argument is that it's a bit of a blunt instrument. 'And the difficulty is that you end up also cutting fuel bills for a lot of people who perhaps don't need the support in quite the direct way that we need to give it.' Families of soldiers killed in the Iraq war have vowed to hand back their medals to the Queen in protest over the decision to award Tony Blair a knighthood - as a petition to strip the former Prime Minister of the honour passes 700,000 signatures. Mr Blair, 68, was made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the Queen's New Year Honours list - a knighthood bestowed upon all bar one of his predecessors. However, the honour has been met with disgust from anti-war campaigners and the families of soldiers who lost their lives during the Iraq campaign. More than 700,000 people have also signed a petition calling for Mr Blair's knighthood to be rescinded in less than a week. Kevin Thompson, 21, was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Basra, Iraq, in 2007. His father, Mark, has said he would return his Elizabeth Cross to the Queen - an honour given to bereaved families in recognition of their sacrifice. He told the Sun: 'I dont think the Queen has thought how this decision will upset the families. My son died because of Tony Blairs lies. 'Ill go to Windsor and give the medal to a guard and they can give it to the Queen.' Rose Gentle, 58, whose son Gordon, 19, was also killed by an IED in 2004, said she will also return her Elizabeth Cross. Ms Gentle set up the Justice 4 Gordon Gentle campaign following his death, before setting up Military Families Against the War. She told the Daily Record: 'Instead of standing in front of the Queen being made a Sir with that stupid grin on his face, hed be better going to the cemetery and standing in front of my sons grave to see what hes done. 'I was gutted when I heard hes to be knighted. Its disgusting. He should have been locked up a long time ago.' Five 'heartbroken' mothers who lost their soldier sons during the war in Afghanistan have also written to the Queen urging her to strip Mr Blair of his knighthood. However, Sir Ed Davey said today that those calling for the honour to be removed are being 'disrespectful' to the Queen. The Liberal Democrat leader, who was knighted in 2016, said: 'If the Queen wants to knight a politician or someone out of politics in any walk of life, I think we should respect Her Majesty. 'And Im rather worried that people are being disrespectful to Her Majesty.' Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has long faced criticism over his decision to lead the UK into war with Iraq in 2003 Rose Gentle, 58, whose teenage son Gordon was killed by an IED in 2004, says she will return her Elizabeth Cross. Above, she is pictured following the release of the Chilcot Report A petition calling for Mr Blair's knighthood to be rescinded has now received more than 700,000 signatures on Change.org Carol Valentine (centre), from Bedworth, Warwickshire, whose son, Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29, was killed in Afghanistan in August 2009 - pictured with her son Zak Valentine (left) and daughter Kelly Valentine (right) Anti-war protesters are seen massed in Hyde Park during a demonstration against war with Iraq in London on February 15, 2003 Then Prime Minister Tony Blair (second from right) talks with Major General Richard Shirreff CBE (second from left) as he visits British troops in Basra, southern Iraq, in 2006 The Elizabeth Cross is awarded to bereaved families in recognition of their sacrifice The human cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars The ex-Prime Minister has long faced criticism for sending troops into Afghanistan and Iraq, a decision which culminated in a devastating report by Sir John Chilcot in 2016 which found he overplayed evidence about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. A total of 179 British Armed Forces personnel and Ministry of Defence civilians died serving during the Iraq campaign, which began in March 2003. A further 457 were killed during deployment to Afghanistan. UK service personnel withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years in August, but the Taliban retook control of the country within a matter of days. The astonishing collapse of the Afghan regime prompted the families of British soldiers who died fighting in the country to say they felt like their loved ones had laid down their lives for nothing. Advertisement In a desperate letter to the Queen yesterday, Carol Valentine, Hazel Hunt, Caroline Whitaker, Caroline Jane Munday-Baker and Helen Perry, pleaded with her to overturn the decision to award him the honour. Some of the mothers also joined threats to send back the Elizabeth Crosses. Their open letter said: As mums, we were destroyed by the loss of our children at war, but now we are further devastated to learn that the man responsible for sending them to their deaths is to receive the highest honour in the land. It makes a mockery of our childrens lives, and we are struggling to cope. It added: He has caused untold misery while making himself a multi-millionaire at the same time. We do not view him as a man of peace on the contrary, we maintain he has the deaths of all our soldiers on his hands. This has left us all enraged, bewildered, and heartbroken and we beg you to revoke his knighthood which we believe tramples on our sons sacrifices. Mr Blair has long faced criticism for sending troops into Afghanistan and Iraq, a decision which culminated in a devastating report by Sir John Chilcot in 2016 which found he overplayed evidence about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. A total of 179 British Armed Forces personnel and Ministry of Defence civilians died serving during the Iraq campaign, while a further 457 were killed during deployment to Afghanistan. On Thursday, a petition calling for the knighthood to be rescinded passed 700,000 signatures - becoming one of the most signed on Change.org. Angus Scott, 55, the man who created the petiton, said he was 'astonished' by the response. The voice artist and presenter told The Metro: 'Although I knew deep down in this country there is a huge, seething resentment of Tony Blair, I only expected a few thousand signatures from people who felt the same way as me. 'Ironically, he has at last united the nation on a subject, which is that people are very passionately angry about this one man.' Sir Tony's predecessors bar one were all appointed to the Order of the Garter just after leaving office. However, it took more than 14 years for his own appointment to occur after his time as prime minister of the UK. Claims have been made that his strained relationship with the Queen during his office might have contributed to the 'snub.' Following the outcry, Downing Street insisted the knighthood was a 'matter for the Queen'. No10 denied that Boris Johnson had 'any input' on the decision to elevate the former Prime Minister to the Order of the Garter - one of the highest honours that can be bestowed. But the spokesman appeared to endorse the move by pointing out every other ex-premier before Sir Tony had been offered the Order of the Garter or the Scottish equivalent Order of the Thistle. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who opposed the Iraq war in 2003, also said Mr Blair was a 'very successful prime minister' and 'made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people in this country'. Hit explosive as he was driving: Trooper James Munday, 21, (left) son of Caroline Jane Munday-Baker (right), served alongside Princes William and Harry in D Squadron of The Household Cavalry. Both royals said they were deeply saddened to hear news of the exceptional soldiers death in October 2008. Known as Magpie, the rugby fan died at the scene when the Jackal armoured vehicle he was driving hit an explosive device while on routine patrol in Helmand Province. In tributes, senior officers described Munday, from Birmingham, as among the best of his generation. Fatally wounded while on patrol: Private Richard Hunt (left), son of Hazel Hunt (right), had been in the Army less than two years when he became the 200th British soldier to die in the war in Afghanistan. He was fatally wounded when his armoured vehicle was blown up while on patrol near Musa Qala in Helmand Province. Private Hunt, of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, served with the Royal Welsh Regiment. The 21-year-old, known as Hunty, died from his injuries at the Royal College of Defence Medicine in Selly Oak, Birmingham, on August 15, 2009, two days after the explosion. Killed trying to clear landmines: Sergeant Simon Valentine (left), son of Carol Valentine (right), was killed on August 15, 2009, while trying to clear landmines on foot patrol near Sangin, Helmand Province. The 29-year-old was an experienced soldier, from Bedworth, Warwickshire. He had survived tours in Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Iraq, during his time with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Married to his wife Gemma, he was described as a born leader who was loved by his troops. Shot in friendly fire incident: Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard (left), son of Helen Perry (right), was killed in a friendly fire incident in Sangin on December 20, 2009. The 22-year-old soldier, of the 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police, was born in Maidstone, Kent, but lived in Eastbourne, East Sussex. He had been deployed to an observation post to check Taliban fighters were not planting IEDs (improvised explosive devices) on a road. It is thought that another British soldier fired at him thinking that L/Cpl Pritchard was an insurgent, an inquest heard. Gunned down by rogue policeman: Sergeant Gareth Thursby, 29, (left) son of Caroline Whitaker (right), was shot dead by a rogue Afghan policeman alongside another British soldier at a checkpoint in Helmand Province on September 15, 2012. The married father of two from Skipton, North Yorkshire, served in the 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment. He was an inspirational leader known to his men as Dad. An inquest heard that no motive was found for the lethal attack. And speaking on LBC today, Health Minister Gillian Keegan said: 'Its not unusual for somebody who served their country as prime minister to be honoured and recognised by the Queen.' However, anti-war campaigners have said the honour is a 'kick in the teeth for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. Lindsey German, convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, said last week: 'I think its pretty incredible given that this year, weve seen the collapse of Afghanistan, which [was] Tony Blairs first major war in the war on terror. 'We have 8 million people on the edge of starvation in Afghanistan now. We have Iraq in a terrible state now, nearly 20 years after the invasion. 'And I think its a kick in the teeth for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and a kick in the teeth for all the people who protested against the war in Iraq and who have been proved right.' Heartbreaking tributes have been paid to a 'wonderful and loving' mother who was found dead at a house with her 'beautiful' baby son. The bodies of Natalie Kane, 27, and one-year-old Harry were discovered by police after they were called to concerns for her welfare on December 30. Cumbria Constabulary said they were sent to a house in Whitehaven at 2.52pm when officers tragically found their bodies. Neighbours near the property told MailOnline they heard running water just before the bodies were found. A spokesman for the force said there are no suspicious circumstances at this time. Post-mortems are set to take place next week. Last night, a neighbour said: 'She was a lovely lass and absolutely doted on that little boy, he was beautiful and this is such a tragedy. Natalie Kane, 27, and her one-year-old son Harry, were found by police officers at an address in Wellington Row, Whitehaven, on December 30 Tributes have been paid to the 'wonderful and loving' mother and her baby son after they were found by officers 'The police haven't told us what happened, just that Natalie and Harry were found dead in her flat. 'There was nothing alarming beforehand, the only unusual thing was that there seemed to be water constantly running down the waste pipe. 'It sounded as though a bath or sink had perhaps been overflowing. 'The police were asking neighbours if they had seen Natalie and the next thing I knew there were police officers and paramedics running into the flat. 'When they told us they'd both died it was heartbreaking.' The police have not confirmed the identity of the pair, but they have been named locally as well-wishers paid tributes to a 'lovely mother devoted to her one-year-old little boy'. A fundraising page has been set up by close friends Ashton Graham and Stacey Hackett to help towards the pair's funeral. Ashton said: 'I just want to say what a brilliant mam she was and how proud we all are of her. 'She's touched a lot of hearts and she'll never know how truly loved and special she and baby Harry are. 'When people say your best friend can be your soulmate, I truly truly believe that's what you are. 'A part of me has died with you, my life will never ever be the same without you, nothing will be the same again. 'He (Harry) was such a happy baby. You were such a brilliant little mam, protected him from any harm, made sure he had everything he needed. 'You gave him the best life, he was the making of you.' Officers arrived to the property after concerns were raised for the welfare of a woman. Pictured: GV of Wellington Row More than 3,000 has so far been donated by well-wishers wanting to help Natalie's family. A statement on the fundraising page reads: 'We would like to give Natalie's family a big help by contributing to this as this is what they deserve. 'We're not asking for the full amount but every little helps and if were to receive more than expected Natalie's brother Shane's chosen charity is Women Out West. 'This charity helped Natalie out so much and Shane is so pleased that they were there for Natalie that this is the best way to say thank you.' A balloon release has now been planned in Natalie's home town of Maryport, Cumbria, in tribute to her and Harry on January 7. Cumbria Police have confirmed that they are not treating the deaths as suspicious. In a statement they said: 'Police attended an address in Wellington Row, Whitehaven, after being made aware at 2.52pm on December 30 of a concern for the welfare of a woman. 'Sadly, two people were found deceased in the address - a woman in her twenties and a one-year-old child. 'There are no suspicious circumstances at this time. The coroner has been contacted.' Advertisement Covid deaths rose for the first time since in over a month last week in England and Wales, according to official figures that show early signs of Omicron's impact on fatalities. Office for National Statistics data revealed the number of people dying with the virus climbed 12 per cent in the seven days up to Christmas Eve, from 755 to 852. The virus was the underlying cause of death in 85 per cent of the new fatalities (723). The original ONS report incorrectly stated that Covid deaths had dropped to their lowest since August but revised figures were reissued after the error was spotted. Separate data from the ONS show England saw a record 3.3million people one in 15 infected with the virus on any given day in the week up to New Year's Eve. Experts fear record case numbers across the UK could cause unsustainable pressure on the NHS once they have had time to manifest as severe disease despite a host of studies showing the super-mutant strain causes less intensive care admissions. Adviser says we may be 'starting to see thing turn around' as admissions peak in hotspot London One of the Government's leading Covid modellers today appeared to back Boris Johnson's plan to 'ride out' the Omicron wave as he claimed that imposing more restrictions now would have little effect. Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) which feeds into SAGE, said 'we're starting to see things turn around'. He claimed that if measures had been imposed before Christmas they may have reduced the number of infections but admitted restrictions would be 'much less effective' now the outbreak may be peaking. However, he refused to rule out needing more curbs if the wave starts to grow again. Dr Tildesley pointed to Omicron hotspot London, where infections and hospital admissions appear to be flatlining already, as reason to be optimistic about how the epidemic will play out in the rest of the country. There were 347 admissions in the capital on New Year's Day, the latest day with data, down 7 per cent compared to the previous week. It is the second day in a row admissions have fallen week-on-week. It comes after the Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference last night that England had a 'chance to ride out this Omicron wave without shutting down our country' because it is milder than older strains. While daily infections are running at record levels 218,000 people tested positive yesterday the number of Covid patients in hospital is still a fraction of previous peaks. There are 15,000 Covid inpatients now compared to nearly 40,000 last January and about a third of current patients are not primarily sick with the virus. Fewer sufferers are also requiring ventilation. Advertisement The number of weekly registered coronavirus deaths in England and Wales was revised upwards by more than 250 after a coding error. Some 261 deaths registered in the week to December 24 were mistakenly not recorded as having involved the virus. It took the total number of registered deaths that week, where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, to 852, up from 591. The ONS said an issue with its automated coding system meant the causes and contributory factors for some deaths were coded late. It means deaths involving coronavirus registered in the week to December 24 rose 12.8 per cent from the previous seven days the first rise in six weeks. Covid accounted for 6.5 per cent of deaths from all causes registered that week. Registered care home resident deaths were revised upwards by 23. There were 78 care home resident deaths involving Covid-19 registered over the week up from the 55 initially recorded and up from 60 registered in the previous week. It represents the first weekly rise in care home deaths for two months. The ONS figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes. It comes after official data showed cases in are now only going up in over-60s in London. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) statistics showing that infections in the city began to fall before Christmas sparked hopes that the worst was over. But rates are only tumbling in under-60s currently, according to the same dataset which doesn't yet reflect New Year's Eve celebrations. Cases in over-60s, who are more vulnerable to the virus, have yet to slow down since the extremely-infectious variant took off. Sir Chris Whitty last night said it was too early to say London's crisis had peaked because hospital pressures were likely to worsen over the coming weeks because of the trajectory. However, other experts expect the trend in over-60s to follow that of younger adults and begin falling in the next week or so, mirroring the trend in South Africa the first country in the world to fall victim to the variant, where infections now appear to be in freefall. Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that infection numbers are 'bumpy' over the festive period because of reporting delays and fewer testes being carried out. He said: 'Nonetheless, the rate is the under-60s does look to have peaked and be falling convincingly. 'This pattern of a short sharp peak is what you would expect from Omicrons increased transmissibility [and] it also tallies with South African experience.' Growth rates already suggest that the infection rate in older people is slowing down. Professor Livermore added: 'I would expect a similar peak and drop off, within a week or thereabouts, among the over 60s.' Separate ONS data today showed a shocking one in 10 Londoners were estimated to have Covid on New Year's Eve but the statisticians said there were 'early signs' that infections had peaked in the capital, which has been hit hardest by Omicron. The ONS' weekly infection survey is regarded as the most reliable indicator of the UK's outbreak because it uses random sampling of around 100,000 people, rather than relying on people coming forward to be tested. The report, used by ministers to guide Covid policy, is normally published on Friday but its release was moved while infections run at unprecedented levels. Today's findings show that around one in 20 people had the virus by New Year's Eve in Wales and Scotland, both up from one in 40. In Northern Ireland, prevalence has increased from one in 40 to one in 25. In total, an estimated 3.7million people in all four UK nations had Covid in the most recent week. An earlier version of this article reported the original figures published by the ONS, which showed that Covid deaths had dropped to their lowest since August. These figures have since been retracted by the ONS, who say they were issued following an issue with their automated coding system. We are happy to set the record straight. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show Covid cases in Omicron hotspot London are now only going up in people aged 60 and above. Graph shows: The case rate per 100,000 in people aged 60 and above (yellow line) and under-60 (red line). Cases have started to drop in under-60s, though the rate still remains above the more vulnerable older age groups The Federal Bureau of Investigation is still hunting 350 people involved in the deadly siege of the Capitol a year ago. The agency are still seeking to identify 250 people seen on video assaulting Capitol police, including a man who appears to have used an electric prod disguised as a cane on a cop, after the riot. Another 100 have been identified but not yet apprehended for multiple crimes tied to January 6. The investigation has been a massive undertaking for federal law enforcement who have charged more than 700 people. But hundreds more remain on the loose including a man, seen wearing a grey tracksuit and hoodie, who allegedly planted bombs at the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees the night before the riot. Investigators have talked to more than 900 people and collected 39,000 video files just to find the suspect, who also wore a face mask and gloves, who appeared to place an explosive under a bench outside the Democratic National Committee. The person - authorities don't yet know if it's a man or a woman - was also captured walking in an alley near the Republican National Committee before a bomb was placed there. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol. The bombs were rendered safe and no one was hurt. Scroll down for video Authorities are still searching for a suspect who planted two bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committees the day before the January 6 riot. Above, the suspect walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed The FBI still doesn't know if it's a man or a woman. Above, the suspect in a grey hoodie and a mask after planting the explosives, which were rendered safe the next day More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the January 6, 2021 riot, including 225 people accused of attacking or interfering with officers On January 5, 2021, the bomb suspect was covered from head to toe, skulking through the dark streets of the nation's capital before methodically placing two explosives outside the committee buildings. Only 17 hours later - and just before the Capitol was stormed by a sea of pro-Trump rioters - were the pipe bombs discovered. It quickly became one of the highest-priority investigations for the FBI and the Justice Department. 'In normal times, like if this wasn't COVID, a person walking down the street in DC covered from head to toe with a mask on, glasses and gloves would have been a red flag,' said Steven D'Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's field office in Washington. But the trail grew cold almost immediately. A year later, federal investigators are no closer to learning the person's identity. And a key question remains: Was there a connection between the pipe bombs and the riot at the Capitol? The suspect is among hundreds of people still being sought by the FBI following last January's deadly insurrection, perpetrated by supporters of former President Donald Trump who sought to stop Congress from certifying the election results in favor of President Joe Biden. 'This investigation takes time because it is a lot of lot of work, a lot of painstaking work that they look at the video kind of frame by frame,' said Steven D'Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI's field office in Washington Robert Palmer, 54 was sentenced to 63 months in December for his involvement in the riot Palmer threw wooden boards, a pole and a fire extinguisher at police Jacob Chansley, 34, has the second-longest sentence with 41 months A few weeks ago, a Florida man who sprayed police officers with a fire extinguisher before throwing it at them during the riot was given the harshest sentence yet - more than five years. Robert Palmer, 54, from Largo, Florida, pushed himself to the front of the crowd and threw wooden boards at police before retreating after being pepper sprayed, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Juman. Jacob Chansley, 34, the so-called QAnon Shaman, has the second-longest sentence with 41 months. But for the FBI agents working on the cases, the job is far from over. Agents and investigative analysts have been poring over thousands of hours of surveillance video, going second by second in each video to try to capture clear images of people who attacked officers inside the Capitol. Police body cam footage captured a man using a cane with electric prods on the end to shock officers. He has still not been identified 'This investigation takes time because it is a lot of lot of work, a lot of painstaking work that they look at the video kind of frame by frame,' D'Antuono said. In one case, police body camera footage captures a man using a cane with electric prods on the end jabbing at officers and shocking them as they fight to hold back the riotous crowd trying to break through a barricaded line of officers at one of the doors of the Capitol. The crackling sound of the electricity can be heard as he prods his cane into one of the officers. The man, known only as 'AFO114' - using shorthand for 'assaulting a federal officer' - is still being sought. This image from an FBI poster seeking a suspect who allegedly placed pipe bombs in Washington on January 5, 2021. It is still unknown if the incident was related to the riot the next day The unidentified suspects above are still wanted for assaulting officers during the Capitol riot 'The assaults against the police officers are extremely serious,' D'Antuono said. More than 100 police officers were attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, some attacked by multiple people and some attacked multiple times, he said. More than 225 people have been accused of attacking or interfering with officers, according to the New York Times. Officer Brian Sicknick suffered two strokes the day after the riot, according to NPR. He had been sprayed with chemical irritants during the demonstration, but they don't appear to have been a factor in his death. Separately, four police officers who were defending the Capitol from the rioters died by suicide in the months after the event, CNBC reports. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes the day after the riot In one video from the riot, a man is seen repeatedly bashing a police officer over the head with a 6 ft (1.8-meter) metal pole as he tries to push his way into the Capitol. And a third shows a man spraying some kind of chemical from a can into the faces of other officers. 'There is still a lot of work to be done on this,' D'Antuono said. 'There were a lot of people up there at the Capitol, a lot of people that either committed violence up there did other unlawful actions up there.' In the search for the person who left the pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC offices, investigators have interviewed more than 900 people, collected 39,000 video files and examined more than 400 leads. They have dived into the components of the explosives and have been working to try to discern anything they can about the suspect, from analyzing the person's gait to trying to collect information about purchases of the distinctive Nike sneakers the person wore. But they are still no closer to finding the suspect's identity and are hoping renewed attention on the video of the person may spark a tip to crack the case. Jeffrey McKellop was pictured wearing a paramilitary bulletproof vest and helmet, with a gas mask with a patch of the Georgia national flag A MPD captain prepared to deploy the riot-control spray at McKellop and the crowd when the Army veteran picks up a flagpole from the ground and shoves it into the captain's face An MPD police captain is pictured after being jabbed with the flag pole during the Capitol riot The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7.30pm and 8.30pm on January 5, 2021, but weren't located by law enforcement until the next day. Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican National Committee's office around 12.45pm on January 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby. No one was hurt by the bombs. The suspect, caught in various videos, wore black and light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo. Former President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed the 2020 election had been rigged against him before his supporters attacked the Capitol Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, has been charged with contempt of Congress after refusing to sit down with lawmakers investigating the January 6 riot 'We've used and continue to use every investigative tool that we lawfully have to find this individual,' DAntuono said. But, a year later, investigators still don't know whether the suspect is a man or a woman. The person carried the bombs - made of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers and homemade black powder - in a backpack. 'We're still nose to the grindstone here and trying to find this individual, trying to bring the person to justice,' D'Antuono said. 'But there is hopefully maybe somebody still out there that knows the person or sees the video again.' It is unclear whether the bombs were related to planning for the insurrection or whether they were unrelated to the deadly riot. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol. The government has charged more than 700 people in the riot, but authorities estimate that at least 2,500 people took part in it, the New York Times reports. A Democratic-led select House committee is investigating the riot, including its origins. Two aides to former President Donald Trump, who claimed the 2020 election had been stolen from him in the days leading up to the riot, have been charged with obstruction of Congress for refusing to sit down with lawmakers. 'River Dave' has been arrested again after returning to the woods where his cabin was burnt down to make a new home out of a nearby shed. David Lidstone was first arrested in July after living on the land for 30 years, accused of squatting in a cabin on the New Hampshire property owned by a Vermont man. However, while he was jailed and going through the court system his cabin burnt down and he was released by the judge saying he no longer had a reason to return. He has now been charged again - this time with trespassing - after he turned a shed that survived the fire into a makeshift home outfitted with a wood stove. 'River Dave' (pictured on August 10, 2021) has been arrested again after returning to the woods where his cabin was burnt down, before he made a new home out of a nearby shed. The former hermit's cabin in New Hampshire was burnt down after he spent nearly three decades on the property that he was ordered to leave There had been an outpouring of support for Lidstone, 81 - better known as 'River Dave' - since he was arrested in July and accused of squatting the property. His cabin burned down in August while he was jailed. Lidstone was a local celebrity to boaters and kayakers on the Merrimack River before his property dispute caught the attention of the masses, bringing in over $200,000 in donations to help him start a new, law-abiding life. Lidstone, who was grateful for the support, had secured temporary housing as he figured out where to live next and believed he could not go back to being a hermit. But he returned to the site in Canterbury in late November, turning the wood shed into a home. He was arrested on a trespassing charge December 14 and faces a court hearing in March. 'Sometimes, you have to stand up for what is right,' Lidstone told The Associated Press in a phone interview from the site on Tuesday. 'I'm 81, I've got nothing to lose.' Lidstone is a logger by trade who chopped his firewood and grew his food in the woods along the river. There had been an outpouring of support for David Lidstone, 81 (pictured in August, 2021) - better known as 'River Dave' - since he was arrested in July and accused of squatting on property owned by a Vermont man. His cabin burned down in August while he was jailed David Lidstone, 81, speaks with reporters during an interview on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in Boscawen, N.H 'River Dave,' leaves a status conference hearing in Merrimack County Superior Court, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, in Concord, N.H. Lidstone The property, undeveloped and mostly used for timber harvests, has been owned by the same family since 1963. Lidstone had claimed that years ago, the current owner's father gave his word - but nothing in writing - allowing him to live there. In the summer, he was jailed on a civil contempt sanction and was told he'd be released if he agreed to leave the cabin following a property dispute that goes back to 2016. The landowner, 86-year-old Leonard Giles, of South Burlington, Vermont, wanted Lidstone off the property. 'We'll let the court address it,' Lisa Snow Wade, an attorney for Giles, said Tuesday of Lidstone's arrest. Back in the summer, both sides agreed to arrange for Lidstone to collect his cats and chickens and remaining possessions at the site. This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, has built and lived in for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H. This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, in detail as he lived comfortably by the Merrimack River for nearly three decades Smoke rises from the burnt remains of a cabin in Canterbury, N.H., inhabited by 81-year-old David Lidstone. The picture was provided by the Canterbury Fire Department Lidstone also was given permission to hire a surveyor to give him 'peace of mind,' Judge Andrew Schulman said. As of Tuesday, Lidstone said he was unable to get someone to come out to survey the land yet. A fire destroyed the cabin on August 4, hours after Lidstone defended himself during a court hearing. He was released from jail the next day after the judge ruled that he would have less incentive to return to 'this particular place in the woods,' now that the cabin had burned down. Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache said the fire was caused by accident. He said a representative of Giles who was starting to demolish the cabin on Aug. 4 disabled solar panels, which still had electrical charge in them. He also used a power saw to cut into metal supports that held the panels onto the roof. Either action could have created sparks to start making things smoke. 'What can I say, Dave is where he is happiest the most,' Jodie Gedeon, a kayaker who has known Lidstone for years, posted on Facebook. 'He loves to be in nature and what you'd call a free bird. ... We are still planning to build or purchase a home in the spring.' Reports of a staff exodus from Vice President Kamala Harris' office is coming to fruition at the start of 2022 as staffer Vince Evans prepares to take on a new role with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Evans will replace Kyle Anderson, who left in October, as the CBC's next executive director, meaning he will work closely with the group's chairwoman, Representative Joyce Beatty from Ohio. 'I started my career in Washington working for a member of the CBC, so I know firsthand the tremendous leadership and impact this caucus has in Congress and across the country,' Evans said in a statement. 'As we write the next chapter of the CBC story, I am excited for the opportunity to lend my experience and passion for supporting the collective vision of this storied caucus.' The departure comes as several staffers leave the vice president's office amid reports that she facilitates a toxic workplace. Harris' job approval rating is at 32 per cent, according to a new USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Tuesday. While that is a terrible rating, it is a 4 per cent increase from the November poll where her approval was at only 28 per cent. Vince Evans (right) confirmed he is leaving Vice President Kamala Harris' (left) office to take on an executive director role with the Congressional Black Caucus Fellow Harris staffer Peter Velz tweeted his congratulations to Evans Velz (left) is reported to be eyeing the exits from Harris' office as well. He is pictured here with Evans in an image posted to Twitter Tuesday Fellow Harris staffer Peter Velz wrote in a tweet Tuesday of Evans' new position: 'Congrats to the absolute KING and MVP of Team VP! Adore this man one of the best colleagues and friends you can ask for.' 'I'm so happy to see you continue fighting the good fight and go do great things with the Congressional Black Caucus. Love you, [Vince Evans]!' he added along with a picture of them together. Reports revealed that Velz, currently director of press operations for Harris, has also told those in the vice president's office that he plans to leave. As Evans joins the CBC, there are already seven members of the 56-member caucus who have said they will not run for reelection in this year's midterms. This includes veteran members and Democratic Representatives Brenda Lawrence from Michigan and Bobby Rush from Illinois, the only lawmaker to ever beat Barack Obama in a political election. Other CBC members seeking other offices include Representatives Karen Bass from California, Anthony Brown from Maryland and Val Demings from Florida all Democrats. In his new role, Evans will work closely with the CBC Chairwoman Rep. Joyce Beatty As of Wednesday morning, 25 House Democrats announced they will not seek reelection this year as the party tries to hold onto their razor thin majorities in both chambers. Evans, in his new role with CBC, will function as a chief of staff for one of Congress' most influential caucuses. His duties will include overseeing daily activities and working with members and their top aides to coordinate and implement priorities and legislative agenda. A Florida native, Evans began his political career as an aide to a Tallahassee city commissioner, was a staffer in the Florida state Senate and served on the senior staff of Florida Representative Al Lawson. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Evans was Southern political director for Joe Biden and was political director for Harris when she became the vice presidential nominee. The departure of Evans comes as Harris' chief spokesperson Symone Sanders also left the vice president's office at the end of last month. Her exit followed that of Ashley Etienne, Harris' former communications director, who left in November. Officials maintain Sanders and Etienne's departures were long-planned and not evidence of the reported turmoil. Further, reports note that Sanders is getting married next year and was never able to go on a proper tour to sell her book, No, You Shut Up, which was published in May 2020. Sanders, 32, defended her former boss in an interview published Monday in her hometown newspaper Omaha World-Herald, claiming it was the 'honor of her life' to serve Vice President Harris. 'She is someone who I watch every single day bring her full self to work,' Sanders said. 'I watch her challenge her teams, I watch her push us all to be better. She added: 'I watch her raise issues and perspectives and topics and policy that other people other folks just weren't thinking about.' Sanders called the reports and rumors of dysfunction in Harris' office just 'salacious gossip.' When announcing her departure last year, many took Sanders' exit as further evidence that Harris's office was in disarray, amid headlines of a toxic work environment and an exodus of key personnel. Some stories, however, pointed the finger at Sanders. Two unidentified sources told The Hill that the spokeswoman was seen as a rival to Harris's communications director, and that she was the 'voice in numerous blind quotes about friction in the office.' The Washington Post published a damaging expose in December branding Harris a 'bully' who inflicted 'constant-soul destroying criticism' on her office staff. The piece - a result of interviews with 18 people connected to the VP - alleges that Harris failed to read briefings they'd prepared, only to turn on them if she was subsequently criticized for being unprepared. The claims from staff who worked for Harris were published amid confirmed departures of two high level staffers, with two others who are said to be heading for the door too. 'It's clear that you're not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,' a former colleague told the Washington Post. 'With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. 'So you're constantly sort of propping up a bully and it's not really clear why.' Harris's staffers Meanwhile, Gil Duran, who worked with Harris for just five months in 2013 before quitting, said the vice president was 'repeating the same old destructive patterns.' Symone Sanders (left), Harris' senior adviser and chief spokesperson, left the White House at the end of 2021. It came after Ashley Etienne (right), Harris' former communications director, left in November Writing in his San Francisco Examiner column, he said: 'One of the things we've said in our little text groups among each other is what is the common denominator through all this and it's her.' 'One of the things we've said in our little text groups among each other is what is the common denominator through all this and it's her,' Duran told the Post. 'Who are the next talented people you're going to bring in and burn through and then have (them) pretend they're retiring for positive reasons.' People familiar with the conversations told Politico that even more 'key members of Harris' orbit' are 'eyeing the exits' and have expressed interest in leaving less than a year into her vice presidency. Some Democratic allies have urged Harris to embrace the concept of a reset after a rocky first year as vice president, which has been riddled with project failures like addressing the southern border crisis and reports of tensions between her team and the president's. Her poll ratings have tanked, with top Democrats said to be appalled at the idea of her running for president in 2024 should Joe Biden decide not to seek a second term. Harris' staff are leaving because they're burned out, there are better opportunities elsewhere and they don't want to be permanently branded a 'Harris person,' according to Axios. Harris tamped down rumors of tension as she addressed Sanders' departure during a gaggle on her trip to North Carolina last month. 'I love Symone,' the vice president said. 'And I mean that sincerely.' 'I can't wait to see what she will do next. I know that it's been three years jumping on and off planes, going around the country ' Harris continued. Sanders joined President Joe Biden's presidential campaign in 2019. Harris declined to answer further questions on the wave of departures. 'Well, I told you how I feel about Symone,' Harris said. During the trip, Harris' personal aide, Opal Vadhan, posted a photo of the VP's team all smiling as they celebrated the birthday of Deputy Director of Advance, Juan Ortega. 'A favorite tradition in the @VP's office is celebrating staff birthdays with cupcakes! Happy Birthday, @JuanoBano!' she wrote. Harris was in Charlotte, North Carolina to tour a public transit facility and give a speech on the bipartisan infrastructure bill alongside Pete Buttigieg, her rumored competition. She hugged the Transportation secretary before they both boarded Air Force Two. Buttigieg then took questions from a gaggle of reporters on the plane alone. Amid poll numbers in the high 20s, some Democrats are pushing for Buttigieg to replace Harris at the top of the ticket in 2024, should Biden choose not to run for a second term. The White House insists Biden plans to run again, but he will be 82 in 2024. In November, Harris hit back at claims she is being misused as vice president, saying she doesn't feel like she's being under utilized by Biden and dismissed her low approval ratings which plummeted to 28 per cent in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of registered voters earlier this month. 'Polls, they go up, they go down,' Harris said. 'But I think what is most important is that we remain consistent with what we need to do to deal with the issues that we're presented with at this moment.' No announcement has been made on whether Sanders has lined up another job, sparking questions over the circumstances surrounding her departure. Harris in recent weeks has battled mounting reports that her office is in disarray, and that her team is frustrated at being handed 'no-win' tasks that don't suit her skillset, such as tackling the 'root causes' of migration behind the recent border crisis. Asked if the staff departures were prompted by bad headlines for Harris, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that working in the first year of an administration is 'grueling and exhausting.' 'It's natural for staffers who've thrown their heart and soul into a job to be ready to move on after a few years,' she said. Praising Sanders' work in the administration, Psaki said the spokeswoman 'has charisma coming out of her eyeballs.' 'It's natural for staffers who have thrown their heart and soul into a job to be ready to move on to a new challenge after a few years,' Psaki said. Sanders traveled frequently with Harris and as a senior adviser helped her juggle a daunting portfolio including the migrant issue and push for a sweeping federal overhaul of election laws. Harris has suffered plunging approval ratings since taking office, threatening what would normally be an easy path to the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, or 2024 if Biden decides not to seek re-election at age 81. Amid the turbulence, Sanders has been Harris' top bulldog defender, batting back at claims of internal disarray and tension with the West Wing. Last month, Sanders was the first to respond to a detailed CNN report in which Harris aides complained that she has been set up to fail, and handed a portfolio that is not commensurate with her historic status as the first woman, and first woman of color, to hold the vice president's office. 'They're consistently sending her out there on losing issues in the wrong situations for her skill set,' said a former high-level Harris aide in the bombshell report. Sanders fired back in a statement: 'It is unfortunate that after a productive trip to France in which we reaffirmed our relationship with America's oldest ally and demonstrated U.S. leadership on the world stage, and following passage of a historic, bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create jobs and strengthen our communities, some in the media are focused on gossip - not on the results that the President and the Vice President have delivered.' Amid the turbulence, Sanders (right) has been Harris' top bulldog defender, batting back at claims of internal disarray and tension with the West Wing An official in the vice president's office pointed out to Politico that Sanders, a former Biden campaign aide, had been working for the administration in some capacity for three years, and said that Biden and Harris had known of her departure 'for a while'. Etienne's plan to leave was confirmed on November 18. 'Ashley is valued member of the Vice President's team, who has worked tirelessly to advance the goals of this administration. She is leaving the office in December to pursue other opportunities,' a White House official told DailyMail.com at the time. Both Harris and Biden have vehemently denied that there is any tension between them, denying reports that are mostly based on the accounts of anonymous staffers. The White House went full throat with their defense of her after a CNN report claimed Biden was distancing himself from Harris because of her sliding poll numbers, while the vice president is said to have felt isolated and frustrated with being given some of the most difficult issues for the administration in her portfolio. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain tweeted Harris is an 'incredible leader' and Psaki argued Harris receives more criticism because of her status as a woman of color. Harris is the country's first female vice president and the first vice president of color. The president has publicly said he intends to run again, although pundits say that announcing he intends to step down after a single term would turn him into a lame duck leader. But there has been anonymous chatter among Democrats that, if he does, he should consider replacing Harris. There's additional speculation that if he doesn't run again, Harris would not be the strongest contender to replace him. Some have suggested Buttigieg would be a better candidate for the nomination. A Politico/Morning Consult poll at the end of 2021 showed the transportation secretary with a higher favorability rating than both Biden and Harris whom he led by 12 points. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for railway construction to connect Gangneung and Jejin of Gangwon Province, a part of the inter-Korean railroad connection project based upon the 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration adopted by Moon and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, held at Jejin Station in Goseong, Gangwon Province, Wednesday. Yonhap Pyongyang fires ballistic missile into sea off east coast By Jung Da-min The Moon Jae-in government is making last-ditch efforts for progress on its inter-Korean peace drive before President Moon's term ends in about five months, but Pyongyang is remaining unresponsive to Seoul's continued calls for dialogue. Rather, North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday morning, marking this year's first missile launch. This launch coincided with Moon's attendance at a groundbreaking ceremony for the railroad construction to connect Gangneung and Jejin of Gangwon Province, a part of the inter-Korean railroad connection project based upon the 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration adopted by Moon and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un. According to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), North Korea fired a projectile presumed to be a ballistic missile at around 8:10 a.m. into the sea off its east coast from Jagang Province. The JCS said the South Korean and U.S. militaries are currently analyzing details of the missile launch but are yet to provide further details such as range or speed of the missile. Some defense watchers said the timing of the North's latest missile launch was rather unexpected, as they had forecast no missile launches until after February's Beijing Winter Olympics. But others said it was not a surprise as the North has repeatedly said it would continue developing missiles and nuclear weapons and that such weapons development requires continued tests. Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said Pyongyang seemed to be assured that its missile launch would not bring strong opposition from China, while the Olympics event itself has failed to draw big attention internationally amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation. "The missile launch could also be used as a bargaining chip when the North engages in negotiations with the South's next government after the South elects a new president in March," Shin said. "There have been many signs of economic hardships in the North including the news that Kim Jong-un gave fish to Pyongyang residents as presents. In that respect, the missile launch is also aimed at strengthening internal solidarity among the people of North Korea." Moon Sung-mook, a senior researcher at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said the weapons development is the only "successful" policy that the North Korean leader could promote as his administrative achievement, while the country is apparently suffering an agriculture crisis based on reports by media and international organizations. "There was no message from Kim Jong-un toward South Korea or the U.S. in the ruling Workers' Party of Korea plenum in late December. Pyongyang has been remaining unresponsive to the Moon government's call for an end-of-war declaration and the latest missile launch is just another sign that there are no changes in Pyongyang's stance on the matter, that they want withdrawal of what they call hostile policies by South Korea and the U.S. such as joint military drills. But the U.S. government has said the U.S.-South Korea joint drills in March would be conducted as scheduled," Moon said. "Besides, when China and Russia are against adopting any additional sanctions against North Korea, the United Nations Security Council is not likely to put additional sanctions against Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un would find it as good timing, when the South's Moon government is also trying not to offend the North to keep the momentum for dialogue." President Moon Jae-in and other officials applaud during a groundbreaking ceremony for a railway construction project to connect Gangneung and Jejin of Gangwon Province, a part of the inter-Korean railroad connection project based upon the 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration adopted by Moon and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, held at Jejin Station in Goseong, Gangwon Province, Wednesday. Yonhap The 'skull' of a female prisoner who was hanged for forging a 1 note in 1800 has been stolen from one of Britain's most haunted pubs. The Golden Fleece, based in York, North Yorkshire, has now launched an appeal to track down the grim artefact, after it was allegedly pinched on Sunday evening. The skull, said to be a replica of centuries' old prisoner Elizabeth Johnson's, had been on display in a special case at the 518-year-old pub, which brands itself the most haunted in the city. Elizabeth visited the pub, which was an inn at the time, regularly before she was hanged in August 1800 after being found guilty of using a forged 1 banknote - worth 89 today - with intent to defraud the Bank of England. The pub put out an appeal on social media, revealing how Elizabeth had been 'removed' from her 'resting place'. Social media users were initially concerned that it had been displaying human remains in the first place - but the business assured punters the skull was a replica. The Golden Fleece, based in York, North Yorkshire, has now launched an appeal to track down the grim artefact (pictured), after it was allegedly pinched on Sunday evening. Social media users were initially concerned that the pub had been displaying human remains in the first place - but the business assured punters the skull was a replica Sign above skull replica reads: 'Here the skull Elizabeth Johnson executed York 1800' Is this the ghost of The Golden Fleece landlord who hanged himself? Spooky figure of a man is pictured in supposedly haunted bar Spooky image appears to show figure of a man standing behind the bar Ghost hunters in 2015 claimed they had photographed the spirit of a former landlord at The Golden Fleece who hanged himself. Workers at the pub said they had felt their necks tighten while working behind the bar, and seen glasses mysteriously swept off shelves with no explanation. And when a team of paranormal investigators visited, supernatural specialist Susanne Taggart claimed to have caught the dead landlord's ghost on camera for the first time. The image appears to show the shadow of a man behind the bar, even though there is no source of light pointing in the right direction. Ms Taggart, 51, said: 'It was very dark and it clearly is the lurking shape of big person as you can see the head and shoulders, but the only person in the shot was the girl behind the bar and you can see her on the left. She confirmed to us that no one else was there with her. Discovery: Ghost hunters Steve and Susanne Taggart who captured the bizarre sight . They are pictured with former Most Haunted star Jason Karl (right) 'There was a kitchen door behind the figure but it is completely obscured by this shadow. None of us could believe it. Quite a few people in our group were shook by the photo and we found it very unsettling.' She added: 'Despite it being very creepy, I thought there must be a rational explanation. However, a friend of mine analysed the picture and said that there was no light penetrating the shadow, it was just a dense black shape. That was very unsettling. 'This is the one piece of footage we have ever found that we are not able to debunk. There is no explanation that I can think of.' During the evening's investigation the team felt sudden cold chills in some areas of the building, and a child's voice was heard at one point. A spokesman for the Golden Fleece, which was once featured on TV show Most Haunted, said: 'It is no surprise that people who live and work in the Golden Fleece have some hair-raising tales to tell. In fact several of them have described how their hair was pulled as if by invisible hands. 'There are a number of accounts of staff who have felt a sudden tightening around their neck while standing at the bar - the very bar where, it is said, an earlier landlord hanged himself. 'In addition to these sightings there have been numerous other disturbing occurrences reported over the years - doors banging, mysterious footsteps on the stairs, strange lights, cold spots and temperature changes, candles that light themselves, beds that move and doors that slam.' Landlord Steph Yates added: 'The most scary thing is that the ceiling above the bar is a false ceiling and there is a hook hidden above there - that is where the landlord is supposed to have hanged himself.' Advertisement The Golden Fleece posted their appeal to bring Elizabeth 'back to her rightful home' on Monday afternoon, writing: 'Help needed. Unfortunately over the course of last night/today someone has taken it upon themselves to remove Elizabeth from her resting place. 'This is beyond us why anyone would want to take her and we sincerely hope the culprit had a lapse of judgement and will return her to us ASAP. 'We are currently looking through all our CCTV in order to hand it over. 'Please contact us if you have any information on her whereabouts to bring her back to her rightful home.' They later updated the post, adding: 'This is obviously not Elizabeth's real skull. 'We believe she frequented the Fleece when it was an Inn and this was made and donated to the owner at the time, although the entire story is not fully known. 'Thank you all for your comments, we appreciate your concern but are just trying to be reunited with our property, thanks.' The post has been shared over 600 times and almost 200 comments from shocked Facebook users. One said: 'Unbelievable. Hope Elizabeth is returned to her rightful resting place ASAP. 'Someone must know which lowlife took her.' Another said: 'My god why would anyone think it's a great idea to take her. 'No morals, no respect, hope she does her worst and makes their life hell so they return her.' One added: 'This has knocked me sick. Why on earth would anyone do something like that? 'Some people (I use that term very loosely) have absolutely no morals whatsoever. I really hope you get her back', while another said: 'I hope she haunts whoever's taken her.' Elizabeth Johnson was a frequent visitor to the Golden Fleece pub during her lifetime. She was found guilty of 'uttering a forged 1 bank note with intent to defraud the Bank Of England in the parish of Pontefract on June 7th 1800'. She was subsequently hanged at Knavesmire in York on August 23 1800. This was believed to be the last execution to take place there. The Golden Fleece has a long history of spooks and spectres, with fifteen separate sightings of ghosts wandering around the premises. One of these is supposedly Lady Alice Peckett - the wife of John Peckett - former owner of the establishment and mayor of York in the early 1700s. Other alleged apparitions include a 16th-17th century redcoat called One Eyed Jack, a WWII Canadian airman and even Roman soldiers in the cellar. Ghost hunters in 2015 claimed they had photographed the spirit of a former landlord at The Golden Fleece who hanged himself. Workers at the pub said they had felt their necks tighten while working behind the bar, and seen glasses mysteriously swept off shelves with no explanation. And when a team of paranormal investigators visited, supernatural specialist Susanne Taggart claimed to have caught the dead landlord's ghost on camera for the first time. The image appears to show the shadow of a man behind the bar, even though there is no source of light pointing in the right direction. Ms Taggart, 51, said: 'It was very dark and it clearly is the lurking shape of big person as you can see the head and shoulders, but the only person in the shot was the girl behind the bar and you can see her on the left. She confirmed to us that no one else was there with her. 'There was a kitchen door behind the figure but it is completely obscured by this shadow. None of us could believe it. Quite a few people in our group were shook by the photo and we found it very unsettling.' Britain is dotted with centuries' old pubs, many of which claim to have ghosts living on their grounds. A pub last month shared CCTV footage which 'showed a ghost smashing a pint glass.' A post appealing for the return of the skull replica received hundreds of shares online Elizabeth visited the pub, which was an inn at the time, regularly before she was hanged in August 1800 after being found guilty of using a forged 1 banknote - worth 89 today - with intent to defraud the Bank of England The Golden Fleece posted their appeal to bring Elizabeth 'back to her rightful home' on Monday afternoon Liz Allcock, landlady at The Longs Arms in South Wraxall, Wiltshire, was talking to a customer when a Guinness pint glass sitting at the back of a low shelf spontaneously smashed, with pieces of glass flying through the air. The incident, which was captured on the pub's CCTV, shows Ms Allcock's startled reaction to the supposedly paranormal event as she steps back in shock. Ms Allock and other staff were left unable to explain what happened, as it was claimed the Guinness glass was not touching or sat on top of any other glasses on the low bar shelf. Ms Allcock said her pub has seen multiple unexplained phenomena over the years. Ms Allcock's husband's Rob told WiltshireLive: 'Normally, you see things and then you look back and there's no one there. Liz Allcock, landlady at The Longs Arms in South Wraxall, Wiltshire, was talking to a customer when a Guinness pint glass sitting at the back of a low shelf spontaneously smashed 'I'll be walking through to the kitchen, which has a door that opens both ways, and it will open as if someone is on the other side, pulling it - you get used to things like that.' Rob added that a phantom child was praised once by a punter - but that the couple were actually eating alone. He also added that there is a black and white dog apparition that often makes appearances at the pub. A leading British anti-vaxxer has admitted he 'felt terrible' after going into hospital with Covid-19 - a virus which he previously claimed was just a 'common cold'. John O'Looney, of Milton Keynes, finally conceded that coronavirus was real and 'very nasty' after he was admitted to a hospital intensive care unit with it last month. The 53-year-old funeral director has become a figurehead for anti-vaxxers with his social media videos that make unproven claims about the pandemic and vaccines. He was due to help lead a controversial 'Let the UK Live' rally in the Buckinghamshire town last week alongside Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy. But Mr O'Looney caught Covid-19 two weeks ago and went into hospital, with his experience forcing him to backtrack on claims the virus is actually just a cold. However, Mr O'Looney said he would still 'urge people to avoid hospital at all costs' and that he managed to 'escape' by discharging himself against doctors' advice. John O'Looney, of Milton Keynes, was admitted to a hospital intensive care unit with Covid-19 In a written statement to his followers, shared on December 31, he wrote: 'I was initially sceptical about Covid but I can confirm its validity and it is very nasty. 'So let us make no mistake there is an enemy to face but does it require endless bouts of injections after injections after injections?' Writing about his experiences, he added: 'Very interestingly recently I was admitted to ICU in Milton Keynes hospital after developing Covid symptoms. 'I took three lateral flow tests whilst there and was told at the time I was not positive only to be told later on the ward I was positive so clearly it was inconclusive so I will say I felt and feel terrible still.' Mr O'Looney, who runs Milton Keynes Family Funeral Services, also complained that the hospital's food was 'appalling' and 'all tasted the same'. He also claimed that doctors offered him a trial drug to help him recover but he 'declined and stuck to my guns'. Mr O'Looney had to miss the rally in Milton Keynes which featured a speech from Piers Corbyn He was said to have discharged himself from hospital against doctors' advice. Mr O'Looney added: 'I feel very fortunate to have escaped hospital (I never dreamt I would have lived to say that) with the help of family and friends. 'The sinister whispering, the secrecy and the guilty looks amongst certain members of staff spoke volumes to me. 'It was honestly very chilling and traumatising just seeing how it has changed - especially when I asked to leave.' Mr O'Looney said that he was still opposed to Covid vaccines and urged parents to take their children out of school to avoid the jab. He also urged his followers not to go to hospital if they catch the virus. He told followers of his Telegram message board to avoid hospital 'at all costs' and said that going into ICU was 'the most horrific and frightening experience of my life'. Mr O'Looney said he managed to 'escape' hospital by discharging himself against doctors' advice - but said he still felt unwell more than ten days after doing so. Piers Corbyn speaks as protesters enter a theatre in Milton Keynes last week on December 29 In a 600-word message, Mr O'Looney wrote: 'I'd urge people to avoid hospital at all costs personally based on my experience in it. 'There was no emphasis on healing me at all and the focus was only on getting me to agree to as many experimental drugs as the Oxford University rep could coerce me into agreeing to take. 'In fact in the few days I was in there I met a consultant just once briefly and for the time it took him to accept I wasn't going to be a guinea pig.' He is believed to have left hospital on December 24 with the help of fellow anti-vaxxer Mark Sexton, who wrote on Facebook: 'John O'Looney is now back home with his family. We were able to get John home and into the care of a friend who is a private physician. 'A number of people were involved in making sure John was returned home safe and his care will continue accordingly by these medical professionals.' But Mr O'Looney told his followers he is still unwell. He wrote: 'I still feel poisoned in honesty and recovery is slow. 'Even walking upstairs is a drain and I'm wondering when I will begin to pick up, it's demoralising. That said I do feel better than a week ago, it's just slow going. 'But I need to get back to work and that seems a way off yet sadly. Again I'd say I actually feel like I've been poisoned - this is my thing but a natural virus and these bastards have a lot to answer for.' The anti-vaxxers also stormed a test and trace centre in Milton Keynes on Decmber 29 He has previously spoken at anti-vax events and was due to appear at a 'Freedom Rally' in Milton Keynes last week, where protestors stormed a children's pantomime and NHS test site. Since his hospital stay, Mr O'Looney has been forced to temporarily close the funeral business that he has run since 2017 'due to illness'. In a video shared with followers just weeks before he was hospitalised with Covid, Mr O'Looney claimed that the Omicron variant was actually just a cold. He said: 'We're in winter and there are colds and flus about at this time of the year. These people [who have been vaccinated] can't fight it off. 'The government were very quick to label it as Omicron, a new variant. They are sick but they are sick with basic things like the common cold.' Last week Home Secretary Priti Patel slammed the anti-vaxxers who stormed a test and trace centre in Milton Keynes, with the mob also disrupting a pantomime. Dozens of marchers entered a testing facility. and were seen damaging signs and stealing testing equipment in videos shared on social media on on December 29. The group also entered Milton Keynes Theatre during their march, with their protest seeing 'staff and patrons frightened and assaulted', the arts venue said. In a video, a group including Piers Corbyn could be seen chanting and holding signs in the theatre foyer, as a matinee performance went on inside. Mr Corbyn, the older brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, was arrested on suspicion of encouraging people to attack MPs' offices earlier this month. Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and a member of the Vaccine Task Force, told Times Radio that the group were 'crazy'. For nearly two years, Australians have been told to get a Covid test with even the mildest sniffle as daily case numbers were announced to great fanfare at press conferences, with every country in the world banned from flying into our virus-free paradise. Now, the prime minister is encouraging people to learn to live with the virus, vowing the country will never see lockdowns again and says that only the sick and close contacts of those infected should seek a PCR test. Australia's 2022 Covid roadmap has been set out by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a press conference following a National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (pictured: sunseekers enjoying the waves at Bondi Beach in Sydney) On Wednesday, Scott Morrison unveiled the next stages of Australia's approach to the pandemic, with the PM offering a vastly different tone to even a month ago when the new and highly-infectious Omicron variant first surfaced. Mr Morrison urged residents to continue to safely live their lives as normal and implemented a series of measures as a baseline safety net towards achieving that goal long-term. 'Australia is better placed than nearly any country in the world. We're in the top 10 most vaccinated OECD countries in the world. We have to keep carefully managing these issues as they present,' he said. 'There are no magic solutions, full stop. And so this virus will continue to challenge us, and it's important that we all remain calm.' Following 2022's first National Cabinet meeting, Mr Morrison outlined changes to the country's testing system which has seen severe delays in PCR results and widespread shortages of rapid antigen tests. On Wednesday, Scott Morrison (pictured) unveiled the next stages of Australia's approach to the pandemic including prioritising rapid tests and stopping counting case numbers WHAT ARE THE NEW CHANGES TO TESTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA? - 10 free Rapid Antigen Tests now available to low-income and vulnerable Australians over a three-month period - The free tests can be accessed at chemists with a concession or seniors card - PCR test no longer required to officially confirm a positive RAT result - Price gouging on RATs banned, with businesses caught doing so facing fines of up to $66,000 - The move comes after the in-demand tests were being sold for as much as $50 Advertisement The federal government will subsidise 10 RATs over a three-month period for 6.6 million low income and at-risk Australians. He resisted calls to make the tests free universally, but instead focused on vulnerable groups including those on welfare, pensions and concession cards. In another major change, Mr Morrison confirmed Australians will no longer need to seek a PCR test if they test positive on a rapid antigen test, and should count themselves as Covid positive. He said only people who are close contacts or who have Covid symptoms should be seeking PCR tests, which have been overrun by patients following Omicron's arrival. 'If you have gone along, if you are a close contact and had a rapid antigen test and it is positive, you do not need to get a PCR test to confirm that. That will take pressure off PCR testing lines,' Mr Morrison said after the emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon. This is a far cry from the early waves of the virus, particularly the deadly Delta variant, where health officials and leaders were urging anyone with the mildest cold to immediately get tested and isolate. Many premiers were trying to keep their states Covid-zero, blocking out travel from around the country and enforcing continuous lockdowns when cases arose. Mr Morrison confirmed Australians will no longer need to seek a PCR test if they test positive on a rapid antigen test, and should count themselves as Covid positive (pictured: people being tested at clinic in Adelaide) What happens if my RAT shows positive? You no longer need to obtain a PCR test. A positive rapid antigen test (RAT) result is sufficient. The PM suggested people who test positive with a RAT 'call their GP' to inform them of the positive test. You can also contact the National Coronavirus hotline on 1800 020 080. Official NSW Health advice says most fully-vaccinated people aged under 65 'can safely manage COVID-19 at home' - provided you don't suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant. 'Most people with COVID-19 will have a mild illness and will recover in a few days or so. Some people may not have any symptoms at all.' But if you develop severe symptoms (particularly severe headache or dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pressure or pain) you should call Triple Zero (000) immediately and tell the ambulance staff that you have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Advertisement Western Australia continues to alienate itself from the rest of the country with hard borders to every state despite vaccination rates climbing, with Mr Morrison confirming Mark McGowan didn't even turn up for National Cabinet. Other states have since supported the prime minister's casual approach to the virus, maintaining the country must stay open. The prime minister said officials are now constructing a system that moves away from regurgitating and even recording case numbers, rather GPs report infectious through a yet-to-be-confirmed platform. 'We're working on a system through our GPs and other processes for people to report whether they've got a positive test. The reason we want people to report is not to count numbers. It's not about counting case numbers,' Mr Morrison said. 'It's about connecting people to care. And that's why we'll be working, and with the primary health network to ensure that where people have contacted their GP and said I've got COVID, then that is a very sensible thing to do so their GP can also be in contact with them.' Australia as a whole broke another record with 64,774 total new infections on Wednesday, a near 20,000 increase on Tuesday. Mr Morrison said while Omicron is '75 per cent less severe' than Delta, Australians need to remain vigilant in the management of the virus. 'Everything that you used to do to control Delta is not how you manage Omicron. It has the advantage of being less severe but has the disadvantage of having very high levels of transmission, which gives you a big volume problem,' the PM said. The PM said only people who are close contacts or who have Covid symptoms should be seeking PCR tests, which have been overrun by patients following Omicron's arrival (pictured: man being tested at drive through testing centre in Sydney) 'Which is why we are having to change the testing arrangements, the isolation arrangements, because you don't just end up dealing with a health challenge, but you have still got the economic challenge of taking people out of the workforce and people who are doing incredibly important jobs which means putting food on the table.' Meanwhile, Hong Kong has stopped all incoming flights from Australia as Omicron cases skyrocket throughout the country. The region introduced a string of new Covid measures on Wednesday including barring flights from eight countries with high infection rates and implementing a 6pm restaurant curfew. It marks a remarkable change in fortunes for Australia, which locked out the rest of the world for 21 months due to soaring Covid cases overseas - while infections remained sparse Down Under. But now with record infection rates, Hong Kong becomes the first place to return the favour and ban flights from Australia. Hong Kong has banned travel from eight countries including Australia from Saturday for an initial period of two weeks as they look to stem cases coming from high risk countries Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's Chief Executive, announced the changes through the South China Morning Post, saying the new variant had officials deeply concerned. 'There has been rapid change in the pandemic situation which has caused us to be worried,' she said. 'We will announce today fast, decisive and precise measures to cut the transmission chains.' Ms Lam has grounded all flights from countries including Australia and the UK for two weeks as they look to supress potential infections coming into the city. Other countries in the travel ban including Canada, the USA, France, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. The suspension of flights will come into place from Saturday and last until at least January 21. The region introduced a string of new Covid measures on Wednesday including barring flights from eight countries with high infection rates and implementing a 6pm restaurant curfew (pictured, people in Hong Kong on December 30) Covid cases in NSW on Wednesday spiked to 35,054 while Victoria recorded 17,636 new infections overnight but ICU admissions in both states remain steady. Wednesday's numbers in NSW are the highest daily total recorded for any Australian state since the beginning of the pandemic - and are a large jump from the 23,131 infections announced on Tuesday. The number of people in hospital has risen to 1,491, from 1,344 reported on Tuesday. Of those, 119 are in intensive care units, an increase of 14 in 24 hours. While ICU numbers are rising, the tally is short of the peak of 244 seen in September. Victoria's hospitalisations are at 591, a jump from 516 on Tuesday, with ICU rates dropping by three to 53. Eight more people in NSW lost their lives with the virus while Victoria had 11 deaths. A pair of women who have accused former Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment reacted to the news Tuesday that the disgraced former governor will not be prosecuted for allegedly groping ex-staffer Brittany Commisso in 2020. Fellow Cuomo accusers Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis said through their attorney that while they were disappointed in the outcome, they were not surprised. 'Unfortunately, our penal laws and system frequently do not properly punish the acts of so many abusive men in power,' their lawyer Mariann Wang said in a statement. 'Cuomo's conduct was nonetheless unlawful and deeply harmful to the women who were subjected to it, as the Attorney General and Assembly found in their reports. 'My clients remain grateful for those investigations and above all to the other women who had the courage to come forward. Cuomo and men like him should not be in positions of power.' Cuomo accusers Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis said through their attorney that while they were disappointed in the outcome, they were not surprised Albany County's district attorney confirmed Tuesday that he will not be prosecuted for allegedly groping another woman at his executive mansion McGrath, 33, a former administrative assistant in Cuomo's office and Commisso's ex-colleague, says the governor, 63, ogled her body, called her and her and another co-worker 'mingle mamas' and asked about her lack of a wedding ring, per The New York Times. The ex-Cuomo staffer also alleges that the fallen politician once 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. 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. McGrath didn't say the governor made sexual contact with her, but contends that his behavior was inappropriate and constitutes sexual harassment. The Times conducted several interviews with McGrath early last year, in which she described the governor's pattern of flirtatious banter. McGrath, 33, a former administrative assistant in Cuomo's office and Commisso's ex-colleague, says the governor, 63, ogled her body, called her and her and another co-worker 'mingle mamas' and asked about her lack of a wedding ring, according to the New York Times National Grid staffer Limmiatis, meanwhile, asserts that the then-governor touched her chest multiple times during a rope line event in 2017 Limmiatis, meanwhile, a National Grid worker who says Cuomo touched her inappropriately a rope line at a 2017 event, alleges that the then-governor ran his fingers on the lettering that ran across the chest of her shirt and brushed her chest a second time after joking that he had spotted a spider. Both cases have yet to be resolved. As for Commisso's allegations, however, Cuomo could still face civil lawsuits for the alleged interaction, according to Albany County's district attorney office, who announced Tuesday that the case would no longer be pursued due to a technicality. What's more, the ruling came despite prosecutors' acknowledgement that Commisso, a former Cuomo staffer and current state worker, was 'cooperative and credible.' It's the fourth time within the past week that allegations against Cuomo have been dropped; Manhattan's district attorney said Monday that is will not file any charges against Cuomo in the nursing home scandal. Last week, prosecutors in two districts said Cuomo would not face criminal charges after two women, including a state trooper, alleged that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks. Cuomo was due to be arraigned Friday over claims he inappropriately touched Commisso, 33, in November 2020. Although Commisso reportedly sought to move forward with the case, she was told by prosecutors Monday that the case will be dropped because of the way the complaint was filed. Cuomo was due to be arraigned on Friday for allegedly groping former staffer and current state worker Brittany Commisso, 33, middle, in November 2020. McGrath is pictured on the far left. She said through an attorney she was not surprised by the Tuesday ruling Commisso was the first woman to take her claims against Cuomo to police, who charged him with a Class A misdemeanor of forcible touching over her allegation that he groped her breast in his office in November 2020. Albany County District Attorney David Soares confirmed Tuesday that the charge will not be prosecuted. The office's investigation into Cuomo is now complete. 'While many have an opinion regarding the allegations against the former Governor, the Albany County DA's Office is the only one who has a burden to prove the elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,' Soares said in a press release. 'While we found the complainant in this case cooperative and credible, after review of all the available evidence we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial. As such we have notified the Court that we are declining to prosecute this matter and requesting the charges filed by the Albany County Sheriff be dismissed.' The democratic prosecutor had hinted Monday that the complaint was concerning. 'While many have an opinion regarding the allegations against the former governor, the Albany County DA's Office is the only one who has a burden to prove the elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,' Soares said Monday. Following Soare's announcement, Commisso responded to her case falling through the cracks of the legal system. 'My disappointing experience of re-victimization with the failure to prosecute a serial sexual abuser, no matter what degree the crime committed, yet again sadly highlights the reason victims are afraid to come forward, especially against people in power,' Commisso wrote in a statement to the Times Union. 'When will our voices uniformly be accepted? Where do we go to have our rights vindicated? Unfortunately, this is just another example of where our criminal justice system needs to do better. 'To every victim out there silently suffering from sexual harassment at the hands of a powerful government official, wondering what will happen if you tell the truth, please don't let what has happened to me deter you from speaking up,' she said. Cuomo, meanwhile, has denied all of the allegations against him. His lawyer did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment. Commisso (left) is pictured with Cuomo and then-colleague McGrath in this undated photo Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin has said that Commisso's 'story changed over time.' The complaint filed by an investigator in Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple's office said evidence in the case included police BlackBerry messages, cell phone records, building security records and a text message from Cuomo's mobile phone. Soars criticized Apple for 'unilaterally and inexplicably' filing a complaint before consulting with prosecutors, and said the complaint was 'potentially defective.' Apple has contended that although the paperwork was processed quickly, he was confident the case would stick. A complaint filed by an Albany County 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 Police in October 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 D.A. said that the sheriff's one-page criminal complaint, based on Commisso's allegations were 'potentially defective.' New York's attorney general's office released a 500-page transcript of Cuomo's deposition last November that contained claims by the former politician that Commisso asked for a raise during the same month of the alleged groping. He told investigators that she asked for a raise in November 2020 after filing for divorce from her husband. According to him, she begged him for a raise and was 'upset' and fearful that she was going to lose her job because she'd filed for divorce from her local politician husband, and was worried about money. Cuomo described Commisso as 'friendly', 'chatty' and 'flirtatious' when she came to work for him during COVID-19, after her department was shut down, but said he also had 'limited contact' with her. Cuomo claimed during a sworn deposition that Commisso asked for a raise during the same month as the purported groping Cuomo described Commisso as 'friendly', 'chatty' and 'flirtatious' when she came to work for him during COVID-19 but said he also had 'limited contact' with her Commisso was the first woman to take her claims against Cuomo to police, who charged him with a Class A misdemeanor of forcible touching over her allegation that he groped her breast in his office in November 2020 The ex-governor was also let off the hook last week when Westchester District Attorney Mimi Roca said he won't face criminal charges stemming from allegations of unwanted kissing by two women, one of them a state trooper assigned to his detail. District Attorney Mimi Rocah said there was 'credible evidence' the claims were valid '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. The female state trooper said she felt 'completely violated' by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park racetrack in September 2019. According to the report, the trooper said Cuomo ran the palm of his left hand across her abdomen, to her belly button and then 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. Last August, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a 168-page report with 74,000 pieces of evidence and dozens of interviews 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 Cuomo's 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.' 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 In a second allegation probed by Rocah's 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 office's jurisdiction. 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. 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. 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 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.' Alyssa McGrath said Cuomo ogled her body, called her and her co-worker 'mingle mamas' and asked about her lack of a wedding ring as well calling her beautiful in Italian 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.' Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Cuomo, responded to McGrath's allegations by admitting he uses Italian phrases like 'ciao bella.' 'The governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead, or hand. Yes, he has posed for photographs with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like 'ciao bella',' Glavin told the Times on Friday. 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. Prince Andrew could have avoided his on-going sexual assault lawsuit if he had apologised to his accuser Virginia Giuffre Roberts years ago, sources have claimed. The second son of Britain's Queen Elizabeth is currently facing the prospect of appearing in a New York court to face the allegations, after Ms Roberts brought a civil lawsuit against him. Virginia Giuffre Roberts claims the Duke of York slept with her three times when she was 17. Andrew has repeatedly and strenuously denied the allegations over the years. 'Virginia has always just wanted the prince to acknowledge that he did something he shouldn't have, she wants him to apologize. She has never made this all about money,' a source close to Ms Roberts told the New York Post. 'I think she would have dropped this a long, long time ago had the prince said he was guilty of wrongdoing, but he's embroiled in denial which has brought him down.' Pictured: Britain's Prince Andrew seen leaving the Royal Lodge and heading to Windsor Castle in England last week. Andrew could have avoided his ongoing sexual assault lawsuit if he had apologised to his accuser years ago, sources have claimed The source's comments came after a New York Judge Lewis Kaplan said he will decide 'pretty soon' whether to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit against Andrew. The royal's lawyers argued Tuesday that he was protected by a settlement that his accuser signed in 2009. Attorney Andrew Brettler told a court hearing Virginia Giuffre had 'waived her rights' to sue other defendants in relation to alleged sex crimes committed by late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Judge Kaplan did not make an immediate ruling but appeared to express skepticism at Andrew's argument, questioning how a third party could enforce an agreement that it didn't know about when it was signed. The hearing in the civil action filed by Giuffre - also a longtime accuser of Epstein's companion, the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell - were held via video conference with the public able to listen in by telephone. Giuffre alleges Andrew also sexually abused her at the London home of Maxwell, who last week was found guilty of sex trafficking minors for Epstein. 'You would be hard pressed to find someone who Ghislaine's guilty conviction affects more than Prince Andrew,' the source told the New York Post. 'This changes everything for how we think about anyone connected to Epstein. Andrew is 61 and he's about to have a reckoning.' The Duke of York was photographed with his arm around the bare waist of then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts. In the background, Ghislaine Maxwell. Roberts claims she was forced to have sex with the royal three times. Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations Miss Roberts, 38, claims she was 17 when she slept with Andrew three times in 2001 under orders from Epstein. Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations Giuffre alleges that Epstein lent her out for sex with his wealthy and powerful associates, including to Andrew. The deal made public for the first time Monday by a New York court showed that Giuffre agreed to drop a civil claim against Epstein for $500,000. The settlement contained a provision that purports to protect 'other potential defendants' from being sued related to alleged sexual abuse committed by Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019. Brettler described it as 'unambiguous' and argued that it protected the prince from litigation. 'Miss Giuffre intended to release a broad category of individuals, including royalty, including businessmen,' Brettler said. 'She waived her rights to sue them when she entered into the 2009 release agreement and accepted the money from Mr. Epstein.' But the judge said that neither he nor Brettler could 'find any meaning at all' in the word 'potential.' Giuffre sued the prince for unspecified damages last year, alleging he sexually assaulted her in 2001 when she was 17 and a minor under American law. She says Andrew assaulted her at Epstein's home in New York, and on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands. Prince Andrew has hired Hollywood attorney Andrew Brettler (right) to represent him in the sexual assault case brought against him by his accuser and Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre Andrew's lawyer was seeking to persuade the court that his accuser, Virginia Roberts, had waived her right to sue him when she signed an earlier 370,000 ($500,000) legal settlement with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the duke's friend. The 2009 settlement between Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre was unsealed on Monday Giuffre's lawyer David Boies argued that the Epstein-Giuffre agreement was unrelated to Andrew because it was signed in Florida. 'Prince Andrew was not subject to jurisdiction,' he told judge Kaplan. Pace University law professor Bennett Gershman said he expected Kaplan to reject Andrew's stance. 'Are they saying everybody in the world is now free because of the settlement? It's a tough sell,' he told AFP news agency. Andrew, 61, has not been criminally charged. Maxwell, who introduced Andrew to Epstein in the early 1990s, faces life behind bars after being convicted by New York jurors on five counts. Epstein died aged 66 in a Manhattan jail in what New York's coroner ruled was a suicide, after being charged with child sex trafficking. Back in 2008 he was convicted of paying young girls for sexual massages in Florida but served just 13 months in jail after striking a deal with the then-state prosecutor. Andrew has rarely been seen in public since he was forced to quit the royal frontline in 2019 for failing to distance himself from Epstein. Prince Andrew is interviewed for the BBC's Newsnight in November 2019. In the interview, Andrew denied Ms Giuffre's claim that they had shared a sweaty dance at a London nightclub, saying that at the time he could not sweat due to a condition In a disastrous interview with the BBC that year, Andrew denied Giuffre's claim that they had shared a sweaty dance at a London nightclub, saying that at the time he could not sweat due to a condition related to having fought in the 1982 Falklands War. Last week, Giuffre's lawyers demanded Andrew hand over medical records proving that he cannot sweat. Andrew's legal team has accused Giuffre of seeking to profit from a 'baseless lawsuit.' If the case proceeds and Giuffre and Andrew don't settle then it could go before a jury trial, likely in the latter half of this year. On Friday, Kaplan rejected attempts by Andrew's lawyers to halt progression of the suit on the grounds that Giuffre now lives in Australia. 'Brutal' Prince Andrew court hearing 'couldn't have gone worse' for him: Duke's hopes of having case thrown out hang by a thread after judge 'made it very clear he did not accept' royal lawyers' arguments, experts say Prince Andrew's hopes of getting the case by his US sex accuser thrown out of court were hanging by a thread last night following a 'brutal' hearing in New York. A judge told the royal he would find out 'pretty soon' most likely within days if his bid to have the lawsuit dismissed would be successful. But the early signs were not good for the Queen's son after Judge Lewis Kaplan put his legal team through a bruising encounter during a make-or-break hearing in New York yesterday. One legal expert said that the hearing 'could not have gone worse' and pointed out that the fact that his lawyers were reduced to saying they 'respectfully disagree' with the judge did not bode well- adding 'respectfully disagreeing with the judge means you are about to lose.' Andrew's lawyer was seeking to persuade the court that his accuser, Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, had waived her right to sue him when she signed an earlier 370,000 ($500,000) legal settlement with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the duke's friend. Miss Roberts, 38, one of the billionaire sex offender's most high-profile victims, claims she was trafficked by him and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17. The 61-year-old prince vehemently denies the claims and says he has no recollection of even meeting her. Judge Kaplan appeared mostly dismissive of the arguments by the duke's lawyer, Andrew Brettler. He said that part of the 2009 settlement protecting 'other potential defendants' that Andrew's lawyers had appeared to be leaning on was 'unclear' and pointed to two sentences in the text that seemed to suggest it could not be used by Andrew. Judge Kaplan also pointed to language in the agreement stating it is 'not intended to be used by any other person' to protect themselves from lawsuits without the agreement of Miss Roberts and Epstein - suggesting Andrew could not rely on it. While he did not immediately rule at the end of the hearing, he made clear that he was not leaning Andrew's way as he rejected much of the reasoning offered by Mr Brettler, who said the case 'should absolutely be dismissed'. Judge Kaplan told the two sides: 'I appreciate the arguments and the passion. You'll have the decision pretty soon.' But he directed that the exchange of potential evidence in the case was to proceed as scheduled which was seen as an indication he would likely rule against Andrew's motion. Sources close to the proceedings yesterday described them as 'brutal' for Andrew. During the hour-long hearing, held via video conference due to Covid, Judge Kaplan interjected several times in Mr Brettler's arguments. He told him once: 'With all due respect, Mr Brettler, that's not a dog that's going to hunt here' and another time asked the lawyer outright: 'So what?' Prominent legal figures suggested the case had gone against Andrew following tough questioning and the skepticism from Judge Kaplan over the arguments. Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor who now works as counsel for law firm Rottenberg Lipman Rich told The Times: 'From Andrew's point of view it could not have gone worse. 'Judge Kaplan made it very clear that he did not accept the arguments that Prince Andrew's counsel was making with regard to the settlement agreement. 'There were a number of times where Andrew's counsel was reduced to saying, 'Well, I respectfully disagree.' In the courtroom, respectfully disagreeing with the judge means you are about to lose.' Lisa Bloom, a US trial lawyer who previously advised rapist Harvey Weinstein and has been following proceedings tweeted: 'Andrew wants her case thrown out on technical grounds. Judge Kaplan aggressively questioned defense on this and appeared unwilling to do it. 'I'm optimistic that Virginia will get her day in court.' Follow-up PCRs for asymptomatic Covid sufferers who test positive on lateral flow have been scrapped in a bid to ration tests. Previous guidance to confirm positive rapid tests with more accurate lab results will be removed indefinitely from January 11. The temporary change has been announced amid sky-high case numbers and unprecedented demand for testing. Under the change, people who receive a positive result on a lateral flow device (LFD) will be required to self-isolate immediately for seven days, without PCR confirmation. The UK Health Security Agency said the 'vast majority' of people with a positive LFD result can be confident they have the virus because case rates are so high. It estimates the number 'false positives' are as low as one in 3,000. However, with just under 1.5million LFD tests being conducted across the UK every day, this could still lead to thousands of people who don't have Covid needlessly having to isolate. The Government has also axed the Covid travel testing scheme brought in to fight Omicron. From 4am on Friday, fully vaccinated passengers entering the UK will not need to take pre-arrival test. Boris Johnson said Omicron is now so prevalent in the country that the measure is having limited impact on the spread of the disease. Day 2 follow-up PCRs for UK arrivals are also being scrapped and replaced by lateral flows saving people up to 60 per test. It comes at a time when services such as NHS, public transport and bin collection are struggling to cope under the weight of staff absences caused by workers having to self-isolate. Today even some NHS leaders have joined a growing chorus of voices calling for the self-isolation period to be slashed from seven days to five to prevent services from being cut-back. Confirmatory PCR tests will no longer be need for people testing positive for Covid on a lateral flow test, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed today. Pictured: UKHSA chief executive Dr Jenny Harries Under the new testing rules only people who have Covid symptoms, such as a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or change in sense of taste and/or smell should still get a PCR test, UKHSA said. Pre-arrival Covid tests scrapped for travellers coming to England Pre-departure Covid tests for travellers arriving in England are to be scrapped, Boris Johnson has announced, in a major boost for the beleaguered travel industry. In a Commons statement, the Prime Minister said the Omicron variant is now so prevalent in the country that the measure is having limited impact on the spread of the disease. He told MPs the requirement for travellers to self-isolate on arrival until they receive a negative PCR test is also being dropped. Instead, the rules will revert to the system in place in October with travellers required to take a lateral flow test no later than the end of day two after their arrival. The measures were originally introduced following the identification of the fast-spreading Omicron variant in South Africa last November. Mr Johnson told the House: 'When the Omicron variant was first identified, we rightly introduced travel restrictions to slow its arrival in our country. 'But now Omicron is so prevalent, these measures are having limited impact on the growth in cases, while continuing to pose significant costs on our travel industry. 'So I can announce that in England from 4am on Friday, we will be scrapping the pre-departure test, which discourages many from travelling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expense.' Advertisement UKHSA chief executive Dr Jenny Harries said: 'While cases of Covid continue to rise, this tried-and-tested approach means that LFDs can be used confidently to indicate Covid infection without the need for PCR confirmation. 'It remains really important that anyone who experiences Covid symptoms self-isolates immediately. They should also order a PCR test on gov.uk, or by phoning 119. 'I'm really grateful to the public and all of our critical workers who continue to test regularly and self-isolate when necessary, along with other practical and important public health behaviours, as this is the most effective way of stopping the spread of the virus and keeping our friends, families and communities safe.' UKHSA have said lateral flow devices are 80 per cent effective at detecting people with high viral loads of Covid. These people are considered to be the most infectious and therefore most likely to pass the virus on to others. Health chiefs said the change would be kept in place until Covid prevalence dips below 1 per cent. Prevalence last week was around 4 per cent according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey. UKHSA officials say only around 40 to 60 per cent of people who test positive on LFDs actually take their confirmatory PCR. Experts hailed the move as sensible given current case numbers, arguing PCR confirmations 'waste time' during infection surges. SAGE member John Edmunds, a modeller at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'This change makes a lot of sense. 'When the prevalence is high and it is incredibly high at the moment almost everyone who tests positive with a lateral flow test will be a true positive. 'There is really no need to confirm this with a PCR, a step that not only wastes time but costs a lot of money and uses up laboratory resources that could be better used elsewhere. There are down sides to this change. 'We would have slightly less information on the relative prevalence of the different variants circulating in the community, as PCR swabs undergo genotyping and sequencing, and the daily number of confirmed cases may need more careful interpretation. 'Overall, though, I think that these downsides are worth it.' Sir David Spiegelhalter, chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge, said: 'This seems a sensible move. 'We argued back in October that it seemed fairly pointless to do a confirmatory PCR after a positive lateral flow test. 'This is even more true now: with current infection rates, a positive LFD followed by a negative PCR would still mean it was very likely that you were carrying the virus. 'PCRs are useful for surveillance, sequencing and have legal status, but if we want to focus on isolating people who are infectious, then LFDs may be adequate. But they need to be reported.' Dr Hayley Jones senior lecturer in medical statistics at the University of Bristol said assuming a positive LFD test meant you had Covid was 'sensible' but urged people not to believe that the opposite meant they were virus-free. 'At current high levels of infection in the population, it's sensible to assume you're infectious if you have a positive lateral flow test result, without a 'confirmatory' PCR,' she said. 'But it's crucial to remember that the reverse is not true: a negative lateral flow result doesn't guarantee that you don't have Covid or that you're not infectious, so it remains important to get a PCR test if you have symptoms regardless of a negative lateral flow result.' PCR AND LATERAL FLOW TESTS: THE KEY DIFFERENCES A PCR test can cost upwards of 180 per person, with the swab needing to be processed in a lab. The UK, on the other hand, favours faster tests which are not lab based and give a result within 15 minutes. These rapid coronavirus tests, known as lateral flow tests, are ones that can be done on the spot using portable equipment. They are faster and cheaper than lab-based PCR tests, which the government uses to diagnose people, but are less accurate. How accurate are lateral flows? The UK Health Security Agency estimates lateral flow tests are 80 per cent effective at detecting people with a high amount of Covid in their systems and therefore are the most likely to pass it on to others. This means that in about one in five cases a lateral flow test might fail to catch a highly contagious individual. But if this person has any Covid symptoms they should also be taking a PCR test, which are extremely sensitive. In contrast to false negatives, false positives where people test positive for Covid on a lateral flow despite not having the virus are rarer, estimated at three per 10,000 tests. Advertisement However some have slammed the decision, arguing the drop in PCR tests, which being processed in a lab can reveal more information about the Covid virus, could lead to a new variant emerging in the UK undetected. Liberal Democrat, Layla Moran MP chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Coronavirus, said: 'The Alpha variant was originally found in Kent and with hundreds of thousands of new infections in the UK daily, there is a greater chance of another variant emerging here. 'Effective sequencing and testing enabled South Africa to warn the world about Omicron and the risk of this change is that we could miss new variants that may be more deadly, infectious or resistant to vaccines.' Professor Sheila Bird, formerly programme leader of the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge said the UKHSA figure of tests being 80 per cent effective at catching highly infectious individuals was based on data from the Alpha and Delta waves. 'For transparency, results for these Omicron-era dual-testing evaluations should be placed in the public domain at the earliest opportunity,' she said. This is the second time in the pandemic that the UK has suspended confirmatory PCR testing previously doing so in January 2021 during a similar surge in Covid case numbers. On that occasion the policy lasted until March. No10 has faced repeated calls for a change to self-isolation rules and cut the self-isolation period from seven days down to five, following the example set by the US and France. Staff having to quarantine for a whole week has been cited by NHS bosses as contributing an escalating staffing crisis that has engulfed hospitals and led some to cancel routine operations. One in ten NHS employees are currently thought to be off sick or self-isolating, and Mr Johnson yesterday revealed plans are being drawn up to call in the Army if the crisis continues to worsen. One ambulance trust began asking patients with life-threatening heart attacks and strokes to get a lift to hospital because it did not have enough paramedics. Covid testing rules could be relaxed in an effort to combat the havoc wreaked on essential services across the country by thousands of key workers being stuck in self-isolation. Pictured: A deserted Waterloo Station at 08.15 yesterday morning As the number succumbing to the virus reached a record high, there were fears that staff absence due to Covid could become just as big a problem, with bin collections delayed, trains cancelled and several hospitals in Greater Manchester saying they would suspend non-urgent surgeries. Pictured: Overflowing bins in the Walton area of Liverpool Boris Johnson (pictured out running this morning) has said that he would recommend to Cabinet that Plan B restrictions stay unchanged Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation, said he would back a reduction in self-isolation to five days providing it is backed up by the science. Health minister Gillian Keegan said the NHS faced one of its 'most pressurised' winters yet Meanwhile, around a dozen hospital trusts have declared 'critical incidents' in recent days, signalling that they may struggle to deliver vital care to patients in the coming weeks because so many medics are off isolating. And last night it emerged that 17 hospitals scattered across Greater Manchester have had to start pausing non-urgent surgeries. Up to 15 per cent of staff are off sick with the virus in the worst-hit hospitals. Around 1.3million Britons are currently thought to be languishing under house arrest, as the NHS, rail services and bin collections come under severe strain. Advertisement Outgoing Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is being slammed his failure to deploy the National Guard to rescue the hundreds of motorists stranded 27 hours on I-95 in freezing conditions without food or water by blaming the 'unusual weather' for blindsiding authorities. 'We all need to be clear that this was an incredibly unusual event,' Northam said at the conference, noting that the winter storm started as rain on Monday morning, meaning the roads couldn't be pretreated the night before. But Meera and Raghavendra Rao, who were stuck on the interstate for 16 hours just 100 feet past an exit, told AP: 'Not one police (officer) came in the 16 hours we were stuck.' 'Being in the most advanced country in the world, no one knew how to even clear one lane for all of us to get out of that mess?' a frustrated Meera questioned. Yet Northam defended his decision not to activate the Virginia National Guard or declare a state of emergency, citing the difficulty of getting workers and equipment through the snow and ice to where they needed to be. He also claimed that a state of emergency, which would typically be declared hours or days before an event to create extra flexibility in responding, would have done no good. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam admitted in a press conference Tuesday afternoon that he was blindsided by the winter weather and his response was the best he could do The road originally became impassable around 8.30am Monday when six tractor-trailers jackknifed during the winter storm and triggered a chain reaction. As cars piled up along the 50-mile stretch of the I-95 just south of Washington, DC, temperatures dipped into the teens and twenties, covering the roads in a sheet of ice The road originally became impassable around 8.30am Monday when six tractor-trailers jackknifed in the winter storm and triggered a chain reaction, causing a day-long pile-up along the 50-mile stretch of the I-95 just south of Washington, DC. As the day drew on and temperatures plummeted into the teens and twenties, unusually heavy snowfall then dumped nearly a foot of snow onto the road and other vehicles lost control and blocked lanes in both directions of I-95. Cars didn't begin to move freely down the interstate until late Tuesday afternoon, after some travelers had already spent more than a day stranded in their vehicles without basic needs, bathrooms or the National Guard to help them. Northam reassured at the conference that he understood the drivers' 'frustration and fear' but did not mention why he didn't employ the military reserve to help anyone. Northam had put the Guard on stand by, but said deploying them would not have been an 'immediate solution' to the crisis. 'Remember that our guard members have day jobs. In fact, as you all remember last January 6, we sent the National Guard to help at the Capitol after the insurrection, but it was the next day before they were able to arrive.' The roads were covered with a sheet of ice on Tuesday as temperatures dipped into the teens and twenties overnight - which is expected to happen again on Wednesday A fire engine rested on the side of the road after sliding off in Tuesday's icy conditions Hundreds of motorists were stuck in the snow for more than 27 hours along a 50-mile stretch of I-95 in Virginia after a crash involving six tractor-trailers As of 3.30pm Monday, Virginia State Police had responded to more than 2,000 calls for service due to treacherous road conditions There were no reported deaths or injuries from the calamity on I-95 but plenty of outrage from motorists, some of whom were stranded overnight Monday into Tuesday, remained unsatisfied with the governor. Earlier in the day, it appeared as though Northam was simply hoping the sun would help melt the snow and clear traffic. 'Sunlight is expected to help @VaDOT clear the road,' he said on Twitter. But Jim DeFede, who had been stuck on the interstate just south of Quantico for 24 hours, called I-95 'a complete parking lot' on Tuesday morning and was growing angry as others were getting desperate. 'We have to find a way to get national guard here. Diabetics and babies down here. People are going die here,' a friend told NBC's Joe Scarborough. DeFede took to Twitter to share that his woes were only answered by notifications that emergency personnel were on their way but no one seemed to follow through on the promise until hours later. 'I don't know who's in charge but somebody better do something because there are cars and families just trapped here this entire time and nobody seems to be coming. I haven't seen a state trooper in at least 12 hours. I haven't seen a tow truck in at least 14 hours,' DeFede said in a video posted to Twitter. The snowstorm dumped nearly a foot of snow onto the roads, causing drivers to get stuck without food, water and gas for more than 19 hours and counting The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) confirmed both directions of I-95 remained shut down between Ruther Glen, Virginia, in Caroline County and exit 152 in Dumfries, Prince William County, as of Tuesday morning Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said that the state police, Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) have 'been working throughout the night' More than 400,000 customers remained without electricity on Tuesday as travelers remained stranded on I-95 In the Fredericksburg area, some of the drivers who were stranded on Monday by the severe weather conditions still reported that they were stuck as of sunrise on Tuesday - some due to disabled trucks People were seen getting out of their car to stretch their legs after being stranded in their cars overnight Four hours later he said: 'I'm free - sort of. Prince William Fire Rescue guided the cars and trucks back to an newly opened exit and then I was routed North on I95. Now I'm trying to get off 95 and figure out my next move. But thank you to the Fire Rescue folks. Much appreciated.' The I-95 opened back up just after 9.30pm Tuesday. Meanwhile, furious travelers were even asking if governor-elect Glenn Youngkin could be sworn into office before he was originally scheduled to on January 15, as they called Northam an 'embarrassment of a governor' and a 'fool' for not sending out the National Guard. 'Youngkin hasn't been sworn in yet. Come back in about ten days and if those people are still stranded I bet he'll do something about it,' one person tweeted. Northam seemingly went missing after a single tweet about deploying state and local emergency personnel was posted at 8.17am. It wasn't until around noon on Tuesday that the temperature reached above freezing and the icy conditions began to melt away. Dozens of others spoke out, saying they were hungry and cold without the proper supplies while expressing their frustrations that the National Guard was not being deployed to help them People on Twitter called Northam an 'embarrassment of a governor' and a 'fool' for not sending out the National Guard to help drivers who have been stranded in their cars without food or water for nearly 24 hours A day after the crash, people are now wondering if governor-elect Glenn Youngkin could be sworn into office before he was originally scheduled to on January 15 People, including former VP candidate and Virginia State Senator Tim Kaine, grew worried as they approached nearly a full 24 hours stuck in their car without food and water Off the roads, some 220 passengers aboard Amtrak's Crescent 20, which departed from New Orleans on Sunday morning, have yet to arrive at New York City more than three days later due to the effects of snowstorm Frida and Covid staff shortages. The train stopped in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Monday morning due to trees falling on the track and stayed there for more than 40 hours. Passengers were stuck on the train for so long that toilets overflowed, food began running out and travelers did their best to stay sane during the hellish delay. The Crescent 20 eventually departed Lynchburg on Tuesday, at 5pm, and made its way to Washington DC, where it has remained Tuesday night before merging with another train on Wednesday morning in Baltimore. The train is scheduled to arrive in New York City's Penn Station this Wednesday afternoon. The storm, which caused major delays aboard other Amtrak trains and on the road in Virginia's I-95 highway, was only part of the problem, the other being a communication's failure by Amtrak amid staffing shortages caused by Covid-19. Passengers also complained about being left in the dark, with little information about what was happening. Lavita Booker, who has been documenting her journey on Facebook, said Amtrak simply dropped the ball and failed her and the other passengers aboard the Crescent 20. 'There's over 200 and some people on this train. We are stuck. We've been stuck for 22 hours. This is totally ridiculous,' she said during her stay in Lynchburg. Booker posted a follow-up video as the train finally started moving as she knocked on wood, hoping to make it to Washington DC. Her third video showed her rejoicing at a hotel in the capitol, saying she would take a long bath and rest up for the journey to come on Wednesday. Sean Thorton also told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they were without food, functioning toilets and desperate for information from the railroad as to what would happen next. 'All we've been told is there are trees on the tracks preventing us from moving forward,' Thornton said on Tuesday when the train was stuck in Lynchburg. 'Nobody has eaten for about 20 hours and the toilets in coach are completely backed up. The snack bar sold out of food yesterday. Passengers have been banned from leaving the train. 'We would all be more comfortable just knowing whatever Amtrak knows about the number of trees on the tracks, stations the train can move to, information like that,' added Thornton, who is traveling with a child. Snow storm Frida knocked down trees on top of railways in Virginia on Monday, causing Amtrak trains to stall, with the Crescent 20 trip going from 30 hours to more than 74 hours Passengers were trapped for so long they were reduced to creating arts and crafts projects Sir Patrick Stewart decided against reading the following six sonnets - including five which are part of the Dark Lady sonnets from 127 to 154: Sonnet 66 Tired with all these, for restful death I cry, As to behold desert a beggar born, And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity, And purest faith unhappily forsworn, And gilded honour shamefully misplaced, And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted, And right perfection wrongfully disgraced, And strength by limping sway disabled And art made tongue-tied by authority, And folly, doctor-like, controlling skill, And simple truth miscalled simplicity, And captive good attending captain ill: Tired with all these, from these would I be gone, Save that, to die, I leave my love alone. Sonnet 131 Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art, As those whose beauties proudly make them cruel; For well thou know'st to my dear doting heart Thou art the fairest and most precious jewel. Yet, in good faith, some say that thee behold, Thy face hath not the power to make love groan; To say they err I dare not be so bold, Although I swear it to myself alone. And to be sure that is not false I swear, A thousand groans, but thinking on thy face, One on another's neck, do witness bear Thy black is fairest in my judgment's place. In nothing art thou black save in thy deeds, And thence this slander, as I think, proceeds. Sonnet 133 For that deep wound it gives my friend and me! Ist not enough to torture me alone, But slave to slavery my sweetst friend must be? Me from myself thy cruel eye hath taken, And my next self thou harder hast engrossed: Of him, myself, and thee I am forsaken; A torment thrice three-fold thus to be crossed. Prison my heart in thy steel bosoms ward, But then my friends heart let my poor heart bail; Whoeer keeps me, let my heart be his guard; Thou canst not then use rigour in my jail: And yet thou wilt; for I, being pent in thee, Perforce am thine, and all that is in me. Sonnet 134 So now I have confessed that he is thine, And I my self am mortgaged to thy will, Myself Ill forfeit, so that other mine Thou wilt restore to be my comfort still: But thou wilt not, nor he will not be free, For thou art covetous, and he is kind; He learned but surety-like to write for me, Under that bond that him as fast doth bind. The statute of thy beauty thou wilt take, Thou usurer, that putst forth all to use, And sue a friend came debtor for my sake; So him I lose through my unkind abuse. Him have I lost; thou hast both him and me: He pays the whole, and yet am I not free. Sonnet 135 Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will, And Will to boot, and Will in over-plus; More than enough am I that vexed thee still, To thy sweet will making addition thus. Wilt thou, whose will is large and spacious, Not once vouchsafe to hide my will in thine? Shall will in others seem right gracious, And in my will no fair acceptance shine? The sea, all water, yet receives rain still, And in abundance addeth to his store; So thou, being rich in Will, add to thy Will One will of mine, to make thy large will more. Let no unkind, no fair beseechers kill; Think all but one, and me in that one Will. Sonnet 136 If thy soul check thee that I come so near, Swear to thy blind soul that I was thy Will, And will, thy soul knows, is admitted there; Thus far for love, my love-suit, sweet, fulfil. Will, will fulfil the treasure of thy love, Ay, fill it full with wills, and my will one. In things of great receipt with ease we prove Among a number one is reckoned none: Then in the number let me pass untold, Though in thy stores account I one must be; For nothing hold me, so it please thee hold That nothing me, a something sweet to thee: Make but my name thy love, and love that still, And then thou lovest me for my name is Will. Sonnet 144 Two loves I have of comfort and despair, Which like two spirits do suggest me still: The better angel is a man right fair, The worser spirit a woman colourd ill. To win me soon to hell, my female evil, Tempteth my better angel from my side, And would corrupt my saint to be a devil, Wooing his purity with her foul pride. And whether that my angel be turned fiend, Suspect I may, yet not directly tell; But being both from me, both to each friend, I guess one angel in another's hell: Yet this shall I ne'er know, but live in doubt, Till my bad angel fire my good one out. A group of men accused of stabbing and robbing a father-of-one for his Gucci bag 'mocked and ridiculed' him as he lay dying, a court heard today. Ryan O'Connor was attacked when a gang-of-five allegedly spotted his 'manbag' on an evening trip to the shops in Newport. The 26-year-old suffered a wound to the heart and died from stab wounds minutes after being attacked at on June 10. Lewis Aquilina, 20, Elliott Fiteni, 20, Kyle Rasis, 18, Ethan Strickland, 19, and Joseph Jeremy, 17, all from Cardiff, are accused of Mr O'Connor's murder, manslaughter and robbery. Michael Brady QC, prosecuting, told a trial at Newport Crown Court that Mr O'Connor's death was a 'murder that arose out of a robbery' and that all five defendants were responsible. He said at least two of the men stabbed Mr O'Connor using large, machete-like knives - one of the wounds piercing his heart - then drove off at speed, laughing as they went. But after taking a wrong turn, they 'doubled back and the driver slowed down, not out of any concern for Mr O'Connor, but to mock and ridicule him.' Jeremy, the youngest defendant, was said to have tried to live-stream his arrest, and jurors were told they would be played footage recorded on his phone taken while the men were in the car. Four men and a teenager have gone on trial at Newport Crown Court accused of murdering Ryan O'Connor and robbing him of his Gucci bag Ryan was a popular character known as Apple on the Alway estate in Newport, the court heard. Mr Brady told the jury: 'All five travelled from Cardiff to Newport in a Ford Fiesta stolen in the early hours of the same day, and on seeing Mr O'Connor wearing a Gucci man bag decided to rob him. 'At least two defendants left the car armed with newly bought knives used to attack and kill Mr O'Connor. 'The driver of the car was unfamiliar with the area and he drove up Vaughan Williams Drive, a cul-de-sac. They then had to turn around and drive back past the fatally wounded Mr O'Connor who was being tended to by members of the public. 'The driver slowed the car down, not out of any concern for Mr O'Connor, but to mock and ridicule him. Laughter was heard coming from within.' The prosecution said one of the witnesses to be called in the trial would be a woman whose flat overlooked the roundabout and who went to help Mr O'Connor after witnessing the attack from her window. Mr Brady said the woman would say she heard the men laughing as they drove past and shouted at them that they were 'disgusting'. People in the area made a note of the stolen car's registration number and 45 minutes later police began a high-speed pursuit of the men after the driver refused to stop, the prosecution added. The jury was told the officers deployed a stinger to deflate the car's tyres and the men crashed in Pentwyn, Cardiff. The men then fled but were arrested after a foot chase. They were shown photos of the teenager with Rasis and Strickland posing with knives said to be 'identical' to those used to kill Mr O'Connor prior to the attack. Mr Brady said telephone evidence revealed the three had a 'significant interest in bladed weapons'. Police search the scene in Newport, where Ryan O'Connor was allegedly stabbed by the men Forensic evidence was said to link Jeremy to one of the knives as well as to a cigarette found inside the stolen Gucci bag. Meanwhile Rasis, it was said, could be linked to the second knife discovered in the car, while Mr O'Connor's blood was found on Aquilina's trousers and right trainer. Mr Brady said there was no evidence to suggest the defendants knew Mr O'Connor, but the prosecution believed they travelled to Newport to commit crime and on seeing Mr O'Connor, decided to rob him. He said: 'The Crown cannot say whether that was the plan, or it was agreed en route, but what is clear is the defendants left Cardiff armed with three knives and travelled in a stolen car on cloned number plates. 'They were in possession of gloves and balaclavas in the middle of June and all defendants were aware of the knives. They would have been very large and conspicuous in a car containing five men. 'Once they chose their target, Mr O'Connor was dealt with swiftly and brutally.' Mr O'Connor's injuries included a 13cm stab wound that pierced his lung and heart and damaged two rib bones. He received another deep wound through his right back muscles and slash wounds to his hands, suffering significant blood loss. The barrister said he anticipated the defendants would all admit to being in the car but deny being the ones who got out of the car and attacked Mr O'Connor, but that the prosecution intended to prove all five were 'jointly' guilty. Mr Brady said all the men must have known of the knives in the car because 'two were extremely large and would have been very conspicuous in a car occupied by five young men.' Aquilina, 20, Fiteni, 19, Raisis, 18, Strickland, 19, and Jeremy, 17, all of Cardiff, all deny murder, manslaughter and robbery. The trial will not sit on Thursday, and on Friday the jury will be taken on a site visit to the area in Alway where Mr O'Connor was attacked and died. The trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks. A rare set of J.R.R Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy that had been stolen from a hospice charity shop has been secretly returned after a huge public backlash. St Richard's Hospice in Worcester reported the incident to police after the collection was taken from a locked cabinet in December. The three-volume set which included The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King had been on sale for 1,495. Following the theft, the charity had admitted it was 'saddened' by the actions of thieves, who had scuppered the hospice's plans to raise a large amount of cash for the hospice's charitable work. But ten days later, bosses at St Richard's revealed the three books had been returned in a jubilant message shared across social media. Dan Corns, commercial director at the hospice, believes the perpetrator's guilty conscience ensured the safe return of the treasured tomes. He explained to The Times: 'Obviously someone has thought about it and through their conscience has decided perhaps they didnt do the right thing.' A rare set of J.R.R Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy that had been stolen from a hospice charity shop has been secretly returned after a huge public backlash Tolkien's epic trilogy follows the Fellowship's quest to destroy the ring of power. Pictured from left to right: Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf and SIr Ian Mckellen, Gandalf in The Two Towers (2002) The hardbacks, first published in 1957, contained Tolkien's first-edition text from three years prior, but were not first printings. If they were, the collection would have been valued at more than 25,000. The collection was reported stolen on December 19, leaving the charity's bosses frustrated just before the festive period. However, the books were safely returned ten days later, with a surprised store manager discovering them placed inconspicuously on a shelf during a routine tidy-up of the store. Mr Corns added: 'While saddened by the theft of these beautiful, valuable books, we've been heartened by the response from others sharing our story and willing the items to be returned to us. 'Now in the most wonderful of plot twists the books were returned to a shelf in the store on Wednesday 29 December. 'On sale for 1,495, the trilogy will raise a substantial amount towards our hospice care here in Worcestershire. St Richard's Hospice in Worcester (pictured above) reported the incident to police after the collection was taken from a locked cabinet in December The hardbacks, first published in 1957, contained Tolkien's first-edition text from three years prior, but were not first printings. If they were, the collection would have been valued at more than 25,000. Pictured: J.R.R Tolkien in 1961 'We're sure this was only possible thanks to the power of community and thank all our incredible supporters for raising awareness of our appeal and bringing the books back to us.' In October, a sought-after copy of Tolkien's The Hobbit that features spelling mistakes on the cover sold for a whopping 59,000 at auction. The rare 1937 first impression was one of the first ever printed and includes original maps and illustrations by the author. Only around 1,500 first impression copies were printed that year, making those which come to auction highly collectable. St Richards Hospice supports more than 2,900 patients, family members and bereaved people. With a staff exceeding 250, it reports annual costs of more than 8 million. Medical workers wearing protective gear prepare to collect samples at a temporary COVID-19 screening clinic in Seoul, Dec. 31. AP-Yonhap Daily COVID-19 infections rebounded to above 4,000 for the first time in three days for Tuesday, putting the health authorities on high alert over a possible resurgence amid Omicron concerns. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 4,444 new cases, including 4,233 local ones, raising the total caseload to 649,669. A grieving father whose wife killed their three children while suffering from depression has revealed he is still haunted by his son's final words. Deirdre Morley, 44, smothered Conor, nine, Darragh, seven and Carla, three, to death at their Dublin home in January 2020. Their father Andrew McGinley says there is 'no future' with his wife who was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, and was remanded to the Central Mental Hospital. He said he cannot stop hearing the final words of Conor who cried 'stop mammy, what are you doing?' as she placed a bag on his head, Morley told police in an interview after the killings. Mr McGinley. who worked for a workplace services company, told the Irish Mirror: 'With regards to Deirdre, I struggle a lot because all I really hear is Conor's last words. They resound in my head quite a lot. Deirdre Morley, 44, killed her three children Conor McGinley, nine, Darragh McGinley, seven, and daughter Carla McGinley, three, by smothering them at their home in January 2020 The children's bodies were discovered by their father Andrew McGinley at their home in Parson's Court, Newcastle, Co Dublin 'So, there is no future I suppose, with myself and Dee. It can never be normal again for either of us.' He added: 'I know I've changed as a person completely. If I can help her treatment team or her legal team in any way I'm happy to do so and she knows that as well. '[If she is released], that's their decision. I'm not the professional. It's not something I've given any detailed thought to. But I think there's a road to recovery for her.' It is understood Morley could be released after only five years if doctors declare her mentally well. Giving a eulogy at his children's funeral, Mr McGinley said his children had been fans of Lego, the Foo Fighters and the Disney film Frozen (pictured, Mr McGinley and his three children) Morley, who worked as a nurse, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity during her trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Ireland - a view supported by two consultant psychiatrists, one for the defence and one for the prosecution. The court heard how Morley had a severe psychotic depressive illness. She was suffering bipolar affective disorder type two, a recognised mental disorder. She had previously suffered a breakdown in July 2019 and spent four weeks in a psychiatric hospital. The tragic triple killing took place on January 24 2020 in Dublin, Ireland, when Morley had slipped into a state of delusion and psychosis. Before suffocating them, she had tried to sedate them, wanting to die and take her children with her, the court heard. The night before the tragedy, she put morphine in the boys' cereal and Carla's bottle but they spat it out. The following day, she first killed Darragh, who was at home from school because he was ill. Andrew McGinley looks to the skies during the funeral of his children In interviews with gardai, she said she could recall thinking: 'I could smother him now. I could kill him now.' She said she immediately regretted killing Darragh and wanted to stop, but felt she couldn't as she 'couldn't leave any of them behind'. After suffocating Darragh and Carla using tape and plastic bags, she collected Conor from school. He was watching Jurassic World in a play tent back home when she approached him with the bag and tape. She suggested playing a game where they put tape on their mouths and try to speak. When she put the bag on his head, he said: 'Stop mammy, what are you doing?' but she replied, I'm sorry Conor.' Morley told police he had not struggled as she was lying on top of him. At one stage she said she thought, 'I can't do this. This is awful. But also that I cant not do this' because Conor's siblings were already dead. The mother was unable to carry his body upstairs to lie next to his younger brother and sister. Throughout the day, she spoke to her husband on the phone and he said he had no suspicions about her wellbeing or her behaviour. Morley then decided to take her own life, and drove towards the M7 with a bottle of wine and medication in the car before she crashed at a roundabout. She was brought home by a passing nurse before she left the house again and was found by a taxi driver 'wandering the streets' in a 'disoriented state'. Andrew has since launched Conor's Clips, a website featuring a compilation of videos to celebrate the lives of his children. This sweet video shows Darragh and Carla recreate a classic scene from The Lion King The driver took her home and called an ambulance out of concern, as Mr McGinley returned from a work trip to Cork to find the bodies of his three children. He also found a note warning not to go upstairs, saying 'I'm sorry'. Morley was taken to Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin where she later told medics she 'wished she had a time machine', the court heard. Mr Justice Paul Coffey said there was no contest about the verdict and previously told the jury: 'The doctors are unanimous in their opinions that the accused was legally insane when she killed her three children.' The jury of ten men and two women were told they must be satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that Ms Morley was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killings. The jury found her not guilty on all three charges on the grounds of insanity. Shortly after Connor, Darragha and Carla were found dead, Mr McGinley told parents to 'cuddle your children whenever you can' and admitted 'every breath is a struggle'. He said at the time: 'There are no words. There is only devastation, grief and anguish. Every breath is a struggle. 'Conor, Darragh and Carla are adored. They all had beautiful, bright futures ahead of them with family, friends and a community who love them. 'To all parents, cuddle your children whenever you get a chance, tell them how much you love them as often as you can, spend every spare minute with them reading, playing and enjoying their wonderfulness. 'The future has now become our enemy but we will battle it every day to keep the memory of Conor, Darragh and Carla alive.' Giving a eulogy at his children's funeral, he also said his children had been fans of Lego, the Foo Fighters and the Disney film Frozen. He went on: 'We often misuse words. When Ireland would lose a match, I used to say I was heartbroken. I now know what that really means. 'We, as a family, are heartbroken.' He added: 'Conor, Darragh and Carla. I love you, I love you, I love you.' Rathcoole Boys Football Club provided a guard of honour outside in recognition of the boys' love for the sport. Mr McGinley has since started a YouTube channel after making a promise to Conor before he died. At the eulogy, he said he had also promised to coach at Rathcoole Boys FC for Darragh, and to build a snowman for Carla. He launched Conor's Clips, a website featuring a compilation of videos to celebrate the lives of his children. Andrew took to Twitter revealing that he's misses having company, in a candid appeal to receive letters from the public Writing on his fundraising page, he explained: 'After an emotional day I'm able to let you all know that I have been able to keep my promise to Conor and we launched his YouTube channel this afternoon. 'A mix of happiness and sadness as so happy to have kept my promise but wish I could have done it with Conor. 'One promise down, two to go. Darragh, my course is booked for March 19th so I'm on track to keep my promise to you. Carla, I may have to borrow a snow machine!' Andrew thanked those who have donated to the fundraiser, set up by a member of the Newcastle Community, and said he has been working his way through their 'beautiful messages'. 'I'm honestly humbled by all your messages and the sentiments within,' he added. 'What you may not realise is how much your messages mean to me and I thank you all.' On the YouTube channel, Andrew told how Conor announced last Christmas that he wanted to set up a YouTube channel. 'I promised to help him to do that,' he wrote. 'I hope this channel has kept my promise.' The series of sweet clips show the three children getting up to mischief at 'sleepy time', reenacting a scene from the Lion King in their garden and playing charades. Three-year-old Carla, a huge fan of Frozen, is transfixed by festive snowmen in one video, while her brother Darragh tries his hand at news broadcasting in another. In another, Conor puts Darragh 'on trial' for breaking his Megazoid toy, and one shows cute Carla join her dad in singing along to Everlong by Foo Fighters in the car. In his introduction to the clips, Andrew speaks to camera, explaining: 'This channel is an attempt by me to keep a promise I made to Conor. Three-year-old Carla, a huge fan of Frozen, is transfixed by festive snowmen in one video Darragh tries his hand at news broadcasting in another clip, where he delivers a spoof report about Superman 'Conor, Darragh and Carla McGinley died tragically on January 24, and we hope to keep their memories alive through this channel. 'Quite what Conor had planned for this channel was not finalised, so all we have are clips of the three of them as they lived their lives. 'Our message is that Conor, Darragh and Carla grew up in our community with the support of staff in the schools, creches, community clubs and sports clubs. 'Let us not forget the volunteers that are also involved and the fundraising efforts that are needed to ensure these thrive so they are able to invest in the future of our children. 'As well as supporting global charities, do not forget your local community needs, as this is where our children will grow and develop to become capable citizens of this earth. So your help locally will enable that. Andrew told how the family has 'always loved a game of charades'; in this clip, Darragh acts out one of his favourite programmes The series of sweet clips show the three children getting up to mischief at 'sleepy time' (pictured) 'Enjoy these videos. Subscribing, liking and sharing will help us support the message of the importance of supporting locally across the globe. Thank you for listening and enjoy Conor's Clips.' The grieving father later asked the public to write him letters after struggling to 'cope without company' during lockdown. He wrote on Twitter: 'Im looking for a favour. Im struggling with isolation like you all but really missing the company. I was also enjoying most of the letters that I received so I have a request. Can you write to me? If you feel like using one of postcards then great. Letters welcome.' Democrats are ramping up their probe of the January 6th insurrection ahead of Thursday's one-year anniversary, considering 'Watergate-style' prime-time hearings with a bold-faced witness wish list that includes Mike Pence and Sean Hannity. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a day-long slate of events planned for the one-year anniversary of the MAGA riot on Thursday, including a moment of silence on the House floor, testimony from lawmakers about their experience that day, and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol. 'These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and recommitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayerfulness,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to lawmakers. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will both travel to Capitol Hill to make remarks. 'The President is going to speak to the truth of what happened not the lies that some have spread since and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governments governance,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday, previewing Biden's speech. Republicans, who have not revealed their plans for how they will mark the day, accused Democrats of grandstanding. 'I think they will try to politicize the event,' Republican Senator John Thune said. In a bid capitalize on the anniversary, Democrats on committee are looking to crank up the pace of their probe and draw a massive audience with prime-time hearings. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a day-long slate of events planned for the one-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection - above she is seen with then-Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the joint session of Congress on that day The House committee investigating January 6th is considering Watergate-style prime-time hearings; above are Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney of the panel Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is among those pushing for prime-time hearings on Jan. 6 riot Democratic plans for marking one-year anniversary of January 6th riot in Capitol 9 am: President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks in National Statuary Hall in the Capitol 10 am: Speaker Nancy Pelosi hold a closed-press Moment of Reflection on the House floor 12 pm: A statement from Speaker Pelosi and a Moment of Silence on the House Floor 1 pm: Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress; Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; and Historian Jon Meacham moderate a conversation with Speaker Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer 2:30 pm: Democratic Rep. Jason Crow leads lawmakers in giving testimonials about what they experienced on January 6th 5:30 pm: Pelosi and Schumer lead a Bicameral Prayer Vigil on Capitol Center Steps Advertisement 'I have favored this strategy from the beginning,' Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the panel, told MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday. He said he wanted a Watergate-style approach, when the 1973 hearings into Richard Nixon's presidency captivated America. At one point an estimated 85% of the country was tuned in to them. 'I remember as a kid getting to watch a bit of the Watergate hearings, which were a daily spectacle that the whole country tuned into,' Raskin said. 'If we can do that for, you know, a break-in in a couple of offices in the Watergate hotel, certainly, we can do it for a massive break-in into the Capitol of the United States, a storming, and a seizure essentially of our government offices, an interruption of the peaceful transfer of power.' Those prime-time hearings could occur in late March or early April, Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, told Bloomberg News. But no date has been set yet. 'We're working toward that,' Thompson said. Those hearings would also feature high-profile witnesses, which would help them gain maximum exposure. Among those names beiing considered are former Vice President Mike Pence and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Pence was under heavy pressure from then-President Donald Trump to declare the 2020 election results invalid, wipe out Joe Biden's victory and secure him a second term. The vice president has the symbolic role of presiding over the Electoral College certification of results. Pence was a target of the January 6th rioters, some of who threatened to hang him, and was evacuated from the Senate floor as the MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol. Thompson told CNN that he and the panel would like to hear from Pence. 'I would hope that he would do the right thing and come forward and voluntarily talk to the committee,' he said. 'We have not formally asked. But if he offered, we'd gladly accept. Everything is under consideration,' he added. So far, in its investigation, the committee has interviewed more than 300 witnesses, announced more than 50 subpoenas, obtained more than 35,000 pages of records and received hundreds of telephone tips through their Jan. 6 tipline, according to a tally by The Washington Post. Names are starting to be lined up for hearings. The panel on Tuesday asked longtime Trump supporter Sean Hannity to appear as a 'fact witness' in their investigation, noting how the Fox star was 'expressing concerns and providing advice to the president and White House staff.' The committee released several texts Hannity sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. 'I'm very worried about the next 48 hours,' Hannity wrote on the eve of January 6th. On January 5, the eve of the Capitol attack, Hannity also texted to Meadows, 'Pence pressure. WH counsel will leave.' In the letter to Hannity, Thompson wrote the texts suggest 'that you had knowledge of concerns by President Trump's White House Counsel's Office regarding the legality of the former President's plans for January 6th.' 'These facts are directly relevant to our inquiry,' Thompson told Hannity. Thompson also said that Hannity appeared to have 'detailed knowledge regarding President Trump's state of mind in the days following the January 6th attack.' One of Hannity's texts indicated he had a discussion with Trump on January 10 and it left the Fox News host concerned in the lead-up to President Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration. 'Guys, we have a clear path to land the plane in 9 days,' Hannity informed Meadows and Republican Rep. Jim Jordan. 'He can't mention the election again. Ever. I did not have a good call with him today. And worse, I'm not sure what is left to do or say, and I don't like not knowing if it's truly understood. Ideas?' On his Fox News show on Tuesday evening, Hannity launched into a stinging rebuke of DC officials and their 'willing accomplices' but didn't mention the letter from the House committee investigating the MAGA riot. 'I have an important message to all you elected swamp creatures in Washington, D.C., your willing accomplices, your press secretaries in the media mob,' he began. 'It is frankly repulsive, just repulsive that all of you sycophants, you sit idly by, you say nothing, you do nothing, as Joe Biden completely mismanages COVID-19,' he said. Republicans have not revealed their plans for how they will mark the one-year anniversary of the riot. Donald Trump cancelled a press conference he had scheduled for Thursday. Many Republican lawmakers criticized Trump in the immediate wake of January 6th - some even called him that day to encourage him to try and call off the rioters. But, many of them also have made amends with the former president in the months following particularly as Trump continues to hold a tight grip on Republican base. Many Republican senators, including Leader Mitch McConnell, will be in Atlanta for the funeral of former Senator Johnny Isakson on Thursday. From left to right: Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the US Capitol Police, Officer Michael Fanone of the DC Metropolitan Police and Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police listen as Private First Class Harry Dunn of the US Capitol Police testifies before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on US Capitol on July 27 The House panel investigating January 6th has said they'd like to hear form Mike Pence Earlier this week, members of the House panel indicated they had received testimony from inside Trump's West Wing from January 6th that focuses on Trump's failure to do more to stop the rioters. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the panel, revealed there was 'firsthand' testimony that Ivanka Trump twice asked her father to call off the rioters. 'We know members of his family, we know his daughter - we have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence,' Cheney said Sunday on ABC's This Week. Ivanka reportedly referred to the insurrection as an 'optics issue' as it was taking place, according to Michael Wolff's latest Trump book Landslide. She tried to stop the riot herself, tweeting: 'American Patriots - any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.' The tweet has since been deleted. Meanwhile, the House committee has been rebuffed by several former Trump aides or advisers whose testimony was sought by subpoena. That includes former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and Meadows. Bannon has been indicted for criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify to the panel and awaits trial in July. The House in December voted to hold Meadows in contempt, referring the case to the Justice Department. Author Norman Mailer's anthology will be published by small imprint Skyhorse - known for championing writers who have been turned down by woke publishing houses - after Random House denied canceling the collection, saying it never had a contract to run the essays. The late literary lion's longtime publisher was accused of scotching the anthology - scheduled to correspond with the author's 100th birthday - because an underling at the publishing house had objected to the title of the essay White Negro, which Mailer wrote in 1957. The megalithic publisher, which recently ran afoul of the Justice Department over anti-trust issues, denied that was the case. 'It is factually incorrect that Random House canceled an upcoming book of essays by Norman Mailer. We did not have this collection under contract. Random House does continue to publish much of Norman Mailer's backlist.' Random House reportedly decided to scrap a new collection of Norman Mailer essays over objections to the 1957 essay 'White Negro'. Mailer, who fought in World War II, would be 100 years old next January. Many of his viewpoints, though influential at the time, would be considered controversial today Norman Mailer first published his essay 'White Negro' in 1957, in it he called for a rejection of the mainstream Eisenhower-era conformity Mailer's literary agent Andrew Wylie denied that the project had been canceled by Random House However, Mailer's son said he would have preferred to work with his father's usual publisher. 'He had a fantastic relationship with Penguin Random House,' John Buffalo Mailer told the New York Times. 'We would have liked to have done this book with them.' Mailer's literary agent Andrew Wylie denied Random House pulled out of the project, but did not explain why the author's usual publisher, which had launched a campaign to promote his work to younger readers a few years ago, would not be involved. 'That's not the issue at all,' Wylie said. 'There is no issue here.' He said that Penguin Random House, as it is now called after a consolidation, would continue to promote Mailer's other works. Skyhorse, a small independent publishing house, has made a reputation lately of signing up writers that have been dropped by corporate publishers amid controversies. The printer has published The Case Against Impeaching Trump by Alan Dershowitz and Disloyal, the anti-Donald Trump memoir by the then-president's former lawyer Michael Cohen. It also published an anti-vaxxer book by Robert Kennedy Jr entitled The Real Anthony Fauci. 'Skyhorse Publishing is proud to announce that it will publish an untitled anthology of the works of Norman Mailer,' spokeswoman Kathleen Schmidt said. 'Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Mailer is one of the most dramatic, controversial and enduring writers of his generation. Publication is scheduled for 2023, the centennial of his birth.' Best-selling author Michael Wolff was the first to report that the Mailer centennial project was killed by Random House. 'With slow-mo hammer-dropping predictability, Norman Mailer's long-time publisher has recently informed the Mailer family that it has canceled plans to publish a collection of his political writings to mark the centennial of his birth in 2023, confirms the film producer Michael Mailer, the author's oldest son,' Wolff wrote. Social media lit up with tweets that sought to refute Wolff's claim that Random House had passed on the project because of the objections of a junior staffer. 'The junior staffers Ive spoken to at Penguin Random House laughed off the insinuation that any of them had the power to kill a book,' Alex Shepard wrote in the New Republic. Best-selling author Michael Wolff, who broke the story, wrote that the essay was the 'model for much of the psycho-sexual-druggie literature of the 1960s' But Wolff was undeterred and pointed out that the larger publisher would be preferred to the smaller independent house. 'Does nobody possess any logic,' he tweeted. 'Obviously Random House killed the project. Obviously nobody goes to Skyhorse unless they are forced to. Indeed, they are now famous for publishing cancelled writers. God, what credulous beasts.' Mailer biographer J. Michael Lennon was tapped to chose the Mailer works for the collection and editor David Ebershoff had been picked to edit it, Wolff wrote in The Ankler, a new online publication by celebrity editor Janice Min. Neither Lennon nor Ebershoff responded to requests for comment. According to Wolff, though, the publisher said that no final contract had been signed for the book and therefore it was not canceled. 'You hardly have to look hard in Mailer's work to find offenses against contemporary doctrine and respectability,' Wolff wrote, calling the author's White Negro 'a psycho-sexual-druggie precursor and model for much of the psycho-sexual-druggie literature that became popular in the 1960s.' EXCLUSIVE: Random House not moving forward with 2023 Norman Mailer book after staffer objects to his "White Negro" essay, from @MichaelWolffNYC @TheAnkler and confirmed by the authors son Michael Mailer https://t.co/X261dOuB1Z pic.twitter.com/5WsnGHbB14 Janice Min (@janicemin) January 3, 2022 Mailer's essay, written on the cusp of the beatnik era in the U.S., calls for a rejection of conformity and calls for the 'rebellious imperatives of the self' The 'white negro' of the essay's title is a 1950s era hipster who lives for immediate gratification, or as he calls it the 'burning consciousness of the present.' Mailer likened his new philosophy to what he saw as the lifestyle of black Americans. Writer James Baldwin objected to the essay because he said it traded on stereotypes of black people as overly sexual and violent The essay drew controversy even at the time from thinkers like writer James Baldwin for trading on stereotypes of black people as operating on base impulses of sex and violence. Mailer, who was born Jan. 31, 1923, would have been 100 years old next year. He is considered an important literary and left-leaning political voice of post-World War II, but he often flirted with controversy and his opinions of masculinity and sexuality are at odds with current thinking. He served in the Pacific in World War II, but saw little combat. His first book, The Naked and the Dead about his time in the Army, ranked number 51 on the Modern Library's Top 100 English-language Novels of the 20th Century. He went on to publish 11 best-selling books, including non-fiction like his account of the anti-war movement Armies of the Night, which one him a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book award. He considered himself a cultural critic and public intellectual and wrote political essays published in mainstream publications like Esquire. In 1955, he co-founded the left-leaning Village Voice, a weekly paper which still exists online today. He also dabbled in filmmaking without much success. Mailer was known to court controversy and was prone to violence. He once stabbed his wife Adele Morales, pictured here in happier times, with a penknife. She survived. Mailer was known for getting into fistfights and once headbutted Gore Vidal in the green room on Dick Cavett's talk show. He also stabbed his wife Adele Morales with a penknife after she questioned his masculinity. The wound was nearly fatal, but she survived and he served three years probation for the crime. In 1969, he ran for mayor of New York City with the slogan, 'No more bullsh**' Mailer told reporters at the time: 'The difference between me and the other candidates is that I'm no good and I can prove it.' Random House continues to publish Mailer's work, including Why Are We in Vietnam?, Miami and the Siege of Chicago, and Deer Park. In 2013, Random House embarked on a project to republish his works for a younger generation, beginning a collection of selected essays called 'Mind of an Outlaw.' 'Norman was an American original both on the page and in life,' the president of the publishing house Gina Centrello said at the time. 'It's a wonderful opportunity to relaunch these books for a new generation.' The cancelation of the Mailer project should be worrisome, Wolff argued, because Penguin Random House has such a huge piece of the publishing pie. 'A lack of competition among gatekeepers leads to less choice and more limits and a narrowing of risk, taste, and sensibility, and, when the winds are harsh, greater shelter for the cowardly,' he writes. 'A world without Norman Mailerthis new intellectual nanny-statesurely harms the literary consumer.' Penguin Random House was sued by the Justice Department in November to block its purchase of Simon & Schuster, a rival publishing house. 'If the world's largest book publisher is permitted to acquire one of its biggest rivals, it will have unprecedented control over this important industry,' Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. 'American authors and consumers will pay the price of this anticompetitive merger lower advances for authors and ultimately fewer books and less variety for consumers.' Terrifying video footage has emerged showing a balaclava-clad knifeman swinging a foot-long blade at two police officers while they struggle to Taser him. The shocking machete attack, which took place in broad daylight in Croydon, south London, shows the masked man hacking and swiping away at the two officers who at try but fail to Taser him. The knifeman looks to have escaped arrest after the failed Taser stike, but a second officer then appears to stun the attacker with his pepper spray. The thug circles around before eventually falling over yards from a motorcycle lying on the ground - as a member of the public rushes over to help. The Metropolitan Police said a man, aged 23, was arrested and charged following the incident in Cherry Tree Green. The shocking machete attack, which took place in broad daylight in Croydon, south London, shows the masked man hacking away at two cops who first fail to Taser him The shocking incident took place in Cherry Tree Green, Croydon, at around 10am on Thursday, December 30 The video was shot by roofer Robert Ball, 31, in Croydon, south London on December 30, at around 10am. In the short clip, the knifeman is shown hitting out at one cop, who is desperately holding onto his legs. The officer tries, and fails, to Taser the perpetrator, who swings away at the 50,000v device as if it is little more than a fly before raining down more blows on the cop. He then is seen circling round and pulling out a large black object, seemingly prompting the other officer to use spray while talking on his radio. In the short clip, the knifeman is shown hitting out at one cop, who desperately tries to grab hold of his legs The officer gets back to his feet, but faces further blows from the balaclava-clad knifeman (right) The officer tries, and fails, to Taser the perpetrator, who swings away at the 50,000v device as if it is little more than a fly before raining down more blows on the cop Two officers were injured, the Met confirmed - with one suffering a concussion and another a suspected fracture. Eyewitness Mr Ball said: 'I was really shocked when I realised it was a knife. He was trying to unsheathe it. 'The blade must have been as long as your forearm. I was like, "what the hell!". I live in the area. It doesn't feel very safe.' Detectives are now appealing for witnesses to the Cherry Tree Green incident, Scotland Yard said on Wednesday. The thug then circles around before eventually falling over yards from a motorcycle lying on the ground - as one member of the public rushes over to help A spokesperson for the force told MailOnline: 'At around 10:00hrs on Thursday, 30 December officers from the Met's South Area Command Safer Transport Team stopped a man riding a motorcycle at Cherry Tree Green, Croydon. 'The man, aged 23, became violent during the stop. He was detained following Taser deployment. 'A knife was recovered at the scene. 'One officer suffered a concussion and a second officer suffered a suspected fracture. 'A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with the incident. 'Anyone who either witnessed or has footage of the incident should email p232991@met.police.uk, call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting 1096/30DEC.' It looks as though the knifeman will pull off a dramatic escape, but his plans are foiled by a second officer who appears to use incapacitant spray to stun the attacker London's teenage murder toll has hit a record high of 30 killings last year after two boys, aged 15 and 16, were killed within minutes of each other on December 30 - the same day as the machete attack in Croydon. Police were called at 7.34pm that day to reports of an injured male in open farm space in Hillingdon, west London. Officers attended and found a 16-year-old boy suffering from a stab wound. Despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.25pm. The incident occurred minutes after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death during an assault in Ashburton Park in Croydon. Police officers gave first aid to the boy before the ambulance service arrived but he was pronounced dead at 7.36pm. The brutal new high of deaths among London's young people will inevitably heap more pressure on Mayor Sadiq Khan to seize control of the gang and stabbing epidemic sweeping the capital's streets. Anti-knife crime campaigners warned not enough was being done to tackle the problem as they criticised what they called London's 'scattergun' approach. Did you see what happened? Email stewart.carr@mailonline.co.uk Franklin Lee, 61, was released from prison on parole in 2019, more than three decades after giving false testimony that landed Willie Stokes, 61, in prison A convicted killer and rapist whose false testimony, obtained by the Philadelphia police in exchange for access to sex and drugs nearly four decades ago, led to a man being sent to prison for murder, was released on parole two years ago and has been working at a factory. Franklin Lee was a key witness in the case against Willie Stokes, both 61 now, and it was his damning statement - which he recanted at trial - that helped prosecutors convict Stokes in 1984. On Tuesday, 37 years into his life sentence, Stokes was released from Pennsylvania state prison, after an investigation by the Philadelphia District Attorneys office confirmed that Lee lied during his trial and, subsequently, Stokes was denied due process. Stokes regained his freedom two years after Lee completed his own 35-year sentence on charges of murder, rape and perjury. According to Pennsylvania's sex offender registry, Lee currently lives in Harrisburg and works on an assembly line in Mechanicsburg. Under the conditions of his release, he must register as a sex offender for life. Court records indicate that Lee was convicted of murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, and also perjury in connection with Stokes' case, in 1984. Lee initially expected to receive a lenient sentence of seven years, after falsely testifying that he had heard Stokes bragging about killing a local man, Leslie Campbell, during a street game of dice in 1980. Willie Stokes, 61, was freed from a Pennsylvania state prison on Tuesday, after serving 37 years for a murder he said he did not commit But after he was shamed by his mother into recanting, Lee was sentenced to a minimum of 35 years. During a hearing in federal court last November, Lee admitted to giving a false statement after being coerced by Philadelphia detectives Ernest Gilbert and Larry Gerrard, now both deceased. He said: 'I felt weak and went along with the offer' of sex and drugs. Lee also apologized to Stokes 'for the problem I caused.' When Stokes walked out of the state prison Tuesday, he was reportedly eager to hug his mother and enjoy a corned beef hoagie. 'Today is a tremendous day,' his attorney Michael Diamondstein, said outside prison. 'We're all very thankful. However, it's also a sad day, because it reminds us of how lawless, unfair and unjust Philadelphia law enforcement was for so long.' Philadelphia police allegedly offered Lee, now 61, sex and drugs in return for a false testimony that would close their 1980 murder case Stokes' mother, unfortunately, was not present for his release because she was 'too nervous' to come after several earlier disappointments. Stokes, however, was greeted by other family members instead. Last month, a federal court found that Franklin Lee, a key witness in Stokes' murder trial, had lied in court after detectives allegedly offered a witness sex and drugs at police headquarters in 1983 in exchange for false testimony. Lee was charged with perjury just days after Stokes was convicted of murder in 1984, but Stokes didn't learn about the perjury plea until 2015, decades into a life sentence. 'The homicide prosecutors that used Franklin Lee's testimony to convict Willie Stokes then prosecuted Franklin Lee for lying on Willie Stokes. And they never told Willie Stokes,' Diamondstein argued at the November hearing in federal court. The US magistrate who heard the appeal called the omission an 'egregious violation of (Stokes') constitutional rights,' and a US district judge agreed, overturning the conviction last week. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, whose office has championed about two dozen exoneration cases, supports Stokes but has not yet formally decided whether to retry him. That decision should come before a scheduled Jan. 26 hearing in state court, a spokesperson said. Stokes (seen leaving the prison on Tuesday) was convicted of murder in 1984 and freed Tuesday after an investigation by the Philadelphia District Attorneys office revealed a key witness lied during his trial and, subsequently, Stokes did not get due process The witness was charged with perjury just days after Stokes (pictured Tuesday) was convicted of murder in 1984, but Stokes didn't learn about the perjury plea until 2015, decades into a life sentence Meanwhile, both officers who allegedly offered Lee the sex-for-lies deal are now deceased. The one surviving prosecutor, now in private practice, did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday. However, he has given a statement saying he doesn't remember either case, according to court files. Philadelphia police offered no immediate comment on the case. Lee was in custody on unrelated rape and murder charges at the time of Stokes' trial, and said he was also promised a light sentence for providing the false testimony, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, which first reported on the case. 'I fell weak and went along with the offer,' Lee told a federal judge in November, recalling his testimony at a May 1984 preliminary hearing when he claimed Stokes, a neighborhood friend, had confessed to killing a man during a dice game named Leslie Campbell. His attorney Michael Diamondstein (left) argued during appeal process that Stokes (center) was never told the witness had committed perjury. The US magistrate who heard the appeal called the omission an 'egregious violation of Stokes' constitutional rights' In federal court testimony last November, Lee said his girlfriend - who detectives summoned to have sex with him at police headquarters back in 1983 and who was allowed to bring marijuana and a few dozen opioid pills - told his mother about the deal he'd struck. His mother told the woman not to go down to the station again. Instead, police secured him a sex worker the next time, Lee said. 'Once I talked to my mother, she told me, "I didn't raise you like that, to lie on a man because you got yourself in a jam,''' Lee testified, according to the transcript. 'She said, "I couldn't care if they give you 1,000 years. Go in there and tell the truth." And that's what I did.' Despite the fact that Lee recanted the confession story at Stokes' murder trial in August 1984, Stokes was still convicted and sent to prison for life. Stokes said he was eager to hug his mother, Gloria Stokes (pictured at her Philadelphia home waiting for her son to be released), and enjoy a corned beef hoagie Stokes (center) walks from a state prison in Chester, Pennsylvania on Tuesday after his 1984 murder conviction was overturned because of perjured witness testimony Days later, Philadelphia prosecutors charged Lee with perjury - not over his trial testimony, but over the initial testimony he'd given at the preliminary hearing. Lee pleaded guilty, admitting he'd made up the confession, and was sentenced to a maximum seven-year prison term. He ended up serving 35 years on the rape, murder and perjury charges. He got out of prison two years ago and now works as an assembly line supervisor. Lee apologized to Stokes last November in court. 'I'm going to take his tears to indicate he's accepting the apology,' US Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells said. Priti Patel is facing a revolt against her plans to get tough on Channel migrants as Border Force officials threatened to go on strike. The PCS union lashed out at 'morally reprehensible' plans to turn back dinghies that set of from the continent, saying they risked lives and may break international law. The organisation, which represents thousands of Border Force staff, has joined forces with a refugee charity to seek a judicial review of the 'pushbacks' policy. Even if the court application is unsuccessful, the union has not ruled out industrial action and officials refusing to carry out the pushbacks. It comes as new figures showed that more than 28,000 people crossed the Dover Strait aboard small boats in 2021, triple the number for 2020. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: 'The legality of the pushbacks policy is in serious question, and it is right that the court decides whether it is unlawful to turn back Channel boats. 'We cannot have a situation where our members could be open to potential civil and criminal action for implementing a policy that they do not agree with and know is not safe. 'Although we are hoping for a positive outcome from the legal proceedings, people should be in no doubt PCS strongly opposes this policy, on moral and humanitarian grounds, and we will not rule out industrial action to prevent it being carried out.' The PCS union lashed out at 'morally reprehensible' plans by Priti Patel to turn back dinghies that set of from the continent, saying they risked lives and may break maritime law. It comes as new figures showed that more than 28,000 people crossed the Dover Strait aboard small boats in 2021, triple the number for 2020. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: 'The legality of the pushbacks policy is in serious question, and it is right that the court decides whether it is unlawful to turn back Channel boats The Government continues to consider various options to tackle the issue and has invited businesses to a non-disclosure, agreement-bound meeting in the hope of hearing 'innovative ideas'. The PCS, whose members include around 80 per cent of the Border Force officials who would be tasked with implementing the 'pushbacks', and the charity Care4Calais have filed an application for judicial review on the pushback policy. They intend to challenge the lawfulness of redirecting boats out of UK waters and back to France. The union said the policy 'contravenes international law and is morally reprehensible', and could expose Border Force officials to risk of prosecution. Clare Moseley, founder of the refugee charity Care4Calais, said: 'The proposed policy deprioritises the UK's duty under domestic and international law to save lives at sea. Despite the Home Secretary's pledge to make crossings an 'infrequent phenomenon' by spring 2020, more than 36,000 people have succeeded in reaching the UK in the last two years. 'It is for good reason that this duty is a cornerstone of International maritime law. If eroded, I fear it will enable the UK to devalue lives at sea. 'It risks opening the gates to the horrific scenes we are seeing in the Mediterranean,' she added. The Home Office continues to explore various options in its bid to halt crossings by thousands of people from France aboard small boats. Despite the Home Secretary's pledge to make crossings an 'infrequent phenomenon' by spring 2020, more than 36,000 people have succeeded in reaching the UK in the last two years. Facing another year with thousands of crossings, the Home Office has invited businesses to an event later this month in the hope of gleaning new ideas on how to solve the crisis. Attendees will be bound by a non-disclosure agreement and then invited to 'share their innovative ideas, new approaches and potential solutions which can be legally deployable in the UK'. Downing Street was unable to say whether the number of small boats crossing the Channel this year will be lower than 2021's total. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'I'm not going to get into predictions over the level of crossings.' Pope Francis today hit out at 'selfish' couples who have pets instead of children as he called for parents to have more offspring to solve the West's 'demographic winter'. Speaking on parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican, Francis lamented that pets 'sometimes take the place of children' in society. 'Today... we see a form of selfishness,' said the pope. 'We see that some people do not want to have a child. 'Sometimes they have one, and that's it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children. This may make people laugh but it is a reality.' The practice, said the head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, 'is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity'. He said couples should have more children to address the 'demographic winter' in much of the West and called for couples who can't have children to be open to adoption. Pope Francis today hit out at 'selfish' couples who have pets instead of children as he called for parents to have more offspring to solve the West's 'demographic winter' Speaking on parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis (pictured, blessing a child during the audience today) lamented that pets 'sometimes take the place of children' in society Thus, 'civilisation grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood, and it is the country that suffers', the pontiff said at the Paul VI Hall. Francis has been photographed petting dogs, allowed a baby lamb to be draped over his shoulders during Epiphany in 2014 and even petted a tiger and a baby panther. But while his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was a cat lover, Francis is not known to have a pet at his Vatican residence. In 2014, Francis told Il Messaggero daily that having pets instead of children was 'another phenomenon of cultural degradation', and that emotional relationships with pets was 'easier' than the 'complex' relationship between parents and children. On Wednesday, while inviting couples who are unable to have children for biological reasons to consider adoption, he urged potential parents 'not to be afraid' in embarking on parenthood. 'Having a child is always a risk, but there is more risk in not having a child, in denying paternity,' he said. He argued for the simplification of adoption procedures 'so that the dream of so many children who need a family, and of so many spouses who wish to give themselves in love, can come true.' 'This kind of choice is among the highest forms of love, and of fatherhood and motherhood,' he said. 'How many children in the world are waiting for someone to take care of them!' The Argentine pontiff has in the past denounced the 'demographic winter', or falling birth rates in the developed world. Earlier this year, he criticised modern society, in which career and money-making trumps building a family for many, calling such mentality 'gangrene for society'. Francis has been photographed petting dogs, allowed a baby lamb to be draped over his shoulders during Epiphany in 2014 (pictured) Pope Francis pets a tiger at an audience marking the jubilee of circus and travelling show performers at the Vatican in June 2016 For the first time, a layman and a nun provided the English and Spanish translations of Francis' weekly catechism lesson rather than a cloaked monsignor, a small but revolutionary change for the Vatican. Vatican monsignors from the secretariat of state have always provided the summarised translations at the Wednesday general audience. On Wednesday, the clerics only read the translations in French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish and Italian. The Vatican announced the change ahead of time, saying that starting Wednesday 'men and women, religious and lay employees of several dicasteries of the Roman Curia, will be present at the General Audience for the reading of the greetings in various languages.' During his nearly nine-year pontificate, Francis has often criticized the element of Catholic culture that puts priests on a pedestal and has advocated for the 'people of God' to take their rightful place in the church. He has called for women in particular to serve in governance roles and has appointed a handful of women religious to important jobs in the Vatican, though none heads a Vatican congregation. He is currently presiding over a two-year consultation of the Catholic laity around the globe to understand the needs and desires of ordinary faithful and how the church can better serve them. A New Jersey ShopRite employee allegedly stabbed her coworker half-a-dozen times with the 'largest knife in the deli' while screaming 'you will finally leave me alone today!' Melissa Prince, 57, allegedly knifed the veteran employee, who has not been named, around 3.45 pm on Sunday until an employee at the Clark grocery store's meat department sprinted up to restrain her. The attack was reportedly the result of a years-long feud between the coworkers which finally became violent. Prince now faces charges of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and fourth-degree possession of a weapon, according to the Clark Police Department. 'The stabbing happened in front of customers, but no one assisted immediately because everyone was shocked,' an employee told RLS Media. 'It was terrible,' Pamela Gennaro, who witnessed the attack, wrote on Facebook. 'It was very hard to be there while people were yelling to call 911 and for everything that followed. That poor person. Very sad situation and very disturbing.' The stabbing took place at 3.45 pm on Sunday at the pictured Clark Township ShopRite The victim, who had worked at the ShopRite for 24 years, is in critical but stable condition at University Hospital in Newark, the department wrote in a press release. The attack was the culmination of a years-long dispute between the two employees, their coworker said. 'The victim and the suspect have had a long dispute that was known to management and every employee knew that the pair had issues with each other,' an employee anonymously explained to the outlet. 'These two have always had problems and today the suspect apparently said enough is enough.' Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso also acknowledged their standing feud, telling New Jersey 101.5 that their long-simmering dispute finally boiled over. Other employees and an off-duty state trooper rushed to help the victim after Prince had been subdued. 'We are still learning more about [Sundays] incident and cooperating fully with law enforcement on their investigation,' ShopRite spokeswoman Maureen Gillespie said. 'We thank our fast-acting associates for intervening and helping secure the area.' DailyMail.com was unable to reach ShopRite employees or the Clark Police Department for comment. Advertisement Thirteen people are dead including seven children after a fire tore through a duplex apartment inside a Philadelphia Housing Authority building where 18 people were living on Wednesday morning. The blaze was first reported at 6.38am at 860 North 23rd Street in the Fairmount neighborhood of the city, where 26 people were living across two apartments on three floors. Eighteen people occupied the second and third floor duplex apartment, and eight live on the first floor. The fire began on the second floor then spread upwards, tearing through the top of the building. By the time firefighters could get inside around 50 minutes later, thirteen of the 18 in the second and third floor apartment had died. Firefighters rescued two survivors, one of whom was a child and is now in the hospital. The eight residents of the first floor apartment were able to escape unharmed. Fire chiefs fear they may recover more bodies inside the homes as they work through the debris. The cause of the fire remains unknown. There were four smoke detectors across the two apartments but none sounded the alarm on Wednesday. Philadelphia Housing Authority says all were inspected in May and were working. Mayor Jim Kenney choked on tears as he spoke at the scene. He called it 'without a doubt one of the most tragic days in the city's history.' The blaze was reported at 6.38am at 860 North 23rd Street. It started on the second floor then ripped through the third floor of the building, killing at least 13 people including seven kids The Philadelphia fire department works at the scene of a deadly row house fire in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. Firefighters and police responded to the fatal fire at a three-story rowhouse in the city's Fairmount neighborhood around 6:40 a.m. and found flames coming from the second-floor windows, fire officials said A Philadelphia firefighter works at the scene of a deadly row house fire, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia Bystanders watch as the Philadelphia fire department works at the scene of a deadly row house fire in Philadelphia on Wednesday An unidentified woman reacts at the scene of a deadly row house fire, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney choked on tears as he spoke at the scene. He called it 'without a doubt one of the most tragic days in the city's history' The Philadelphia fire department works at the scene of a deadly row house fire in Philadelphia Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. Multiple fatalities have been confirmed in the fire The fire was at 860 North 23rd Street in Philadelphia, less than two miles north of the city center and its famous Rittenhouse Square 'Please keep all these folks and these children in your prayers. Losing so many kids is devastating. Keep these babies in your prayers,' he said. Fire chiefs struggled to put into words the horror of the blaze while giving an update on Wednesday morning. 'I've been around for 35 years now and this is probably one of the worst fires I've ever been to. I don't have the words for how we're feeling right now,' Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said. He added that more bodies may be discovered as fire companies work through the damage. 'That number is dynamic bc there's still an ongoing recovery effort inside. That number sits right now at 13. We also had eight people self evacuate. 'As of right now, the fire marshal along with the ATF are in the process of doing a thorough investigation of this terrible event.' Neighbors watched in horror on Wednesday as firefighters continued to work through the scene. Philadelphia firefighters work at the scene of a deadly row house fire, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney visits the scene of a fatal fire in Philadelphia, Pa. on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. Firefighters and police responded to the fire at a three-story rowhouse in the city's Fairmount neighborhood around 6:40 am Firefighters are still working through the debris inside the building. The deputy fire commissioner warned there may be more victims recovered 'I knew some of those kids -- I used to see them playing on the corner,' said Dannie McGuire, 34, fighting back tears as she and Martin Burgert, 35, stood in the doorway of a home around the corner. 'They had lived there for a decade, she said, 'and some of those kids have lived here as long as us.' 'I cant picture how more people couldnt get out -- jumping out a window,' she said. The building was an old rowhome that had been converted into two different apartments. According to Philadelphia Housing Authority CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah, the building was last inspected in May and all of the smoke detectors were working. 'This unimaginable loss of life has shaken all of us at PHA. 'It is too early for us to say more. The property was last inspected in May 2021, and all the smoke detectors were operating properly at that time,' Jeremiah said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sued President Biden over the administration's military vaccine mandate, citing the governor's authority 'as commander-in-chief and on Texas's sovereignty.' Abbott filed suit Tuesday in Texas, asking a federal judge to overturn Biden's vaccine requirement, in a filing that repeatedly invokes Abbott's own authority as commander of chief of the guard, which is subject to complex jurisdiction. Under overlapping statutes, state national guards remain under the command of governors except when they are called up for federal by the president. Title 10 of the U.S. Code applies to active duty military, while Title 32 applies to the Guard. The deadline for troops to get vaccinated was December 31st. According to Abbott's suit, 40 per cent of members of the Texas Army National Guard under his command are refusing to get the shot for religious or other reasons. Texas Governor Greg Abbott sued President Biden and Pentagon officials over the military vaccine mandate 'Defendants intrusion into the discretion and scope of Title 32 commanders is contrary to the balance of power between federal and state officials set out by the U.S. Constitution and federal law,' Abbott argues in the suit, which names Biden in his professional capacity. 'It is unlawful for Defendants to attempt to override the Governor's authority to govern his troops, and then leave him to deal with the harms that they leave in their wake,' according to the suit. The suite cites the Texas state constitution, and claims the defendants' actions 'directly infringe on Governor Abbotts authority as commander-in-chief and on Texass sovereignty, and so harm Governor Abbott and Texas.' President Biden imposed the vaccine mandate, which was put forth by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on members of the armed forces. The administration is also fighting in court over private sector mandates for larger employers According to Abbott's suit, 40 per cent of members of the Texas Army National Guard under his command are refusing to get the shot for religious or other reasons. Guard serve under state authority until called up by the president People gathered in front of NASA Johnson Space Center on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 to protest forced vaccinations of the workforce Public health officials have repeatedly invoked the effectiveness of the vaccines to head off severe infection or death from COVID-10, which has killed more than 800,000 Americans. Late last month, a federal judge blocked a similar effort by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to block the vaccine mandate. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who himself recently tested positive for COVID-19, replied to Stitt with a letter invoked by the judge. 'Citing the Presidents authority over the Guard under 32 U.S.C. 110, the Secretary expressed his viewnot credibly contested by the plaintiffs in their motion or in any of the supporting materialsthat to maintain a healthy and ready military force capable of protecting the American people, the immediate vaccination against COVID-19 is an essential military readiness requirement for all components and units of the military, including the Oklahoma National Guard.' 'The COVID vaccination mandate should be understood against the backdrop of other military immunization mandates which date back as far as General George Washingtons mandate that troops in the Continental Army be inoculated against smallpox. Nine vaccinations (now ten, with the COVID vaccination mandate) are required for all service members,' wrote U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot. Austin announced the policy in an August memo, and subsequently clarified that it applied to non-federalized members of the National Guard. Head of Xi'an big data management bureau suspended from duty Xinhua) 11:20, January 05, 2022 XI'AN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Liu Jun, head of the big data management bureau in the northwest Chinese city of Xi'an, has been suspended from the post for failing to fulfill his duty, local authorities said. Liu Xin has been nominated the new deputy head of the bureau, according to the Xi'an Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. On Dec. 20, the health code system in Xi'an, which was hit by the latest round of COVID-19 infections, crashed due to high traffic, causing inconveniences to local residents. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Officials of Korea Coast Guard's Incheon branch examine cigarettes seized from smugglers at the branch office in Incheon, Wednesday. The Coast Guard caught a ring of seven people who allegedly smuggled 3.6 million packs of Korean cigarettes manufactured for export, worth about 17 billion won ($1.4 million), back into the country through Incheon Port, over 10 times from May to July, and arrested the leader. Yonhap A nurse's journal containing poignant poetry from fallen British soldiers has been unearthed 106 years on. Helen Dryerre kept a black leather album which she gave to dozens of convalescing soldiers to sign, write and draw in during the First World War. Some British troops penned poetry from their hospital beds, while others did patriotic illustrations and one made a charming sketch of her. Tragically, three of the soldiers who wrote in the album were later killed on the same day during the Battle of the Loos on October 13, 1915. Nurse Helen Dryerre kept a notepad during WWI which she allowed recuperating soldiers to leave notes, sketches and poems while away from the front line and receiving attention for their injuries The amazing notepad, which had been lost for 106 years has been submitted for auction later this month Some of the soldiers left sketches while others wrote poems or letters in the leather-bound book Among those who wrote in the book was 2nd Lieutenant Thomas O'Callaghan who lost his life a short time later in teh Battle of Loos Lieutenant O'Callaghan lost his life alongside 2nd Lieutenant Basil Mogridge, 19, of the Leicestershire Regiment Some of the entries are from before WWI such as this poem written a decade before the conflict They were 22-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Guy Russell, 21-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Thomas O'Callaghan and 2nd Lieutenant Basil Mogridge, 19, who served in the Leicestershire Regiment. Ms Dryerre later wrote next to their entries the date they were killed. Lt O'Callaghan had written a moving poem about 'sacrifice' and 'giving your life' for King and Country. It read: 'There is but one task for all, for each one life to give. 'Who stands if England fall, who dies if England live?' Lt Mogridge wrote about a 'beautiful, awful summer's day', adding: 'Life and death and late and hate, homes made happy or desolate.' Another soldier who seemingly survived the war, Eric Pochin, drew a Union Jack flag and quoted Rudyard Kipling's poem The Widow at Windsor in his entry. He wrote: 'You may hang on the wings in the morning, you can flop round the earth till you're dead. 'But you won't get away from the tune that they play To the bloomin' old rag overhead.' Other pages show a cartoon clown, a Scotsman playing the bagpipes and a man and woman on a sofa with the suggestive caption 'keep the home fires burning'. The 50-page sketch book is expected to sell for 300 when it goes under the hammer at C&T Auctioneers in Ashford, Kent Tim Harper, specialist at C&T Auctions, said: 'There are dozens of entries from soldiers who would been treated by the nurse after being wounded in battle' There is a sweet drawing dated 1916 of a sailor and a bonnet-clad lady hugging on the deck of a ship with the caption 'we all love Lizzie... and they all love Jack'. The album, which contains about 50 pages, has emerged from a deceased estate in south east England. It is going under the hammer with C&T Auctions, of Ashford, Kent, and is tipped to fetch 300. Tim Harper, specialist at C&T Auctions, said: 'There are dozens of entries from soldiers who would been treated by the nurse after being wounded in battle. 'Back then, poetry was popular so they wrote poems and rhymes, and did sketches, in her album while sitting in bed. 'It is extremely poignant to read the entries of the three officers of the Leicestershire Regiment who were killed at Loos. 'I have not seen an album like this before and it is a sad and unusual item.' The sale takes place on January 19. Eric Pochin, drew a Union Jack flag and quoted Rudyard Kipling's poem The Widow at Windsor in his entry This sketch from January 1916 features a clown who advises Nurse Dryerre not to 'look down in the mouth' The leather-bound book was found from the estate of a deceased person Some of the sketches are remarkably good and have been kept in excellent condition despite being more than a century old While some of the soldiers left sketches others wrote poems or left notes in the book Mr Harper said: 'It is extremely poignant to read the entries of the three officers of the Leicestershire Regiment who were killed at Loos. I have not seen an album like this before and it is a sad and unusual item' Ahmed, pictured outside court in November, was found guilty of sexual offences against a boy and a girl today Former Labour peer Nazir Ahmed has been found guilty of attempting to rape a young girl and sexually assaulting a boy under 11 in the 1970s. Lord Ahmed of Rotherham was on Wednesday found guilty of sexual offences against a boy and a girl dating back more than 40 years. A woman told a jury at Sheffield Crown Court that Ahmed, now 64, had attempted to rape her in the early 1970s, when the defendant was about 16 or 17 years old but she was much younger. The former politician was also found guilty of a serious sexual assault against a boy under 11, also in the early 1970s. The jury was played a recording of a telephone call between the two complainants, made by the woman after she went to the police in 2016. Tom Little QC, prosecuting, told the jury that the call was prompted by the man contacting the woman by email saying: 'I have evidence against that paedophile.' Ahmed denied all the charges but was found guilty on Wednesday of two counts of attempted rape and one of serious sexual assault. He had resigned from the House of Lords in November 2020 after reading the contents of a conduct committee report which found he sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman who sought his help. The report made him the first peer to be recommended for expulsion but he resigned before this could be implemented. Ahmed was charged along with his two older brothers, Mohammed Farouq, 71, and Mohammed Tariq, 65, but both these men were deemed unfit to stand trial. A woman told a jury at Sheffield Crown Court that Ahmed attempted to rape her in the early 1970s, when the defendant was about 16 or 17 years old but she was much younger Farouq and Tariq faced charges of indecent assault in relation to the same boy that Ahmed abused and, also on Wednesday, the jury found that they did the acts alleged. The judge, Mr Justice Lavender, will determine on Wednesday afternoon when Ahmed will be sentenced. The conviction of Ahmed follows a tortuous prosecution, which included the halting of a previous trial by a judge who bemoaned the antiquity of the allegations. But Judge Jeremy Richardson QC said his decision to stop the original trial in March was due to failings in disclosing evidence which had 'sabotaged' the proceedings rather than his misgiving over the length of time that had elapsed. At a hearing earlier in the prosecution, Judge Richardson had noted that some of the then alleged incidents happened in the late 1960s when Harold Wilson was prime minister, Lyndon Johnson was the US president and the Vietnam War was raging. In March the judge took the unusual step of ordering a permanent stay on proceedings, bringing the prosecution to a close. But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) appealed against this decision and it was overturned by the Court of Appeal in June, paving the way for the new trial. Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS special crime division, said: 'We asked the jury to dispassionately consider the evidence against each of these men and decide if they could be sure that our prosecution had proved they committed these crimes. 'By these verdicts the jury has clearly decided that no matter the delay between the offences and the trial, and the defences raised, they could be sure that the accounts of the victims were credible and true. 'One of these defendants held a position of power, influence and responsibility for some time in the House of Lords but this case clearly illustrates that where there is sufficient evidence, even in challenging cases, the CPS will bring a prosecution, put evidence before a jury and see rightful convictions.' Ms Ainslie added: 'The case also gives an insight into the challenges police and prosecutors face in dealing with huge amounts of information arising from an investigation, and disclosing it properly to the defence to allow a fair trial. 'Disclosure failures should not happen. 'But the case also shows our determination to admit problems, overcome them and pursue the case, and the court's ability to ensure the defendants receive a fair trial and their victims see justice.' A student violently raped and choked a woman he met on a night out in the first of a series of serious sexual assaults, a court has today been told. Charles Goodwin, 21, is accused of six counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of assault by penetration, choking and assault and is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Prosecutors told a jury that Goodwin was on bail for the first attack when he raped and sexually assaulted three more women. The court heard undergraduate Goodwin told one victim he was a 'sex god' and told another she needed 'to be treated like a princess' - before going on to violently rape her. The 12 offences has been charged with took place between January 2020 and May last year and a jury has heard that he knew his victims did not consent. Goodwin, of Liverpool, admits sexual activity with the four women but claims it was consensual, jurors were told. He has denied all the charges. Opening the case at Liverpool Crown Court, prosecutor Matthew Curtis said: 'The prosecution say the defendant did not care whether the complainants consented or not. 'In short, he got what he wanted with no care for them or the immediate consequences of his actions.' Student Charles Goodwin (pictured) is accused of violently raping a woman in the first of a series of serious sexual assaults which he denies and is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court The jury heard from the first complainant who told the court she met Goodwin at a nightclub in Manchester while she was there with friends. She said they kissed 'and were making out briefly' and added that while in a smoking area he snatched a cigarette she had rolled from her hands and told her, 'You've got to beg me for it'. She refused his repeated demands and went back inside, jurors were told. In a recorded police interview played to the court she said all he had told her was that he was called Charlie and was a champion boxer who lived in Salford. When she later went out for another smoke he followed her out and was 'grabby and forceful and pushed me' but as they were surrounded by others she said she did not feel he was dangerous. The court heard he repeatedly 'begged' her to go back to his home which she declined but eventually agreed he could come back to her flat as she knew her friends were coming back there for a few more drinks and she asked them to knock on her door when they arrived. 'I thought we would be having sex, after sex he would leave and that would be that,' she said. In a taxi to her home, she claimed he put his hand down her trousers into her underwear, adding that she pushed him off which she says he did not take well. The court heard Goodwin admits having sex with all four victims but claims it was consensual The woman went on to say that when they arrived at her home, he told her, 'You need to be treated like a princess.. I'l pick you up and carry you like a princess'. She added: 'I said, "no, no, no" but he did it anyway. 'When we got into my room he immediately stripped down naked and I was a bit shocked. 'He took off my clothes and started kissing me and pushed me onto the bed and we started having consensual sex. 'It was fine until he suddenly became really more aggressive than before and started calling me names, saying "you are a stupid sl*t" and grabbed hold of my throat with one hand and started choking me.' The young woman, who admitted her recollections were blurry because of alcohol, said he was telling her to say she was 'a stupid w***e, a stupid sl*t' and that she said 'no'. She described how he then slapped her across the face about five times or more while holding her down by the neck with his other hand. The woman added: 'He was really strong and was on to top of me. I was trying to get him off me but I couldn't speak and then he grabbed me with both hands and started choking me and strangling me with immense pressure and I couldn't breathe and felt I was going to lose consciousness.' Charles Goodwin, 21, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court where he denies 12 charges including six counts of rape relating to four women, two counts of sexual assault as well as one of assault She said after a few minutes she managed to get out from underneath him but he ordered her to lie on her stomach and pushed her over onto her front. She said he then tried to assault her from behind but that he was unable to so rolled her onto her back and raped her again while choking her. The court heard her flatmates then came back to the halls of residence and knocked at her door. She said Goodwin started repeatedly telling them to 'f*** off' saying she was fine and he would not let her speak and was pinning her down by her neck. Jurors heard that while he was distracted, the woman managed to get up and open the door to her friends and told him to get out. She said Goodwin was 'really angry' and after picking up his clothes shouted abuse at her and left. Goodwin denies six offences of rape; attempted choking; two of sexual assault, two of assault by penetration and assault. The case continues The ex-convict father of missing seven-year-old Harmony Montgomery has been arrested in New Hampshire on a slew of charges related to her disappearance two years ago, including assault and child endangerment. Adam Montgomery, 31, was arrested on Tuesday in Manchester on a warrant charging him with one felony count of second-degree assault stemming from a July 2019 beating of his daughter; one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child. The Manchester Police Department stated in a press release that despite Montgomery's arrest, 'the search for Harmony continues.' An arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com alleges that Montgomery, who has a history of criminal offenses in two states and drug abuse, punched Harmony in the face and gave her a black eye in July 2021 - just six months after New Hampshire's child protective services handed him custody of his daughter. Montgomery's uncle quoted Adam as telling him of the beating: 'I bashed her around this house,' according to the filing. He also would allegedly spank his daughter on her buttocks, force her to stand in a corner for hours and make her scrub the toilet with her own toothbrush. Adam Montgomery, 31 (left), the father of missing New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery (right), has been arrested on charges of assault, interference with custody and endangering the welfare of a child. This aerial photo shows police searching the backyard at 77 Gilford Street in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Sunday as part of an investigation into the disappearance of seven-year-old Harmony Montgomery Montgomery, who was pictured in his booking photo with a teardrop tattoo on his face, was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, but he waived his right to a hearing and was ordered held without bond. According to the Superior Court Bail order, Montgomery has been placed in what is known in New Hampshire as preventive detention 'based on clear and convincing evidence that the defendant's release will endanger the safety of the defendant or of the public.' Montgomery also has been prohibited from having any contact with Harmony's mother, or his estranged wife. Montgomery's uncle, Kevin Montgomery, told police he reported the 2019 assault to the Department of Children of Children Youth and Their Families (DCYF), but it is unclear whether his complaint was ever investigated by the agency. The portion of the affidavit pertaining to that incident has been redacted. An investigation was launched only after Harmony's mother, Crystal Sorey, called the Manchester Police Department on November 18, saying that her daughter was missing and that she had not seen her since April 2019 on a FaceTime call. 'Crystal recalled that [Harmony] seemed frightened,' according to the affidavit. Sorey explained that she had lost custody of Harmony in July 2018 because she was a drug addict, and she said that Montgomery also had struggled with substance abuse problems. Boston 25 reported that Harmony and her younger brother, Jamison, spent their early years in foster care, but that in February 2019, DCYF placed Harmony in her father's custody, while her brother was adopted by a TV reporter. Records cited by the station revealed that Montgomery has a vast criminal history dating back to 2007 in New Hampshire, including charges of burglary, stalking and first-degree assault. In Massachusetts , he was charged in 2014 with armed robbery and assault with intent to murder during a drug deal, but the charges were later downgraded. Montgomery (left) is accused of punching Harmony in the face and giving her a black eye in July 2021. Multiple relatives observed the then-5-year-old with the eye injury at the time Crystal Sorey (right) had lost custody of Harmony in 2018 because of her drug addiction Beginning on December 27, police in Manchester made repeated attempts to track down Montgomery and other family members to establish the last time Harmony was seen. Three days later, a detective interviewed Montgomery's brother, Michael Montgomery, who raised concerns about Harmony's safety. 'Michael recalled that Adam was "super short" with the child, and he learned through other family members that Adam had given [Harmony] a black eye,' according to the affidavit.' On New Year's Eve, Montgomery's uncle, Kevin Montgomery, told police that has not seen his nephew or Harmony since late 2019. 'However, Kevin had first-hand knowledge of the child's eye injury from 2019,' the court document alleges. The uncle told police that he returned to Manchester in July 2019 after a trip to Florida and observed Harmony with a black eye, prompting his call to DCYF. A relative claimed Montgomery would spank Harmony, put her in the corner for hours and make her scrub the toilet with her own toothbrush. The girl was described as looking 'frightened' during an April 2019 sighting Kevin Montgomery said that Adam told him that he had punched Harmony, saying of the incident: 'I bashed her around this house.' According to the uncle, Montgomery explained to him that he had left Harmony, then aged 5, in charge of her infant brother while he was in the bathroom. When the baby started crying, Montgomery said he came out of the bathroom to find Harmony with her hand clamped over her brother's mouth to stop him from crying. 'Adam told Kevin that he responded by striking [Harmony] in the face and causing the black eye,' according to the affidavit. The uncle told police he believed his nephew had relapsed on drugs around that time. He also recalled Harmony being spanked, forced to stand in the corner for hours, 'and Adam ordering [her] to scrub the toilet with her toothbrush.' On the same day, detectives interviewed Montgomery's estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, who shares three children with him. The woman told police she had last seen Harmony sometime in November or December 2019. 'Adam said that he was driving [Harmony] back to Crystal who was living in Lowell, MA, at the time,' the affidavit states, referring to the girl's birth mother. 'Kayla claimed she never saw, or heard about [Harmony] after that day.' Hours later, police found Montgomery sleeping with his girlfriend in a car parked near Harvell Street in Manchester. 'During our roadside interview with Adam, he made some contradictory statements during our interaction which raised our suspicion and concern for [Harmony's] well-being,' police stated in the filing. Montgomery initially told a detective that his daughter was 'fine' and he had seen her somewhat recently. But as the conversation progressed, the 31-year-old allegedly admitted that he had not seen Harmony since he claimed her mother came to pick her up around Thanksgiving 2019. Detectives repeatedly pressed Montgomery on Harmony's whereabouts, to which he was said to have replied, 'I have nothing else to say' and 'If I'm not under arrest, I'm leaving.' The arrest came a day after Manchester police set up a tip line and offered cash rewards totaling $33,000 for information leading to Harmony's safe return. Harmony was reported missing only last week, more than two years after her last sighting. Her mother, Crystal Sorey, has taken to Facebook to claim that she has filed dozens of claims of abuse and neglect while her daughter was in the custody of her father. Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said at a press conference on Monday that his agency was notified last week that Harmony was last seen at a home in Manchester in October 2019, when she was 5. Aldenberg said police are operating under the assumption that Harmony is alive, 'until somebody shows me something that shes not.' When asked why it took so long for her to be reported missing, he replied: 'That's what we're trying to get to the bottom of.' 'If there was some flaw in the system: Where was it and how is it going to be addressed?' Aldenberg added after refusing to answer any more questions about the police's conversations with the DCYF. Harmony, right, pictured with her younger brother, Jamison, was last seen in October 2019, but she was reported missing only in December 2021 Harmony was described as four-feet tall and weighs 50-pounds. She has blonde hair, blue eyes and wears glasses because she is blind in her right eye Harmony was last enrolled in school in Massachusetts in 2019, according to the police chief, but detectives don't know in which town. Harmony's uncle told Boston station WBTS that he reported an unspecified incident involving Harmony to the New Hampshire DCYF back in July or August of 2019. The unnamed uncle did not reveal any specifics about the incident. Harmony is described as being 4ft tall and weighing 50lbs. She has blonde hair, and blue eyes and is said to be wearing glasses due to being blind in her right eye. The last photographs taken of Harmony are from two years ago. Aldenberg said that officers searched Adam Montgomery's former home at 77 Gilford Street on Sunday, according to New Hampshire Union Leader. This is the horrifying moment a five-year-old girl was seized by an alleged paedophile and his 'male lover' before being raped and stabbed to death in Russia. Distressing footage shows two men snatching the girl and carrying her through the snow, past unaware members of the public to a residence. The child was subsequently raped and then killed, reports from Russia said, citing law enforcement. She had been stabbed multiple times, and her body hidden in a duffle bag. Distressing footage shows the moment two men in Russia snatched a five-year-old girl and carried her through the snow and past unaware members of the public One of the suspects was named as Denis Gerasimov, 44 (left), earlier jailed for paedophile offences including producing child pornography. The other suspect Vadim Belyakov, 24 (right), reportedly has a conviction for theft When the suspects were later detained, they needed police protection to stop them from being lynched by furious locals. The child, Veronika Nikolayeva, had been playing late yesterday afternoon near the cinema and cultural complex where her mother works in Kostroma, a city in western Russia, around 180 miles north-east of Moscow. It was then that she was snatched by two men, say police. Reports said she 'struggled and fought back' but witnesses did not pay attention to her distress at being snatched by two strangers. No-one reported the screaming child's distress to police. Her mother did not see the kidnapping but immediately reported the girl missing and a huge search began involving police and volunteers. Pictured: CCTV footage shows the two men moments before the kidnapped the girl Pictured: A still grab from a video showing the inside of a room searched by police in relation to the case, in which two suspects have been detained over the rape and murder of the girl Officers 'detained two suspects who confessed to the murder of the child, the body of the victim was found in a room in a residential hostel,' said the Russian Investigative Committee. One of the suspects was named as Denis Gerasimov, 44, earlier jailed for paedophile offences including producing child pornography. He was released from jail in March last year, after serving four-and-a-half years for convictions which included sex with an underage girl. The penal colony where he served his sentence described him as 'polite, tactful, not rude'. The other suspect Vadim Belyakov, 24, reportedly has a conviction for theft. The video shows one suspect carrying the kidnapped girl down snowy streets, while the other walks alongside. When police raided the room shared by the suspects in a hostel, they found the girl's body hidden in a duffle bag, say law enforcement sources. The girl had been raped before she was killed. Pictured: Russian police offers are shown inside a home during a search Pictured: Officers leave a hostel in Russia carrying the girl's body, after a mob formed upon hearing the news about her death Local news said that as soon as the information was made public, a mob formed. 'Immediately after the information about the detention of (the suspects) appeared, local residents gathered by the hostel, where the child's body was found,' reported 112 news outlet. 'They demanded the (suspected) murderers should be handed over and wanted to lynch them.' A video shows the girl's body being carried into a police vehicle. A social media post said: 'This case shows again that the surveillance system for paedophiles does not work and gives them the opportunity to commit crimes again.' The suspects are understood to have been in a long term relationship since the younger man was underage. The men told interrogators that the crime was 'spontaneous', it was reported. The younger one 'suggested that his partner catch the girl and make fun of her'. The husband of a California deputy district attorney and rising Republican star who died of COVID-19 this week has criticized her decision to go unvaccinated. Kelly Ernby, 46, died after contracting the virus, her family and friends announced Monday. Her husband, Axel Mattias Ernby, has since denounced his wife's choice to go unjabbed. 'She was NOT vaccinated. That's the problem,' he said, according to screenshots of his comments shared on social media. Ernby spoke at a rally against COVID vaccine mandates at the Irvine City Hall on December 4. The event was hosted by the Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine chapters of the conservative group Turning Point USA. 'There's nothing that matters more than our freedoms right now,' she said, according to the Daily Titan. Kelly Ernby's husband Axel appeared to criticize his wife's choice to stay unvaccinated in a Facebook comment 'She was NOT vaccinated. That's the problem,' he replied on a comment thread about his wife Ernby, 46, was a California deputy district attorney and rising Republican star before she died from complications of COVID this week Her husband Axel is a self-employed management consultant in Huntington Beach Ernby, center, decried vaccine mandates at a Turning Point USA rally at Irvine City Hall just a month ago Ernby's friend Ben Chapman, the chairman of the Greater Costa Mesa Republicans, also confirmed on Facebook that Ernby was not vaccinated. 'My friend was not vaccinated and no one of credible source is making the claim she passed due to being vaccinated,' Chapman wrote on Tuesday. 'Her husband and I have openly stated that she was not vaccinated. However, the left is making this political stating we, Republicans, are saying she passed due to being vaccinated. So far from the truth. Stop spreading lies!' Ernby urged the crowd at the Turning Point USA rally last month to unite and fight for their beliefs against vaccine mandates. She had been an outspoken critic of vaccine mandates since before the pandemic. In 2019 she railed against a state law proposing new vaccine requirements for schoolchildren. Ernby compared the current political division to the 1960s fight against socialism. 'Our government for the people and by the people is not going to exist without action of the people,' Ernby said. Ben Chapman, chairman of the Greater Costa Mesa Republicans, posted about Ernby's death Monday He's since also confirmed that she wasn't vaccinated in a post on Facebook Ernby is survived by her husband Axel, who is self-employed as a management consultant in Huntington Beach, and her dog Nixon. Axel did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment. Ernby was born to Navy veteran parents and grew up in San Diego, according to the Los Angeles Times. She got a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and was recruited to join the Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher law firm in Irvine. The Huntington Beach resident worked as an Orange County deputy district attorney for 10 years specializing on in environmental and consumer law. She first joined local politics in 2020 when she ran for state Assembly in the 74th District challenging Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon, a fellow Republican, to replace Cottie Petrie-Norris, the freshman Democratic incumbent. The self-proclaimed political outsider earned endorsements from several local politicians but lost in a close race. She continued to search for her spot in politics getting involved in the county Republican Party as the precinct chairman. Ernby became an elected Orange County GOP central committee member later in 2020. She was midway into the four-year term at the time of her passing. The 46-year-old fought against vaccine mandates even before the COVID pandemic dragged the issue into the national spotlight. Ernby, left on December 4, fought against vaccine mandates even before the COVID pandemic Ernby, a vaccine mandate critic before COVID, is survived by her husband Axel, right, and her dog Nixon In 2019, Ernby appeared in an online town hall to discuss her stance on medical freedom. She firmly opposed a new state law that proposed tightening immunization rules for California schoolchildren. 'My fundamental belief is that government should be very small and I don't believe in mandates,' she said on November 3, 2019. 'I don't think that the government should be involved in mandating what vaccines people are taking,' she explained. 'I think that's a decision between doctors and their patients. If the government is going to mandate vaccines, what else are they going to mandate?' Ernby's death was confirmed as friends and colleagues began sharing social media posts expressing their grief. Ernby was a strong vocal opponent of vaccine mandates and was not jabbed herself Ernby's last Facebook post (pictured) shows her celebrating the Christmas holiday with Axel and Nixon while honoring her mother who passed away 'She was very passionate about her love for politics, for America and the Republican Party,' said Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party and a longtime Orange County GOP activist, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was shocked by her 'sudden' passing and explained that the two planned to meet later this week to discuss another state Assembly run. 'I found her to be funny and generous,' he said. 'She quickly became part of the fabric of our party. We're really going to miss her. It's very sad.' Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer expressed his sorrow in a statement: 'The Orange County district attorney's office is utterly heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Deputy Dist. Atty. Kelly Ernby.' 'Kelly was an incredibly vibrant and passionate attorney who cared deeply about the work that we do as prosecutors and deeply about the community we all fight so hard to protect.' He also remembered his 'incredibly vibrant and passionate' colleague in a touching Twitter thread. Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner also memorialized his colleague online. 'Kelly was an outstanding public servant and an even better person,' he said on Twitter. Ernby was also strong voice the in Governor Gavin Newsom's recall election, which he won with 60 percent of the vote. She openly opposed him and strongly backed Larry Elder. Much of her dislike of Newsom came from his strong stance on COVID vaccine mandates and closures. 'I dont like the fact that he is shutting down our churches, our schools, our businesses, and that people have rights and liberties that he is not protecting,' she told the Costa Mesa Breif ahead of the recall election. Hundreds of care homes up and down the country are having to close their doors to new residents because of Covid outbreaks and Omicron-fuelled staffing shortages. Some 70 per cent of homes run by the MHA one of the UK's largest not-for-profit care homes are currently not accepting new residents, or 62 out of 84 homes. And at Four Seasons Health Care one of the country's largest providers 40 per cent of homes are not taking patients, or 54 out of 135 homes. Sources in the sector told MailOnline a third of homes nationally are currently unable to take on new residents due to stringent Covid guidelines. Under current rules, homes cannot take on new patients for 28 days after they have detected an outbreak of the virus when two or more cases are detected. A top NHS boss warned having so many homes in crisis mode was leaving already-struggling hospitals unable to discharge patients and free up space. Care bodies are calling on ministers to reduce the quarantine period, saying it is 'out of step' with the rest of the country. For comparison, in England self-isolation can end after seven days with two negative lateral flow tests. At the same time, the care sector is also grappling with a staffing crisis because so many workers are off isolating with Covid amid unprecedented infection levels. More than 90 care home operators in England have already declared 'red alerts' over shortages, which could compromise quality of care. With 183,000 Brits being sent into isolation every day on average, there are growing calls from experts, businesses and even NHS leaders to cut self-isolation to five days to avoid paralysing the economy and disrupting vital services. Around 1.3million Britons are currently thought to be languishing under house arrest as the NHS, rail services and bin collections all buckle under the weight of staff absences. Twenty NHS Trusts in England have now declared 'critical incidents' over mounting absences and Covid pressures and hospitals are now starting to shelve operations. Care homes were already wrestling with staffing problems heading into the fourth wave after the Government made it compulsory to have two Covid jabs - resulting in around 30,000 staff being sacked in England. The above graph shows the number of respiratory disease outbreaks recorded in care homes across England. An outbreak is declared when two or more cases are linked to a particular home. In the most recent week data is available 250 of 252 outbreaks where a respiratory disease was reported were due to Covid Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group which represents homes in Yorkshire, warned the number of homes unable to accept new patients was increasing by the day. He told MailOnline: 'If homes are under pressure, then that is going to leave people unable to be discharged from hospital to them.' Even NHS bosses back cutting self-isolation period to FIVE days as staffing crisis sees hospitals CANCEL routine operations An NHS leader today revealed he would support slashing Covid self-isolation to five days amid an escalating staffing crisis that has engulfed hospitals and led some to cancel routine operations. Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation an organisation which represents trusts, said two more days should be shaved off the period as long as it was backed up by the science. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the situation was 'desperate' and any way of getting staff back to work was a 'good thing'. But he said it would be 'completely counterproductive' to have infectious staff return to wards because it would exacerbate the spread of Omicron. Last month ministers cut the self-isolation period to seven days, providing someone tested negative using a lateral flow on days six and seven. But pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson to follow the US, which has squeezed quarantine to only five days for anyone without symptoms. Around 1.3million Britons are currently thought to be languishing under house arrest as the NHS, rail services and bin collections all buckle under the weight of staff absences. One in ten NHS employees are estimated to be off sick or self-isolating, and Mr Johnson yesterday revealed plans are being drawn up to call in the Army if the crisis continues to worsen. Some 20 out of 137 hospital trusts in England have declared 'critical incidents' in recent days or 16 per cent, signalling that they may struggle to deliver vital care to patients in the coming weeks because so many medics are off isolating. Seventeen hospitals in Greater Manchester have also started shelving operations. At the same time, the number of Covid-infected patients being hospitalised is rising. Advertisement Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers which represents hospital trusts, said having fewer homes able to take patients was 'very concerning'. He told the Guardian that hospital bosses were reporting that delayed discharges were already adding to pressures, and making it harder to find beds for serious cases coming in from A&E. He said: 'This isn't good for patients as we know patient outcomes deteriorate if patients are medically fit to discharge but can't leave hospital.' Care home bosses are pushing to have their quarantine period reduced from 28 days to ensure residents can still see friends and family. For comparison, in most of the UK people who test positive for the virus can now leave isolation after seven days providing they tested negative on days six and seven. The MHA's chief executive Sam Monaghan said: 'The current rules around outbreaks mean that care homes find themselves closed to new admissions, leaving older people staying in hospital longer than necessary or not getting the care that they need.' He added: 'Once an outbreak is declared (often involving only two cases of Covid), everyone living in these homes can have essential care visits but no wider friends and family may visit for up to four weeks. 'Meanwhile, in the general population, if we test negative six and seven days after a positive Covid test, we may return to socialising straight away. 'This is a huge disparity and we need the Government to look again at the scientific evidence and review whether these differing approaches are really required. We are in a situation again where, for prolonged periods at a time, older people living in care homes across the country are unable to have visits with their family and friends. 'This is particularly tough for people living with dementia and their loved ones, whose connections are an important part of their care.' A spokeswoman for Care England also called for the quarantine period to be reduced, saying it was 'out of step' with the rest of society. They called on ministers to allow homes to make their own judgements on when they should come out of quarantine. The UK Health Security Agency declares an outbreak when two or more cases of a particular disease are linked to one setting. Latest figures show there were 386 care home outbreaks of respiratory infections over the week to December 19. This was more than double the 163 detected at the beginning of the month. Of the 252 outbreaks where a respiratory disease was reported, 250 attributed the situation to Covid. It comes amid a deteriorating situation in the NHS, with hospitals now having to cancel operations amid surging outbreaks and a lack of staff. Last month ministers cut the self-isolation period from 10 to seven days, providing someone tested negative using a lateral flow on days six and seven. But pressure is mounting on the PM to follow the US, which has squeezed quarantine to only five days for anyone without symptoms. Studies show most people are not infectious beyond five days of their diagnosis, which has given other countries the confidence to press on with the plan. One in ten NHS employees are estimated to be off sick or self-isolating, and Mr Johnson yesterday revealed plans are being drawn up to call in the Army if the crisis continues to worsen. Some 20 out of 137 hospital trusts in England have declared 'critical incidents' in recent days or 16 per cent signalling that they may struggle to deliver vital care to patients in the coming weeks. Seventeen hospitals in Greater Manchester have also started shelving operations. Business leaders today warned that they too were struggling, with the managing director of supermarket chain Iceland saying their absence graph was 'almost vertical' and more than double the previous peak. Train services and bin collections are also grinding to a halt as the virus spreads, while schools are warning that they may not have enough teachers in work to run their normal timetables. In the contentious speech, the mayor, 61, pushed for businesses to get employees back into the office for the sake of the city's economy Adams' comments come as a slew of businesses in the city have elected to have employees work from home amid a surge in COVID cases fueled by Omicron 'My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers... my shoe-shine people... they don't have the academic skills to sit in the corner office,' he said Tuesday New York City Mayor Eric Adams has come under fire in his first week in office for saying 'low-skilled workers' lack the academic skills to 'sit in a corner office' New York City Mayor Eric Adams has come under fire in his first week in office for saying 'low-skilled workers' lack the academic skills to 'sit in a corner office.' During a press conference Tuesday, the newly crowned mayor pushed for businesses - including those that can operate remotely - to get employees back into the office for the sake of their fellow New Yorkers and the city's economy. Urging larger businesses to return to in-person work for at least a few days a week, Adams spoke to the fact that businesses such as restaurants rely on office workers to support their own staffers with a livable wage. Adams warned that businesses moving to remote work amid the recent surge of COVID cases in the city could negatively affect these businesses and other small-time workers who rely on foot traffic to make a living - and the city's economy as a whole. Adams, 61, went on to declare that office workers are part of the 'ecosystem of this city' with their contributions to the economy. 'My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe-shine people, those who work at Dunkin' Donuts - they don't have the academic skills to sit in the corner office,' Adams asserted during the conference. 'They need this. We are in this together.' Adam's anecdote quickly sparked a firestorm on Twitter, with many criticizing the mayor for referring to such workers as 'low-skilled.' The controversy even spurred the mayor to clarify his comments the following day on social media and a televised interview, by explaining he used to work such jobs and relied on people spending their disposable income to survive. Scroll down for video 'My low-skilled workers, my cooks, my dishwashers, my messengers, my shoe-shine people, those who work at Dunkin' Donuts - they don't have the academic skills to sit in the corner office,' new mayor Eric Adams, 61, asserted during a press conference Tuesday In his speech, Adams urged office workers to return to in-person work at least a few days a week to support smaller businesses, such as restaurants, that largely rely on commuters to turn a profit. The retired police captain's comments come as the city continues to see a surge of COVID cases driven by the Omicron variant. Donning a mask and a brightly colored T-shirt emblazoned with the words 'vaccine and testing,' Adams warned that businesses electing to work remotely as cases rise could negatively affect these businesses, as well as the economy as a whole. 'That accountant - I need him to go to the cleaners,' the new mayor - sworn in on Saturday - affirmed in his speech, speaking on the effects that could have on the city that once served as the US' epicenter for the persistent virus. He went on: 'I need him to go down to Dunkin' Donuts. I need him to go to the restaurant. I need him to bring in the business traveling. The politician went on to make a brazen declaration through the use of a hypothetical, that contended that New Yorkers are in for a rude awakening if they continue to work remotely amid the new swell of cases. 'If we say that, "Well I don't have to go in. I'm still getting my salary," then you are not helping those New Yorkers who need us to come in.' The mayor's comments came in response to a reporter's assertion that workers in The City That Never Sleeps don't yet feel safe returning to work and that employers too want to delay staffers' return to the office. Adams responded to the reporter's claim by proclaiming that businesses should remind their workers they are part of the 'ecosystem of this city,' and therefore have a duty concerning their contributions to the city's economy. Adam's words also come as a slew of Manhattan-based companies, such as JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs, have revised their respective back-to-the office plans as a result of the continuing health crisis. Adams responded to the controversy in a tweet Wednesday, explaining that he used to work such jobs and relied on people spending their disposable income to survive Adam's words come as a slew of Manhattan-based companies, such as JPMorgan Chase (their office situated in the city's Financial District pictured here ) have revised their respective back-to-the office plans amid a recent surge in COVID cases in The City That Never Sleeps Adams is adamant that if office workers don't return to work on-site, 'low-skill workers' - like shoeshiners (pictured) - will in turn suffer In all, the mayor's spiel, which serves as just a small portion of his overall speech addressing the recent rash of cases, amounted to a mere minute-and-a-half. However, it was enough to stir a stream of backlash on social media against the politician, stemming from his clumsy comments regarding essential workers. 'Restaurant owner here. First, I challenge any human to handle a board full of orders as long as the eye can see, and get orders out on time and correct, then tell me that is 'low skill,'' one Twitter user wrote in the wake of Adam's remarks. 'No such thing as low skill workers, just undervalued ones,' another asserted. 'Really?' a further user asked after hearing the mayor's speech. 'A lot of those people working in those jobs are working their way through college. And I've worked with a lot of those academic corner sitters who didn't have the sense god gave a squirrel.' 'I didn't realize the cashier/bagger at the grocery store, the waitstaff/dishwasher, person working as a cashier/food handler at a place like McDonalds was considered "low academic."' another sniped. 'Silly me.' The poster went on to point out that many of those workers have degrees from other countries that do not hold any bearing in The States. Adams' remarks spawned a stream of backlash on social media, stemming from his comments regarding essential workers With that said, others were quick to rush to the defense of the former state senator. 'How he said it isn't great... but what he's saying is absolutely true,' wrote Twitter user @RyanGirdusky. 'Hes just saying it how it is, but you cant do that anymore in 2022,' another attested. A further Adams supporter attempted to explain the mayor's contentious comments, as thousands of social media users continued to express their outrage. 'He's not talking about unskilled but about low skilled people,' the poster wrote. 'Their existence is a technical fact. Denying that would probably be a proof of that.' Another offered an explanation as to what Adam's meant by 'low-skilled.' '"Skill' refers to educational training, not potential or intelligence,' the user wrote. '"Low skill" jobs are not easier than high skill jobs (often, theyre much more difficult), but they do require less training.' Others, meanwhile, were quick to rush to the defense of the former state senator, with many attempting to clarify his comments The following morning, Adams addressed the controversy during an interview with CBS Mornings' Gayle King. During the televised talk, King asked the new mayor if his comments came out as he intended during his speech five days into office. 'Listen - I was a cook. I was a dishwasher,' an unmasked Adams laughed, before clarifying the point he was attempting to make. 'When you talk about closing down our city,' he explained, 'if you're a dishwasher, you can't remotely do your job. 'And if don't have an accountant in an office space coming to a restaurant... that dishwasher is not going to have a job.' Adams then explained to King and fellow panelists Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson that his goal is 'to open the city, so low-wage employees are able to survive.' 'If no one came to that restaurant when I was paying my way through college,' the mayor went on, 'I would not have been able to survive, and families [now] can't survive. That's the message.' Adams echoed this sentiment later that day on social media. 'I was a cook. I was a dishwasher,' he tweeted Wednesday afternoon. 'If nobody came to my restaurant when I was in college, I wouldnt have been able to survive. When you talk about closing down our city, you're talking about putting low-wage workers out of a job. Im not letting that happen.' Im focused, Im disciplined and Im grinding to bring my city back: NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been in office for less than a week, and hes already making headlines.@NYCMayor shares his plans for fighting crime and keeping schools open during the Omicron surge. pic.twitter.com/r5mhdqbqM8 CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 5, 2022 Meanwhile, Coronavirus cases in New York have soared in recent weeks, fueled by the meteoric rise of the Omicron variant. As of Wednesday, the city saw hospitalizations top 5,000 a day, at 5,495, for the first time since May 2020, when the city served as the country's de facto hotbed for the then recently emerged virus. The city had a daily average of 38,1327 new cases per day on Tuesday, up from an average of 1,729 just a month earlier, according to data from The New York Times. Meanwhile, Coronavirus cases in New York have soared in recent weeks, fueled by the meteoric rise of the Omicron variant The city had a daily average of 38,1327 new cases per day on Tuesday, up from an average of 1,729 just a month earlier, according to data from The New York Times As cases rise, many large businesses in New York have elected to allow their employees to work from home throughout the first weeks of January. Adams, however, is adamant about reopening the city, arguing it would be best for the economy. On CNN Tuesday, the politician reiterated his stance concerning the prospective reopening of the city's schools and businesses, while doubling down on his stance that people should instead get vaccinated and regularly test themselves for the virus. 'We have to open up,' Adams asserted in the Tuesday interview. 'What we must understand is the resiliency of returning back to a normal life. If we don't open our cities, there are almost a million people that are behind in their rents right here in this city. 'We have low-skilled employees who can't do remote employment from home. 'That's not a reality in a city like New York and America. I need my cities to open.' A Texas man who was reported missing more than two months ago has been found dead inside his crashed pickup truck near an interstate highway. Wayne Kirk Clay, 65, was found inside his wrecked gray 2015 Nissan Titan in a wooded area near US Highway 259 on January 2, about 70 miles north of Longview, where he lived. Kirk had been reported missing on October 26 and he was last seen exiting a Houston barbershop near the 900 block of Little York Rd., according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was reported missing and the community was alerted that he had a medical condition that required the use of an oxygen tank. Police officials, who listed his name as Clay Kirk, have not been able to determine when the accident took place, but said his vehicle likely went unnoticed because it could not be seen from the road. Wayne Kirk Clay, 65, and his crashed grey 2015 Nissan Titan were found in a wooded area near US Highway 259 on January 2, 70 miles north of Longview, where he lived Kirk had been reported missing on October 26 and he was last seen in Houston near the 900 block of Little York Rd, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety On Sunday, a property owner spotted the wrecked vehicle and alerted police, who later found Kirk inside. Investigators said they believe Kirk was driving along Loop 571 and 'disregarded' a stop sign at the intersection with US 259. They said Kirk likely cut across lanes and exited the road, driving through the north ditch and hitting a dirt embankment, which caused the crash. Kirk had been reported missing after he was last seen in Houston Investigators said they believe Kirk was driving along loop 571 and 'disregarded' a stop sign at the intersection with US 259 An investigation into the accident is ongoing. Officials said the weather was clear and the roads were dry around the time Kirk went missing, leading to their conclusion that he ran a stop sign. US 259 runs for 250 miles through northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma. Just a day after Kirk was found, a motorcyclist died in a two-vehicle accident on the highway. Kirk was last seen exiting a barber shop in Houston on October 26. The new Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been greeted with growing backlash over his shockingly soft stance on crime that the progressive prosecutor revealed on Monday, less than 48 hours after new Mayor Eric Adams took office. Bragg, the newly minted prosecutor of the Big Apple's main borough, sent a memo to his staff announcing he 'will not seek carceral' sentences for criminals, unless they were guilty of murder or a handful of other crimes he deemed serious enough to warrant prison. His sweeping changes call on prosecutors to ditch felony armed robbery charges and instead charge suspects with petty larceny - a misdemeanor which carries a maximum of one year in prison - even when a weapon is involved if the firearm did not 'create a genuine risk of physical harm.' Burglaries will no longer be prosecuted as burglaries if the bandit steals from a storage unit or outdoor property that isn't connected to a 'living' dwelling, and quality-of-life crimes such as prostitution, turnstile jumping, weapons possession (of non-firearms) and marijuana possession won't be prosecuted at all. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has vowed not to prosecute some violent crimes and downgrade felonies like armed robberies to the misdemeanor petit larceny if there isn't a 'genuine threat', even if a weapon is involved Drug dealers will not be prosecuted for felony crimes unless they commit other offenses on top of drug dealing, and prison should be a 'last resort' - despite the mounting number of violent crimes being committed on the streets of New York by repeat offenders who have been let out of jail early. NYPD unions, New York Republicans and angry residents were left dumbfounded amid growing fears that the crime-ravaged city will experience the same fate as other progressive-run bastions on the West Coast that have been plagued by looting and lawlessness. 'Why doesn't Bragg just give the drug dealers business cards telling everyone they're open for business, what their hours are, and what they charge?' Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said in a statement on Wednesday. 'Alvin Bragg's memo to his staff specifying his prosecution policy will result in more crime and increased shootings. 'Where there are drugs, there are guns. D.A. Bragg has made himself the police, the judge and the jury.' Curtis Sliwa, the Republican mayoral candidate who lost to Adams by a landslide, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday: 'It's an advertisement for criminals. Come to Manhattan.' In an earlier appearance on Newsmax, Sliwa said it created an 'open season' for criminals and that Adams - who promised to be tough on crime - needed to come down harder on the new DA. Beware of Eric Adams who says one thing and then immediately embraces the guy who is advertising: 'come to the borough of Manhattan and commit crime. Republican Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa 'Beware of Eric Adams who says one thing and then immediately embraces the guy who is advertising: 'come to the borough of Manhattan and commit crime. 'It's open season. 'That means smash and grabs, that means shoplifting, armed robbery, somebody can put a gun to your head as a tourist and guess what, he gets a desk appearance ticket. 'Eric Adams can't have it both ways.' The Police Benevolent Association president Patrick J. Lynch, who leads the nearly 24,000-member union, said that has 'serious concerns' over the new policies. 'Police officers don't want to be sent out to enforce laws that the district attorneys won't prosecute. 'There are already too many people who believe that they can commit crimes, resist arrest, interfere with police officers and face zero consequences.' The Detectives' Endowment Association released this statement saying he might as well give the criminals business cards Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said he has 'serious concerns' The union chief said he hoped that Bragg would sit down with the leaders from his union to discuss the changes. 'We must all pull together towards one goal: a safer New York City.' Business leaders are also worried that these new policies could have detrimental effect on Manhattan's economy. 'New York Citys quality of life must remain competitive if we are to lure back office workers and tourists,' Jessica Walker, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce said. 'The district attorneys stance against prosecuting certain low-level crimes may undermine both the perception and the reality that ours is a safe big city.' NYGOP Chairman Nick Langworthy called the policy 'pure insanity'. 'I fear for the safety of New York residents, businesses owners and tourists. They tried the same reforms in San Francisco that focused on decarceration and what you see very fast is a descent into a free-for-all.' Richie Greenberg, former mayoral candidate in San Francisco 'This policy is pure insanity by a Soros-funded, woke DA who is opening the door for even more crime and chaos on New York City streets. 'This, on top of Democrats' end to cash bail, will have deadly results and send even more residents, businesses and tourists fleeing. 'This is a damning reminder that elections have consequences,' he told DailyMail.com. Richie Greenberg, a former mayoral candidate in San Francisco who is now spearheading the effort to remove Chesa Boudin, the city's prosecutor who has abolished cash bail, said he feared for the people of New York. 'I fear for the safety of New York residents, businesses owners and tourists. 'They tried the same reforms in San Francisco that focused on decarceration and what you see very fast is a descent into a free-for-all.' 'Criminals come from all around to prey on businesses and the people of San Francisco,' he said. 'Beware of Eric Adams who says one thing and then immediately embraces the guy who is advertising: 'come to the borough of Manhattan and commit crime' said Adams' former opponent, Curtis Sliwa Crime in New York City is so bad that the Mayor Eric Adams called 911 himself this week after watching two men brawl in the street ALVIN BRAGG'S MEMO PROMISING NOT TO JAIL CRIMINALS AND ONLY USE PRISON AS A 'LAST RESORT' Advertisement Bragg's memo said he would seek 'alternatives' to jail time for misdemeanors, and that some felonies should be downgraded to misdemeanors so that the suspects who commit them can escape custody. It was a shock to some of those who voted for Adams on his promise that he would crack down on the city's worsening crime problem. The new mayor has not commented on the criticism of Bragg's memo. On Wednesday, Bragg tried to offer reassurances that he would only let non-violent criminals who stole 'toothpaste' or 'bread'. 'We will be tough when we need to be, but we will not be seeking to destroy lives through unnecessary incarceration. 'In practical terms that means: I've prosecuted gun cases and if you use a gun to rob a store, or any armed robbery, you will be prosecuted. I've prosecuted cases involving assaulting law enforcement, and if you punch a police officer, you will be prosecuted. 'But if you are houseless with an addiction problem and you steal toothpaste and some bread, you will be diverted for treatment to help break the cycle of recidivism.' New Mayor Eric Adams (pictured Tuesday) endorsed Bragg for Manhattan prosecutor and claimed on Monday that his policies would help reduce crime He did not clarify the extent to which the criminals would be prosecuted, or if he would seek jail term for them. Some expressed concern over Bragg's ability to unilaterally decide which laws will or will not be enforced. The critics argue prosecutors 'must be allowed discretion,' but not the authority to change entire sections of penal code on their own. Others allege his apparent looser stance on crime is surprising given he grew up in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood in the 1980s, during an endemic time of 'crack violence' and 'crack turf war-related bloodshed'. The violence extended beyond drug dealers, with many residents sheltering their children in bathtubs to protect them from stray bullets that would shoot through the walls, the New York Post reported. Critics contend, given Bragg grew up in that time of violence - which was significantly worse than today's crime levels - that he should want to hold criminals accountable for their actions and protect public order. George Soros has funneled millions into the successful campaigns of other progressive district attorneys across the country. He has also been pumping money into a far-left effort to overhaul the criminal justice system which critics say is creating a lawless America New York City is currently experiencing soaring crime rates and an increase in shooting incidents not seen since the mid-2000s The most recent crime stats put out by the NYPD show that crime continues to tick up in the new year. Compared to last year major crimes, which include murder, rape, robbery, felony assault and others, have jumped 38 per cent for the week of December 27 to January 2. There have been fewer murders in that period - five to last year's 10 during the same period - but grand larceny spiked 84 percent, rape is up 35 percent and robber climbed 21 percent. Crime is only up about two percent compared to two years ago, but 15 percent higher than last decade. Critics also argue Bragg's policies directly conflict with the views and goals of the newly-elected mayor. However, new Mayor Eric Adams endorsed Bragg for Manhattan prosecutor and claimed on Monday that his policies would help reduce crime. Adams was an attractive choice for many voters because of his repeated promises to crack down on crime and bring back plain clothes units to disband gangs and tackle gun violence. In July 2021 - before they were elected - Bragg and Adams joined famed civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network rally in New York. Adams, at the time, said he saw his role as mayor as making 'Bragg's job boring'. 'Prosecution rates is [sic] tied to my educational failure rates, Adams said, according to NewsOne. 'If I do my job right, then he will have nothing to do in this office.' Bragg added: 'The state has the power to take away someones liberty. We are going to use that power judiciously and wisely. Were going to use that for fairness and for safety.' The first homicide of 2022 in NYC: A woman was stabbed to death near a diner in Astoria, Queens on New Year's Day at 9pm Famed civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton (left) and Alvin Bragg (right) celebrate a decade of 'PoliticsNation With Al Sharpton' on August 24, 2021 in New York City Bragg was elected thanks in part to the Color of Change super PAC, a political action committee that received $1million from Democratic super-donor Soros. Soros has funneled millions into the successful campaigns of other progressive district attorneys across the country. The billionaire, one of the most prolific Democratic donors, is most known for giving to Presidents Clinton and Obama but he has also been pumping money into a far-left effort to overhaul the criminal justice system which critics say is creating a lawless America. Among those he backed is Kim Foxx, the State's Attorney for Cook County, Chicago, where murder is at its highest in nearly 30 years. In 2020, Soros donated $2million to a PAC that backed Foxx in her re-election campaign. She won the race and has since offered deferred prosecutions and softball deals to criminals. In 2021, there were more murders in Chicago than in any other year since 1994. There have been more than 1,000 murders in Cook County, Foxx's district, this year. Soros bolstered her re-election campaign by donating to the Illinois Justice and Public Safety PAC. George Soros has funneled millions into the successful campaigns of other progressive district attorneys across the country. He has also been pumping money into a far-left effort to overhaul the criminal justice system which critics say is creating a lawless America Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, left, was propped up by a PAC that Soros gave $2million to. San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin is pictured, right The PAC spent over $500,000 on materials to damage one of her challengers. It's a pattern that can be seen in other parts of the country. He has also donated to PACs that support Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, who is being widely condemned for not cracking down on shoplifters and violent criminals. Soros has also donated to the campaign of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. He donated $1.7million to Krasner's campaign, according to The New York Post. Soros also donated to Super PACS that prop up Democratic prosecutors and politicians across Republican states. Republican pundits say he has blood on his hands now for the deaths of innocent people like those killed at the Waukesha Christmas Parade by Darrell Brooks, a career criminal who had been bonded out of jail days earlier for other crimes. In 2016, Soros pumped $3million into seven local district-attorney campaigns including races in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Each new elementary school student in Seoul will be given a one-off allowance of 200,000 won ($167) beginning this year, the capital's education chief said Wednesday. The allowance, formally named the "school admission preparation subsidy," will be first paid to about 69,800 first graders this year, Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said in a news conference. The move comes after all first-year students in the city's middle and high schools were paid an admission preparation allowance of 300,000 won each for the first time last year. The elementary school subsidy program will cost about 14 billion won, and the education office, the metropolitan government and autonomous districts will share the expense at a 4-3-3 ratio, he said. The Seoul education office will provide all students with opportunities for customized learning based on artificial intelligence, and one smart device will be given to each first-year student in middle schools, he said. Cho also said the number of students per class in the first grade of elementary schools will be gradually lowered to 20 or fewer starting this year. The goal is to increase the ratio of elementary school first-year classes with fewer than 20 students to 56.6 percent this year, 70.1 percent next year and 90 percent in 2024, he said. (Yonhap) A Catholic nurse who was bullied out of her job for wearing a cross around her neck at work was unfairly dismissed by the hospital where she had worked for 18 years, an employment tribunal has ruled. NHS theatre practitioner Mary Onuoha claimed that she had faced a 'campaign of harassment' by bosses at Croydon University Hospital to make her remove the small gold cross. A tribunal found that although the hospital claimed there were health and safety policies behind their demand, this was inconsistent with the treatment of other staff who wore similar items of clothing and jewellery. The panel found in her favour and ruled that she was forced to quit her role in 2020 after her employers created 'an offensive, hostile and intimidating environment'. The hospital trust has since issued an apology to Mrs Onuoha and said their dress code and uniform policy has been updated since the matter was raised. Mrs Onuoha had been a staff member for 18 years but had worn the jewellery for 40 years to mark her devout Catholic faith. But from 2015, she claims a succession of managers told her to remove the item from around her neck or the matter would face 'escalation'. She claimed patient safety was risked in an operating theatre to discipline her and her head of department even said he would have to call security if she wore it in a clinical area. Mary Onuoha at the South London Employment Tribunal Building Croydon in October A tribunal has found in favour of former nurse Mary Onuoha (pictured) who claimed she was subject to a campaign of harassment by NHS bosses to make her remove the small gold cross Mrs Onuoha was told her small gold cross was a health and safety risk and 'must not be visible'. She claimed patient safety was risked in an operating theatre to discipline her and her head of department even said he would have to call security if she wore it in a clinical area. When she continued to refuse to remove the cross, she was suspended from clinical duties and demoted to working as a receptionist which left her feeling humiliated. The tribunal heard she was forced off work with stress in June 2020 and believed she faced no alternative but to resign later that year. She had been employed as a theatre practitioner wearing blue scrubs - a V necked short sleeved tunic and trousers on the bottom. In theatre working as a scrub nurse, she also wore a standard issue surgical covering which covered her from neck to wrist. Pictured: Mrs Onuoha says she has worn the gold cross as a reflection of her faith for 40 years Her cross necklace was visible when wearing scrubs but was covered when working as a scrubbed in nurse in theatre. The tribunal said Mrs Onuoha, who grew up in Nigeria, is a devout Catholic and that wearing a cross is important to manifest her faith. She said: 'This has always been an attack on my faith. My cross has been with me for 40 years. It is part of me, and my faith, and it has never caused anyone any harm. 'At this hospital there are members of staff who go to a mosque four times a day and no one says anything to them. Hindus wear red bracelets on their wrists and female Muslims wear hijabs in theatre. 'Yet my small cross around my neck was deemed so dangerous that I was no longer allowed to do my job. I am a strong woman but I have been treated like a criminal.' Lawyers for Mrs Onuoha claimed health and safety reasons were contradictory because she was required to wear several lanyards round her neck while working at the hospital. An employment tribunal panel did not agree with the hospital that there were health and safety grounds for asking Mrs Onuoha to remove the necklace. Lawyers for Mrs Onuoha (left) claimed health and safety reasons were contradictory because she was required to wear several lanyards round her neck (right) while working at the hospital The tribunal ruled: 'It is clear to us that the infection risk posed by a necklace of the sorts the Claimant used to wear, when worn by a responsible clinician such as the Claimant, who complied with handwashing protocol, was very low.' The Tribunal have also found that Croydon Health Services NHS Trust constructively dismissed Mrs Onuoha and that the dismissal was unfair and discriminatory. Furthermore, it has ruled that there was 'no cogent explanation' as to why other items of jewellery and clothing were permitted 'but a fine necklace with a small pendant of religious devotional significance is not'. Finding that there was 'an offensive, hostile and intimidating environment, the Tribunal concluded that interrupting the surgery while a patient was on the table was 'high-handed', adding: 'She literally interrupted surgery in order to address the issue. 'This was to treat the matter as if it was an emergency, but on any view it was not.' Finding that Mrs Onuoha was constructively dismissed, the tribunal concluded: 'In our view the conduct which we have identified as amounting to harassment and/or direct discrimination individually or cumulatively was sufficiently serious so as to be likely to destroy or seriously undermine the relationship of trust and confidence. Pictured: Former nurse Mary Onuoha arrived at the South London Tribunal centre in October 'We do not accept that the Respondent had reasonable and proper cause for its conduct. 'There was a broad health and safety objective underlying much of the conduct. However, given the inconsistency of treatment between employees wearing other items of religious and non-religious apparel that had no work-based function but had a comparable risk profile, that simply did not justify the treatment of the Claimant. A remedy hearing will take place at a later date. A spokesperson for Croydon Health Services NHS Trust said: 'We would like to apologise to Mrs Onuoha and thank the Employment Tribunal panel for their careful consideration of this matter. 'It is important that NHS staff feel able to express their beliefs, and that our policies are applied in a consistent, compassionate and inclusive way. 'Since this matter in 2019, our dress code and uniform policy has been updated with the support of the Trust's staff networks and trade union representatives to ensure it is inclusive and sensitive to all religious and cultural needs, while maintaining effective infection prevention and control measures and protecting the safety of our patients and staff. 'However, we will carry out a further review of our policy and practices in light of this judgment.' Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who supported the claim, said: 'We are delighted that the Tribunal have ruled in Mary's favour and delivered justice in this case. 'From the beginning this case has been about the high-handed attack from the NHS bureaucracy on the right of a devoted and industrious nurse to wear a cross the worldwide, recognised and cherished symbol of the Christian faith. It is very uplifting to see the Tribunal acknowledge this truth. 'It was astonishing that an experienced nurse, during a pandemic, was forced to choose between her faith and the profession she loves. 'Any employer will now have to think very carefully before restricting wearing of crosses in the workplace. 'Mary's whole life has been dedicated to caring for others and her love for Jesus. It has been a privilege to stand with her in this long fight for justice, and we are very pleased with the outcome.' White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned companies that 'fail to address forced labor' in their supply chains face serious 'legal and reputational risks.' Psaki was asked about Tesla's decision to open a showroom in the Xinjiang region. 'As a general matter, we believe the private sector should oppose the PRC's human rights abuses and genocide in Xinjiang,' the press secretary said. 'The international community, including the public and private sectors, cannot look the other way when it comes to what is taking place in Xinjiang. As we've said before, companies that fail to address forced labor in the supply chains and other human rights abuses face serious legal and reputational risks.' The US has accused China of committing genocide against its Uighur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. Just last week, President Biden signed a bill that banned products from that region from entering the U.S. unless manufacturers can prove forced labor was not used in the supply chain. Psaki was asked about Tesla's decision to open a showroom in the Xinjiang region. 'As a general matter, we believe the private sector should oppose the PRC's human rights abuses and genocide in Xinjiang,' the press secretary said Tesla founder Elon Musk has heaped praise on China Human Rights Watch estimates that 1 million Uyghur Muslims are detained in 're-education camps' where they have been subjected to torture, slavery and sexual assault. Tesla announced the new showroom in Xinjiang on Dec. 31 on Chinese social media platform Weibo. 'In 2022, let us together launch Xinjiang on its electric journey!' the post said, The Wall Street Journal reported. It also included a photo of people holding signs that said, 'Tesla (heart) Xinjiang.' More than half of Tesla's vehicles were already produced in China in 2021, mostly in Shanghai. Elon Musk has heaped praise on China, tweeting on the Chinese Communist Party's 100th anniversary, the electric vehicle giant's founder tweeted on July 1: 'The economic prosperity that China has achieved is truly amazing, especially in infrastructure!' Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), condemned the news on Twitter: 'I'll be blunt: Any company doing business in Xinjiang is complicit in the cultural genocide taking place there. But Tesla's actions are especially despicable.' 'No American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority,' Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wrote in a statement. Similar criticism came from a U.S. trade group, the Alliance for American Manufacturing, and U.S. senator Marco Rubio. 'Nationless corporations are helping the Chinese Communist Party cover up genocide and slave labour in the region,' Rubio said on Twitter. A receptionist works at a Tesla showroom in Beijing, China, Jan. 4, 2022. American-based activists are appealing to Tesla Inc. to close a new showroom in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, where officials are accused of abuses against mostly Muslim ethnic minorities Xinjiang has become a significant point of conflict between Western governments and China in recent years, with a London tribunal ruling last month that China was carrying out genocide of Uyghur Muslims in the region Executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth wrote: 'What is @Tesla thinking, choosing to open a showroom in Xinjiang as the Chinese government, through its mass detention and persecution, is committing crimes against humanity there against Uyghur/Turkic Muslims.' Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters news agency. The carmaker operates a factory in Shanghai and is ramping up production there amid surging sales in China. Pressure on foreign companies to take positions on Xinjiang, Tibet, Taiwan and other politically charged issues has been rising. The ruling Communist Party pushes companies to adopt its positions in their advertising and on websites. It has attacked clothing and other brands that express concern about reports of forced labour and other abuses in Xinjiang. A slew of foreign firms in recent months have been tripped up by these tensions between the West and China over Xinjiang, as they try to balance Western pressure with China's importance as a market and supply base. On Friday, the ruling party's discipline agency threatened Walmart Inc. with a boycott after some shoppers complained online they couldn't find goods from Xinjiang in its Walmart and Sam's Club stores in China. American companies have walked a delicate line between distancing themselves from human rights violations and appeasing their Chinese market, one of the biggest in the world. Last month, Intel shocked Americans when it apologized to its Chinese consumers after it wrote a letter to suppliers urging them to avoid sourcing products from Xinjiang. Meanwhile German car maker Volkswagen has taken heat for its decision to maintain a factory in Urumqi, Xinjiang. The company has defended its presence in the region, assuring that forced labor is not used in its supply chain. Advertisement Furious campaigners have slammed the decision to acquit four people who admitted playing a part in the destruction of the historic statue of slave trader Edward Colston during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, Sage Willoughby, 22, and Jake Skuse, 33, were cleared of all criminal damage charges at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday after requesting that the trial be heard in front of a jury. The bronze memorial to the 17th century merchant was pulled down in Bristol on June 7, 2020 and was later dumped in the harbour during an anti-racism demonstration, one of the many that swept the globe in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Speaking after the verdict was announced on Wednesday, Ms Graham admitted the group were 'ecstatic' at the jury's decision and claimed that they had 'illuminated history' by toppling the statue. The four defendants opted not to have their case dealt with by a district judge or in a magistrates' court. Instead, they opted to be tried by a Crown Court jury in Bristol, which is well-known for its activism. Mr Willoughby let fly an expletive-laden rant outside court, as he too justified the group's actions. 'We didn't change history, they were whitewashing history by calling him a f***ing virtuous man, sorry to swear, we didn't change history, we rectified history,' he said. Mr Skuse, wearing black baseball cap, said the verdict was 'for once the right decision,' and thanked graffiti artist Banksy for designing limited edition t-shirts which they wore outside court. Mr Ponsford issued a 'big thank you' to jurors for 'being on the right side of history'. The prosecution's argument that the case was about the rule of law and not politics was repeated vehemently by critics, who raised concerns the not-guilty verdict would set a precedent for further vandalism and dangerous identity politics. Reacting to the defendants being cleared, campaign group Save Our Statues tweeted: 'Colston statue accused defy justice. Verdict not only gives the green light to political vandalism, but also legitimises the divisive identity politics it helped succour.' Conservative commentator Darren Grimes questioned: 'I cannot believe this news about those who toppled the statue of Edward Colston being found not guilty of criminal damage. 'Are we really now a country that says you can destroy public property as long as you're doing it for a purportedly noble political cause?' Photos from outside the courtroom show Sage Willoughby, Jake Skuse, Milo Ponsford and Rhian Graham (from left to right) celebrating after receiving a not guilty verdict at Bristol Crown Court, on January 05, 2022 in Bristol, England Sage Willoughby, Jake Skuse, Milo Ponsford and Rhian Graham speak to the media after after receiving a not guilty verdict. Mr Willoughby said: 'He proudly announced: 'We didn't change history, they were whitewashing history by calling him a f***ing virtuous man, sorry to swear, we didn't change history, we rectified history' Milo Ponsford and Rhian Graham were pictured laughing and smiling outside the courtroom this evening. Speaking after the verdict was announced, Ms Graham said the defendants' actions admitted the group were 'ecstatic' at the jury's decision. Sage Willoughby takes a knee to celebrate following the verdict in his favour. The prosecution's argument that the case was about the rule of law and not politics was repeated vehemently by critics, who raised concerns the not-guilty verdict would set a precedent for further vandalism and dangerous identity politics. Who are the four protesters who toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston? Ms Graham, from Bristol, works as a stage manager in the theatre industry Rhian Graham, 30 Ms Graham, from Bristol, works as a stage manager in the theatre industry. In a page on jobs website Mandy.com, she says she has been 'singing and dancing' she she was a child and more recently performed as an 'aerial hoop artist'. She holds a degree in Arts and Event Management from Arts University Bournemouth. Ms Graham said during her trial that before helping to tear down the statue of Colston, she had signed petitions calling for it to be removed. She claimed she did not originally have a background in politics or activism but, from 2019, had 'started to make more friends who had more of a passion for history, politics and equality.' 'I felt a bit embarrassed about my own knowledge and felt I needed to try and engage more with the world.' Ponsford, 26, works as a carpenter and lives in a motorhome in Bristol Milo Ponsford, 26 Ponsford, 26, works as a carpenter and lives in a motorhome in Bristol. During the trial at Bristol Crown Court, he said he was 'usually a reserved and professional individual.' The carpenter supplied one of the two ropes which were used on June 7 to haul the statue of Colston off its plinth. He was later seen jumping on the statue and trying to pull Colston's staff away. Ponsford, 26, works as a carpenter and lives in a motorhome in Bristol Sage Willoughby, 22 Sage Willoughby, 22 Willoughby, also from Bristol, is the youngest of the group of four who tore down the statue. Unlike Ponsford, who was arrested at his motorhome after the statue was toppled, Willoughby attended a police interview voluntarily. Jurors heard at the trial at Bristol Crown Court that Willoughby, a keen climber, had tied a rope around the neck of the statue, before Ponsford and Graham pulled on the ropes. Willoughby said in court that he had been signing petitions to have the statue removed 'since he was 11 years old' and added that its toppling of the statue had been an 'act of love, not violence'. He said he had grown up in the St Pauls area of Bristol, which has a large Afro-Caribbean population. As a result, he said he believed having the statue of Colston in the city was an 'insult' and he would continue to believe that whatever the outcome of this [trial].' Skuse, also from Bristol, did not take part in the toppling of the statue but was charged with criminal damage after helping to roll it to Bristol's harbour, where it was dropped in the water Jake Skuse, 33 Skuse, also from Bristol, did not take part in the toppling of the statue but was charged with criminal damage after helping to roll it to Bristol's harbour, where it was dropped in the water. During his trial, he said he had attempted to 'sentence the statue to his death' before tossing it into the harbour. He claimed to have not seen the initial toppling but arrived later and got carried away with the 'hype' of the moment. Skuse said he was inspired to throw the statue in the water after his 'foot was getting sore' from kicking the solid bronze monument. However, the activist admitted that his knowledge of Colston beforehand had been limited to conversations he had had with others and reading the plaque on the statue's plinth. Advertisement Graham, Ponsford and Willoughby were accused of helping pull down the monument, while Skuse allegedly orchestrated it being rolled to the water and thrown in. Despite the two-week trial revolving around the criminal damage charge, the defence argued the protestors' actions were justified, at one point urging members of the jury to 'be on the right side of history'. The defence said the statue, erected in 1895, memorialised a man who prospered from the slave trade, caused offence to people in the city and had not been removed despite repeated campaigns. The decision to acquit the defendants also raises the question of who will now pay the estimated 3,750 in damage that was done to the statue after it was torn from its plinth. A further 350 charge also applies to fix the damaged railings of Pero's Bridge. 'It's felt just out of reach for a long time, I've always felt hopeful but had to remain grounded in that it could have gone either way, but here we are. Just thank you, thank you so much for sitting and listening,' said Ms Graham. Throughout the trial, the protestors did not disagree that they were the ones who orchestrated the demise of the statue, but argued their actions were accounted for because the statue itself had been a hate crime against the people of Bristol. The four defendants laughed as they were today cleared of criminal damage charges, and hugged supporters as they left the courtroom. Speaking outside court on Wednesday, Ms Graham said: 'We are ecstatic and stunned. I tried to write something ready for this moment and I'm just so overwhelmed because it never felt like we'd get here and now we're here. 'There were so many people that day, so many people reverberating across the world in response to it... thanks to really key people, obviously our legal team who have been incredible. I can't thank them enough for getting us through this. 'Everybody on the day, those 10,000 people who marched through the streets of Bristol in the name of equality for our love. 'All the rope-pullers, the statue-climbers, the rollers, the egg-throwers, the marchers, the placard-holders, all those people, you lot are incredible, and the international topplers - the people that went and took their agency and went and did something in their hometown and changed the landscape of their place. 'One thing that we know now is how Colston does not represent Bristol.' Ms Graham said: 'That is one thing that has been a really big lesson to me, being able to take agency in my own life. 'We all have the ability to say how our space is decorated and who we venerate and who we celebrate and one thing we know now is that Colston does not represent Bristol.' Mr Willoughby denied the group were trying to edit history. He said: 'We didn't change history, they were whitewashing history by calling (Colston) a f****** virtuous man - sorry to swear. 'We didn't change history, we rectified it.' He continued: 'This is a victory for Bristol, this is a victory for racial equality and it's a victory for anybody who wants to be on the right side of history.' Some big names lent their support to the defendants, including TV historian and author Professor David Olusoga who gave expert evidence on the history of slavery. Former Bristol lord mayor Cleo Lake came to court to recount her own struggle to have Colston's picture removed from her office, while street artist Banksy designed a limited-edition T-shirt to raise funds for the defendants. During trial, the prosecution said it was 'irrelevant' who Colston was, and the case was one of straightforward criminal damage. Barrister Tom Wainwright, for Mr Ponsford, said the felling of the statue had helped heal the wounds of slavery and accused the prosecution of inviting the jury to 'pick open these wounds once more'. Liam Walker, for Mr Willoughby, told the jury their decision would 'reverberate around the world' and urged them 'to be on the right side of history'. One of Avon and Somerset's most senior police officers, Chief Superintendent Liz Hughes, said in the wake of the verdict: 'I absolutely respect the decision of the jury today and feel that we have done our best to present that evidence. That is the decision that they have made. 'This case has provoked a lot of dialogue in the city around equality and I hope that there are positive moves that arise from these conversations,' she said, but added that 'in the eyes of the law, there was always a clear offence of criminal damage in our investigation.' Summarising before the jury returned their decision, Judge Peter Blair QC reminded the jury to 'disregard rhetoric' about the high-profile case and decide purely on evidence laid out before them. On June 7, around 10,000 people set off from College Green by Bristol Cathedral in the direction of the Colston statue. Milo Ponsford, left, Sage Willoughby, second left, Jake Skuse , second right in mask, and Rhian Graham right, were cleared of all criminal damage charges at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday The bronze memorial to the 17th century merchant Edward Colston was pulled down on June 7 last year during a Black Lives Matter protest, and was later dumped in the harbour (pictured) The group addressed the media in the wake of the high-profile trial The four defendants cheer outside Bristol Crown Court after the jury returned their not guilty verdict. Pictured from left to right: Sage Willoughby, Jake Skuse, Milo Ponsford and Rhian Graham 'It's felt just out of reach for a long time, I've always felt hopeful but had to remain grounded in that it could have gone either way, but here we are. Just thank you, thank you so much for sitting and listening,' said Ms Graham (pictured today) after the verdict was announced Rhian Graham is seen at a press conference in Bristol held after she and Jake Skuse, Milo Ponsford, and Sage Willoughby were cleared of criminal damage Ms Graham admitted the group were 'ecstatic' at the jury's decision and claimed that they had 'illuminated history' by toppling the statue Hundreds of people reacted with fury at the decision to acquit four people who admitted playing a part in the destruction of the historic statue of slave trader Edward Colston during Black Lives Matter protests. Summarising before the jury returned their decision, Judge Peter Blair QC (pictured) reminded the jury to 'disregard rhetoric' about the high-profile case and decide purely on evidence laid out before them Protestors, chanting 'pull it down, pull it down' placed ropes around the bronze artifact and threw it into the city's harbour. The Bristol march was part of a wave of demonstrations around the world in response to the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by police officers in the US. Later, an interactive map that pinpointed 125 statues with alleged links to slavery was put together by campaigners on a website called Topple The Racists. In a statement following the verdict, Raj Chada, who represented Jake Skuse, said: 'The truth is that the defendants should never have been prosecuted. 'It is shameful that Bristol City Council did not take down the statue of slaver Edward Colston that had caused such offence to people in Bristol, and equally shameful that they then supported the prosecution of these defendants.' Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, for Rhian Graham, said: 'This case demonstrates the fundamental importance of trial by jury. Colston, who served as deputy governor of the Royal African Company, was once celebrated as Bristol's greatest son, but his legacy is quickly being erased from his home city 'That is because juries represent the collective sense of justice of the community. 'In this case, they determined that a conviction for the removal of this statue - that glorified a slave trader involved in the enslavement of over 84,000 black men, women and children as a 'most virtuous and wise' man - would not be proportionate.' Colston has long been a subject of heated debate in Bristol, where he donated lavishly to charitable causes, using the fortune he made investing in the slave-trading Royal African Company. After a few days at the bottom of the harbour last year, his statue was retrieved by city authorities and put into storage. It had been on public display at Bristol's M Shed museum since the summer but officials announced last week it would be put back into storage from January 3. The man accused of killing an Illinois police officer in cold blood last week was wanted for battery and had been arrested 21 times and charged with 43 crimes in the last seven years. Darius Sullivan, 25, who was arrested for the murder of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic on December 29, has a lengthy rap sheet for various crimes around Kankakee County. Rittmanic and her partner had been called to the Comfort Inn in Illinois because Sullivan and his girlfriend Xandria Harris had left their dog in their car. When the two cops knocked on the couple's hotel room door to ask them about the animal, Sullivan opened fire - killing Rittmanic and wounding her partner Tyler Bailey. He had previously been charged for burglary, possession of stolen firearms, criminal damage to government property, theft, resisting arrest, driving while under the influence and battery. Many of his cases were still open when he allegedly gunned down Rittmanic with his girlfriend, Xandria Harris, 26, as the officer pleaded for her life inside the Illinois Comfort Inn off Highway 50. Sullivan was denied bond on Wednesday and was extradited from Indiana to face murder and attempted murder charges along with Harris, who was also denied bond on Monday. Darius Sullivan, 25, had been arrested 21 times in the past seven years and had open cases when he shot and killed Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic. He is shown left and his girlfriend Xandria Harris is shown, right Rittmanic, left, is pictured with her wife, Lyn Stua and their rescue dogs. The Bradley Police Department said she was a hero who won Officer of the Year in 2020 Rittmanic (left) was described as a hero and named the Bradley Police Department's Officer of the Year in 2020. Her partner, Bradley Police Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, remains in critical condition after being shot in the head Kankakee County State Attorney General Jim Rowe (right) recounted Rittmanic's dying words as he asked the state to seek the death penalty against Sullivan and Harris Sullivan's open cases date back to February 2021, when he was charged for driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance and driving without vehicle registration. He was due to appear in court on March 30 but did not show up. Then in April, Sullivan, of Kankakee, was charged by Illinois State Police for driving without insurance and while in possession of marijuana. He was released and asked to appear in court on June 16, and after he failed to show up, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Another warrant was later issued for his arrest on July 12, after Sullivan failed to appear in court to face a May 5 misdemeanor battery charge in Bradley, the Kankakee Times reported. Sullivan's rap sheet begins when he was arrested by Kankakee City Police for burglary and felony possession of a stolen firearm when he was just 19. He pleaded guilty to the burglary charges and received 36 months probation. Then in May 2015, Sullivan was arrested again for damaging government property and theft and sentenced to 30 more months probation. He was back in cuffs again in February 2017 for burglary and theft charges, as well as driving without a license or insurance. The following year, Sullivan was arrested for resisting a Kankakee City Police officer in May. Sullivan went on to be arrested 17 more times and received a total 43 charges from Kankakee County Sheriff's office and the Bradley, Manteno and Illinois State Police Departments. Sullivan has three children with Harris, of Bradley, who is currently pregnant. Sullivan's rap sheet starts in June 2014, when he was 19 years old Rittmanic's wife, Lyn Stua attended the Harris's bond hearing on Monday State and local officials said Sullivan was denied bail during a hearing on Wednesday Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, a 14-year veteran of the Bradley Police Department, was shot dead after responding to a call about a barking dog The Bradley Police Department and Kankakee County Sheriff's Office described Rittmanic, a veteran of the force for 21 years, as a hero. She was well-known for her leadership in the community and had received the department's Officer of the Year award in 2020. Family and fellow department officers told NBC 5 in a statement: ''Our world has been turned upside down, obliterated and hopelessly broken.' They went on to thank those who 'have affectionately gone out of their way to help us get through the most unnecessary, heartbreaking, painful, deplorable, tragic loss of our lives.' 'We are forever indebted to all of you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts,' the statement read. A funeral service for the slain officer will be held on Friday. Sullivan Kankakee County State Attorney General Jim Rowe presented dramatic body cam footage at a Monday bond hearing that showed Rittmanic begging for her life as Sullivan shot her to death with Harris's help. 'Just leave, you don't have to do this, please just go, please don't, please don't,' Rowe said as he recounted Rittmanic's final words. 'She was desperately pleading for her life.' Rowe said Sullivan shot Rittmanic and chased her down a hallway at the inn, pinning her to the floor as Harris disarmed the officer, giving the weapon to Sullivan, who pointed the gun at the injured officer. He said Sullivan then fired two shots, killing Rittmanic. The pair also shot Rittmanic's partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, who is in critical condition at a Chicago area hospital. Row is asking the state to consider the death penalty against Sullivan and Harris. Although Illinois isn't a death penalty state, the U.S. Attorney General can authorize the filing of a petition to seek out the punishment in certain federal murder cases. 'I will be submitting an official request to the U.S. Attorney General for the Central District of Illinois and to the U.S. Attorney General to review the first degree murder case pending against Darius Sullivan and Xandria Harris for federal murder charges, and pursue a federal sentence of death against both defendants,' Rowe said. The States Attorney will also seek life sentences for both Sullivan and Harris as the existing state-level charges proceed, Rowe said. Judge Kathy Bradshaw Elliott granted a request to deny Harris bail. 'You are a real threat to the community,' Elliott told Harris. Sullivan remained in custody and will appear at a later hearing. The shooting took place at the Comfort Inn on Illinois' Highway 50 Sullivan, 25, of Bourbonnais was arrested after a 36-hour manhunt by U.S. Marshals and a SWAT team on Friday near Fort Wayne at a home in North Manchester, Indiana Rittmanic and Bailey were responding to a report of dogs barking in an unattended vehicle at the motel on Wednesday when they were shot. When the officers ran the car's license plates, they discovered that it belonged to Sullivan. Bailey knew that Sullivan was wanted on a bench warrant, according to court documents, and that he had previously run from Bradley police officers trying to arrest him. The two officers knocked on the door of room 308, where Sullivan and Harris were staying, for about 15 minutes. Harris repeatedly told them through the door that she was getting dressed. Finally, she opened the door and tried to wedge her way outside and close the door behind her, hiding Sullivan from officers. They asked her multiple times to move out of the way before Sullivan emerged, wielding a 9mm handgun equipped with a drum clip. He pointed the barrel and Bailey and shot him point-blank in the head. He shot Rittmanic as she tried to run away, according to court documents. Then, his gun jammed - he tried to unjam the weapon with his right hand and mouth while he used his left hand to try to disarm Rittmanic. Harris ran down the hallway towards the struggle, and Sullivan allegedly told her to 'cock the gun, cock the gun.' With her help, Sullivan took Rittmanic's service weapon from her, which he used to shoot her in the head, officials said. Sullivan was arrested after a 36-hour manhunt by U.S. Marshals and a SWAT team on Friday near Fort Wayne at a home in North Manchester, Indiana, police said. 'Also at the house, several weapons and narcotics were also recovered,' Sgt. Glen Fifield with Indiana State Police said. Cellphone video showed Sullivan and 19-year-old Daniel Acros, who was also arrested, walking out with their hands in the air after police cleared the home. Hours later, Xandria A. Harris, 26, turned herself in to the Bradley Police Department. Her attorney, Phil Haddad, said she turned herself in voluntarily. 'She maintains her innocence. She's a mother of three children and she's pregnant,' Haddad said. The case will go before a Kankakee County grand jury on Jan. 22. The next court date for Harris is Jan. 27 when she will be arraigned. In Wabash, Indiana, meanwhile, Sullivan is fighting extradition to Illinois. Rowe said he will start the process of asking Indianas governor to sign a warrant to have Sullivan extradited to Kankakee County. Rittmanic, who lived in Kankakee, joined department in 2007 and was promoted to sergeant in 2014, said Lieutenant Philip Trudeau, a department spokesman. She previously spent seven years as a deputy with the Iroquois County Sheriff's Department, he said. People stand with hands on their hearts during the ceremonial procession for fallen Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, Thursday, December 30 Bradey Police Lt. Philip Trudeau, left, comforts Bourbonnais Police officer Andy Cox following a ceremonial procession for fallen Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic on Thursday, December 30 Members of the Bradley Police Department stand by as fallen Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic is taken into the Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home in Bourbonnais, Illinois on Thursday, December 30 Bradley Police officer Sam Palaggi hugs a fellow officer following a ceremonial procession for fallen Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic on Thursday, December 30 Bailey underwent surgery for head injuries and remained in very critical condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, officials said. Police also arrested two other suspects in Indiana connected to the case. Bryce Baker, 20, and Joshua Adams, 26, both from Kankakee, Illinois, were taken into custody when police spotted them driving the wrong-way during the manhunt for Sullivan. Their possible connection to Sullivan was being investigated, FOX 32 reported. 'Any time an officer is killed in the line of duty, no matter where it happens in the country, it affects all of us,' Fifield said. The French government has defended President Emmanuel Macron's vow to 'pi** off' the unvaccinated, saying the unjabbed are already 'pi**ing off' health workers and businesses. Macron, 44, made the cutting remark while responding to a nurse during a question and answer session with readers of Le Parisien on how the government will handle non-vaccinated people. The phrase prompted howls of condemnation from rivals and forced parliament to suspend a debate on a Covid-19 bill today as opposition lawmakers demanded explanations from Macron. The French President yesterday said he wanted to 'pi** off' unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting jabbed. 'By and Im sorry for putting it this way by p***ing them off even more,' Macron said. 'Im generally opposed to the French being p****d off. I complain all the time about administrative blockages. But when it comes to the non-vaccinated, Im very keen to pi** them off. So were going to do it, the end. Thats our strategy.' Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said it stood by Macron's comments. 'Who is pissing off who today?', Attal said, quoting health workers struggling to cope or businesses hurt by the pandemic. 'It's those who refuse the vaccine.' It comes as France set a record for new Covid cases over a 24-hour period on Wednesday with 335,000 additional infections recorded. It was the first time that French cases breached 300,000, smashing the previous record established on Tuesday when 271,686 new Covid cases were recorded. The French government has defended President Emmanuel Macron's vow to 'pi** off' the unvaccinated, saying the unjabbed are already 'pi**ing off' health workers and businesses Hundreds of thousands of French have demonstrated against the 'Pass Sanitaire' and mandatory vaccination for health care workers in recent months 'A president cannot say such things,' Christian Jacob, chair of the conservative Les Republicans party, told parliament as it discussed a bill to make it mandatory for people to show proof of vaccination to enter many enclosed public spaces. The legislation will remove the option, put in place last year, of showing a negative test, effectively barring unvaccinated people from hospitality venues or trains. The plans have faced fierce resistance from anti-vaccination campaigners and far-right and far-left groups, but is backed by the government which has a majority in parliament. French government officials yesterday vowed to enact the law as planned by mid-January despite the legislation hitting a procedural hitch in parliament overnight. 'January 15 remains our goal,' for the law coming into force, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told LCI television. With a presidential election due in April in which he is expected to run, Macron may have calculated that enough people are now vaccinated - and upset with remaining anti-vaxxers - for his comment to go down well with voters. It resonated with some. 'He's right,' said 89-year-old Paris pensioner Jean, who's had his Covid-19 booster and a flu shot too. 'Those who are against the vaccine should understand the dangers, and they should get vaccinated.' But others agreed with lawmaker Jacob that Macron's use of the slang term 'emmerder' - from 'merde' (sh*t) - was unacceptable. 'That shows an aggressive side, it's a bad word, it's not very clever of him,' said 25-year old sales representative Maya Belhassen. 'That's not a good comment from a president,' added newspaper seller Pascal Delord. France has historically had more vaccine sceptics than many of its neighbours, and pandemic restrictions have triggered many street protests. But nearly 90 per cent of those aged 12 have now been inoculated, one of the continent's highest Covid-19 vaccination rates. In the Le Parisien interview, Macron, who has consistently called on everyone in France to get vaccinated, also called unvaccinated people irresponsible and - in another remark criticised by some voters and the opposition, that 'irresponsible people are no longer citizens'. He said he aims to irritate the unvaccinated into submission, rather than round them up and prosecute them. 'I won't send (the unvaccinated) to prison, I won't vaccinate by force. So we need to tell them, from Jan. 15, you won't be able to go to the restaurant anymore, you won't be able to down one, won't be able to have a coffee, go to the theatre, the cinema...' Macron's use of a very informal French phrase, which can be translated as 'to p*** them off', prompted immediate criticism by rivals on social media. Macron did not say whether he would run for re-election but said he 'would like to'. 'A president shouldn't say that,' far right leader Marine Le Pen responded on Twitter. 'Emmanuel Macron is unworthy of his office.' People have for several months had to show either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test to enter venues such as cinemas and cafes and use trains. But with Delta and Omicron variant infections surging, the government decided to drop the test option in the new bill. French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) candidate for the 2022 French presidential election Marine Le Pen said of Macron's comments: 'A president shouldn't say that. Emmanuel Macron is unworthy of his office' Protesters hold posters reading 'Freedom' and 'No To Health Pass' during a demonstration held last year by right-wing party 'Les Patriotes' against the COVID-19 sanitary pass which grants vaccinated individuals greater ease of access to venues in France, in Paris, France Protesters hold posters reading 'Freedom' and 'No To Health Pass' during a demonstration in Paris on August 14 The opposition forced the suspension of the debate on the vaccine pass, shortly before 2am (0100 GMT). It resumed during the afternoon. 'I'm in favour of the vaccine pass but I cannot back a text whose objective is to 'p*** off' the French,' Jacob told parliament before the suspension. 'Is that your objective, yes or no? We cannot keep debating without having a clear answer on that.' As the clear favourite in the polls, Macron has not yet officially said he was running, although his lieutenants are already preparing a campaign. Macron also announced yesterday that France would not see fresh Covid restrictions amid a surge of new infections ahead of a government meeting today. France registered around 270,00 new daily cases earlier on Tuesday, a new record. The French president has been criticised in the past for off-the-cuff remarks which many French people said came across as arrogant, cutting or scornful. He has later expressed contrition on several occasions. Tragic Star Hobson's grieving grandfather died of a drug overdose on her mother's 20th birthday just months after she let her female lover murder the innocent child. Andrew Smith, 50, lost his battle with addiction and depression after being rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary on June 16 last year, an inquest heard today. Mr Smith had relapsed following a period of sobriety after 16-month-old Star was killed under the watch of his daughter Frankie Smith and murderer Savannah Brockhill in September 2020. Frankie was jailed for eight years last month for allowing Star's death, while Brockhill got a minimum of 25 years for committing the brutal murder. Bradford Coroner's Court was told Mr Smith had been found at his flat having suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital but could not be saved. His death came five days after he had discharged himself from hospital against medical advice after a respiratory arrest following a drugs overdose. Andrew Smith, 50, struggled to cope after Star Hobson's tragic murder in September, 2020 Star was murdered by Savannah Brockhill, under the watch of her own neglectful mother Partners in death: Savannah Brockhill, 28 and Frankie Smith, 20, were convicted over Star A post-mortem examination found toxic levels of methadone - a heroin substitute - in his blood, and this was recorded as his cause of death, Bradford Coroners Court heard. A statement from one of his daughter's Jade Smith was read out by Assistant Coroner Angela Brocklehurst during the hearing. She said her father had attended Frizinghall Primary and Hanson School before working in bricklaying, and met his first partner aged 16, with whom he had two children. Police released a harrowing picture of one of the bruises on Star's face that sparked calls to social services from family Star Hobson (pictured with Brockhill) suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital from appalling injuries inflicted on her A timeline of failures: How social services and police missed abuse of tragic Star January 23, 2020 - A referral from Smith's friend and sometimes babysitter Hollie Jones went to social services. Three days later police visited but there were no concerns raised. Social services tried to visit Smith on January 28 but she was not home. Her family were spoken to and no problems were raised, so the case was closed on February 27. May 5, 2020 - Star's great-grandmother Anita Smith contacted social services over concerns over how the baby was being treated. They visited but there were no bruises to either the baby or her mother. June 21, 2020 - Jordan Hobson, Star's father, referred Smith and Brockhill to social services after seeing pictures the couple had shared of his daughter's bruised face. Police again visited their home and saw the markings on the baby's head. Smith told them Star had hit her head on the handle of a coffee table. A medical examination found two bruises on her cheek and four on the back of her leg. June 23, 2020 - Social services were again contacted by Rachel Whiteley, a close friend of Smith's mother Yvonne Spendley. She had been concerned how Smith had treated Star at a barbecue, picking her up roughly. Ms Whiteley said at the time: 'I thought it was disgusting, giving her barbecue food, the way she handled her.' Social services closed the case in July. September 2, 2020 - Frank Smith Star's paternal great-grandfather alerted social services to a video of Star with bruises on her face. They noticed Star was so unsteady on her feet she walked into a sofa while they were there. There were also bruises on her cheek and right shin but were told by Brockhill she had fallen down the stairs. The murderer told police later what the social worker had said, adding: 'Social services came to see Star, she checked her body, her bedroom, chatted with us about Star, she said the report was malicious.' On September 15 social services closed the case, indeed concluding the referral had been 'malicious'. A week later Star was murdered. Advertisement After nine years together they split up, and Mr Smith then met Yvonne Spendley, with whom he had five children, and they were together up until 2020 when he moved to a flat in Frizinghall. Miss Smith said her father was 'sociable, very funny and a bit of a lad', but in his final years had become 'lonely and unhappy'. He lived with anxiety and depression for many years and also was a long-term drug user. But she said he had constantly tried to beat his addiction and spent long periods sober before relapsing. 'He always tried to escape them but the drugs drew him back in, they gave him an escape when things got tough,' she said. 'I told him to get off the drugs but it was a losing battle. If he could turn back time he would have lived life differently.' She said he was a 'loving and caring' father, having regular contact with his children and grandchildren, and when she last spoke to him on June 15, 2021, the day before his tragic death, he had enjoyed a 'good day with the kids'. Frank Smith, Mr Smith's father, added he was a 'good son' but the drugs had 'changed him'. Mr Smith had discharged himself from hospital five days before his tragic passing A toxicologist report found 'significant amounts of methadone in his blood, way beyond normal levels even for chronic users'. The court also heard how he had long-term contact with drug misuse services and received ongoing treatment for his addiction. At the start of 2021 he was drug free but was drinking 'a few bottles of whisky a week' and was alerted to the dangers of using alcohol and methadone and offered help which he declined. An appointment in May 2021 found traces of heroin, cocaine, cannabis and methadone in his urine and he said he had used drugs. On June 10, 2021, he was admitted to Bradford Royal Infirmary with respiratory arrest due to secondary drug overdose and kept in overnight for tests, but discharged himself the following morning against medical advice. He was then found at home on June 16 having had a cardiac arrest, and his death was recorded at 9.40pm that day at BRI. In conclusion, Assistant Coroner Mrs Brocklehurst said: 'The post-mortem report found this was a methadone related death. 'I find the cause of death was methadone toxicity, and my conclusion is this was a drugs related death. 'My condolences and sympathies go to Mr Smith's family, Jade painted a picture of a man loved and supported by his family who tried to escape addiction; sadly that was not possible and it brought about his sad death, but he tried. 'It's a tragic loss and I am sorry for that loss.' The first Andrew Cuomo accuser to take her sexual assault allegations to police is lashing out after a New York district attorney dropped the case, saying the experience 'revictimized her' and that the justice system 'needs to do better.' Brittany Commisso, 33, claimed the former New York governor groped her inside the Executive Mansion while she was working as his aide in November 2020. Cuomo was due to be arraigned Friday on a Class A misdemeanor of forcible touching but the prosecution on Tuesday dropped the case. Although Commisso sought to move forward with the charge - with Albany County District Attorney David Soares calling her 'credible' - prosecutors doubted there was enough evidence to secure a conviction. She released a statement late Tuesday expressing frustration in the outcome. 'My disappointing experience of re-victimization with the failure to prosecute a serial sexual abuser, no matter what degree the crime committed, yet again sadly highlights the reason victims are afraid to come forward, especially against people in power,' Commisso said in a statement to the Times Union of Albany. 'When will our voices uniformly be accepted? Where do we go to have our rights vindicated? Unfortunately, this is just another example of where our criminal justice system needs to do better.' Brittany Commisso, 33, was the first woman to take sexual assault allegations against former New York governor Andrew Cuomo to police Cuomo was due to be arraigned on Friday for allegedly groping former staffer and current state worker Brittany Commisso, 33, middle, in November 2020. McGrath is pictured on the far left. She said through an attorney she was not surprised by the Tuesday ruling Prosecutors dropped the charge Tuesday, and Commisso released a statement saying the case 'highlights the reason victims are afraid to come forward, especially against people in power' Commisso (left) is pictured with Cuomo and then-colleague McGrath in this undated photo Other accusers have also expressed disappointment in the outcome, with Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis blasting the legal system in a statement through their attorney. 'Unfortunately, our penal laws and system frequently do not properly punish the acts of so many abusive men in power,' their lawyer Mariann Wang said in a statement. 'Cuomo's conduct was nonetheless unlawful and deeply harmful to the women who were subjected to it, as the Attorney General and Assembly found in their reports. 'My clients remain grateful for those investigations and above all to the other women who had the courage to come forward. Cuomo and men like him should not be in positions of power.' Cuomo claimed during a sworn deposition that Commisso asked for a raise during the same month as the purported groping Cuomo accusers Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis said through their attorney that while they were disappointed in the outcome, they were not surprised Albany County's district attorney confirmed Tuesday that he will not be prosecuted for allegedly groping another woman at his executive mansion McGrath, 33, a former administrative assistant in Cuomo's office and Commisso's ex-colleague, says the governor, 63, ogled her body, called her and her and another co-worker 'mingle mamas' and asked about her lack of a wedding ring, per The New York Times. The ex-Cuomo staffer also alleges that the fallen politician once 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. 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. McGrath didn't say the governor made sexual contact with her, but contends that his behavior was inappropriate and constitutes sexual harassment. The Times conducted several interviews with McGrath early last year, in which she described the governor's pattern of flirtatious banter. McGrath, 33, a former administrative assistant in Cuomo's office and Commisso's ex-colleague, says the governor, 63, ogled her body, called her and her and another co-worker 'mingle mamas' and asked about her lack of a wedding ring, according to the New York Times National Grid staffer Limmiatis, meanwhile, asserts that the then-governor touched her chest multiple times during a rope line event in 2017 Limmiatis, meanwhile, a National Grid worker who says Cuomo touched her inappropriately a rope line at a 2017 event, alleges that the then-governor ran his fingers on the lettering that ran across the chest of her shirt and brushed her chest a second time after joking that he had spotted a spider. Both cases have yet to be resolved. As for Commisso's allegations, however, Cuomo could still face civil lawsuits for the alleged interaction, according to Albany County's district attorney office. It's the fourth time within the past week that allegations against Cuomo have been dropped; Manhattan's district attorney said Monday that is will not file any charges against Cuomo in the nursing home scandal. Last week, prosecutors in two districts said Cuomo would not face criminal charges after two women, including a state trooper, alleged that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks. Commisso was the first woman to pursue criminal charges over allegations that he groped her breast in his office in November 202. Soares confirmed Tuesday that the charge will not be prosecuted. The office's investigation into Cuomo is now complete. 'While many have an opinion regarding the allegations against the former Governor, the Albany County DA's Office is the only one who has a burden to prove the elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,' Soares said in a press release. 'While we found the complainant in this case cooperative and credible, after review of all the available evidence we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial. As such we have notified the Court that we are declining to prosecute this matter and requesting the charges filed by the Albany County Sheriff be dismissed.' The democratic prosecutor had hinted Monday that the complaint was concerning. 'While many have an opinion regarding the allegations against the former governor, the Albany County DA's Office is the only one who has a burden to prove the elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,' Soares said Monday. Following Soare's announcement, Commisso responded to her case falling through the cracks of the legal system. 'My disappointing experience of re-victimization with the failure to prosecute a serial sexual abuser, no matter what degree the crime committed, yet again sadly highlights the reason victims are afraid to come forward, especially against people in power,' Commisso wrote in a statement to the Times Union. 'When will our voices uniformly be accepted? Where do we go to have our rights vindicated? Unfortunately, this is just another example of where our criminal justice system needs to do better. 'To every victim out there silently suffering from sexual harassment at the hands of a powerful government official, wondering what will happen if you tell the truth, please don't let what has happened to me deter you from speaking up,' she said. Cuomo, meanwhile, has denied all of the allegations against him. His lawyer did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment. Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin has said that Commisso's 'story changed over time.' The complaint filed by an investigator in Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple's office said evidence in the case included police BlackBerry messages, cell phone records, building security records and a text message from Cuomo's mobile phone. Soars criticized Apple for 'unilaterally and inexplicably' filing a complaint before consulting with prosecutors, and said the complaint was 'potentially defective.' Apple has contended that although the paperwork was processed quickly, he was confident the case would stick. A complaint filed by an Albany County 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 Police in October 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 D.A. said that the sheriff's one-page criminal complaint, based on Commisso's allegations were 'potentially defective.' New York's attorney general's office released a 500-page transcript of Cuomo's deposition last November that contained claims by the former politician that Commisso asked for a raise during the same month of the alleged groping. He told investigators that she asked for a raise in November 2020 after filing for divorce from her husband. According to him, she begged him for a raise and was 'upset' and fearful that she was going to lose her job because she'd filed for divorce from her local politician husband, and was worried about money. Cuomo described Commisso as 'friendly', 'chatty' and 'flirtatious' when she came to work for him during COVID-19, after her department was shut down, but said he also had 'limited contact' with her. Commisso was the first woman to take her claims against Cuomo to police, who charged him with a Class A misdemeanor of forcible touching over her allegation that he groped her breast in his office in November 2020 The ex-governor was also let off the hook last week when Westchester District Attorney Mimi Roca said he won't face criminal charges stemming from allegations of unwanted kissing by two women, one of them a state trooper assigned to his detail. District Attorney Mimi Rocah said there was 'credible evidence' the claims were valid '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. The female state trooper said she felt 'completely violated' by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park racetrack in September 2019. According to the report, the trooper said Cuomo ran the palm of his left hand across her abdomen, to her belly button and then 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. Last August, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a 168-page report with 74,000 pieces of evidence and dozens of interviews 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 Cuomo's 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.' 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 In a second allegation probed by Rocah's 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 office's jurisdiction. 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. 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. 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 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.' Alyssa McGrath said Cuomo ogled her body, called her and her co-worker 'mingle mamas' and asked about her lack of a wedding ring as well calling her beautiful in Italian 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.' Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Cuomo, responded to McGrath's allegations by admitting he uses Italian phrases like 'ciao bella.' 'The governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead, or hand. Yes, he has posed for photographs with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like 'ciao bella',' Glavin told the Times on Friday. 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. A recruit with the Alameda County Sheriffs Department in California was shot to death while traveling on a freeway in Oakland on Tuesday. The Asian-American recruit, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at Highland Hospital. The 28-year-old, who was not in uniform at the time, was driving home from a training class when he was shot in his vehicle around 4:30pm near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza. He was on track to graduate the recruit academy in February, the report said. 'Our Deputies have just loaded the body of our young police academy recruit for a law enforcement procession from Highland Hospital to our Coroner's Bureau,' the sheriff's department tweeted on Wednesday. 'We are heartbroken and disturbed by this senseless act of gun violence.' Pictured: members of the Alameda County Sheriffs Department and the California Highway Patrol stand in formation outside an Oakland hospital and salute the recruit's casket The recruit's casket, pictured above draped in the American flag, as it was loaded into a coroner's van after the fatal shooting on Tuesday evening Authorities say the recruit crashed into a guardrail after being shot, which caused serious damage to the vehicle. It was unclear as of Wednesday whether the car was his own or a patrol vehicle, however authorities did confirm he was the only occupant at the time of the shooting. No arrests were made and there was no immediate information available about a suspect or possible motive, according to the station. Video was released by the sheriff's office Wednesday, showing members of the department and the California Highway Patrol as they stood in formation outside an Oakland hospital and saluted the recruit's casket, which was draped in the American flag, as it was loaded into a coroner's van after the fatal shooting on Tuesday evening. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office cancelled academy training classes in the wake of the recruit's murder, and has made grief counselors available for their members on Wednesday, the East Bay Times reported. 'We are saddened to report that a young ASCO employee was tragically murdered near the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza... this evening while driving home from work' the department tweeted 'I just came from the (training) academy, and it is definitely not business as usual,' sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson told the outlet. 'There's a lot of emotions. So it's a tough day.' Nelson added that there was no timeline on when the recruit will be publicly identified. The recruit's parents, sister and girlfriend were all at the scene as well, FOX 2 reported. The CHP's Golden Gate unit was leading the investigation, according to the sheriff's office. The homicide was the third to occur in Oakland in 2022, just five days into the new year. A fourth, unrelated homicide took place early Wednesday in East Oakland, according to Oakland police. There were 139 homicides in Oakland last year. The recruit's shooting death comes just weeks after the Oakland City Council reversed its support of defunding the police and voted to hire more police officers. Earlier last month, the Oakland City Council voted to hire more police officers in response to the spike in violent crime. Oakland's Mayor Libby Schaaf proposed a plan to add two new police academies and unfreeze positions within the department to add 60 new officers. The mayor celebrated the vote in a statement, saying that Oakland residents 'spoke up for a comprehensive approach to public safety one that includes prevention, intervention, and addressing crime's root causes, as well as an adequately staffed police department.' Meanwhile, the CHP urged anyone with information related to the recruit's shooting death to contact their tip line at 707-917-4491. The Oakland City Council has been considered a longtime ally of the Black Lives Matter movement but has turned back to supporting police as violent crime spikes (Pictured: A protester holds a sign calling for the defunding of police at a protest on July 25, 2020, in Oakland) Advertisement Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell appears to be following in the footsteps of fellow liberal Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by taking a trip to mask-and mandate-free Florida - just days after lashing out at Republicans for 'prolonging' the coronavirus pandemic. The California Democrat has repeatedly accused conservative lawmakers of being responsible for the ongoing covid wave and last week blamed the GOP for 'canceled vacations' and for having to wear 'masks everywhere' again just before the new year. But Swalwell, himself, was apparently able to go ahead with his holiday travel plans and ditch his mask just days later, when he was spotted hanging out at the posh Loews Miami Beach Hotel. The 41-year-old was seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos Tuesday chatting with a female friend at the lobby of the four-star hotel while looking after his infant son. Swalwell, who represents parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, appeared dressed for the warm Miami weather, sporting a blush-colored polo, shorts, and boat shoes. Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell was seen maskless while vacationing in restriction-free Florida on Tuesday, just days after blaming Republicans for 'canceled vacations' and 'prolonging' the pandemic Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show the California Democrat, 41, with his infant son while chatting to a female friend in the lobby of the Loews Miami Beach Hotel Swalwell, who welcomed a baby boy in November with wife Brittany, has been a huge proponent of vaccine and mask mandates - something that Florida has refused to implement during the pandemic Despite being out of his usual office attire, it wasn't long before the congressman was recognized and approached by bystanders who took note of his unlikely visit to the Sunshine State. 'When a guest saw [Swalwell] sitting there with his child and another person they sarcastically said: "Nice to see you in Miami",' one eyewitness told DailyMail.com. 'He said: "Thank you."' The congressman took aim at the GOP with a scathing New Year's Eve tweet accusing them of being responsible for the latest wave coronavirus cases But when the hotel guest went on to ask about his lack of face covering and if he was vaccinated, Swalwell was left 'speechless,' according to the source. Swalwell, like many fellow Democrats, has been a huge proponent of mask and vaccine mandates throughout the pandemic and has openly criticized his Republican counterparts for failing to enforce such measures. Florida is among the red states that have refused to implement what they've called 'draconian' covid-related policies, even with the latest omicron surge that is gripping the country. Earlier in December, Swalwell had reiterated calls for mandatory vaccines after saying that it is 'one-hundred percent batty that the unvaccinated are allowed to fly.' 'It's unsafe in the cabin and we are transporting the virus,' he tweeted while on a flight to San Francisco on December 19. 'Requiring the vaccine to fly is the LEAST we can do to stop the spread.' Then on New Year's Eve, the father-of-three doubled down, this time firing off a scathing reply at the GOP after it tweeted: 'If the booster shots work, why don't they work?' 'As we end 2021, mired in a deadly pandemic, you should know who has prolonged it. THESE GUYS. Republican liars. Your vacation cancelled. Your kids back to virtual learning. And back to masks everywhere. For blame look no farther than #theseguys,' he wrote. According to an eyewitness, Swalwell was soon recognized by bystanders, such as one guest who commented on his unlikely visit to the Sunshine State Despite lamenting canceled vacations and having to resort to masks again, Swalwell, was apparently able to go ahead with his holiday travel plans and ditch his mask in Miami days later Swalwell, pictured left with wife Brittany Watts, has been a popular target for Republicans, particularly for his role as a House manager during the second impeachment of President Donald Trump Swalwell's office addressed his visit in a statement to DailyMail.com Wednesday saying: 'The Congressman was in the Sunshine State to take official meetings and campaign to help Democrats keep the House. 'He loves Florida and has dozens of family members there. It is lies from unvaccinated Republicans that are prolonging the pandemic.' The father-of-three reiterated calls for vaccine mandates on December 19 after saying it is 'one-hundred percent batty that the unvaccinated are allowed to fly' Swalwell's trip to Florida - which has been widely criticized by liberals over its lax covid rules - comes days after fellow Democrat AOC was photographed having lunch with her boyfriend Riley Roberts in Miami. Former Trump advisor Steve Cortes shared a photo of the sighting on Twitter Friday, questioning why the New York congresswoman had been 'frolicking in free Florida', while advocating for mask and vaccine mandates in her home state. '1. If Leftists like AOC actually thought mandates and masking worked, they wouldn't be frolicking in free FL. 2. Her guy is showing his gross pale male feet in public (not at a pool/beach) with hideous sandals,' Cortes tweeted. Ocasio-Cortez replied with scorn, bizarrely claiming that Republicans were just angry because they want to date her. 'If Republicans are mad they can't date me they can just say that instead of projecting their sexual frustrations onto my boyfriend's feet. Ya creepy weirdos,' she wrote. She continued: 'It's starting to get old ignoring the very obvious, strange, and deranged sexual frustrations that underpin the Republican fixation on me, women,& LGBT+ people in general. 'These people clearly need therapy, won't do it, and use politics as their outlet instead. It's really weird.' Swalwell's trip to Florida - which has been widely criticized by liberals over its lax covid rules - came just days after fellow Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was photographed having lunch with her boyfriend Riley Roberts in Miami Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the so-called 'lockdown politicians' during a press conference Monday for vacationing in restriction-free Florida during the pandemic despite pushing for mask and vaccine mandates in their own states Her reaction sparked a firestorm on social media with many ridiculing her bizarre claim and accusing her of being a hypocrite. The Squad leader nonetheless carried on with her vacation and was later seen partying at a 'drag brunch' event on Sunday with actor Billy Porter. Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Monday blasted the so-called 'lockdown politicians,' like AOC for flocking to the state during the pandemic despite pushing for mask and vaccine mandates in their own districts. 'If I had a dollar for every lockdown politician that decided to escape to Florida over the last two years, I'd be a pretty doggone wealthy man,' DeSantis said during a press conference. 'Congresspeople, mayors, governors, you name it.' The governor suggested the politicians were hypocrites, saying: 'I think a lot of Floridians will say "wait a minute, you're bashing us because we're not doing your draconian policies and yet we're the first place you want to flee to...to be able to enjoy life."' DeSantis stated the hypocrisy extends beyond the New York representative, alleging 'there are probably about a half dozen governors who have restrictions on their people and then were spotted at various points in Florida'. 'Some of it's been public, some of it has not been public,' he added. 'I am happy though that Florida is a place where people know they can come, they can live like normal people and they can make their own decisions.' Police are hunting for a former teacher who was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of raping a young boy. Alan Kehoe, 53, from Bletchley, was convicted for numerous sexual offences in his absence following a trial at Inner London Crown Court. The offences, including rape, took place between 1994 and 1996 while Kehoe was a teacher at a school in Croydon. He was convicted in December of one count of buggery with a boy under 16, now known as rape, as well as causing or inciting a boy to engage in sexual activity, one assault of a boy under 13 by touching and one count of abuse of trust causing or inciting sexual activity with a boy. However Kehoe failed to appear at court for his trial and a warrant is now out for his arrest. Police are hunting for Alan Kehoe, 53, from Bletchley, who was convicted for numerous sexual offences between 1994 and 1996. (Stock image) In July 2018, one of the victims reported that Kehoe had sexually assaulted him while he was a pupil at the school. Detectives from South Area's Safeguarding Team launched an investigation and a further victim was identified. Other witnesses were also located who detailed further evidence of grooming. Kehoe was arrested and later charged with the offences. Detective Constable Helen Smith, who led the investigation, said: 'The victims in this case have been incredibly brave in coming forward and reporting the offences Kehoe committed against them. 'The evidence that they gave in court was pivotal in securing a significant custodial sentence and they should be commended for speaking out. The former teacher was convicted in his absence following a trial at Inner London Crown Court 'There may be others who were abused by Kehoe who until now have not felt able to tell anyone. 'Please get in touch with us - we are here to listen to you and will take what you say incredibly seriously. 'Anyone responsible for carrying out these kind of crimes should face justice, no matter how much time has passed.' Anyone who wants to speak to police can do so by calling 101. Kim Chong-in, chief of the main opposition People Power Party's presidential campaign, steps out of the party's office in Seoul, Jan. 4. Yonhap Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol announced the dissolution of his campaign committee in a restructuring move Wednesday, just two months ahead of the election. Tests for travellers before they arrive in England are to be scrapped, Boris Johnson has announced, with travel industry bosses already reporting a 'massive surge' in bookings. In what marks a huge boost for holidaymakers, the Prime Minister said in a Commons statement the Omicron variant is now so prevalent in the country that the measure is having limited impact on the spread of the disease. He told MPs the requirement for travellers to self-isolate on arrival until they receive a negative PCR test is also being dropped. Instead, the rules will revert to the system in place in October, with travellers required to take a lateral flow test no later than the end of day two after their arrival. The measures were originally introduced following the identification of the fast-spreading Omicron variant in South Africa last November. Families are already booking half-term breaks since the end of PCRs means around a 300 saving for a family of four, Travel firms welcomed the news, with the boss of airline Jet2, Steve Heapy, revealing there had already been a 'massive surge' in web traffic and bookings following Mr Johnson's announcement. Overseas tests and day 2 PCR tests added hundreds of pounds to the cost of foreign breaks for families, discouraging many from embarking on trips abroad. Covid tests for travellers arriving in England are to be scrapped, Boris Johnson has announced, in a major boost for the beleaguered travel industry In what marks a huge boost for holidaymakers, the Prime Minister said in a Commons statement the Omicron variant is now so prevalent in the country that the measure is having limited impact on the spread of the disease Mr Johnson told the House: 'When the Omicron variant was first identified, we rightly introduced travel restrictions to slow its arrival in our country. Testing regime that has been scrapped as the Omicron threat dwindles: Travelling home from another country has been a nightmare for may due to new restrictions amid Omicron. The rules for the fully vaccinated, which will change from 4am on Friday, are... Before travel: Take a test in the 2 days before travel to England Book a PCR test to be taken after you arrive in England Complete a passenger locator form On arrival: Take a PCR test Take the test any time after arrival and before the end of day 2 Quarantine in your home or the place you are staying Advertisement 'But now Omicron is so prevalent, these measures are having limited impact on the growth in cases, while continuing to pose significant costs on our travel industry. 'So I can announce that in England from 4am on Friday, we will be scrapping the pre-departure test, which discourages many from travelling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expense.' The announcement - which covers those passengers who are fully vaccinated or are under the age of 18 - was broadly welcomed by the travel industry, which has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the industry body Airlines UK, said it would be a 'massive boost' for the sector at a 'critical' time of the year. 'People will now be able to book knowing that - for the fully vaccinated - all emergency testing restrictions have been removed,' he said. 'Today marks an important step towards learning to live alongside the virus, helping passengers and the travel sector look ahead to what will be an all-important spring and summer season.' EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren also welcomed the move but said the Government needed to go further. 'This will make travel much simpler and easier and means our customers can book and travel with confidence,' he said. 'However, the Government must now urgently take the final step towards restriction-free travel and remove the last remaining unnecessary test for vaccinated travellers so flying does not become the preserve of the rich.' Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: 'It is abundantly clear to everyone that travel testing requirements have had no impact on the spread of the Omicron variant, so this should represent the end of a set of measures that are not only disproportionate but futile too. 'That said, the removal of these travel restrictions is the news that our customers have been desperate to hear, and the massive surge in traffic and bookings tells us that holidays are very much back on for UK holidaymakers. 'Customers are jumping at the chance to book the holidays they have been looking forward to and we want to give them even more to smile about, which is why we are launching this sale.' He added: 'Whether it is a family holiday, a break with the other half or a group get together, we know how much everyone needs that well-deserved holiday. 'Holidays just got a lot easier and whether it is sun, ski or a leisure city holiday, we can see just what a shot in the arm today is for customer confidence.' Travel firms welcomed the news of reduced testing, with the boss of airline Jet2, Steve Heapy (pictured), revealing there had already been a 'massive surge' in web traffic and bookings following Mr Johnson's announcement Epidemiologist John Edmunds, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the move to scrap overseas tests before arriving in England and day 2 PCR tests in favour of a single day 2 LFT test made sense. 'When the prevalence is high, and it is incredibly high at the moment, almost everyone who tests positive with a lateral flow test will be a true positive,' Edmunds said. 'There is really no need to confirm this with a PCR, a step that not only wastes time but costs a lot of money and uses up laboratory resources that could be better used elsewhere.' A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: 'Although this is welcome news, there is still a long way back for aviation which remains the lifeblood of the UK's economy, supporting millions of jobs in all four nations.' The UK was the only country in Europe demanding that even fully-vaccinated holidaymakers take two tests when returning home. Under the current rules, one rapid swab must be taken pre-return within 72 hours of travel to the UK and a post-arrival PCR test by day two. Travellers must self-isolate until the results of this latter test are received, and can be stuck in quarantine for days if results are delayed. Under the current rules, one rapid swab must be taken pre-return within 72 hours of travel to the UK and a post-arrival PCR test by day two. Travellers must self-isolate until the results of this latter test are received, and can be stuck in quarantine for days if results are delayed. The quarantine rules were beefed-up at the end of November in a bid to stem the importation of Omicron. They added hundreds of pounds in testing bills to the cost of foreign breaks for families. They also increased fears about being stranded abroad if pre-return test results are positive. As a result travel firms reported mass cancellations. Prior to the November changes, travellers were required to take just one rapid test post-arrival by day two. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, which represents major carriers such as British Airways, Jet2 and easyJet, said yesterday it would also boost domestic tourism businesses because laxer rules will attract more foreign visitors. He said: 'This isn't just about outbound holidays. 'We're losing billions in revenue from people who ordinarily would want to travel to the UK to spend money, including in our shops and restaurants. 'This is a competition at the end of the day - we need to attract people to the UK, not put up a big 'closed for business' sign. 'We can't have international travel - and the hundreds of thousands of jobs and livelihoods that depend on it - being treated differently to hospitality and other domestic sectors. The scrapping of overseas tests and day 2 PCR tests has already proved to be a boost for the travel industry with many families making bookings to go abroad (pictured: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, on May 1, 2021) 'If Omicron doesn't warrant further restrictions at home, then the case for continuing with the emergency testing requirements for aviation is undermined, especially now it is the dominant variant in the UK.' Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M), told BBC Breakfast that lateral flows were very accurate when it came to recording a positive result. 'Of course, with a PCR test what happens is a number of those can get sent away for sequencing and then you get more information regarding the virus itself. 'So, that sort of information may potentially be lost, but only a subset of those PCR tests are sent away for sequencing anyway, so, hopefully, we won't be losing the levels of information that we already have in this country that enables us to identify variants and so forth.' He said it was 'very, very important' that if any changes were brought in regarding dropping some PCRs that people still recorded their results from lateral flows. Regarding the change to travel testing requirements, he said when there were very high numbers of cases in the UK, testing upon entry to the UK 'becomes less important' as cases are already circulating. ' So, again, that's probably why the change is coming in to support the travel industry and reduce a lot of the testing requirements.' Mr Hawkins added that the restrictions had a significant effect on the number of travellers using its services. 'We have seen passenger numbers fall back by about a third between October and November,' he said. 'Passengers responded to the lifting of travel restrictions very positively and we saw a good level of recovery coming through but the new measures at the end of November and December knocked that back by about a third. 'We were at about 60 per cent of travel levels compared to 2019 and we fell back to just above 40 per cent. 'We are seeing higher absences along with most other businesses and transport providers and it's putting them under a certain amount of pressure. 'But January is generally a quieter month for us anyway, and the testing requirements have knocked back by our recovery by a third. 'So we do have some headroom to absorb those kinds of pressures at the moment, but we're keeping a very close eye on absence levels and trends over the coming weeks.' To say that the nation's political elites are divided over the significance of the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob is an understatement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will preside over a series of public events to mark the anniversary to mark a day of 'reflection, remembrance and recommitment' about the event. On the calendar are a prayer vigil and a 'conversation' by Presidential historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham 'to establish and preserve the narrative of January 6th.' Will Republicans mark the anniversary of the assault? Not so much. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will lead a delegation to Georgia on January 6th for former GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson's funeral. With the House out of formal session, it seems as if no senior Republican leader will be in the Capitol on this first anniversary. Donald Trump will be uncharacteristically silent after reversing his decision to protest what he calls a 'rigged election' at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida home on January 6th. Trump falsely insists the only 'insurrection' that occurred happened in the November election that installed Joe Biden as president. A majority of Republican leaders part company with Trump and either publicly or privately believe he bears a major responsibility for creating the conditions that led to the January 6 riot, but they are united in their conviction that Democrats are shamelessly exploiting the event for partisan gain. It is clear the events of January 6th are being politically weaponized by both parties. But if you step back the American people aren't quite as agitated. (Above) Rioters storm the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021 They point out that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has decided to spend the next week trying to force through a bill to nationalize federal election laws that not one Republican in either the House or Senate supports. 'Much like the violent insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol nearly one year ago, Republican officials in states across the country have seized on the former president's Big Lie about widespread voter fraud to enact anti-democratic legislation,' Schumer wrote to his fellow Democrats this week. 'They want to unwind the progress of our Union, restrict access to the ballot, silence the voices of millions of voters, and undermine free and fair elections.' It is clear the events of January 6th are being politically weaponized by both parties. But if you step back the American people aren't quite as agitated. On the one hand, a new CBS/YouGov poll finds that 68 percent of respondents see the Jan. 6 attacks as 'a harbinger of increasing political violence, not an isolated incident.' That may explain why two-thirds of those surveyed by a Politico/Morning Consult poll say it's important that the federal government probe the events surrounding the Capitol attack. At the same time, the CBS/YouGov poll finds that a majority of Republicans and Democrats agree that the Capitol riot was wrong. 80% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats characterized the actions of rioters as a 'protest that went too far'. Where they differ is on the words used to describe the event -- 85% of Democrats said it was an 'insurrection', while only 21% of Republicans, and 56% of Independents agree. Meanwhile, in the Politico poll, 59 percent of voters said Donald Trump was 'somewhat' or 'very' responsible for the Capitol attack. When ones watches or reads the news, they may get a very different impression of the national mood. 'THIS IS BAD,' writes Politico, 'Roughly 4 in 10 Republicans and independents say that violent action against the government is sometimes justified, according to a startling new WaPo-University of Maryland poll.' But then read a little further. A plurality of the respondents who said that 'violent action against the government is sometimes justified' (22%), said it would only be necessary if the 'government violates or take away rights or freedom/oppresses people.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) will preside over a series of public events to mark the anniversary to mark a day of 'reflection, remembrance and recommitment' about the event. Republicans point out that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (right) has decided to spend the next week trying to force through a bill to nationalize federal election laws that not one Republican in either the House or Senate supports. It's quite an opened-ended question and these respondents say nothing about a 'stolen election.' Plus, the responses are also not out of line with the historical trends. In 2010, 16% of adults said 'violent action' could be justified. That percentage rose to 23% in a CBS News/New York Times poll in 2015. This trend existed long before the Capitol riot of 2021. That said -- it's clear that while the country is divided over January 6th, many Americans want cooler heads to prevail. There are compromise solutions that would improve our voting process as well as address the concerns about mismanagement and irregularities of the 2020 election. The two parties have come together before to pass election reform. After the disastrous 2000 Bush v. Gore recount in Florida, which left 57 percent of Americans believing our elections weren't reliable, a Democratic Senate, an almost tied House and a Republican President ushered the Help America Vote Act in to law. Its Democratic co-sponsor, Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut said the bill 'made it easier to vote and harder to steal. We can do both at the same time.' What Dodd was trying to bridge was the fact that liberals and conservatives have different priorities and world views. They have as the scholar Thomas Sowell put it a 'conflict of visions.' In voting, these opposing visions have liberals believing our democracy is best affirmed by having as many people as possible vote. In 2019, a majority of House Democrats voted to allow 16-year-olds to vote for president and Congress. Conservatives believe that voters also have responsibilities and safeguards must be in place to ensure no one's ballot is cancelled out by someone who is ineligible to vote. Those concerns aren't just those of Republicans. A new poll by Rasmussen Reports found that 58 percent of independent and unaffiliated voters say cheating was likely in the 2020 elections. A surprising 74 percent believe preventing cheating is more important than making it easier to vote. Donald Trump will be uncharacteristically silent after reversing his decision to protest what he calls a 'rigged election' at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida home on January 6th. New Hampshire's longtime Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a Democrat, says both concerns are critical to making democracy work. Ideally, they should be complementary goals; in practice, they have sadly hardened into warring platforms. Gardner notes that a majority of Democrats believed the 2016 election of Trump wasn't legitimate just as a majority of Republicans don't think the 2020 election anointed the real winner. 'It's sad today that so many people in this country have reached the point in time when they do not believe that our president was elected legitimately,' Gardner says. 'For our future, this is extremely important.' He doesn't believe the Democratic election bill being debated in Washington next week is the answer and opposes it. Like Gardner, I believe there are ways to further expand access to the polls while protecting election integrity. Andrew Young, the former United Nations Ambassador and confidant of Martin Luther King, heads a group called 'Why Tuesday? Let's Move the Vote.' People who work during the week may find it inconvenient or face long lines at the polls. So having some Early Voting days, where ballots can be cast at government office buildings makes sense. Only 22 states currently allow some weekend early voting. By the way, Joe Biden's Delaware will only begin its first early voting this year. Requiring a voter to authenticate their identity whether they are voting in-person or applying for a mail-in ballot is a basic requirement for a secure voting system. Although the overwhelming majority of Americans already have such an photo ID, all states that current require an ID issue a free to anyone who cannot afford one. As part of that effort, every driver's license or state photo ID issued should note prominently whether the individual is a citizen or non-citizen. There is also a way to transcend ideological differences on voter ID. Young and Martin Luther King III along with former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have come together to propose a 'Freedom Card.' They say it would cost less than a dime to add a picture to Social Security cards and transform them into a last resort government-issued photo ID. They say it's obvious that people without a photo ID face hardship they are unable to cash a check without predatory fees, to travel easily, to get married, and to apply for Medicare. At the same time, Young and King acknowledge that many people have concerns about voter fraud. Their idea would address both concerns. But both parties have dropped the ball. My sources tell me President Obama's Justice Department opposed the idea after Al Sharpton and other entrenched civil rights leaders opposed it. Donald Trump expressed support after his 2016 election but never formally proposed it. State legislators and local officials can take many steps to safeguard their elections. It seems obvious that one of the most basic requirements for clean elections is up-to-date, accurate voter registration lists. A 2012 study by the non-partisan Pew Center on the States found one in eight voter registrations were inaccurate, out-of-date or duplicates. In 2019, California had to settle a lawsuit that resulted in the removal of up to 1.5 million 'inactive' names from Los Angeles County voting rolls. The county had an effective registration rate of 112 percent of its adult citizen population. The voting rolls hadn't been scrubbed for ineligible voters for 20 years. Most states completely fail to clean their rolls by taking advantage of the wealth of information available to them from both their own databases and commercial databases. Computerized statewide voter registration lists must be designed so that they can communicate seamlessly with other state government databases such as the motor vehicle department for driver's licenses; the state corrections department (for felons who have lost their ability to vote); state vital records to find voters who have died or moved out of state; and state welfare and unemployment benefit agencies. This can provide election officials with information relevant to registration such as address changes, deaths, citizenship status or other factors affecting eligibility. State voter registration lists should be transparent, freely available to candidates, political parties, non-profit organizations, and the public (except for confidential information), and readily accessible. Verifying the citizenship of registered voters is a vital but missing component in our registration system. States should require proof of citizenship to register to vote for federal elections, as well as verify the citizenship of registered voters with the alien records of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This is especially important now that major cities such as New York are allowing non-citizens to vote in some local elections. Because mail-in ballots are most vulnerable to coercion, intimidation, theft, forgery, alteration, and mis-delivery, they should primarily be reserved for those too disabled to vote in person or who can't vote on Early Voting Days. One of the most important steps for states to take is to ban vote trafficking of absentee or mail-in ballots by third parties. This prohibition would ensure that candidates and political operatives would not be able to pressure or coerce vulnerable voters in their homes or to mishandle, alter or change absentee ballots they pick up from voters. States should only allow the voter, a member of his or her immediate family, or a designated caregiver to personally deliver such ballots. One reason so many doubts were raised over the results of the 2020 election were claims that election officials in places like Detroit and Philadelphia unlawfully excluded observers. These actions were indeed suspicious and should not be allowed. Political parties, candidates, and third-party organizations should all be allowed to have observers in every aspect of the election process. Transparency is essential to maintaining public confidence in the election process. To prevent hacking, no electronic voting machines should be connected to the Internet; in fact, they should not be allowed to have any internal modems even present in the machines. Furthermore, the computers used in government election departments to tabulate results should not be connected to the Internet or a government-wide network that could allow hackers to interfere with the vote count. State legislatures must ensure that they have legal standing to sue other state officials such as governors who make unauthorized changes in state election laws. Governors should have the authority to remove and replace election officials who engage in similar behavior. And voters should be provided by state law the ability to immediately file a lawsuit against any state or local official who fails to abide by, or enforce, a state election law requirement. States should prohibit election officials from receiving private funding from outside organizations or individuals, like the now infamous 2020 infusion of $400 million in funding from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg that was strongly tilted towards election offices in Democratic-leaning areas in swing states. This would prevent potential conflicts of interest. Such funding may influence or change the outcome of elections and violate principles of equal protection since it may lead to unequal opportunities to vote in different areas. We must have an election process that is fair, secure, and reliable. It should be transparent so that the public, candidates, political parties, and the news media have complete access to every aspect of the system as it is administered, as individuals register and vote, and as the ballots are counted and tabulated. We need a system in which everyone involved, from the voters themselves to the candidates, has confidence that the individual with the most legitimate votes won the election. While those who lose may be disappointed, we want them to accept that they lost fairly in a completely legitimate election. That is the key to maintaining our democratic republic and the well-being of self-government - and helping heal the wounds of January 6th. John Fund is a columnist for National Review and co-author of new book 'Our Broken Elections' (Encounter Books) A father-son duo of Pennsylvania treasure hunters have sued the FBI for failing to produce records chronicling a top-secret excavation the agency administered in the state nearly four years ago that may have yielded a $400million cache of Civil War-era gold. Court documents unsealed earlier this year revealed that the bureau had in fact engaged in the previously undisclosed dig in Elk County in search of the fabled treasure, lost by the US government in 1863. The filing attested that agents engaged in the dig came up empty-handed. Fortune seekers Dennis and Kem Parada, however - who together comprise the lost treasure locate and recovery service Finders Keepers - are not buying the agency's claims, after leading agents to the excavation site in 2018. They are now suing the Department of Justice (DOJ) in hopes of obtaining the bureau's official records detailing the hush-hush dig. Fortune seekers Dennis (right) and Kem Parada (left) have filed suit against the Justice Department over its failure to produce documents related to the FBI's search for Civil War-era gold at the remote woodland site. The pair say they led agents to the site in March 2018 An FBI tent is seen behind police tape at the base of a hill where investigators conducted an excavation for Civil War-era gold in March 2018. The FBI says the dig came up empty The father-son duo had spent years combing the Pennsylvania wilderness with to prospect for the long-rumored riches and had felt certain they'd found the haul when contacted by the bureau in March of that year. The pair subsequently led agents to the mountainous, heavily wooded area they had honed in on in their sprawling search, and into an underground cave in Dent's Run, about 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The bureau took over from there, barring the duo from taking part in the subsequent search. Now, however, the two have since filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its failure to produce documents chronicling the FBI's search. The father-son fortune seekers together run lost treasure locate and recovery service Finders Keepers. Pictured here is the homepage for the firm's website The FBI said it found nothing during a March dig (above) for gold in Dents Run, Pennsylvania According to the pair's shared attorney, who represents Finders Keepers, the agency has dragged its feet on the treasure hunters' Freedom of Information Act request for records for proof of the bureau's findings, or lack thereof. 'There's been a pattern of behavior by the FBI that's been very troubling,' public interest lawyer Anne Weismann told The Associated Press Wednesday of the case. She went on to question whether the agency is 'acting in good faith.' The suit asks that a federal judge to order the agency to immediately turn over records detailing the search. A message was sent to the Justice Department seeking comment on the suit. The Pradas had previously spent years looking for what, according to legend, was an 1863 shipment of Union gold that was lost or stolen on its way to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The duo focused on a spot where they say their instruments detected a large metallic mass. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. The contractor detected an underground mass that weighed up to nine tons and had the density of gold, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed last year at the request of news organizations, including The Associated Press. The Paradas accompanied the FBI to the site in Dent's Run, but say they were confined to their car while the FBI excavated the morning of March 16. The digging proceeded for roughly seven hours, before an agent called an abrupt halt at 3pm, saying the team was cold, tired and hungry and it would be getting dark soon. They were just 3 feet from the target. 'I said, 'You've got three hours of daylight and we're only 3 feet away,' Dennis Parada recalled. He said the agent replied, 'Denny, we're going, we're going.' The treasure-hunting group has long insisted it found the gold buried in a state forest at Dents Run, but said the state would not allow it to dig Whether the FBI actually left the woods that afternoon is itself an open question. Cheryl Elder, who lives near the excavation site, told AP at the time that she had heard what sounded like a backhoe and jackhammer at least until 2am - the noisy machinery keeping her awake and annoying her because she had to rise early for work - and she saw that the hillside was brightly lit. 'It was just real loud all night,' the former constable recalled. 'It was driving me nuts.' The second day of the excavation was similar to the first, according to the Paradas. They said they were confined to their car for several hours, then escorted up the hill to the dig site - by then a large, empty hole. The FBI had finished the excavation out of their presence, they said. The Paradas said they were cheated of a moment they had spent years working for. 'You can only dig the gold up once, and that's a historical moment. And here we were robbed of all that,' Dennis Parada said. 'I don't understand why they played that game on us.' According to a 155-year-old legend, a Union Army wagon train was carrying two tons of gold on a 400-mile journey between Wheeling, West Virginia, and Gettysburg. The gold was sent by President Abraham Lincoln to pay Union soldiers (pictured, at the Battle of Gettysburg) After the Paradas and Getler had left, Elder said, she saw a half-dozen black SUVs at the site. One by one, she said, they backed up to the bottom of the hill and rendezvoused with one of several all-terrain utility vehicles. Elder tried using her binoculars, but couldn't make out what investigators were transferring from the ATVs to the SUVs. Even so, 'I know they found gold,' she declared. 'I know they found it, and they're being sneaky.' Heather Selle, who lives in nearby Weedville, said she was getting her kids ready for school on the morning of the second day when she spied a convoy of FBI vehicles driving past including two large armored trucks. 'There was too many people involved, there was too much hush-hush, and there's been too much seen,' said still another resident, Garrett Osche, whose garage was used as a staging ground for the FBI's initial foray to the Dents Run area weeks before the dig. 'Why do you close the road down if you're not loading something out? If you're not sneaking something, why do you need to do what they did?' The shipment had either 26 gold bars or 52 bars, each weighing 50 pounds, meaning it would be worth about $27million or about $55million today (Pictured, Lincoln, center right, surrounded by crowd, preparing to deliver the Gettysburg address at dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery) According to legend, the gold was either lost or stolen on its way to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia in 1863. The gold was sent by President Abraham Lincoln to pay Union soldiers and was last spotted in St Marys, Pennsylvania, traveling northeast toward the capital. When the wagon train didn't arrive at the Mint, searchers were sent out and discovered only empty wagons and the bodies of dead soldiers. Various accounts said the lieutenant charged with leading the wagon got sick and feverish and divulged the secret of their cargo to lower ranking soldiers. Rogues within the squadron then killed the rest and made off with the treasure. Legend says the gold was buried at Dents Run. The FBI has insisted the March 2018 dig at the unincorporated community - which has long drawn treasure hunters - came up empty, but the agency has consistently stymied the Paradas' efforts to obtain information. The FBI initially claimed it had no files about the investigation. Then, after the Justice Department ordered a more thorough review, the agency changed its tune, asserting that its records were exempt from public disclosure. Finally, in the wake of the treasure hunters' appeal, the FBI said it had located 2,400 pages of records and 17 video files that it could potentially turn over - but that it would take years to do so. Finders Keepers asked the Justice Department for expedited processing, which can be granted in cases where there is widespread media interest involving questions about the government's integrity. The Justice Department denied the request - and, as of last month, had yet to assign the FOIA request to a staffer for processing, according to the lawsuit. 'From the outset, it seems as if the FBI is doing everything it can to avoid answering the question of whether they actually found gold,' Weismann said. The union boss at the center of Chicago's school shutdown firestorm is a longtime labor activist and supporter of socialism, but critics say his lifestyle is more akin to that of the wealthiest 1 percent. Living in an expansive $1.5 million estate on multiple adjoining lots in Rogers Park, Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey is said to drive a Tesla and is married to the daughter of Royal Caribbean Cruises' recently resigned CEO. On Tuesday, 52-year-old Sharkey led his union members in a vote to refuse in-person instruction starting immediately, citing concerns over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. It led to a chaotic total shutdown of schools announced at 11pm the prior night, as the school system said it did not have the systems in place for virtual instruction. Jesse Sharkey (center) and his wife Julie Fain are seen in a family photo on a trip to Disneyland in 2020. In 2017, asked about his wealthy father-in-law, Sharkey said: 'We dont choose the family of our loved ones.' He also added that his oldest son, Caleb, left, graduated from Chicago Public Schools. In this image obtained by DailyMail.com, he is seen wearing a t-shirt with a Mustangs logo - the sports team name used by $13,000-a-year private, all-boys Catholic school St Rita of Cascia. However, DailyMail.com understands he graduated from Jones College Prep - a Chicago Public School Sharkey is married to socialist book publisher Julie Fain (left), the daughter of Richard Fain (right), who on Monday resigned as CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group after 33 years Sharkey, who has led the CTU since 2014, said on Wednesday that teachers would only return to classrooms after the current surge subsides, unless the district agrees to the union's demands for new testing and health protocols Sharkey, who has led the CTU since 2014, said on Wednesday that teachers would only return to classrooms after the current surge subsides, unless the district agrees to the union's demands for new testing and health protocols. 'If you want to get us into the schools quicker, provide testing,' Sharkey said at a Wednesday news conference. 'We've been failed by the mayor, we've been failed by the public health office, and teachers and the school staff have decided the only thing we have control of is whether we go into the buildings.' Sharkey did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Wednesday. The stunning drama in the nation's third-largest public school system, with an enrollment of more than 350,000, has thrust longtime Chicago activist Sharkey into the national spotlight. In the past, Sharkey's lavish lifestyle has drawn criticism from his opponents, and speculation that his wealthy and decidedly capitalist father-in-law is helping to bankroll his family. Chicago journalist Mark Konkol wrote in a 2019 column for Patch that Sharkey 'talks like a working-class tough guy' but drives a Tesla and lives in a luxurious five-bedroom home. 'How can a union guy, whose wife works for a socialist non-profit book publisher, live like the wealthiest 1 percent?' wrote Konkol. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey is the longtime socialist at the center of the city's public school shutdown firestorm 'How can a union guy, whose wife works for a socialist non-profit book publisher, live like the wealthiest 1 percent?' wrote one columnist in 2019 Raised in central Maine by his mother, a poet and schoolteacher, Sharkey attended Brown University, where he majored in modern American history. After graduating, Sharkey went into labor organizing with the United Steelworkers in North Carolina, before returning to Brown for a master's degree in teaching. While teaching high school social studies in Providence, Rhode Island, Sharkey met his now-wife Julie Fain, the daughter of business executive Richard Fain, who has an estimated net worth of nearly $200 million. Richard Fain on Monday resigned as CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group after a 33-year tenure, in a move that was part of a succession plan announced in November. In a statement to Chicago City Wire in 2017, Sharkey said: 'We dont choose the family of our loved ones.' 'I have a lovely wife. We have children. I live in a house in Rogers Park and only have one of them, and I send my kids to public schools,' he said. Sharkey and Julie Fain moved together to Chicago, where she worked as an editor for the leftist magazine In These Times before co-founding radical independent book publisher Haymarket Books. The couple share two children, Caleb - a graduate from Jones College Prep, a public school, and Leo, who was at one point a student at Harriet Tubman elementary school - both Chicago Public Schools. In a photo obtained by DailyMail.com where the family is pictured on a trip to Disneyland, the oldest son is seen wearing a t-shirt with a Mustangs logo - the official name used for sports teams at St Rita of Cascia, a $13,000-a-year private, all-boy's Catholic school in Chicago. In 2012, when he was vice president of CTU, Sharkey appeared shaken when his attendance at the Midwest Marxism Conference was raised in an interview on local radio Sharkey's father-in-law Richard Fain (above in 2013) was the third-longest serving CEO among current S&P 500 leaders when he retired on Monday Public records show that Sharkey and Fain own a $868,000 home in Rogers Park, and that his wife's family trust bought the adjacent lot for $625,000 in 2006. Meanwhile Sharkey continued teaching and became increasingly involved in the teachers union, as well as far-left political groups. He was a member of the International Socialist Organization, a Trotskyite group that opposes capitalism, until the group dissolved in 2019 over allegations that its leadership mishandled a sexual assault accusation. From 2008 to 2013, Sharkey was an occasional contributor to the ISO publication SocialistWorker.org. In 2012, when he was vice president of CTU, Sharkey appeared shaken when his attendance at the Midwest Marxism Conference was raised in an interview on local radio station WLS-AM. 'Every time unions have raised issues about what's fair and what isn't, and equality, people have branded them as Communists,' Sharkey replied. Pressed on whether he agreed with the tenets of Marxism, Sharkey dismissed the interview as a 'witch hunt' and said: 'I'm allowed to attend a Marxist conference.' In 2019, Sharkey landed in hot water again when a group of Chicago teachers calling themselves a 'Chicago Teachers Union delegation' met with officials in socialist Venezuela Sharkey downplayed the Venezuela incident and tried to distance the union from the controversy In 2019, Sharkey landed in hot water again when a group of Chicago teachers calling themselves a 'Chicago Teachers Union delegation' met with officials in socialist Venezuela. The four teachers documented their trip online and heaped praise on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose administration was accused in United Nations reports of 'grave' human rights violations. Sharkey downplayed the incident and tried to distance the union from the controversy. 'Members go all kinds of places in the summer,' he told WTTW at the time. 'This was neither an official trip nor something that was funded by the union. This is a group of people who are members of the CTU who decided to go to Venezuela.' On Tuesday, 73 percent of CTU members supported the vote not to return to in-person instruction. Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned that teachers who failed to turn up would be docked pay, and district officials slammed the union over the last-minute vote. Lightfoot said: 'There is no basis in the data, the science or common sense for us to shut an entire system down. 'If we pause, what do we say to those parents who can't afford to hire somebody to come in and watch their kids, who can't ship their kids off to some other place, what do we say to those students who are already struggling? Mayor Lori Lightfoot has struggled to reach terms with the Chicago Teachers Union Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady insisted that the safety protocols set in place for Chicago Public Schools were sufficient to protect the children and staff 'We need to lean in to the science and the data and not push that to the side and give in to fear-mongering and hysteria.' The mayor also said she feared the delayed reopening would stretch on past the January 18 date planned by CTU leaders. The CTU demanded that students and staff members provided a negative COVID-19 test result before entering buildings on Monday. The union also wants daily health questionnaires to be reinstated, free masks for all staff and students and wants schools to shift to remote learning if 20% or more of staff is in isolation or quarantine. The head of Chicago Public Schools, Pedro Martinez, is distributing 200,000 KN95 masks for teachers and staff, requiring indoor mask-wearing in schools and weekly testing is mandatory for unvaccinated staff members and optional for students. Martinez said he has bent over backwards to meet the union's demands. A tipster warned Denver police about a crazed gunman capable of a 'devastating' attack nearly a year before the killer shot four people dead in a horrific Christmastime massacre. German whistleblower Andre Thiele claims he contacted police last January to share concerns about author Lyndon McLeod, a known extremist whose social media profiles were ripe with violent material. Less than a year later, on December 27, his fears were realized after McLeod, 47, embarked on a deadly shooting rampage in the streets of Colorado. Thiele said he became alarmed after reading McLeod's commentary in an online chat forum for fans of his published work. His remarks became increasingly concerning, prompting Thiele to reach out to authorities. The tipster initially dialed Denver 311 on January 3, 2021, he told the Denver Post. He also submitted a letter of concern to police obtained by the outlet. 'I cannot in good conscience say that he will act with certainty,' Thiele wrote. 'But I can say that IF he should act, the result would be devastating. He then would stop at nothing.' Denver police were warned about Lyndon McLeod (pictured) nearly a year before he carried out a deadly shooting spree The Denver Police Department (DPD) did not respond to a DailyMail.com query by deadline, but told the Post that it received a tip from a German national about a fraud case outside their jurisdiction. They said they looked into McLeod but did not dig up evidence that would warrant charges. A spokesman also told the outlet that McLeod was believed to be living outside Denver during the time of the complaint. 'DPD is reviewing the investigation, but based on our initial review, there was not sufficient evidence to file criminal charges or a legal basis for monitoring McLeod at the time,' the spokesman said. Paul Pazen, chief of Denver Police, said previously 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. The tipster said of McLeod (pictured with his gun and a dead bear): 'I cannot in good conscience say that he will act with certainty. But I can say that IF he should act, the result would be devastating. He then would stop at nothing' It wasn't clear whether the latter investigation was prompted by an email Thiele sent them on January 4, which he shared with the Post. The note include an Amazon link to one of McLeod's books. 'Though the book is not political per se, it could be read as an extremist right-wing manifesto and a terrorist prophecy,' Thiele wrote. 'It may very well be that the accused is a typical case of a literary genius and a petty thug, who runs his mouth and talks too much. 'I would from my personal experiences say that this might be a 90% chance. But there is a 10% chance, that he has at least in his own mind created the perfect storm of right-wing terrorism.' Thiele said he was once a fan of McLeod's work, but became concerned after he began interacting with the Sanction series author in an online fan forum in 2019. 'Only after I got to know him better and the reality of his life and the reality of his points of view, I realized that this was not a novel but a manifesto, or a letter of commitment,' he said. 'Tragically, [police] didn't see what I saw. I saw through the jokes and saw the guy underneath it. I'm sad I couldn't prove it.' The tipster said he was once a fan of McLeod's work, but became concerned after he began interacting with the Sanction series author in an online fan forum in 2019 Denver's police chief said previously 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 Pictured: Police officers stand outside Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Broadway where McLeod killed two women and injured a man December 27, 2021 During the night of the massacre, McLeod opened fire at six locations throughout Denver and the nearby suburb of Lakewood, killing five people - including a cop -and wounding three others before he was shot dead. His rampage targeted several tattoo shops, and three of his five victims worked in the tattoo industry. Alicia Cardenas, 44, owner Sol Tribe tattoo shop, and colleague Alyssa Gunn Maldonado, 35, were slain; Maldonado's husband was injured. The gunman later opened fire at a Lakewood parlor, shooting 38-year-old Danny Scofield dead. He killed another man on the street before marauding into the Hyatt House hotel where he killed his final victim, 28-year-old hotel clerk Sarah Steck. Victims of the massacre include (from left) Sol Tribe tattoo shop owner Alicia Cardenas, Hyatt House hotel clerk Sarah Steck, and 38-year-old Lakewood tattoo artist Danny Scofield 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 He ran out of the hotel and about a minute later was confronted by Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris who ordered the killer to drop his weapon. She was shot in the abdomen but fired back and killed McLeod. Ferris, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was rushed to hospital where she underwent surgery. She is expected to make a full recovery. 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 Cardenas and Maldonado and wounding her husband. 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. The couple, who married in February 2020, have a young son. 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. Melania Trump's ex-Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham met behind closed doors Wednesday night with the House select committee on January 6. Grisham was spotted outside a House office building leaving the Capitol Hill meeting, telling reporters she 'cooperated fully' with the Democrat-led group, according to ABC News. Grisham, who also served as press secretary to former President Donald Trump, was the first high-level aide to quit during the attack on the Capitol. Melania Trump 's ex-Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham met behind closed doors Wednesday night with the House select committee on January 6. She is seen arriving at the meeting held at the O'Neill House Office Building in Washington Stephanie Grisham is swarmed by reporters as she left Wednesday night's meeting with the select committee. She told the waiting press she 'cooperated fully' with lawmakers' requests Stephanie Grisham is followed by a television camera and reporters as she departed her Wednesday night meeting on Capitol Hill with January 6 committee members Former White House press secretary and chief of staff to First Lady Melania Trump Stephanie Grisham is captured leaving her Wednesday night meeting with the House select committee on January 6 Grisham is captured arriving for her meeting with lawmakers on the select committee. CNN reported Wednesday that Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin convinced her to come speak to members in person Elevator doors close as former White House press secretary and Melania Trump aide Stephanie Grisham arrives at her meeting with the January 6 committee In her memoir, I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House, she said it was Melania Trump's ambivalence that inspired her to resign. Grisham wrote that she had sent the first lady a text: 'Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?' 'No,' Melania Trump wrote back. The first lady was in the middle of a photoshoot, capturing some of the White House's rugs. CNN reported Wednesday that Grisham decided to speak to the Democrat-led committee after speaking to Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin by phone. A source told the network that Grisham and Raskin had an in-depth phone call where she detailed what happened behind-the-scenes on January 6. The source said Grisham was 'candid' about what happened at the White House that day and shared knowledge of conversations with President Trump. The January 6 select committee is investigating what Trump knew when, as he didn't call off the attack from his supporters for several hours. Stephanie Grisham (left) was communications director and later chief of staff for First Lady Melania Trump (right) and also did a stint as White House press secretary Grisham said when she asked Melania Trump if she wanted to send out a tweet condemning the violence during the Capitol attack on January 6 the former first lady responded 'no,' leading Grisham to resign In the meantime he received text messages from top allies, some trapped in the Capitol, and family members, including Donald Trump Jr., asking him to condemn the violence publicly, according to messages that have been made public by the committee. In her book, Grisham wrote about how Melania Trump had 'often been the sensible one,' noting how she came out before her husband to condemn the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. Grisham had pushed back 'on the caricature of Melania Trump as some sort of Marie Antoinette, cold and cruel and oblivious to the little people over whom her husband ruled.' But after she responded 'no' to Grisham, the aide wrote that she 'finally saw the doomed French queen. Dismissive. Defeated. Detached.' 'It broke me,' Grisham wrote. 'I took a breath and waited another minute. You learned to do that in the Trump White House: make sure you are grounded and not acting out of the moment. Then I resigned.' 'I sent her an email and cc-ed her senior adviser so I couldn't take it back or be talked out of it. I was done,' Grisham said. Schools which routinely ask staff to teach more pupils in merged classes amid teacher shortages should be challenged, education unions have said. Ahead of the start of term, the Department for Education (DfE) told headteachers they may want to consider 'combining classes' in the event of staff shortages to keep face-to-face teaching in place. But a 'safety checklist' from five trade unions representing teachers and support staff says merging classes 'should not be adopted' as it will 'increase virus transmission' and lead to 'further disruption'. The advice - from the National Education Union (NEU), NASUWT teaching union, Unison, GMB and Unite - urges teachers expected to routinely accept extra pupils from combining classes to 'urgently' raise it with their union. Five trade unions representing teachers and support staff say merging classes 'should not be adopted' as it will 'increase virus transmission' and lead to 'further disruption'. Pictured: Year 10 students at Park Lane Academy in Halifax wear masks in lessons It adds: 'Teachers should not routinely be expected to cover for absent colleagues, nor should they be expected to teach pupils who they have not been assigned to teach, i.e. pupils who are not registered for timetabled lessons with them, collapsed classes or multi-class assemblies. 'Cover is not an effective use of a teacher's time and collapsing/combining classes is not only cover, but increasing the numbers of pupils in classrooms, or having large numbers of pupils in halls, will also only serve to increase transmission of the virus.' The advice comes after Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi told school leaders to consider merging classes, or sending groups of children home, if the number of staff off work due to Covid-19 reaches critical levels. On Sunday, an email from the DfE advised headteachers that they may wish to use existing teaching, temporary and support staff 'more flexibly' where required to ensure schools remain open amid staffing issues. The Department for Education (DfE) had told headteachers they may want to consider 'combining classes' in the event of staff shortages to keep face-to-face teaching in place. Pictured: Year 10 students wear face masks in lessons at Park Lane Academy in Halifax It added: 'As pupils do not need to be kept in consistent groups, you may wish to consider combining classes.' Pupils are returning to class this week, with new advice for secondary school pupils in England to wear face masks in lessons due to a rise in Covid-19 cases. Secondary school and college students are also being encouraged to test on site before returning to class. Ian Bauckham, the chair of Ofqual, has suggested that schools may need to suspend 'specialist' subjects like music to cope with staff absences. In a case study posted on a DfE portal for heads, Mr Bauckham added that two or more classes could be 'combined and taught by a single teacher' in a larger space as an alternative to remote learning in the event of high staff absences. What testing measures are in place for the return of secondary schools? All secondary schools have been asked to provide one on-site test for pupils ahead of their return to the classroom this term to help reduce the transmission of Covid-19. Schools and colleges ordered tests before Christmas and have received these in advance of pupils returning. Pictured: Covid tests at Park Lane Academy in Halifax Government education chiefs say they will continue to be able to order additional tests through a separate supply route. Meanwhile, students returning to university have also been advised to test before they travel back to campus. Secondary, college and university students and education staff and early years staff are advised to continue to test themselves twice a week. They will be asked to test more frequently in the event of an outbreak. Source: Gov.uk Advertisement He wrote: 'Where pupils in a year group are in any case in contact with each other in different classes for different subjects, or in informal social time, then it should not be a concern to bring classes together as envisaged here.' But the coalition of education unions says measures to 'minimise mixing' - such as keeping groups as consistent as possible - should be reintroduced in schools, and whole year group assemblies should be avoided. A spokeswoman for the NEU said: 'There are established ways of coping when teachers are absent. These include employing supply staff and for shorter periods asking HLTAs (higher level teaching assistants) to take classes. 'All of these routes must be exhausted before there is any consideration of mixing classes. There are clear risks with combining classes leading to more mixing, more spread of the virus and therefore more disruption. 'Practically this is also not a solution open to all schools. England has one of the most overcrowded school sites in the developed world. There is simply not the space in many school buildings to combine classes. 'Education staff are already in greater danger of being infected by Covid-19 than any other profession. 'Government should be doing everything it can to suppress Covid-19 transmission in schools, not making recommendations which are likely to lead to greater spread of the virus and more education disruption.' A DfE spokeswoman said: 'It is our priority to retain face-to-face learning and the benefits it brings pupils. 'We understand that some schools and colleges might find it difficult to run their usual timetable if high numbers of staff are absent, which is why we are supporting schools to put in place appropriate contingency measures. 'It would be for individual schools to consider if it was appropriate to merge classes, but we're clear face-to-face learning is the priority.' Police dressed up a mannequin in different latex masks as they investigated the shooting of a reality star's brother in front of his family, a court heard. Flamur 'Alex' Beqiri, 36, whose sister Misse Beqiri appeared in Real Housewives Of Cheshire, was murdered outside his 1.5m home in Battersea, southwest London, on Christmas Eve 2019. Alleged gunman Anis Fouad Hemissi, 24, with Swedish compatriots, Bawer Karaer, 23, Estevan Munizaga, 35, Tobias Andersson, 32, are charged with murdering the father-of-two. Claude Isaac-Castor, 22 and Clifford Rollox, 31, are accused of perverting the course of justice between 24 and 28 December 2019. Met Police dressed up a mannequin in different latex masks as they tried to find the disguised hitman behind the Christmas Eve shooting on a reality star's brother in 2019, a court has heard. Pictured: CCTV allegedly showing the gunman days before the killing Flamur 'Alex' Beqiri, 36, a Swedish national of Albanian heritage and whose sister Misse Beqiri appeared in Real Housewives Of Cheshire, was murdered outside his 1.5m home in Battersea, southwest London, on Christmas Eve 2019 (both pictured) Jurors have heard the killer, said to be Hemissi, was wearing a latex mask and pretending to collect litter to carry out reconnaissance when he was challenged by a dog-walker two days before the hit. He was shown with his hands covered, his neck wrapped with a scarf and his eyes obscured by sunglasses. DC Jonathan Moore told jurors: 'We purchased the masks ourselves and put them on a mannequin, and took some pictures.' Police then compared the pictures to CCTV of the gunman to identify which mask was used, but the assassin had covered the mask up to improve his disguise. DC Moore then said: 'The eyes, they were covered with sunglasses. The doorstep of Mr Beqiri's home in Battersea, southwest London, where the shooting took place on Christmas Eve 2019 'There was a tightly bound scarf on the neck, so you can't see the chinline or the neck. 'The lips always remained slightly open, there is no movement or expression...' Police made a breakthrough when they found a section of CCTV which revealed more of the gunman's mask. DC Moore continued: 'As he looks down to his phone, the mask appears to roll up to create a triple chin. 'We took the pictures at the same angle just so we can make the comparison, that this is the same mask or a different mask.' The court has heard Mr Beqiri was targeted in an attack designed to cause 'maximum terror and shock' because of his links to organised crime and drug dealing in Sweden. Flamur 'Alex' Beqiri, 36, was killed in front of his wife Debora Krasniqi (they are pictured together) But in evidence his widow Mrs Krasniqi has insisted her husband was a law-abiding businessman and they purchased their home mostly through borrowing. The four Swedes, one of whom had the use of a Swedish interpreter, are in the dock alongside UK national Rollox and Dutch national Isaac-Castor, from Sint Maarten in the Caribbean but resident in the UK. Hemissi, Pino-Munizaga, both of Malmo, Sweden, Karaer, of Stockholm, Sweden, and Andersson, of Trangsund, Sweden, all deny murder. Hemissi also denies possession of a prohibited firearm in relation to a self-loading pistol. Isaac-Castor, of no fixed address, and Rollox, of Percival Street, Islington, both deny perverting the course of justice. The trial continues. The Westminster City Council official who oversaw the controversial Marble Arch Mound project was the local authority's highest paid employee during his tenure - surpassing even the chief executive. Elad Eisenstein was appointed as Oxford Street district improvement director with a salary of 220,000 in October 2020. His role placed him charge of a 150 million regeneration programme, including the eye-popping tourist attraction. Mr Eisentstein earned even more than the 217,545 paid to the local authority's chief executive Stuart Love. Elad Eisenstein was appointed as Oxford Street district improvement director with a salary of 220,000 in October 2020 The 6million artificial hill was erected next to Marble Arch as a way to lure shoppers back to Oxford Street, following a drop in sh The Marble Arch Mound installation in central London includes a viewing platform which allows visitors the opportunity to look out over the area Their salaries were revealed in a document outlining the pay of all 179 Westminster City Council workers earning above 68,000 a year. It is also significantly higher than the 161,401 salary paid to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Eisenstein was also received a generous pension contribution of 24,441. At the time he joined the council, Mr Eisenstein was hailed as a 'a cities and regeneration expert with two decades of experience'. But he stepped down just a year later after a highly critical internal review into the mount project, costs were described as 'avoidable' and 'devastating'. The mound attracted a mixed response, including from comedian Matthew Highton on Twitter The Marble Arch Mound installation at the time it opened to the public last July The council's deputy leader, Conservative Councillor Melvyn Caplan, also resigned following the trebling of the original 2 million set aside for the mound. The 6million artificial hill was erected next to Marble Arch as a way to lure shoppers back to Oxford Street after 17% of its shops shut following the pandemic, but it received a mixed reception. At the time of its opening in July last year, the 25metre hill was already reported to be suffering in the extreme heat, with questions asked about whether it would last until its end date of January 2022. It is due to be dismantled in the coming weeks. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was 'beyond distasteful' for Democrats to use the anniversary of the deadly January 6 Capitol attack to get voting rights bills passed. 'It is surreal to hear sitting senators invoke January the 6th to justify breaking the rules to grab outcomes they have not earned,' McConnell said, repeating the phrase twice to make a point Wednesday on the Senate floor. 'It is surreal to hear sitting senators invoke January the 6th to argue that institutions can be trampled because they'd like a different result.' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has advocated changing the upper chamber's filibuster rules to get voting rights bills passed. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was 'beyond distasteful' for Democrats to use the anniversary of the deadly January 6 Capitol attack to get voting rights bills passed Schumer's argued that GOP-led state restrictions on voting could lead to more uncertainty in future elections - and another January 6th-like attack. 'Without addressing the root causes of the events of January 6, the insurrection will not be an aberration, it could well become the norm,' Schumer warned. McConnell has characterized Democrats' fears about GOP-endorsed state-level voting restrictions to be overblown. 'The fact that violent criminals broke the law does not entitle Senate Democrats to break the Senate,' he argued on the floor Wednesday. McConnell made similar remarks Tuesday as well. 'It appears as if the majority leader is hellbend to try to break the Senate,' McConnell said at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday. 'His argument is that somehow state legislatures across the country are busily at work trying to make it more difficult for people to vote.' McConnell said that simply wasn't true. 'Of course that's not happening anywhere in America,' the Kentucky Republican said. On the Senate floor Tuesday McConnell also offered, 'Most Washington Democrats want to appoint themselves a nationwide Board of Elections on steroids.' He also said that the Democrats had their own 'big lie' - which was that 'democracy is dying because Democrats sometimes lose elections.' 'It appears as if the majority leader is hellbend to try to break the Senate,' McConnell said at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday 'Our democracy is not in crisis. Repeating this rhetoric doesn't make it factual. The 2020 election saw the highest turnout in more than 100 years,' McConnell argued. After Democrats won back the White House in 2020 with the election of now President Joe Biden, Republican-run states like Georgia and Arizona have pushed back and made things like mail-in voting more difficult. Mail-in ballots were widely used in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats have also voiced concerns about Republicans pushing voter ID provisions - which often impact young people and voters of color who tilt more Democratic - and GOP legislatures politicizing state election boards. House Democrats have passed two voting bills, but they've been stuck in the Senate as 60 votes are needed to overrule a GOP-led filibuster. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris utilized as the tie-breaking vote. Schumer has pitched changing the rules so there's a carve-out for the voting rights bills, though he's getting resistance from moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. He needs every Democratic senator to support the move. Speaking from the Capitol Tuesday night, Manchin said the 'filibuster needs to stay in place any way, shape or form that we can do it,' according to Punchbowl News. Manchin was meeting with Schumer. Manchin, however, remained open to some rules changes and while he supported a bipartisan vote to change the rules, he didn't close the door on joining just Democrats in the maneuver. Lee Jae-myung, a candidate of the ruling Democratic Party for next March's presidential election, speaks during a New Year press conference at a Kia Motors' plant in Gyeonggi-do, Jan. 4. AP-Yonhap Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung had the most support from young adult voters, a poll showed Wednesday, with his rival Yoon Suk-yeol running neck-and-neck with minor opposition presidential nominee Ahn Cheol-soo for second place. Lee of the Democratic Party (DP) led with 33.4 percent in a Realmeter poll that asked 1,024 people aged 18-39 on Monday and Tuesday. Ahn of the People's Party gained 19.1 percent support from young adults, followed by Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) with 18.4 percent. The gap between Ahn and Yoon was within a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party came in fourth with 7.5 percent, followed by Kim Dong-yeon of the New Wave with 1.4 percent. President Joe Biden will call out Donald Trump as the 'singular responsibility' behind the January 6th insurrection when he travels to Capitol Hill Thursday to mark the one year anniversary of the day. Biden will hold Trump responsible for the 'chaos and carnage' of that day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at her press briefing on Wednesday. Five people died in the aftermath of the Trump's supporters storming the building, which caused thousands of dollars worth of damage throughout the Capitol complex. Biden will 'lay out the significance of what happened in the Capitol and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw and he will forcibly push back on the lies spread by the former president in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters as well as distract from his role in what happened,' Psaki said. The Biden administration has been reluctant to directly discuss Trump particularly given that the former president continues the false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak in Statuary Hall in the Capitol building on Thursday to mark the anniversary. On January 6th, Trump supporters ran through that room on their way to the House chamber, where they failed to breach the security doors. Psaki also went after members of the Republican Party who have supported Trump's lie that he was the presidential victor. 'What you'll hear the president talking about tomorrow is the fact that you don't just love your country when you win,' she told Dailymail.com. 'You love your country, you love democracy in any in any scenario, and what is most disappointing to him is that there has been a silence and, at times, a complacency by far too many Republicans who have sat by and defended the big lie and perpetuated misinformation to the American public.' President Biden will hold Donald Trump responsible for the 'chaos and carnage' of January 6th, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Donald Trump, above, speaks to his supporters outside the White House on the morning of January 6th Trump supporters storm the Capitol on January 6th Psaki did not mince words in her press briefing about the administration's view of Trump. The former president addressed his supporters outside the White House on January 6, 2021 before they marched on the Capitol and tried to stop the certification of Biden's victory. House Democrats impeached Trump for his role but he was acquitted by the Senate. Biden has been 'clear eyed about the threat the former president represents to our democracy and how the former president constantly works to constantly undermine basic American values and rule of law,' Psaki said. She noted that Biden sees January 6th as a 'tragic culmination of what those four years under President Trump did to our country.' Trump canceled a planned press conference for January 6th. Democrats, meanwhile, are ramping up their probe of the January 6th insurrection ahead of Thursday's one-year anniversary, considering 'Watergate-style' prime-time hearings with a bold-faced witness wish list that includes Mike Pence and Sean Hannity. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a day-long slate of events planned for the one-year anniversary of the MAGA riot on Thursday, including a moment of silence on the House floor, testimony from lawmakers about their experience that day, and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol. 'These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and recommitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayerfulness,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to lawmakers. Republicans, who have not revealed their plans for how they will mark the day, accused Democrats of grandstanding. 'I think they will try to politicize the event,' Republican Senator John Thune said. In a bid capitalize on the anniversary, Democrats on committee are looking to crank up the pace of their probe and draw a massive audience with prime-time hearings. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a day-long slate of events planned for the one-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection - above she is seen with then-Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the joint session of Congress on that day The House committee investigating January 6th is considering Watergate-style prime-time hearings; above are Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney of the panel Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is among those pushing for prime-time hearings on Jan. 6 riot Democratic plans for marking one-year anniversary of January 6th riot in Capitol 9 am: President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks in National Statuary Hall in the Capitol 10 am: Speaker Nancy Pelosi hold a closed-press Moment of Reflection on the House floor 12 pm: A statement from Speaker Pelosi and a Moment of Silence on the House Floor 1 pm: Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress; Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; and Historian Jon Meacham moderate a conversation with Speaker Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer 2:30 pm: Democratic Rep. Jason Crow leads lawmakers in giving testimonials about what they experienced on January 6th 5:30 pm: Pelosi and Schumer lead a Bicameral Prayer Vigil on Capitol Center Steps Advertisement 'I have favored this strategy from the beginning,' Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the panel, told MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday. He said he wanted a Watergate-style approach, when the 1973 hearings into Richard Nixon's presidency captivated America. At one point an estimated 85% of the country was tuned in to them. 'I remember as a kid getting to watch a bit of the Watergate hearings, which were a daily spectacle that the whole country tuned into,' Raskin said. 'If we can do that for, you know, a break-in in a couple of offices in the Watergate hotel, certainly, we can do it for a massive break-in into the Capitol of the United States, a storming, and a seizure essentially of our government offices, an interruption of the peaceful transfer of power.' Those prime-time hearings could occur in late March or early April, Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, told Bloomberg News. But no date has been set yet. 'We're working toward that,' Thompson said. Those hearings would also feature high-profile witnesses, which would help them gain maximum exposure. Among those names beiing considered are former Vice President Mike Pence and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Pence was under heavy pressure from then-President Donald Trump to declare the 2020 election results invalid, wipe out Joe Biden's victory and secure him a second term. The vice president has the symbolic role of presiding over the Electoral College certification of results. Pence was a target of the January 6th rioters, some of who threatened to hang him, and was evacuated from the Senate floor as the MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol. Thompson told CNN that he and the panel would like to hear from Pence. 'I would hope that he would do the right thing and come forward and voluntarily talk to the committee,' he said. 'We have not formally asked. But if he offered, we'd gladly accept. Everything is under consideration,' he added. So far, in its investigation, the committee has interviewed more than 300 witnesses, announced more than 50 subpoenas, obtained more than 35,000 pages of records and received hundreds of telephone tips through their Jan. 6 tipline, according to a tally by The Washington Post. Names are starting to be lined up for hearings. The panel on Tuesday asked longtime Trump supporter Sean Hannity to appear as a 'fact witness' in their investigation, noting how the Fox star was 'expressing concerns and providing advice to the president and White House staff.' The committee released several texts Hannity sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. 'I'm very worried about the next 48 hours,' Hannity wrote on the eve of January 6th. On January 5, the eve of the Capitol attack, Hannity also texted to Meadows, 'Pence pressure. WH counsel will leave.' In the letter to Hannity, Thompson wrote the texts suggest 'that you had knowledge of concerns by President Trump's White House Counsel's Office regarding the legality of the former President's plans for January 6th.' 'These facts are directly relevant to our inquiry,' Thompson told Hannity. Thompson also said that Hannity appeared to have 'detailed knowledge regarding President Trump's state of mind in the days following the January 6th attack.' One of Hannity's texts indicated he had a discussion with Trump on January 10 and it left the Fox News host concerned in the lead-up to President Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration. 'Guys, we have a clear path to land the plane in 9 days,' Hannity informed Meadows and Republican Rep. Jim Jordan. 'He can't mention the election again. Ever. I did not have a good call with him today. And worse, I'm not sure what is left to do or say, and I don't like not knowing if it's truly understood. Ideas?' On his Fox News show on Tuesday evening, Hannity launched into a stinging rebuke of DC officials and their 'willing accomplices' but didn't mention the letter from the House committee investigating the MAGA riot. 'I have an important message to all you elected swamp creatures in Washington, D.C., your willing accomplices, your press secretaries in the media mob,' he began. 'It is frankly repulsive, just repulsive that all of you sycophants, you sit idly by, you say nothing, you do nothing, as Joe Biden completely mismanages COVID-19,' he said. Republicans have not revealed their plans for how they will mark the one-year anniversary of the riot. Many Republican lawmakers criticized Trump in the immediate wake of January 6th - some even called him that day to encourage him to try and call off the rioters. But, many of them also have made amends with the former president in the months following particularly as Trump continues to hold a tight grip on Republican base. Many Republican senators, including Leader Mitch McConnell, will be in Atlanta for the funeral of former Senator Johnny Isakson on Thursday. From left to right: Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the US Capitol Police, Officer Michael Fanone of the DC Metropolitan Police and Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police listen as Private First Class Harry Dunn of the US Capitol Police testifies before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on US Capitol on July 27 The House panel investigating January 6th has said they'd like to hear form Mike Pence Earlier this week, members of the House panel indicated they had received testimony from inside Trump's West Wing from January 6th that focuses on Trump's failure to do more to stop the rioters. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the panel, revealed there was 'firsthand' testimony that Ivanka Trump twice asked her father to call off the rioters. 'We know members of his family, we know his daughter - we have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence,' Cheney said Sunday on ABC's This Week. Ivanka reportedly referred to the insurrection as an 'optics issue' as it was taking place, according to Michael Wolff's latest Trump book Landslide. She tried to stop the riot herself, tweeting: 'American Patriots - any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.' The tweet has since been deleted. Meanwhile, the House committee has been rebuffed by several former Trump aides or advisers whose testimony was sought by subpoena. That includes former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and Meadows. Bannon has been indicted for criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify to the panel and awaits trial in July. The House in December voted to hold Meadows in contempt, referring the case to the Justice Department. A young soldier who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Kabul had been 'reduced to tears' by his sergeant major hours earlier, an inquest has heard. Private Joseph Berry, 21, was serving with 'A' Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the time of his death on February 22, 2020. He had received a telling off from his sergeant major earlier that day after having broken weapons protocol that left him teary eyed, the inquest at Warrington Coroner's Court heard. He was found dead later that day next to his Glock 9mm pistol, and forensic and pathology experts concluded the private died from a gunshot wound with features 'strongly supportive of self-infliction'. News of his death came as a surprise to family, who said the private had no history of depression or mental health issues. His mother, Lisa Snow, said her son had wanted to join the Paras since the age of 14. She said: 'He was loving it, he was living his dream. He wanted to see the world and hoped the Army would help him do that.' Private Joseph Berry, 21, was serving with 'A' Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the time of his death on February 22, 2020. He was found dead next to his Glock 9mm pistol, and forensic and pathology experts concluded the private died from a gunshot wound with features 'strongly supportive of self-infliction' A statement given by the British Army, which said Berry had died of a 'non-battle injury', described the private as 'an optimistic, capable, and compassionate soldier' who showed great promise. Pte Berry, who grew up in Crewe, Cheshire, was found dead at the New Kabul camp compound with his 9mm Glock pistol nearby and a note for his family in his notebook. Ms Snow, along with other witnesses, said her son was making plans for the future, and had never suffered from depression or talked about self-harm. She said that in his last WhatsApp message to her, the day before his death, he had said he was 'exceptionally happy today'. His father, RAF Squadron Leader Nick Berry, joked he was 'massively disappointed' his son decided to wear the 'wrong cap badge' and join the Army. Mr Berry said he had 'beat himself up' thinking if he had missed any signs, but said: 'There was nothing there.' Alan Moore, Senior Coroner for Cheshire, replied: 'Sometimes there isn't.' The hearing was told how Pte Berry had used the wrong piece of kit to clean the barrel of his gun and got cloth stuck in the muzzle. He had also broken procedure by unloading and making safe his SA80 rifle in his living quarters rather than while being supervised in a designated area as directed by orders 'from on high'. The inquest heard Pte Berry, who was described as 'very well liked' but who also hated to be embarrassed or be in the spotlight, was teary eyed when told off by Sergeant Major Christopher Groves. Mr Moore said to SM Groves he knew of a 'more colourful military term' for a telling off that was not a 'cosy chat'. Michael Davison, representing Pte Berry's family, asked SM Groves: 'Did that concern you, when he was teary eyed?' SM Groves replied: 'It did. And that's why I spoke to him, said we all make mistakes. He nodded, said, "OK sir", and went about the rest of his day.' Private Berry was found dead at New Kabul Compound last year. The compound was used by US, UK and NATO forces for years before being handed over to the Afghan army last year SM Groves told Pte Berry he would deal with the matter later but shortly afterwards the private sent a text message to his friend, Lance Corporal Josh Brown, detailing a specific location on the base and reading: 'Thanks for being such a good friend. I wish I was better in everything. Love you man.' SM Groves and others dashed to the scene where Private Kyle Smith found the body and a padre and a medical officer were called. Forensic and pathology experts concluded Pte Berry died from a gunshot wound with features 'strongly supportive of self-infliction'. Sergeant Christopher Belk, who investigated for the Royal Military Police (RMP), said writing in a notebook found at the scene 'indicated an intention on Private Berry's part to take his own life'. Asked if there was any evidence of bullying, he said: 'Absolutely not. He was someone well liked across the regiment. He specifically states there's nothing untoward from the Army side.' Mr Berry said his son joined the Paras 'because they were the best, and added that he was 'incredibly proud of what he did and what he was'. 'Sat here as a parent, I'm just so proud.' The Glock 17 9mm pistol has been in service with the British Army since 2013. Private Berry was found dead with his pistol nearby and a note for his family in his notebook. Private Berry's brother, Mark Smith, said: 'He'd always go out of his way to make people happy. He knew he wanted to join the army and he always wanted to be the best of the best, which is why he joined the paratroopers. 'He even recovered from pneumonia and passed all his qualifications despite having spent weeks in bed.' Berry was born and raised in Crewe, Cheshire, and began training with The Parachute Regiment Training Company in September 2017. A statement given by the British Army, which said Berry had died of a 'non-battle injury', described the private as 'an optimistic, capable, and compassionate soldier' who showed great promise. The hearing was adjourned until Thursday morning. Advertisement Two Florida sheriff's deputies who were in a relationship have died by suicide just days apart last week, leaving their newborn son an orphan. St Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara announced on Tuesday the deaths of deputies Clayton Osteen and Victoria Pacheco. They had served on the force since November 2019 and February 2020, respectively. Mascara said that shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve, the sheriff's office got a call about an attempted suicide. Investigators learned that the person who had tried to take his own life was one of their deputies, Osteen, who was off-duty at the time. Osteen initially survived and was taken to a hospital, where two days later his family made the decision to remove him from life support. A day later, Osteen's partner, colleague and the mother of his one-month-old son, Pacheco, took her own life. 'Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff's office family,' Mascara wrote. Authorities have not said what might have prompted the couple's back-to-back suicides, nor how they died, but Sheriff Mascara noted in his statement that deputies often deal with 'stress' and are 'human.' St Lucie County Sheriff's deputies Clayton Osteen (left) and Victoria Pacheco (right) died as a result of suicides just days apart last week The young couple had just welcomed their first child together, a boy, in mid-November. Osteen and Pacheco are pictured during her baby shower in September Jayce Osteen has been left orphaned after his mom and dad, who were both sheriff's deputies, took their own lives 'While it's impossible for us to fully comprehend the private circumstances leading up to this devastating loss, we pray that this tragedy becomes a catalyst for change, a catalyst to help ease the stigma surrounding mental well-being and normalize the conversation about the challenges so many of us face on a regular basis,' the sheriff added. Osteen was a retired US Marine, previously serving as a rifleman with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. He enlisted in May 2015 and was featured in a video about undergoing training in the jungles of Brunei in 2016. Osteen and Pacheco welcomed their first child together, a son, in mid-November. Osteen, pictured above cradling his girlfriend's pregnant belly, attempted to take his life on New Year's Eve and was taken off life support two days later Osteen was a retired US Marine, previously serving as a rifleman with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment The young mother-of-one took her own life just one day after her partner's death Friends have been sharing memories and photos of the tragic couple on social media. 'A true brother lost his internal battle,' Ray Tourville wrote of Osteen on Facebook. 'I struggle with finding the words to write that even remotely does him justice. Im incredibly sorry that you felt this was your only option.' To make a donation to help support baby Jayce, click here. Write 'Jayce Osteen' in the donation's comment box to ensure the cash goes straight to him. Alternatively people can donate by via GoFundMe. A Southern California man was arrested after attacking staffers at a vaccination clinic last week, while calling workers 'murderers' and accusing them of causing the COVID pandemic, according to police and clinic officials. Thomas Apollo, of Poway, walked into the Families Together of Orange County mobile clinic in Tustin without a mask on, on December 30, and began abusing staff, police say. Things quickly escalated and the 43-year-old allegedly attacked two staff members, including Parsia Jahanbani and a medical assistant, both of whom had to be hospitalized. Multiple staff attempted to pull Apollo off Jahanbani, 37, a mobile operations manager for Families Together, and seven police officers were eventually needed to restrain Apollo, who was tasered three times, over about 15 minutes. The medical assistant, who declined to be publicly identified, was taken to the emergency room and returned to work Tuesday looking like 'a boxer after a fight,' said Alexander Rossel, chief executive of Families Together. Apollo was arrested and booked into the Orange County jail Thursday for charges of battery and resisting arrest. He was released Friday, records show, and is scheduled to appear in court again on January 27. No photos of Apollo were available as of Wednesday night. Parsia Jahanbani, pictured, was one of two staffers at the clinic who Apollo attacked Brian Lopez, 15, receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Parsia Jahanbani in a mobile vaccine clinic operated by Families Together of Orange County, August 26, 2021 Pictured: the Families Together of Orange County mobile clinic in Tustin, California, the site of last week's attack 'He said, 'I don't need a mask, I don't have the virus, and you are the ones making people sick,'' Jahanbani, 37, told the Orange County Register. 'And just every type of profanity you can imagine.' Families Together, which has administered over 50,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines as of Wednesday, said Jahanbani and the assistant 'sustained serious injuries and was sent to the hospital in an ambulance' but that both workers 'are expected to make a full recovery within a few days.' Apollo reportedly shouted and clenched his fists as he called the medical workers 'murderers' while falsely accusing them of facilitating a hoax inside the clinic. Apollo then lunged at Jahanbani and a medical assistant, punching the pair multiple times with 'a few pretty strong punches,' workers told the Register. He then pinned down the medical assistant, and landed several punches to the official's head, chest and back, Jahanbani told the Times. The mobile clinic, pictured, has administered over 50,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines as of Wednesday 'It was one of my biggest fears coming true,' Jahanbani said. The Post reported that it took five people to pry Apollo away from the medical assistant before pinning him down until police arrived. 'We're extremely saddened to report that staff members working to help vaccinate patients in Tustin were attacked last week,' a statement from the clinic read. 'While Families Together believes that vaccines are important in the fight against the pandemic, we understand that the decision to get vaccinated is purely personal.' 'However, we will not tolerate violence or harassment of any kind against our staff, patients or volunteers,' the clinic's statement continued. 'We're proud of the strength and bravery of our team, and while this incident has shaken us, we will not be deterred from our mission to keep our community safe and healthy. On the contrary, it has motivated us to fight even harder.' Last week's attack on vaccination workers is one of many that have plagued the healthcare industry in recent months as it continues to vaccinate people nationwide. In May, a Tennessee woman was arrested on charges of speeding through a vaccination site in her car and nearly hitting seven workers while yelling, 'No vaccine!' according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, in September, Cox Medical Center Branson in Missouri said that violence against its workers had tripled over the past year, with the facility giving employees panic buttons as a result of the attacks. In August, a popular anti-vaxxer livestreamed on Facebook as he marched into a Missouri Walmart leading a small group of his followers to the pharmacy declaring that pharmacists could be hung for administering the vaccine. Christopher Key traveled from his home state of Alabama to attend an anti-vaccine rally in Springfield over the summer. Christopher Key has deemed himself the 'vaccine police' as he travels around the country spreading misinformation Key falsely claims that 45,000 people died within days of receiving the shot, referencing an affidavit from America's Frontline Doctors, a group known for spreading misinformation While he was in town, in addition to the Walmart stop, he went to a Springfield Public Schools board meeting and several other pharmacies spreading misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine. Key is a popular anti-vaxxer well known for sharing videos and posts of false narratives and data about the deadly virus and the vaccine. He falsely claimed that 45,000 people died within days of receiving the shot, referencing an affidavit from America's Frontline Doctors - a group known for spreading misinformation. That same month, a sinister private army of more than 200 ex-servicemen and women announced they were plotting to cause mayhem across Britain with a series of devastating anti-vaccine offensives, The Mail on Sunday revealed in late August. Calling itself Veterans 4 Freedom (V4F) and founded by a former Royal Marine commando, the self-styled paramilitary group is made up of 16 operational 'cells' across Britain, linked to a secret leadership command. Some members appear obsessed with weapons and have discussed violent insurrection, including attacking vaccine centers and targeting employees what one chillingly termed 'bringing the fight to the people sticking the needle in.' Julian Assange's fiancee has said she hopes to marry the Wikileaks founder in prison this year - as he continues to fight his extradition to the US on espionage charges. As his supporters today marked 1,000 days since he was first imprisoned, Mr Assange's partner Stella Moris said she was working on tying the knot in the 'difficult setting' behind bars at HMP Belmarsh. 'It has been something we have been wanting to do and the ideal circumstances, we don't know if and when they will happen, so we want to be married,' she told The Mirror. It comes at a difficult time for the publisher and activist, who was revealed to have had a stroke in October at the time of a High Court appearance - and has also lost the latest round in his extradition battle. Julian Assange's fiancee South African-born lawyer Stella Morris (pictured together) has said she hopes to marry the Wikileaks founder in prison this year - as he continues to fight his extradition to the US on espionage charge Ms Moris, a South African-born lawyer, began a relationship with Mr Assange in 2015 while he was seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They became engaged in 2017 and had two children. Pictured: Mr Assange's children Gabriel and Max with Ms Moris He is wanted in the US for publishing classified military intelligence information, charges that could land him a 175-year jail sentence. He remains in prison as he is deemed a flight risk. Ms Moris, 38, said in a statement: 'It will be 1,000 days this Wednesday that Julian Assange has spent in the harshest prison in the UK. 'His young children, ages two and four, have no memory of their father outside the highest security prison of the UK.' Ms Moris, a South African-born lawyer, began a relationship with Mr Assange in 2015 while he was seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They became engaged in 2017 and had two children. The Wikileaks founder is fighting extradition to the US from Belmarsh Prison where he has been held since 2019 The couple registered their intention to marry in November, having accused Belmarsh prison's governor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab of working to prevent the ceremony going ahead. Ms Moris, who has become the face of the campaign to free Mr Assange, said she thought she 'would never step foot inside a prison' but now accepts it is the only way to get married without his charges being dropped. However, planning has proven difficult, with prison officials still yet to provide guidance on a ceremony and whether a cake or guests would be allowed. 'I am looking at dresses, I haven't picked one yet,' she added. 'It is a little bit difficult given the setting, but we don't actually know what the parameters are yet, the prison hasn't told us all the permissions [so] if we will be allowed a cake, a photographer or how many guests.' Ms Moris added that while she could now see her fiancee on a weekly basis, 'we don't really have much time to ourselves as a couple I mean, that's an understatement!'. 'He is a good father, a good husband. He is the man I want to spend all my time with.' Ms Moris, who has become the face of the campaign to free Mr Assange, said she thought she 'would never step foot inside a prison' but now accepts it is the only way to get married without his charges being dropped. Pictured: Ms Moris outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on December 10, 2021 Assange is pictured looking out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in a photograph from 2016 Mr Assange previously faced claims of sexually assaulting two different women in Sweden in 2010 which had led to attempts to extradite him. He always denied the charges and they have since been dropped by Swedish prosecutors. He is however still being pursued by US authorities for espionage charges, with appeals against any extradition ongoing. Campaigners calling for his release were due to stage events on Wednesday to mark the 1,000 days he has spent in prison. His supporters will gather outside Belmarsh Prison in London, where he is being held as the United States continues to attempt to extradite him. In her renewed call for his release, Ms Moris added that as long as he remains in prison, Mr Assange will be a political prisoner, and his 'indefinite incarceration' will kill him unless it is brought to an end. She added: 'In those 1,000 days, Julian has been held in extraordinary isolation for part of the time, faced two Covid shutdowns and, in October, he suffered a stress-induced stroke during his latest hearing. 'His lawyers have complained about the limited access they have to their client which has undermined his defence. His requests to attend his own hearings have been refused, and when he has been permitted to attend, his requests to sit next to his lawyers have also been refused.' Italy's government said Wednesday that it would make vaccination against Covid-19 compulsory for everyone over the age of 50 in a bid to battle surging infections. The move first emerged in a draft decree on Wednesday as a cabinet meeting on new curbs was still ongoing. According to the decree, the measure would be immediately effective and run until June 15. The measure was later confirmed by Italy's prime minister Mario Draghi, who said during the cabinet meeting: 'We want to slow down the curve of contagion and encourage Italians who have not yet been vaccinated to do so.' The move makes Italy one of very few European countries to take similar steps. The decree also said that from the start of February until the end of March only people with proof of vaccination or recent infection will be able to enter public offices, non-essential shops, banks, post-offices and hairdressers. Italy has registered more than 138,000 coronavirus deaths since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second highest number in Europe after Britain. Italy is set to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people aged 50 and above in an attempt to ease pressure on its health service and reduce fatalities. Above: People queuing to get vaccinated in Rome on Wednesday Mr Draghi's government had already made vaccination mandatory for teachers and health workers, and since October last year all employees have had to be vaccinated or show a negative test before entering the workplace. Refusal results in suspension from work without pay, but not dismissal. Wednesday's move toughens this up for over-50s by removing the option of taking a test rather than vaccination. Those flouting the rule, effective from Feb 15, risk a fine of 600 euros to 1,500 euros ($1,697.85). The measures currently before cabinet have triggered frictions within Draghi's multi-party coalition. Wednesday registered 189,109 new infections, the highest number in Italy since the start of the pandemic The move emerged in a draft decree on Wednesday as a cabinet meeting on new curbs was still ongoing Ministers from the right-wing League issued a statement distancing themselves from the over-50 vaccine rule, calling it 'without scientific foundation, considering that the absolute majority of those hospitalised with Covid are well over 60.' Elsewhere in Europe, Austria has announced plans to make vaccination mandatory for those over 14 years old from next month, while in Greece it will be compulsory for over-60s from Jan 16. Italy was hit later than several northern European countries by the highly contagious Omicron variant, but its case load has risen steadily in recent weeks, with growing pressure on hospitals and intensive care units. It has seen an average of more than 150 deaths per day over the last two weeks, with 231 fatalities on Wednesday and 259 on Tuesday. Wednesday registered 189,109 new infections, the highest number in Italy since the start of the pandemic. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended the Justice Department's Jan. 6th probe from critics who say it appears to be focusing on lower-level perpetrators vowing that those who carried out the events will be 'held accountable.' Speaking at the DOJ with agency officials watching remotely and others in person, Garland defended the nationwide roundup, with more than 700 charged despite relatively few arrests the day of the Capitol riot. 'The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last. The Justice Department remains committed to holding all Jan. 6 perpetrators - at any level - accountable under law,' Garland said. 'Whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy, we will follow the facts wherever they lead.' He specifically pointed to 40 people charged with conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding the meeting to count the electoral votes for president while also describing in detail the violent acts carried out against police officers that day. The Justice Department remains committed to holding all Jan. 6 perpetrators - at any level - accountable under law,' said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a speech Wednesday He said agency officials will pursue the massive investigation for 'as long as it takes' and do 'whatever it takes for justice to be done, consistent with the facts and the law.' Garland was careful to say his agency would 'follow the facts' and show not bias for friend or foe, while also providing assurances that top operators will not be spared. 'Those involved must be held accountable and there is no higher priority for us at the Dept of Justice,' said Garland. He provided some statistics on that day, saying 80 Capitol Police and 60 D.C. police officers were assaulted. He said authorities had viewed 20,000 hours of footage and received 300,000 tips from Americans in their probe, with more than 725 defendants charged so far. He also gave an explanation for some of the optics of the probe, with 145 people pleading guilty to misdemeanors, and therefore getting lighter sentences. He said that was in keeping with 'well-worn prosecutorial practices, and that those decisions reflected the 'facts of those cases' and people's 'acceptance of responsibility.' 'Those who conspired with others to obstruct the vote count also face greater charges,' he said. The plea deals have allowed investigators to focus on 'more serious perpetrators.' Garland recounted the toll on police officers Jan. 6th He did not mention former President Trump, but vowed perpetrators at 'any level' will be held accountable, amid public criticism the probe is not focusing on the planners of the event Garland addressed officials at the Justice Department He put the hundreds of individual violent acts into a political context, saying those who attacked the Capitol were 'interfering with a fundamental element of American democracy the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.' But when he first retold the events of that day, he began by saying 'a large crowd gathered outside the Capitol building,' with no mention of the crowd who earlier gathered near the White House to hear President Donald Trump speak. That event was a focus for managers during Trump's second impeachment. Garland has faced pressure from some Democrats to pursue higher-ups. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told CNN this week the AG has been 'feckless.' 'I think Merrick Garland has been extremely weak and I think there should be a lot more of the organizers of January 6 that should be arrested by now,' he said. At the same time, some Republicans President Joe Biden will speak in the Capitol's Statuary Hall Thursday in his own anniversary remarks. According to comments by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki previewing the event, Biden will call out Trump for 'singular responsibility' for what happened, and call the former president who continues to challenge the legitimacy of the election a 'threat to democracy.' 'He sees January 6 as a tragic culmination of what those four years under President Trump did to our country' and will 'forcibly push back on the lie spread by the former president in an attempt to mislead the American people,' she said. The FBI has said more than 100 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6th. Garland also called out violent threats against lawmakers, journalists, election workers, and flight attendants and spoke of the importance of free and fair elections. He also called out state election laws that 'make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote and elect representatives of their own choosing.' He spoke of redistricting maps 'drawn to disadvantage both minorities and citizens of opposing political parties' as well as 'abnormal post-election audits that with the integrity of the voting process.' Eric Holland, 57, was arrested after evading police in a stolen car on December 23. When the car was inventoried, police discovered the disembodied corpse of Richard P. Miller, 65, who they say was Holland's acquaintance A Las Vegas man found with an acquaintance's severed head and body in his car, may just have been 'a hapless car thief who just picked the wrong car,' his lawyer said Tuesday. Eric Holland, 57, was found with three handguns and taped-up coolers with the body parts inside when he was stopped on December 23. The head and body parts were found to belong to 65-year-old Richard P. Miller - an acquaintance of Holland, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, although they did not detail how they knew each other. Prosecutor Giancarlo Pesci, who showed pictures of Miller's severed head in at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas at a January 4 bail hearing, and said that Holland was found with receipts for a power saw, construction-grade plastic bags and heavy-duty tape found on Holland's person after he was arrested on December 23. Detective Tate Sanborn testified in court that the home improvement store where the receipts were printed had surveillance footage showing a person who looked like Holland buying the saw and other items. Bullets from at least one of the three guns from his car were found in Miller's head and body - the Clark County Coroner said Miller died on the day Holland was arrested from multiple gunshot wounds, ruling the case a homicide. Holland was wanted on charges of using another person's ID, auto embezzlement of more than $3,500, intent to use a false check and theft of more than $3,500 when he was stopped by Metropolitan Police near the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino at around 3.42pm on December 23, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He evaded police and hopped from a 2018 Toyota Tundra into a second car, a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche - after a drawn-out chase he was arrested, police searched the two vehicles after learning they were both stolen. Miller's remains were found taped into coolers in the bed of the truck. '[An] officer opened up one of the ice chests and discovered a human head inside that ice chest,' Metro homicide Lt. Ray Spencer told KLAS. 'I mean, you can imagine the horror when you open up an ice chest and you find a human head inside.' Holland is pictured in court on December 28. Receipts for power tools and three firearms were found on his person - the bullets found in victim Richard P. Miller's body matched at least one of the guns Holland's public attorney, David Westbrook, argued at the bail hearing that Holland would never lead police to the second car in the chase if he had committed a murder and that the gruesome evidence was inside. But Westbrook argued that the prosecution would need to prove that the body was in the Avalanche, that Holland was aware of it and that he killed Miller. Although he conceded in court that Holland 'was caught while running from police' for his outstanding crimes, he told reporters that Holland intends to plead not guilty. Westbrook told reporters outside the courtroom that prosecutors had not proven Hollan 'had knowledge of what was in the Avalanche, and that he intentionally led police to the evidence.' 'Why would he do that?' the defense attorney asked. But Judge Harmony Letizia denied Holland bail, saying that the 'presumption is great that Mr. Holland committed murder,' and 'proof is evident' before scheduling his next court hearing for January 27. Holland's attorney asked Ricardo Auerbach, the police detective who found Miller's detached head, if he had properly obtained a warrant to search the Avalanche before the discovery was made. Auerbach said it was standard to inventory the contents of a stolen car before it is impounded and towed away as evidence, and that he opened the cooler containing the head after he smelled a rotting odor like 'decay or fish.' Sanborn said that a more thorough search was held off until a warrant was obtained. Police caught up to fleeing Holland on the 4200 block of Rochelle Avenue, pictured Holland was first pulled over by police near the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, pictured Pesci listed Holland's long list of convictions, which date back to the 1980's and spread across the states of Nevada, California and Texas, according to Newsweek. His most recent arrest warrant for embezzlement, identity theft, issuing false checks and theft has been out since May 2019. He posted $5,000 bail before failing to return to court. In 2000, he was convicted for felony theft charges in Las Vegas, and ended up serving prison time. In 1997, Holland was convicted for assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest causing substantial bodily harm. And in 1991, he was convicted of attempted escape and aiding in an escape. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has delighted constituents who enjoy a tipple with a surprise move to permanently legalize to-go alcohol orders from bars and restaurants. 'Cheers, New York,' Hochul said after announcing the move during her State of the State address to the legislature in Albany on Wednesday, as the Omicron wave further disrupts the Empire State economy. In her announcement, Hochul said: 'So many small businesses are pushed to the brink. Thousands of bars and restaurants, the soul of our neighborhoods, have had to close. For others hanging on by a thread, survival depends on whether they can create more space outdoors, a tough task during our New York winters. 'To help offset these costs we'll provide a tax credit for COVID-related purchases like outdoor heating and seating.' Carry-out booze had been temporarily allowed last year during the pandemic, which Hochul noted was a 'critical revenue stream' in tough times, but the measure expired in June. In her speech Hochul also announced a $1 billion plan to boost small businesses, including a tax credit for pandemic-related capital expenditures, such as for outdoor heaters or booth dividers. The decision will be a welcome move for bars and restaurants, many of which have been forced into de facto lockdowns over the past month due to a surge in covid cases. On Wednesday, the state recorded 77,859 new covid cases and 96 new deaths over 24 hours. In New York City alone, there were 36,186 new infections in a single day. New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced permanent legalization of to-go alcohol, raising a champagne flute and saying 'cheers, New York' Hochul touted her own experience as a former small business owner, including helping her mother start a flower and gift shop. 'New York's comeback depends on the recovery and success of our small businesses,' Hochul said. 'Since the pandemic hit, small business owners have been struggling with unprecedented challenges. New York is here with a simple message: help is on the way.' New York is not the first state to legalize to-go alcohol during the pandemic, a move that Iowa and Arizona also made. However, Hochul's move does not amount to a booze free-for-all, as New York City's open container law is still in effect. Thus it is still technically illegal to consume alcohol on the city's streets and public transit, though the rule is regularly flouted and citations are rare. Hochul said that her multi-prong rescue plan would 'ensure that disadvantaged, minority-owned, and women-owned small businesses prosper throughout the state' A New Yorker is seen carrying to-go drinks in May 2020. The temporary provision for carry-out booze had expired in June, but will now be permanent Hochul said that her multi-prong rescue plan would 'ensure that disadvantaged, minority-owned, and women-owned small businesses prosper throughout the state.' The $1 billion plan includes a state-run venture fund to invest in emerging businesses, 'including minority- and women-owned companies often overlooked by private-sector venture investments.' A tax credit for COVID-related capital expenditures would help defray the costs of equipment and renovations that businesses undertook as pandemic precautions. A small business lending facility will provide reduced interest loans to small businesses seeking to expand. Another component, dubbed the Excelsior Contracting Opportunities Initiative, will assist small businesses in securing federal contracts funded by the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, 'particularly those which are socially and economically disadvantaged.' A New Yorker is seen purchasing to-go drinks in May 2020. Hochul's scheme for carry-out booze is only one element of her plan to help small businesses Hochul said she will also provide $100 million in tax relief for 195,000 small businesses by widening eligibility and increasing a tax return adjustment that reduces a small business's gross business income. The governor's speech was sparsely attended due to strict capacity limits at the statehouse, allowing only 50 state legislators to attend in person. Hochul, a Democrat who ascended to office last year when Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace, is expected to seek another term in November's election. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was term-limited out of office at the end of December, is expected to challenge Hochul in the primary race, though he has not publicly confirmed his plans. Scotty David, who spoke on condition that only his first and middle names are used, said he went into the trial firmly believing that Maxwell was 'innocent until proven guilty' and viewing the victims with a skeptical eye Ghislaine Maxwell will ask for a new trial after two jurors came forward to reveal that they were victims of sexual abuse and that their experiences helped guide other jurors to convict, DailyMail.com can reveal. The announcement came amid a flurry of Federal court filings on Wednesday following interviews given by juror Scotty David and a second anonymous juror in which both admitted that they shared their experiences of sexual abuse during deliberation. David told first DailyMail.com and, later, other news outlets that he did not remember the question in the juror questionnaire which specifically asked potential jurors if they or any friend or family member had been the victim of sexual abuse or assault. Though he insisted that he had answered all questions, 'honestly.' But according to Maxwell's attorneys in their latest letter to Federal court Judge Alison Nathan it does not matter whether any omission was intentional or an honest mistake. If it happened at all it is grounds for a mistrial to be called and a new trial convened. They state, 'The Supreme Court has held that to be entitled to a new trial, "a party must first demonstrate that a juror failed to answer honestly a material question on voir dire, and then further show that a correct response would have provided a valid basis for a challenge for cause."' On Wednesday, prosecutors appointed a lawyer for David. A challenge for cause is when a potential juror is dismissed because they are deemed incapable of serving or being impartial. Maxwell's lawyers continue, 'This standard applies even if the juror's conduct was merely inadvertent and not intentional. Ms. Maxwell... intends to request a new trial under Rule 33 because the "interest of justice to requires."' The shock move come after an earlier filing in which Maxwell's lawyers stated that they had 'incontrovertible' grounds for a mistrial. Meanwhile the US Attorney General has requested an investigation into a juror in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial's public admission that he 'flew through' the juror questionnaire and 'could not remember' revealing that he had been a victim of sexual abuse. That letter, obtained by DailyMail.com also filed in Federal Court Wednesday, came as a direct response to interviews given by David in which he revealed that his admission of being a victim of sexual abuse marked a sea-change in deliberations. Prosecutors have requested David be appointed an attorney, an unusual step for a juror that suggests they may believe he has committed perjury or broken the law in another way. And in interviews given by a second juror on Wednesday they also expressed the view that sharing their story helped lead uncertain jurors towards a conviction. An expert has since said Scott's interivews were 'an absolute disaster' and there is a very real possibility that Maxwell's conviction could be tossed. Lawyer and legal commentator Neama Rahmani, who co-found West Coast Trial Lawyers, based in Los Angeles, told BBC that if David lied on his juror questionnaire and denied being a victim of sexual abuse, 'that would be both perjury and potential grounds for a mistrial'. 'This is why prosecutors cringe when jurors talk to the media after a guilty verdict because jurors may say something that may overturn the conviction,' he said. Scotty recalled looking directly at Maxwell, 'I could literally see her [all the time]. There were times when it felt like she was staring right at me and we would lock eyesit didn't feel real' Ghislaine Maxwell will ask for a new trial after two jurors came forward to reveal that they were victims of sexual abuse and that their experiences helped guide other jurors to convict, DailyMail.com can reveal Now Maxwell's attorneys have shown their hand dismissing the state's request for an 'investigation' as 'premature' and insisting that 'based on undisputed, publicly available information, the Court can and should order a new trial. ' In the first of two letters filed by Maxwell's defense team on Wednesday they outlined that they described as 'an issue of pressing importance.' They stated, 'It has come to the attention of the defense that one of the twelve jurors in the case (the 'Juror') has been giving oral and videotaped interviews to various members of the press concerning the jury deliberations. 'These interviews have been publicly reported in several media outlets. Among other things, the Juror told reporter that he disclosed to the other members of the jury during deliberations that he was a victim of sexual abuse and further described his memory of those events. According to the Juror, his disclosure influenced the deliberations and convinced other members of the jury to convict Ms. Maxwell.' Maxwell's defense team has called upon the judge to rule on this matter ahead of any of the other motions that are pending. They went onto assert, 'Should the defense prevail on this motion and we believe the law and facts are clearly on our side it would render all other post-trial motions moot. Ms. Maxwell should not have to expend precious time and resources briefing other motions when this motion can and should be dispositive.' David spoke with DailyMail.com in an interview on Tuesday night when he was asked if he had revealed his own experience of sexual abuse in the juror questionnaire completed ahead of his selection. His immediate response was, 'No they don't ask your sexual abuse history. They didn't ask it in the questionnaire.' But question 48 in the 50-question document reads, 'Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault? (This includes actual or attempted sexual assault or other unwanted sexual advance, including by a stranger, acquaintance, supervisor, teacher, or family member.)' There are then three boxes to tick: Yes (self) Yes (friend or family member) and No. When DailyMail.com pointed this out to David he said that he 'definitely remembered' filling out the questionnaire on day one of selection and said, 'I would have definitely marked, "Yes". But I honestly don't remember the question.' He added, 'I definitely remember a [question about a] family or relative or something being sexually abused. I was honest on all of my questions.' According to legal experts Maxwell's attorneys could have grounds for a mistrial or move to have her convictions quashed if David failed to disclose his personal history for any reason. Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell say they have 'incontrovertible' grounds for a mistrial after a juror openly admitted that he was a survivor of sexual abuse and had discussed it during deliberations Jury selection took place across two days with jurors filling out a questionnaire on day one. Some jurors were dismissed at this point with others progressing to the 'voir dire' stage in which they appeared before the judge. At this stage attorneys for both the state and the defense had an opportunity to interview jurors in more depth. Both parties have a limited number of peremptory strikes which allows attorneys to reject a potential juror without giving a reason. They do not have to use one of their peremptory strikes if the judge agrees with a request to dismisses a juror 'for cause.' This happens when the court agrees to strike a juror because there is some reason that renders them unable to serve or incapable of being impartial. If Maxwell's attorneys were not aware of a juror's history of sexual abuse it would have severely impeded this process. Speaking about the voir dire stage of his selection David told DailyMail.com, that the question of his experience of sexual abuse was, 'never raised.' He said, 'We went in front of the judge and there were all the lawyers in the room and that's where they asked me some questions. They asked me what I do, what I like to do for fun. And if I can be fair and impartial and it was literally like 30 second long and then I was out of the room.' David went onto reveal that another juror shared an experience of sexual abuse or assault when he shared his own story on day three of deliberations but did not go into any detail of the incident. He said that when he revealed his history, 'the room fell silent' and that he believed his experience as a survivor allowed him to better understand, and explain, the experiences of the victims who testified particularly in relation to memory and defense expert witness Elizabeth Loftus's testimony regarding false or implanted memory. In another interview given by David he said that he, 'flew through' the questionnaire. And David's public comments were enough to prompt the government to write to Judge Nathan who presided over Maxwell's trial and conviction. The US Attorney General has requested an investigation into Scotty David's public admission that he 'flew through' the juror questionnaire and 'could not remember' revealing that he had been a victim of sexual abuse A picture of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein relaxing in the Queen's log cabin at Balmoral was shown at her sex trafficking trial. Wearing a blue checked shirt, the British socialite is seen resting her arm on Epstein's knee as they sit in the exact same spot in the hut in Glen Beg that the Queen has been pictured relaxing in The letter states, 'The Government has become aware that a juror has given several interviews to press outlets regarding his jury service in this case. While the Court instructed jurors that they were free to discuss their jury service with anyone of their choosing, some of the statements, as related in the media, merit attention by the Court. 'In particular, the juror has described being a victim of sexual abuse. Assuming the accuracy of the reporting, the juror asserted that he '"flew through" the prospective juror questionnaire and does not recall being asked whether he had been a victim of sexual abuse, but state that 'he would have answered honestly.' The letter goes onto request an investigation conducted under the supervision of the Court and a hearing to be scheduled within a month. The prosecution has reached out to the defense counsel but had not heard back at time of writing the letter. They also suggested that the Court reach out to David, who is not named in the letter, 'and inquire whether he would like counsel to be appointed in connection with it.' It is unusual step for a juror to be appointed an attorney and suggests the prosecution could believe he has committed perjury or another criminal act. Neama Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, told Insider that David's comments could cause two issues - perjury and prejudice, a preconceived opinion that may have improperly swayed the jury. DailyMail.com has reached out to lawyers for Maxwell in a bid to determine whether they were aware of David or any other juror's history of sexual abuse of assault during jury selection. They have not yet responded. In his interview, David said he had helped the other members of the jury understand things from a victim's point of view and explained how 'you can't remember all the details' of traumatic memories - this was a crucial line of attack by Maxwell's lawyers who called a 'false memory' expert witness. David also claimed that the five guilty verdicts returned in New York last week, possibly condemning Maxwell to spend the rest of life behind bars, were for 'all the victims'. David said he went into the trial firmly believing that Maxwell was 'innocent until proven guilty' and viewing the victims with a skeptical eye. But, he said, 'After all I've learned, she's just as guilty as Epstein. I don't want to call her a monster, but a predator is the right word. 'She knew what was happening. She knew what Epstein was doing and she allowed it to happen. She participated in getting these girls comfortable so that he could have his way with them. 'And, to me, them returning repeatedly for the money has nothing to do with anything because these girls were minors, and it doesn't matter what incentivized them. It matters what happened to them.' Scotty revealed that he was not the only juror to share a story of sexual abuse and that it did not affect his ability to view Maxwell as innocent until proven guilty During the trial Scotty, who works in finance, was seated in the third row of the jury box, in the back corner. From his vantage point, he said, he had a vista of the entire court and the 'perfect view' of Maxwell herself. He recalled, 'I could literally see her [all the time]. There were times when it felt like she was staring right at me and we would lock eyesit didn't feel real.' 'She was constantly taking notes, and constantly passing post-it notes over to her attorneys especially when they were on cross examination.' At times, he said, 'I felt like she was watching what we were doing because there were times when some jurors, not during when the victims presented their testimony, but when certain other people presented on things that maybe they didn't feel matteredsome people would nod off.' Scotty said that Maxwell's manner in court was discussed during deliberations. He said, 'We did discuss that we thought she was a little standoffish and not necessarily cold, more like she was paying attention.' In an insight that will surely come as a gut blow to Maxwell herself, who reportedly wanted to testify but was advised against it, Scotty revealed that if she had taken the stand, 'It would have shown maybe that she was a little more human. 'Maybe if she gave her version of the story, who knows, maybe if she gave us a story of how she was manipulatedI don't know. But then that would have been an admission I feel like of guilt.' Jurors were instructed not to draw any inference of guilt or otherwise from Maxwell's decision not to testify and, Scotty said, it was simply set to one side and not discussed during deliberations. Asked if, at any stage, he had experienced any sympathy for Maxwell he said, 'Absolutely. Because this is the rest of her life, right? We were deciding what happens based off the evidence provided. 'We took that very seriously because we took at as, this could be our sister, our sister could be on trial here. We have to really comb through the evidence and make sure we have enough proof to say that she's either guilty or not.' David told The Independent he found all the accusers to be credible, despite the defense's attacks on their stories and memories. 'They were all believable. Nothing they said felt to me like a lie,' he said. 'I know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the color of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video,' he said, and he explained this to fellow jurors. 'But I can't remember all the details, there are some things that run together.' Scotty said when he chose to share his own experience of sexual abuse the room 'went silent'. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during an event at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Jan. 5. Yonhap Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), renewed his call for providing COVID-19 relief grants to all people Wednesday, saying it was an effective way to help pandemic-hit small businesses. "Basically, all people have suffered (from COVID-19), so opportunity should be given to all of them," Lee told reporters after a campaign event in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul. "I am not saying it needs to be done immediately but in principle it is the right way to go." Lee had stopped calling for relief grants to all people after the government repeatedly expressed opposition over concerns about the country's fiscal soundness. A litter enforcement worker who is suing his former employer has claimed he was sacked for whistleblowing after allegedly being told to target ethnic minorities with fines. Gary Forrester, 39, yesterday told an employment tribunal that staff at Kingdom Services Group were told to go after minorities because they were unlikely to challenge penalties and were less inclined to understand UK law. He also alleged Kingdom staff were under 'daily threat' of being fired if they did not issue enough fixed penalty notices (FPNs). The former team manager, who was stationed in the London borough of Barnet, said in a witness statement that his boss issued the order after becoming 'frustrated and angry' when staff could not issue more littering and fly-tipping penalties for legitimate reasons. He also alleged Kingdom would 'double or triple-bill councils' by telling his team to work in other boroughs which had contracts with the firm while charging the first local authority as if work were being carried out as normal. Kingdom meanwhile has denied ever targeting ethnic minorities and disputed the claim Mr Forrester was a whistleblower, saying that any 'protected disclosures' he made were simply attempts to prevent a disciplinary process brought against him. Gary Forrester, 39, yesterday told an employment tribunal that staff at Kingdom Services Group were told to go after minorities because they were unlikely to challenge penalties and were less inclined to understand UK law (pictured: environmental enforcement officer from Kingdom Services Group in Kent) Mr Forrester also alleged Kingdom staff were under 'daily threat' of being fired if they did not issue enough fixed penalty notices (stock picture) Mr Forrester, who worked for Kingdom from February 2020 until November 2020, told the tribunal his team received 'dozens and dozens of complaints from residents' and he raised his concerns with Barnet Council's contract manager and his own manager, but was told to 'leave it with them'. He accused Kingdom of 'covering up illegal wrongdoing' by its own staff or clients 'in order to keep contracts and revenue'. Mr Forrester claims he was wrongfully dismissed because Kingdom used allegations of racist and transphobic posts in a staff WhatsApp group as an 'excuse' to sack him for what he claims were protected disclosures. Mr Forrester denies the allegations, which were upheld by an internal Kingdom investigation, the tribunal heard. He seeks re-instatement if the Kingdom chief executive issues him an apology and assurances the alleged practices will stop, or compensation and reimbursement of costs as an alternative option. In a response document presented to the tribunal, Kingdom's lawyers disputed the claim Mr Forrester was a whistleblower and denied ever targeting ethnic minorities. The firm said: 'Any disclosures which were made were made cynically in order to attempt to prevent a legitimate disciplinary process and were therefore not in good faith.' Kingdom denied Mr Forrester was unfairly dismissed or that there was any link between the alleged protected disclosures and his dismissal. The document added: '[Kingdom] has taken and continues to take all reasonable steps to investigate the allegations made by the [Mr Forrester] and has liaised with all relevant authorities in this regard. '[Kingdom] notes that the client has found no truth in [Mr Forrester]'s alleged disclosures and other bodies named by the claimant have similarly taken no further action. '[Kingdom]'s internal investigation found [Mr Forrester]'s alleged disclosures to be without merit.' It added the firm had a whistleblowing procedure and investigates 'robustly' and 'adheres fully' to protecting people who make protected disclosures. In 2019, a Guardian investigation into Kingdom revealed that the company had generated 1.4m in fines over just eight months in one council area alone. Whistleblowers told the paper two years ago that Kingdom employees had targeted elderly people for littering because they knew they would be more likely to pay the fines. Mr Forrester, who worked for Kingdom from February 2020 until November 2020, told the tribunal his team received 'dozens and dozens of complaints from residents' and he raised his concerns with Barnet Council's contract manager and his own manager, but was told to 'leave it with them' (stock pic) In 2019, a Guardian investigation into Kingdom revealed that the company had generated 1.4m in fines over just eight months in one council area alone (stock pic) In response to the allegations made by Mr Forrester, a Barnet Council spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the allegations and this has already been investigated by our Corporate Anti-Fraud Team. 'However, there is some new information we have been made aware of that we will now investigate and as such cannot comment further at this time.' In his statement, Mr Forrester alleged a Barnet Council waste disposal team - Street Scene - would 'not always pick up waste according to the timetable', leading to businesses and residents incurring FPNs from Kingdom. His witness statement also alleged that Street Scene staff would put rubbish they had collected back onto the road, leading to residents being issued FPNs by Kingdom officers, and that Street Scene staff would try to try to force businesses with excess waste to pay fines, or steal products from their stores. In 2019, former Kingdom litter enforcement officer Shaun Finch, who worked on the streets of Grimsby for six months, alleged that the firm encourages employees to use 'underhanded tactics' to generate more revenue, including following people, hiding in cars so as not to be seen, and removing their body-cameras before claiming an offence had taken place. A top doctor has issued an encouraging message to Australians that the Omicron outbreak currently wreaking havoc across the country could be over in two weeks. The new and highly-infectious strain was first detected in November in South Africa and has since run rampant across the world. Australia has entered an unprecedented stage of the pandemic prompting major changes to Covid rules and testing chaos as thousands are infected. Infectious Disease Expert Professor Peter Collignon appeared on the Today Show on Thursday morning and said the Omicron variant would hit its peak in two weeks time. Infectious Disease Expert Professor Peter Collignon (pictured) appeared on the Today Show on Thursday morning and said case numbers could come down soon. 'You look at England and South Africa it reaches a peak and goes up quickly and comes down. I think that we have a week or two to go,' he said. Prof Collignon said people gathering during the period between Christmas and the New Year had triggered infection levels that would ease in January. 'I think it will go down. That takes 5-10 days. I would be optimistic it will come down,' he said - adding the virus would plateau before kicking up again in winter. 'That is when this virus spreads more rapidly as is happening in the Northern Hemisphere. Provided that your vaccinated it is not the end of the world. 'Most people will have very mild infections and get better after a day or two and have better long-lasting immunity than a booster.' The professor said the 'real issue' lay with unvaccinated Australians who were disproportionately in hospital and entering intensive care units with the virus. 'The figures I have seen from ICU from a week or so ago, it is mainly Delta putting people into hospital and people who are unvaccinated,' he said. The professor said the 'real issue' lay with unvaccinated people who were disproportionately in hospital and entering intensive care units with the virus (pictured, women on New Year's Eve) An infectious disease expert said Covid cases would slow in January and plateau before kicking up again in the winter months (pictured, staff at St Vincents hospital on Wednesday) It comes as Prime Minister vehemently declared Australia would never see another lockdown and said citizens needed to learn to live alongside Covid-19. WHAT ARE THE NEW CHANGES TO TESTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA? - 10 free Rapid Antigen Tests now available to low-income and vulnerable Australians over a three-month period - The free tests can be accessed at chemists with a concession or seniors card - PCR test no longer required to officially confirm a positive RAT result - Price gouging on RATs banned, with businesses caught doing so facing fines of up to $66,000 - The move comes after the in-demand tests were being sold for as much as $50 Advertisement 'Australia is better placed than nearly any country in the world. We're in the top 10 most vaccinated OECD countries in the world. We have to keep carefully managing these issues as they present,' Scott Morrison said on Wednesday. 'There are no magic solutions, full stop. And so this virus will continue to challenge us, and it's important that we all remain calm.' Mr Morrison outlined major changes to the country's testing system which has seen people wait hours for a PCR test and a nationwide shortage of crucial rapid antigen tests (RATs). The Federal Government will subsidise 10 RATs over a three-month period for 6.6 million low-income and at-risk Australians after dismissing calls to make the tests free universally. Those on welfare, pensions and concession cards will be eligible for the free tests. In another major change, Mr Morrison confirmed Australians will no longer need to seek a PCR test if they test positive on a RAT, and should count themselves as Covid positive. He said only people who are close contacts or who have Covid symptoms should be seeking PCR tests, which have been overrun by patients following Omicron's arrival. Australia broke a new record with a total of 64,774 new infections on Wednesday, a near 20,000 increase on Tuesday. Covid cases in NSW on Wednesday spiked to 35,054 while Victoria recorded 17,636 new infections overnight but ICU admissions in both states remain steady. A Pennsylvania mother has been accused of forcing her eight-year-old son to undergo a string of unnecessary and invasive medical procedures, including surgeries, in a suspected Munchausen's by Proxy case. Christine Maxwell, 48, from Enola, has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, endangering the welfare of children and theft by deception. According to court filings, police in East Pennsboro Township launched an investigation into Maxwell back in September 2019, after receiving a report from a social worker about a caregiver suspected of child abuse due to Munchausen's by Proxy, also known as Caregiver Fabricated Illness. Maxwell's son, who was eight at the time, was quoted in an probable cause affidavit as telling investigators: 'my mom tells me when I'm sick.' Suspected Munchausen mom Christine Maxwell, 48, from Pennsylvania, has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, endangering the welfare of children and theft by deception Maxwell was arrested in November 2021, but police only announced charges against her on Tuesday. According to the affidavit cited by PennLive.com, by the time a child services caseworker raised the alarm about Maxwell's alleged conduct, her son had undergone multiple EKGs and ECHOs, surgeries to remove his appendix and adenoids, a colonoscopy, a skin biopsy, a bronchoscopy, a gastrointestinal endoscopy, an MRI test, several X-rays, ultrasounds and blood draws. All of these procedures were performed despite doctors assuring Maxwell that her son was healthy. The court filing alleges that Maxwell insisted on the skin biopsy for her son after he was bitten by insects, while the bronchoscopy - a procedure involving an instrument being inserted into a patient's airways through the nose or mouth - was ordered because the child had a barking cough. WHAT IS MUNCHAUSEN? Munchausen's by Proxy is a condition where an adult will invent medical conditions for his or her child so that they can get attention or sympathy. A dangerous facet of this is how they will often induce symptoms in the child to better illustrate the lie. Munchausen by proxy is typically considered a severe form of child abuse. Advertisement 'A biopsy is an invasive procedure which is completely unnecessary and put him at risk of pain, scarring, infection, and bleeding,' investigators stated. 'A bronchoscopy is a test that requires sedation and carries some risk (such as respiratory depression, bleeding, and possible perforation of airway).' Both tests failed to show any abnormalities, the documents stated. 'This abusive behavior has impacted [the childs] development by limiting his activity, leading him to believe that he is ill when he is not, and causing him to miss school days unnecessarily,' the affidavit read. Maxwell's son was taken away from her by the state in the fall of 2019. Since then, the child has been healthy, with no reports of illness. The boy's father is now in charge of all medical decisions. On December 7, a judge set Maxwell's bail at $20,000. As of Wednesday, she was not listed among the current inmates at the Cumberland County jail. Munchausen's by Proxy is a mental illness and a form of severe child abuse, in which a caregiver invents or causes an illness or injury in their child. One of the most high-profile cases of Munchhausen involves Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who killed her mother after she spent years treating her daughter as if she was terminally ill and keeping her confined to a wheelchair. Clauddine Blanchard was found stabbed to death in her bed in 2015, leading to Gypsy Rose's eventually arrest and conviction. She is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in Missouri. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden's staff 'never give him any time to think' as they keep him so busy, though the president had no public events today and a lid was called before 1:30 p.m. 'If he were standing here today ... he would say we never give him any free time or any time to think,' Psaki told reporters in her Wednesday briefing. 'And that is probably true.' 'I know the president doesn't have any public events today,' the press secretary admitted. 'He does have a number of meetings with policy teams.' The president just returned from his home in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday, where he's spent nearly a third of his presidency, according to CBS News reporter Mark Knoller, a presidential statistics buff. Biden had spent the least eight days in Delaware for the Christmas holiday. Biden has spent 95 days in Delaware since taking office last January, 27 percent of his time in office. When Biden, 79, is not spending his weekends in Wilmington, he is sometimes spending them at his beach house in Rehoboth Beach. He often spends time visiting with friends or family, going on bike rides, attending church or walking on the beach with First Lady Jill and his two dogs, Commander and Chief. 'If he were standing here today ... he would say we never give him any free time or any time to think,' Psaki told reporters in her Wednesday briefing Over the past few days, the president has ignored shouted questions from reporters wondering when Americans will receive the 500 million at-home Covid tests he's ordered Over the past few days, the president has ignored shouted questions from reporters wondering when Americans will receive the 500 million at-home Covid tests he's ordered. Biden last took questions from reporters on Friday. Prior to a meeting with his Covid response team on Tuesday, Biden touted federal testing sites across the country, and told Americans to use Google to find a site near them. 'In the last two weeks, we've stood up federal testing sites all over the country, and we're adding more each and every day,' Biden said prior to a meeting with his COVID response team. 'Google 'COVID test near me' go there. Google excuse me 'COVID test near me' on Google to find the nearest site where you can get a test most often and free.' He also claimed that 'state and local governments and healthcare providers are passing out free at-home tests that you can pick up,' though Americans in many regions have reported having trouble finding at-home tests anywhere. When not spending weekends in Wilmington, Biden often spends them at his beach house in Rehoboth Biden often spends his weekends visiting with friends or family, going on bike rides, attending church or walking on the beach with First Lady Jill and his two dogs, Commander and Chief And though he had no public events on Wednesday, the president is preparing to deliver a speech Thursday at the Capitol to mark the one year anniversary of the Capitol riot. 'That is a big part of his day today,' Psaki said. 'He is obviously very personally involved in what he's going to say tomorrow.' Previewing Biden's speech, Psaki said: 'President Biden has been clear eyed about the threat the former president presents to our democracy.' She said Biden will speak to the 'singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage' of the Jan. 6 riot. At the height of the child grooming scandal that saw more than 1,400 local girls exploited by gangs of mostly Pakistani men, Lord Ahmed of Rotherham delivered a stern, and on the face of things, quite brave critique of the community he grew up in. 'As a proud Muslim and proud Rotherham lad, who came here from Kashmir in Pakistan with my parents aged 11, I was shocked by the disclosure of appalling sexual abuse of young girls in the town,' he declared in a newspaper article that sought to blame mosques for 'not doing enough to provide strong moral leadership to young British Muslims'. In an equally controversial speech in 2012, the then Labour life peer suggested that another reason so many youngsters from South Yorkshire were growing up to become sex offenders was because their parents worked long shifts. 'Nobody knows the reason why Asian men are exploiting young girls, but obviously they are young boys who are brought up in this country,' a section of the speech read. Lord Ahmed of Rotherham (pictured in 1999) delivered a stern, and on the face of things, quite brave critique of the community he grew up in 'Maybe because they have broken families themselves. Maybe because their fathers have worked 18 to 19-hour days, and they've been out of the house, and nobody is there to control or look after them.' At the time, Ahmed was given a respectful platform for such contributions to public debate. His status as a pioneering Muslim parliamentarian whose own immigrant parents worked endless hours in local steel factories demanded nothing less. Yet how twisted those remarks now seem, and how self-serving, following his addition yesterday to Rotherham's extensive roster of convicted child sex offenders. Hindsight is, of course, a wonderful thing but it's hard to scrutinise Ahmed's political rise and fall without wondering how on earth a man so manifestly unsuitable for high office was allowed to grace Westminster's corridors of power for so long. The recent trial at Sheffield Crown Court involved a series of vile crimes committed against two children almost 50 years ago. But many of Ahmed's sexual misdemeanours are of an altogether more recent vintage. For unbeknown to the jury, which unanimously found him guilty, this wasn't the first time the 64-year-old peer's predatory exploits had got him into trouble. In late 2020, the outwardly respectable community leader who had been ennobled with great fanfare by Tony Blair was forced to resign from the House of Lords in disgrace after being found, on the balance of probabilities, to have sexually abused a young woman. His victim, a single mother-of-two named Tahira Zaman, was one of several whistleblowers who had bravely contributed to a 2019 BBC Newsnight report that accused the married father-of-three of routinely using his parliamentary position to pursue sex with highly vulnerable women. Yet how twisted those remarks now seem, and how self-serving, following his addition yesterday to Rotherham's extensive roster of convicted child sex offenders. Pictured: Nazir Ahmed outside Sheffield Magistrates' Court Mohammed Tariq (left) and Mohammed Farouq (right), were found to have committed indecent assaults In 2017, Ms Zaman, who suffered from depression and anxiety, contacted Ahmed's parliamentary office after being exploited by a Muslim faith healer. After agreeing to write to Met Police chief Cressida Dick on her behalf, the peer persuaded her to join him for dinner, after which he 'sexually assaulted her by placing his hand on the top of her thigh', according to a 260-page report by the Lords Conduct Committee. A couple of months later, Ahmed asked Ms Zaman to attend a meeting at his east London home. He made her a cup of tea which she believes was spiked with a drug (an allegation he denied) before, as the report put it, 'sitting on her lap and telling her he was sexually aroused'. Later that night, she agreed to have sex with the peer. A two-month affair ensued, which Ms Zaman said ended only when 'he made it clear he wasn't going to leave his wife'. She added: 'He took advantage of me. He abused his power.' Several other women told similar tales to Newsnight, alleging that they had approached Ahmed for help or support only to be asked for sexual favours in return. One, speaking anonymously, alleged 'he basically wanted to sleep with me'. A man also said that he'd witnessed Ahmed propositioning a woman who came to him seeking an internship. Though none of the claims aired by Newsnight crossed the threshold for criminal prosecution, they were enough to force his resignation, days before the publication of the committee's report which recommended his expulsion from the House. The coverage of the allegations seems to have motivated his accusers in the recent trial to come forward. Yesterday's conviction completes a remarkable fall from grace for a man once feted as an inspiring role model. Born in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Nazir Ahmed moved to the UK in 1969, when he was 11, unable to speak a word of English. Although teachers suggested he become a car mechanic, he gained a university degree and became a successful property developer. Having joined the Labour Party aged 18 around the same time he got married Ahmed moved through the political ranks, becoming Rotherham's first Asian councillor in 1990, and subsequently the town's youngest magistrate. When Tony Blair ennobled him in 1998, he became the third Muslim life peer, at the tender age of 41. Home was by then a large detached house on one of Rotherham's smartest streets, where the couple raised a daughter and two sons. Back then, Ahmed promised to be a 'voice for the community' in the New Labour mould. In keeping with this theme, he soon began to attract attention for making outspoken remarks about the failures of multiculturalism. In the early 2000s, for example, he criticised the wearing of the face veil, campaigned against forced marriage, and called for mosque sermons to be delivered in English to aid integration. After the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, he also called on British Muslims to confront 'all those who preach hatred'. Not all of his contributions to public debate were quite so well received by progressives, however. In 2005, he hosted a book launch in the Lords for a notorious anti-Semite named Israel Shamir, and in 2006 he invited a suspected Al Qaeda terrorist to Parliament. In 2007, Ahmed described a knighthood awarded to Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, as an insult to Muslims, saying Rushdie had 'blood on his hands'. Fears about his judgment, by then doing the rounds in Labour circles, appeared to be confirmed two years later, when Ahmed found himself at the centre of an ugly court case. He was convicted of dangerous driving after his Jaguar ploughed into the back of a stationary car on the M1 near Sheffield, killing its driver, Slovakian Martin Gombar, 28. Police investigators found Ahmed had sent and received five lengthy texts while driving at up to 60mph on the motorway. The last was sent minutes before the crash. Originally sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, he was released after just 16 days when the Court of Appeal suspended the sentence. The affair would, in a roundabout way, lead to his resignation from the Labour Party, after he decided to share anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about what had happened to him on an foreign TV network in 2013. During an interview with an Urdu-language TV station from Pakistan, Ahmed was asked about his time in prison. He responded that the judge who had jailed him had originally been appointed to the High Court after helping a 'Jewish colleague' of Tony Blair. Ahmed then blamed the length of sentence on pressure placed on the courts by Jews 'who own newspapers and TV channels' and wanted to punish him for supporting the Palestinians in Gaza. Although he issued a grovelling apology when the racist remarks emerged, he was summoned by Labour's national executive committee. To avoid an ugly confrontation, he quit the party, sitting as a crossbench peer during the final seven years before his forced resignation from Parliament. Crown court appearances are, however, harder to sidestep than political meetings. The fallen peer was granted bail last night, and will return for sentencing in one month. The many victims who have chronicled his sexual misdemeanours doubtless hope that his next stay in prison is longer than his previous one. The city council of overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Beverly Hills has issued a unanimous vote calling for the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon over his progressive policies where he has elimated bail and dropped charges for many crimes. The city council's 5-0 vote in favor of a resolution demanding Gascon's recall is not legally binding, but expresses the wealthy enclave's fury over his policies as crime soars in the area. 'Over the last 12 months, Los Angeles County has seen a dramatic increase in widespread crime including follow-home robberies, smash-and-grab incidents and the tragic death of beloved Beverly Hills philanthropist Jacqueline Avant,' the city council said in a statement. The council also cited a number of policy directives issued by Gascon, including the elimination of bail for any misdemeanor or 'non-serious' felony, and a policy of refusing to charge numerous misdemeanors. Last month, Beverly Hills residents were stunned by the home invasion murder of Jacqueline Avant, who was gunned down in front of her husband, famed music producer Clarence Avant. Gascon responded by lamenting that the career criminal charged in the murder hadn't been properly rehabilitated. Aariel Maynor, 29, was on parole when he was arrested earlier this month and charged with the shocking home-invasion murder in Avant's Beverly Hills mansion. Maynor served two prison terms of five years and four years on separate robbery convictions, in addition to convictions on domestic violence and grand theft charges. He has pleaded not guilty to Avant's murder. The city council of overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Beverly Hills has issued a unanimous vote calling for the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon The murder of Clarence Avant's 81-year-old philanthropist wife, Jacqueline inside her $7 million Beverly Hills home on December 1 follows a disturbing rise in crime The council cited the murder of Jaqueline Avant in her home last month (above) in a statement expressing fury with Gascon's policies Tuesday's vote was held after Beverly Hills Mayor Bob Wunderlich and Vice Mayor Lili Bosse requested that the item be brought forward for consideration. Although Beverly Hills is a bastion for Democrats, with 71 percent of voters choosing Joe Biden in the last presidential election, residents are unhappy with what they see as the results of Gascon's policies. The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Wednesday afternoon. Gascon is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure. Last month, Gascon made waves by expanding a program to drop criminal proceedings against juveniles charged with a range of felonies. Under the expansion, youth would be eligible for 'diversion' after being charged with burglary, assault, vehicle theft, robbery, grand theft person, sexual battery, and arson, according to a leaked memo. LA crime is on the upswing, according to police statistics. Homicides are up by 46 percent, car thefts are up 53 percent and shootings have risen by a staggering 51 percent in Los Angeles compared with the same time frame through November 27 of 2019 A number of felonies would remain ineligible for diversion, including homicide, forcible rape, gun crimes, and crimes resulting in serious injuries. Gascon has lamented that accused killer Aariel Maynor (above) was not properly rehabilitated earlier in his criminal career Meanwhile, Los Angeles, like many cities across the country, has witnessed an alarming rise in violent crime over the past two years. Homicides in the City of Angeles rose 52 percent last year from 2019, and shooting incidents were up 59 percent, according to LAPD data. The city has also suffered a shocking wave of follow-home robberies and organized smash-and-grab attacks on retailers. On Wednesday, Gascon defended Avant's alleged killer's parole, saying that he 'never received any meaningful intervention'. 'One that would have prevented the terrible tragedy from occurring.' 'I'm angry at a system that allows a disturbed young man with a proven track record of violent behavior to be cycled in and out of prison with little or no meaning intervention to be able to gain access to an AR-15 military-style weapon and go out and kill Jacqueline Avant,' he said. As crime in Los Angeles spirals out of control, even some of the city's wealthiest residents have flocked to Beverly Hills' only gun store to buy firearms to protect themselves and their belongings. Beverly Hills Guns first opened by appointment only in July 2020, and has seen upscale residents from Santa Monica to the Hollywood Hills increasingly in a panic following some high-profile smash and grabs and violent home invasions in recent weeks, Los Angeles Magazine reports. Many are self-proclaimed progressives who've never even held a gun before, but who've been so spooked by soaring crime in the famously wealthy enclave that they've decided to arm themselves. Some have also discussed more elaborate security measures, such as armored cars, safe rooms and bulletproof glass inside their homes, after some celebrities, including a star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a BET host were stalked by robbers into their homes. 'Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad,' said Beverly Hills Guns owner Russell Stuart. 'We're used to this being like Mayberry.' He was referring to the peaceful fictional town from The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD. But over the past year, Hollywood's total violent crime rate increased 25 percent with its homicide rate doubling, robberies up 41.6 percent and shootings up 54.2 percent over last year, Los Angeles Police Department shows. That is higher than the crime rate in the rest of the city, which saw homicides climb 12 percent over last year, robberies up 5.3 percent and shootings up 14.8 percent. 'Beverly Hills is definitely a target,' said David Perez, a security expert who previously worked security in the Clinton White House and at the Pentagon. 'We're telling clients "Hey don't go out with flashy jewelry. Try to keep a low profile. Instead of driving the Bentley maybe just take the SUV."' The city's crime spike dates back to widespread looting following Black Lives Matter protests on Rodeo Drive, that left some high-end stores with broken windows, according to the LA Magazine. Those smash-and-grab lootings continued again this year, with the LAPD arresting 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 last month. A $500,000 Richard Mille watch was also stolen at gunpoint from a diner at the Il Pastaio restaurant last March, and on December 1 of this year, Jacqueline Avant was shot and killed in her Trousdale Estate home during a home invasion. More recently, a man who was simply taking out his garbage was attacked on Thursday night, when multiple suspects broke into his home in Studio City and ransacked the place at around 7.30pm on Thursday. LA police said four or five suspects confronted the man on Alta View Drive and assaulted him, leading him back into his house at gunpoint. There, police say, they zip-tied the man's disabled son and his two caregivers as they ransacked the home before fleeing through the back door. The victim was taken to a hospital for non life threatening injuries, with cops saying they didn't believe the terrifying incident was the latest so-called 'follow home' robbery. It remained unclear as of Friday what was stolen, as the suspects remained on the loose. They are described as four males who fled in Hyundai vehicles. 'We've lived here for 35 years and never had any kind of police activity like this,' neighbor Michael Thatcher told FOX News. Australian parents are pushing for the summer school holidays to be extended by two weeks so they can get their children vaccinated against Covid. Vaccines for those aged between five and 11 will be rolled out from Monday January 10, but parents, teachers and health professionals have complained there's not enough supply to meet demand. Some parents have reportedly not been able to secure an appointment until February while GPs say they're only receiving 100 doses per fortnight. One GP on the NSW Central Coast, Anna Davidson, said her practice could not efficiently vaccinate children with just 100 doses at a time. The rollout of the Covid vaccine for kids between the ages of five and 11 has begun in Australia as bookings for the weakened jab opens to the public (file image) 'We get phone calls all day every day,' she told The Australian. 'We would like to be doing 500 vaccinations a day, quite frankly.' She said she feared for children who will be heading back to school without any protection against the virus, in particular the highly infectious Omicron variant. 'The reality is our kids are not going to be vaccinated for term one. Most kids won't have had this first vaccine before the middle of term one. And that's highly, highly optimistic,' she said. While children aren't generally becoming more sick from the virus, infection levels among the youth are rising. In Victoria, infection rates among children have risen from 2 per cent to 30 per cent in just one month. Lieutenant General John Frewen is leading Australia's vaccine rollout and said there was more than enough vaccines for children but there were issues with distribution. Both NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have said school will start as scheduled. Mr Morrison will speak to state education departments to build a national framework for schools about the safety of returning to the classroom amid Covid-19. While children aren't generally becoming more sick from the virus, infection levels among the young are rising (pictured Sydney Covid testing clinic) It's understood NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell is working with NSW Health to help delay children walking back through the school gates. Central Coast P&C president Sharryn Brownlee has also thrown her support around the idea, adding booking a vaccination for children was near impossible. 'You have to look at delaying the start of the school year,' she told The Daily Telegraph. Children in the five to 11 age bracket will be given two doses eight weeks apart. Each dose will be a third as strong as the vaccines given to those over the age of 12. Bookings for young children opened on Wednesday. Currently, vaccinations are offered to children aged 12 to 15 and so far 81.4 per cent have had their first dose and 78 per cent have had two. NSW has recorded 34,994 Covid cases while there were 21,997 new infections in Victoria - after it was revealed some of the country's poorest residents will be able to get free rapid antigen tests. Hospitalisations in both states still remain steady with 1,609 NSW patients receiving care, up from 1,491 on Wednesday, while Victoria has 631 in hospital, a jump from 591. ICU rates in NSW have risen by 12 to 131, while Victoria has 51 Covid patients in intensive care, two less than on the previous day. It comes as Scott Morrison announced all concession card holders - more than six million Australians - will be given access to 10 free rapid antigen tests. New South Wales 's Covid-19 cases have climbed by 34,994 and six deaths while Victoria has recorded 21,997 new infections The decision was made after an emergency National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. All Australians who are deemed close contacts or who have symptoms will still be able to access free rapid tests from testing clinics. The Commonwealth will provide 10 million rapid antigen tests to be distributed throughout the states and territories for eligible Aussies. To access the tests, which is capped at five per month, a recipient will require identification in the same way people need to prove their identity to access certain prescription drugs. However, the changes will not yet help NSW keep track of its escalating infections, with the scheme not expected to be up and running for a fortnight. Rapid tests will remain in short supply and testing sites overwhelmed in the meantime. Australian Medical Association NSW chair Michael Bonning says the new plan doesn't go far enough. 'We are very supportive of the idea that a PCR test doesn't need to be the standard now for people who have already had a positive rapid antigen test ... we need more rapid antigen tests in the community so that people can be making good choices about activity, but also detecting disease early so that then they can stay away from others,' Dr Bonning told Nine's Today on Thursday. The AMA is meeting with NSW Health on Thursday hoping to establish how infections will be tracked. As announced on Wednesday, Australians who test positive on a rapid test will no longer have to get confirmation on a PCR swab Also announced on Wednesday were changes to isolation and testing rules with those who test positive to the virus on a RAT now no longer required to get a PCR swab. Previously, anyone who tested positive to RAT had to get a proper viral swab to confirm their infection - but now will be treated as Covid positive without having to get further confirmation. This change, confirmed by the Prime Minister, was made on Wednesday because of the pressures on the testing system caused by people seeking PCR swabs, which are more accurate but much more time-consuming and costly to process. 'That will take pressure off PCR testing lines,' Mr Morrison said. Those with the virus will still have to inform others they have spent time with as they could be potentially infected. People who were with a positive person for four hours or more are 'close contacts' and must self-isolate for seven days. This includes people they live with - also known as 'household contacts'. If you test positive for Covid-19 - and/or if you are a close contact you need to self-isolate for seven days from the day you were tested. You can only leave self-isolation after seven days if your symptoms have gone or in some states, if you have returned a negative RAT. One of Australia's top infectious disease experts said the peak of Omicron may be reached in just two weeks Meanwhile, in some positive news for Australians struck down with the virus, Infectious Disease Expert Professor Peter Collignon said the peak of Omicron infections could be reached in two weeks. The new and highly-infectious strain was first detected in November in South Africa and has since run rampant across most parts of the world. 'You look at England and South Africa it reaches a peak and goes up quickly and comes down. I think that we have a week or two to go,' Professor Collignon told The Today Show. Prof. Collignon said people gathering during the period between Christmas and the New Year had triggered infection levels that would ease in January. 'I think it will go down. That takes 5-10 days. I would be optimistic it will come down,' he said - adding the virus would plateau before kicking up again in winter. Rapid tests have sold out in many states as thousands are struck down with the virus 'That is when this virus spreads more rapidly as is happening in the Northern Hemisphere. Provided that your vaccinate it is not the end of the world. 'Most people will have very mild infections and get better after a day or two and have better long-lasting immunity than a booster.' The professor said the 'real issue' lay with unvaccinated Australians who were disproportionately in hospital and entering intensive care units with the virus. 'The figures I have seen from ICU from a week or so ago, it is mainly Delta putting people into hospital and people who are unvaccinated,' he said. Prince Andrew could settle out of court with his US sex-case accuser if a judge rules that the case should go to trial. Insiders say the option remains on the table if, as expected, Judge Lewis Kaplan rejects his legal teams motion this week to have Virginia Roberts lawsuit dismissed at an early stage. Andrews team are understood to acknowledge the attritional impact the case is having on the Royal Family, particularly as the Queen, 95, is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee this June with the threat of a scandalous sex trial involving her son hanging over her. Obviously, this is a US case involving US lawyers and involving a US civil lawsuit, one source said. In reality, 99 per cent of US civil litigations are settled out of court. A settlement would always be an option on the table, as thats where the vast majority end up. There is also the wider pressure and attritional impact to consider. Sources with knowledge of the case stressed last night to the Daily Mail that no discussions have taken place yet about whether the Queens son could or should agree a settlement without liability being admitted. But neither had it been ruled out as an option, they said. Buckingham Palace has refused to comment, describing it as an ongoing legal matter. Prince Andrew could settle out of court with his US sex-case accuser if a judge rules that the case should go to trial. Insiders say the option remains on the table if, as expected, Judge Lewis Kaplan rejects his legal teams motion this week to have Virginia Roberts lawsuit dismissed at an early stage (Andrew pictured in BBC interview, 2019) Virginia Roberts, who is bringing the case under her married name Giuffre, holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually The issue of whether to settle out of court is a tricky one for the ninth in line to the throne, whose lawyers argued this week in a New York court that Miss Roberts case should not be allowed to proceed to trial because of her own 2009 civil settlement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrews legal team say that in return for a $500,000 (370,000) payout, she agreed to waive her right to sue any other potential defendants which would include the prince, given the allegations she has made against him. Miss Roberts who is bringing the case under her married name Giuffre claims that not only was she abused by Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, but that they trafficked her to their friend, the prince. In her claim for battery and infliction of emotional distress, she claims she was raped by the duke on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17 and he 41. On the one hand agreeing a no-liability settlement would prevent Andrew going through the humiliating experience of being interviewed by Miss Roberts lawyers, who will be able to question him about everything from his sexual partners to the minutiae of his dealings with Epstein and with Maxwell, found guilty last month of sex trafficking. They may seek answers from other family members, including his ex-wife Sarah and potentially other senior royals. But a settlement would clearly do little to help the 61-year-old prince clear his name, as he says he desperately wants to do. Andrew has always vehemently denied the allegations, saying he doesnt even recollect meeting Miss Roberts, despite there being a picture of them together with Maxwell. And a settlement is unlikely to help him achieve his long-held ambition of returning to public life in some form. After his disastrous BBC interview in 2019 with Newsnights Emily Maitlis, the prince temporarily stepped back from public duties. A settlement would also not prevent the FBI from pursuing its investigation its agents would like to speak to Andrew as a potential witness to Epsteins crimes. Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London, Britain on March 13, 2001 Andrews legal team this week argued that Miss Roberts case should be thrown out on several grounds: her previous settlement, the fact that she has not given enough specifics about the alleged abuse and that her pursuit of the case was unconstitutional. Judge Kaplan told the two parties on Tuesday that he would issue his ruling on whether the case should go to trial pretty soon and it is expected any day. But the early signs for Andrew were not good after the judge verbally dismissed many of their arguments. Andrews legal team is unlikely to appeal if the judge rules against them. A trial date has tentatively been set for September. The Daily Mail understands that Andrews legal team still have other avenues to pursue to get the lawsuit kicked out, including the suggestion that Miss Roberts, who lives with her family in Australia, is not domiciled in the US, allegedly rendering her case invalid. Miss Robertss lawyer, David Boies, said the case might not even have come to court if Andrew had shown some remorse and respect for Epsteins victims. In a first for cancer diagnosis, a cheap and simple-to-administer test has shown the ability to tell if a patient has the disease as well as if it has spread, or 'metastasised'. Developed by a team of researchers led from the University of Oxford, the test uses magnetic fields and radio waves to measure 'metabolites' in the blood. Healthy individuals, people with localised cancer and those with metastatic cancer have metabolomic profiles that can be distinguished by the team's algorithms. The test, the team said, works on a range of different cancers and can identify the presence of the disease even in patients with non-specific symptoms. Being both rapid and inexpensive, it may help overcome some of the usual barriers to early cancer diagnosis and improve the success rate of subsequent treatments. The approach is different to those traditionally used to test for cancer, which have typically relied on detecting the presence of genetic material from tumours. In a first for cancer diagnosis, a cheap and simple-to-administer blood test has shown the ability to tell if a patient has the disease and if it has spread, or 'metastasised' (stock image) 'Cancer cells have unique metabolomic fingerprints due to their different metabolic processes,' explained lead paper author and oncologist James Larkin of the University of Oxford. 'We are only now starting to understand how metabolites produced by tumours can be used as biomarkers to accurately detect cancer. 'We have already demonstrated that this technology can successfully identify if patients with multiple sclerosis are progressing to the later stages of disease, even before trained clinicians could tell. 'It is very exciting that the same technology is now showing promise in other diseases, like cancer.' In their study, Dr Larkin and colleagues analysed blood samples collected from 300 patients each of whom exhibited non-specific but concerning symptoms of potential cancer, such as fatigue and weight loss. The subjects were recruited as part of the so-called Oxfordshire Suspected Cancer (or 'SCAN') pathway. Similar NHS Rapid Diagnostic Centres are being set up across the country as part of an effort to support faster and earlier cancer diagnoses. The researchers found that their test correctly identified the presence of solid tumours of various types in 19 out of every 20 of the patients with cancer. Furthermore, the test was able to identify metastatic disease to an overall accuracy of 94 per cent, making the approach the first to be able to determine a cancer's metastatic status without knowing of the type of the primary cancer in question. With their initial study complete, the team are now planning to evaluate the new blood test in larger cohorts of patients, with a mind to clinical application. 'This work describes a new way of identifying cancer. The goal is to produce a test for cancer that any GP can request,' said paper author and analytical chemical biologist Fay Probert, also of the University of Oxford. 'We envisage that metabolomic analysis of the blood will allow accurate, timely and cost-effective triaging of patients with suspected cancer. This, she noted, it 'could allow better prioritisation of patients based on the additional early information this test provides on their disease.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. Lee Jae-myung, left, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, holds hands with the party's former chief and runner-up in its primary, Lee Nak-yon, during a meeting with party members in Gwangju, Wednesday. Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is receiving ardent support from voters who are suffering hair loss, thanks to his campaign pledge to expand national health insurance coverage to include hair regrowth treatments. According to an online community platform for people with thinning hair, Tuesday, a number of posts have been uploaded to express their support for the DPK candidate. "Lee Jae-myung is a Propecia-like figure," an online user wrote on dcinside, referring to the popular medication for people with thinning hair. Another wrote, "I will 'implant' Lee in Cheong Wa Dae." A third online user said, "Despite paying health insurance premiums for more than 20 years, I have rarely seen the doctor (for hair loss), which I think is unfair. However, now I think I will be able to benefit from the years-long payments. The pledge is impressive." The pledge was previously floated by the DPK's youth election committee and Lee proposed adding it to his "small satisfaction" pledges. British scientists hope to unlock 200-year-old secrets of the Capuchin Catacombs in Sicily, southern Italy, by using X-ray technology to analyse the remains of some of the 163 children laid to rest there. The first ever comprehensive study of mummified children in Sicily's famous burial catacombs in the city of Palermo is being led by Staffordshire University. The Capuchin Catacombs, which hold more than 1,280 skeletonised and mummified bodies, are open to the public as a somewhat macabre tourist attraction. Bodies dating from the late 16th to early 20th century are still dressed in period refinery and line corridors and crypts of the underground cemetery. The catacombs include the embalmed body of Rosalia Lombardo, a young Sicilian girl who died of pneumonia brought on by the Spanish flu in 1920. The first ever comprehensive study of mummified children in Sicilys famous Capuchin Catacombs is being led by Staffordshire University Mummified Bodies in catacombs. Wealthy citizens who died between the 17th and 19th centuries were embalmed by the Capuchin monks of the city of Palermo THE CAPUCHIN CATACOMBS The Capuchin Catacombs contain more than 1,280 skeletonised and mummified bodies. Palermo's Capuchin monastery outgrew its original cemetery in the 16th century and monks began to excavate crypts below it. In 1599 they mummified one of their number, recently dead brother Silvestro of Gubbio, and placed him into the catacombs. The cemetery was first reserved for ecclesiastical workers, then accepted deceased from all walks of life, and experienced its greatest popularity during the 19th century. An inscription hanging from the neck or pinned to the chest, indicates the name, birth and death dates of the deceased. The cemetery was officially closed by civil order in 1880, but the last burials are from the 1920s. The cemetery has now become a kind of museum filled with the forgotten dead, who are watched over by a group of Capuchin monks. Advertisement Dr Kirsty Squires, associate professor of bioarchaeology, and her team at Staffordshire have been given exclusive access to a previously unstudied collection of children's mummies at the catacombs. The Arts and Humanities Research Council has awarded more than 70,000 funding for the two-year project, which kicks off later this month. 'Work actually starts next week, which is very exciting,' Dr Squires told MailOnline. 'Data collection will take a week and then we will carry out archival research in the following week while in Palermo. All images collected will be analysed over the coming months.' There are at least 163 children's bodies housed in the catacombs, including 41 children located in a designated room for children the so-called 'child chapel'. However, very little is known about these individuals, and death records from the period contain limited information, such as just the name of the deceased and date of death. Dr Squires and her team will examine all 41 children housed in the child chapel who died between 1787 and 1880 using a portable digital direct X-ray machine. 'We are analysing 41 juveniles as we cannot gain access to the remaining individuals as they are located throughout the catacombs and are inaccessible,' Dr Squires told MailOnline. 'We are focusing on individual's in the childrens crypt.' The X-ray machine will capture digital images of each child from head to toe. It is a non-invasive alternative to destructive techniques such as autopsy. In total, 574 radiographs will be taken to generate a biological profile of the mummified children to establish whether mummification was reserved for specific children based on factors such as their age and sex. Radiographs will also detect the presence of developmental defects, stress indicators and pathological lesions, which aims to gain an insight into the health and lifestyle of the children when alive. Children were accepted in the catacombs from 1787 but while extensive research has been conducted on the mummified adults, the juvenile mummies have largely been overlooked The Capuchin Catacombs in the city of Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily are a kind of museum filled with the forgotten dead, who are watched over by a group of Capuchin monks Exterior view of the monastery and catacombs of Capuchins. Today they provide a somewhat macabre tourist attraction 'Determining whether children buried in the catacombs suffered environmental stresses on their body can inform us of living conditions and the environments in which they lived,' Dr Squires said. SKELETON OR MUMMY? The Capuchin Catacombs contain more than 1,280 skeletonised and mummified bodies. Skeletonised remains have decayed right down to the bone. Mummies, meanwhile, are bodies where soft tissue still survives. One example of a mummy is the remarkably-preserved body of Rosalia Lombardo, a young Sicilian girl who died of pneumonia brought on by the Spanish flu in 1920. Advertisement 'This will be compared with the biological attributes of children buried elsewhere in Palermo who were not afforded mummification.' These findings will be compared with each child's placement in the room, their funerary attire and associated artefacts (such as chairs and canes), mummification type (natural or artificial) and any surviving historical documentation. Until now, most of the research work on Capuchin Catacombs remains has focused on the adult skeletons, and less on the children. 'The Capuchin Catacombs comprise one of the most important collections of mummies in the world,' Dr Squires said. 'However, there is very little documentary evidence about the children who were granted mummification and the death records from the period contain limited information. Our study will rectify this knowledge gap. 'Given that this funerary rite was mainly reserved for adults, we want to understand why the children were mummified. 'We have a fairly good idea that they were from the upper ranks of society but we don't know much more about juvenile health, development, or identity during this period.' One exception is the embalmed and incredibly preserved body of Rosalia Lombardo, which has been the subject of media coverage in the 21st century. The cemetery was first reserved for ecclesiastical workers, then accepted deceased from all walks of life, and experienced its greatest popularity during the 19th century The mummy has achieved notoriety for a phenomenon in which her eyes appear to open and close several times a day, revealing her intact blue irises. Capuchin Catacombs curator Dario Piombino-Mascali has said this phenomenon is due to an optical illusion produced by the light that filters through the glass windows covering her coffin, which is subject to change during the day. '[Her eyes] are not completely closed, and indeed they have never been,' Piombino-Mascali said in 2014. Dr Piombino-Mascali, who is working with Dr Squires on the latest project, investigated the preservation of Rosalia Lombardo around a decade ago. He said several of the child mummies at the Capuchin Catacombs 'look like sleeping children'. The Capuchin Catacombs is open to the public, for those who feel like spending their day walking amongst the unknown 'Many of the mummies are a result of natural dehydration. Other mummies were chemically treated. Those chemically treated are normally better preserved,' he told the Guardian. 'Some of them are superbly preserved. Some really look like sleeping children. They are darkened by the time but some of them have got even fake eyes so they seem to be looking at you. They look like tiny little dolls. 'Of course you want to do something to preserve them and to make sure their stories are told and give a sense that they are children. It is very upsetting when you deal with children in anthropology.' As photography is banned in the catacombs and the subject matter is highly sensitive, artist Eduardo Hernandez will produce illustrations of the juvenile mummies. These will be shared alongside journal articles, lectures, a blog and teaching packs translated into both Italian and English. Men who only briefly catch a glimpse of a woman are much more likely to overestimate how attractive she is than a woman glimpsing a man, a study reveals. Researchers, led by Murdoch University, in Perth Australia, worked with nearly 400 volunteers, asking them to rate the attractiveness of people of the opposite-sex from a blurry image, and then from a clear image. The results showed that on average men overestimate women's attractiveness, whereas on average women underestimate men's attractiveness. Men who only briefly catch a glimpse of a woman are much more likely to overestimate how attractive she is than a woman glimpsing a man, a study reveals Two-thirds of couples start out as friends If you've been having trouble finding love on dating apps, you might want to try dating one of your friends. A study looked at data from just under 2,000 couples of different demographics in Canada. They found two thirds started out as friends, suggesting that establishing a platonic connection with someone is conducive to a romantic relationship. The study suggests that the cliche of falling in love at first site is slightly outdated in the 21st century. Advertisement The idea of 'love at first sight' is a popular trope in movies and television. It involves a man falling for a woman the moment he catches a glimpse of her. This new study seems to back up that idea, and confirm that the concept doesn't work when the gender roles are reversed. The team set out to investigate how people balance the risks of these errors of misjudgement, and different ways men and women act in response. To find out exactly how and why this is the case, experts from Australia and elsewhere, had volunteers rate the attractiveness of people they don't know. First, they were asked to rate them based on a blurry photo, where they couldn't get a clear view of their facial features, and then again from a clear picture. 'When people have only incomplete information about a potential partner, they must make inferences about their desirability, leading to possible errors in judgment,' according to the team behind the study. By randomising the order of presentation, sometimes showing participants a blurry image first, then at other times showing a clear image, the researchers were able to isolate the effects of uncertainty present when only blurred images were shown first. Previous work on bias in perception, including men over estimating how interested a woman was in them sexually, emphasised 'between-sex' differences. 'This is an important finding, but broad quantitative effects such as these cannot discriminate between multiple candidate decision rules, because multiple different algorithms are capable of producing the same outcome,' the team said. Men, on average, over-perceived women's attractiveness, and women, on average, under-perceived men's attractiveness. Researchers, led by Murdoch University, in Perth Australia, worked with nearly 400 volunteers, asking them to rate the attractiveness of people of the opposite-sex from a blurry image, and then from a clear image However, further analyses tentatively suggest that men exhibit a bias in the perception of unattractive women, and women exhibit a bias in the perception of attractive men. 'Had we not directed explicit attention to algorithm, these potential features of the biases might have remained unknown,' the authors wrote. The study proves the concept of 'first-impression bias', but the team say more work is needed to understand why the bias exists in the first place. The findings have been published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. Newcastle are reportedly weighing up moves for four Arsenal players in the January transfer window, including sacked captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Magpies are expected to do major business this month following their 300million Saudi takeover back in October, which has provided them with a mammoth transfer kitty. They are therefore being linked with a host of world-class players in the winter market, while a 12million deal has already been agreed to sign Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid. Newcastle are eyeing four Arsenal players in January, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang And according to The Telegraph, via The Mirror, Newcastle are also eyeing up four Arsenal outcasts as part of a January raid on Mikel Arteta's side. The first of those players is said to be Aubameyang, who has been cast aside and stripped of the captaincy in north London after returning late from an authorised trip to collect his sick mother from France. Given his relationship with Arteta appears unfixable, the Gunners will be keen to move their top earner on as quickly as possible in order to get his 350,000-a-week salary off their wage bill. Eddie Nketiah is also on the Magpies' radar amid his contractual stand-off with Arsenal Rob Holding (L) and Mohamed Elneny (R) are also said to be targets for their new Saudi owners Newcastle could therefore look to capitalise this month and make a beeline for Aubameyang, whose overall tally of 92 goals in 165 Arsenal appearances would still make him a stellar signing for the club. They are also understood to be keeping tabs on another Gunners forward in Eddie Nketiah, who also looks to be on his way out of Arteta's side after making just three league appearances this term. Nketiah, 22, is out of contract this summer and has rejected the offer of a new deal at the Emirates, meaning Arsenal may be forced to cash in on their academy graduate while they still can this month. Toon officials are also interested in both midfielder Mohamed Elneny and centre-back Rob Holding amid their lack of game time under Arteta so far in the 2021-22 campaign. Elneny has only featured seven times in the league, while Holding has been afforded five appearances after falling behind Ben White and Gabriel in the defensive pecking order. An Australian socialite who is married to one of the world's top fitness gurus joked about flouting Dubai's strict dress code for women during a recent holiday there. Amy Castano, the wife of gym owner and personal-trainer-to-the-stars Jono Castano, has just returned to Sydney after celebrating the New Year in the United Arab Emirates. During her overseas trip, Ms Castano, 31, posted several photos to Instagram of herself in skimpy bikinis and racy outfits and even joked about being 'arrested' for flashing. Risky business: Amy Castano, an Australian socialite who is married to one of the world's top fitness gurus, joked about flouting Dubai's strict dress code for women during a holiday there In one photo, the model posed alongside her friend Amal Wakim in a figure-hugging crop top and leggings. 'She's using me to go viral on TikTok and asked me to flash... I'd get arrested for you @amal.wakim. Committed to the cause,' she captioned the image. Ms Castano also shared another picture of the pair at the beach in bikinis, and wrote: 'For those that have money on @Amal.Wakim getting arrested first.' While Dubai has rules that require women to wear 'respectful clothing' that covers the shoulders and knees, it's common for female tourists to wear bikinis at the beach and it's unlikely Ms Castano would have run into any trouble. Posts: During her overseas trip, Ms Castano, 31, posted several photos to Instagram of herself in skimpy bikinis and racy outfits and even joked about being 'arrested' for flashing Joke: In one photo, Ms Castano (left) posed alongside her friend Amal Wakim in a figure-hugging crop top and leggings. 'She's using me to go viral on TikTok and asked me to flash... I'd get arrested for you @amal.wakim. Committed to the cause,' she captioned the image Ms Castano is a popular fitness influencer, boasting 537,000 followers on Instagram where she often showcases her impressive physique. She first met her husband, Jono Castano, whose celebrity PT clients include Rita Ora and Rebel Wilson, on MySpace 13 years ago, before later bumping into one another at a nightclub and falling in love. Mr Castano proposed to his wife in Maui, Hawaii, on her birthday, and she would go on to describe the proposal as both romantic and luxurious. Rules: Dubai has strict rules that require women to wear 'respectful clothing' that covers the shoulders and knees. Pictured: one of Ms Castano's photos from her holiday in Dubai She told Husskie magazine: 'The concierge took me to the beach, the sun was setting, and I walked down these stairs and there was Jono surrounded by candles and rose petals everywhere! 'He worked with the chef at Four Seasons Maui and created a menu of all of my favourite foods for the night. It was absolutely magical. 'I was so surprised! Jono and I discuss everything, but he designed my ring and organised all of this without me knowing.' Christopher Nolan's next film, Oppenheimer, added another high-profile actor to its already star-studded cast. John Hartnett is the latest to sign on to the Universal biopic that focuses on J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, according to Deadline. Leading the cast is Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who plays Oppenheimer, the scientist who ran the Manhattan Project that led to the invention of the atomic bomb, which were eventually dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On board: Josh Hartnett, 43, has joined the star-studded cast for Christopher Nolan's next film, Oppenheimer; the actor is pictured in December 2018 Along with Murphy and now Hartnett, the cast also includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek and Benny Safdie. So far there's not official word on what character Hartnett will be playing in the film from Universal. Blunt plays Oppenheimer's wife, Katherine 'Kitty' Oppenheimer; Downey has the role of Lewis Strauss, the then chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission; and Damon stars as Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, who was the director of the Manhattan Project. War backdrop: Oppenheimer will not be the first film Hartnett has played a role set during World War II; he previously starred in Michael Bay's war drama film, Peal Harbor (2001) The biopic will also have Pugh play Jean Tatlock, an American psychiatrist and physician who was a member of the Communist Party of the United States of America, 'who has an off-and-on affair with Oppenheimer and was the cause of major security concerns for government officials.' Safdie will portray Edward Teller, the Hungarian-American physicist who is known as the father of the hydrogen bomb and was also a member of the Manhattan Project. Malek will reportedly play a scientist in the film. Oppenheimer will not be the first film Hartnett has played a role set during World War II. He previously starred in Michael Bay's romantic war drama film, Peal Harbor (2001), alongside the likes of Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Sizemore and Jon Voight, among others. War backdrop: Christopher Nolan, 51, has also worked with the second world war as the backdrop with his much-acclaimed film Dunkirk (2017) Acclaimed: Nolan wrote and directed Dunkirk, which had Kenneth Branagh lead another star-0studded ensemble cast; it went on to receive eight Oscar nominations, winning three The Minnesota native was also part of the ensemble cast for the war film Black Hawk Down (2001), which was helmed by acclaimed director Ridley Scott. Nolan has also worked with the second world war as the backdrop with his much-acclaimed film Dunkirk (2017). It went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations, winning three for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing. Dunkirk is the highest-grossing World War II film ever, earning $526 million worldwide on a $100-150 million budget. Oppenheimer is slated to premiere in theaters on July 23, 2023, which is about two weeks before the anniversaries of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which happened on August 6 and 9 in 1945, respectively. The Real Housewives of Sydney star Lisa Oldfield has sparked controversy after brutally mocking an anti-vaxxer family member who was hospitalised with Covid-19. The socialite, 46, shared a gleeful Instagram post on Tuesday about her relative's health battle, alongside a photo of a herd of sheep wearing face masks - a common meme used by conspiracy theorists to mock those who follow health advice. 'Had an awkward conversation with a relative over Xmas. He's anti-vax and berated me for being jabbed,' Lisa wrote in the caption. 'Fast forward two weeks and he's hospitalised with Covid! He derided me as sheeple!' Did she go too far? The Real Housewives of Sydney star Lisa Oldfield (right) has sparked controversy after brutally mocking an anti-vaxxer family member who was hospitalised with Covid-19. Pictured with politician ex-husband David Oldfield in February 2017 The mother of two went on to reveal her 10-year-old son, Harry, also found his relative's plight amusing and imitated a sheep after learning of the situation. 'When I told Harry tonight he said "baaaaaad luck",' Lisa wrote, before adding: 'My kid, just like yours but heaps f**king funnier.' Lisa, who is the ex-wife of One Nation co-founder David Oldfield, sparked fierce debate after sharing the post, with some of her followers finding it funny while others said she was 'sick' for laughing at someone else's misfortune. 'He derided me as sheeple': The socialite, 46, shared a gleeful Instagram post on Tuesday about her relative's health battle, alongside a photo of a herd of sheep wearing face masks - a common meme used by conspiracy theorists to mock those who follow health advice 'What a delightful story hehehe happy new year!' one supporter commented, to which Lisa replied: 'You know he's his mother's son. The gift that keeps on giving!' 'This is gold,' another wrote, while someone else added: 'Great post. Talk about stirring the pot and getting some strange reactions. One thing is certain this pandemic has caused a lot of people to lose their sense of humour!' However, some followers didn't appreciate Lisa's dark sense of humour. Covid argument: 'Had an awkward conversation with a relative over Xmas. He's anti-vax and berated me for being jabbed,' Lisa wrote in the caption. 'Fast forward two weeks and he's hospitalised with Covid! He derided me as sheeple!' 'Baaaad luck': The mother of two went on to reveal her 10-year-old son, Harry (right), also found his relative's plight amusing and imitated a sheep after being told of the situation 'This person is related to you and sick enough to be in hospital and you can make a joke at their expense? Regardless of a difference of opinion or bad behaviour, where is your humanity?' one critic wrote. 'It's okay, he's a d**k,' Lisa curtly replied. Covid cases in NSW spiked to 35,054 on Wednesday while Victoria recorded 17,636 new infections overnight but ICU admissions in both states remain steady. Wednesday's numbers in NSW are the highest daily total recorded for any Australian state since the beginning of the pandemic - and are a large jump from the 23,131 infections announced on Tuesday. Mixed reception: Lisa, who is the ex-wife of One Nation co-founder David Oldfield, sparked fierce debate after sharing the post, with some of her followers finding it funny while others said she was 'sick' for laughing at someone else's misfortune IMG Model Ashley Graham revealed Tuesday that she's still pregnant three days after 'making it full-term' with twin sons in an Instastory snap with her son Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin. The expecting 34-year-old had previously announced Saturday that she reached 40 weeks, but noted: 'Due dates are just a suggestion, babies will always come on their birthday.' Last Friday, Ashley celebrated the 32nd birthday of her husband of 11 years, photographer/DP Justin Ervin. Any day now! IMG Model Ashley Graham revealed Tuesday that she's still pregnant three days after 'making it full-term' with twin sons in an Instastory snap with her son Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin (L) 'Happy birthday to my king, Justin,' Graham - who boasts 22.4M social media followers - gushed on Instagram. 'I love you more and more each day I spend with you as the world's kindest and most patient, nurturing husband. Thank you for being the best dad to our boys and for aging like fine wine.' The Nebraska-born, Brooklyn-based beauty originally met the cinematographer while volunteering at her church back in 2009. The expecting 34-year-old had previously announced Saturday that she reached 40 weeks, but noted: 'Due dates are just a suggestion, babies will always come on their birthday' 'The world's kindest and most patient, nurturing husband': Last Friday, Ashley celebrated the 32nd birthday of her husband of 11 years, photographer/DP Justin Ervin Aside from the impending birth, Ashley and Justin will next celebrate the second birthday of their first-born child Isaac on January 18. Graham's career as a plus-size model first skyrocketed in 2010 after appearing in a controversial Lane Bryant TV commercial. Ervin frequently serves as the Pretty Big Deal podcaster's personal photographer, and his last IMBd-credited gig was shooting the PBS documentary Down a Dark Stairwell in 2020. 'Thank you for being the best dad!' The Nebraska-born, Brooklyn-based beauty originally met the cinematographer while volunteering at her church back in 2009 (pictured December 20) 2021 was a good year for fitness mogul Kayla Itsines, who found love with boyfriend Jae Woodroffe and landed a spot on the AFR's Young Rich List. And the Sweat co-founder, who has a net worth of $164million, capped off a fruitful 12 months by travelling from Adelaide to Sydney for a well-deserved holiday. She walked the Bondi to Bronte coastal trail with fellow gym buff Jae on Wednesday, documenting their light cardio session on Instagram. Light workout: Millionaire fitness guru Kayla Itsines walked the Bondi to Bronte coastal trail with her boyfriend Jae Woodroffe (right) while on holiday in Sydney on Wednesday The fitness trainer, 30, shared footage of their scenic walk, and revealed they were joined by a Sydney-based friend. She also posted photos of their date night the previous evening, when they dined at upmarket South East Asian restaurant Chin Chin. Before that, she shared footage from the aeroplane window as she flew in from Adelaide for her New Year's interstate holiday. Holiday mode: Kayla (left) shared footage of their scenic walk, and also revealed they were joined by a Sydney-based friend (right) Swanky dinners: She also posted photos of their date night the previous evening, when they dined at upmarket South East Asian restaurant Chin Chin En route: Before that, she shared footage from the aeroplane window as she flew in from Adelaide for her New Year's interstate holiday It comes several months after the sale of Kayla's company Sweat to U.S. software giant iFIT propelled her net worth to $164million. This was enough to place her 39th on last year's Young Rich List, just one spot ahead of her business partner and ex-fiance Tobi Pearce, who has a similar net worth. The annual list, compiled by the Australian Financial Review, ranks the wealthiest Australians aged 40 and under. Success story: It comes several months after the sale of Kayla's company Sweat to U.S. software giant iFIT propelled her net worth to $164million Kayla and Tobi launched Sweat - formerly known as Bikini Body Guides - in 2015 as an ebook, before the company grew into an app-based online community with more than 50 million users worldwide. The couple ended their engagement in 2020, but continue to work together. They also share a daughter named Anna, two. Following their split, Kayla went on to briefly date a man named Mitch before starting a relationship with Jae - the ex-boyfriend of one of her friends - earlier this year. James Kennedy screamed at Brock Davies when he questioned his decision to not give up marijuana on Tuesday's episode of Vanderpump Rules on Bravo. The 29-year-old reality star had just reached his two-year sobriety mark and had been planning on giving up weed. James told Brock, 30, that his plans got derailed when he was stuck in quarantine after a co-worker at SUR tested positive for COVID-19. James said he was in isolation, which was why he didn't stop smoking marijuana. Raised voice: James Kennedy screamed at Brock Davies when he questioned his decision to not give up marijuana on Tuesday's episode of Vanderpump Rules on Bravo Brock tried to hold him accountable and said that being was stressed shouldn't be a reason for him to abandon his plan, which caused James to explode 'But that's not the truth,' James yelled at him in front of all their friends who had gathered at a progress party for Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz's new bar. 'That is really triggering me right now, bro. That's not the f***ing truth!' James then told Brock to take his words and 'shove them up your f***ing a**hole.' Brock said he should look at his actions and James responded that he didn't want him in his business about 'every little thing in my life.' Accountability lecture: Brock tried to hold James accountable and said that being was stressed shouldn't be a reason for him to abandon his plan, which caused James to explode 'You need to learn how to talk to people,' Brock said. 'Oh, and you don't need to learn how to f***ing talk,' said James, while making fun of Brock for not being sophisticated. 'Like read a f***ing dictionary or something.' 'You are right, my education is poor,' Brock conceded. Harsh words: 'Oh, and you don't need to learn how to f***ing talk,' said James, while making fun of Brock for not being sophisticated. 'Like read a f***ing dictionary or something' Scheana Shay, 36, interjected and said to James, 'Don't start saying things that you can't take back.' 'He's already started,' James declared. Brock said he only spoke up because he cared about James. James said he found that interesting considering he hadn't heard from Brock since they worked out. James said they used to hang out daily, but now he doesn't know what Brock does or who he hangs out with. Stepping in: Scheana Shay, 36, interjected and said to James, 'Don't start saying things that you can't take back' Brock said in a confessional that accountability was important. Brock said after he reached out to James and asked him if he was free to do a shoot for his Homebody line that James wrote back 'For Free? LOL'. Brock said that it made him realize that he didn't have time for that in his life. James said to Brock that he was going to DJ his event but that he wasn't grateful for any of it. Brock told him not to bother. James stormed off. He told his fiance Raquel Leviss, 26, that he wanted to go and they quickly walked out. In a confessional, James said that Brock wanted to throw the friendship card down, but that he hadn't been around much. Adult behavior: Brock said in a confessional that accountability was important 'I'm over this and I'm over you,' said James in a confessional about Brock. Brock didn't share with James that he was also planning a surprise wedding to Scheana during James and Raquel's destination engagement party weekend. He asked James before their argument if there was going to be any downtime during their event, but James said he had an activity planned every day. Brock said in a confessional that he felt that they already celebrated James and Raquel's engagement and thought if the space seemed like a good place to get married then 'why not.' He said what they wouldn't know wouldn't hurt them. Over it: 'I'm over this and I'm over you,' said James in a confessional about Brock The episode titled Unprogress Party started with Katie Maloney-Schwartz, 34, visiting Lala Kent, 31, at her house and talking to her while she had two pumps attached to her breasts. Lala shared in a confessional that before the birth of her daughter Ocean she was having sex regularly. 'Pre-Ocean sex was at least a couple times a week, blowies were happening really often but becoming a Mom you just don't want that in your mouth anymore,' Lala said to the camera. New mom: The episode titled Unprogress Party started with Katie Maloney-Schwartz, 34, visiting Lala Kent, 31, at her house and talking to her while she had two pumps attached to her breasts Lala shared with Katie that she was upset that Ariana Madix, 36, didn't say one word to her at the previous night's cocktail party for the launch of her beauty line. Katie said in a confessional that she really didn't want to be in the middle anymore between her two friends. She said she thought it was easier for them to pretend that they don't give a 'f***' about each other than admit that they were really hurt by each other. Katie shared with Lala that she wanted to open a sandwich shop with Ariana. Lala said that was a brilliant idea. Katie said that Lisa Vanderpump, 61, offered to give her business advice about the project. Katie said that she was also going to set up a meeting with her fiance Randall Emmett, 50, about investing in the shop. Katie asked Lala if she had any advice about talking to her then-fiance. Sandwich shop: Katie shared with Lala that she wanted to open a sandwich shop with Ariana 'Do go in offering a sandwich named after him,' Lala said. 'That's all he wants is someone to name something after him.' Katie said in a confessional that she was worried about going into business with her friend. She said if the business goes south then the friendship goes south, too. Across town, Tom Schwartz, 39, met with James to learn how to DJ. Schwartz said it had always been a dream to DJ at his own bars. He asked James what he did when people appeared to not be liking his sets. James said he used to go to the bar and drink, but that now he was two years sober. Sage advice: 'Do go in offering a sandwich named after him,' Lala said of her then-fiance Randall Emmett. 'That's all he wants is someone to name something after him' James also told him that he planned to give up weed and go 'sober sally.' 'You can't quit weed,' said Schwartz. James said he was going to give up everything for a month. In a confessional, James said that weed has always made him feel normal. DJ lesson: Across town, Tom Schwartz, 39, met with James to learn how to DJ Pot break: James also told him that he planned to give up weed and go 'sober sally' 'Smoke it in the morning, smoke it in the afternoon, smoke it at nighttime, I don't think I could function without it, honestly,' James said. 'But I'm willing to give it a good shot.' Brock went over to Tom Sandoval's house to train. Brock had planned on proposing and getting married to Scheana that night but told Sandoval, 38, that he called off the plan because it was too expensive. Sandoval shared with him that he was taking some space from Schwartz after his blow up with Katie. He said he told him they needed to just focus on business rather than on their friendship. Working out: Brock went over to Tom Sandoval's house to train James looked at his phone and saw that Brock and Sandoval were posting selfies together of their workout. James told Schwartz that they needed to respond with their own selfies and captioned theirs 'the next real duo.' Sandoval laughed when he saw it. Later, Lala went over to see Scheana. Lala asked her what was going on between her and Brock. Scheana said she thought the surprise wedding was going to happen so she got a dress and got her nails and eyelashes done. Catching up: Later, Lala went over to see Scheana 'I'm a little frustrated with him,' Lala said. 'You are getting my friend's hopes up.' Scheana said that Brock just didn't want to rush it and didn't want to compromise his vision. Scheana said that they got a prenup done but they needed to get it notarized. 'I never actually thought I would do a prenup but after getting divorced and having to give up half of my bank account, I was like we are doing this the right way,' Scheana. Wedding scuttled: Scheana said that Brock just didn't want to rush it and didn't want to compromise his vision 'Yeah, don't play with that,' Lala said. Scheana said in a confessional that when her previous marriage ended in in order to get her ex to sign the divorce papers that she had to split her finances. 'As much as I love Brock, I need to protect myself,' she said. Lesson learned: Scheana said in a confessional that when her previous marriage ended in in order to get her ex to sign the divorce papers that she had to split her finances Lala told Scheana that she also had a prenup with Randall. She said she just wanted something that was cut and dry. 'What's yours is yours, what's mine is mine, go away,' Lala said. Schwartz and Sandoval met with their business partner Greg to go over design for the new bar with their contractor Dan. Schwartz said in a confessional that they needed to get the bar started soon, because every day it wasn't operational was costing them money. Sandoval kept coming in with new design ideas and Schwartz said in a confessional that his partner was acting like they weren't '12 months behind on this project.' New bar: Schwartz and Sandoval met with their business partner Greg to go over design for the new bar with their contractor Dan Dan came up with design ideas that he said would take three to four months. At James and Raquel's apartment, Raquel's sister Kate came over to help them plan their destination engagement party. Raquel told her their first activity would be a 'puff and paint' event. Raquel then said that James was going to give up weed. 'I know that's what you said last time,' Katie said. Good memory: 'I know that's what you said last time,' Katie said when James mentioned he was going to stop smoking weed James told her that he was going to start abstaining, but then someone at SUR got Covid and he had to quarantine. He said that he had to 'smoke some weed' while cooped up and noted that it helps him with his daily anxiety and with his appetite. 'It sounds like you don't want to quit,' Katie said. Engagement party: Raquel was busy planning her destination engagement party 'I don't right now,' said James. Raquel told him she was so proud of him for going two years without drinking. 'I literally did that for us,' James said. Two years: 'I literally did that for us,' James said of reaching the two-year sobriety mark Sandoval ran errands with Ariana to prepare for his bar progress party when Brock called them with his big idea. He said he was going to propose to Scheana at their apartment but then wanted them to sneak away from James and Raquel's engagement party and to have Sandoval marry them in secret. Ariana said she thought it would be weird with them being at James and Raquel's engagement party to sneak away. Sandoval agreed that James would be mad unless no one knows until way after the fact. Katie and Ariana met with Lisa about their sandwich shop idea. Lisa asked them if they were coming to her for investment money. Wild plan: Sandoval ran errands with Ariana to prepare for his bar progress party when Brock called them with his big idea 'I'm a nasty a** b**** boss and you know that already,' said Lisa. They told her that they were going to pitch it to Randall and wanted to call their restaurant 'Something About Her.' Katie told her that she wanted a purpose and wanted more for herself. She said this would be her 'baby.' Sandoval met Brock to pick up Scheana's ring. He said he got her a 12.9 pink morganite carat ring the jeweller said was valued at $25,000. Brock said he saw the photos of James and Raquel's engagement venue and thought it looked like a really special place for him to do the secret wedding. Brock asked the jeweller to charge the ring on several different cards. Boss lady: 'I'm a nasty a** b**** boss and you know that already,' said Lisa to Katie and Ariana 'Between that and child support, man, I'm broke for the next six months,' Brock said to Sandoval. Schwartz and Sandoval had a progress party to show their friends their new venue. Schwartz told Sandoval that he wanted them to start hanging out again. He gave them matching friendship bracelets for them to wear. Ariana and Katie showed up first. When Lisa showed up with Ken, she saw that the bar did not appear to have been set up at all. Sandoval gave them a tour and explained to them about what they planned to do with the space. Ken told them their ideas sounded expensive. He told Lisa that to fix up the place would cost around $500,000. Multiple cards: Brock asked the jeweller to charge the ring on several different credit cards 'They are in over their heads,' Lisa said to Ken. 'Yeah, and they'll lose a lot of money,' Ken responded. Lisa asked Scheana and Brock how they were doing and Scheana said that they were signing their prenup. Money talk: 'Yeah, and they'll lose a lot of money,' Ken responded 'And I'm okay with that,' said Brock. 'What does he get?' asked Lisa. 'He gets to keep his motorcycle,' said Scheana. She added that she would get seven percent of his company Homebody. In a confessional, Scheana said she was one of Brock's first investors. She said she invested more than $10,000 but Brock said that was a lie. Prenup deal: 'He gets to keep his motorcycle,' said Scheana 'I don't want you to give me a f***ing handout,' said Brock, getting upset. 'Now I'm getting a handout or I'm taking money from my missus.' Lisa spoke to Schwartz about how he felt being behind schedule for the bar. 'What's the hold up?,' asked Lisa. Getting emotional: 'I don't want you to give me a f***ing handout,' said Brock, getting upset. 'Now I'm getting a handout or I'm taking money from my missus' He told her that he got the business loan but the restaurant industry was tough. 'You haven't even started yet,' Lisa said. 'I know,' said Schwartz. Vanderpump Rules will return next Tuesday on Bravo. Jill Zarin is honoring her late husband Bobby Zarin on what would have been their 21st wedding anniversary. On Tuesday, The Real Housewives of New York alum, 58, shared some details of their wedding day on Instagram, along with a photo of herself and Bobby, who died from cancer nearly four years ago to the day at the age of 71. 'Today would have been my 21st wedding anniversary January 4, 2001,' the reality star began in the caption. 'It was a cold day in NYC. We were married at Central Synagogue with just our immediate family followed by lunch at Danielle,' which is an upscale French restaurant in Manhattan. Milestone: Jill Zarin honored her late husband Bobby Zarin on Tuesday, January 4, which would have been their 21st wedding anniversary The former RHONY star continued: 'Everything was so classy Bobby was a classy guy.' She ended the post by writing, 'We miss you everyday and you would be so proud of Ally and know you are watching over us,' in a reference to her 29-year-old daughter Allyson Shapiro. A slew of Jill's 587,000 Instagram fans and followers showed their support in the comment section by sharing a few kind words, although many of them simply posted red heart emojis. Shapiro and The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge were among those who commented with multiple red heart emojis. Tribute: Jill Zarin, 58, called her late husband 'a classy guy' in her latest tribute The Millionaire Matchmaker star Patti Stanger paid tribute by writing, 'Missing him so much!' while Ladies of London's Juliet Angus wrote, 'Sending you so much love and big hug,' along with four red heart emojis. Bobby Zarin, a businessman who owned a company specializing in home and professional furnishings, was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2009. He went on to have his thyroid removed and underwent radioactive iodine treatment to kill off other undetectable cancer cells, according to People. The cancer wound up returning, spread to his lungs, and in the fall of 2016 Jill revealed to People that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. After being hospitalized in July 2017, he eventually passed away on January 13, 2018. His personal battle: After first being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2009 and eventually pass away in January 2018; the couple are pictured in November 2016 Jill has been sharing emotional tributes to Bobby on milestone days, which includes their wedding anniversary and his birthday. His most recent birthday this past February, which would have been his 75th, Jill honored him by posting a video of Bobby celebrating in Las Vegas five years earlier. 'Bobby's nickname was Bobby Vegas, to those who knew him well. He spent many years there from the 1970's and was treated like a king,' she revealed, adding, 'Wherever we stayed they rolled out the red carpet. Limo, suite, dinners and shows. He knew how to have fun fun fun. I don't think Vegas will be the same for any of us without him.' She ended the caption by writing, 'Happy Birthday Bobby baby. We all miss you terribly.' Jill was among the original cast for RHONY, starting in 2008. She was axed by Bravo in 2011 after four seasons, although she has appeared as a guest star in seasons 9-12. By Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr FREETOWN With the recent conclusion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the challenge of turning words into action begins. But in capitals around the world, administrative and political hurdles are hindering governments' ability to address the climate crisis with the urgency it requires. I know this firsthand. In Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, local leaders are trying to address climate change in ways that will help the community become healthier and more resilient, but bureaucracy at the national level is a complicating factor. Freetown does not make a significant contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions, but the city wants to do more to reduce its carbon footprint, particularly in light of climate change's impact on the health of its residents. Building a healthy city is one of the four key areas in the Transform Freetown agenda, which the local council launched in 2019 to prepare our city for the challenges we face. The population of Freetown has expanded in recent years, driven in part by climate migration from other parts of Sierra Leone. As changing weather patterns make it more difficult to earn a living through subsistence farming, rural residents have flocked to the capital. Many of these newcomers move into informal settlements along the coast or in the hills surrounding the city. The growth of these settlements has contributed to deforestation, which in turn leads to rising temperatures during the dry season and increased risk of flooding and mudslides during the rainy season. The extreme heat worsens Freetown's already poor air quality and increases the incidence of respiratory disease among residents. Extreme heat also contributes to water shortages, which bring additional health risks. To address these challenges, Freetown became the first city in Africa to appoint a chief heat officer. In this new position, Eugenia Kargbo, a member of the Mayor's Delivery Unit whose portfolio already includes climate-related issues, will work to improve the available data on heat and housing. She will then use these data to develop policies to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on our community and suggest ways to upgrade Freetown's informal settlements to alleviate the growing threat. For example, a significant number of residential structures in the informal settlements are made of corrugated iron sheets that trap heat. One of Kargbo's tasks will be to identify alternative affordable building materials. These materials also must be able to withstand rushing water, given the informal settlements' vulnerability to frequent floods. Kroo Bay, one of Freetown's largest coastal settlements, has been inundated every year since 2008. Flooding not only destroys property; it also places residents at greater risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera. In 2012, a cholera outbreak infected more than 25,000 people and killed over 400. To reduce flooding, efforts are being made to improve and expand drainage systems in hotspots around the city. Better sanitation is also a factor in reducing cholera outbreaks, and significant strides are being made in the management of solid waste. But current dumpsites are at capacity, and an agreement on the allocation of land for a new dumpsite has yet to be reached with Sierra Leone's central government. Like many of Freetown's challenges, many factors contribute to the problems caused by extreme heat and flooding. In addition to climate change, poor urban planning, poor interagency coordination, and lack of financing all play a part. Building a healthy, resilient city requires good urban planning, particularly climate-sensitive design. But, despite the need for rapid action, cities often face high and unnecessary impediments in developing and implementing such plans. For example, Sierra Leone's Local Government Act, adopted in 2004, gives city councils the authority to make and carry out plans for municipalities, but central government ministries remain in control of critical urban management functions like land use planning, zoning, and issuance of building permits. As a result, these processes are slow and inefficient, leaving local leaders and urban planners limited scope to make meaningful changes. Effective climate-change mitigation and adaptation in cities like Freetown requires putting politics aside. Protecting residents from the consequences of global warming like extreme heat, heavy rain, and increased risk of disease requires officials at all levels of government to work together to develop and implement creative solutions. Otherwise, our citizens will continue to suffer the most significant effects of a crisis they did little to create. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr is mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate ( Toast of Tinseltown Rating: The Language Of Love Rating: The mortal enemies and worse friends of Stephen Toast over the years have included Cocker Boo, Kikini Bamalam, Iqbal Achieve, Una Length, Kay Tightneck and Peanut Whistle. But as Matt Berrys failed thespian returned in Toast Of Tinseltown (BBC2), the Pretentious Name Generator excelled itself. Within minutes, wed gained film producer Neil Doubla-Decka and anger management guru Des Wigwam. Toast, switching to the Beeb after six years on C4, is a failing actor who loathes his career but cant think of doing anything else. His life is a round of lectures from his agent, drinking sessions in his seedy club, legovers with the wife of a despised rival, and mind-numbing voiceover jobs. Every aspect of Life Among the Luvvies is sent up. Its stupidly funny. But as Matt Berrys failed thespian returned in Toast Of Tinseltown (BBC2), the Pretentious Name Generator excelled itself. Within minutes, wed gained film producer Neil Doubla-Decka and anger management guru Des Wigwam The opening scene was Toasted to perfection. Fans favourites Danny Bear and Clem Fandango (Tim Downie and Shazad Latif) were the hipsters in sleeveless T-shirts and tattooed mascara, sniggering behind the console in the mixing room. Better still, U.S. comedian Larry David popped up as an obnoxiously arrogant author, correcting every word Toast read aloud, including his very first: The. This time theres a more ambitious storyline, as Toast lands a role in the latest Star Wars movie and flies to Hollywood. The show is so loved by actors for its wicked in-jokes Matt Berry really does have a credit in Disneys new Star Wars spin-off, The Book Of Boba Fett. Not all the jokes rely on Berrys booming voice and his mispronunciations. Many are sight gags, waiting to be spotted. Basic kit of the night With the aid of a stereoscopic digital microscope, Dana Goodburn-Brown was cleaning a bejewelled gold brooch from a Saxon burial site, in Digging For Britain (BBC2). But it wasnt all high tech her tools included a porcupine quill and a thorn. Advertisement Drinkers at the Colonial Club, the Soho dive where Toast goes to booze with other reprobates, included hilarious lookalikes of Tom Baker (in his Doctor Who scarf), Zara Rhodes, David Hockney and George Melly, complete with eyepatch. No one comments on Toasts mobile phone, a yuppie monstrosity from the 1980s, the size of a breeze block. And a five-second flashback skewered Strictly, as Toast took part and accidentally broke his partners neck with an overly flamboyant twirl. More was packed in to half an hour than most comedies manage in a six-part series. Robert Bathurst doesnt even have to get dressed to raise a laugh as Toasts flatmate Ed, he just sips tea in his dressing gown and arches an eyebrow. White-suited actor laddie Ray Purchase (Harry Peacock) finally discovered Toast has been sleeping with his wife (Tracy-Ann Oberman) for 20 years. (Really? remarked Mrs Purchase. I dont remember.) And Doon Mackichan as the shamelessly superficial agent, Jane Plough, meets every outburst with a smile as brittle as frosted sugar. Brittle and superficial smiles were everywhere in the Spanish sunshine on Davina McCalls new show, The Language Of Love (C4) Brittle and superficial smiles were everywhere in the Spanish sunshine on Davina McCalls new show, The Language Of Love (C4). This daft concept pairs singletons from Britain with local lotharios and flirts, without providing a translator. The pretence is that couples will pair off on the basis of physical attraction alone. Christobal, a nursing assistant from Gibraltar, says he lives in a UK colony, and single mum Thalia thinks hes talking about cologne. Yes, of course she does . . . Its obviously a set-up. Most of the Spaniards can speak English and barely bother to hide it. Tensions and arguments are scripted, emotions are faked and no one has a shred of real interest in dating they just want to be on TV. All my princes have turned out to be frogs, says Kimey from Tenerife. Im tired of being treated as a sex object, announces Jose Carlos. How many takes did they need to get those lines right? Its not nasty or exploitative, as some of these shows can be. Its just pointless. Isla Fisher crashed into Josh Gad in a new trailer released Tuesday for their upcoming streaming series Wolf Like Me. The 45-year-old actress in the Peacock original series portrays Mary who forms a relationship with Gary, played by 40-year-old Josh, after crashing into his car. Mary in the aftermath of the wreck calms down Gary's daughter Emma who was suffering from a panic attack. Streaming series: Isla Fisher crashed into Josh Gad in a new trailer released Tuesday for their upcoming streaming series Wolf Like Me on Peacock 'What did you say to her?,' Gary asked after Mary helped Emma. Mary was then shown at Gary's home where Emma answered the door wearing a neck brace. 'I wanted to say sorry for wrecking your universe,' Mary told the Gary and Emma. 'You coming in to check on Emma was a very thoughtful gesture,' Gary said. Good question: 'What did you say to her?,' Gary asked after Mary helped his daughter Emma Bad accident: The trailer opened with a violent car crash Neck brace: Mary was then shown at Gary's home where Emma answered the door wearing a neck brace Gary and Mary were then shown getting romantic and were about to kiss before she bolted. 'I'm a complicated person. I've got baggage,' Mary later told Gary. Mary was then shown sharing a secret while Gary gushed about fate bringing them together. Ran away: 'I'm a complicated person. I've got baggage,' Mary later told Gary after she bolted 'How did your husband die?,' Gary asked as the tone turned ominous. The six-part series Wolf Like Me written and directed by Abe Forsythe will premiere on January 13 on Peacock. Isla rose to fame on the Australian soap opera Home And Away. Watch the Stan Original series Wolf Like Me, on Stan in Australia. Lily Collins revealed that she bravely went swimming in the ocean with whales during an appearance on Tuesday on The Late Late Show With James Corden The 29-year-old English actress said she had been planning to watch her husband Charlie McDowell, 38, in a boat while he surfed when two whales suddenly breached the surface. 'And as he was surfing, two whales breached, a mom and a baby, and they started flipping next to me,' said Lily, wearing over the knee black boots with a gold and black mini dress. 'And the captain of the little ship I was on said 'Do you want to swim with them?' Whale swimming: Lily Collins revealed that she bravely went swimming in the ocean with whales during an appearance on Tuesday on The Late Late Show With James Corden Lily said the whales were about as close as Corden's cameras and that she initially told the captain 'no' but then decided 'you know what, why not.' 'I said, ''I'll do it'',' Lily said. 'Mind you I'm just in a bathing suit that I'm meant to be sunbathing in.' She said one of the boat crew jumped in the water with her, but then the whales swam off and she thought that it just wasn't meant to be. The crew member said they would find them and they got back into the boatt and trailed them and then jumped back in the water. Lily said she thought they lost them again but then she looked down and saw this small thing coming toward her. Surfer husband: The 29-year-old English actress said she had been planning to watch her husband Charlie McDowell, 38, in a boat while he surfed when two whales suddenly breached the surface 'As it gets closer it becomes a whale and it's a mother and its baby,' said Lily. She said the whales turned and that 'the baby pivots and stares at me for 30 seconds.' She said that when it happened she 'felt a sense of calm that I've never ever felt in my life.' She said that you would think that an encounter like that would be terrifying but that it was actually the most calming experience. 'It was wild,' said Lily. Wild stuff: 'It was wild,' said Lily of the experience Corden, 43, told her that he was 'so jealous.' Lily also told Corden that she spent New Years in New York with her husband, her father Phil Collins, along with other members of her family walking the streets of New York and also playing Trivial Pursuit. She said that when they were walking around NYC they saw an Emily In Paris poster that had been 'vilely defaced.' Corden showed the photo of Emily standing in front of the defaced poster where her eyes and nose had been painted red. Defaced poster: Corden showed the photo of Emily standing in front of the defaced poster where her eyes and nose had been painted red 'I was given a whole new makeup job,' the 38-year-old actress joked. 'Why not embrace it.' Corden asked her about shooting Emily In Paris and wanted to know about the Parisians' reactions to the show. She said that after season one she heard that the French didn't want to embrace the show but that when she started shooting season two that she saw that 'it could not have been more opposite.' She said because of all the COVID regulations and shutdown that she and her co-star Ashley Park, 30, felt as if they were the only other Americans in France. She said when they went out that they stuck out like a sore thumb and that all these people would come over and talk to them about the show. She said they treated them like they were their characters. Good question: Corden asked her about shooting Emily In Paris and wanted to know about the Parisians' reactions to the show Corden then showed a photo of Lily as a toddler between her father and her mother Jill Tavelman appearing to hand Princess Diana a bouquet of flowers. He asked her if she remembered what was going on when the photograph was taken. 'I'm giving Diana flowers, but the second she went to take them I then tried to pull them back,' said Lily of what she was told happened. She joked that it sucked all the air out of the room, but because she was wearing a cute dress who could punish her. Lily also shared that it was not her only royal encounter. Royal meeting: 'I'm giving Diana flowers, but the second she went to take them I then tried to pull them back,' said Lily of what she was told happened 'I was also told that when I was younger, I was playing with some toys with Prince Charles and I proceeded to kind of throw something at him like throw a toy telephone at his head,' she said. Corden asked her how old she was at the time and she said 'two-ish.' 'Were you just hanging out with the Royal Family all the time?' he asked. She told him that her father did a lot of things for the Prince's Trust and she grew up in England. Lily said she just went along for the ride and that she guessed she had a tendency to do 'naughty things as a two-year-old.' Taylor Hill grabbed a much needed pick-me-up after working out in West Hollywood. The Victoria's Secret Angel, 25, wore a pair of red leggings and a black and white coat. She wore a black sweater around her torso to fight off the slight nip in the Los Angeles air. Caffeine boost: Taylor Hill grabbed a much needed pick-me-up after working out in West Hollywood On her feet, she wore socks that extended past her ankles toward her shins. She donned a pair of clean white sneakers on her feet. Hill accessorized with a pair of earrings and kept a disinterested look on her face as she stood near the large wooden fence. Hill did not go to the coffee shop on her own. Her partner, Daniel Fryer, went to the establishment with her. Bundled up: She wore a black sweater around her torso to fight off the slight nip in the Los Angeles air Spending time with her man: Hill did not go to coffee shop on her own. Her partner, Daniel Fryer, went to the establishment with her Fryer wore a black hoodie that read 'Dogpound' in white letters across the chest. He wore a blue hat with yellow lettering and a pair of white shorts that stopped just above his knee. While it's unclear exactly when the couple met, the two began dating at the beginning of last year according to Elle Australia. Fryer works in venture capital and private equity. He went to Eton College in the United Kingdom and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. Hill announced their engagement in a series of Instagram posts she posted in June of this year. The next step: Hill announced their engagement in a series of Instagram posts she posted in June of this year A rock: In the next picture, Hill showed the huge diamond sitting on her left ring finger The first photo showed her better half in a button-down shirt with one knee on the ground and a hopeful look on his face. Hill's face was in her hands, a look of joy seeping through her features. In the next picture, Hill showed the huge diamond sitting on her left ring finger. She then took another photo with her man's arm slung over her shoulder in a loving embrace. She wore a pink summer dress. She captioned the photo, ' My best friend, my soulmate, Ill love you always 06/25/21.' The pair have not set a date for their wedding as of yet. Steve Jacobs returned to TV to fill-in as the official weather presenter for Studio 10 on Wednesday. He stepped in for roving reporter Daniel Doody, who stayed at the desk after a Covid close contact alert forced staff to be reorganised at the network's Pyrmont studio. The 54-year-old did a live cross to the hosts Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus from the Sydney Opera House. Back on screen! Ex-Today show weatherman Steve Jacobs joined Studio 10 as a fill-in presenter on Wednesday doing a live cross from Sydney Opera House He received an enthusiastic welcome on the show as Sarah called him a 'massive deal' and an 'old friend.' 'Great to see you and it is fantastic to be here on Channel Nine plus one,' Stevie joked. 'You always get more extra than what you bargained for on Ten,' he quipped. Sarah then asked, 'are we paying you today?' to which the TV presenter joked: 'This is a freebie, no-one gets paid on your show I hear.' Fun times: Steve also shared a photo of himself on Instagram with prop mice on his shoulders after speaking to the kid's puppet theatre at the Opera House He comically continued: 'It has taken me 40 years to get on to Channel 10 your show and they've asked me to cover my face, I'm not sure if whether that's because of Covid or because Sarah requested it.' Steve also shared a photo of himself on Instagram with prop mice on his shoulders after speaking to the kid's puppet theatre at the Opera House. Steve is best known for having previously been the weather presenter for Channel Nine's Today show before parting ways with the network in 2019. Good old days: Steve is best known for having previously been the weather presenter for Channel Nine's Today show before parting ways with the network in 2019 New gig: Since 2020 he has moved into hosting breakfast radio, host on Nine's newly launched music stations 2UE 954, Magic 1278, 4BH 882 and 6GT DAB+ Since 2020 he has moved into hosting breakfast radio, host on Nine's newly launched music stations 2UE 954, Magic 1278, 4BH 882 and 6GT DAB+. He is a doting father to two daughters - Isabella, nine, and Francesca, seven, who he shares with ex-wife Rose. Steve and Rose split in 2018. Alessandra Rampolla was spotted out and about in Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday, a week after she tested positive for Covid. The Married At First Sight relationship expert, 47, wore a black face mask after completing her seven-day isolation period. She appeared engrossed in her phone as she made her way down the street, keeping it in her hand as she walked. Back out: Alessandra Rampolla was spotted out and about in Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday, a week after she tested positive for Covid The renowned sexologist wore a pair of cropped blue jeans, which she teamed with a blue button-up shirt printed with red flowers. Alessandra rounded out her summery ensemble with tan sandals, and carried a Louis Vuitton monogram bag on one shoulder. Her brunette hair was tied up in a messy bun and she wore red-frame glasses, accessorising with a silver pendant necklace. Covid-free: The Married At First Sight relationship expert, 47, wore a black face mask after completing her seven-day isolation period Phoning it in: She appeared engrossed in her phone as she made her way down the street, keeping it in her hand as she walked The Puerto Rican love guru announced she had tested positive for Covid on December 29. Alessandra shared a screenshot of her positive notification on Instagram Stories at the time, circling her test result in red. She was believed to have contracted the virus while on holiday with friends in Cairns, Queensland. Specs appeal: Her brunette hair was tied up in a messy bun and she wore red-frame glasses, accessorising with a silver pendant necklace Designer duds: Alessandra rounded out her summery ensemble with tan sandals, and carried a Louis Vuitton monogram bag on one shoulder Coming up positive: The Puerto Rican love guru announced she had tested positive for Covid on December 29 MAFS producers have implemented strict protocols and warned the cast and crew to take precautions as filming continues on the new season. The brides and grooms have been instructed not to leave their homes unless it is absolutely essential until after the reunion is filmed. They have also been given clear instructions not to visit any restaurants, bars and cinemas for fear of transmission. MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow has revealed she once had a very awkward conversation with Prince Charles. In a teaser for Wednesday's episode of I'm a Celebrity, the 49-year-old said she once attended a dinner party with the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, where she found herself seated next to Charles. She told her campmates their exchange left her rather red-faced. Slip of the tongue: I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star Poh Ling Yeow has revealed she once had a very awkward conversation with Prince Charles Poh said she was discussing architecture with the 73-year-old royal when their otherwise polite conversation veered completely off course. 'I got sat next to him, so I made sure I knew what he likes, I know he likes architecture so we mainly bantered about that,' she recounted. 'But then out of the blue, I decide to use the word "dag", and he goes, "Oh, what does that mean?" And I thought, "Oh, this is happening."' Friends in high places: The 49-year-old MasterChef star said she once attended a dinner party with the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, where she found herself seated next to Prince Charles (pictured in Auckland in November 2015) Poh revealed she didn't hold anything back, and gave the prince a rather graphic description of what the word 'dag' actually means. 'I go, "It's kind of the dreadlock of poo that hangs off a sheep's bum." And he goes, "Well, you learn something new every day, don't you?"' she said. Poh entered the I'm a Celebrity jungle on Monday, and admitted she was 'petrified' ahead of her appearance on the hit reality show. Changing the topic: Poh said she was discussing architecture with the 73-year-old royal when their otherwise polite conversation veered completely off course 'Number one question has been WHY? Well, I try to live by a "feel the fear and still do it" mantra and it seems to work,' she wrote on Instagram on Monday. 'Firstly, I watched last season religiously and honestly have not cacked myself so hard in the longest time...' She added: 'What's to learn from life if you only engage with things familiar and comforting? It's the sapling that's weathered the storm which grows big and strong! Enjoy peeps!!! Strap in - it's a wild ride!' COVID-19 and border restrictions have cut the upcoming A-League Men's round in half, with just three matches tentatively scheduled across Sydney and Melbourne. Western United, Macarthur FC and Central Coast are all enduring outbreaks among their squad and cannot fulfil this weekend's fixtures. Additionally, the Newcastle Jets women's side cannot summon enough fit players this weekend due to the virus, producing the round's only A-League Women's postponement. The past fortnight has been plagued with postponements but league chiefs believe three men's fixtures can be safely played this weekend, headlined by the clash between leaders Melbourne Victory and rivals Adelaide United. Second-bottom Wellington Phoenix will play the Jets at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium earlier on Saturday, before Melbourne City host Western Sydney on Sunday. "Our primary concern is for the health, wellbeing and safety of all players, staff and their families," a league statement read. "We will continue to work with all clubs to confirm a new schedule for all postponed matches as soon as possible." City boss Patrick Kisnorbo revealed that all but five of his players had contracted COVID-19 during the Christmas period, though all had recovered except for two young players. Western Sydney's Saturday match against Perth has been postponed as the Glory manage Western Australia's hardline border rules, freeing up the Wanderers to play City in a rearranged match. Perth will head to NSW after their isolation period concludes and be able to resume their campaign on January 15. She is headed for her second marriage. And Teresa Giudice cuddled up to her fiance Luis 'Louie' Ruelas in a sizzling Instagram post from Los Cabos this Tuesday. The 49-year-old Real Housewife Of New Jersey posed with Louie on the beach at sunset, looking the picture of romantic bliss. Bride to be: Teresa Giudice cuddled up to her fiance Luis 'Louie' Ruelas in a sizzling Instagram post from Los Cabos this Tuesday Teresa cut a youthful figure in a striped peekaboo one-piece that emphasized her well-endowed cleavage and trim midriff. Accentuating her unmistakable features with makeup, she added a touch of added personality to the look with a cowboy hat. In her caption she revealed the photos were taken on New Year's Day and that she had enjoyed a meal at the local outpost of Nobu. 'My love': The 49-year-old Real Housewife Of New Jersey posed with Louie on the beach at sunset, looking the picture of romantic bliss The couple, who became engaged this October, rang in the new year at Cabo San Lucas after Christmas at Teresa's New Jersey mansion. Louie, who co-founded a company called Digital Media Solutions, presented his bride to be with a brand-new Mercedes for Christmas. He popped the question in Greece with a $300,000 engagement ring, pulling the stops out for an extravagant proposal. Aglow: The couple, who became engaged this October, rang in the new year at Cabo San Lucas after Christmas at Teresa's New Jersey mansion Teresa has four daughters with her ex-husband and amicable co-parent Joe Giudice - Gia, 20, Gabriella, 18, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 13. They broke up at the end of 2019 after Joe moved back to his native Italy ahead of a legal decision on whether he would be deported there. Teresa and Joe were both convicted of fraud and served back-to-back sentences so that one parent at a time could be at home with the children. Gal Gadot is opening up and sharing some details about her starring role in the upcoming Cleopatra film. During her cover story with InStyle magazine, the Wonder Woman star dished about stepping into the iconic royal's heels to play the historic queen of Egypt. 'I can't reveal a lot,' Gadot, 36, confessed to the publication, 'but I can tell you that were going to celebrate the Cleopatra story.' New details: Gal Gadot, 36, is opening up about her role in the upcoming Cleopatra film The Israeli actress went on to share that one of the goals of the film is to 'show not just how sexy and appealing she was, but how strategic and smart, and how much impact she had and still has on the world we're living in today.' She added, 'I've watched all the Cleopatra movies throughout history, but I feel like we're telling the story the world needs to hear now.' Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins had originally been tabbed to helm the upcoming epic film, but she recently stepped down will now serve as a producer. Sexy and smart: The Wonder Woman star maintains one of the goals of the upcoming Cleopatra film is to 'show not just how sexy and appealing she was, but how strategic and smart, and how much impact she had and still has on the world we're living in today' The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (2021) miniseries director Kari Skogland has since stepped in to replace Jenkins in December. Over the decades, the list of actresses who have played the iconic role include the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Vivian Leigh, Monica Bellucci, Sophia Loren, as well as silent movie actress Theda Bara. Upon the announcement that Gadot landed the role, backlash erupted from critics claiming that an Arab or African actress should play Cleopatra. 'First of all, if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian,' the Red Notice star said in response to the outrage in October 2020, adding, 'We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasnt there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.' Taking on the critics: The Israeli actress responded to backlash that an Arab or African actress should play Cleopatra in the new film version, during an interview with InStyle She continued, 'I have friends from across the globe, whether they're Muslims or Christian or Catholic or atheist or Buddhist, or Jewish of course. People are people, and with me I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historic icon that I admire so much.' Gadot went on to share, 'You know, anybody can make this movie and anybody can go ahead and do it. I'm very passionate that I'm going to do my own too.' Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, a descendant of Ptolemy, a Macedonian general who served under Alexander The Great. Iconic: Elizabeth Taylor starred alongside Richard Burton in the epic historical drama film, Cleopatra, in 1963; it received nine Oscar nominations, winning four for Best Art Direction (Color), Best Cinematography (Color), Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design (Color) The serenity of Unhyeon Palace in 2015 Courtesy of Jon Dunbar By Robert Neff Nestled quietly in the center of downtown Seoul, Unhyeon Palace is probably the least-known of the palaces and royal residences in the city. It is a juxtaposition of the past and the present. The modern displays distract from the beauty of the buildings and the present serenity contrasts sharply with its Machiavellian past. This palace was the royal residence of Heungseon Daewongun, the father of the last king of Joseon. Gojong was only 12 years old when he ascended the throne in 1864, and his father (Heungseon Daewongun) served as regent until 1873 when the young monarch declared his intention to assume control of the kingdom. To what degree Queen Min (later Empress Myeongseong) played a role in the young king's sudden assertiveness is debatable, but there is no doubt that there was a great deal of animosity between her and Heungseon Daewongun. Not that his son had retained complete control of his kingdom; Heungseon Daewongun went unwillingly into retirement, but it was retirement in name only, for, from the shadows of Unhyeon Palace, his name was associated with palace intrigue. Gojong may have been the monarch, but many have suggested that the true power lay with Queen Min, who ruled the country from the confines of the palace through her adopted older brother Min Seung-ho (1830-75). Unhyeon Palace in 2015 Courtesy of Jon Dunbar History has been rather unkind to Min Seung-ho, as he is described as being "unable to exert positive leadership because he was not too bright, weak, easily deceived by others, and incapable of handling government affairs." These are powerful negative characterizations but historian James Palais concedes that Min Seung-ho "may have exerted considerable influence behind the scenes." Considering how dangerous politics in Joseon could be, Min Seung-ho does seem to have been too trusting and easily deceived by others, and these were fatal traits. On Jan. 5, 1875, he was enjoying a meal at home, when he was interrupted with the arrival of a package. There are several different accounts of what transpired with the arrival of this package: Homer B. Hulbert who resided in Seoul from the 1880s through the early part of the 1900s, and possibly obtained his information from people in the know claimed, "Min Seung-ho received a letter purporting to be from a certain party with whom he was on intimate terms," along with a box wrapped in silk. The letter instructed him "to open [the box] only in the presence of his mother and son." If the walls of Unhyeon Palace could talk, what tales would they tell? Unhyeon Palace in 2015. Courtesy of Jon Dunbar Another account claims that it was a Buddhist monk who delivered the box and had mentioned that it contained "blessings" (perhaps referring to bribes or blessings for his deceased biological mother), and that Min Seung-ho should open it where others could not see its contents. The same source indicates that the box was unusually shaped, with a hole and a lock, but the "sillok" (or Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty) seem to indicate that the small box was not unlike those which could be found in the market. In Hulbert's version, "Late at night in his inner chamber, [Min Seung-ho] opened [the box] in the presence of these members of his family, but when he lifted the cover the [box] exploded with terrific force killing the three instantly and setting the house on fire." Homer went on to note that "Min Seung-ho had but one enemy bold enough to carry out the deed [and] the popular belief that it was done by his great rival is practically undisputed, though no direct evidence perhaps exists." However, popular accounts claim he went into his inner chamber and when he opened the box, it detonated. The explosion killed his adopted mother (Queen Min's biological mother) and his 10-year-old son immediately the sillok indicates three grandchildren were also present and Min Seung-ho, although severely burned, managed to point towards Unhyeon Palace and say its name a few times (implicating Heungseung Daewongun) before succumbing to his injuries. Beautiful places often have dark pasts. Unhyeon Palace in 2015. Courtesy of Jon Dunbar Alessandra Ambrosio posed up a storm with her mini-me daughter Anja as they enjoyed a day on board a luxury yacht with her friends in Brazil on Tuesday. The supermodel, 40, showcased her sizzling figure in a tiny tan bikini from NUA Swim as she perched on the rails of the boat with her arm around her eldest child, 13. The mother-daughter duo spent the day in Ilha Da Magia, Florianopolis, and could be seen relaxing and hanging out with friends on Alessandra's Instagram Story. 'My Little Mermaid' Alessandra Ambrosio posed up a storm with her mini-me daughter Anja as they enjoyed a day on board a luxury yacht with her friends in Brazil on Tuesday The Brazilian native showed off her washboard abs in the skimpy two-piece, which she styled with a selection of beaded necklaces and and a pair of stylish Vera Wang Eyewear shades. The runway star had seemingly just had a swim in the incredible blue sea below with her daughter judging by their salt-kissed hair. Alessandra and Anja smiled for the sweet photo, which she had captioned: 'My Little Mermaid.' Sister, sister! Alessandra shared a further insight into their day while posting a picture of her purple bikini wearing sister Aline (right) lounging on the sundeck with Anja Activity time: She also shared the moment Anja hopped on a paddleboard with one of her pals and to showcase her skills on the water activity Alessandra shared a further insight into their day while posting a picture of her purple bikini wearing sister Aline lounging on the sundeck with Anja. She also shared the moment Anja hopped on a paddleboard with one of her pals and to showcase her skills on the water activity. The day soon turned into a party as Alessandra danced away with her friends on the deck of the vessel. Not pictured partaking in the fun was Alessandra's boyfriend Richard Lee, though the hunk was seen celebrating New Year's Day with her in Brazil. Happy couple: Not pictured partaking in the fun was Alessandra's boyfriend Richard Lee (pictured) , though the hunk was seen celebrating New Year's Day with her in Brazil Alessandra confirmed her romance with Richard when they were spotted on a romantic dinner date in February 2021. To mark 2022, both Richard and Alessandra posted a loved up beach shoot where they coordinated in all white. She was previously involved with Italian fashion designer Nicolo Oddi who founded the brand Alanui with his sister Carlotta. Stunning: To mark 2022, both Richard and Alessandra posted a loved up beach shoot where they coordinated in all white The model sparked speculation she and Nicolo were no more after two years of dating as she rang in Christmas and New Years without him in 2020. Alessandra shares her two children Anja and Noah, nine, with her ex-fiance Jamie Mazur who co-founded RE/DONE. During her New Year's Eve updates on her Insta Stories the mother-of-two shared a heartwarming selfie with Anja whom she called 'My Bestie.' Alessandra shared a selfie with Richard for a post in which she wished a 'HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022' to her 10.7 million Instagram followers. Joey Essex needed emergency assistance during a daring challenge that almost turned deadly on Wednesday's episode of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! The 31-year-old British reality star was tasked with swimming through freezing cold water, which was covered with plexiglass and dotted with strategically placed holes. After locating each hole, Joey had to emerge from the water and reach into an 'ice block' filled with a variety of terrifying creatures to retrieve gold stars. Terrifying: Joey Essex needed emergency assistance during a daring challenge that almost turned deadly on Wednesday's episode of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Having reached the end of the course, he was then given 20 seconds to swim back to the start, where the show's hosts, Chris Brown and Julia Morris stood. But as he swam back to the start of the course, Joey began to run out of oxygen and became disoriented in the freezing cold water. Watching on from dry land, a panicked Julia, 53, called for an emergency diver to intervene and help Joey before he drowned. Death-defying challenge: The 31-year-old British reality star was tasked with swimming through freezing cold water, which was covered with plexiglass and dotted with strategically placed holes Struggling: As he swam back to the start of the course, Joey began to run out of oxygen and became disorientated in the freezing cold water 'Oh my God. I'm gonna panic. Can we get the diver?' asked an unusually serious Julia as she attempted to attract someone's attention off-camera. A scuba diver then suddenly appeared, and helped Joey locate a hole so that he could get some much needed air into his lungs. The Only Way Is Essex star then made his way to the ladder and exited the pool after a horrifying few seconds underwater. Freaking out: Watching on from dry land, a panicked Julia Morris (pictured with Chris Brown) called for an emergency diver to intervene and help Joey before he drowned Helping hand: A scuba diver then suddenly appeared, and helped Joey locate a hole so that he could get some much needed air into his lungs 'That was intense. I couldn't find the hole. The goggles got the water in them. And it's hard... You couldn't... It was hard to find the holes,' stammered Joey. The clearly shaken star later admitted that he thought he was 'getting hypothermia' in the frigid water. 'There was [sic] a few times that I was panicking hard underwater. I couldn't breathe,' he confessed. She has jetted to Saint Lucia to kick off 2022 in paradise. And Imogen Thomas, 39, showed off her gorgeous curves in a black bikini as she made the most of her break on Wednesday. The former Big Brother star flaunted her sizzling physique in the two-piece as she cooled off in an outdoor shower. Looking good: Imogen Thomas showed off her gorgeous curves in a black bikini as she enjoyed an outdoor shower during her New Year's break to Saint Lucia on Wednesday She had on display her toned abs and gave a glimpse of her ample assets in the plunging bikini top. Imogen accessorised her beach look with a pair of huge black sunglasses as she washed her hair and posed up a storm. The television personality finished in sixth place on the seventh series of Big Brother in 2006. Sun-seeker: The former Big Brother star flaunted her sizzling physique in the two-piece while in the shower Beauty: She had on display her toned abs and gave a glimpse of her ample assets in the plunging bikini top She shares daughter Ariana, eight, and Siera, six, with her ex Adam Horsley, who she split from in 2018 after six years together. Imogen, who now describes herself as an 'investor and content creator', recently spoke of her grief following the death of her close friend and fellow former Big Brother contestant Nikki Grahame, 38, earlier this year. Nikki's death was announced on April 9 2021 after a long battle with anorexia. Following Nikki's death Imogen paid tribute. Confidence: Imogen accessorised her beach look with a pair of huge black sunglasses as she washed her hair and posed up a storm She wrote: 'I have no words, i miss talking to you everyday. 'I miss your funny personality. I miss your impressions. I miss you tantrums. I MISS YOU. I'm utterly broken. 'My best friend...You were special and so beautiful, you were kind it went to far and i am so sorry i couldn't save you. We all tried so hard. 'Now you are gone too early. You had so much more to give. Star: The television personality finished in sixth place on the seventh series of Big Brother in 2006 'You were unbelievably strong and I take comfort in all of those memories we made those epic holidays, those crazy all dayers, just sitting at home listening to Old Skool music. 'I will cherish them for ever. My girls and i will love you and remember you always until we meet again. I'm sorry my angel.' To contact Beat, The UK's Eating Disorder Charity, call 0808 801 0677, email help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk or click here. Taking a break from reality: She has jetted to Saint Lucia to kick off 2022 in paradise Coleen Rooney paid a heartfelt tribute to her late sister Rosie on the ninth anniversary of her death. Rosie passed away in 2013 following her lifelong battle with Rett syndrome, a rare brain disorder that causes severe disabilities. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Coleen, 35, shared a sweet photo of her sibling resting in bed. 'Our angel': Coleen Rooney paid a heartfelt tribute to her late sister Rosie on the ninth anniversary of her death She wrote: '9 years today Ro. Thinking about you every day. Love you always #OurAngel' She wrote: '9 years today Ro. Thinking about you every day. Love you always #OurAngel'. Coleen's followers took to the comments section to share their condolences. One wrote: 'Thinking of you all, lots of love to your lovely mum and dad Col'. Another fan typed: 'Sending so much love to you', while a third echoed: 'Beautiful soul'. Support: Coleen's followers took to the comments section to share their condolences. One wrote: 'Thinking of you all, lots of love to your lovely mum and dad Col' Her love: Rosie bravely fought a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome a rare brain disorder that affects physical movement (pictured on Coleen's wedding day) Rosie bravely fought a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome a rare brain disorder that affects physical movement and can bring about many different symptoms in each individual case. Rosie was originally taken in as a foster child by Coleen's parents, bricklayer Tony and Colette, a former nursery nurse, when she was two. Although they were aware she was disabled they did not know the full extent of her condition, which has no cure. In an exclusive article for The Mail on Sunday in 2006, Coleen wrote: 'When Rosie arrived she could crawl, and even though she couldn't use her hands that much she would handle toys on her play mat and she could eat. Sweet: Rosie was originally taken in as a foster child by Coleen's parents, bricklayer Tony and Colette (pictured), a former nursery nurse, when she was two 'But over a period of time she stopped crawling and lost what use of her hands she had. Then she started having problems swallowing her food. 'It took pretty much a year for Rosie to be diagnosed and, looking back, I can see how much Mum pushed to find out what was wrong with her and to try to do what was best for her.' Coleen was said to idolise her adopted sister and chose Rosie as chief bridesmaid when she married Wayne in 2008. In a statement released shortly after her death, Tony and Colette wrote: 'Sadly our special angel Rosie, our much-loved daughter and sister, went to Heaven at 2.50 this morning at home where she was surrounded by her loving family. 'Rosie was just 14 years old and fought a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome. Throughout her life she brought so much love and happiness to all our family and everyone who knew and met her. 'She was such a strong little girl and an inspiration to us all. We shall cherish for ever the memories we have shared and the love she showed us each and every day of her life. As a family we are heartbroken but we are blessed to have had her in our lives.' Coleen had been on holiday in Barbados with her younger brothers, Joe and Anthony, but cut short the trip when she heard that Rosie's condition had deteriorated. An honour: Coleen was said to idolise her adopted sister and chose Rosie as chief bridesmaid when she married Wayne in 2008 Kanye West has found a new love interest - stunning model and actress Julia Fox, 31. The pair were spotted on their second date in days on Tuesday night, hitting a Broadway show and dinner in New York. Sources have revealed the rapper, 44, and the Italian-American rising star are 'kindred spirits', but is it just a showmance for the aspiring actress? New girl: Kanye West has found a new love interest - stunning model and actress Julia Fox, 31. The pair were spotted on their second date in days on Tuesday night, but who is the rising star? Page Six confirmed the romance last week, with an insider insisting the two are dating. They 'both just got out of their former relationships, and they've helped each other recover immensely.' the outlet revealed. Julia has previously insisted she's not one 'to wait for things to be handed to me,' and with just a handful of appearances with Kanye she has seen her fame skyrocket. Born in Italy to her Italian mum and American dad, after her parents split Julia spent the first six years of her life being raised by her grandfather in Sirona before making the move to be with her father in New York. She has previously talked about her 'unstable' uprbinging which saw her move from borough to borough. At one point she was homeless. Is it serious? Page Six confirmed the romance last week, with an insider insisting the two are dating and are 'kindred spirits' Turning heads: Julia worked the cameras on her Tuesday night date, showing off her racy $24 G-string trousers She also admitted to Rolling Stone in a 2020 interview that she stole clothes to try and emmulate the wealthy women she saw around Manhattan, eventually getting arrested for shoplifting at Bloomingdale's. 'You're seeing this really extravagant display of wealth, and you're trying to look like that, but you have to do it by stealing.' At 15 she ran away with her drug-dealer boyfriend but because of the free spirited lifestyle her father allowed her, no one realised she was missing for three weeks. In her late teens she worked as a dominatrix, earning money and building her confidence while still in high school. She dabbled in art and started a knitwear business before setting her heart on acting. Rising star: Julia has previously insisted she's not one 'to wait for things to be handed to me,' and with just a handful of appearances with Kanye she has seen her fame skyrocket She landed her first acting role in Adam Sandler's 2019 Netflix hit Uncut Gems, with the part of Sandler's girlfriend Julia written for her. She had struck up a friendship via social media with the filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie, who pushed for her to get the role even after producers Martin Scorsese and Scott Rudin argued for a bigger name. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Julia explained how 'Josh would hit me up every few months and ask me for suggestions on the character. Of course, I molded her to be what I wanted her to be, which conveniently was also what Josh wanted her to be.' Before acting she dabbled in filmmaking, photography and writing, but Julia has insisted that she always knew she wanted to be in the film industry, 'and I'm not one to wait for things to be handed to me.' Leading lady: She landed her first acting role in Adam Sandler's 2019 Netflix hit Uncut Gems, with the rule of the leading man's girlfriend Julia written for 'Unstable childhood': Born in Italy to her Italian mum and American dad, after her parents split, Julia spent the first six years of her life being raised by her grandfather in Sirona before making the move to be with her father in New York Next up for Julia is the lead role in the recently announced Upper Cut: Highlights of My Hollywood Life, an adaptation of the internationally bestselling memoir by Carrie White. The film tells the story of the 'First Lady of Hairdressing' and her addiction and recovery. White was the most high-profile hair stylist of her day, working on shoots with Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis and more. But behind the glamorous career, her world was fuelled by champagne and vodka, pills, cocaine, and heroin. The movie is due to start filming this year. Racy: In her late teens she worked as a dominatrix, earning money and building her confidence. She dabbled in art and started a knitwear business before setting her heart on acting Mama: Away from her blossoming career, Julia shares a son, Valentino, 11 months with her private pilot husband Peter Artemiev, whom she married in 2018 Family: Julia bought her son and then-husband to the world premiere of No Sudden Moves at the Tribeca Festival 2021 last June Away from her blossoming career, Julia shares a son, Valentino, 11 months with her private pilot husband Peter Artemiev, whom she married in 2018. Last month Julia took to Instagram to call out her estranged husband, accusing him of turning his back on her and their son, and calling him a 'dead beat alcoholic drug addict dad.' Julia ripped her ex in a series of recent Instagram Stories posts, sharing an image of Artemiev and writing, 'Have you seen this deadbeat dad?' and said he be found 'at most strip clubs, Lucien, Paul's [Baby Grand], Casablanca, the streets etc.' Ex: Julia and her ex were married for three years before they separated last year, just months after the birth of their son Fox said that it was 'traumatic' for her to review the screenshots, videos and photos related to her claims about Artemiev, including a clip in which he was calling her names, according to Page Six. 'I can't even do it anymore,' said Fox, who welcomed son Valentino with Artemiev in February of 2021. 'I just don't want my son f***ed up cuz he feels like his dad was absent or loved alcohol and partying more than him ... this man left me with a 5 month old and a dog and a home and ALL THE BILLS. It's wrong!!! It's not fair!!!' In a separate post, a follower told Fox that her acting career could suffer amid the public vitriol. She said in response, 'This is MY SON'S LIFE we are talking about - I don't give a f*** about my 'acting career.''' She added: 'My son loves his dad. I've accepted that his Dad refuses to present and I've made peace with it but I'm sure as s*** gonna work the public.' Drama: Last month Julia took to Instagram to call out her estranged husband, accusing him of turning his back on her and their son, and calling him a 'dead beat alcoholic drug addict dad' The Instagram Stories posts have since expired. Artemiev denied the allegations to Page Six, as he said, 'I was saddened to learn of the utterly false statements made on social media by Julia Fox, my co-parent, who is clearly struggling.' He continued: 'Out of respect for her privacy and to protect our child, I will not comment further.' An insider told the outlet of Artemiev: 'From what I know, he loves his kid and I don't think he's a horrible father.' Calling him out: 'I can't even do it anymore,' said Fox. 'I just don't want my son f***ed up cuz he feels like his dad was absent Speaking her mind: Fox replied to a follower who said her acting career could suffer amid the public vitriol Kanye has also been seen spending more time with Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Audri Nix in Miami, just hours before he went out with Julia. The Grammy-winning rapper and 27-year-old musician's budding relationship appeared to be blossoming as they arrived to a gated property together on Monday afternoon. For their laid-back outing, the highly decorated hip-hop artist wore an oversized black hoodie with the World Food Programme's logo on it, matching jeans, a pair of gloves and boots. I'm A Celebrity has raised concerns over the safety of the programme after Joey Essex required emergency assistance during Wednesday's episode of the Australian version of the gruelling reality show. The former TOWIE star, 31, began to run out of oxygen and became disoriented in freezing cold water while trying to collect stars for his camp mates during a terrifying tank challenge. It is the second emergency situation in two months for the show, after Richard Madeley was rushed to hospital in the early hours of the morning on the 2021 UK version of I'm A Celebrity. Terrifying: I'm A Celebrity has raised concerns over the safety of the programme after Joey Essex required emergency assistance during Wednesday's episode of the Australian version of the gruelling reality show Joey needed emergency assistance during a daring challenge that almost turned deadly when he was tasked with swimming through freezing cold water, which was covered with plexiglass and dotted with strategically placed holes. After locating each hole, Joey had to emerge from the water and reach into an 'ice block' filled with a variety of terrifying creatures to retrieve gold stars. Having reached the end of the course, he was then given 20 seconds to swim back to the start, where the show's hosts, Chris Brown and Julia Morris stood. But as he swam back to the start of the course, Joey began to run out of oxygen and became disoriented in the freezing cold water. Watching on from dry land, a panicked Julia, 53, called for an emergency diver to intervene and help Joey before he drowned. Oh no! It is the second emergency situation in two months for the show, after Richard Madeley was rushed to hospital in the early hours of the morning on the 2021 UK version of I'm A Celebrity Death-defying challenge: Joey was tasked with swimming through freezing cold water, which was covered with plexiglass and dotted with strategically placed holes Struggling: As he swam back to the start of the course, Joey began to run out of oxygen and became disorientated in the freezing cold water 'Oh my God. I'm gonna panic. Can we get the diver?' asked an unusually serious Julia as she attempted to attract someone's attention off-camera. A scuba diver then suddenly appeared, and helped Joey locate a hole so that he could get some much needed air into his lungs. The Only Way Is Essex star then made his way to the ladder and exited the pool after a horrifying few seconds underwater. Freaking out: Watching on from dry land, a panicked Julia Morris (pictured with Chris Brown) called for an emergency diver to intervene and help Joey before he drowned Helping hand: A scuba diver then suddenly appeared, and helped Joey locate a hole so that he could get some much needed air into his lungs 'That was intense. I couldn't find the hole. The goggles got the water in them. And it's hard... You couldn't... It was hard to find the holes,' stammered Joey. The clearly shaken star later admitted that he thought he was 'getting hypothermia' in the frigid water. 'There was [sic] a few times that I was panicking hard underwater. I couldn't breathe,' he confessed. MailOnline have contacted representatives for further comment. The scary incident will no doubt raise questions over the safety of the programme, as celebrities regularly take part in frightening challenges to win food for camp. 'That was intense. I couldn't find the hole. The goggles got the water in them. And it's hard... You couldn't... It was hard to find the holes,' stammered Joey As well as the tasks celebrities must complete, the current UK version of the show sees contestants leaving in demanding conditions in a Welsh castle Richard was forced to leave the show after being rushed to hospital with an unknown medical condition, after suffering a 'funny turn' in the night. It was a major blow to the show as one of their top signings, the broadcaster, 65, who was paid an estimated 200,000, was taken ill hours after participating in a gruelling trial and complaining about the castle's freezing temperatures. In a statement Richard, who was treated at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Rhyl, confirmed he had to quit the series after breaking the show's 'Covid bubble.' Richard's daughter Chloe, 34, revealed that her father was 'livid' he can't go back into the I'm A Celebrity camp after his shock hospital dash. 'Unforgettable': Richard was forced to leave the show after being rushed to hospital with an unknown medical condition, after suffering a 'funny turn' in the night Richard said: 'Hello all! Richard here firstly just to say that I'm absolutely FINE. I started to feel briefly unwell in the small hours of the morning and was taken to hospital as a precaution. 'By leaving the camp, I had consequently broken the Covid 'bubble' and as such I've had to leave the castle and all the wonderful celebs that remain in the camp. 'Obviously I'm gutted to be leaving so soon but the safety of all the campmates is the number one priority. I'm incredibly excited to watch their journey continueeven more so at the prospect of being somewhere a little warmer than Gwrych Castle 'Thank you to everyone who supported me on my brief but completely unforgettable adventure I've made some great friends and honestly had the time of my life.' Gross! The broadcaster, who was paid an estimated 200,000 to star in this year's competition, was taken ill hours after participating in a gruelling trial An I'm A Celebrity spokesperson added: 'Our strict Covid protocols means Richard has sadly had to leave the show as he is no longer in the bubble the celebrities form when entering the castle. 'He has been a truly brilliant camp mate and we thank him for being part of this series.' A source also told MailOnline: 'Richard is devastated. He was doing his best in the trials and embracing every part of life in camp, this isn't the way he saw his I'm A Celeb journey ending. 'Richard going back to camp would pose as too much of a risk to the other contestants, who have isolated and formed a bubble to protect themselves from a possible Covid-19 outbreak on set. 'Gutted': In a statement Richard, who was believed to be at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Rhyl, reassured fans that he's 'fine' after his health scare 'Everyone on the show will miss him he's been a huge part of camp and it's so disappointing he won't be able to return.' It had been thought that musician DJ Locksmith had been enlisted as a standby contestant, but no one is set to replace Richard in the castle. It was also thought that Richard will still be paid his full fee for his time on the show, despite spending just four days in the castle. An ITV spokesperson previously revealed that Richard had been hospitalised in the early hours of Thursday morning after falling ill overnight. They told MailOnline: 'Richard was unwell in the early hours and was immediately seen by our on-site medical team.' They added: 'He's since been taken to hospital as a precaution, the health and safety of our campmates is our priority.' Worry: Richard was treated at Glan Clwyd Hospital after falling ill overnight Presenter Chloe took to Instagram to say she had spoken to her father and that while he was annoyed he couldn't return, he was 'absolutely fine', before gushing she was 'so proud' of him. She wrote: 'Thanks for all your lovely messages, dad's absolutely fine, we've been speaking to him all day and ultimately, he's just livid he can't go back into camp because of Covid restrictions.' She continued: 'He did himself proud though. He worked hard and was his calm, collected, kind and funny self. We are so proud!' Family: Later on Thursday Richard's daughter Chloe revealed that her father is 'livid' he can't go back into the I'm A Celebrity camp after his shock hospital dash (pictured together) Statement: Presenter Chloe, 34, took to Instagram to say she had spoken to him and that while he was annoyed he couldn't return, he was 'absolutely fine', before gushing she was 'so proud' of him A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 05.43am this morning, Thursday 25 November 2021, to reports of a medical emergency at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, Conwy. 'We sent a paramedic in a rapid response car and an emergency ambulance to the scene, and one patient was taken to hospital.' After news of Richard's hospitalisation broke, his Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid also took to Twitter to offer her well wishes. She wrote: 'Sending love - hope he's feeling ok now. Doing brilliant job on#IACGMOOH and being supportive to everyone. Get well soon Richard.' Close call: The star was also treated at an on-site medical facility outside Gwrych Castle, before an ambulance was called to take him to hospital Safety first: Nurses were seen arriving at the facility where Richard was taken ill, before he was hospitalised Progress: An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Richard was unwell in the early hours and was immediately seen by our on-site medical team' Just hours earlier Richard had earned just four stars in his first solo trial, Kitchen Nightmares, and confessed the ordeal had left him 'freezing.' He was forced to use his mouth to try and untie some of the knots to retrieve stars that were hanging from a rope. As fish guts and offal fell on him, the presenter struggled to unknot the string that had the stars on and exasperated said: 'Holy Moly', before the klaxon sounded again, marking the end of the task. Speaking about the knot he said: 'Who tied these knots? It's wet and it's tight. This one isn't at tight', prompting laughs from Ant and Dec. 'Such a disappointment,' Richard said: 'We'll have something to eat tonight. I was really hoping to do better than that.' Still there: In first look images from Thursday's show, which was partially filmed on Wednesday night, Richard could be seen alongside his campmates before being hospitalised A disheartened Richard returned to camp and told them how difficult he found the trial, and the campmates graciously accepted that he had only managed to get four stars, leading to measly dinner of squirrel. At the end of the show, which was broadcast live, Richard was seen alongside the rest of the camp being told by Ant and Dec that all 10 of them would be heading to the trial area for the latest challenge. It was then revealed that soap stars Simon Gregson, 47, and Adam Woodyatt would be taking part in the Castle Scare Fair Trial as they arrived in camp. The Apprentice mogul Lord Sugar has revealed the last-ever task he will set for his business candidates will be to plan his funeral. The 74-year-old Amstrad magnate has previously spoken about quitting the show after 20 series, and has hatched a plan for his final set of candidates to pitch what his coffin could look like before he bows out of the programme. Ahead of the debut of series 16 on Thursday, the star said: 'I'm not going nowhere and the programme is going nowhere. You're Pyre-d! The Apprentice mogul Lord Sugar has revealed his last-ever task for his business candidates will be to plan his funeral (pictured with the 2022 candidates) 'I really want to make it 20 seasons. This one is 16 so I still have four more to go. I've already worked out the final task in one of the series is to arrange my funeral. 'I want to see how well they arrange it and what kind of coffin they will get for me.' When asked whether Piers Morgan would be able to fill his shoes and carry on the witty banter and one-liners, Lord Sugar laughed: 'You've got to be joking, he's got as much humour as a lead balloon.' Sugar also shut down the idea of a celebrity series of The Apprentice made up of members of the government, claiming politicians, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wouldn't even pass the auditions. Say what? The 74-year-old Amstrad magnate, has previously spoken about quitting the show after 20 series, and has hatched a plan for his final set of candidates to pitch what his coffin could look like before he bows out of the programme He said: 'They wouldn't pass the audition test, including our great leader Boris, that's just for his hair alone. They wouldn't get through the stringent audition process.' Discussing this year's candidates, Lord Sugar said: 'Your initial reaction to some of the candidates are, "Bloody hell. How useless is that one or how useless is this one." 'But, and it goes without saying, every single year, the cream rises to the top.' The new series marks the eagerly anticipated return of the show after it was forced off-air for two years due to the pandemic. A former rugby player, eco warrior, a 'witch school' graduate and the self-dubbed 'Asian version of Lord Sugar' lead the diverse 16-person group who will be battling it out in the boardroom in a bid to nab Lord Sugar's 250,000 investment in their business. This year's group features eight women and eight men from a wide range of business backgrounds, with specialists in online pyjama sales, the retail industry and the food and drink market set to make their screen debut when the series launches on Thursday. The contestants - who BBC bosses insisted were all double vaccinated before taking part in the series - are set to face the toughest challenges ever due to many businesses across the UK having been negatively affected by the pandemic. It's back! The Apprentice will return for its stellar 16th series on Thursday with Lord Alan putting his trust into aides Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell to watch over the candidates during challenges Lord Alan is joined by longtime ally and advisor Karren Brady and series one winner Tim Campbell, who is replacing Claude Littner for the series while he recovers from multiple surgeries following a serious E-Bike accident. The hit BBC show is now in its 16th season, having began in 2005 as a groundbreaking show which featured some of the country's best young business minds hoping to secure a job with the then Sir Alan. However the programme has slowly turned into a more reality TV-inspired fare, with big personalities gloating irreverently about their skills in business. Over the years, Lord Sugar has invested close to a staggering 3million into winning pitches and this year's ambitious entrepreneurs will be doing their utmost to prove they mean business as they fight it out for the life-changing investment opportunity. THE APPRENTICE 2022: MEET THE WOMEN AMY ANZEL, 48 Occupation: Owner, beauty brand Lives: London Key information: Starting her beauty business a little later in life, Amy has now found what she really loves doing after previously working in sales, showbiz and jingles. She says: 'I can be nice when I need to be, but when I unfortunately have to be a b***h, I will' BRITTANY CARTER, 25 Occupation: Hotel front of house manager Lives: Bristol Key information: Brittany is looking to break away from her hotel role and launch the first alcoholic protein drink, with Lord Sugar's help. She says: 'My motto for life is 'always look on the bright side' FRANCESCA KENNEDY-WALLBANK, 26 Occupation: Owner, sustainability company Lives: Surrey Key information: The eco-conscious, mathematics graduate is looking for investment in her next venture, providing a product carbon footprint service for businesses with a simple equation of her own creation. She says: 'There's two types of people in the world- people that say they are going to do things and people that actually do them and I'm a doer' HARPEET KAUR, 30 Occupation: Owner, dessert parlour Lives: West Yorkshire Key information: Describing herself as a born leader, fearless and funny, Harpreet plans to 'level up' her successful, six-figure coffee and cakes business to become a leading brand in the UK. She says: 'I'm definitely not in business to make friends. I'm here to make money, and I'm sure Lord Sugar isn't looking for a new mate. KATHRYN LOUISE BURN, 29 Occupation: Owner, online pyjama store Lives: Swindon Key information: Kathryn has worked a wide range of jobs from mortgage advisor to events manager. Describing herself as ambitious, kind, and often 'savage', she says she's there to win, not to make friends. She says: 'My dreams in my head are absolutely huge and I believe I can achieve them.' SOPHIE WILDING, 32 Occupation: Owner, boutique cocktail bar Lives: Cheltenham Key information: Describing herself as 'magical and enchanting' Sophie even has a witch school qualification. She previously worked in sales and has huge renovation plans for her bar. She says: 'Failure is not an option. Winning is part of my DNA.' STEPHANIE AFFLECK, 28 Occupation: Owner, online children's store Lives: Kent Key information: With her East-London roots, the blonde is hoping to bond with Lord Sugar and match his no nonsense attitude towards business. She's looking for funding to develop her designer store and be part of the growing pre-loved fashion industry. She says: 'I've got grit, determination and I'm determined to be successful.' SHAMA AMIN, 41 Occupation: Owner, children's day nursery Lives: Bradford Key information: Shama already has a busy work life running her children's day nursery as well as juggling life with five children at home. She is ready to prove she has the 'skillset that is required to be one of the best, successful businesswomen in the early years sector.' She says: 'Being a lady of colour, wearing a headscarf as well and the challenges that we face on a daily basis, I just want to be a living example for the Asian women out there.' Advertisement Comedian, writer and actor Tom Allen returns as host of The Apprentice: You're Fired, which will air each week on BBC Two straight after the main show. Casting a wry eye over each week's events, Tom will be joined by a host of celebrity fans and business professionals to dissect and debate the candidates progress through each task. Two special episodes, The Final Five and Why I Fired Them, will also return to reveal the stories behind the series before the finale. The Final Five reflects on the journey of the candidates who make it through to the interviews, before they battle it out to secure their place in the final. Before the series finale, Lord Sugar will also reveal a further insight into his boardroom decisions in Why I Fired Them. The Apprentice starts this Thursday, January 6 at 9pm on BBC One, followed by You're Fired on BBC Two. Watch live and on-demand on BBC iPlayer. She's currently on a winter getaway with boyfriend Shaun White and her pup Maverick. And on Tuesday, Nina Dobrev shared a series of snaps to her Instagram while on their snowy holiday. The Vampire Diaries actress, 32, cuddled up next to 35-year-old Shaun, a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and her pup Maverick, whom she adopted in 2017. Adorable: She's currently on a winter getaway with boyfriend Shaun White and her pup Maverick. And on Tuesday, Nina Dobrev shared a series of snaps to her Instagram while on their snowy holiday Nina looked gorgeous in a patterned sweater with a a matching beanie, adding white ski pants. The star wore her brunette tresses loose and with slight waves under her beanie. She sported red lipstick for a festive touch in the adorable snaps while playing in the snow. Nina captioned the playful images with 'snow daze.' Too cute: The Vampire Diaries actress, 32, cuddled up next to 35-year-old Shaun, a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and her pup Maverick, whom she adopted in 2017 Playful: In some photos, Nina opted o forgo the red lipstick Nina and Shaun, who is a professional snowboarder, also posed in front of their truck for a cute moment. The TV star also posted a snap of them enjoying a date night together. They first sparked romance rumors in February 2020 when they shared similar snaps from a South African safari; while they did not pose together in any shot, fans noticed they took snaps in similar spots, according to Us Weekly. The duo were spotted biking around Malibu the following month; in April 2020, they were in a Instagram video she shared to her account as they washed their groceries. Nina and Shaun went Instagram official in May 2020 after she posted a picture of her about to cut his hair. In August 2020, the duo were seen locking lips during a holiday to Tulum, Mexico. Strike a pose: Nina and Shaun, who is a professional snowboarder, also posed in front of their truck for a cute moment Winter princess: Nina looked gorgeous in a patterned sweater with a a matching beanie, adding white ski pants Gorgeous: The star wore her brunette tresses loose and with slight waves under her beanie Beaming beauty: Nina captioned the playful images with 'snow daze' Lovebirds: The TV star also posted a snap of them enjoying a date night together Nina's vacation comes just two weeks after she visited the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell for the completion of her new company Fresh Vine Wine's IPO. Nina co-owns with Julianne Hough; they launched their company in January 2020. Fresh Vine Wine is a premium wine that is low sugar, low carb and low calories, as well as vegan friendly and gluten free. For their visit to the NYSE, Nina looked stylish in a black dress with a patterned bow and coordinating jacket and calf boots. Julianne donned a knitted white shawl with a black dress, tights and bold red lipstick for the big day. They were joined by Fresh Vine Wine CEO Janelle Anderson. Here goes! Nina's vacation comes just two weeks after she visited the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell for the completion of her new company Fresh Vine Wine's IPO; Nina co-owns with Julianne Hough; they launched their company in January 2020; pictured at the NYSE on December 16, 2021 in NYC Squid Game star Hoyeon Jung is 'grateful and honored' to land her first American Vogue cover after the critically-acclaimed dystopian drama became Netflix's most-viewed series of all time. 'My entire life changed in just one month,' the 27-year-old South Korean sensation marveled to the magazine on Wednesday. 'The feeling, there's a limit to what words can express. I lost eight pounds. I don't know why, but I couldn't eat. I was so confused, and it was so chaotic. I didn't believe it. I didn't trust it.' 'My entire life changed in just one month!' Squid Game star Hoyeon Jung is 'grateful and honored' to land her first American Vogue cover after the critically-acclaimed dystopian drama became Netflix's most-viewed series of all time For the spy movie-inspired shoot, Hoyeon donned sleek designer clothing selected by stylist Jared Ellner. Hairstylist Jenny Cho coiffed Jung's formerly flame-haired locks and make-up artist Nina Park applied her striking red pout. The Society Management/Elite model made her acting debut in Squid Game, stealing scenes with her gritty portrayal of North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, who wants the 45.6B prize to reunite her family. Hoyeon was 'too embarrassed' to watch the nine-episode survival series with her family, but her mother joked that her 'acting was very realistic, like when I'm being mean to her.' The 27-year-old South Korean sensation marveled to the magazine on Wednesday: 'The feeling, there's a limit to what words can express. I lost eight pounds. I don't know why, but I couldn't eat. I was so confused, and it was so chaotic. I didn't believe it. I didn't trust it' Future action star? For the spy movie-inspired shoot, Hoyeon donned sleek designer clothing selected by stylist Jared Ellner Shhhhh! Hairstylist Jenny Cho coiffed Jung's formerly flame-haired locks and make-up artist Nina Park applied her striking red pout 'My younger sister never really took an interest in my career,' Jung said. 'She just thinks of me as her older sibling, so when she told me that my acting was "not that bad" in Squid Game, I was quite surprised.' The 5ft9in catwalker's castmate Park Hae-soo - who plays Cho Sang-woo - said they first bonded over acting-related concerns on set but they became 'like a real brother and sister.' Park said: 'She expressed herself so openly that, toward the end, I found myself leaning on her and confessing my own worries. In a word, we became gganbu.' 142M member households binge-watched! The Society Management/Elite model made her acting debut in Squid Game, stealing scenes with her gritty portrayal of North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, who wants the 45.6B prize to reunite her family Hoyeon was 'too embarrassed' to watch the nine-episode survival series with her family, but her mother (R) joked that her 'acting was very realistic, like when I'm being mean to her' Jung (L) said: 'My younger sister (M) never really took an interest in my career. She just thinks of me as her older sibling, so when she told me that my acting was "not that bad" in Squid Game, I was quite surprised' Hoyeon jokes that she'd love to return for the second season in the same way deceased characters come back to life on the Korean soap opera Penthouse. Squid Game - which dropped September 17 - was ranked No. 1 in 94 countries and an eye-popping 142M member households binge-watched the hit show in its first four weeks. The show will compete for three trophies - including best drama series - at the 27th Critics' Choice Awards, which was scheduled to air next Sunday on TBS/The CW but has since been postponed due to COVID-19. Jung just signed with CAA to represent her as an actress and she's pondering a move to Los Angeles. 'In a word, we became gganbu': The 5ft9in catwalker's castmate Park Hae-soo (R) - who plays Cho Sang-woo - said they first bonded over acting-related concerns on set but they became 'like a real brother and sister' Unlikely: Hoyeon jokes that she'd love to return for the second season in the same way deceased characters come back to life on the Korean soap opera Penthouse 'I have always wanted to go to Hollywood and to act in America, and I still do,' the Dongduk Women's University grad said. 'But Squid Game changed my mindset. It doesn't have to be an American movie or a European movie, it's the story and the message that are more important.' Hoyeon - who got her start as runner-up in the fourth season of Korea's Next Top Model - is also the most-followed Korean actress in the world on Instagram with 23.7M followers. 'I have always wanted to go to Hollywood and to act in America, and I still do': Jung just signed with CAA to represent her as an actress and she's pondering a move to Los Angeles The Dongduk Women's University grad said: 'But Squid Game changed my mindset. It doesn't have to be an American movie or a European movie, it's the story and the message that are more important' Kim Cattrall looked sombre as she headed out for lunch in London on Monday, a day after paying tribute to her late brother. The actress, 65, was joined by her partner Russell Thomas, 50, as they dined at high-end Italian restaurant Cecconi's in Mayfair. Keeping a low-profile on the outing, Kim wrapped up in a grey jacket and leopard print scarf layered over a cream jumper. Brave face: Kim Cattrall looked sombre as she joined boyfriend Russell Thomas for lunch in London on Monday a day after paying tribute to late brother Bracing herself against the bitter cold, the Mannequin star donned a pair of blue fingerless jeans and grey jeans teamed with boots. She completed the look with minimal makeup and styled her strawberry blonde locks in loose waves that framed her face. Russell also looked effortlessly stylish as he paired a camouflage print jacket with a grey baker boy cap. Heading out: The actress, 65, was joined by her partner Russell, 50, as they dined at high-end Italian restaurant Cecconi's in Mayfair Tribute: Kim took to Instagram on Sunday to remember her 'baby brother' Chris Cattrall on what would have been his 59th birthday nearly four years after he took his own life Kim's outing came a day after she took to Instagram to remember her 'baby brother' Chris Cattrall on what would have been his 59th birthday. She shared an old photo of her and her younger sibling side by side as he wrapped himself in a blue towel. Kim said in her caption, 'Today would have been my baby brother Chriss 59th bday. Happy Birthday, sweet Topher.' Kim added, 'We miss you today and everyday. RIPx #suicideprevention.' Nearly four years ago Chris was found dead by police after the entertainer took to social media to ask for help in finding him when he went missing. It took less than a day for authorities to find Cattrall on his property in Blackfalds, Alberta. Shortly after, the longtime performer took to Twitter to update her followers with the heartbreaking news. Holding it in: Kim put on a brave face as she dined alongside her partner Under wraps: Keeping a low-profile on the outing, Kim wrapped up in a grey jacket and leopard print scarf layered over a cream jumper Casual: Bracing herself against the bitter cold, the Mannequin star donned a pair of blue fingerless jeans and grey jeans teamed with boots Low-key: Russell also looked effortlessly stylish as he paired a camouflage print jacket with a grey baker boy cap 'It is with great sadness that myself and my family announce the unexpected passing of our son and brother, Chris Cattrall,' she tweeted. 'At this time we ask for privacy. We want to thank you all on social media for your outpouring of love and support in this trying time.' She also posted the tragic news on Instagram accompanied a picture of herself and her late brother. Chilly: Kim seemed to be feeling the cold as the couple dined al fresco in chilly London Catching up: The pair seemed deep in conversation as they chatted away to one another Sarah Jessica Parker then commented on the post: 'Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx.' Yet Kim famously rejected Sarah's condolences and branded her 'cruel' following the unexpected death of her brother. The Sex and the City actresses famously had a strained relationship following their time on the hit show. Looking up: Kim seemed distracted as she looked around at her surroundings Pour it up: Kim refreshed herself with a glass of sparkling water and orange However, Kim cut all ties when she took to Instagram to tell Sarah that she 'doesn't need her love or support at this tragic time'. The actress continued her rant in the post's caption where she wrote: 'My Mom asked me today 'When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone? 'Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now, 'Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven't already) You are not my family.' 'You are not my friend. So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona.' Yum! Kim tucked into a hearty bowl of pasta at the upscale eatery Tucking in: Russell seemed to be enjoying his al fresco lunch She also included a link to a story about the 'Mean Girl' culture that tainted Sex and the City. Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes, had also commented on the post, saying: 'Hey Kim such awful news. So sorry to hear. Sending you love. XO.' Kim later thanked Cynthia for getting in touch, saying: 'Cynthia, hearing your voice meant so much to me. Thank you for reaching out. Love Kim #SexandtheCity.' Two's company: The pair sat in a comfortable silence with one another after their meal Holding it in: Kim no doubt had plenty on her mind after honouring her late brother's birthday Kim's feud with Sarah is also said to be the reason she didn't reprise her role as Samantha Jones for the Sex And The City reboot, And Just Like That... Samantha's departure was explained in the first few minutes of And Just Like That's debut. In a move mirroring real life, Carrie and Samantha were said to have fallen out - but with Samantha moving to London after Carrie fired her as her publicist. In the scene, Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda reunite over lunch for the first time since the pandemic. Sitting pretty: After their meal, the couple enjoyed some fresh air as they perched outside Caught up: The pair only had eyes for each other as they chatted away with one another The women run into socialite Bitsy Von Muffling (Julie Halston) who asks, 'And where's the fourth Musketeer? Where's Samantha?' 'Um, she's no longer with us,' Charlotte responds. When Bitsy appears to assume that Samantha died, Miranda quickly clarifies that Samantha moved to London for her public relations work. In a later scene, Samantha's departure was addressed in more detail as Carrie and Miranda strolled through New York City. Miranda remarked that it was like Samantha had died since the women never talk about her anymore. Carrie then revealed that the two had a falling-out after Carrie fired Samantha as her publicist. At that point, Samantha stopped returning Carrie's calls and also broke off contact with Charlotte and Miranda. 'I thought I was more to her than an ATM,' Carrie said, later adding 'I always thought the four of us would be friends forever.' Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee delivers a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show at the Venetian Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas, Jan. 4 (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics SKT unveils green technology for net-zero goal By Baek Byung-yeul Han Jong-hee, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, said the global pandemic crisis has awakened the value of the world in which we coexist, and if both the IT industry and consumers participate in making changes, it could make a big difference toward creating a sustainable future. Logo for Consumer Electronics Show / Courtesy of Consumer Technology Association On Jan. 4 (local time), the top executive in charge of Samsung's DX Division, which encompasses the tech giant's visual display, appliances and mobile businesses, gave a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) under the theme "Together for Tomorrow." At the Venetian Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas, Han shared Samsung's vision to contribute to the sustainable development of the world by introducing a range of sustainability initiatives, purposeful partnerships, and customizable and connected technologies. "I'm excited for you to be a part of our vision to see how innovation can create positive change, and to join us and work together for tomorrow," Han said. "These developments will make sustainability part of your product experience, enabling you to live a more sustainable life." The CES event is the world's largest tech event, giving visitors an opportunity to glimpse the latest trends in tech. The event will take place in the U.S. city for three days, from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7. Though it was scheduled to be held for four days, the organizer decided to proceed for three days amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant. Mentioning that consumers can participate in creating a better future by using sustainable products, the vice chairman introduced Samsung's efforts and future plans to enhance sustainability. Samsung has been realizing its vision by adopting new, low-impact product manufacturing practices and carbon-reducing packaging, as well as practices for disposing of products at the end of their life cycle. As part of its efforts to measure and reduce its carbon emissions throughout the production cycle, the company earned two types of carbon footprint certification from the Carbon Trust, which measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organizations, products and supply chains. In 2021, five of Samsung's memory chips earned the Reducing CO2 certification for cutting carbon emissions by nearly 680,000 tons. Han also introduced the company's new TV controller, the SolarCell Remote, which eliminates battery waste with a built-in solar panel that can be charged any time of day and night. "It will be included in more Samsung products like new Samsung TVs and home appliances, with the goal of eliminating more than 200 million batteries from landfills. When you line them up, it is the distance from right here, Las Vegas, to Korea," the vice chairman said. To let more companies use its eco-friendly products, Han added, "Eco-conscious technologies like the SolarCell Remote will be made open-source, so that others can utilize them for their new devices too." A model watches a video displayed through Samsung Electronics' portable beam projector, the Freestyle. Samsung said Wednesday that the new product will be displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics In addition to the keynote speech, Samsung also unveiled new products including a portable beam projector, the Freestyle. Weighing 830 grams, the gadget can display an image on any surface up to 100 inches in size. With its versatile cradle, users can rotate the gadget up to 180 degrees. Models introduce SK Telecom's AI chip at its booth for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Wednesday. Courtesy of SK Telecom Advertisement Kelly Gale was seen getting close to her fiance of nearly a year, Joel Kinnaman, as they vacationed in St. Barts on Wednesday. The former Victoria's Secret model, 26, appeared to be making the most of her time with her partner and their friends as they took in all that the tropical sun had to offer during their romantic getaway. The happy couple announced that they had become engaged this past January with a set of images that were shared to their respective Instagram accounts. Locking lips: Kelly Gale was seen getting close to her fiance of nearly a year, Joel Kinnaman, as they vacationed in St. Barths on Wednesday Happy in love: At one point, the model wrapped her legs around her man as they tenderly embraced Gale showed off her impeccable form in a burgundy bikini top and a matching bottom while she spent time with her fiance. The fashion industry personality also sported a blue cover-up that obscured part of her form during her excursion. The former Playboy Playmate's beautiful brunette locks remained free-flowing, and she accessorized with a pair of black sunglasses. Smiling: Gale showed off her plenty of her sun-kissed skin as she engaged in some PDA with her man At one point, she tenderly wrapped her legs around Kinnaman as they shared a passionate kiss. Kinnaman, 42, kept it casual in a white t-shirt and a pair of patterned trunks as he enjoyed the company of his partner. Gale notably shared a shot of her fiance relaxing on an inflatable pad while floating in the Caribbean Sea to her Instagram Story on Wednesday. Hugs: The happy couple embraced on the shore Bikini body: Gale later stripped down to a tiny black bikini Working it! The model showed off her stunning curves as she yachted around The Suicide Squad actor also posted a picture of himself spending time with his partner to his Instagram Story. The happy couple made a point of sporting near-matching all-white outfits in the shot. He also wrote a short message in his post's caption that simply read: 'Happy new year peoples.' Cheeky display: Gale showcased her incredible bikini body in a thong two-piece Lounging: Meanwhile, her man laid back in a white t-shirt and shorts Doting beau: Kinnaman took photos of his bride-to-be and her friend as they enjoyed their fun getaway Making memories: They were joined by a number of friends on a yacht, where they took a number of selfies and pictures They were joined by a number of friends on a yacht, where they took a number of selfies and pictures. In addition to sunbathing and chatting, they had everything that anyone could ever want during a vacation, within an arm's reach, including rose and champagne. Gale and Kinnaman went public with their relationship in 2019, and they made their red carpet debut that same year. Taking it easy: Kinnaman, 42, kept it casual in a white t-shirt and a pair of patterned trunks as he enjoyed the company of his partner Pop the champagne! In addition to sunbathing and chatting, they had everything that anyone could ever want during a vacation, within an arm's reach, including rose Going strong: Gale and Kinnaman went public with their relationship in 2019, and they made their red carpet debut that same year The actor was previously in a long-term relationship with Olivia Munn that ultimately ended in 2014. The Altered Carbon star went on to tie the knot with tattoo artist Cleo Wattenstrom in 2015. The former couple eventually went their separate ways and divorced in 2018, although they remained friends following their split. Beauty! Later, Gale slipped into a neon green minidress Whirlwind romance: Gale and Kinnaman went public with their relationship in 2019, and they made their red carpet debut that same year High-profile relationships: The actor was previously in a long-term relationship with Olivia Munn that ultimately ended in 2014 Kinnaman and Gale went on to reveal that they had become engaged earlier this year. The actor was notably seen popping the big question to his now-fiance in a snap that was shared to his Instagram account. He also wrote a humorous message in his post's caption that read: 'She said no. Jus kiddin...' Friendly end: The Altered Carbon star went on to tie the knot with tattoo artist Cleo Wattenstrom in 2015 Amicable: The former couple eventually went their separate ways and divorced in 2018, although they remained friends following their split Making a statement: Gale commanded attention in her plunging frock At the time, the Swedish-Australian beauty posted snaps from the proposal on top of a clifftop in California as well as her sparkling engagement ring. She captioned the picture: 'Yours forever.' A host of Kelly's model friends, including Victoria's Secret models Victoria Lee and Jasmine Tookes, also flooded the comment section with their congratulations and well wishes. A year ago: Last January, Swedish-Australian beauty posted snaps from the proposal on top of a clifftop in California as well as her sparkling engagement ring Fun in the sun: Gale notably shared a shot of her fiance relaxing on an inflatable pad while floating in the Caribbean Sea to her Instagram Story on Wednesday Kelly and Joel debuted their romance at Coachella music festival in April 2019. In March 2020, they took their relationship to the next level by adopting an adorable puppy together to 'add to their family' in Los Angeles. Joel previously split from his ex-wife, Cleo Wattenstrom, in late 2018 after two years of marriage. Kelly has never been married before. Better together: The Suicide Squad actor also posted a picture of himself spending time with his partner to his Instagram Story The late, great Betty White's funeral will be private after the actress passed away last Friday peacefully in her sleep from natural causes just 17 days shy of her 100th birthday. 'The arrangements are being handled privately and that was Betty's wish,' her agent Jeff Witjas told People on Wednesday. 'As in life, she never wanted people to make a fuss over her.' RIP: The late, great Betty White's funeral will be private after passing away last Friday peacefully in her sleep from natural causes just 17 days shy of her 100th birthday (pictured in 2019) The 75-year-old APA partner/senior VP asked that grieving fans honor the eight-time Emmy winner by making a donation to one of her favorite organizations like the Los Angeles Zoo where she was on the Board of Trustees since 1974. Betty - who never had biological children - also loved Tree People, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Wildlife Learning Center, Actors and Animals for Others, The Aquarium of the Pacific, and Guide Dogs For the Blind. White - last publicly seen January 16, 2020 - often joked she started out in 'silent television' having made her first appearance on the small screen in 1939. Throughout her impressive 80-year career, the national treasure played memorable regular roles in CBS' The Mary Tyler Moore Show, NBC's The Golden Girls, and TV Land's Hot in Cleveland. Her agent Jeff Witjas (L) told People on Wednesday: 'The arrangements are being handled privately and that was Betty's wish. As in life, she never wanted people to make a fuss over her' 'Wildlife champion': The 75-year-old APA partner/senior VP asked that grieving fans honor the eight-time Emmy winner by making a donation to one of her favorite organizations like the Los Angeles Zoo where she was on the Board of Trustees since 1974 'Friends Forever': Betty - who never had biological children - also loved Tree People, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Wildlife Learning Center, Actors and Animals for Others, The Aquarium of the Pacific, and Guide Dogs For the Blind (pictured in 2019) Betty's last acting gigs were voicing tiger teething ring Bitey White in Toy Story 4 as well as Sarah Vanderwhoozie in Trouble in 2019. White last acted onscreen portraying Ms. Wilson in two episodes of Freeform sitcom Young & Hungry in 2017. The Illinois-born, Hollywood-raised icon will next be honored in the star-studded documentary Betty White: A Celebration, which hits US theaters January 17. Pioneer: White - last publicly seen January 16, 2020 - often joked she started out in 'silent television' having made her first appearance on the small screen in 1939 (pictured in 1954) Dipped: Throughout her impressive 80-year career, the national treasure played memorable regular roles in CBS' The Mary Tyler Moore Show, NBC's The Golden Girls (pictured in 1987), and TV Land's Hot in Cleveland Gone but not forgotten: Betty's last acting gigs were voicing tiger teething ring Bitey White in Toy Story 4 (pictured) as well as Sarah Vanderwhoozie in Trouble in 2019 Legend: White last acted onscreen portraying Ms. Wilson in two episodes of Freeform sitcom Young & Hungry in 2017 The doc features insights from Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Wendie Malick, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. 'We know we have managed to find out almost anything that exists, but nobody knows what happens at that moment when it's over' Betty told New York Times columnist Frank Bruni in 2012. 'It's the one secret that we don't know. So whenever we would lose somebody very close and very dear, my mother would always say, "Well, now he knows the secret." And it took the curse off of it somehow. I have no fear or dread of death. [But] I'm happy as a lark to stay around as long as I can.' Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard have called it quits on their relationship. The pair quietly separated last year and are in the process of 'getting divorced' after he reportedly filed the paperwork in June 2021. 'They are going to try and remain civil and friendly towards each other,' sources told US Weekly. Over: Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard have called it quits on their relationship; seen in 2019 Chanel and Sterling welcomed their first daughter, Cali Clay, in 2018, and their second, Cassie Snow, a year later. They've both scrubbed their Instagram pages clean of any pictures of each other, but have kept photos of their kids. Sterling, a wide receiver for the New York Giants, dropped down to one knee and proposed to the former Victoria's Secret model the day after she turned 27. Tough time: They've both scrubbed their Instagram pages clean of any pictures of each other, but have kept photos of their kids Family: Chanel and Sterling welcomed their first daughter, Cali Clay, in 2018, and their second, Cassie Snow, a year later; seen in November 'A night full of tears of happiness,' she captioned a since deleted shot. 'Im beyond excited to spend the rest of my life with you @sterl_shep3 you are my soulmate, my best friend, my everything! Cant wait to be your Mrs.' The former couple first met at former wide receiver Victor Cruz's birthday party in 2016. 'I walked up to her and bought her a drink and it was over after that,' Shepard said at the time. 'A night full of tears of happiness,' she captioned a since deleted shot. 'Im beyond excited to spend the rest of my life with you @sterl_shep3 you are my soulmate, my best friend, my everything! Cant wait to be your Mrs.' Following their March 2018 nuptials, Chanel and Sterling welcomed their first daughter in August. She said that transitioning into a family of four would be a little more challenging as the couple still tried to make time for their relationship. 'Its honestly tough whenever you put a baby into the situation because youve got to still try to find time for each other and a lot of the focus goes onto the baby,' she told US Weekly. 'So thats the main thing is just me trying to carve out a little time in my schedule and her trying to carve out time in her schedule because were both pretty busy. Thats the toughest thing about it, but we find a way to get through it.' She's no stranger to turning heads with her glamorous appearances. And Lizzie Cundy was at it again on Wednesday as she dressed up to the nines for a less than low-key trip to the dentist in London's Fitzrovia. The TV personality, 53, flashed plenty of leg in a black mini dress which she teamed with a furry stole and black suede thigh-high boots. So glamorous: Lizzie Cundy dressed up to the nines for a less than low-key trip to the dentist in London's Fitzrovia on Wednesday Lizzie accessorised her chic look with oversized black sunglasses and a black handbag, while her caramel locks cascaded over her shoulders. The stunner appeared in a jovial mood as she strutted down the street and posed up a storm before heading into her appointment. Lizzie then opted to document her dentist visit on Instagram, where she joked that she had asked her dentist to give her Rylan Clark-Neal's teeth. Not so casual: The TV personality, 53, flashed plenty of leg in a black mini dress which she teamed with a furry stole and black suede thigh-high boots She then shared another selfie with her mouth open wide and her donning protective glasses, with Lizzie captioning the snap: 'Now shut ya gob.' Last month, Lizzie took to Instagram to share a racy throwback snap with her followers as she reclined under a waterfall. The star shared the image of her figure clad in the sexy two-piece and captioned the the stunning shot: 'Get me back to the beach and bikinis.' Overdressed? Moi? The stunner appeared in a jovial mood as she strutted down the street and posed up a storm before heading into her appointment Open wide: Lizzie then opted to document her dentist visit on Instagram, where she joked that she had asked her dentist to give her Rylan Clark-Neal's teeth Pose: She then shared another selfie with her mouth open wide and her donning protective glasses, with Lizzie captioning the snap: 'Now shut ya gob' The image bears a striking resemblance to the iconic moment presenter Myleene Klass showered in a white bikini, when she was a campmate on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Lizzie penned the caption: 'Hold on to the memories as life changes so quickly. Happy days in a bikini in Barbados, I'm usually there this time of year, missing Barbs and all my friends there.' 'I will be back soon...#barbados #holidays #christmas #break #memories #bikini @pretty_pink_princess Cheeky: Last month, Lizzie took to Instagram to share a racy throwback snap with her followers as she reclined under a waterfall Fans flocked to her page to leave comments on the sexy picture. with one fan posting 'absolutely stunning', followed by two love heart emojis. Another wrote: 'Wise words indeed' with a thumbs up emoji, continuing with 'I'm missing my many lovely friends in Crete, and hope to travel to see them soon.' One friend added 'absolutely stunning' followed by two love heart emoji's and third commented 'gorgeous' and the fire emoji and a string of clapping hands. Advertisement He's credited with revolutionizing Kim Kardashian's style, propelling her profile from reality TV star to a high-fashion trendsetter appearing on the cover of Vogue. But now it appears Kanye West has a new muse to style, in the shape of his latest love interest Julia Fox. Despite having only being linked for a matter of days, it looks as though Kanye, 44, has already been giving style notes to the 32-year-old rising star, as her wardrobe and style rapidly morphs into that of his estranged wife Kim, 41. The Uncut Gems actress has been spotted in a number of racy ensembles that hark back to looks recently worn by Kim, undergoing a dramatic new look that will have surely been approved by Kanye. Attack of the klone! How Kanye West is already styling new girl Julia Fox like his estranged wife Kim Kardashian (Pictured left in 2019) Just last month, Kim confessed in a speech that it was Kanye, who she filed for divorce from in February, that had opened doors for her in the fashion world - admitted that he had pulled strings for her. Kim noted that designers such as Ricardo Tisci and Olivier Rousteing were 'probably talked into' dressing her, after 'getting a call from Kanye,' adding: 'so thank you you know, to Kanye even for really introducing me to the fashion world.' However, now it seems that Kanye is turning his styling attention to Julia after the actress was spotted in Miami last week with a bag full of clothes from Balenciaga, the high-fashion brand that Kim has been touting for months. Makeover: Despite having only being linked for a matter of days, it's fair to suggest that Kanye, 44, has already been giving style notes to Julia, 32, as her wardrobe and style rapidly morphs into that of his estranged wife Kim, 41 Last night, Julia turned heads wearing a $265 Miaou thong pant as she enjoyed a date night with Kanye watching a Broadway play. The look draw striking similarities to Kim, who also rocked that look, albeit with a slightly pricier $1500 Vintage Gucci ensemble. In his own words, the rapper - who recently changed his name to Ye - has been open about how 'styling' his romantic partner is his own 'language of love.' Snap! Julia was seen on Tuesday rocking a G-string look that Kim has also been seen wearing in the past Kim did it first: The reality star is seen with a slightly pricier $1500 Vintage Gucci G-string ensemble 'I'd be styling Kim, that's a language of love for me. That how I bagged her in the first place,' he said in November last year. Adding: 'I pulled up, I had the Balmains and the jackets and stuff, I pull the jackets and the shoes.' In 2015, Kim admitted that she had 'cried' after Kanye overhauled her closet when they got together. He's certainly got a type: Both Kim and Julia have shown off the voluptuous curves "When we first started dating, he went through my closet and he had a stylist come in and they put everything he thought wasn't cool enough in a pile.' 'I walked in and it was like a pile to the ceiling of shoes, all my amazing shoes that I loved. I started crying,' she told Kelly Ripa. 'I put it all in another room and I was like, "I'll trust your opinion, but I'm not getting rid of my stuff." Then I walk in my room and there was an entire room filled of all new clothes, of all the stuff he wanted to fill back up my closet with.' Just like Kim: Julia Fox was pictured on Saturday leaving Kanye's hotel room, with a bag of Balenciaga clothes, that Kim Kardashian has famously been wearing for the past few months Putting a smile back on his face: Kanye - pictured today in New York City - appears to be happy with his new girl Julia She added: 'It was really cool new designer stuff; I hadn't even heard of some of these designers before, and it really helped me fall in love with fashion.' The same could be said for Julia, who before meeting Kanye, appeared to have a less distinctive look. Even in June last year, Julia was seen in a modest black dress as she arrived at the premiere of her movie No Sudden Move with ex Peter Artemiev and their son Valentino. Before Kanye: The actress is seen above in 2019 promoting her role in the movie Uncut Gems Meanwhile, last night in New York, Kanye took Julia to see Jeremy O. Harris' critically-acclaimed Slave Play at the August Wilson Theatre. The play follows three interracial couples undergoing 'Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy' because the black partners no longer feel sexual attraction to their white partners. Kanye and Julia then surfaced at Carbone in Manhattan, which happens to be his estranged wife Kim Kardashian's favourite NY restaurant. Dramatic makeover: In June last year, Julia was seen in a modest black dress as she arrived at the premiere of her movie No Sudden Move with ex Peter Artemiev and their son Valentino (pictured above) Lily James and Sebastian Stan grappled with the fallout of their stolen sex tape in a new trailer for their upcoming Hulu series Pam & Tommy. In the sneak peek, the pair are seen partying in the nude before romping in order to make the famous tape. Yet things soon turn sour as Lily, 32, in character as Anderson, catches people watching the tape on the set of Baywatch before agonizing over what the video could do to her. Steamy: Lily James and Sebastian Stan partied while naked and made their infamous sex tape in the new Pam & Tommy trailer Pam & Tommy chronicles the infamous scandal which rocked Pamela and her then-husband Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee during their three year marriage. The trailer begins with Lily attending a deposition where she is asked about her relationship with Tommy Lee. 'Did you know anything at all about Mr. Lee before you met him?' she is asked, to which she replies 'I knew he was the drummer, from Motley Crue,' she replies. 'Did you find him attractive?' she is then asked, as a swooning Lily replies, 'I liked his smile.' Ramifications: The pair then had to deal with the fallout of making the tape - which was stolen and sold around the world 'I liked his smile': The trailer begins with Lily attending a deposition where she is asked about her relationship with Tommy Lee He makes her heart beat! James swooned as she recalled her relationship with the drummer in the deposition So in love! The famous couple shared a snuggle on the red carpet Viewers are then given a glimpse of the making of the sex tape as Sebastian, in character as Tommy, sets up their camcorder before joining Pamela in bed. 'To everlasting love!' he is heard saying as he kisses his wife. But things take a turn for the worse after bad actors manage to obtain the tape. Seth Rogen, who plays Rand Gauthier, the disgruntled porn actor-turned-electrician who stole Pamela and Tommy's sex tape in 1995, is seen moving a massive safe from the house before breaking into it out in the woods. For their eyes only: Viewers are then given a glimpse of the making of the sex tape as Sebastian, in character as Tommy, sets up their camcorder before joining Pamela in bed X-rated video: The camcorder sat on the top of their television monitor as Sebastian rushed to be with his wife 'It's like we're seeing something we're not supposed to see,' Rand's associate, Uncle Miltie, played by Nick Offerman, says as they watch the tape. As they discuss how they could distribute the tape, Rand suggests selling the tape online. 'No one's gonna get rich off a celebrity sex tape,' a man tells the two. 'What if we sold it somewhere nobody could find us,' Rand suggests. Breaking in: Seth Rogen, who plays Rand Gauthier, the disgruntled porn actor-turned-electrician who stole Pamela and Tommy's sex tape in 1995, is seen moving a massive safe from the house Up to no good: Rand breaks into the safe in the woods Get rich quick: As they discuss how they could distribute the tape, Rand suggests selling the tape online in order to obscure their identities The tape eventually makes its way into the hands of Pamela's colleagues, whom are caught watching it on the set of Baywatch. As men gather around to watch the tape, Pamela walks in, dressed in her red bathing suit and jacket. 'Wow, you are so hot!' Tommy's voice can be heard as she approaches the truck where the tape is playing. Pamela walks into the trailer before grabbing the tape, speechless. Partner-in-crime: Nick Offerman plays Uncle Miltie, his associate who helps him distribute the tape Getting it out there: The tape lands in the hands of those who order it online Making a run for it: Anderson was starring on the hit series Baywatch at the time Prying eyes: The tape eventually makes its way into the hands of Pamela's colleagues, whom are caught watching it on the set of Baywatch Invasion of privacy: James can't believe her eyes as she pulls the tape out Devastating: Sadly, the operation to reproduce the tape has gone into full swing 'How many copies of this are out there? There could be dozens!' Pamela asks her husband in the music studio. Sadly, the operation to reproduce the tape has gone into full swing. 'Pirated copies are spreading up all over the web,' one woman says after the scope of the operation was unveiled. Pamela is panicked over the tape as she agonizes over the ramifications of it to her husband. 'Pirated copies are spreading up all over the web,' one woman says after the scope of the operation was unveiled All on tape: Stan seen in a moment from the controversial tape Panicked: 'How many copies of this are out there? There could be dozens!' Pamela asks her husband in the music studio Uh-oh: The couple cannot believe their eyes as they see the tape online 'You don't seem to understand what a big deal this is,' Pamela tells Tommy in their bedroom. 'I'm on that tape just as same as you,' Tommy says. 'But this is worse for me,' Pamela replies. 'How is this worse for you?' Tommy asks, before Pamela is seen looking exasperated. Social ramifications: 'You don't seem to understand what a big deal this is,' Pamela tells Tommy in their bedroom Feeling misunderstood: 'How is this worse for you?' Tommy asks, before Pamela is seen looking exasperated All hands on deck: Stylists fussed over James as she prepared to film Baywatch Pamela and Tommy tied the knot on a beach in Mexico in 1995 after dating for just four days. At the time, Pamela's mother hadn't even met Tommy. The pair would go on to welcome sons Brandon, 25, and Dylan, 24, but they divorced in 1998. In 2015, Pam told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that she never profited from the sex tape, nor even watched it. She said: 'I've never seen it. I made not one dollar. It was stolen property... 'We made a deal to stop all the shenanigans. I was seven months pregnant with Dylan and thinking it was affecting the pregnancy with the stress and said, "I'm not going to court anymore. I'm not being deposed anymore by these horny, weird lawyer men. I don't want to talk about my vagina anymore or my public sex anything."' Whirlwind romance: Pamela, 54, and Tommy, 59, tied the knot on a beach in Mexico in 1995 after dating for just four days; pictured with son Brandon The sex tape was stolen by Rogen's character Rand Gauthier after Tommy reportedly refused to pay for work that he had performed on their house. When Gauthier confronted the musician about not being paid the $20,000 he was owed, Tommy pulled out a gun to scare him away. Gauthier took his revenge by stealing the giant safe that had been kept in the couple's garage, which mainly housed the drummer's guns and Pamela's jewelry, in addition to the sex tape. Not meant to be: The pair would go on to welcome sons Brandon, 24, and Dylan, 22, but they divorced in 1998 Earlier this year, Pam claimed that the video wasn't actually a sex tape, but was merely a compilation of footage of them naked on vacation, which just happened to include sex acts. Last year, insiders claimed to The Sun that the Pam thinks Pam & Tommy is 'a joke and cheap knock-off.' She reportedly called the show 'God awful,' though the series had just begun filming, and she apparently claimed she had never heard of Lily or Sebastian. The source said Pamela had 'no intention of watching this God awful show, absolutely not. Never.' Pam & Tommy airs February 2 on Hulu and Disney+ She broke records last year as the highest-paid actress of color on television, raking in a reported $450,000-per-episode for the Fox drama 9-1-1. But Angela Bassett has said she's 'never been motivated solely by money or fame' during an interview with InStyle that was published on Wednesday. The 63-year-old performer was featured on the cover of the publication's 2022 Bad*** issue where she stunned in three different looks. Speaking out: Angela Bassett said that she had 'never been motivated solely by money or fame' during an interview with InStyle that was published on Wednesday The Oscar-nominated actress also sat down for a lengthy interview where she discussed several aspects of her career as well as her inspirations. Bassett notably sported a form-fitting dark blue bodysuit while posing for one of the shots. The performer later donned purple and black dresses during the latter parts of the photoshoot. The Golden Globe-nominated actress added various elements of shine to her outfits with several articles of jewelry in two of the shots. Her gorgeous hair remained free-flowing as she posed in a black dress, and she tied part of it into a sizable braid while sporting her purple outfit. Switching around: The performer later donned purple and black dresses during the latter parts of the photoshoot During the interview, Bassett expressed that she had become an actress with the intention of accomplishing what she had always wanted to do. 'I've never been motivated solely by money or fame. For me, it's always and only been for the joy of following my dreams. That's what makes me feel alive,' she said. The What's Love Got to Do with It star added that, although she still understood the attitudes of older performers towards self-expression, she was happy to see the younger groups of actors and actresses becoming aware of their self-worth. 'Being in positions and places where your worth is appreciated is a good thing. There is a bit of me that's from a generation where we don't talk openly about things like that. But I understand what generation this is today,' she said. Letting everyone know: During the interview, Bassett notably expressed that she had become an actress with the intention of accomplishing what she had always wanted to do Bassett went on to speak about her desire to change the perception of African-American individuals with her works, which started during her early days as an actress. 'Thirty and 40 years ago when I started out, Black characters were weighted too heavily in the negative. I was always mindful of those images,' she said. The performer went on to speak about experiencing and overcoming imposter syndrome during her days at Yale University. 'I would literally stand in front of my mirror and give myself a good talking-to...I guess that was my way of therapizing myself in that moment,' she recalled. Making a difference: Bassett went on to speak about her desire to change the perception of African-American individuals with her works, which started during her early days as an actress; she is seen in 2021 Basset then discussed how she encountered difficulty as an African-American actress during the early part of her career. 'We all have that experience of trying to prove ourselves and show our worth. But dealing with the additional layer of being a woman and also a Black woman, it's a journey and a constant battle,' she said. She added: 'It was incredibly powerful in building my self-esteem early on when I would get on those stages and receive the response that I wanted from the audiences and my peers.' Bassett made a point of noting that her primary inspiration as an actress came from her female relatives. Looking back: Basset then discussed how she encountered difficulty as an African-American actress during the early part of her career; she is seen in 2021 'It's the women in my family who have influenced my roles. Growing up without every convenience and then seeing my mother who persevered...she still had grace,' she said. The performer also gave the media outlet a bit of information about her minimal cosmetic and skin care routines. 'I don't really wear makeup if I don't have to. I'm trying to just keep healthy skin that I don't need to cover up...I feel like so much of who we are is on the inside,' she stated. Bassett then described some of the boldest decisions she ever made and noted that she had to learn many of life's lessons on her own. 'I think it was to confidently go after my dreams without someone providing personal instruction and direction for me. I had to figure a lot of it out for myself,' she said. Personal opinion: The performer also gave the media outlet a bit of information about her minimal cosmetic and skin care routines; she is seen in 2021 The performer also spoke about supporting other actors and actresses, especially those of color. 'I've always been that actor who gets excited to see other actors at auditions. Because a lot of times you might find yourself as the only Black woman, or one of a few,' she said. Bassett concluded the interview by expressing that she was happy to be in a position where she could support other performers in their creative endeavors. She stated: 'It's wonderful to be in a position to provide opportunity to the marketplace and to the screen, large and small...as you continue and get stronger with experience, you take the opportunities, and you're grateful.' Kim Kardashian and her estranged husband Kanye West may be trying to move on from each other romantically but their new partners have an overlapping past. Amid news that Ye is dating Julia Fox, a Paper Magazine cover shoot from 2019 has resurfaced starring the actress, 31, as Barbie alongside Pete Davidson as Ken. Davidson's new relationship with Kardashian has been heating up recently and the two are currently enjoying a romantic post-holiday getaway in The Bahamas. Ironically, Pete's Paper cover was for their Break the Internet series which was first made famou by Kim in 2014. Six degrees: Amid news that Kanye West is dating Julia Fox, a Paper Magazine cover shoot from 2019 has resurfaced starring the actress, 31, as Barbie alongside Pete Davidson as Ken In November of 2019, Pete Davidson sat down for a candid interview with Paper and posed for a series of edgy snaps as a tattooed Ken doll alongside a beautiful model playing his Barbie. The model turned out to be Uncut Gems actress Julia Fox, who is currently romantically linked to the ex of Pete's current girlfriend - Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, respectively. During the interview, which came out shortly after he'd ended his relationship with Margaret Qualley (after previously dating Kate Beckinsale and being engaged to Ariana Grande), Pete discussed love. 'My love language, when I'm in a relationship, is I treat the person I'm with like a princess,' he said at the time. 'I try and go as above and beyond as possible, because that's what you're supposed to do? 'If you're in a relationship with someone, you're just supposed to make that person feel as special as possible. But sometimes when you put so much on someone, it overwhelms them, and then they don't know if they could come close to that.' Julia Fox's budding romance with Ye lead to the resurfacing of the more than two year old piece of Davidson's. The actress served as a model for the shoot and wasn't interviewed as part of the piece, and it is unclear if she and Pete knew each other outside of the project. Earlier this week, Ye and Fox pair were spotted enjoying a Broadway date night in New York City to see Jeremy O. Harris' critically-acclaimed Slave Play at the August Wilson Theatre. New couple alert? Julia Fox's budding romance with Ye lead to the resurfacing of the more than two year old piece of Davidson's; She and the rapper have been spotted out together enjoying dates this week Kanye and Julia then surfaced at Carbone in Manhattan, which happens to be his estranged wife Kim Kardashian's favorite NY restaurant. Kim filed for divorce in early 2021 following six years of marriage and four children together, and the reality star has already begun moving on herself with SNL star Pete Davidson. The couple were first linked back in October and things are getting more serious with Kim and Pete spotted boarding a private jet to The Bahamas together just this week. Since the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is based in Los Angeles with her four children, and Pete lives in New York City, where he performs for SNL, the two have been flying back-and-forth to spend time with each other on the coasts. Meanwhile: Kim Kardashian's relationship with Pete Davidson is heating up and the two are currently spending a romantic vacation together in The Bahamas They were previously seen enjoying some time together on December 18, which also marked the last SNL episode before a hiatus. Due to surging COVID-19 cases brought on by the Omicron variant, most of the show's cast sat out the episode for safety reasons, so Pete had the evening off. He took Kim to one of his preferred movie theaters in Staten Island and rented out a screening room so that they could have a private viewing of Ridley Scott's latest film House Of Gucci, which stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and Jared Leto, among other. The couple have gotten so comfortable in recent weeks that Kim also didn't mind Pete taking out her luxurious Rolls-Royce on his own for some last-minute Christmas shopping. During one of his outings, he was seen buying some high-end jewelry, though it's not clear if it was intended for Kim. Page Six previously reported that Kris was 'obsessed' with Pete, and the whole family appears to have enjoyed spending time with him in recent months. Kris even threw him a birthday party in November, which was attended by Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav. Jon and Kate Plus Eight alum Kate Gosselin has been settling into her new quieter, fame-free life as a nurse living in Troutman, North Carolina. On Tuesday, the 46-year-old mother-of-eight - who obtained her license from the North Carolina Board of Nursing on June 30 - was spotted casually filling her tank at a gas station. Gosselin (born Kreider) sported a black Killington Ski Area T-shirt with matching leggings and white plastic slides as she pumped gas. Life after fame: Kate Gosselin, pictured here on January 4, has been settling into her new quieter, fame-free life as a nurse living in Troutman, North Carolina Reality TV super star: Kate Gosselin became a household name with her hit TLC show Jon and Kate Plus Eight. The show premiered in 2007, documenting her family life with her then husband and their sextuplets and twins Kate - who once popularized the 'I need to speak to the manager' haircut - wore her long highlighted locks in a messy bun for her outing. The Pennsylvania-born blonde was also seen walking the family dog while wrapped up in a Tommy Hilfiger hoodie. Gosselin - who had a notorious hot-tempered, bossy onscreen persona - flashed a smile while bonding with her beloved canine companion. It's hard to believe Kate's sextuplets - Aaden, Alexis, Collin, Hannah, Joel, and Leah - will turn 18 on May 10 and officially become legal adults. Out and about: On Tuesday, the 46-year-old mother-of-eight - who obtained her license from the North Carolina Board of Nursing on June 30 - was spotted casually filling her tank at a gas station Dressed down: Gosselin (born Kreider) sported a black Killington Ski Area T-shirt with matching leggings and white plastic slides as she pumped gas Doggo alert! Kate - who once popularized the 'I need to speak to the manager' haircut - wore her long highlighted locks in a messy bun for her outing Cute pup! The Pennsylvania-born blonde was also seen walking the family dog while wrapped up in a Tommy Hilfiger hoodie One of her daughters - either Alexis of Leah - landed a job working at the fast-food chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill. The 17-year-old former child star was seen wearing her uniform as she reported for duty at the popular restaurant. A bird's eye view of the retired reality star's 3,562 square-foot, four-bedroom home revealed she has a dock, small swimming pool, and a jacuzzi. Gosselin purchased the house next to the man-made Lake Norman of Catawba for $750K and moved in March - according to reports. Puppy love: Gosselin - who had a notorious hot-tempered, bossy onscreen persona - flashed a smile while bonding with her beloved canine companion All grown up! It's hard to believe Kate's sextuplets - Aaden (M), Alexis, Collin, Hannah, Joel (L), and Leah - will turn 18 on May 10 and officially become legal adults Learning responsibility: One of her daughters - either Alexis of Leah - landed a job working at the fast-food chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill Part-time employee: The 17-year-old former child star was seen wearing her uniform as she reported for duty at the popular restaurant Kate sold her marital 23-acre, six-bedroom Wernersville, PA home for $1.085M - $35K less than what she and ex-husband Jon Gosselin paid for it in 2008, The Sun reported in Feburary. On August 7, Madelyn aka Mady posted a TikTok video of herself going back-to-school shopping with her famous mother and siblings. The 21-year-old student is currently enrolled at Fordham University in New York. Mady's twin sister Cara is also living in New York, but she's enrolled at Syracuse University. Home sweet home: A bird's eye view of the retired reality star's 3,562 square-foot, four-bedroom home revealed she has a dock, small swimming pool, and a jacuzzi Fall foliage: Gosselin purchased the house next to the man-made Lake Norman of Catawba for $750K and moved in March Marital home: Kate sold her prior 23-acre, six-bedroom Wernersville, PA house for $1.085M - $35K less than what she and ex-husband Jon Gosselin paid for it in 2008 Meanwhile, their 44-year-old estranged father has primary custody of Hannah and Collin, who alleged that Jon had abused him in September 2020 - according to People. The Gosselins reportedly only communicate through their attorneys following the end of their acrimonious decade-long marriage in 2009. Kate and the Amazon IT specialist's hit TLC series Jon & Kate Plus 8 aired for five seasons spanning 2007-2010, once amassing 9.8M viewers for the fifth season premiere. During her hey-day, Gosselin was said to earn $250K per episode to produce and star in the rebranded Kate Plus 8, which ran for six seasons spanning 2010-2017 plus a 'College Bound' episode in 2019. Smile! On August 7, Madelyn aka Mady (L) posted a TikTok video of herself going back-to-school shopping with her famous mother (R) and siblings Graduating soon? The 21-year-old student is currently enrolled at Fordham University in New York 'I love these kids fiercely': Mady's twin sister Cara (R, pictured in 2019) is also living in New York, but she's enrolled at Syracuse University Still lives in PA: Meanwhile, their 44-year-old estranged father (L) has primary custody of Hannah (M) and Collin (R), who alleged that Jon had abused him in September 2020 Kate also appeared in Say Yes to the Dress (2008), co-hosted four episodes of The View (2009-2010), competed on Dancing with the Stars (2010), Celebrity Wife Swap (2013), The Apprentice (2015), and wrote three non-fiction books. But Gosselin hasn't been on television since 2019 when she attempted to find love on her six-episode spin-off, Kate Plus Date. 'Kate has been struggling with money because she hasn't worked for a while,' a source told The Sun in 2020. 'She has been living off the money she made in the past but it's been years since her last job.' Happier times: The Gosselins reportedly only communicate through their attorneys following the end of their acrimonious decade-long marriage in 2009 Amassed 9.8M viewers for the fifth season premiere! Kate and the Amazon IT specialist's hit TLC series Jon & Kate Plus 8 aired for five seasons spanning 2007-2010 End of an era: During her hey-day, Gosselin was said to earn $250K per episode to produce and star in the rebranded Kate Plus 8, which ran for six seasons spanning 2010-2017 plus a 'College Bound' episode in 2019 I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! premiered on Monday evening on Channel 10, and it looks like one camper is already proving to be a fierce competitor. As of Thursday morning, Beau Ryan has emerged as one of the favourites, jumping to second place overnight on Sportsbet after previously not being a serious contender. The leading online bookmaker is tipping the former NRL star to place runner-up with relatively short odds of $4. Twist: I'm a Celebrity star Beau Ryan (pictured) has jumped to second place overnight in Sportsbet odds after previously not being a serious contender Beau replaced MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow, who was previously sitting in second place at $3.50 on Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, television and radio host Dylan Lewis is still the front-runner to win the show with odds of $2.50. The final episode was secretly filmed in northern New South Wales in September. Fan favourites: Beau replaced MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow (pictured), who was previously sitting in second place at $3.50 on Wednesday afternoon I'm a Celebrity premiered this week, with producers swapping the South African jungle in favour of a camp in Queensland. With the show being filmed in advance for the second time in a year due to the Covid pandemic, contestants were eliminated based on their performance in the trials, not by the viewers at home. However, Daily Mail Australia understands that audiences will be able to pick the winner during the live finale later this month. Has the I'm a Celebrity winner been leaked already? Meanwhile, television and radio host Dylan Lewis is still the front-runner to win the show at $2.50 As usual, viewers were left scratching their heads when the latest batch of contestants arrived, with many hearing the stars' names for the first time. Shortly after the arrival of Miss Universe Australia 2020 Maria Thattil, Beau Ryan and comedian Cal Wilson, fans vented their frustrations on Twitter. 'It would appear this year @I'mACelebrityAU is using the word celebrity very loosely. It's awful,' one person complained. 'Where are the actual celebrities?' another asked. 'I don't know what's worsethe fact I barely recognise any 'celebrities' or the fact I'm never going to get the last two hours back #ImACelebrityAU,' a third agreed. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! continues Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Chung Ki-sun, bottom right, shakes hands with Palantir Technologies COO Shyam Sanjkar after signing an MOU to establish a big data platform, with Palantir CEO Alex Karp seen on screen, a day ahead of the CES 2022 in Las Vegas, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Hyundai Heavy Industries By Kim Hyun-bin LAS VEGAS Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group inked a partnership with Palantir Technologies, the top U.S. big data analytics company, to build a big data platform for the conglomerate's core businesses, including shipbuilding and offshore engineering, Wednesday. The two parties also decided to establish a joint venture to promote the big data platform business in the medium to long term. HHI Group announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Palantir Technologies in Las Vegas, Tuesday (local time) for the establishment of a big data platform. Logo for Consumer Electronics Show / Courtesy of Consumer Technology Association "We expect that this partnership with Palantir Technologies will substantially improve the competitiveness of core businesses within the group. It will be an important turning point in innovation of organizational culture that changes the way we work using data," Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings CEO Chung Ki-sun said. Lucie Donlan stripped down to sultry pale pink lingerie for her latest photoshoot, sharing the standout shots with her Instagram followers. The newly-engaged reality star, 23, put on a racy display as she posed for several sexy snaps in the alluring Ann Summers underwear. Posing up a storm was something that came naturally to the former Love Islander as she leant against blue-and-white wallpaper and a bauble-laden ledge. Model: Newly-engaged Lucie Donlan put on a racy display in sultry pale pink lingerie as she posed up a storm for her latest shoot Her taut abs and svelte waist on full display, the blonde model-cum-surfer had a natural aura about her as she let her waves cascade past her shoulders. To complement the hue of underwear, Lucie opted for a subtle hint of pink eyeshadow which accentuated her phenomenal look. Her fiance Luke Mabbott, who, like her, rose to fame off the back of Love Island, jumped straight the comment section, gushing: 'No words,' followed by a heart eye emoji and love heart. Wow: The newly-engaged reality star, 23, put on a racy display as she posed for several sexy snaps in the alluring Ann Summers underwear Lingerie: Posing up a storm was something that came naturally to the former Love Islander as she leant against blue-and-white wallpaper and a bauble-laden ledge Figure flaunting: To complement the hue of underwear, Lucie opted for a subtle hint of pink eyeshadow which accentuated her phenomenal look Appreciation: Her fiance Luke Mabbott, who, like her, rose to fame off the back of Love Island, jumped straight the comment section, gushing: 'No words,' followed by a heart eye emoji and love heart The bikini snaps come after the beauty's boyfriend Luke revealed he had popped the question as they watched the Northern Lights during their trip to Finland. In the sweet photo announcing the engagement, both stars are wrapped up in matching winter coats, sharing a kiss as Lucie flashes her ring. While Luke takes the obligatory selfie, their eyes are closed but visibly smiling through the smooch, with the stunning Northern Lights visible behind them. Wow: The bikini snaps come after the beauty's boyfriend Luke revealed he had popped the question as they watched the Northern Lights during their trip to Finland He wrote: 'Mrs Mabbott to be. The northern lights made an appearance for the perfect moment to pop the question. A night we will never forget.' The pair have been dating since July 2020. Lucie appeared on the 2019 series of Love Island, and briefly dated fellow contestant Joseph Garratt. Luke reached the final of the winter series of Love Island in 2020, but split from Demi Jones shortly afterwards. She's the Aussie socialite who recently holidayed in Dubai where she joked about flouting the city's strict dress code for women. And on Wednesday, glamorous influencer Amy Castano shared a defiant bikini selfie after returning to Sydney. In what appeared to be a throwback photo from her overseas trip, the 31-year-old looked sensational as she showed off her curves in the skimpy black two-piece. Defiant: Amy Castano, who recently holidayed in Dubai where she joked about flouting the city's strict dress code, shared a defiant bikini selfie on Wednesday after returning to Sydney Amy's bikini left little to the imagination, and she pulled the tie-side bottoms perilously high on her hips to show off even more skin. Amy wore a full face of makeup for the selfie and styled her long dark hair loosely over her shoulders. Amy, who is the wife of Rebel Wilson's personal trainer Jono Castano, rang in the New Year in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. That's one way to celebrate! Amy, who is the wife of Rebel Wilson's personal trainer Jono Castano, rang in the New Year in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Pictured in Dubai Rules: While Dubai has rules that require women to wear 'respectful clothing' that covers the shoulders and knees, it's common for female tourists to wear bikinis at the beach and it's unlikely Ms Castano would have run into any trouble During her trip, she posted several photos to Instagram of herself in skimpy bikinis and racy outfits and even joked about being 'arrested' for flashing. In one photo, Amy posed alongside her friend Amal Wakim in a figure-hugging crop top and leggings. 'She's using me to go viral on TikTok and asked me to flash... I'd get arrested for you @amal.wakim. Committed to the cause,' she captioned the image. 'I'd get arrested for you': During her overseas trip, Amy posted several photos to Instagram of herself in skimpy bikinis and racy outfits and even joked about being 'arrested' for flashing Amy also shared another picture of herself and a friend at the beach in bikinis, and wrote: 'For those that have money on @Amal.Wakim getting arrested first' Amy also shared another picture of the pair at the beach in bikinis, and wrote: 'For those that have money on @Amal.Wakim getting arrested first.' While Dubai has rules that require women to wear 'respectful clothing' that covers the shoulders and knees, it's common for female tourists to wear bikinis at the beach and it's unlikely Amy would have run into any trouble. Amy is a popular fitness influencer, boasting 537,000 followers on Instagram where she often showcases her impressive physique. She first met her husband, Jono Castano, whose celebrity PT clients include Rita Ora and Rebel Wilson, on MySpace 13 years ago, before later bumping into one another at a nightclub and falling in love. Jono proposed to his wife in Maui, Hawaii, on her birthday, and she would go on to describe the proposal as both romantic and luxurious. She's been spotted hanging out with friends on the West Coast after taking a break from her home in New York. And Bella Hadid made a statement wearing striped slacks as she tooled around town in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon. The 25-year-old supermodel paired her vibrant trousers with an understated black long-sleeved top as she reminisced on warmer weather in a bikini snap shared to Instagram. Stepping out: Bella Hadid made a statement wearing striped slacks as she tooled around town in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon Bella, who grew up in Malibu and appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with her mom Yolanda Hadid, tended to a few errands on the westside in the morning with a friend. She wore her favorite pair of Doc Marten black leather combat boots and carried her trusty blue canvas tote by her side. Her brunette shoulder-length hair was tied back into a bun with a claw clip and she wore her signature rectangular frames. Basic: The 25-year-old supermodel paired her vibrant trousers with an understated black long-sleeved top Busy: Bella, who grew up in Malibu and appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with her mom Yolanda Hadid, tended to a few errands on the westside in the morning with a friend She took to Instagram and shared a snap with her bestie Lauren Perez from her 24th birthday bash. The cover girl was positively glowing as she soaked up the sun during a tropical retreat with a few of her besties. Bella also posted a few behind-the-scenes snaps from Lauren's wedding dress fittings last year before she stood by her side at her Miami nuptials where Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber were also in attendance. Good times: The cover girl was positively glowing as she soaked up the sun during a tropical retreat with a few of her besties Biggest fan: Bella also posted a few behind-the-scenes snaps from Lauren's wedding dress fittings last year before she stood by her side at her Miami nuptials where Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber were also in attendance Notably not on Bella's LA adventure, though, was boyfriend Marc Kalman, 33, who stayed back in Manhattan. The couple has been linked together since July 2020, but it wasn't until October of 2021 that Bella shared photo with her beau to her Instagram page. According to Kalman's website, he's an art director who has worked both with his girlfriend and with Kylie Jenner's rapper partner Travis Scott. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Ship-borne helicopter lands on supply ship Dongpinghu (Hull 902) China Military Online) 11:26, January 05, 2022 A machinist assigned to a brigade under the PLA Navys Marine Corps inspects a ship-borne helicopter prior to a landing drill for carrier-based helicopter on December 17, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Cong Lianying) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun speaks about the company's robotics drive alongside a robot called Spot during the company's robotics conference at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group Auto giant to combine robotics with mobility By Kim Hyun-bin LAS VEGAS Hyundai Motor unveiled its vision for pioneering the use of robotics in both the real world and the metaverse at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 (CES 2022), one of the most influential tech events in the world that runs until Friday. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, delivered a presentation under the theme of "Expanding Human Reach" at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Tuesday (local time). The presentation reflected the company's robotics drive, which is part of its paradigm shift towards future mobility, going beyond traditional means of transportation. Robotics is an essential part of Hyundai Motor's transformation into a smart mobility solution provider. As part of that transformation, the automotive giant acquired Boston Dynamics to get its hands on advanced robotics technologies that can be used to develop a wide range of mobility solutions. Logo of Consumer Electronics Show / Courtesy of Consumer Technology Association The company believes robotics and mobility form a synergistic combination that will propel its future earnings. Hyundai Motor describes that combination as "metamobility," which aims to pioneer a connection between smart devices and the metaverse that will expand the role of mobility to virtual reality (VR). Hyundai Motor also shared its vision of how robots will act as a medium between the real world and virtual space, enabling users to make changes in the metaverse to be reflected in reality. The company envisions future mobility gaining traction through the development of robotics technology, AI and autonomous driving. Smart automobiles and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) will be transformed into smart devices that are more than just means of transportation. "We envision future mobility solutions made possible by advanced robotics even expanding our mobility solutions to Metamobility," Chung said. "This vision will enable unlimited freedom of movement and progress for humanity." During the automaker's CES presentation, Hyundai Motor Group President Chang Song and Microsoft Corporate Vice President Ulrich Homann joined Boston Dynamics' founder Marc Raibert to discuss the metaverse and metamobility. Hyundai Motor expects that forms of mobility, such as automobiles and UAM, will serve as smart devices to access virtual space, while robotics will act as a medium to connect the virtual and real worlds. "The idea behind Metamobility is that space, time and distance will all become irrelevant. By connecting robots to the metaverse, we will be able to move freely between both the real world and virtual reality," Song said. "Going one step further from the immersive 'be there' proxy experience that the metaverse provides, robots will become an extension of our own physical senses, allowing us to reshape and enrich our daily lives with metamobility." Unlike the current incarnation of VR where user experiences are not reflected in the real world due to technological limitations, future metaverse users will be able to affect changes in the real world through robotics and digital twin technology, a virtual representation of a physical object, place or process that will be made possible by further advancements in sensors and actuators. For example, a user accessing a digital twin of their residence in the metaverse while being away will be able to feed and hug his or her pet at home through an avatar robot. This will allow users to enjoy real world experiences through VR. Hyundai Motor envisions a metaverse using robots as a medium between the real and virtual worlds, enabling people to actually change and transform things in the real world through a metaverse and robot connection. Smart transport ecosystem Hyundai Motor also revealed its blueprint for a so-called Mobility of Things (MoT) ecosystem where Plug & Drive (PnD) and Drive & Lift (DnL) modular platforms are fused with robotics technologies to create new modes of smart, interconnected transportation. "We are directing all our robotics engineering and creative efforts toward building an unlimited Mobility of Things ecosystem," said Hyun Dong-jin, vice president and head of Hyundai Motor Group's robotics lab. "The goal is for robotics to enable all kinds of personal mobility, connected to communicate, move and perform tasks autonomously." Hyun highlighted the new PnD module, a wheeled robotics platform that combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware that can be scaled up or down, for any purpose, size or application. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) functions and camera sensors allow a PnD-enabled object to move autonomously. "In the world to come, we will not move our things, but things will actually move around us with the PnD module making traditionally inanimate objects mobile," Hyun Dong-jin, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Lab said. "We are directing all our ambitious robotics engineering and creative efforts towards realizing an even bigger vision than ever the unlimited Mobility of Things ecosystem." At CES 2022, Hyundai Motor exhibited a total of four concept models using a PnD modular platform, including Personal Mobility, Service Mobility, Logistics Mobility and L7 all of which fit into the envisioned unlimited MoT ecosystem. Hyundai Motor's Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED) / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group Hyundai Motor also showcased the MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid) small mobility platform that uses the DnL module that combines the drive, steering and braking systems in one structure. With DnL mounted on each wheel, MobED can lift the platform up and down so the body can stay level as it traverses uneven terrain or shallow barriers such as steps or speed bumps. Raibert also joined the presentation to show how Boston Dynamics and Hyundai Motor are taking mobility beyond physical limitations using current robotics technologies. Together, the two companies envision a future in which people and robots work together, improving safety, productivity and quality of life. "We see a future where robots become more than just task-oriented tools, more than just machines," Raibert said. "We believe in a future where robots become useful, trusted companions in our everyday lives." Hyundai Motor's Spot robot- / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group Skip to main navigation For Release: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement enforces the 71 chapters of New York State's Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 1880, the first eight Game Protectors proudly began serving to protect the natural resources and people of New York State. In 2020, 298 Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responded to 29,673 calls and worked on cases that resulted in 11,952 tickets or arrests for crimes ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations. Some of these incidents result in injuries, property damage, or even death, and starting this year, 'ECO Highlights' is transitioning to a new title, 'Environmental Conservation Police On Patrol.' "DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Investigators are on the front lines each and every day to protect our natural resources by upholding New York's environmental laws and regulations and safeguarding public health," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "From ensuring hunters and anglers follow rules and regulations afield and on the water, to sustaining partnerships with local law enforcement agencies investigating crimes that include solid waste dumping and air emissions violations, ECOs and Investigators are on patrol, ready to serve their communities. Each year brings new challenges, and fortunately, these Officers and Investigators are expertly trained to perform their duties with persistence, integrity, and good judgment, as they've done for over a century." Sub Sandwich Leads to Illegal Deer Charges - St. Lawrence County On Nov. 9, ECO Atwood received a report of a possible deer jacking in the town of Edwards. Once on scene, the Officer collected a discarded sub sandwich bag and a trail cam picture of a suspect vehicle. ECO Atwood then visited a local store that sells sandwiches and obtained video that identified the vehicle and suspects. The ECO confronted the suspects with the evidence and the two individuals confessed to illegally taking a doe. Empty sandwich bag found on scene of illegal deer take Illegal Hunting from an ATV - Chautauqua County On Nov. 21, ECOs Budniewski and Kinney received a complaint about an individual hunting from an ATV in the town of Ellery. After learning where the suspect would exit the woods, the ECOs waited in a hidden location. A short time later, the suspect exited with a deer, was questioned by the Officers, and admitted to shooting the buck from his ATV. The ECOs issued tickets to the hunter for taking an illegal deer, possessing a loaded firearm on a motor vehicle, using a motor vehicle to take wildlife, and possessing an untagged deer. One month later, the suspect appeared in court and paid more than $700 in civil penalties and faces revocation of his hunting privileges for up to five years. ECOs Conduct Hunting Enforcement Detail - Niagara County During the early afternoon hours of Nov. 28 in the town of Royalton, ECOs Scheer, Wolgast, Holzle, Fonda, Godson, Fuerch, and K-9 Handley conducted an enforcement detail one week into the Southern Zone Regular Big Game Season. Officers observed a few Environmental Conservation Law violations during the detail, including three loaded firearms in motor vehicles, two untagged deer, and an individual failing to report a deer harvest within seven days. ECOs were pleased that the majority of the hunters followed all hunting regulations while afield and Officers were impressed by hunters' harvests and stories. Tracks in the Snow Lead to Suspects in Illegal Deer Take - St. Lawrence County On Nov. 29, ECO Jackson was patrolling an area in the town of Lorraine known for deer jacking. The Officer observed a spotlight in a field a short distance from his location and moments later, heard a single gunshot ring out from the same area. ECO Jackson rushed to the field, but the shooter took off into the woods. Lieutenant Bartoszewski responded to help ECO Jackson track down the culprits and identified two separate sets of shoe prints in the freshly fallen snow. They found a dead spike horn buck in the field. The Officers followed the tracks through the field and into a swamp where they made their way out of knee-deep water toward a roadway where the suspects were likely picked up by a vehicle. ECO Jackson, Lt. Bartoszewski, and Investigator Malone returned to the location over the next few days. After interviewing suspected poachers, two individuals confessed. The Officers seized the weapon used in the incident and issued appearance tickets to the shooter for the unlawful take of protected wildlife, taking whitetail deer with the aid of an artificial light, and hunting during closed hours. The case is pending in the Town of Lorraine Court. Pennsylvania Violation - Chautauqua County On Dec. 14, while checking several deer processors in Chautauqua County, ECO Kinney encountered a hunter who did not report his deer harvest. After speaking to the hunter, Officer Kinney learned the subject possessed a resident big game hunting license despite living in Pennsylvania. ECO Kinney cited the hunter for taking an illegal deer, making a false statement while applying for a license, and for being a non-resident hunting without a valid license during archery season. A week later, the man paid a $550 civil penalty for the violations. Angels Project - St. Lawrence County On Dec. 18, ECO Sherry assisted the Brier Hill Volunteer Fire Department with its annual Angels Project, which delivers Christmas gifts and food to families in the Morristown, Hammond, and Macomb areas. This year, the Officers delivered food packages to 41 families and Christmas gifts to 100 children. Assisting with the deliveries were members of the New York State Police, New York Park Police, U.S. Customs and Immigration, and the Brier Hill Volunteer Fire Department. Toys delivered to children in St. Lawrence County via Angels Project Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. On Tuesday, Telangana reported 1,052 new Covid cases, a very steep climb up from 482 it saw on Monday, the state health department said. (Representational Image/ PTI) Hyderabad: Covid-19 cases have begun surging in Telangana, and if the overnight doubling of cases is any indication, then the state appears to be falling headlong into the third wave of Covid. On Tuesday, Telangana reported 1,052 new Covid cases, a very steep climb up from 482 it saw on Monday, the state health department said. Hyderabad city has firmly established itself yet again as the epicentre of Covid spread with new daily cases rocketing up from 294 on Monday to 659 on Tuesday. Whether this severe surge in cases is being driven by the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus has not been made clear by the Director of Public Health & Family Welfare Dr G. Srinivasa Rao who had earlier said the Telangana health department would not make any distinction in Covid cases caused by different variants of the Coronavirus, because no matter what the variant that infected a person, it still caused Covid-19, for which treatment remained the same across variants. However, the Omicron variant spreads anywhere from four to six times faster than the previous variants of the Coronavirus, making Omicron a force to contend with, despite assurances by the state health officials that it causes only mild symptoms in a few, and does not exhibit any symptoms in 90 per cent of the people it infects. However, the cause for concern on this front, according to health officials, is that these 90 per cent of asymptomatic Covid infected persons can spread it to the 10 per cent of the very vulnerable among the population, especially the elderly, and those who already suffer from other serious health conditions, complicating their health, and possibly resulting in requiring serious hospital care. Incidentally, on Tuesday, one in 35 people whose test results were available tested positive for Covid-19 in Telangana. On January 1, only one in 83 people whose test results were available had tested positive for the disease in the state. More than doubling of daily cases overnight were also reported on Tuesday from Medchal-Malkajgiri district where cases rose from 48 on Monday to 116 on Tuesday, and in Ranga Reddy district where Tuesdays cases were pegged at 109, up from 55 on Monday. All it took for the more than doubling of state-wide cases, as well as in Hyderabad, was a modest increase in the number of tests overnight. On Monday, the health department reported a total of 38,362 tests, while on Tuesday it reported a total of 42,991 Covid-19 tests in the state, an overnight increase of just 3,629 tests. When taken into consideration the actual tests for which results were available on both days, the increase effectively falls to 2,386, and the increase by 570 cases since Monday shows that Covid is firmly back in Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana. Along with the rise in cases, the health department said the number of active cases too increased from 4,048 on Monday to 4,858 on Tuesday, while hospitalisation stood at 1,247 on Tuesday, compared to 1,212 on Monday. The cases were just 30 on December 30, 41 on December 31, 40 on January 1, 35 on January 2, 41 on January 3 and 80 on Tuesday out of the total of 334 cases reported during the last 24 hours. (Representational Image/ AFP) Vishakhapatanam: The Covid-19 positive cases are rising in Visakhapatnam district, registering the highest number of cases in the State for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday. The cases were just 30 on December 30, 41 on December 31, 40 on January 1, 35 on January 2, 41 on January 3 and 80 on Tuesday out of the total of 334 cases reported during the last 24 hours. The District Medical and Health Officer Dr S. Tirupati Rao said they have stepped up testing along with administering vaccines to the youngsters. Meanwhile, the collectors of Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam held meetings with the representatives of private hospitals and superintendents of government hospitals to assess the capacity to handle the situation arising out of the third wave. Vizag collector Dr A. Mallikarjuna Rao said representatives of 77 private hospitals and government hospitals heads were present in the meeting and they gave details of the capacity. The collector was specific about reserving 50 percent of the beds for Arogyasri health scheme beneficiaries and provision of oxygen in all the hospitals. He warned suspension of licenses if the private hospitals violated the rules specified by the government. Srikakulam collector Latkar said all the 750 beds of Gems Hospital have oxygen provision. People wait in line for a COVID-19 test in Los Angeles, Jan. 4. AP-Yonhap With new versions forcing vaccine makers to re-test jabs, the virus that causes COVID-19 has proven highly unpredictable. But the latest variant to sweep the globe has persuaded some experts that long hoped-for collective immunity is in sight, and that the virus may be evolving into a relatively benign seasonal illness. Omicron has proven particularly contagious, infecting people thought to have immunity conferred by vaccines or a bout with the disease itself. But while Omicron is driving a record number of cases in countries around the world, the illness is generally less severe, compared to previous variants. More people getting Omicron and recovering, combined with more vaccinations, could be the key to boosting collective defenses against almost any form of COVID, some experts have said. Lower rates of hospitalization due to Omicron also suggests COVID-19 might evolve into a weaker form, similar to coronaviruses long circulating in the general population. "Perhaps we are witnessing the beginning of an evolution towards a more banal virus like the others we know," said Alain Fischer, who coordinates France's pandemic vaccine response. Clinical virologist Julian Tang reacting to a UK study on Omicron's lesser severity, said he imagined one day repeat vaccination and other measures would only be necessary for the most vulnerable. "I am still hopeful that the virus will eventually become more like the other common cold coronaviruses perhaps over the next one to two years," he said. These conjectures have been embraced by public health officials. Speaking before the legislature this week, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said, "Maybe this will be the wave that allows us to acquire a kind of immunity". Earlier, his Israeli counterpart, Nachman Ash, told an Israeli radio station that herd immunity was "possible". "But we don't want to reach it by means of infections," he said. "We want it to happen as a result of more people getting vaccinated." In Israel, two thirds of the population is fully vaccinated. This week the government approved a fourth jab for people over 60 and health workers in a bid to fight the virus without resorting to a lockdown. Volunteers with DC Public Schools hand out COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to students and families outside Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, Jan. 4. EPA-Yonhap Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy conducting review meeting on Education with officials at the camp office on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Minister Audimulapu Suresh, Education department Special Chief Secretary B Rajasekhar, Chief Secretary of Women and Child Welfare A R Anuradha others also seen. (DC Image) Vijayawada: Chief Minister Jagan has called for the mapping of schools and filling the vacancies of the teaching staff on subject-basis as part of the initiatives under the New School Education Policy in AP. The chief minister held a review meeting on NEP implementation in schools with the education department officials at the camp office at Tadepalli on Wednesday. He asked them to improve the amenities in government schools on par with the increase in the student admissions. He also called for appointing teachers subject-wise and said an action taken report (ATR) must reach him soon. The CM said the officials should focus on providing additional facilities in schools also as the student enrollment is steadily increasing in view due to the Nadu-Nedu programme. Ensure maintenance of the existing infrastructure, and ATRs must reach him regularly. Jagan asked officials to talk to teachers and seek their cooperation for implementation of the subject-wise teacher appointments. Explain them the benefits to the students and give due consideration if any objections are raised. The officials presented the details of the training sessions being given to teachers on English-proficiency. The chief minister said they must make good use of the apps to develop their knowledge in English. The chief minister said the district authorities should constantly monitor the schools and officials must inspect the quality of the Gorumudda scheme. Register the lapses in facilities and maintenance and take immediate steps to rectify them, he said. Jagan directed the officials to focus on providing new recipes under the Gorumudda scheme. Officials must ensure quality food, clean toilets and hygienic conditions in government schools. Village clinics should focus on the health conditions of students in Anganwadi centers and schools. Conduct regular tests to identify and treat diseases like anaemia among the students, the CM said, and added that the schools should be connected to local PHCs for better treatment. Education minister Adimulapu Suresh, special chief secretary Buditi Rajashekar, women and child welfare PS Anuradha, finance secretary Gulzar, school education commissioner Suresh, women and child welfare director Kritika, school education (Mid-day Meals) director Diwan, school education adviser Murali, Sarwa Siksha Abhiyan project director Vetriselvi, APREIS secretary Ramulu, SCERT director Prathap were among those present. All is set for the start of the process to develop capital Amaravati into the Amaravati Capital City Municipal Corporation (ACCMC). (DC file photo) VIJAYAWADA: All is set for the start of the process to develop capital Amaravati into the Amaravati Capital City Municipal Corporation (ACCMC). This is to be done with the merger of 19 villages. Amaravati is currently a group of villages. To start with, the government did a public opinion poll in the 19 villages of Thullur and Mangalagiri mandal to take peoples view on its development. The pro-Capital Amaravati supporters are severely opposing the move and said they would move court against the ACCMC plan. It was after the YSR Congress won power in 2019 that the state government detached some Amaravati villages and formed the Mangalagiri Tadepalli Municipal Corporation by merging the Mangalagiri and Tadepalli municipalities. Now, the government is promising to form the biggest municipal corporation of AP by bringing under it 19 villages of Amaravati for their all-round development. All are not enthused, though. The Kurgallu, Neerukonda and Krishnayapalem areas of Mangalagiri nandal will be merged into ACCMC. Similarly, 16 villages of Amaravati namely Thullur, Rayapudi, Dondapadu, Nelapadu, Sakhamuru, Inavolu, Ananthavaram, Nekkallu, Abbarajupalem, Borupalem, Mandadam, Malkapuram, Velagapudi, Venkatapalem, Uddandarayunipalem and Lingayapalem will be merged into ACCMC. The Telugu Desam, during its rule, had constructed temple buildings for the Secretariat and Assembly at Velagapudi and temporary buildings for the AP High Court at Nelapadu. Barring the two villages, there was no proper development for the rest of Amaravati region. With the Three Capitals decision taken by the YSRC government, the development of Amaravati remained a mirage. Further, the numerous cases seeking the continuation of Amaravati as the only Capital of AP also irked the government. Hence, it formed the Mangalagiri-Tadepalli Municipal Corporation but this was also objected to by the pro-Capital Amaravati people. Now also, the pro-Amaravati leaders are severely objecting to the ACCMC. Guntur district collector Vivek Yadav issued notification for conducting of Grama Sabhas to collect public opinion under which meetings started on Wednesday. Meetings were held in Neerukonda and Kuragallu where the people expressed their anguish over the merger of their villages into ACCMC and opposed the proposal. There are chances of similar opposition being aired at the rest of the 16 villages in Thullur Mandal. A public hearing would be held from January 6 to 12. Amaravati farmers' joint action committee convener Sudhakar said they are objecting to the divide and rule strategy of the YSRC government. The government divided the villages into Mangalagiri-Tadepalli and Amaravati Corporations to weaken the Amaravati movement, he said. He said Amaravati Capital was formed with 25 village panchayats. Hence they will not allow a division of villages for the Amaravati Corporation. Sudhakar and others said they will express their opinions at the public hearing programme against ACCMC and would move court seeking justice. Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, accompanied by Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajender and former MP Vivek Venkataswamy, speaks to Bandi Sanjay Kumar's mother at their residence in Karimnagar. (DC) Karimnagar: The TRS government is imposing restrictions the likes of which were not seen even during the Telangana movement, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy said here on Tuesday. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is trying to threaten BJP activists with illegal arrest, but the BJP is not going to be frightened and will give a fitting reply, he said. Kishan Reddy assured BJP activists that the Centre would look after their welfare and that they had no need to fear the illegal measures which the TRS government was taking against them. He was speaking to the media after inspecting BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumars MP camp office which was damaged by police during the arrest on Sunday night and meeting BJP activists who were injured during the incident. Kishan Reddy along with BJP leaders also met Sanjay in Karimnagar jail during mulaqat. He asked whether Sanjays Jagaran Deeksha was a terrorist activity. Why did the police create panic, attack Sanjays camp office and destroy it, he said. Kishan Reddy pointed out that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had sat on a dharna at Dharna Chowk but Opposition leaders were not allowed to protest. KCR is ruling like a Nizam. But the BJP has complete faith in the judicial system and will fight in the court for justice, Kishan Reddy said, adding, Telangana society and intellectuals must be aware of what is going on, and must ponder over why they had fought for statehood. He said that the police was taking the law into their hands and acting on the directions of the TRS government. Otherwise the police will face severe consequences in the days to come. BJP is going to complain to Union home minister Amit Shah. Former minister Etala Rejandar said: Karimnagar police commissioner acted like a slave to the TRS government, Rajendar said. This government will not last long. In 2023 the BJP will form government. Then what would be the fate of the police officials who are acting like slaves to the TRS government. Eighteen members from six states from the National Coalition for Education said that closing schools will harm the children. Representational image/DC HYDERABAD: Teachers, students and members of the Telangana Recognised Schools Management Association (TRSMA) opposed the governments decision to close educational institutions from January 8 to 16 citing Covid-19, and claimed that the spread of the disease does not decrease with the closure of schools. Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Goa and Haryana, among others, have closed schools. TRSMA members claimed that scientific evidence showed that the Covid-19 effect on children was very small. Prolonged closure of schools would affect studies. "The decision to close schools is meaningless," said the TRSMA. Eighteen members from six states from the National Coalition for Education said that closing schools will harm the children. "Schools must be the last to close and the first to open," they said. Students of most secondary, high school and degree institutions that Deccan Chronicle spoke to said they were worried as their semester examinations would begin in February. Twinkle Mendawala, 16, said, We have exams soon, and physical revision classes are a must. We are hardly able to focus on online classes. Students are not very happy with schools being shut again and again. Ujwal Agarwal, a government school student, said he would utilise this break to catch up with the syllabus which had been completed in a rush. It is very difficult to cope and be back on track. Self-study is the only measure if holidays are extended but help is always needed which would be difficult to access, said Ujwal. Some government school teachers pointed out that only one additional holiday had been declared. Manju Lata, headmaster of Raj Bhavan Government School, said the students had got January 10 as an extra holiday, as schools would be closed anyway on January 8 and 9, Second Saturday and Sunday. January 11 to 16 are Sankranti holidays, she said. We have given students minimal homework which is basic reading and writing, she said. She agreed that learning would be hampered if the holidays were extended as students in lower classes had forgotten how to read and write. Their approach towards studies has become very casual. If the holidays are extended, students and teachers would be in trouble, she added. Venkat Ramulu, Principal of ZPHS Gandhinagar Government School, said the holidays would not affect students much as it was the festive season. However, as their academic performance was poor, they would have to write last term's question paper again to keep in touch. Two villages opposed the state government proposal to merge their villages into Amaravati Capital City Municipal Corporation, during the Grama Sabha held in these villages on Wednesday. (DC file photo) VIJAYAWADA: Two villages opposed the state government proposal to merge their villages into Amaravati Capital City Municipal Corporation, during the Grama Sabha held in these villages on Wednesday. Officials led by Mangalagiri MPDO Kota Ramprasanna conducted Grama Sabhas to collect the opinions of the villagers for ACCMC in the duo villages. MPDO Ramprasanna explained that there will be no negative impact on APCRDA with the formation of ACCMC and listed the benefits of forming the biggest municipal corporation to develop Amaravati. He said APCRDA would continue as usual and urged villagers to express their opinions freely and without fear. Heated arguments followed between Amaravati supporters and Corporation admirers but officials intervened and restored order. The villagers said they are against the merger of Kuragallu into ACCMC and raised their hands collectively against ACCMC. In Neerukonda, the villagers opposed the formation of ACCMC with 19 villages and the merger of Neerukonda into Amaravati Corporation. They said Amaravati should be developed as it is by forming the biggest corporation with all the Amaravati villages. The officials said they will submit the opinions of the villagers to the higher authorities and the government. They said another Grama Sabha would be held in Krishnayapalem on Thursday to take the peoples views on ACCMC. With the company planning to go big in the electric scooter sector, TVS Motor Company on Wednesday announced the appointment of Venkat Viswanathan, who has broad expertise in energy storage and Li-ion batteries, as technical advisor for electric mobility. Viswanathan, who is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, is a global leader in advanced batteries for electric mobility and is a recipient of several awards. We are delighted to associate with Prof Venkat Viswanathan, who will play an important role in guiding us in the electric mobility journey. He is a thought leader in the field of innovations of advanced battery technology, Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, said while announcing Prof. Viswanathans appointment. The appointment comes two months after TVS Motor Company announced that it will invest Rs 1,200 crore for setting up an e-scooter factory in Krishnagiri district. The investment is mainly for the design, development and manufacture of new products and capacity expansion in the EV space, the company said. Also Read India's electric vehicle market could do with a jolt The new technical advisors major strides in battery technology will give TVS a competitive edge in delivering value for money, superior technology, and aspirational electric vehicles to meet the fast-evolving customer needs, Sudarshan Venu said. I am excited to associate with TVS Motor Company to be a part of their vision to build a strong EV ecosystem. I look forward to working in great synergy with the company known for its pioneering technologies in future mobility. Together, we will go miles to create a more sustainable EV ecosystem, Viswanathan said. Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, he received his PhD at Stanford University and did postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to his professorship, TVS said, Viswanathan serves as a technical advisor and Scientific Advisory Board Member at QuantumScape, a company developing next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries for use in electric vehicles, and Chief Scientist at Aionics. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Fresh Covid cases doubled in Bengaluru in 24 hours on Tuesday, climbing to 2,053 from 1,041 cases on Monday. As Karnatakas total positivity rate jumped from 1.60% to 2.59% in less than 24 hours, ministers expressed concerns. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar tweeted: Data shows us that cases are doubling every 2 to 3 days in Karnataka! Revenue Minister R Ashoka said, The transmissibility of Omicron is 5% more than any other variant. Also Read | Karnataka imposes weekend curfew for 2 weeks to curb spread of Covid-19 As of Tuesday evening, Bengaluru had 3,048 Covid positive cases and 147 more Omicron cases. Despite the gradual increase in cases since December 27, it never caused a 60% daily increase. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said the spike in Bengaluru mirrored that of other Indian cities and countries. A sizable number of the citys population has been vaccinated. We expect hospitalisation to be low since experts feel the number of people with severe symptoms could be less. The number of cases that stood at 172 on Dec. 27 shot up to 923 by Jan. 2. The spike was marginal on Jan. 3 with 1,041 cases, but it jumped by almost 100% on Jan. 4. Also Read: Delhi hospitals stare at workforce crisis as doctors test Covid positive The BBMP data revealed nine wards are reporting over 100 cases in the last ten days, while 20 wards report between 50 and 100 cases. Only about 30 wards reported fewer than ten cases, while others recorded between 10 and 50 cases. None of the zones except Mahadevapura crossed the 200 mark until Monday, while almost all the zones reported over 200 cases on Tuesday. For the past four weeks, Bengaluru has been clocking 1,300-1,400 cases. But this number tripled between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2 to 4,664. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Hong Kong residents must have at least one coronavirus vaccine shot to enter restaurants beginning late next month, Carrie Lam, the citys chief executive, said Tuesday, as the city races to stamp out the spread of the omicron variant. The new requirements, which were to begin this month, will instead start February 24, after Lunar New Year celebrations have ended, to give businesses and residents time to prepare, Lam said. She added that the rule could be expanded to include other public spaces, such as museums and libraries. The city has maintained strict controls to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, requiring the use of a contact-tracing app in public places, forcing arrivals from overseas to undergo as much as three weeks of quarantine, locking down high-rise buildings and ordering mass testing of residents to mitigate the threat of local spread of omicron. Read more: Omicron surge could differ per country, says WHO But Hong Kongs vaccine drive has been set back by residents who are suspicious of the government and its unpopular leader. The city has fully vaccinated only about 69% of its population, according to the government. The city announced the toughened requirements as officials were searching for six diners at a restaurant linked to an omicron cluster affecting more than 300 people. The six were among those who had lunch at the Moon Palace restaurant in the upscale Fashion Walk mall in the Kowloon Tong district on December 27, officials said. The others were sent to a government facility to quarantine. Health officials say they believe that a flight attendant for Cathay Pacific Airways who had ignored isolation rules after returning from the United States infected his father and another person while dining at Moon Palace that day. The airline said it had fired the unnamed flight attendant and one other Cathay employee as a result of the outbreak. Hong Kong recorded 13 new coronavirus cases Tuesday. So far, six omicron cases have been connected to the restaurant; the city has recorded 102 cases of the variant in total. Lams government has made resumption of normal travel with mainland China a priority, and she said Tuesday that the omicron cases would most likely delay plans to ease travel restrictions between Hong Kong and the mainland. I would not deny that that has an impact, which means that we would have to wait another while before we could put in place the very sought-after resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the mainland, she said. Watch the latest DH videos: At least 13 people, including seven children, were killed in an early morning fire on Wednesday in a Philadelphia row house after smoke detectors failed to go off, the Philadelphia Fire Department said. Firefighters arrived around 6:40 a.m. (1140 GMT) and fought for about 50 minutes to control the fire on the second floor of the three-story house in the city's Fairmount neighborhood. Eight people managed to escape the building, and seven children were among those killed, fire officials said. They did not give the children's ages. "Keep those babies in your prayers," Mayor Jim Kenney told reporters at a nearby news conference. A child and an adult were taken by parademics to nearby hospitals. There were four smoke detectors in the building, which is owned by the city's public housing authority, but they failed to activate, fire officials said. Watch latest videos by DH here: Australia and Japan will sign a treaty on Thursday to increase defense and security cooperation in a move that has been hailed as historic but which might anger China. Prime ministers Scott Morrison of Australia and Fumio Kishida of Japan will meet in a virtual summit to sign the agreement, which Morrison said will underpin greater and more complex practical engagement between the Australian Defense Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces." Australia and Japan are the closest of friends, Morrison added. Our special strategic partnership is stronger than it has ever been, reflecting our shared values, our commitment to democracy and human rights and our common interests in a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific region. In September, Australia signed the so-called Aukus trilateral security pact with the United States and Britain under which those two countries pledged to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The deal upset China, which said that Aukus seriously undermined regional peace and stability, intensified the arms race and undermined international non-proliferation efforts. In a statement on Wednesday, Morrison described the latest treaty with Japan as historic and said it will, for the first time, provide a clear framework for enhanced interoperability and cooperation between our two forces." This treaty will be a statement of our two nations' commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific," Morrison said. The US and Australia, along with India and Japan, are also members of a strategic dialogue known as the Quad," and Morrison said Wednesday that Australia would contribute an expanding agenda for that as well. Watch the latest DH videos: France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a news conference at the European Council Building at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Dec. 17, 2021. Reuters-Yonhap In view of rising cases of Covid-19 in the country, the Army has issued a fresh advisory to all its units and formations, recommending precautionary measures to check the spread of the infection. In the advisory, the Integrated HQ of the Ministry of Defence (Army) prescribed specific measures as per the weekly positivity rate of Covid-19 cases in its establishments besides suggesting health education and awareness campaigns to deal with the situation. It said the weekly positivity rate in the Army for the week ending December 31 was 2.34 per cent but added that the current rising trends necessitate re-visiting the existing measures. The advisory said if a station records the positivity rate in the range of one to two per cent, then all its personnel returning from leave and temporary duties should undergo Covid-19 tests and that all social gatherings should be cancelled. Also Read | Centre issues new home isolation guidelines as Covid cases surge In such a scenario, the official meetings should be held virtually and quarantine facilities should be kept in a full state of readiness. If the weekly positivity rate is in the range of two to five per cent, then all personnel returning from outstation leave and duties should be quarantined for seven days and tested before allowing them to leave the quarantine facilities, the advisory said. It said teleconsultations for treatment should be resorted to if feasible besides activating quarantine facilities. The advisory recommended that attendance in offices should be restricted if the weekly positivity rate ranges between five to 10 per cent. It said all non-essential travel of service personnel should be curtailed in such a scenario. For stations that report a weekly positivity rate of over 10, the advisory recommended stopping physical attendance as well as all non-essential leave and temporary training. The advisory said the military hospitals will continue to provide all Covid-related and emergency/life-saving services. It said the hospitals should postpone "cold surgeries' ' if the bed-occupancy (ICU) is 40 per cent. The advisory also recommended ensuring "advance engagement and information campaigns" so that there is no misinformation or panic. It said actions will be taken to reduce overcrowding in offices, personnel lines and dining halls. Food timings in dining halls to be staggered, it added. Check out latest DH videos here A slice of history, from seven decades ago, could be standing tall soon. The Archeological Survey of India is restoring the only surviving flag of Indian Independence, unfurled on August 15, 1947, at Chennais Fort St George Museum. The flag is from the ASIs reserve collection and its condition has deteriorated over the decades. Now, ASI officials, with help from experts from the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Silk Board of India and the ASIs own chemical branch section are currently working on the restoration process. ASI officials said the restoration process of the flag started in November 2020 and it will be ready within a month. The ASIs chemical branch section is working at it currently, and it should be ready in 15 to 20 days time, said M Kalimuthu, superintending archaeologist of the ASIs Chennai circle. ASI officials said that the experts first assessed the condition of the flag. Preliminary analysis to determine the composition of the material, thread count, thickness, measurements, and fragility, was conducted using a microscopic lens. The team had to be careful about the fragility of the flag, some part of it was in a critical condition, an official told DH on condition of anonymity. The official said that some more tests, including a non-destructive analytical technique, were carried out as well. The flag, measuring 12 feet by 8 feet, is made of pure silk and was unfurled at the crack of dawn on Independence Day. The flag was donated to Fort St George by the then Madras government a few months later. In 2013, it was displayed to the public on Republic Day. On display, it was encased in a glass box, surrounded by silica gel and a machine to measure the light on the flag helped keep it intact. ASI officials said that it is the only surviving Tricolour that was unfurled that day. Concerns on its status have risen time and again, and INTACH had come out publicly offering to restore it. The conservation body had even written to ASI, and offered to bear the cost of conservation. Check out latest videos from DH: As Covid-19 numbers began to shoot through the roof, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday issued revised home isolation guidelines, allowing people with mild or no symptoms to isolate themselves at home and end the isolation after seven days if they do not have fever for three successive days. The new guidelines ruled out the need for a test at the end of the isolation period, aiding the diagnostic laboratories to take-off some of their burdens. There is no need for retesting after the home isolation period is over, it said. The previous guideline mandated home isolation for 10 days, which has been cut by three days with the Centre seeking to tackle concerns on the manpower-loss worries due to a sharp rise in mild Covid-19 infections. Also read | India witnessing exponential rise in Covid cases; R-value higher than 2nd wave peak: Govt The asymptomatic contacts of infected individuals also need not undergo Covid test and monitor health in home quarantine. A shift to a medical facility has been advised if the infected individual has high-grade fever (more than 100 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days); difficulty in breathing and oxygen level less than 93 per cent on three successive readings within one hour. Other symptoms necessitating hospital admission are persistent pain or pressure in the chest; mental confusion or inability to arouse, and severe fatigue and muscle pain (myalgia). Warning patients about non-authentic and non-evidence based treatment protocols that float on social media, Lav Agarwal, a joint secretary in the Union Health Ministry said such protocols could harm patients. Moreover, generic sharing of prescription is to be avoided as treatment of every individual is different. Steroids are not prescribed in mild disease and shall not be self-administered. Overuse and inappropriate use of steroids may lead to additional complications. Do not rush for self-medication, blood investigation or radiological imaging like chest X-ray or chest CT scan without consultation of your doctor, said Agarwal. Watch the latest DH Videos here: A local court on Tuesday remanded a 21-year-old engineering student, arrested in the 'Bulli Bai' app case, in Mumbai Police's custody till January 10. The Mumbai cyber police apprehended the student, Vishal Kumar, from Bengaluru on Monday and later arrested him. Read More An IED explosion carried out by militants in Thoubal district of Manipur on Wednesday killed a jawan of Assam Rifles and injured another, a day before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the poll-bound state. Police officials said the blast was carried out at around 1.30 pm at Lilong Ushoipokpi area under Lilong police station when a team of 16 Assam Rifles were on a routine patrol. Two jawans were injured in the attack and one of them succumbed to his injuries while being taken to a hospital. Police said no militant group has claimed responsibility of the attack so far. The attack comes a day before Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to poll-bound Manipur. Assembly elections in the state are slated in March. The militant attack contradicts the ruling BJP's claim that militancy in the state has been contained since the party came to power in 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said in Manipur that peace and development returned to the Northeast after peace accords were signed with insurgents groups since his government came to power at the Centre in 2014. This is the second militant attack on Assam Rifles in Manipur since November 13 when a colonel, his wife, son and four jawans were gunned down by militants in Churachandpur district. Check out DH's latest videos: Political parties from Manipur on Wednesday expressed concerns over pre-poll violence and urged the Election Commission to deploy adequate security forces during the poll process. During the virtual interaction with top Manipur officials, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra conveyed his concern to the chief secretary about the low vaccination rate in the state and asked to pace up the inoculation drive. During the virtual meet with the panel, the parties from the poll-bound state also flagged concerns over the use of money power, illicit liquor, narcotics drugs and intimidation to influence voters, the EC said in a statement. "Political parties requested for a strict vigil on election expenses by candidates to ensure free and fair polls," it said. They also expressed their concerns over the implementation of strict Covid protocols. The commission assured the representatives that it has taken cognisance of suggestions, issues and concerns of the political parties and it is committed to conducting free, fair, participative, inclusive, inducement free and Covid-safe elections in the state. "With regard to the concerns raised on excessive use of money and other inducements to influence voters, the commission reiterated that it has zero tolerance for misuse of money or muscle power or partisan behaviour of state machinery vitiating free and fair elections," the statement said. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra underscored that strict action would be taken against such erring officials. He noted that expenditure observers will be deployed for a strict vigil to ensure inducement-free elections in the state. The poll panel assured the representatives that it will implement measures like webcasting or videography, deployment of central forces and micro-observers wherever necessary in identified vulnerable polling areas to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling. Manipur is one of the five states where assembly elections are due and the virtual meet was part of the poll panel's exercise to take stock of the situation. The commission has already visited Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand in the last few days to take stock of the poll preparedness there. At the meet, the Election Commission highlighted that for the first time in the state, the option of a postal ballot would be provided during the polls for 'absentee voters' which include senior citizens above 80 years of age, persons with disabilities and Covid-19 suspects or affected persons. A postal ballot is an optional facility and it maintains total secrecy of voting. Representatives of candidates will be present during the process and the whole procedure will be videographed. In Manipur, 14,565 people with disabilities and over 41,867 people aged 80 years and above have been mapped. Representatives of All India Trinamool Congress, BJP, CPI, CPI(M), Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Naga People's Front, National People's Party, Peoples Democratic Alliance interacted with the poll panel through video conferencing. The term of the Manipur Legislative Assembly is due to expire on March 19 this year. The commission also discussed the administrative, logistics, budget, law and order and election-related arrangements with the chief secretary and state police nodal officer. During the review meeting, the poll panel emphasised the conduct of safe elections with full vaccination of all polling staff, proper sanitisation and social distancing at the polling stations. Keeping in view the Covid social-distancing norms, the panel has specifically revisited some extant norms. As a result, the maximum number of electors at a polling station has been reduced from 1,500 to 1,250. This will ensure a substantially lower number of electors at each polling station. The state chief electoral officer was directed to ensure assured facilities such as drinking water, toilets, ramps, wheelchairs, electricity and shades at all polling stations. The panel directed the identification of 'communication shadow' polling stations for alternative arrangements. Reviewing the law-and-order issues, the commission directed that deposition of licensed arms in the state should be expedited. It also stressed that distribution of liquor, drugs, freebies and cash be effectively checked. The chief election commissioner directed officials to maintain a strict vigil on the international border to ensure there is no unlawful transit and infiltration. The panel also directed the state chief electoral officer to ensure quick disposal of complaints received during the electoral process and ensure a robust mechanism for the same. It was mentioned that after the special summary revision 2022, the electoral roll has been published on Wednesday and there are a total of 20,34,966 electors in Manipur. Check out latest DH videos here India's Omicron-powered third wave is likely to infect much more than the Delta-driven second wave as the R value (reproduction number) currently stands at an all time high of 2.69, giving a clear indication of a very steep rise in the number of cases over the next few weeks. India's R is 2.69 at the moment, which is higher than the 1.69 that we saw at the peak of the second wave. The acceleration of cases is steeper than ever, VK Paul, NITI Ayog member and the government's principal advisor on Covid-19 said on Wednesday. Reproduction number denotes an epidemic's ability to spread. The current R value suggests that 100 Omicron infected persons can spread the virus to 269 others. For an epidemic to shrink, the R value has to drop below one. Read | Upsurge of Covid cases happening in cities: Centre Meanwhile, India recorded its first Omicron death with the Union Health Ministry confirming that a 70-year-old diabetic person in Jaipur became the first victim of the new variant. More than 80 per cent Covid-19 cases in Delhi and nearly 40-80 per cent of cases in Mumbai and Pune are caused by the Omicron variant, top government sources told DH, sharing the scientific estimates prepared by the INSACOG a consortium of laboratories carrying out genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 variants. While the prevalence of Omicron is still on the lower side in the east and southern India (around 10 per cent in Hyderabad) where Delta continues to dominate, it remains very high in the north and east. The estimate is likely to change every week once sampling from other states improves. We are facing an exponential rise in the number of Covid-19 cases largely driven by Omicron and particularly so in the western parts of India and in large cities. The test positivity rate was 1.1 per cent on December 30 and stands at 5 per cent on Wednesday, said Paul. Read | Third Covid vaccine dose won't be mix-and-match: Centre Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Gujarat are the states showing an early indication of a surge, according to the Union Health Ministry. Some of the zones of concern are Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Thane, Pune, North 24 Parganas and Bengaluru Urban. According to the Union Health Ministry, 239 districts have a test positivity rate above 2.5 per cent, whereas 83 districts have a positivity rate between 5-10 per cent. The hospitalisation rate, Paul said, was still on the lower side with 3.7 per cent Covid-positive people requiring hospital care in Delhi and 5 per cent in Mumbai as against 20 per cent hospitalisation rate during the second wave. As a consequence, the preparation done to tackle 5-6 lakh of Delta-type infections would be able to cater to more people if the hospitalisation rate remains low. But it would be wrong to take the current wave lightly. There is always a chance of the (healthcare) system and the household getting overwhelmed, he said. Watch latest videos by DH here: Congress on Wednesday hit back at the BJP for accusing it of playing "dirty tricks" and endangering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life, claiming that around 10,000 security personnel were deployed for his rally and arrangements were made in tandem with Special Protection Group and other agencies. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said the cancellation of the rally in Ferozepur was not because of any security breach but because of empty chairs at the venue, while emphasising that his party considers the security of the Prime Minister paramount. Surjewala's comments came as BJP president J P Nadda accused the Congress-led Punjab government of playing "dirty tricks" fearing a "resounding defeat" in the upcoming state polls and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) holding the state government for the security breach that led to Modi being stuck at a fly-over for around 15-20 minutes due to a protest. Union Minister Smriti Irani also held a press conference to target Congress. Read | Punjab CM expresses regret after PM Modi cuts short visit, denies security lapse He said there would not be any let-up in the security arrangements for the Prime Minister in Congress-ruled states. The security will not be like in Gujarat where Rahul Gandhis carcade came under stone pelting, he told a press conference. Surjewala said around 10,000 security personnel were deployed for the Ferozepur rally and all arrangements were made in tandem with SPG and other agencies. Routes were carved even for all buses of BJP workers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Prime Minister decided to take a road trip to Hussainiwala. It was not part of his original schedule to travel by road," he said. He said the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has been protesting against Modi's visit and Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat has held two rounds of discussions with them. Also Read | 'Say thanks to Channi for I could return to Bhatinda airport alive': Modi to officials after security lapse in Punjab He said the farmers blocked the road as part of their protest against the Prime Minister and he was stuck only for 15 minutes. Was the police supposed to fire at them? Were they terrorists? The police were removing them and they took 15 minutes. There was no breach, he said. "Do you know why KMSC and Farmers are protesting against PM Modi? Their demands are: sack MOS Home Ajay Misra Teni, withdraw criminal cases against farmers in Haryana, Delhi and UP, compensation for the kin of 700 farmers who died and Committee on MSP and a quick decision," he said. He also alleged that post farmers agitation, the Modi government chose to totally ignore these promises. "Finally, the reason for cancelling the rally is that there were no crowds to listen to Modi-ji. Stop blame game and introspect on BJPs anti-farmer attitude. Hold rallies but listen to farmers first," he tweeted. Dear Naddaji, Stop losing cool & all sense of propriety. Pl remember - 1. 10,000 security personnel were deployed for PMs Rally. 2. All arrangements were made in tandem with SPG & other agencies. 3. Route was carved even for all buses of BJP workers from Haryana/Rajasthan. 1/4 https://t.co/kScLtN8rRG Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 5, 2022 He said the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has been protesting against Modi's visit and Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat has held two rounds of discussions with them. "Do you (Nadda) know why KMSC and Farmers are protesting against PM Modi? Their demands are: Sack MOS Home Ajay Misra Teni. Withdraw criminal cases against farmers in Haryana, Delhi and UP. Compensation for kin of 700 farmers who died. Committee on MSP & a quick decision." 3/4 6. Do u know why KMSC & Farmers are protesting against PM Modi? Their demands are -: Sack MOS Home, Ajay Misra Teni. Withdraw criminal cases against farmers in Haryana, Delhi & UP. Compensation for kin of 700 Farmers who died. Committee on MSP & a quick decision. https://t.co/kScLtN8rRG Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 5, 2022 Surjewala also tweeted a video showing empty chairs at the rally venue in Ferozepur and said, "If you don't believe me, check it out. And yes, no nonsense rhetoric. Accept the truth of anti-farmer mentality and do self-churning. The people of Punjab have shown a mirror to the arrogant power by keeping distance from the rally." Check out latest DH videos here Samajwadi Party leader and former chairman Nagar Panchayat Tulsipur, Firoz Pappu, has been murdered by unknown assailants. The incident happened late Tuesday night. Police sources said that former chairman Firoz Pappu, 41, whose wife, Kahkashan, is the present chairperson of Tulsipur Nagar Panchayat, was returning home from Jarwa when unknown miscreants attacked him with sharp edged weapons. He was taken to the hospital in a serious condition where the doctors declared him brought dead, police said. As soon as the news of the murder spread, his supporters gathered on the streets and staged protests, demanding the arrest of the attackers. Superintendent of Police Hemant Kutiyal reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to disperse and sent the dead body for post-mortem. Additional force has been deployed in the area in view of prevailing tension. Check out the latest DH videos here: Protest against the proposed semi-high-speed rail project of Kerala is taking an ugly turn with stones laid for demarking land for the project found removed in the Kannur district. Incidentally, the development took place close on the heels of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran, who is also a Lok Sabha MP, stating on Tuesday that if the Left Front government went ahead with the project ignoring the protests, the stones being laid would be removed with the support of people. Stones for the project were found uprooted in parts of the district, which is generally known as a stronghold of the CPI(M). The incident took place on Tuesday night, hours after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan started his deliberations with community leaders to gain support for the project and the government announced a compensation package offering two to four-fold of market value. Read | K-Rail: Daggers drawn between Vijayan and Sudhakaran The chief minister reacted that even if stones were removed, it would not affect the project. The eco-friendly project that reduces travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod to less than four hours, which now takes around 10 hours by road or rail, was essential for state's development, he reiterated. The state has been so far witnessing aggressive and emotional protests by people against laying the stones for the project. A family in the Kollam district threatened to end their lives by dousing themselves in kerosene. With CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stating that the law would take its course against attempts like uprooting the stones laid for the project, a law and order breakdown could not be ruled out in Kerala too. Read | Metroman asks Kerala govt not to fool people by hiding facts on K-Rail Even the CPI(M) leaders recently stated that the opposition parties were planning a stir on the lines of the Nandigram agitation of West Bengal. Known activists like Medha Patkar also extended solidarity with the action council against the project. Meanwhile, the opposition party in Kerala Congress-led United Democratic Front on Wednesday demanded the government to convene a special session of the Kerala Assembly to discuss the project. The UDF also decided to go ahead with statewide protests. The BJP also announced a protest against the project. Experts like 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan, and environmentalists have also raised serious objections against the project. An action council against the project has workers and supporters from all parties, including the ruling front also. Watch latest videos by DH here: A medical worker in protective suit collects a swab from a resident for nucleic acid testing following a COVID-19 outbreak in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, Jan. 4. Reuters-Yonhap A Chinese city has locked down its 1.1 million residents after reports of new coronavirus cases, as officials rushed to contain even small outbreaks just over four weeks before the Winter Olympics begin. The curbs in the city of Yuzhou, in the central province of Henan, are similar to those imposed for nearly two weeks in the industrial hub of Xi'an, which has become China's latest COVID-19 epicenter. Yuzhou, 700 km southwest of Beijing, has ordered all residents to remain indoors and not to leave town, the local Communist Party said in a statement late Monday. "So far, the source of the virus is unknown, the number of cases is unclear ... the virus control and prevention situation in our city is very severe," authorities in Xuchang, which has jurisdiction over Yuzhou, said in a statement Tuesday. "To curb and quash the epidemic within the shortest amount of time is a high-priority political task facing all officials and people in the city," they said. The greater Xuchang area reported two locally transmitted infections with confirmed clinical symptoms, and 18 local asymptomatic carriers Monday, official data showed. It was not clear how many were in Yuzhou. Vehicles were banned from Yuzhou's roads unless they have clearance from virus control authorities, and officials ordered a halt to activity in supermarkets apart from the supply of daily necessities. Yuzhou's case count is tiny compared with outbreaks in many other places around the world. But China is keen to keep outbreaks under control ahead of the Feb. 4 to 20 Winter Olympics, being held in Beijing and the nearby province of Hebei, and the Communist Party's once-every-five-years congress expected later in the year. Workers in protective suits stand at an entrance to a university's residential area under lockdown following a COVID-19 outbreak in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, Dec. 20. Reuters-Yonhap Tamil Nadu on Wednesday once again asserted its stand on sharing of river water with neighbouring states by opposing the Mekedatu reservoir project being planned by Karnataka and declaring its intention to take necessary steps to restore the full reservoir level (FRL) of 152 ft in Mullaperiyar Dam located in Kerala. The state governments stand on inter-state disputes with Karnataka and Kerala were articulated by Governor R N Ravi in his maiden speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly which convened on Wednesday for the first time in the new year. The Governors address was boycotted by principal opposition AIADMK and DMKs ally VCK, which attributed its walkout to the Governor sitting on a bill passed by the Assembly seeking exemption from NEET for students from Tamil Nadu. Read | Supreme Court to hear Mekedatu pleas on January 27 The 45-minute speech by Ravi in English also reiterated that Tamil Nadu will continue to implement the dual language policy of using Tamil and English thereby opposing Hindi, and nudged the Centre to extend the GST compensation till 2024 and asserted the states opposition to entrance exams like NEET. While extending constructive co-operation to neighbouring states, Tamil Nadu will continue to fight for its rightful share of river waters. This government, which is committed to the welfare of farmers, will never allow construction of Mekedatu Dam by Karnataka across Cauvery river, the Governor said in his speech. Tamil Nadus assertions come amid Karnatakas renewed attempt to build a reservoir in Mekedatu across River Cauvery. While Karnataka contends that the reservoir will fulfil the water needs of Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu says no structure can be built across Cauvery without its permission. On the Mullaperiyar dam issue, the Governor said after many years, the state was able to store water at the current permissible limit of 142 feet for many days continuously and the government will take all necessary measures to restore the full reservoir level of 152 feet in line with a Supreme Court verdict. The Governors address said Tamil Nadu has sought Rs 6,230 crore from the union government for relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected areas and urged the Centre to release funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Read | Mekedatu project: Step back and think Emphasising the steps to promote Tamil, the Governor mentioned the governments decision to declare Tamil Vaazhthu as the State Anthem and popularize the Tamil language in government institutions, private schools, shops and commercial establishments. On farmers, the Governor said due to timely desilting of channels, the release of water from Mettur dam as per schedule and implementation of Kuruvai package for Rs.61 crore, a record paddy coverage of 4.9 lakh acres has been achieved in the Kuruvai (short-term crop) season this year. Contending that entrance exams create an unequal platform by being inherently discriminatory against rural students, the Governor said the Government is of the firm view that entrance exams like NEET are unnecessary for student admissions to professional courses and will continue to reiterate this position." The Governors address also praised Chief Minister M K Stalin for his gesture to personally visit the Narikuravar and Irular families in their homes and redress their grievances. Watch latest videos by DH here: With New Delhi working on a package of financial assistance to bail Sri Lanka out of the economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksas government in Colombo has approved a proposed deal with India to develop most of the World-War-II-era oil storage tanks in Trincomalee on the north-east coast of the island-nation. The long-awaited breakthrough in the talks between New Delhi and Colombo came just days before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis proposed visit to Sri Lanka. The Indian Ocean island is one of the nations where China has been trying to elbow out India to expand its geopolitical influence. New Delhi is considering a proposal from Colombo for providing two credit lines to Sri Lanka one of $1 billion to help the island nation import food, medicine and other essential items and another of $ 500 million for the import of petroleum products from India. Besides, New Delhi is also considering an additional $ 400 million currency swap facility to help Sri Lanka tide over the economic crisis caused by the restrictions imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Also Read | India's worries increase in Sri Lanka and Maldives In addition to clearing the proposed deal on the oil storage tanks, the government led by Rajapaksa and his brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also approved procurement of 750 jeeps for Sri Lanka Police, including 150 jeeps for the Police Special Task Force, from Mahindra and Mahindra Company of India. The jeeps will be purchased utilizing a Line of Credit that India had earlier extended to Sri Lanka. Besides, procurement of 500 32-seater-buses from Ashok Leyland company of India was also approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the neighbouring nation. The buses will also be procured utilizing a loan grant India earlier offered to Sri Lanka. The new agreement India and Sri Lanka worked out for joint development of the oil storage tanks, which were built by the British Government during World War II, is based on three existing pacts between the two nations. The Sri Lankan Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal to allocate 14 oil tanks of the Lower Oil Tank Complex already in use by the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation, a subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation, for the company's business activities. It also approved the allocation of the 61 tanks to joint venture company, Trinco Petroleum Terminal Private Limited, with 51% stakes to be owned by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and 49% by the Lanka IOC. Besides, 24 of the total 99 tanks will be allocated to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. The breakthrough in talks between New Delhi and Colombo for joint development of the oil storage tanks came just days before the Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is likely to attend Vibrant Gujarat meeting in India. He had earlier visited New Delhi and met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss the financial assistance package from India. Watch the latest DH Videos here: The Mumbai cyber police Wednesday arrested one more student from Uttarakhand in connection with the 'Bulli Bai' app case. The student, identified as Mayank Rawal (21), was nabbed from the northern state in the early hours of Wednesday, an official told PTI. "Vishal Kumar has been remanded to police custody for seven days. Shweta Singh has been given five days transit remand... We have arrested another person from Uttarakhand and seeking transit remand," Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale said. "We will not be able to share more details as the case is sensitive in nature," he said. The cyber cell had earlier arrested 19-year-old Shweta Singh, alleged to be the main culprit, from Uttarakhand, and engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha (21) from Bengaluru in connection with the case. Also Read | 'Bulli Bai': The malcontents of a poisoned society The Mumbai police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unidentified persons following complaints that doctored photographs of hundreds of Muslim women were uploaded for auction on the app called `Bulli Bai', hosted on the open-source software platform GitHub. While there was no actual `auction' or `sale', the purpose of the app seemed to be to humiliate and intimidate the targeted women, many of whom are active social media users. The Mumbai cyber police station has also registered a case against the app's unidentified developers and Twitter handles which promoted it. Watch the latest DH Videos here: A known devil is better than an unknown saint, Goa Congress Lok Sabha MP and former Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha said on Wednesday, urging voters to shun new political parties and vote for Congress in the upcoming state Assembly polls. "Do not lie in Goa. Do not go by assurances. A known devil is better than an unknown one. A known devil is better than an unknown saint," Sardinha said at a press conference here on Wednesday, while obliquely referring to the Trinamool Congress's populist pre-poll assurances related to doles for women. "There are new parties in Goa. What have they done for Goa needs to be known. So far it is easy to say we will do it (fulfil assurances). Ask them what have they have done in their states?" Sardinha said. Also Read | Congress postpones major rallies in poll-bound states amid Covid-19 The former Chief Minister also claimed while the TMC has assured a dole of Rs 5,000 per woman head of the household in the state, the party's government in West Bengal paid only Rs 500. TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra has, however, dismissed the charge of inconsistency in doles in both states, claiming that every woman registered under the West Bengal government's Laxmi Bhandar scheme was entitled to Rs 500, while in Goa the dole of Rs 5,000 was being allotted to every woman head of household. Leaders of the TMC which has taken a plunge into Goa politics months ago, have been crossing swords with their counterparts Congress party, over which party is more capable of taking on the ruling BJP. Check out DH's latest videos Another reprehensible threshold has been breached with the online sale of over 100 Muslim women on an app hosted on the Github platform. That shows a meeting of misogyny and anti-minorityism in a novel and shocking form. These acts extend the limits of insult and offence, with every new incident plumbing further depths of depravity. The communal and sexist Bulli Bai app is not the first instance of targeted harassment of Muslim women. It has appeared six months after the Sulli Deals app and website had publicly made available pictures of Muslim women describing them as deals of the day. Most of those who are targeted are women who have a presence on social media, including journalists and professionals, and many images are doctored and photoshopped. It is clear that the smear and sleaze campaign is an organised one and cannot be seen as ordinary cybercrime. Separate investigations have been launched by Mumbai and Delhi police and one person has reportedly been arrested. The Mumbai cyber police have booked the Bulli Bai app developers and Twitter account holders. But the investigation into Sulli Deals has not made much progress, and the taking down of the app should not be the end of the matter. It may be possible to leave no trails of crimes and to hide deep in the internet terrain, but the government has the power and resources to track such criminals and catch them. Everyone who is involved in these nefarious crimes should be immediately arrested and punished after speedy trials. Cyberspace has abounded in crimes against women and has been a haven for perverts and assorted offenders of various types including misogynists. Cybercrimes have been steadily increasing in the country and over 2,300 cases were reported in 2020. But cases that were not reported could be many multiples of that number. What is involved in the latest instances is not just a poor and wrong attitude to women but an especially hostile and degrading attitude towards women of the minority community. The psychology is similar to that of marauding armies in enemy territories. Women are insulted, dehumanised and attacked and a perverse satisfaction is derived from shameful and outrageous comments about them and actions against them. These are inspired and sustained by a toxic ecosystem that is sought to be generated against the minorities. The lack of effective action against the offenders encourages them and others. It is not only a case of poor law enforcement. These offences are part of a politics that is thriving and becoming the norm in the country. It should be noted that there is no strong denunciation of these activities from the top echelons of power in the country. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Amid reports that Omicron has symptoms akin to a common cold, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that it is not a common cold and should not be taken lightly. The four most common symptoms of the Omicron variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis. A recent study by UK-based Zoe Covid app added nausea and loss of appetite to the category. Several studies from South Africa, the US and the UK have shown that the infections caused by the highly transmissible variant are generally mild, with less hospitalisation required. Also Read | 2,135 Omicron cases detected across 24 states, UTs "Omicron is not the common cold," WHO epidemiologist Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said in a tweet. "While some reports show a reduced risk of hospitalisation of Omicron compared to Delta, there are still far too many people infected, in hospital sick and dying from Omicron (and Delta)," she added. The UK has reportedly seen about 14 deaths due to the Omicron variant, while the US and South Korea have seen one death each. The deaths occured majorly in unvaccinated persons. "Omicron is not the common cold! Health systems can get overwhelmed," reiterated WHO's chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Twitter. It is "important to have systems to test, advise and monitor large numbers of patients as the surge can be sudden and huge," she warned. Kerkhove stated that "we can prevent infections, save lives now" by ensuring vaccine equity. Also Read | WHO sees more evidence that Omicron affects upper respiratory tract, causes milder symptoms Meanwhile, WHO on Tuesday also stated that emerging evidence reveals that the Omicron is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants. "We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike the other ones, that could cause severe pneumonia," WHO Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud told Geneva-based journalists. At the same time, the global health body warned that soaring infections due to Omicron across the world could lead to the emergence of new variants, media reports said. The more variant spreads, the more it can replicate and bring out a new variant that can be more lethal. France has detected a new variant, named IHU. The new variant, with 46 mutations, has already infected 12 people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.A While it may pose a greater risk than Omicron, touted as highly transmissible but mild in infections and less lethal than previous the Delta variant, researchers said, "it is too early to speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features of this IHU variant based on (just) 12 cases". Check out DH's latest videos: The Karnataka government on Wednesday ordered special surveillance measures, including a negative RT-PCR, for people coming to the State from Goa in view of the rise in Covid-19 there. In its order, the government said the negative RT-PCR certificate not older than 72 hours must be produced by the passengers travelling on flight, bus, train or personal transport to Karnataka. This is also applicable for passengers boarding connecting flights from Goa, the order said. It further said the airlines concerned should issue boarding passes only to the passengers carrying the negative certificate. Also Read | Remain cautious for next 4-6 weeks, follow Covid-19 guidelines to control next wave: Sudhakar Similarly, Railway authorities should see to it that all passengers travelling by trains from Goa to Karnataka carried the certificates. For all the passengers travelling by bus originating from Goa, the bus conductors concerned should be directed to ensure passengers possess the negative RT-PCR report, the order said. Deputy Commissioners of Belgavi and Uttara Kannada districts, which border Goa, have been directed to set up check-posts and deploy necessary staff to ensure that all the vehicles entering Karnataka are checked. Regular travellers from Goa to Karnataka would need to have the negative report. These restrictions would not be applicable to the constitutional functionaries, healthcare professionals, and children below five years. Check out latest DH videos here Confusion over the expiry status of Covaxin has created widespread hesitation among parents, who remain unswayed by a central government clarification on the matter. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a statement on Monday, affirmed that the shelf life of the vaccine was extended from 9 to 12 months. However, a December 23 letter by the Immunisation Division of the Ministry decreeing that label-expired vaccines should not be used is still causing apprehensions among parents, according to the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA). The Centre has approved only Covaxin for vaccinating those below 18 years. The drive began on January 3. Also Read | Karnataka imposes weekend curfew for 2 weeks to curb spread of Covid-19 When the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation had extended the shelf life of Covaxin, there was no reason for the ministry to comment further on its shelf life. Now, even though a clarification has come, a lot of damage has been done. Apprehension and doubt about Covaxin have gone viral among parents, said Dr H M Prasanna, president of PHANA. Multiple private hospitals reported that parents continue to demand to see expiration dates on vials before they consent to have their child inoculated. A representative of Bharat Biotech told DH that the firm had already issued two clarifications about the extension of the shelf life, in November and December. Also Read | Centre's slow response to Omicron: No excuse this time The extensions were made based on scientific data, the representative said. This was elaborated by Dr Raches Ella, Project Lead at Bharat Biotech, who tweeted: Usually, the shelf life of a vaccine is 1-2 years. Covid vaccines have only been around for a year; evolving data will extend the shelf life. This process will be constantly repeated until we know the (maximum) period. Usually, the shelf life of a vaccine is 1-2 years. COVID vaccines have only been around for a year; evolving data will extend the shelf life. This process will be constantly repeated until we know the Max period. Remain calm and trust the @CDSCO_INDIA_INF @MoHFW_INDIA Dr. Raches Ella (@RachesElla) January 3, 2022 However, this has not convinced many parents. Mohammed Shakeel, President, Voice of Parents, said the confidence of parents has been first shaken by the low sample size of human trials and second, by an apparent non-transparent extension of shelf life. Also read: Delhi hospitals stare at workforce crisis as doctors test Covid positive Parents are divided on the matter. Only a small number of them in our association have actually opted to get their children vaccinated. The attitude of the majority is that their child is not a guinea pig. These parents have a wait-and-watch attitude, he said. Meanwhile, Dr Prasanna said that Bharat Biotech has taken back 90 per cent of the six-lakh-odd label-expired doses in the city for relabelling. He added that the vials are likely not to be returned for 14 days. This will prevent many private hospitals from being able to offer vaccinations to the public during that period. In the interim, private hospitals have been getting queries from private schools and even RWAs to hold vaccination camps for children aged 15-17, but in the current situation, our hands are tied, he said. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Foyle Sinn Fein MLA, Padraig Delargy, has called on education minister. Michelle McIlveen, to urgently revisit her approach to managing Covid in our schools. Pupils are set to return to class in a few days time after the Christmas break with uncertainty still around on how both they and staff should adapt to the latest pandemic developments namely the Omicron variant of the Covid virus. Mr Delargy said that school principals needed guidance from the top so that pupils and staff can receive reassurance that classes can be taught in safe conditions. He said: The new school term is almost upon us and the Education Minister has failed to produce a plan to make our classrooms safer. Principals have been open and honest in recent weeks as they describe the deterioration of the situation in many of our schools. A lack of appropriate guidance, a lack of adequate safety mitigations, a soft touch contact tracing policy, and a lack of available substitute teachers have put many of our schools in difficult positions with many having to resort to partial closures. The Omicron variant may also present new challenges, so I am urging the Minister to revisit her approach to Covid in schools. We put these concerns directly to the Minister in the weeks before Christmas and called on her to produce a comprehensive plan which puts HEPA (high efficiency particulate absorber) filters in all classrooms, which sets out a contact tracing policy teachers and families can have confidence in and to speed up the redeployment of qualified teachers from non-pupil facing positions back into the classroom. The Minister keeps telling us she wants to keep schools open. We agree, but it would appear she has squandered the opportunity over the Christmas break to develop a plan. "We will continue to make the case to the Minister for a new approach to Covid in our schools. The Secondary Students Union of Northern Ireland (SSUNI) have also called on the Department to provide more measures to help protect school pupils from Covid. SSUNI President, Morgan Shuttleworth, said: The SSUNI believes that, due to the drastic increase in infections, this should be reflected in the assistance being given by the Department. Education as a whole is being dragged under due to the staff shortages created by contact tracing, and so in order to keep schools open we must do all that we can to keep both staff and students safe. The Union has repeatedly called on the Department to provide more measures, specifically HEPA filters and air purifiers, but there has not been any such movement. A spokesperson for the Department of Education (DE) responded by saying that a range of mitigations have been recommended to risk the transmission of Covid within schools across the North. The said: Throughout the pandemic the Department has worked closely with key stakeholders as well as the Department of Health and Public Health Agency as we manage our response and continue to do so. We continue to follow advice in relation to all public health issues including contact tracing however no changes have been recommended in respect of the approach to contact tracing or changes to the DE Covid guidance. Rates of Covid infection in the community in Northern Ireland are currently extremely high. Schools are part of our community so it is inevitable that there will be cases among staff and students in our schools. While we cannot eradicate Covid altogether, a range of mitigations are recommended to reduce the risk of transmission as much as possible in the school environment. These measures include regular LFD testing, good hand/respiratory hygiene, maximising ventilation, face coverings for post-primary pupils and staff and consistent groups wherever possible. All staff and those aged 12 and over have also had access to the vaccination programme. We have a shared objective to support our schools so they are able to provide for our children as we all know that the best place for our children and young people is in school. No one mitigation on its own will prevent the spread of the virus, but used together each mitigation provides works to reduce transmission. Our schools, like those across the rest of the UK and Ireland, are facing staffing shortages due to the pandemic. There is a limited supply of qualified teachers. We have made a formal call for retired teachers to provide support and we have also looked to provide more flexibility for schools in how they deploy substitute teachers. If further financial resources are needed by schools we will make bids to meet these costs. The EA secured more than 11,500 C02 monitors and approximately 95 per cent of schools in NI have now been provided with monitors, with a further 5000 monitors expected imminently. The additional monitors will be delivered to the remaining schools as a priority and also to those schools that have requested additional monitors. Good ventilation, along with other measures can help mitigate the risk of transmission. Natural ventilation, such as opening windows can be effective at reducing the risk from virus in the air. School leaders who are concerned about ventilation in a room should contact the EA maintenance helpline for advice and support on the best approach for their individual circumstances. In some cases where an area of poor ventilation has been identified, it may be appropriate to consider the use of an air cleaning unit as an additional mitigation whilst further remedial work is undertaken to improve ventilation. The pandemic requires a collective response to support the safe operation of our schools staff, parents, and pupils all have a key role to play carrying out regular testing and making sure making sure that anyone with symptoms follows Covid-19 advice and information which is available at NIDirect.gov.uk. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he will never apologize for the deaths of suspected drug users and dealers killed in police operations under his war on drugs that alarmed rights groups. More than 6,200 drug suspects have died in anti-narcotics sting operations since Duterte took office in June 2016 until November 2021, government data shows. "I will never, never apologize for the deaths," Duterte said in a weekly national address. "Kill me, jail me, I will never apologize." Rights groups and critics say law enforcers have summarily executed drug suspects, but police say those killed were armed and had violently resisted arrest. Duterte, in his first national address this year, vowed to protect law enforcers doing their duty, telling them to fight back if their life was in danger. Duterte, 76, won the presidency by a wide margin in 2016 on a platform of anti-corruption, and law and order. The firebrand leader is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election next year. Analysts say an ally getting elected could protect Duterte from any legal action over his anti-narcotics program. Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in September approved a formal investigation into Duterte's war on drugs. The ICC suspended the probe in November following a request by the Philippines, which cited its own investigations. Duterte unilaterally cancelled the Philippines' ICC membership in March 2018, a month after its prosecutor said a preliminary examination into the drugs war was under way. (Reuters) MSI launched a bunch of gaming and productivity laptops featuring an Intel 12th Gen Core H-series CPUs and Nvidia RTX 3000 series GPUs CES 2022 is finally here and MSI just revealed a barrage of brand new gaming and creator laptops. The laptop maker also certified several of its gaming devices powered by an Intel 12th Gen Core i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU or above to be Meta Verse ready. Furthermore, these laptops will become available for purchase in India following their global launch. The new gaming and creator laptops come equipped with an Intel 12th Gen H series processor featuring Hybrid cores that intelligently distribute the workload between Performance-cores (P-cores) and Efficiency-cores (E-cores). MSI has paired the powerful CPUs with equally capable GPUs from Nvidia. Lining up to battle from team green are GeForce RTX GPUs featuring Ampere architecture with 2nd Gen RT cores for Ray Tracing and 3rd Gen Tensor Cores for DLSS and AI. As per claims, the Nvidia RTX 3080Ti is more powerful than the TITAN Desktop GPU. Meanwhile, the brand new RTX 3070Ti delivers 70% more performance than RTX 2070 laptop GPU while gaming. Meanwhile Intel 12th Gen CPUs bring up to 45% performance improvement as well. The brand new components also get upgraded cooling thanks to Phase Change liquid metal pad employed by the MSI. MSI Creator laptops also saw a massive improvement featuring display panels with up to 17-inches, Calman verified True Pixel display, Vapor chamber cooling, and DTS tuned surround sound speaker systems. MSI Gaming Laptops 2022 GS77/66 Stealth Starting at the top, MSI revealed the GS77/66 Stealth laptops geared towards gaming and business use and feature a core black colour with a Zinc alloy hinge. In terms of specs, the laptop series features up to an Intel 12th Gen Core i9-12900H CPU, DDR5 RAM with 2 slots supporting up to 64GB of memory. The laptop also uses an Nvidia RTX 3080Ti GPU with 16GB GDDR6 VRAM for serious gaming performance. The laptop also features two options for display sizes - 17.3 and 15.6-inches. Both display size options are further available in three distinct size options - 4k resolution 120Hz refresh rate, 1440p resolution 240Hz refresh rate, and 1080p resolution 360Hz refresh rate. The GS77/66 laptop series also features six speakers with crisp treble and powerful bass with webcam lock switch and up to 100W PD charging. GE 76/66 Raider Retaining the Aurora lightning, the Raider GE series makes a triumphant return this year featuring brand new components. The laptop series now packs in Intel 12th Gen Core i9 CPU, DDR4 memory featuring 2 slots with support for up to 64GB RAM. MSI also claims that the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti powering the Raider GE76/66 series can reach up to 220W TGP thanks to MSI Overboost and Phase Change liquid metal pad. The display options for the GE 76/66 laptop series are also similar to the GS77/66 series in terms of display resolution, refresh rate, and size. Vector GP76/66 The Vector GP series was born with a new concept keeping in mind the requirements of gaming, engineering, and scientific competitions. Furthermore, with Cooler Boost 5 tech, the RTX 3080s performance can reach up to 210W via MSI Overboost. The laptop also features up to an Intel 12th Gen Core i9 CPU, DDR4 RAM support with 2 slots featuring up to 64GB memory. The laptop series comes with two display options, a 17.3 and a 15.6-inch display. The 17-inch panel features a maximum of 1440p resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate with 100% DCI-P3. Meanwhile, the 15.6-inch display features 1440p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate and another 1080p panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. Crosshair GL Series The series highlights include futuristic design and exclusive Sci-fi elements inspired by the feel-good experience of gaming. The laptop series comes in three major variants - one with a 15-inch display, another with a 17-inch display, and an exclusive Rainbow Six Extraction Edition 15-inch model. The Crosshair GL series also features Intel 12th Gen Core i9 CPU, DDR4 memory support with up to 64GB RAM. The series is powered by an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM. Pulse GL76/66 The MSI Pulse series keeps the original design by Marteen Verhoeven featuring a titanium power armour design with Cooler Boost 5 technology enabling 15% more airflow and around 33% reduction in wall thickness of the laptop. The series uses an Intel 12th Gen Core i9 CPU in pairing with an Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM. The laptop also comes with two display options - a 17.3-inch 1080p display with a 360Hz refresh rate and a 15.6-inch QHD display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 colour space coverage. Other gaming laptops that MSI revealed include the Sword 17/15 series and the Katana GF76/66. Lastly, MSI also revealed the Creator Z17, Z16P, and Z16 laptops focused on creativity and productivity. Also Read: MSI announces memory overclocking competition for Intel B560 motherboards Hargis Engineers Young Helms Kavulla Roper Jamison Raebel Sutton Hargis Engineers announced the promotion of three professionals within the company's leadership team, and the recognition of four new associates. Grant Jamison has been promoted to principal along with two new senior associates: David Roper (electrical) and Josh Kavulla (telecommunications/ security). Ben Helms (telecommunications/ security), Brian Young (security/ telecommunications), Josh Sutton (commissioning) and Mark Raebel (mechanical) have been made associates. Team lead and client program advocate, Jamison is contributing to Fortune 100 clients' capital investments on a national scale. Roper, a project manager and ACE Mentor Program volunteer, is engaged with commercial and high-tech R&D developments throughout the Americas. Kavulla supports global clients' North American metropolitan campus expansion efforts. Helms works with public agencies to address their campus infrastructure upgrade needs. Young balances the security postures of public and private entities to develop solutions that align with large-scale enterprise operations. Sutton, a degreed professional and former electrical journeyman utilizes his experience to bridge design intent with performance expectations. Advancing public institution's system performance goals, Raebel is leading projects within higher education, K12 and civic spaces. Subscriber content preview By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING A troubled Chinese real estate developer that is struggling with $310 billion in debt announced Tuesday it has been ordered to demolish a 39-building resort complex in a new blow to its finances. Evergrande Group gave no explanation, but news reports said the government of Danzhou, a city on the southern island province of Hainan, found it was improperly built and violated urban planning law. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE A half-built apartment project at 8854 Delridge Way S.W. recently sold for $5.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was a builder who acquired the land in 2017 for $450,000, then undertook a four-story, 32-unit apartment project. It's still under construction, with a master use permit that was issued in early 2020. The buyer was Delridge Project LLC, which is associated with a Kent investor. The deal was worth about $171,875 per unfinished unit. Public records indicate a loan from Level Capital. . . . Kazakh law enforcement officers are seen on a barricade during a protest triggered by fuel price increase in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Wednesday. Reuters-Yonhap Protesters stormed public buildings in Kazakhstan's biggest city on Wednesday as security forces struggled to impose control after the government resigned in response to popular anger over a fuel price increase. An Instagram live stream by a Kazakh blogger showed a fire blazing in the mayor's office in the city of Almaty, with gunshots audible nearby. Videos posted online also showed the nearby prosecutor's office burning. Protesters appeared to have broken through security forces' cordons even though the latter deployed stun grenades whose explosions could be heard throughout the city center. Kazakhstan is a tightly controlled former Soviet republic which cultivates an image of political stability, helping it attract hundreds of billions of dollars of foreign investment in its oil and metals industries. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government's resignation on Wednesday, a day after police used tear gas and stun grenades to drive hundreds of protesters out of the main square in Almaty. On Wednesday a Reuters correspondent saw thousands of protesters pressing ahead towards Almaty city center, some of them on a large truck, after security forces failed to disperse them with tear gas and flashbang grenades. Atameken, Kazakhstan's business lobby group, said its members were reporting cases of attacks on banks, stores and restaurants. The city health department said 190 people had sought medical help, including 137 police. City authorities urged residents to stay home. The interior ministry said that government buildings were also attacked in the southern cities of Shymkent and Taraz overnight, with 95 police wounded in clashes. Police have detained more than 200 people. A video posted online showed police using a water cannon and stun grenades against protesters in front of the mayor's office in Aktobe, the capital of another western province. The protests began after the government lifted price controls on liquefied petroleum gas at the start of the year. Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG because of its low cost. The government said the regulated price was causing losses for producers and needed to be liberalized. The president said it had botched the move. Speaking to acting cabinet members, Tokayev ordered them and provincial governors to reinstate price controls on LPG, and broaden them to gasoline, diesel and other "socially important" consumer goods. He also ordered the government to develop a personal bankruptcy law and consider freezing utility prices and subsidizing rent payments for poor families. He said the situation was improving in protest-hit cities and towns, including Almaty and the surrounding province, where the authorities declared a state of emergency. In addition to replacing the prime minister, Tokayev also appointed a new first deputy head of the National Security Committee who replaced Samat Abish, a nephew of powerful ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev, 81, a Soviet-era Communist Party boss, ran Kazakhstan for almost 30 years before resigning abruptly in 2019 and backing Tokayev as successor. Nazarbayev retains sweeping powers as the chairman of the security council; he has not convened the council or commented on this week's violence. (Reuters) A juror in the sex trafficking trial of predatory British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has said her victims testimony showed a pattern of how they were all groomed. Maxwell, 60, who was labelled dangerous by the prosecution during her three-week, New York trial, helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Jeffrey Epsteins various properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. Now juror Scotty David, who wished to be identified by his first and middle name, told the Independent he believed all the victims who testified in the case. He said all accusers corroborated each other and were supported by other evidence. Scotty David, who said he was a victim of sexual abuse himself, told the Independent: This verdict is for all the victims. For those who testified, for those who came forward, and for those who havent come forward. Im glad that Maxwell has been held accountable. This verdict shows that you can be found guilty, no matter your status. Addressing the testimony of the victims, Scotty David said: They were all believable. Nothing they said felt to me like a lie. I know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the colour of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video. But I cant remember all the details, there are some things that run together. Commenting on questions over why the victims kept going back to Epstein and Maxwell, Scotty David said: We are not here to judge these victims. We are here to judge whether we believe their stories, but we are not here to judge the decisions they made or didnt make. We cannot judge what they did or didnt do afterward. It doesnt change that it happened. Scotty David told The Independent that one of the accusers, who testified under the pseudonym Kate, powerfully corroborated the stories of the other victims, despite not being able to be considered for the charges on the indictment due to being over the age of consent in the UK when the abuse happened. She was able to show us that this was a pattern, he said. We knew we couldnt use her testimony to convict Maxwell, but she showed the pattern of how those girls were groomed. She showed us the pattern that happened to all of these girls. It was about confusing their boundaries. For Jane, it started with seeing Maxwell topless. For Annie Farmer, it started with Maxwell showing her how to give Epstein a foot massage. The pattern is that Ghislaine talks to you like she is also a teenager. Then it moves into massage. She tries to make you comfortable, to see what they can get away with. What she did was wrong. Scotty David said Maxwells little black book, which had names of the victims listed under masseuses, helped the jury understand how she and Epstein had evaded justice in the past. He said: Those girls names and phone numbers were listed next to the words, mom and dad. Professional masseuses do not need their parents with them. Addressing why they found Maxwell not guilty on one count, which alleged she enticed accuser Jane across state lines, he said: We simply didnt see enough direct evidence to convict on count two. It wasnt about not believing Jane. I personally was willing to find her guilty on count two. But we all decided in the end that there wasnt enough evidence. Louth County Council is to receive 50,000 in government funding to support their leading role in developing community-led commemorative activities for the final phase of the Decade of Centenaries Programme. The announcement was made today by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, where 50,000 will be allocated to every local authority to support their commemorative programming for 2022. Minister Martin has also made a supplementary fund of 450,000 available to provide further supports to local authorities who have identified additional requirements in relation to specific centenaries of local significance and other larger projects, including cross-border initiatives. Under the Community Strand of the Decade of Centenaries Programme in 2022, local authorities are to drive and support community-led commemorative initiatives to reflect on local connections to the significant historical events that occurred a century ago, supported by the principles and guidance laid down by the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations. Examples of the type of initiatives suggested by the Minister's department include, how were events such as the Signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty; the outbreak of the Civil War; and the foundation of the State received or marked locally? Speaking today, Minister Martin said: Id like to express my sincere appreciation to all of our local authorities for their continued engagement and enthusiasm this year, notwithstanding the ongoing challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our local authority partners have delivered thoughtful, imaginative, and ambitious commemorative programmes that allowed for meaningful public engagement, which encouraged and supported reflection and shared remembrance of key centenary moments in 2021. She continued: Right across the country, community-led commemorative initiatives continue to make such a wonderful and important contribution to our understanding of these historical events their impact, consequences and legacies. This is only possible through partnership and co-operation. In 2022, I plan to continue this collaborative approach between the State, local authorities, and local communities, which has worked so well to date, to ensure that in the penultimate year of the Decade of Centenaries, our shared history is remembered in an inclusive, measured, and balanced manner. Our continued confidence and trust in our local authorities is reflected in the 50,000 funding allocation for 2022. Arising from the success of this years programme, I have asked local authorities to again allocate at least 15,000 from their allocations in 2022 to support artistic and creative endeavours. "The interpretation of significant historical events by our artists and creative practitioners provides an important platform to encourage reflection and the consideration of issues, both past and present, which may be challenging, difficult and sometimes deeply personal. The Government says its approach recognises the need to be sensitive to the local, historical context and the fact that there was no uniform experience during the Struggle for Independence and the Civil War - within counties or across the island of Ireland. It aims, it says, to facilitate engagement from all traditions and communities on the island and to acknowledge the significance of local narratives and experiences with a focus always on respectful remembrance and reconciliation. The Louth-Meath regional representative for the Irish Second Level Students Union (ISSU) has expressed serious concerns about the recent government announcement on the reopening of schools. In a statement given to the Democrat Eva Grace criticised the lack of student consultation from the Department of Education and other stakeholders: The Department's announcement of the reopening of schools across Ireland tomorrow, in my opinion, means that there will not be enough time to prepare schools properly. This approach risks not having adequate enough changes to schools before students and staff return, jeopardising our safety in classrooms. When I found out yesterday that the Department failed to consult the ISSU, and many other education stakeholders about their decisions, I was outraged and annoyed. We were merely briefed about plans that were already finalised before anyone joined the meeting yesterday. The Department has also failed to address the difficulties of staff-shortages or student absenteeism. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) estimates that as many as 8,000 teachers could be absent due to Covid-19 when schools return on Thursday. This means that not every student will be receiving the same standard of education, and this is an incredibly unfair outcome, especially for exam year students, Ms. Grace concluded. How to Clip Click and hold your mouse button on the page to select the area you wish to save or print. You can click and drag the clipping box to move it or click and drag in the bottom right corner to resize it. When you're happy with your selection, click the checkmark icon next to the clipping area to continue. Claremont, NH (03743) Today Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 53F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. North Andover, MA (01845) Today Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 58F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 45F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus crowd at a street for their yearend shopping in Tokyo, Dec. 31, 2021. AP-Yonhap The southern Japanese island chain of Okinawa emerged on Wednesday as the epicenter of a new coronavirus surge, with cases more than doubling from the previous day and officials were considering imposing emergency curbs. New infections in the prefecture jumped to 623 from 225 on Tuesday, the highest since August when Japan was in the midst of its fifth and biggest wave of COVID-19. Governor Denny Tamaki on Tuesday told reporters the region had entered a sixth wave of infections and the highly transmissible Omicron variant was responsible. Okinawa, 1,500 km (932 miles) southwest of Tokyo, hosts 70 percent of U.S. military facilities in Japan. Discoveries of coronavirus clusters and Omicron cases among service members have rankled relations with Japanese authorities there and residents, who number just under 1.5 million. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan was asking the U.S. military to make all efforts to rein in rising infections. As of Tuesday, a total of 1,191 cases of the Omicron variant had been found in Japan, including 479 cases considered community transmissions, according to the health ministry. "Omicron is rapidly increasing in some regions," Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters. While Goto said it was too early to say if a sixth wave of infections had arrived, Japan's major metropolitan areas saw tallies rising to levels not seen for months. Tokyo reported 390 cases while the western prefecture of Osaka said 244 had been found, the highest levels since September for both. Nationwide, new cases exceeded 2,000 on Wednesday, according to a tally by national broadcaster NHK, the most since Sept. 26. Okinawa health experts will meet later on Wednesday to determine whether to ask the central government to impose new restrictions, a prefectural official said. It would be the first such declaration of what are known in Japan as quasi-emergency measures since Sept. 30, when all states of emergency and quasi-emergency that had been in effect for a good part of 2021 were lifted. Tokyo officials may also ask for emergency measures to be reinstated in the capital, the Sankei newspaper said, citing unidentified sources. The central government hopes to respond quickly to any requests for emergency steps, Matsuno told reporters. Measures would likely include limiting the opening hours of restaurants and bars. Separately, a U.S. Marine Corps station in the prefecture of Yamaguchi, in western Japan, reported that 182 people on the base there had tested positive on Tuesday. (Reuters) CLOVIS - Clovis city officials are planning to address a new sign code in their Thursday meeting, and several of them spent Monday morning hearing many objections to the process from business owners. Feedback was varied during a one-hour, 40-minute meeting at the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce, with city officials saying they are receptive to easing some of the proposed code and business owners asking for a tabling of the ordinance to address more concerns. The commission on Dec. 2 voted to introduce the sign code ordinance, which included different requirements of sign sizes, heights and property setbacks based on road categories - residential, collector, arterial and highway. The introduction initiated a public comment period of at least 30 days. The chamber discussed the sign ordinance briefly at its Dec. 15 board of directors meeting, and put together a committee to identify potential issues with the ordinance. Chamber representatives said they weren't in objection to a new sign code or general city beautification efforts, but had issues with particular clauses in the 20-page code the commission will consider. "Those (signs) are assets to us, and they're pretty expensive," said Bryan Ellis, who chairs a chamber committee regarding the proposed code. "If I have to put them into compliance, that's going to be an expense for me." The meeting was attended by 42 people - 30 in person at the chamber conference room and the rest attending virtually. City representatives in attendance included City Manager Justin Howalt, Mayor Mike Morris, City Attorney Jared Morris, Mayor Pro Tem Chris Bryant and Commissioners Megan Palla, James Burns and Helen Casaus. District 2 Commissioner Lauren Rowley also arrived to the meeting, but left after determining her presence created a quorum of commissioners. During his presentation, Ellis showed about a dozen pictures of signs that he said would violate the ordinance, and said they comprised a fraction of the photos he could have presented. Brannon New of Clovis Sign Service brought up various issues with the sign code, while acknowledging it would benefit him to let the code pass as is because "whenever a sign isn't in compliance, I have a new job." New noted that people have come to Clovis Sign for decades to invest in their business and the community, and the sign code threatened those investments. Existing signs would be grandfathered in, but New and various business owners had concerns over events that would trigger a six-month deadline to come into compliance - an ownership or lessee change, or any event that damages more than 50% of a sign. New referenced a Clovis resident who recently inherited a business from his family, while Ellis noted a drunken driver once plowed through his sign. In each instance, they said, the property owner is out of compliance through no fault of their own. Following Ellis' presentation, Attorney Morris noted that most of the pictures were of businesses that were violating a 15-foot setback requirement, and said the ordinance doesn't include setbacks as a trigger for the six-month compliance window. While he acknowledged it was the commission's decision, Morris said the commission could vote to reduce or eliminate the setback requirement altogether. "I don't think we're hard and fast about whether we have setbacks," Morris said. Regarding a question on a potential appeal process, Attorney Morris said the sign code would be part of the Unified Development Ordinance, which has an appeal process in place. City Manager Howalt said the sign ordinance has been a multi-year task that started in June 2019, after the city replaced its existing zoning laws with the UDO. Following completion of the UDO, the city saw a need to update its existing sign ordinance following a 2015 Supreme Court decision, Reed v. Gilbert. That decision expanded what makes a sign code content-based and unconstitutional. Since staff was working on a new sign code anyway, Howalt said it made sense to also look at standards for sign sizes, heights and setbacks. Howalt noted a potential safety issue with setbacks, since a sign placed right at the property boundary impacts a driver's view of oncoming traffic. The proposed ordinance gives different restrictions based on the type of road where the sign is located. For example, a sign on a residential street could be a maximum of 120 square feet and 20 feet in height, while a sign on U.S. 60/84 or U.S. 70 could be up to 400 square feet and 60 feet high. Howalt said he has received numerous phone calls regarding the ordinance, but he also receives calls from residents and visitors asking why the town is so unsightly. Graffiti and dilapidated buildings are part of that, and so are signs. "The city's listening; we're not deaf to that," Howalt said. Mayor Morris said the ordinance creation began before he took office in 2000, but the effort matches his goals on city beautification. He noted the city has worked on various other aspects of community cleanup, including policy changes that helped green light the demolition of roughly a dozen of the most dilapidated buildings. He also noted that he and five commissioners were business owners, and they brought that perspective into policy creation. Near the end of the meeting, New brought up an objection to one clause in the ordinance requiring the removal of any billboard erected on or after Dec. 5 in violation of the code. The code requires billboards be at least 1,000 feet apart, and New said two new billboards that violate the code could represent $750,000 in business over 20 years. Howalt said that was a fair point, and that the city would look at that matter. Prince Street resident Jack Muse spoke regarding his "tree sign" in praise of President Donald Trump and the threat of it violating the new sign code. Muse argued the sign was protected speech, and that he put it on the tree because four signs he placed on the ground were vandalized. Muse said the city should target vandalism and not his signs. The commission will meet 5:15 p.m. Thursday at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library. By the Staff of The News SANTA FE In its first report of 2022, the New Mexico Department of Health made it clear COVID-19 is not disappearing any time soon. Officials said 7,313 new cases were confirmed between Friday and Monday by the department, with 131 in Curry County and 29 in Roosevelt County. The total is the most announced in a weekend since the state began consolidating weekend totals into its Monday report. The prior mark was 4,991 announced on Nov. 29, with that report including five calendar days of new infections. The DOH began consolidating weekend reports into Monday starting in April. Between Jan. 31, 2020, and Jan. 3, 2021, the state confirmed 5,255 COVID-19 cases. More than a third of the cases confirmed Monday 2,469 were recorded in Bernalillo County. No other county recorded four-digit case numbers, but Dona Ana County was close with 950 new cases. The new positive cases pushed the states seven-day test positivity rate to 17.9% up from 10% on Dec. 27 and 9.5% Dec. 20. Curry County did not make the top 10 ZIP codes for new infections in the Monday list, with totals on that list between 312 (87121) and 174 (87114). Of the top 10 ZIP codes on the list, nine were in Albuquerque and the other was in Las Cruces. The state also announced 11 new COVID-19 deaths, with none from Curry or Roosevelt counties. Those deaths brought the total to 5,866 since the pandemic began in March 2020. Monday saw 472 people hospitalized statewide for COVID-19, compared to 456 on Dec. 27 and 539 on Dec. 20. The weekend case count brought the total to 357,486 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with 311,304 cases designated as recovered. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website at ladowntownnews.com/site/privacy.html By clicking to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. James Heal advances offering in the Americas Textile testing expert, James Heal, has announced the opening of their first US-based office and a new network of distributors, enabling them to better service their customers in the Americas. Not only is the Sterling office now ready to support customers, but they have further launched a dedicated online shop for American customers looking to click and buy a wide range of test materials and related accessories. We have always recognized the need for greater localized customer support in the Americas - now we are able to offer that, says Dan Payne, Group President, Americas. It took a little longer than we had hoped, due to the pandemic, but also allowed us to build an enhanced offering for our customers. The James Heal office in Sterling, Virginia stocks a large range of test materials, speeding up its shipping process. Payne adds that the site also boasts a demo and sample test lab, where visitors can come to try out the instruments or have them video the process and selection, based on their unique application. Its a great setting to learn more about materials testing, or the process of test. Our doors are always open if you want to plan a visit, or alternatively, we can arrange online equipment or training demos via web-based video calls. Over the past year, James Heal has also implemented an educational webinar program through which they share their expertise on topics like abrasion and pilling, water repellency, light fastness testing and phenolic yellowing. All previous webinars are available On Demand at https://pptgroup.com/events. The textile testing instrumentation company also have plans to take part in exhibitions and events across the Americas, starting with the AATCC Textile Discovery Summit in November 2021, held in Durham, North Carolina. We are serious about supporting our customers in the Americas and are on hand to help with whatever they need, concludes Payne. Our goal is to improve every aspect of textile testing, so our customers can achieve consistent and accurate results every time. Established in 1872, James Heal is an international engineering company renowned worldwide for delivering premium quality, reliable and innovative materials testing solutions. From its core manufacturing and commercial headquarters in the United Kingdom, the company specialises in the design and production of Testing Instruments and Test Materials (consumables), supported by industry-leading service and support. At the core of the company is the seamless interaction between high quality, precision, reproducibility, and reliability combined with innovation, imagination, and industry-leading technical expertise. This combination has resulted in James Heal becoming one of the most trusted and valued materials testing companies in the world. James Heal designs its Testing Instruments with the users in mind, offering the most user-intuitive and innovative solutions in textile testing. The company also works closely with some of the biggest names in the rubber, paper, wood, plastics, and glass industries to develop first-rate materials testing solutions. How they said it then and now Political analysts and disinformation experts say some Republican lawmakers embrace false narratives regarding the 2020 presidential election, the rioters, and Congress' investigation into the events of Jan. 6 have lent an air of legitimacy to misinformation. Here are a few excerpts of those comments from the past year: Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida In a House floor speech one day after the Jan. 6 riots, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, claimed the election was rigged by widespread voter fraud and suggested there was evidence that people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters but left-wing activists. "They were masquerading as Trump supporters," Gaetz said. "And in fact, they were members of the violent terrorist group, Antifa." In October, Gaetz testified before a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol in opposition to holding former Trump strategist Steve Bannon in contempt. He appeared to soften his stance on the 2020 election results. Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, asked Gaetz, "Do you accept that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election? To which Gaetz responded, "I accept that Joe Biden is the president" and then launched into a criticism of mail-in ballots used in last year's presidential election. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, has been one of the most prominent Republicans in Congress attempting to recast Jan. 6 as a day of "peaceful protests" and claimed a California woman shot by police as she climbed through a barricaded door into the House chambers was "murdered." His campaign has also pushed an unfounded conspiracy theory that the FBI "might have had a hand" in instigating the riot. Gosar has also described the Jan. 6 attackers who were arrested as "political prisoners". Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia, described rioters walking through the Capitol on Jan. 6 as appearing to look like a "normal tourist visit" and suggested that the riot was far less serious than portrayed. "Let's be honest with the American people: It was not an insurrection, and we cannot call it that and be truthful," Clyde said during a May 12 House committee hearing on the riots. "I can tell you the House floor was never breached and it was not an insurrection. This is the truth." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, has denounced the riots but suggested that they were an attempt to "overthrow tyrants" and therefore supported by the U.S. Constitution. At a recent event in Arizona, she said Trump supporters converged on the Capitol on Jan. 6 "because they felt their election was stolen, they felt their votes were stolen. And it was so important to them to show up and use their First Amendment rights to protests." "The Democrats call it an insurrection, but I think we can start calling it a Fed-surrection," she said in remarks. Greene has also criticized and questioned the treatment of the Jan. 6 defendants in the wake of the riot, alleging that they are being mistreated. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking from the Senate floor on May 9, said he opposed the creation of a House committee to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. "It's not at all clear what new facts or additional information, by yet another commission, could actually lay on top of existing efforts by law enforcement and Congress," the Kentucky Republican said at the time. But McConnell appeared to change his tune during a December interview with Spectrum News. "I think the fact-finding is interesting. We're all going to be watching it," McConnell told the new outlet. "It was a horrendous event, and I think what they're seeking to find out is something the public needs to know." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Two weeks after the Capitol riots, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, told reporters in a press conference that then President Trump "bears responsibility" for the attacks, even as he opposed a resolution calling for Trump's impeachment. "The president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters," McCarthy said in January. "He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding." But at a recent event, McCarthy blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for ignoring warnings of the riots and falsely claimed that she declined National Guard assistance. McCarthy told reporters he made the Jan. 13 remarks without "the information we have today" about the riots. Effingham, IL (62401) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Thundershowers overnight following a period of rain early. Low near 60F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. "They were so attentive about every little aspect of the program," Ochana Daniels said of the family's April 7-9 visit to Nebraska's campus. "I mean, the entire staff met us and I was like, 'Wow, this is totally different than any official or unofficial visit we've ever had.'" NU's work obviously paid off handsomely. "Veinte anos no es nada" - "Twenty years is nothing" goes the chorus of Volver. The lyrics of the old tango tune, later given a famous flamenco reworking, are beautiful and poetic, but they don't entirely match the reality. Because some things have changed. Twenty years ago no one would have imagined many of the things that are now part of the realidad espanola. That we would suffer an endless pandemic, that then-king Juan Carlos I would flee Spain in an attempt to escape his scandals, that a Spanish public television news presenter and journalist would become the Spanish queen, and so much more. The life of Letizia Ortiz now is chalk and cheese compared to what it was two decades ago: from presenting news programmes and being the favourite on-screen companion of the controversial Alfredo Urdaci on TVE to living in the Zarzuela royal palace. Back then, Ortiz was a rising star in the communications world, and was yet to provoke - decisively - a certain inner warmth for one VIP member of her television audience: prince Felipe. Her daily newcasts made him lose the thread of the conversation, the victim of a love affair that would impact an entire country: the heir to the Spanish crown would marry a commoner, a divorcee and, so they said, a Republican. It's difficult to know, but maybe one particular video produced by the Asturian journalist prompted Felipe to do something more than just flip coins over his relationships. It was the report series which the public network broadcast to help the Spanish people get to know the euro, the new currency of the European Union, which, twenty years ago, brought the era of the peseta to an end. Letizia was part of that campaign, telling us about the benefits of the new notes and coins. With hindsight, the message she delivered has not proved 100% corrrect, but that's another story. Meanwhile, the messenger herself has undergone a tremendous transformation over the past 20 years. On the occasion of the anniversary, the Bank of Spain has recovered those images, in which we see the current queen in an attitude and occupation that, today, in 2022, makes one pause for thought. The Spanish central bank - which itself has changed roles, too - didn't hesitate for a moment to attribute to Letizia part of the success of the roll-out of the euro in Spain thanks to those mini-programmes which sold the idea to the viewers. Not that the espanolitos had any choice in the matter at that point - a bit like with their monarchy. But what is absolutely irrefutable is to see how that journalist is now another person, in terms of both character and outward image. In fact, she often looks younger (and crabbier) than she did at that time. Yes, it will all be a matter of the exercise she does every day, although the surgical touch-ups that Leonor and Sofia's mother has undergone are also evident. Times have changed. Chalk and cheese. The euro and the peseta. Vaya. Letizia left the profession of journalism when she became engaged to the heir Felipe and put a crown on her head. She made on the deal, of course. The same cannot be said of her father-in-law, Juan Carlos, who still today, from Abu Dhabi, points to her as the great cause of his descent into hell. Ortiz was good at doing her job in a television studio and with a microphone in her hands, but to be fair, she has not done too badly in taking on the role of Spain's "first lady", at least in term of allowing an institution that is obsolete, medieval, useless and tainted by all sorts of suspicions and scandals to survive a little longer. That the business hasn't folded completely is the sole merit of Ortiz and her way of doing things. However, it is not clear whether her efforts will be sufficient. The drift of the institution is comparable to the melting of the polar ice cap, and to reverse it, the task is a titanic one. It all gets a little bleaker every day. Only time will tell if Letizia and company are still in the Zarzuela in another twenty years' time, or if, by then, she has re-applied for her old job. Now that would truly be a story. Washington, MO (63090) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to showers and a possible thunderstorm this afternoon. High 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight A steady rain this evening. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The Chief Minister has paid tribute to John Quinn QC, the Islands Attorney General. Alfred Cannan said: The outpouring of tributes to John from across our Island community is testament to the high esteem in which he was held by all who knew him. John undertook his role as Attorney General with dignity, skill and professionalism. He provided sage advice to the Council of Ministers and to Tynwald, which he always delivered with grace and integrity. John played a major role in helping government to successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet despite the pressures of his role particularly over the past two years John remained approachable and good humoured even in the most difficult of times. Athens, AL (35611) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Even though it feels like we were watching skateboarders tear it up at the Summer Games in Tokyo only a few weeks ago, the Winter Olympics are almost upon us. Watching all of the events often requires hopping between several channels and platforms, but this time around, you'll be able to check out everything in one place. Peacock Premium members can stream all of NBCUniversal's Winter Olympics coverage. The platform will host live streams of every event from all 15 sports, including those aired on broadcast and cable, as well as full replays. You'll also be able to catch the opening and closing ceremonies, NBC's daily primetime show, studio programing, documentaries and more. Competition coverage starts on February 2nd and the Opening Ceremony takes place in Beijing two days later. The Winter Olympics conclude on February 20th. Peacock Premium typically costs $5 per month, though Comcast subscribers get an ad-supported version at no extra cost. Peacock users can stream other live sports, including Premier League soccer games. Lenovo is bombarding CES 2022 with a wave of new PCs, and it won't surprise to hear that gaming laptops play an important role. The company has introduced seventh-generation Legion 5 (shown below) and Legion 5 Pro (above) portables that are cooler and thinner while packing new AMD Ryzen 6000 and Intel 12th-gen Core CPUs. The AMD-based 5 Pro and Intel-based 5i Pro are sleeker than their predecessors, but offer the latest chips thanks to a revamped cooling system with slimmer fans, a larger exhaust area, a copper block heat sink and a more effective heat pipe layout hopefully, the thermal issues with last year's models are no more. You can also expect options for the latest GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs, improved WiFi 6e performance and a 16-inch 2,960 x 1,600 IPS panel with a rare 240Hz adaptive refresh rate. You'll also find up to 1TB of SSD storage, four-zone RGB lighting and up to 300W charging with a proprietary solution (135W through USB-C). The Legion 5i Pro arrives in February starting at $1,570, while the 5 Pro debuts in April for $1,430. Lenovo Cost-conscious gamers won't have to give up much. The non-Pro Legion 5 and 5i models also use new AMD, Intel and NVIDIA parts, but they're 15 percent thinner while boasting more powerful fan systems and larger exhaust areas. They should feel better on your lap, too, thanks to an aluminum-magnesium hybrid cover. The 15-inch, 165Hz 1440p screen won't be quite as impressive as what you'll find on the Pro models, but it still offers a speedy 165Hz refresh rate and full sRGB color space coverage. Four-zone RGB is optional. The regular Legion 5i ships in February starting at $1,200. Wait until April and you can buy the AMD-powered Legion 5 from $1,130. This being Lenovo, there's also a slew of peripherals on deck. The 24.5-inch Legion Y25-30 monitor (due in May for $340) mates a 240Hz refresh rate and DisplayHDR 400 support with a high-accuracy IPS panel, while 24- and 27-inch G24qe-20 and G27qe-20 monitors (both coming in March for $260 and $300) provide the basics. The Legion M600s ($85, May) is a lightweight, ambidextrous wireless gaming mouse with a 19,000DPI sensor, while the M300s wired mouse ($30, May) packs RGB lighting and an 8,000 DPI sensor. Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here! Shortly after Intel tells the world that Alder Lake for laptops has arrived, that all the laptop makers show off the products to take advantage of the new silicon. Today, its Lenovos turn, busting out a refreshed range of ThinkPad X1 and Yoga machines with new, 12th-generation Intel Core chips and plenty of razzle-dazzle. The flagship X1 range is welcoming a 10th-generation X1 Carbon, seventh-generation X1 Yoga and a second-generation X1 Nano. Those high-end machines are targeted at professionals currently caught between the office and working from home, like so many of us are these days. That means the big focus is making sure you dont look completely awful while youre sat in yet another endless Zoom meeting. Thats why these new models all get a redesigned communications bar, which is a fancy way of describing the webcam housing. Nestled inside youll find a superior camera, with a number of options, including a standard HD camera or an FHD + IR camera, paired with quad-array microphones. You can also opt for a Computer Vision bundle that, Lenovo promises, will be able to automatically detect which person is in front of the machine for a faster log-in experience. You can also spec these machines with OLED displays, a 2.8k option for the X1 Carbon and a full 4K OLED for the X1 Yoga. Plus, theres WiFi 6E, options for 4G or 5G modems and support for Tiles finding features to help you never misplace your machine. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10) and Yoga (Gen 7) will be available in March, with prices starting at $1,639 and $1,749, respectively. The X1 Nano (Gen 2), meanwhile, will turn up a month later in April, with the base model due to cost $1,659. Lenovo At the same time, Lenovo also wants to talk about its not-X line of Yoga machines, including the Yoga 9i, Yoga 71 and Yoga 6. The 9i is the flagship 2-in-1 for the year, which comes with the option of new 12th-generation Intel Core chips paired with Iris Xe graphics making it an Intel Evo-certified machine. Lenovo says that this new model has vastly-improved (Bowers and Wilkins) audio which is much louder than before, too. Youll also be able to get the 9i with a 16:10, 4K OLED IPS touchscreen with 100 percent DCI-P3 color accuracy. Meanwhile, the 7i gets the option of a 2.8K OLED touchscreen (for the 14-inch) or a 2.5K LCD 60Hz display (for the 16-inch model). Both get the option of a Intel Core i7, paired with Iris Xe graphics, rapid charging and screens optimized for graphics professionals. The Yoga 6, meanwhile, is designed to burnish Lenovos environmental credentials, with its recycled aluminum cover or fabric-wrapped cover made with 50 percent recycled plastics. You can expect to get your hands on the Yoga 9i at some point in Q2, 2022, with the base model available for $1,399. The 16-inch Yoga 7i will retail for $899, while its smaller sibling will set you back $949 before youve started speccing it up, and both arrive in Q2 this year as well. Finally, the Yoga 6 with a Ryzen 5000 will require you to hand over $749, and if you guessed that these would also drop at some point in Q2, you deserve a cookie. Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here! Samsung is best known for its QLED TVs, but at CES 2022 it's finally debuting QD-OLED, it's attempt to take on OLED TVs from LG. The tech is different from your standard OLED in that it only uses blue organic light-emitting diodes. Those diodes then shine the light they produce through a series of quantum dots, allowing the panel to produce the full spectrum of color visible to the human eye. The approach has multiple advantages. The most notable, particularly compared to current OLED displays, is that the panel can get a lot brighter. In a demo FlatspanelsHD saw at CES, one display produced more than 1,000 nits of peak brightness across a 10 percent window. For comparison, some of the more recent TVs from LG can produce between 700 nits and 1,000 nits of brightness across the same area. Brightness is something LG has consistently tried to address with its WOLD panels. In December, the companys display subsidiary unveiled its OLED EX tech, claiming it would enhance brightness by up to 30 percent compared to conventional OLED displays. Another advantage of the technology is better color performance. The panels Samsung Display showed off at CES 2022 covered 90 percent of the Rec. 2020 color gamut. LGs WOLED panels, which people consistently praise for their accurate and vibrant colors, hit about 70 percent of the Rec. 2020 standard. Lastly, viewing angles are improved, so you won't lose colors when when you're viewing QD-OLED screens from extreme angles. In addition to TVs, the technology will make its way to gaming monitors, with Samsung and Dell planning to use the tech in 34-inch displays. Well have to see how the panels perform in the real world. But on paper, QD-OLED could easily become the new standard for high-end consumer TVs. One of the first companies set to release a TV with a QD-OLED panel is Sony with its A95K sets. Unfortunately, Sony has yet to announce how much those TVs will cost, and we wont know until closer to release sometime this spring. After a give or take a decade in development hell, the film adaptation of the Uncharted series is slated to arrive in theaters next month. And during CES, Tom Holland introduced a small, action-heavy segment of the film in which he is flung from a plane, repeatedly shot at and then hit by a car. If it looks at all familiar, that's probably because this plane scene was heavily featured in the film's first trailer an apparent nod to the third game in the series. For better or worse it certainly has all the trappings of a quicktime event. The release date for Uncharted has been pushed back a few times, but it's slated to hit theaters on February 18 now. Many companies at CES 2022 have been focused on products you can find on shelves, but Hyundai came to the show with nothing less than a grand vision of the future. The company used its presentation to outline a "metamobility" strategy where robots augment humanity's capabilities to the point where you could even reconfigure whole rooms, or use a robot as a stand-in while you navigate the metaverse at home. Boston Dynamics' robots also played a large part in the event, and Hyundai was keen to discuss everything from exoskeletons through to digital twins for machinery. It's a lot to take in, we know. Thankfully, you can learn about those and more through our six-minute supercut. Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here! Enid, OK (73701) Today Cloudy this morning, then windy with scattered strong thunderstorms this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 83F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 41F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. The following analysis is strictly a logistical perspective of why China is unable to invade Taiwan militarily present-day or in the far future. The Hysterical Hype During the past several months the media has gleefully bombarded the public with the ever-increasing possibility that China will have the capability to invade Taiwan in the near present, if not the near future. Undoubtedly there has been a dramatic increase and intensity of Chinese air force incursions into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in 2021 as articulated in the following chart entitled Taiwan's Airspace Sees Increase in Chinese Military Incursions provided by the R.O.C. Ministry of National Defense (Taiwan). China's military flights into Taiwan's ADIZ are intimidation tactics meant to make Taiwan "feel" China's shadow in its long-term objective of "reunification" while at the same time garnering generous western media attention. Increased Chinese aerial incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ captivates the media's attention who in turn compound the threat to sell the news. Besides, aerial intimidation particularly with its trophy hypersonic missile, is far "sexier" headline grabbing news than artificial island building or maritime incursions into the fishing areas of neighboring countries. It's also a public relations coup for China because the hysterics and over-estimation of China as a rapidly emerging omnipotent military power within sight of world domination contradicts the reality that they are a still a paper tiger in projecting their military might offshore. Furthermore, in addition to the aircraft carrier killing exotic weapons, articles have appeared with respect to China's mock-up of US carriers in western China serving as targets for bombing runs. Rarely mentioned is that fact that China has been conducting these exercises for decades since becoming an economic juggernaut. Every country has a mock-up of their enemies' critical targets for simulation training purposes in case of a conflict. For China, if there was to be a offshore military clash, the most obvious targets would be American aircraft carriers and nearby military bases. Narrow Window of Opportunity The principal driving factors for these media hysterics are: The present-day distractions of the rampant Omicron variant Buildup of and Russian troops poised on the Ukrainian border Large Russian-Chinese joint military exercises All of the above create the illusion that an opportunistic, autocratically led Russia and China, are loosely collaborating to invade, within the same timeframe, their respective sovereign neighbors because the US is too divided, distracted, stretched to the limit of resources and political will to repel a two-front military aggression. In reality with respect to Russia, the probability of an invasion of the Ukraine is high while a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is remote. Taiwan's Perspective & Reality Leveraging China's escalating aggressive and perceived military bellicose intentions, the media presents a vulnerable, if not helpless Taiwan, who the US will be compelled to "rescue". One such article on Taiwan's lack of and readiness was published by the Wall Street Journal 26 October 2021 is entitled Does Taiwan's Military Stand a Chance Against China? Few Think So. Through selective surveys and interviews the article focused on the under-funded, low morale and lower military service requirement (4 months present-day from 2 years) of the 187,660 active soldiers (down from 275,000 in 2011) and 2.2 million Taiwanese reservists. Reality | Not Your Father's "Saving Private Ryan" All of the aforementioned has been grossly exaggerated and misinterpreted as a prelude to an imminent Chinese invasion. For starters there haven't been any reports, let alone rumors, of Chinese military mobilization whether it be land forces, vessels, equipment & materiel unlike the Russian military-buildup which has been confirmed and supported by satellite images. There has merely been bombastic political rhetoric from the Chinese leadership concerning Taiwan. If there was to be an invasion, the build-up would take place at the major Chinese naval ports specifically Qingdao, Ningbo and Zhangjiang all of which are located much further than the launch sites during D-Day. Logistically the shortest geographical distance between China and Taiwan is 100 miles with the aforementioned naval launch bases another 100-plus miles away. The shortest distance during the D-Day invasion in June 1944 was 26 miles. However Allied landing craft and supporting vessels had to depart from naval bases up to 100 miles away. Furthermore the Allies had the luxury of landing 156,000 troops at multiple wide and flat beaches with air & sea domination and was able to concentrate their efforts exclusively on Nazi Germany's beach and inland defenses. After several years of planning and wartime experience the Allies were able to successfully undertake the interoperability of various armed services (army, navy and air force) with an endless flow of supporting materiel post-landing. On the other hand even after being exposed crossing an open sea, Taiwan has an unforgiving topography with few suitable landing sites with China grossly lacking the support vessels and aircraft to supply and sustain their troops in hostile territory. It's been decades since China has undertaken large scale military operations all of which those were land-based with no history of an amphibious assault. Any attempt of such an operation against Taiwan would be even far more complicated and challenging than the D-Day version with stealth and surprise practically impossible. Despite China's high-profile, high-tech trophy weapons, even in the 21st century military conflicts are ultimately decided by the soldier with the bayonet. This is what happened with the American invasion and occupation in Gulf War II and Afghanistan where ultimately it was the American foot soldiers' arrival that secured key parts of the country before it was deemed secure. Beyond Mission Impossible Let's debunk the gross numbers with the following chart entitled The Military Imbalance In The Taiwan Strait provided by the U.S. Department of Defense. This chart represents an estimated totality of China's military in a geographically huge country, not all of which can be used in an amphibious invasion or even moved to invasion launch sites in China itself. China would still require large numbers of personnel and material against Indian aggression in the west as well as to support law enforcement in case of overwhelming domestic social unrest. Finally of the above totals for each category, military and media expert sources rarely provide an estimate the amount of "combat ready" Chinese military hardware versus those which are designated to be cannibalized for spare parts. Taiwan is a small island with limited favorable landing sites whose defenses, well-hidden in their mountainous topography, are concentrated exclusively for a Chinese invasion. This and similar comparative charts from credible sources are accurate but whose information is not translated to their suitability to real-life operational use for an amphibious operation on the scale required. In sum, the Chinese leadership is well aware of the fact that their last military conflict occurred in 1979 against the Vietnamese, a land battle just across the border, which was logistically far more simplistic, versus the enormously difficult interoperability to various armed forces in an amphibious assault, inland movement and subsequent capture of military bases, cities and utilities. 21st Century Invasion Tactic For China there are a myriad of non-military ways to achieve the goal of reunification that would almost eliminate casualties, collateral damage and political blowback, specifically loss of face for President Xi. Politically this may involve creating and stoking a socio-political environment within Taiwan through the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition political party who still maintains the idea is that Taiwan and the mainland are one China. Without a doubt this tactic has probably been a long-term, on-going operation for decades. According to the Election Study Center at National Chengchi University, voters identifying with the KMT is 19% vs 31% for the ruling Democratic Progressive party. The KMT figure is low but even within many democracies, circumstances have reversed public sentiment in strange ways. Conclusion The Chinese leadership is leveraging the media hysteria that is creating the illusion of a militarily powerful and operationally competent giant. The purpose of this alarmist hysteria is pure sensationalism one in which, in my opinion, particular political and military leaders worldwide are using to push their own agendas whether for additional funding or misdirection and distraction from more urgent matters Copyright 2022 Cerulean Council LLC The Cerulean Council is a NYC-based think-tank that provides prescient, beyond-the-horizon, contrarian perspectives and risk assessments on geopolitical dynamics and global urban security. Jasper, IndianaKevin Schewe kicked off 2022 by winning a Silver Literary Titan Book Award for Bad Love Medicine, the fourth book in his critically acclaimed Bad Love sci-fi adventure series. According to their website, the Literary Titan Book Awards are for "books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors." The three previous awards for Bad Love Medicine are as follows: One from The Historical Fiction Company, an award in the Young Adult category at the Southern California Book Festival and an International Book Impact Award in the same category with the addendum of Excellence for Book Content Quality. Kevin Schewe's Bad Love books definitely fit into the Literary Titan Book Award criteria of "vivid worlds, complex characters and original ideas." First, there are the primary and teritiary members of the Bad Love Gang; they are indeed a group of "complex" teenage heroes with genius abilities, bravery beyond compare, loyalty to a fault and a keen sense of their place history. Second, there are the "vivid worlds" of alien planets and their fascainting inhabitants and technology. Third, there are "original ideas" to be found around every corner with unlikely twists and turns from the battlefields of World War II to Cold War espionage of the 1970s; from dinosaur filled forests of alien planets to the nuclear bomb laboraties of the United States, Nazi Germany and beyond. In Bad Love Medicine the Gang make a just in time voyage from an alien planet in an effort to reunite a love-struck couple, this while saving one from a deadly disease in the future (wrap your head around that). At the same time, they must prevent Hitler and the Nazis from creating a time machine of their own. They battle Russian agents in the 1970s, Nazi soldiers and scientists in the 1940s and make friends with aliens from another planet. "These stories just come to life in such an organic way," says Schewe. "They combine my childhood memories with my love of history, music, military aviation, WWII, science fiction and time travel." Whether you're a history aficionado, a time-travel buff, a sci-fi lover, or are just in need of a fun book to cheer you up, Bad Love Medicine is the adventure you've been waiting for. In Bad Love Strikes, the Gang discovered The White Hole Project, a time machine created by Albert Einstein at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt in case the atomic bomb failed. In the exciting sequel, Bad Love Tigers, the gang used the White Hole Project to travel back to 1945 to thwart Russian spies and protect the secrets of Area 51. In Bad Love Beyond, the gang traveled not just through time but through space as well to learn the reason behind Blue Nova One's mysterious visit to earth. Other awards the books have won are the Wishing Shelf Red Ribbon Winner, Literary Titan Silver Book Award, NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, AMI Indie Book Awards, and an eLit Award to name a few. "Skillful writing (both historical and fantastical), a zesty sense of humor, an appreciation for pop culture, and the ability to create memorably entertaining characters combine to make this an immensely impressive noveland experience! Very highly recommended." Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer, 5-Stars "If history was taught this way in school, everyone would be a scholar and educating ourselves not only about our accomplishments but the horrors of the past that should awaken and give insight to the path of a better future. A rare gem!" David Holladay, MD, 5-Stars Watch the exciting book trailers at https://bit.ly/BadLoveStrikes-Trailer or https://bit.ly/BadLoveTigers_Trailer or https://bit.ly/BadLoveBeyondTrailer or https://bit.ly/BadLoveMedicineTrailer About Kevin Schewe: Kevin L. Schewe, MD, FACRO, is a board-certified cancer specialist who has been in the private practice of radiation oncology for over 34 years. He is an entrepreneur, having founded Elite Therapeutics and Bad Love Cosmetics Company, LLC. A long-time history buff, Schewe is the author of the Bad Love Book Series, a young adult sci-fi adventure that spans much of early 20th century history. You can connect with Kevin Schewe through his website KevinSchewe.com or via Instagram @realkevinschewe . Bad Love Medicine, ASIN: B098TN6GKC, Broken Crow Ridge Publishing, July 6, 2021, available on Amazon and www.jancarolpublishing.com in ebook and paperback, 258 pages. Media Contact: For a review copy of Bad Love Medicine, or previous books in the series, or to arrange an interview with Dr. Kevin Schewe, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Reach Lorenz on Twitter @abookpublicist. The head of Community Labs, a provider of rapid COVID-19 testing services, is in talks with city health officials to provide thousands of tests as the number of San Antonians infected with the omicron variant explodes. We are delighted to work with Metro Health as they explore expanding COVID-19 testing for our communities, Community Labs president Sal Webber said Tuesday. We would be happy to support Metro Health and the city by providing free ... screenings for the general public, as we have in the past. Between October 2020 and June, Community Labs administered 134,750 tests for residents at sites across San Antonio, according to Webber. On ExpressNews.com: Metro Health adds 3 new mass COVID-19 testing sites The city paid $4.7 million to the organization for the testing under its contract with the Metropolitan Health District, the local public health department. The tests, provided free to residents, cost the city $35 each, which Community Labs said was below the average market rate. In the wake of the omicron surge, Webber said his organization could run5,000 tests at a site within 48 hours of signing a new agreement and potentially could expand the operation to 10,000 tests by the following week. It also could set up two smaller locations capable of administering 2,500 tests each. Metro Health reported 11,528 new COVID-19 cases in Bexar County from Saturday to Monday, as well as two deaths and 506 patients hospitalized with the virus, including 22 children. The health district raised its COVID-19 risk level to severe, just below critical, the highest threat level. Metro Health officials said they would be adding new testing services. But they didnt mention Community Labs, which launched in September 2020 with funding from San Antonio-based Rackspace Technology co-founder Graham Weston and two local philanthropies the Tobin Endowment and the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation. While there is enough testing capacity in the community, the city has requested expanded capacity at the states testing sites, Metro Health officials said in a news release. The city has also authorized additional testing sites to be established over the coming days. Metro Health Director Claude Jacob urged people to wear face masks and to get COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots. He said the city had adequate testing capabilities. The citys COVID-19 testing webpage lists 24 sites that provide free testing and 74 others that offer tests for a range of fees. On Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would open six new COVID-19 testing sites across Texas, including one in Bexar County. State officials said they expect the centers to open next week. ExpressNews.com: FEMA will open six new COVID testing sites across Texas after Abbotts request for aid Making contact On Dec. 13, city health officials reported the first two confirmed omicron cases in Bexar County. Webber said he sent an email to Mayor Ron Nirenbergs office to pitch a renewal of Community Labs testing services agreement within days of the omicron announcement. He was referred to Jacob, the Metro Health director. Jacob called Webber on Monday, after a reporter asked Metro Health whether the department was talking with Community Labs about providing testing services. Last month, Metro Health officials blamed a threefold increase in COVID-19 cases in Bexar County on the omicron variant and highlighted the importance of testing. They urged residents to take home tests before attending indoor get-togethers or to schedule an appointment for testing at one of the citys free sites already in operation. Metro Health Assistant Director Dr. Anita Kurian, who oversees the citys disease division, said in a Dec. 21 San Antonio Express-News report that testing was very widely available. During the previous peaks, weve tested up to 80,000 to 83,000 tests on a weekly basis, she said. Currently, we are anywhere from 55,000 to 61,000 tests on a weekly basis. So we have capacity to test should there be an increased demand. A survey Tuesday of Metro Healths webpage found that many of the sites required an appointment. At some, openings for tests werent available until early next week. Community Labs could provide walk-in testing options for people, Webber said. The nonprofit isnt a 100 percent solution, he said, but we are an effective tool. Workload Early on, Community Labs partnered with BioBridge Global, a nonprofit that operates area blood banks. BioBridge housed the nonprofit in its headquarters off Interstate 10 on the Northwest Side. Community Labs focuses in part on rapid, repeated testing of people in workplaces and classrooms. The organization relies on a polymerase chain reaction test, which involves taking a sample with a cotton swab from the front of one nostril. The nonprofit deemed the test more sensitive than most other COVID-19 tests and faster. People could get their results in under 24 hours. Community Labs signed agreements with public school districts, universities, the city, private businesses and others, administering hundreds of thousands of the coronavirus tests. It conducted more than 850,000 tests overall and drove the turnaround time for results to under 19 hours. In June, Community Labs announced that it would end its contracts with the city and businesses and shift its focus to supporting schools with campus-based testing. Funding for the tests came from the Texas Division of Emergency Management via Bexar County. Webber said the nonprofit continues to test about 15,000 children on more than 300 school campuses in Bexar County and in Laredo and San Marcos. Community Labs also is resuming testing for Rackspace and other local companies. The tests now have a turnaround time of about 12 hours, Webber said. eric.killelea@express-news.net CPS Energy has sold its former headquarters along the River Walk downtown to Blueprint Hospitality, which plans to convert it to a hotel. Blueprint purchased the 10-story building at 145 Navarro St. along with the city-owned utilitys interest in the Tower Life building parking garage last month for $19 million. Based in the Houston and Chicago areas, Blueprint specializes in converting historic buildings to hotels, managing partner and CEO Kunal Mody said. It has completed or is working on projects in Little Rock, St. Louis and Fort Worth. On ExpressNews.com: Historic River Walk building on market for $13 million Its plans for San Antonio, such as a hotel brand and number of rooms the building will include, were still being ironed out. The basement through eighth floor were constructed in 1926 and floors nine and 10 were added in 1984 and 1985, according to CBRE, which marketed the property. The building includes about 211,352 square feet of space. Its proximity to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and River Walk frontage are attractive, said Kishan Patel, Blueprint managing partner and chief operating officer. The ability to own real estate on the River Walk that opportunity does not come every day, he said. We feel strongly about the market ... believing that corporate business will be back again, it seems like its well-positioned to capture some of the opportunities down there. The historic building is located in a federal opportunity zone and a tax increment reinvestment zone. Opportunity zones were established by former President Donald Trumps 2017 tax bill to attract investment to economically-disadvantaged areas. Investors can get tax breaks on capital gains if they put their capital in long-term investments within the zones. On ExpressNews.com: Will a Trump tax break fuel investment in San Antonio or just give money away? In tax increment reinvestment zones, increases in property tax revenue are used to reimburse developers for public improvements, such as sidewalks and drainage. Mody and Patel said they were considering using both mechanisms. The building was among more than $50 million worth of properties CPS designated as surplus and listed for sale in 2019 to help offset the $210 million cost of its new headquarters on McCullough Avenue. There were multiple bidders, CPS spokesman John Moreno said. Last year the utility sold an adjacent office building and parking garage at 146 Navarro St. for $22.25 million to BH Properties, a Los Angeles-based company that plans to renovate it. It also sold a former customer service center at 7000 San Pedro Ave. for $5.25 million to KEM Texas Ltd., which is affiliated with Paul Covey and Kevin Covey of local firm GrayStreet Partners. On ExpressNews.com: CPS Energy to give piece of downtown land to San Antonio Museum of Art and sell the rest The Villita Assembly building at 401 Villita St., a parking lot next to the Mexican Consulate and a former service center on Jones Avenue are among CPS properties still on the market. CPS board of trustees voted in 2015 to donate about half of the nearly 7-acre Jones site to the San Antonio Museum of Art and sell the other half. But the utility and the museum could not reach an agreement before a 2019 deadline. Dealing with financial fallout from the pandemic and fuel costs racked up during Februarys winter storm, trustees last year voted to instead give 1 acre to the museum and sell the rest. madison.iszler@express-news.net San Antonios Frost Bank faces a potential class-action lawsuit alleging it charged overdraft fees on accounts that were not actually overdrawn. The suit follows a similar action against San Antonios Credit Human Federal Credit Union in April, also filed in state District Court in San Antonio. Indeed, the suit against Frost Bank contains several paragraphs nearly identical to ones in the Credit Human complaint with the only difference being that the banks name is substituted for the credit unions. Numerous financial institutions have settled similar complaints involving overdraft fees in the last year. Many other cases are still pending. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios Credit Human Federal Credit Union hit with class-action lawsuit over overdraft fees San Antonio resident Theodore Woods filed the suit against Frost Bank last week over what he calls its unfair and unconscionable collection of overdraft fees on certain transactions. Wood says his checking account contract documents addressing overdraft fees promise Frost will only charge such fees on transactions where there are insufficient funds to cover them. But Wood adds Frost charges the overdraft fees even when there are sufficient funds to cover a debit card transactions. Frosts customers have been injured by Frosts improper practices to the tune of millions of dollars bilked from their accounts in violation of their agreements with Frost, Woods alleges. Bank spokesman Bill Day declined to comment on the lawsuit. He referred a reporter to an April press release that said Frost would no longer charge overdraft fees for certain customers when they overdraw their checking accounts by up to $100 as long as they have monthly direct deposits of at least $500. Frost understands its human to make a mistake and wants to show customers they matter by giving them this overdraft grace where they need it, the bank said. Frost previously charged $35 for each overdraft, up to $175 a day, Day said in April. That still applied for overdrafts over $100, but most overdrafts are for less than that amount. The bank generated $32.3 million in overdraft and insufficient fund charges on consumer and commercial accounts in 2020, down from $42.3 million in 2019. It didnt publicly reveal how much the change might cost it in revenue. Austin lawyer Jeff Edwards, part of Woods legal team, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. The suit seeks more than $1 million in damages. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox According to Woods lawsuit, at the moment a debit card transaction is authorized on an account with positive funds to cover the transaction, Frost immediately reduces a customers checking account to cover the amount of that transaction. As a result, the suit adds, a customer's account will always have sufficient funds available to cover debit card transactions because Frost already has put aside those funds for payment. In other words, the funds are unavailable to cover subsequent transactions. This means many subsequent transactions incur overdraft fees due to the unavailability of the funds set aside for those debit card transactions. However, Frost still assesses crippling OD Fees on many of these transactions and misrepresents its practices in its Account Agreement, the suit says. The Credit Human case remains pending. The credit union sought to have the case dismissed but state District Judge Antonia Arteaga denied the request in August. A motion to certify the case as a class-action has not been ruled on. Other financial institutions have settled similar lawsuits. For example, in April, Navy Federal Credit Union agreed to pay $16 million to class members in a federal lawsuit filed in Virginia. The credit union allegedly charged multiple non-sufficient fund fees on the same transaction. Navy Federal agreed to settle even though the judge had granted its request to dismiss the case. The plaintiff was in the process of appealing the ruling when the case settled. In May, Bank of America settled a class-action suit for $75 million over similar allegations. Two of the law firms in those cases represent Woods, while one of them is part of the legal team representing the plaintiff in the Credit Human case. pdanner@express-news.net The hottest item of the new year might be a COVID-19 test. Amid a surge of infections, demand for the tests has soared. At-home rapid tests are scarce and testing sites have lines wrapped around the block in some areas of Bexar County. Online appointments are also full. On ExpressNews.com: Did COVID-19 take your sense of smell? Here is how to get it back. Heres what we know about the current outlook. At-home rapid COVID tests: If you can find an at-home test, major retailers, such as CVS, Walmart and Walgreens, have imposed limits on how many you can buy. Amazon has also added caps. The worldwide demand for the test is a large factor in why theyre so hard to find. Supply chain problems that have plagued the country for months are also a factor. Estella Raychaudhuri, the president of InBios International, told NPR this week that the company is having difficulty getting raw materials necessary for items such as swabs and printed material. In an effort to curb the rise in cases, the federal government announced that it will soon begin mailing at-home COVID test kits for free to any U.S. household that requests one. The Biden administration said it would ship as many as 500 million kits. After a deal with the White House to sell at-home testing kits expired, both Walmart Inc. and Kroger Co. announced they will raise prices, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The price of BinaxNOW tests at Walmart will rise to $19.88 this week from $14. Kroger told Bloomberg that it was reinstating "retail pricing" after completing its three-month commitment to the Biden administration. Walmart told Bloomberg it kept the lower price during the holidays even after the deal with the White House expired. That agreement also extended to Amazon. In the meantime, the Texas Hospital Association said recently that individuals needing a COVID-19 because of a recent exposure or are experiencing mild symptoms should seek care at a pharmacy, doctors office or dedicated testing site. This helps ensure that resources for critical care emergency departments are accessible, the association said. Many local pharmacies, however, are also booked several days in advance. CVS said in a post on its website that appointments are limited and lab test results are taking one to three days to process because of the surge in cases. COVID testing sites: Local health officials have raised the areas COVID-19 risk level to severe, just below critical, the highest threat level. But anyone who has tried to get a test recently has been largely met with long lines and full appointments. Curative, which runs the vast majority of free testing sites in San Antonio, told the Express-News this week that patients booking appointments at its locations can get in to be tested within one or two days. As of Tuesday, however, many of the testing sites were booked through the rest of the week. Curative is testing about 10,000 people per day in the San Antonio area during the current surge. Still, while the testing lines may be long, the company said everyone who has wanted a test has gotten a test. The city of San Antonio is weighing whether to renew its partnership with Community Labs, a provider of rapid COVID-19 testing services. The company told the Express-News it could provide thousands of additional tests to help with the demand. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will open six new COVID-19 testing sites across Texas, including one in Bexar County. How to get a test: You can find the nearest testing site at Curative.com. A list of local testing locations can also be found at covid19.sanantonio.gov along with phone numbers and hours of operation. Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net When Antoinette Lakey takes her seat on opening night of Hamilton at the Majestic Theatre, she will be making good on a promise that her late life partner was unable to fulfill before his death. Bill Lewis saw the show on Broadway and later introduced Lakey to the music. She fell hard for the score, listening to the cast album nonstop in the car and at home. When the Majestic announced in February 2018 that the show would be part of its 2019-20 Broadway in San Antonio season, Lewis told her hed make sure she saw it. He said, No matter what, I promise you, you will see Hamilton, said Lakey, 52. He passed away before it came. He died in March, and they came the following year. She didnt see the show that year tickets were too expensive but her passion for Hamilton didnt flag. She watched it dozens of times when it aired on Disney+ and rotates songs from the musical as her ring tone. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio sculptor Antonio Medina created local landmarks Lackey also has been known to play and sometimes sing songs from the show at the San Antonio Housing Authority, where she works. Her boss took note, and last month, she handed Lakey an envelope with a Hamilton ticket inside. I burst into tears, Lakey said. Im overwhelmed with gratitude. Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me. Lewis will be with her when she finally sees Hamilton onstage. I have some of his ashes in a locket, she said. Im taking him to see Hamilton with me. Lakey is one of many San Antonians enthralled by the Lin-Manuel Mirandas blockbuster musical, which recounts the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Here are the stories of a few other local superfans. Antoinette Lakey Welcoming a tiny new fan Chrissy Quattro, 31, had heard songs from the Hamilton cast album, but the show didnt completely grab her until she and her husband watched the film version on Disney+. My husband and I became obsessed with the soundtrack, said Quattro, a native San Antonian who is a doctoral fellow in city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania. We would play it all the time, and we made my mom watch it. Its on my most played Spotify songs of 2021. On ExpressNews.com: Take a look at the Hamilton mural backstage at the Majestic It also helped welcome her 2-week-old daughter Patricia into the world, since it played while Quattro was in labor. When I was in the hospital, it was something comforting, she said. I knew all the words. Its such a good musical and so well done everyone is so good. It was calming as the doctors were coming in and out and the contractions were picking up. It was nice to have that going so I could focus on that and not everything else going on. Alyson Miller / Fans from the start Hamilton When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Sundays and 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays through Jan. 16, with additional performances at 1:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Where: Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St. Tickets: $49-$299, majesticempire.com; digital lottery for $10 tickets is available through the "Hamilton" app. See More Collapse Back in 2010, Justine Del Toro started following Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter. She had seen his musical In the Heights in Austin and was so taken with it that she wanted to keep tabs on what was coming next. That was early in the development of Hamilton, his follow-up show, and his feed filled with factoids about the founding father. Eventually, he posted drafts, said Del Toro, 27, who teaches theater at Nimitz Middle School. It was cool to see him go from tweeting random thoughts about the process to hearing about it being workshopped. She went to the third preview performance, snapping up tickets in the second row while the show was still relatively low-profile. She already loved the music. The diversity of the cast struck a deeper chord. I remember that as soon as the orchestra played their first note, I started tearing up, she said. And then, Leslie Odom Jr. walked out on the stage, and I just started crying. And as more of them came out, it was incredible to see. Im Hispanic, and I connected to what they were doing. I went to (the North East School of the Arts) and had a really hard time my senior year finding audition monologues because I didnt see myself. This was the first time I saw that many people of color onstage, and it wasnt just about their race or just about being a person of color. Romana Kleinguenther-Munoz Like Del Toro, Seabrook Jones took note of the show early in its development. It first caught her attention in 2009, when Miranda performed Alexander Hamilton at the White House as part of an arts celebration. Jones, who teaches American history, was intrigued by the concept and the use of hip-hop in the score. The next time Hamilton popped up on her radar, it had become a phenomenon. She was curious about the finished production, but she didnt want to listen to the music or watch clips she wanted to see it onstage in person. She did that during the first Majestic run in 2019. She loved all of it, she said, and also was struck by the way it was cast. Its really exciting what theater can do, and how it can make you imagine and think about the country in a different way, she said. Our nation really was built by all these different sorts of people. Jones, 40, will be going to the Majestic show with three of her colleagues from San Antonio College, where she is an assistant professor of history. She sometimes uses clips from the show in her classes, making clear that it takes some dramatic license with events. She has seen her students interest level rise significantly. On ExpressNews.com: Guide to new downtown murals A lot of my students wouldnt have gravitated to this material otherwise, she said. Its pretty cool to be able to combine my deep love of history with my deep love of musical theater. Maggie Wilmoth Singing along For years, friends told Alyssa De La O, academic services coordinator for Texas A&M University-San Antonio, that she needed to check out Hamilton, but she kept putting it off. She finally got around to it right before it debuted on Disney+, listening to the cast album to prep for the movie. She immediately got what her friends had been trying to tell her about how special the show was. By the time the movie rolled around, she knew all the words. She threw a movie party so friends who werent familiar with the show could watch it with her and her husband. They said not in a bad way Alyssa, let us hear it, its so amazing, De La O, 28, said. I just wanted to sing along to it. Sparking something new Maggie Wilmoth Saint Marys Hall senior Bella Munoz was in middle school when her sister played her the song Youll Be Back from Hamilton. It grabbed her imagination immediately, and soon her love of the music ascended to a different level. She started writing and illustrating an epic graphic novel inspired by it, telling the whole story in 35 books. Munoz did a lot of research along the way, reading up on King George III and George Washington, among others, to make sure that her books were historically accurate. She also launched a YouTube channel, Izzy Draws, featuring her animated fan art celebrating the show. One video featuring the Schuyler Sisters has been watched more than 47,000 times. Munoz has now seen Hamilton twice once in New York and once in London. The 17-year-old sometimes pulls her books off the shelf to look at what she created. Although sometimes, Ill look back and say, Oh, this one was not as good, I have a sense of pride in it, she said. I know this is the beginning of where I became more serious about storytelling and drawing and all these other aspects of myself. Hamilton also inspired Donald Mason, executive director of the Classical Music Institute and a performer, to create something. Mason has slowly been crafting an 80-minute, one-man, a capella take on the show. I like to perform, and really, in a lot of ways, there hasnt been a musical project that has captured my attention so much and for so long, said Mason, 40. And it doesnt get old to me. I feel like Ive listened to it 200 times, and theres always something that Im discovering. The show is famously dense lyrically Mason noted that some have said it would take at least six hours to perform if it were paced more like a traditional musical and that makes it tough to nail solo. One of the challenges is finding space within the words to breathe, he said. If you watch the musical, somebody can go really hard at their lines, and they know theyre going to have a break where they get to breathe. If you do all the parts, you dont get those built-in moments for breathing. You have to create those moments. Best. Presents. Ever. Romana Kleinguenther-Munoz Five years ago, Maggie Weathington Wilmoth threw her youngest daughter, Lilly Grace, a Broadway-themed party at the Woodlawn Theatre for her 10th birthday. The menu included Aaron Burrgers and cakes shaped like the Schuyler sisters, which Wilmoth baked herself. There also was a scavenger hunt in which the clues led to the revelation of a dream-come-true gift: Tickets to see the show on Broadway. We got lots of cheers from the 10- and 12-year-olds, said Wilmoth, 46, who is a real estate broker. I felt like parent of the year. The whole family including dad Matthew and Lilly Graces sister Savannah went to see the show. And they will see it again during its Majestic run. We like to compare our favorites: I like this Aaron Burr, this is my favorite Hamilton, Wilmoth said. Every single cast blows you away. Alyson Miller, a corporate trainer for a technology company, took her then-16-year-old daughter Anyka to see the show on Broadway in 2018. She also arranged for a very special extra. Miller.a longtime fan of the show, had struck up a friendship with Gillian Pensavalle, host of The Hamilcast, a podcast devoted to it. Through that contact, she arranged for Anyka to meet the cast onstage. She was just glowing with happiness and so, so thrilled, said Miller, 45. There isnt a lot that only I could make happen for her, and I was glad to have that opportunity to give her something special, a truly magical moment that she will have forever. dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN At least eight historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats Tuesday, school officials said, triggering abrupt evacuations of students and employees. Spelman College, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Florida Memorial University, Howard University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University in Texas and Xavier University of Louisiana reported bomb threats. No explosions occurred. Multiple schools ordered evacuations or lockdowns and alerted local law enforcement. It was not immediately clear whether the threats were connected or whether they were racially motivated. By early Wednesday, all of the schools had released all-clear notices to their communities. In many cases, the threats arrived in the midst of winter break, or to campuses much emptier than usual as school officials sought to keep people safe amid the pandemic. "Although the threat was unfounded we ask that everyone remains vigilant," a statement from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff said, adding that the full student body hadn't yet returned from the holiday break but those who were there were relocated off campus. At Howard, the start of the semester was delayed due to a surge of coronavirus cases in the D.C. area in December, so students were not on campus. They can begin moving in Jan. 14 for classes expected to begin Jan. 18. Administrative operations had resumed Monday, but most staff members are working remotely at the moment, according to a Howard spokeswoman, Kimberly Holmes-Iverson. The university said D.C. police contacted Howard's Department of Public Safety on Tuesday afternoon to alert them that their dispatch center had received an anonymous call saying that two bombs had been placed in Howard's administration building. The two departments secured the perimeter, according to a statement from the university, evacuated the building and searched the area. No active devices were found, and the area was cleared. Spelman College officials announced Wednesday that its Department of Public Safety and the Atlanta Police Department responded to a potential bomb threat in the Manley College Center on campus Tuesday. The building was secured after a search; no device was found, and Atlanta police continue to investigate. A bomb threat was called in to Norfolk State University on Tuesday evening, school officials said in a statement. The university's police chief, Brian Covington, said police relocated all students, faculty and staff to a safe location until the campus was cleared. The FBI and Norfolk Police Department are helping the university's police department in the investigation. Whitney Cruse, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Washington Field Office said they are collaborating with other law enforcement agencies in areas where the threats occurred. "We have no current evidence that HBCU's are specifically targeted," Cruse said in a statement. "We are monitoring the events closely." The threatening messages arrived during the afternoon or evening, schools said. Pine Bluff officials said their school received a threat about 5:15 p.m. Shortly after that, at about 5:30 p.m., North Carolina Central University police received a call regarding a bomb threat on campus. The campus was immediately locked down, according to school officials, with an alert sent to students and employees. Multiple agencies, including ATF, law enforcement and fire departments worked with university police to ensure all buildings were cleared, according to a university statement. An all-clear was issued at 9:15 p.m. The threats come after three Ivy League schools received similar threats in November and TikTok posts hinting at potential school shootings prompted a dozen school districts across the country to tighten security last month. Law enforcement officials later determined those threats were not credible. Nationally, the frequency of bomb threats has declined in the past two years, according to the latest tallies disclosed by a federal government data center. But the number of actual bombings has risen - a trend that forces schools to take threats more seriously. In 2020, the most recent year for which the data center has published tallies, officials said 818 bomb threats had been documented. That figure was about a 20% drop from the previous year and about half of the 1,627 threats received in 2018. But officials reported 428 bombing incidents in 2020, a 71% increase from the previous year and the highest number since 2016, when 439 bombings were documented by ATF. - - - The Washington Post's Peter Hermann contributed to this report. China condemns US whitewashing terrorism 2 years after assassination of Iranian general (People's Daily App) 13:13, January 05, 2022 China on Tuesday condemned the US for whitewashing atrocities by using so-called "rule-based international order" as Iranians mourned the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani two years ago. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing in response to a question about the second anniversary of the assassination. Soleimani was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020. Iran's permanent representative to the UN condemned the killing as an act of state terrorism. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the people responsible should face justice for their actions. Wang called Soleimani's assassination "another example of the US wantonly undermining the basic norms governing international relations and one of the war crimes committed by the US with abuse of force." He said, "The US breaks the international law and conducts targeted killings with acts of terrorism in various countries and kills hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians across the world." The US whitewashed "illegal and atrocious behaviors behind the facade of the so-called 'rules-based international order,'" Wang said. The US has repeatedly claimed it would uphold the order but the fact remained that "the US only cares about the order that meet its needs and serve its interests," the ministry spokesperson said. The US strived to maintain a hegemony that allowed it to override the international community, he said. People in Middle East countries do not accept an order that violates international law and nor do people across the world, Wang said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Gov. Greg Abbott's decision on Tuesday to sue the Biden administration over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military including the Texas National Guard drew a mixed reaction on social media. The lawsuit argues that the vaccine requirement should not apply to members of the state's national guard who have not been activated by the federal government. In a statement from his office and on his Twitter account, Abbott' reminded Texans that he is the commander-in-chief of the state's militia. "Unless President Biden federalizes the Texas National Guard in accordance with Title 10 of the U.S. Code, he is not your commander-in-chief under our federal or state Constitutions," Abbott said in the letter to the Texas Miliaty Department. "And as long as I am your commander-in-chief, I will not tolerate efforts to compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine." On ExpressNews.com: Foes left and right blame Abbott for suicides, pay delays among Texas troops deployed to the border Attorney General Ken Paxton echoed Abbott's arguments on Twitter and called President Joe Biden's vaccine "illegal." Several Twitter users who agree with the governor tweeted "Let's go Brandon" in response to Abbott's tweet. The slogan is a stand in for F Joe Biden and became popular among Republicans after a post-NASCAR race interview in October. Others pointed out that the governor is suing the Biden administration after requesting federal assistance last Friday to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases. On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to set up six new test sites across the state, including one in Bexar County. State Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, on Wednesday asked in a tweet: "Didn't you just ask (the Biden administration) for help?" The tweet earned a retweet from U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio. Twitter users also highlighted Abbott's vaccine status and expressed confusion about his stance against the military mandate. The governor is vaccinated. U.S. Rep. Chris Turner of the Arlington and Grand Prairie areas said in a tweet that Abbott should be thanking the president instead of suing the administration. Allen West, a Republican candidate for Texas governor and primary challenger to Abbott, also took a swipe at the governor with a tweet that said "Lawyers sue...Warriors lead." Malak.Silmi@express-news.net U.S. Army North has expanded its COVID-19 support operations for civilian hospitals to New Hampshire and New York. The command said this week it would send 35 military medical personnel to civilian hospitals in both states. A 15-person team will head to New Hampshire while a 20-member team is going to New York. The San Antonio-based command already has sent medical teams to hospitals in eight states. Military medical personnel are just one of the many tools available to the nation to combat COVID-19 and save lives, said Lt. Gen. John R. Evans Jr., U.S. Army North commander, adding that his troops were working with Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to provide additional support for hospitals facing capacity issues. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio-based Army North sends COVID medical teams to Michigan, New Mexico The medical personnel include nurses, respiratory therapists and doctors. A 15-member Air Force team will go to Elliott Hospital in Manchester, N.H., while a Navy team is headed to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The joint DoD effort includes 13 teams working in eight other states one in Arizona, one in Colorado, one in Indiana, four in Michigan, two in Minnesota, one in New Mexico, two in Pennsylvania and another in Wisconsin. Army North, under U.S. Northern Commands oversight, provides operational command of the teams. The command, headquartered at the historic Quadrangle on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, has ordered military medical personnel to civilian hospitals across the country to help cope with COVID-19 surges. The command has deployed more than 10,000 troops to help civilian health care providers since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020, helping to fill gaps in COVID-19 care and assist overworked doctors and nurses. Army North has helped to support hospitals through much of the pandemic, but also began helping with federal vaccination efforts in early February. It oversaw around 150 military medical and support personnel from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force and operated in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, administering 5 million vaccines before ending the mission June 21. The commands mission to support another wave of COVID-19 hospital patients across the nation resumed in mid-August. sigc@express-news.net An FBI dive team is searching a Northwest Side creek for evidence in the disappearance of 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the FBIs underwater search and evidence response team from Washington, D.C., is sifting through water near Oakland Drive and Babcock Road, just east of the intersection of Huebner and Babcock roads. Investigators are following a lead that brought them there, McManus said. He declined to elaborate on the information. Lina has been missing since Dec. 20, when she was last seen on a playground at the Villas del Cabo apartments, 9400 Fredericksburg Road. On ExpressNews.com: SAPD: Bag of bones discovered not related to Lina Sardar Khil Police have since searched all 300 apartments and the surrounding area with the FBIs help. But as of Monday, there have been no developments in the case. I wish I could be more uplifting, McManus said. All were doing here is following up on leads. The chief said divers would be out until nightfall and back on Wednesday. William Luther/Staff This specific dive team was called because of the technology it employs in such searches, McManus said. A flurry of activity is still going on behind the scenes, he said, as investigators compare information they have found so far to develop new leads. Linas disappearance is still considered a missing person case as of Tuesday, the chief said. Via The Creative Mango owner Marco Garcia Anyone with information regarding Linas disappearance is urged to call the missing persons unit at 210-207-7660. jbeltran@express-news.net Banners of Lina Sardar Khils young face are pinned to residential fences, posted on business windows, and hanging on the back of tow trucks around San Antonio. The 3-foot-by-5-foot posters include the word missing at the top, with the 3-year-olds name and the phone number to the San Antonio Police Departments missing persons unit. Marco Garcia, who owns local printing and label design company The Creative Mango, started giving them out a week after Linas disappearance. I would hate to think that if something like this would happen to my kids that for one to three days they get coverage and then thats it everyone goes on about their day, Garcia said. The 38-year-old father has a young daughter of his own, along with a young son. I would want the world to completely stop and know that people would stop doing what theyre doing to help me find my kids, he said. On ExpressNews.com: Search for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil enters third week Lina went missing about two weeks ago from the Villas del Cabo apartment complex near the Medical Center. Garcia initially set out to give away 100 banners, but thanks to material and monetary donations, he has given out 120 and has ample supplies and funds to make at least 250 more. A banner this size normally sells for about $75, meaning Garcia has given away about $9,000 worth of product. Although he does not require anyone to donate money to receive banners, Garcia said that since he started he has received about $200 in donations. And when representatives of Roland DGA Corporation which sells printers, among other products heard about The Creative Mangos efforts, they donated material. On ExpressNews.com: SAPD: Bag of bones discovered not related to Lina Sardar Khil Garcias first banners used the word abduction. But since police have been treating it as a missing persons case, they now read: If you have any information regarding Lina Sardar Khil please call San Antonio Police Department 210-207-7660. You can pick up one or more from The Creative Mango office at 1203 Buena Vista St. #101. Garcia said Google Maps still shows the companys previous address, but that should be fixed later this week. Garcia has seen business owners and community members alike picking up banners to hang at their homes and workplaces. And its not just San Antonians: He receives requests from places like Boerne and areas near Dallas. He said he is glad that people are coming together to find Lina. The Lord blessed me with this company, Garcia said, and if I can use my services to help out someone in need, Im here to do whatever I can. megan.rodriguez@express-news.net For someone who lies with considerable frequency, our states junior U.S. senator is remarkably bad at it. For example, when Ted Cruz kissed up to Donald Trump in the early stages of the 2016 GOP presidential race calling Trump terrific and inviting him to a Capitol Hill rally in opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran it was obvious that Cruz didnt believe a word he was spewing. Cruz confirmed as much when he privately told supporters that Trumps candidacy ultimately would falter, and the bombastic reality stars supporters would have no choice but to gravitate to Cruz. Cruzs obsequious gushing for Trump in 2015 was no more contrived than his theatrical denunciation of Trump in May 2016, when he called his rival a pathological liar, utterly amoral, a serial philanderer and a narcissist at a level I dont think this countrys ever seen. Cruz had simply shifted strategies, in a late attempt to spook Republican delegates away from what looked like an inevitable Trump nomination. During last years devastating winter freeze, when Cruz got busted for taking a stealth vacation in Cancun, he threw his daughters under the bus by claiming he made the trip purely to please them. No one bought it, but it was an impressive display of shamelessness. If Cruzs default mode is to engage in transparent manipulations, he tends to drop his cover when asked about his interest in the presidency. During a Dec. 22 interview with the Truth Gazette, Cruz was refreshingly honest about his political ambitions. When asked if he would consider launching another run for the presidency, the senator said, Absolutely, in a heartbeat. Cruz described his 2016 presidential campaign as the most fun Ive ever had in my life and bragged about the $92 million he raised and his second-place finish to Trump. Cruzs bigger point was that he is uniquely positioned to take the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Theres a reason historically that the runner up is almost always the next nominee, Cruz said. And thats been true going back to Nixon or Reagan or McCain or Romney. That has played out repeatedly. You come in with just an enormous base of support. A couple of Cruzs examples were inaccurate. Richard Nixon never finished second in a Republican primary race. He won the GOP nomination in 1960 and lost a close general-election contest to John F. Kennedy that year, before making his big comeback in 1968. Also, Mike Huckabee, not Mitt Romney, actually finished second in total delegates in the 2008 Republican primary. Cruzs thesis, however, is correct. Over the past 60 years, the GOP has tended to favor familiar candidates who paid their dues by finishing second in a previous primary race. Its a tendency referenced in the old line that Democrats fall in love while Republicans fall in line. There are two problems with Cruzs theory. History has shown that its not simply about finishing second in a GOP primary. Its about enhancing your political profile along the way. Ronald Reagan became the undisputed messenger of the American conservative movement during his second-place finish in 1976 and was basically the anointed candidate going into 1980. John McCain established his brand as a straight-talking maverick during his unsuccessful bid for the 2000 nomination. That carried over into 2008. Cruz, however, simultaneously managed in 2016 to exceed expectations and damage his standing with Republican voters. He got booed on national television when he refused to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention. Anti-Trump Republicans who respected Cruzs stance would soon be disappointed when Cruz buckled to party pressure and joined Team Trump. Cruzs damaged standing was confirmed by a tense 2018 Senate re-election campaign in which he defeated Democratic challenger Beto ORourke by only 2.6 percentage points. It was the first time since 1988 that a Texas Republican had failed to win a U.S. Senate race by less than double digits. The bigger problem with Cruzs theory, however, is that hes referring to a political paradigm that might not exist anymore. Precedent doesnt mean much in a party under the spell of Donald Trump. If Trump follows through on his repeated hints that he will run in 2024, there is no viable path for Cruz. Cruz has defended Trump so relentlessly over the past five years, he cant make a credible case against him in 2024. If Trump stays out, Cruz will have to contend with a crowded field likely to include Ron DeSantis, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley and, possibly, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Cruz wont be the heir apparent. Hell just be another Republican relegated to standing in Trumps burly shadow. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 Re: To save S.A. symphony, banish classical music, Other Views, Thursday: Mike Greenbergs take on the San Antonio Symphony was music to my ears. Hopefully, the symphonic powers that be are listening more to the sounds of the rational thinkers and less to their lack of a bottom line. Bring us the music we want to hear, and we will support the needs of our citys symphony. There is more to the compromise than salaries. Do your research and determine what your audience wants. Cathey Meyer ... but one note off Though Im more of a heavy metal connoisseur, I agree with Mike Greenbergs point that perhaps the symphony should put the term classical to rest. Also, his very last point about the lack of a Hispanic music director is well-taken. However, he errs a bit by citing aggregate GDP. Arguably, the more relevant figure here is GDP/capita. By that measure, the cities he cites in comparison Nashville, Kansas City and Columbus, Ohio solidly outpace ours. Theres your reason those folks tend to rake in more contributions. Then I realized he erred a lot: The GDP info he cited is incorrect. All those cities respective GDPs are, contrary to what Mr. Greenberg writes, bigger than San Antonios. I stress to my students the importance of getting their facts straight before/while debating (positive vs. normative statements). This is a good example of why. Christopher E. Baecker, adjunct instructor of economics, Northwest Vista College Times at SAC change Re: Expand the free rental of college textbooks, Other Views, Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson, Friday: This column brought back memories of my classmates and myself when we attended San Antonio College in the late 1950s. There was only one campus then, and that was on San Pedro Avenue. We referred to SAC as San Antonio High School because most of the students were from area high school districts, and most students could not afford the cost of college tuition ($2.50 per credit hour then) plus the cost of textbooks at other colleges and universities. There were fewer scholarships available, and no federal student loans. We would buy our used textbooks from the bookstore, if they were available. Most of us managed the college costs by working part time. Most of the stores were downtown and the bus stop was next to SAC, which made it easy to get to work. Just another bump in the road. Manuel Vera Jr. Both Republicans and Democrats are criticizing Gov. Greg Abbott over four suicides that have been reported since October among Texas National Guard troops serving on the border in the governors Operation Lone Star. On Tuesday Republican Allen West, who is running against Abbott in the Republican primary on March 1, demanded an investigation into the Texas Military Department and said Abbott needs to answer for what is happening. I think this falls squarely on the shoulders of the person that ordered the commencement of Operation Lone Star. And thats you, Gov. Abbott, said West, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. Abbott has deployed 10,000 troops for the operation, saying the force is necessary to stop illegal border crossings as a record-setting surge of migrants tried to enter the U.S. last year. RELATED: In 2021, Bidens border flip-flops energized his foes and baffled his allies The Army Times reported late last month that four of the members deployed to the border have committed suicide since October. On Tuesday, the publication reported another attempted suicide and an accidental death. West said on Tuesday that so many deaths in such a short period demand a thorough investigation and a staff shakeup. West said Texas Adjutant General Tracy Norris, who oversees the states National Guard, should be relieved of command. FOES PRESS ON GRID FAILURE: Gov. Abbott reassures Texans the grid is stable as Beto ORourke and Allen West blame him for February crash His comments come just days after Democrat Beto ORourke who is also running against Abbott criticized the two-term incumbent for the reported suicides and other problems including paycheck delays within the ranks. Abbott is the commander-in-chief of the Texas National Guard, ORourke said in an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle. If he chooses to deploy those under his command, it is his duty to pay them, deliver the benefits he promised them and ensure they receive proper mental health support in order to prevent the kind of tragedy weve seen in recent months. West, who spent almost a year as the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, is one of seven Republicans who are running against Abbott in the GOP primary. On the Democratic side, ORourke is one of five Democrats running in a March 1 primary. Abbott Press Secretary Renae Eze said its President Joe Bidens reckless immigration policies that deserve blame for creating a crisis on the border. She said Operation Lone Star has resulted in 83,000 migrants apprehended and 9,200 arrests. Texas is beyond grateful for the brave men and women of the National Guard and DPS who are diligently and selflessly securing the border in the federal governments absence, she said. We continue working with service leaders to ensure all who are deployed in Texas and overseas have the support they need to keep forging ahead and serve our great state and our nation. IN-DEPTH: Abbott sues to shield Texas National Guard from Bidens vaccine mandate The payroll delays and recent cuts in tuition assistance funding have other Republicans fuming, as well. These are the men & women being called by Gov. Abbott to work on the Texas border, state Rep. Matt Shaefer, R-Tyler, said in a December social media post about the payroll problems. It is appalling that this is still happening. Abbott on Tuesday was focused on fighting the federal government's vaccine requirement for members of the guard, filing suit against the Biden administration. Abbott argues the requirement should not apply to members of the Texas National Guard who have not been activated by the federal government. In a letter to Norris on Tuesday, Abbott said the National Guard remains under his authority unless deployed by the president meaning they are not subject to the federal vaccine mandate. jeremy.wallace@chron.com The first day of Jan. 2022 marked the start of several new laws taking effect in Connecticut. On Jan. 1, people who work in Connecticut became eligible for paid leaves of up to 12 weeks from work for qualified medical and family reasons. The benefits are available for those starting or expanding a family via birth, adoption or foster care; those who have serious health conditions or are caring for someone with such conditions or are caring for family members injured during active military duty. Additionally, those affected by family violence may be eligible to receive up to 12 days of paid leave for psychological or medical care, to relocate or participate in legal activities related to family violence. According to the CT Paid Leave Authority, employees and self-employed individuals have been making a contribution of one half of one percent of wages to the CT Paid Leave Authority Trust Fund since the start of 2021. For example, if a person earns $60,000 in one year, the contribution to the paid leave fund annually would be $300. But how does the system work? And how long does it take to start receiving benefits? Heres what to know about the new paid family leave process in Connecticut. Am I eligible to receive benefits? According to the CT Paid Leave Authority, those eligible to receive family leave benefits must be currently employed in Connecticut, have worked in Connecticut in the past 12 weeks but are currently unemployed or are a sole proprietor or self-employed person and resident of Connecticut. Additionally, eligible people have to have earned at least $2,325 in their highest earning quarter within their base period, according to a summary of the new law. This means that the person must have earned at least $2,325 in the first four of the past five quarters. Does this replace the benefits offered by private companies? Employers must also opt into participating in the CT Paid Leave program if they have any business within Connecticut with one or more employees. Sole proprietors or self-employed people also have to opt into the program, according to the CT Paid Leave Authority. According to the Society of Human Resources Management, employers can choose to either participate in Connecticut's paid family leave program or offer benefits comparable to those offered by the state program. Participating employers could begin enrolling in the state program starting Nov. 2020, but SHRM notes that if they chose to offer their own benefits, they would have to purchase their own private insurance plan to provide benefits and submit an exemption form to the state's Paid Leave Authority. How long is the paid leave period? The act provides up to 12 weeks of benefits over a 12-month period and provides two additional weeks of benefits for a serious health condition that results in incapacitation during pregnancy, according to a summary of the law. How much money will I receive in benefits? According to Connecticut law firm Cohen and Wolf, if an employee's weekly pay is "less than or equal to the Connecticut minimum wage multiplied by 40," they will receive a weekly benefit rate of 95 percent of their average weekly pay. The current minimum wage in Connecticut is $13 per hour. The CT Paid Leave Authority notes that 40 times the minimum wage is currently equal to $520. If a person earns minimum wage and applies to receive leave benefits, they will receive 95 percent of $520, or $494 weekly. If their weekly pay is more than the state minimum wage multiplied by 40, Cohen and Wolf notes that the weekly benefit rate "will be 95 percent of the Connecticut minimum wage multiplied by 40." They will also receive "60 percent of the amount by which the employee's average weekly wage exceeds the Connecticut minimum wage multiplied by 40," the law firm notes, but this rate is "capped at 60 times the Connecticut minimum wage." For someone who earns a gross annual salary of $60,000 who plans on starting leave on March 1, 2022, the CT Leave Authoritys estimated weekly payment amounts to $780. To figure out how much you might earn in benefits through the program, the CT Paid Leave Authority offers an estimation tool to calculate potential payments. How do I apply for benefits? To apply for the benefits, the CT Paid Leave Authoritys website notes that people must first create an account with CT.gov in order to be able to submit a claim. To do this, users will go to ctpaidleave.org and click on Sign In in the top-right corner, which will route them to CT.gov. There, they will be prompted to create an account with a username, email and password. Once submitted, it will send a verification code to the email associated with the account. The code is used to sign into the newly-created account. After logging into the account, click Get Started on the home page of the CT Paid Leave website. On the next page, click Submit or View Claims. It will produce a pop-up box notifying users that to complete the claims process, they will be directed to Aflac, which is CT Paid Leaves claims partner. Click Continue to be directed to the Aflac site. It will then direct users to a personalized dashboard where pending claims will populate; if a claim has not yet been submitted, the dashboard will be empty. If this is a users first claim, they must first read and accept the terms of service. Once accepted, users will be prompted to fill in their personal information, which includes social security number, date of birth, mailing address and gender. Once submitted, users can begin using the portal. Click the Start a new case button to begin an application to receive leave benefits. Certification from a doctor may be required during the application process to help determine eligibility for leave benefits. The leave authority reviews applications once they are submitted and makes a decision on granting the leave benefits to the applicant. How long does it take to start receiving benefits? According to FAQs on the CT Paid Leave Authority website, approved applicants will generally receive benefits on a weekly basis, and funds will be paid each Tuesday two weeks after a week of leave is completed. The Authority provides an example of taking from Jan. 2 to Jan. 8; in this instance, the benefits will be paid on Jan. 18. Payments are made Electronic Funds Transfer or Stored Value Card (SV), according to the FAQ. Do I need to notify my employer before taking leave? According to the CT Paid Leave Authority, employees may notify their employer of their application for benefits verbally or in writing. Once claims are submitted to the Authority, employees will be provided with an employment verification form to give to their employer to fill out and submit to the Authoritys claims administrator. GREENWICH With COVID-19 spiking in town and across the state, the Greenwich Public Schools on Tuesday reported its largest-by-far number of new cases 392 among students and staff on its online tracker. The number smashes the previous high of 147 cases reported on Dec. 24. The Tuesday numbers, which are the first reported in the 11 days since Dec. 24, reflect the new COVID-19 cases that were diagnosed during the holiday recess. The last day of classes for elementary and middle school students was Dec. 23 and for Greenwich High students was Dec. 21. Despite the number of cases, as of this morning, we have not had major staffing issues, said Jonathan Supranowitz, director of communications for the Greenwich Public Schools. Many students are on remote learning, he said. For grades 6 to 12, a student placed in quarantine for health-related reasons by the health care team should have access to watch their classes virtually, he said. For students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, work will be sent home for those in district-issued quarantines or isolations, Supranowitz said. Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday said he was committed to in-person learning despite the surge in COVID-19 infections. You have to build confidence every day to give teachers, give parents the confidence we are doing everything we can to keep schools open safely, Lamont said. COVID in Greenwich schools This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases reported across the Greenwich school district to 936 since classes began Sept. 1. By comparison, for the 2020-21 school year, a total of 700 cases of COVID-19 were reported districtwide. Also, the 392 new cases of COVID reported Tuesday is the same number of new cases that were reported in the Greenwich schools in December 2021 alone, according to the tracker. There were 294 active cases as of Tuesday, with 231 cases among students; 34 among teachers; 17 among service providers; and 12 among nonteaching staff. There are active COVID-19 cases in all 15 school buildings, with the most at Eastern Middle, with 49 cases. Next comes Glenville, with 32 cases of COVID-19; Greenwich High, with 31 cases; North Mianus and Old Greenwich, with 29 cases each; Riverside, with 25 cases; North Street and Cos Cob, with 23 cases each; Hamilton Avenue, with 20 cases; and Parkway, with 19 cases. The fewest cases are reported at Julian Curtiss, with 10; Western Middle, with two cases; and Central Middle, International School at Dundee and New Lebanon, with one case each. Staff working at multiple buildings are counted toward each locations total. On Dec. 21, the Greenwich schools reported 96 new cases of COVID with 171 active cases, according to the districts online tracker. By that evening, Superintendent Toni Jones announced the district had made the difficult decision to close Greenwich High immediately for holiday recess, canceling classes for Dec. 22 and Dec. 23. The school district says it updates the online tracker every Tuesday and Friday to keep the community informed on the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID tests at schools Also Tuesday, the Connecticut Department of Education and Department of Public Health distributed self-test kits, manufactured by iHealth Labs and Flowflex, to public school districts and private schools. Each district has been allocated a predetermined number of kits based on a percentage of total students and staff. We do not have a supply of tests for each student, said an email to GPS parents from Superintendent Toni Jones and Mary Keller, GPS head of nursing. The kits will be at all 15 public schools in Greenwich, but they can only be distributed and used for the following three purposes, according to Jones and Keller: If a student or staff member exhibits symptoms and needs to be screened for COVID-19; If a student or staff member has a direct exposure to an individual with COVID-19; or If a class or program is experiencing multiple cases of COVID-19, a school may distribute tests to all students in that classroom or program if they have difficulty accessing tests If a student develops symptoms during school, the school nurse can administer the test with parental permission, Jones and Keller said. If a staff member or student has close contact to a positive case in school, the test will be sent home for an adult to administer to their child, they said. The Greenwich Public Schools received 46 boxes of iHealth tests, or 8,280 total tests, and five boxes of Flowflex, or 1,440 total tests. Boxes of the Flowflex kits were also distributed to private schools in Greenwich, according to the state. Brunswick School received three boxes, or 864 total tests; Greenwich Academy received two boxes, or 576 total tests; Greenwich Catholic received 260 kits; Greenwich Country Day received four boxes, or 1,152 total tests; Eagle Hill School received 270 kits; Whitby School received 260 tests; Sacred Heart Greenwich received two boxes, or 576 total tests; and the Greenwich Japanese School received 100 kits, according to the state. Aldi has unveiled plans to recruit over 100 new farmers and suppliers this year in a bid to accelerate its commitment to sourcing British. The plan forms part of the retailer's push to further increase the number of products it sources from the UK across all product categories. Aldi's fresh meat, eggs, milk, butter and cream is already sourced from British suppliers, while more than 40% of fresh produce sold is also British. The retailer is seeking to accelerate this commitment by increasing its spend with British suppliers by 3.5bn a year by the end of 2025. It comes after the supermarket chain spent a total of 9 billion with UK companies last year. Aldi says this latest commitment will help hundreds of small British businesses continue to grow with the supermarket and invest for the future. Giles Hurley, chief executive officer at Aldi UK said: We are incredibly proud of our support for British suppliers, and excited for our supply chain partners to grow with us. "Thats why were now on the lookout for even more British suppliers to add to our current partnerships, helping to create even more jobs as well as new opportunities for these businesses. Farmers interested in becoming a supplier with Aldi can find more information online. Only subscribers with PAID Print or E-Edition subscriptions please enter here to gain access. If you are not already a Paid subscriber do not go through this portal. Please return to the subscription page to purchase one of our offers. Thank you! Image: Shutterstock The science of plastics and aesthetics surgery has evolved significantly. Unlike common opinion, plastic surgery is not limited to the enhancement of ones appearance; it is also an important therapeutic tool to recover from trauma and accidents. However, the comprehensiveness of this speciality is yet unknown to many and it has several misconceptions associated with it. Dr Rajat Gupta, Plastics & Aesthetics Centre, CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, says, While some understand it with the literal meaning of plastic, others have negative assumptions about it. The original meaning of plastic comes from the Greek word to mold. The surgical technique focuses on reconstruction to gain normalcy or to enhance the normal, using some cosmetic elements in the procedure. Image: Shutterstock That being said, enhancement through plastic surgery is just one aspect of the whole procedure. Surgeries like reconstructive surgery, trauma surgery, and burn surgery require rehabilitation for the patient, which further involves post-cosmetic surgery care, exercises, strict maintenance, and other instructions that a patient must follow. Prospective patients need to understand the pros and cons to set realistic expectations regardless of the type of surgery. Dr Gupta debunks several false notions about plastic surgeries here. Plastic Surgery And Cosmetic Surgery Are The Same People synonymously use plastic and cosmetic surgery, but they are two different medical procedures. While plastic surgery is the umbrella term, cosmetic surgery is a branch of plastic surgery. Plastic surgery involves a wide range of reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries. Cosmetic surgery is generally for improving the appearance and boosting self-esteem. Image: Shutterstock Plastic Surgery Leaves Scars Going under surgery involves sharp medical equipment like knives, but non-surgical procedures are also available. The possibility of scars prevailing after plastic surgery depends on the type of surgery. Since scars are inevitable in any surgical procedure, a skilled plastic surgeon completes the process with minimum scars that disappear in a few months or hides the scar in an existing skin crease. But some physical evidence might always be present. Plastic Surgery Is A One-time Procedure Undergoing plastic surgery can be a tough decision, but it is not permanent and depends on factors like age, aftercare, surgeon, and the type of plastic surgery. In addition, every procedure has different longevity. For instance, non-surgical procedures like face fillers fade in a few months, while a rhinoplasty stays forever. Image: Shutterstock Plastic Surgery Is Only For Women Everyone desires to look better, including men. With the rise in new media and expansion of online space, there has been a massive culture shift with more and more men being concerned about their appearance. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the trend for plastic surgery among men is increasing. Some popular plastic surgeries for men are liposuction, botox, facelift, eyelid surgery, nose job, and male breast reduction. These non-invasive techniques are cost-effective and less time-consuming, giving men the chance of reformation without much pain. Plastic Surgery Is Only For Enhancing Beauty This is one of the most common misconceptions about plastic surgery due to a lack of awareness. Plastic surgery is not only for celebrities to look younger or to rewind the ageing process. Plastic surgery can be done for several reasons and in varied situations. In fact, people undergo plastic surgery due to health issues like birth abnormalities, burns, serious injuries, finger replantation, removal of tumour, etc. It can be considered a boon to victims of acid attacks, helping in pain management and boosting self-confidence. Image: Shutterstock Recovery From Plastic Surgery Is Painful The pain during recovery from plastic surgery depends on the type of surgical procedure and the part on which it was performed. Your recovery time might vary depending upon several factors; for example, there can be mild risks if you are a smoker, older, or overweight. The amount of pain one goes through before and after plastic surgery is different for each individual and depends on ability to bear pain, past experiences, type of surgery, gender and age. Recovery from plastic surgery should not be painful, but you should always consult your doctor to discuss the nuances. Plastic Surgery Is Expensive For many, plastic surgery can be a thing on the bucket list with the misconception that it demands a whole lot of money. But the fact is that achieving desired looks through a non-surgical procedure like injections (for Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin), chemical peels (outer layer of skin), Microdermabrasion (for sun damage), Thermage (saggy skin), Non-ablative lasers (facial skin), cosmetic fillers, and other treatments is cost effective and lasts longer than other average methods. However, non-surgical methods might leave skin reactions on some people, so consider the possibilities and be prepared. Talk to your plastic surgery expert. Image: Shutterstock In conclusion, Dr Gupta says that when it comes to plastic surgery, there are many misconceptions in society, and people have difficulty accepting the facts. However, he adds that due to the discourse on self-care and increasing acceptability, people are reaching out to avail procedures that complement their health and beauty goals. For many, plastic surgery is a way towards body positivity and recovery from congenital and acquired deformities of the face or body. If you are interested or planning to undergo any plastic surgery, it is best to take a doctors consultation and make an informed decision. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 4, 2022) - Gelum Resources Ltd. (CSE: GMR) (the "Company" or "Gelum), reports that pursuant to their news release of December 6, 2021, they have closed the Private Placements for aggregate proceeds of $937,500.00. On December 30, 2021, the Company issued 1,485,714 flow-through common shares ("FT Shares") at a price of $0.35 per share netting the Company $520,000. On January 4, 2022, the Company issued 1,670,000 non-flow through units ("NFT Units") at a price of $0.25 per NFT Unit (collectively, the "Private Placement"), for additional proceeds of $417,500. Each NFT Unit consisted of one common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase an additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.45 per share (the "Warrants") for a period of 18 months from the closing of the Offering. The expiry of the Warrants may be accelerated if the closing price of the Corporation's common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange is equal to or greater than $0.60 for a minimum of twenty consecutive trading days and a notice of acceleration is provided in accordance with the terms of the Warrants. The common shares issued pursuant to the FT Shares, will be issued as "flow-through shares". All securities issued in connection with the Offering have a four-month and one day hold period in Canada from closing. Finder's fees were paid to Glores Securities Inc. ($36,400.00) pursuant to the FT Shares and, to Haywood Securities Inc. ($1,400.00 cash and 5,600 finder's warrants) and to Canaccord Genuity Corp. ($27,825.00 cash and 111,300 finder's warrants). Finder's warrants are non-transferable and all remaining terms remain the same as the subscribers Net proceeds of the Offering will be used to for exploration and drilling on its Eldorado Project, British Columbia and for general working capital. None of the foregoing securities have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Gelum Resources Ltd. Gelum Resources is a company led by seasoned management in the mining and financial sectors. The Company's objective is the discovery of a multi-million oz. economic gold deposit in the Bralorne-Bridge River Gold District located some 190 km north of Vancouver and 74 km northwest of the town of Lillooet, B.C. This objective is made possible through the Company's acquisition of Eldorado, a series of 23 mineral claims with a total area of 7,359 hectares (18,000 acres) located in the Bralorne-Bridge River Gold District which was host to one of the highest-grade, longest-producing mines in British Columbia. Management is proud to have developed an excellent working relationship with the Bridge River Indian Band (Xwisten) who, after thorough site investigation of our prime targets, confirm that they currently have no heritage or cultural concerns with the current workplan to date. For further information please refer to Gelum Resources Corporate Presentation: https://gelumresources.com/pdf/Gelum-Resources-Deck-Fall-2021.pdf On Behalf of the Board of Directors David Smith, President For further information about Gelum, please contact: David Smith, President (dsmith@gelumresources.com) Phone: 604 484-1228 or Marla Ritchie, Corporate Secretary (marla@gelumresources.com) Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE- Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information: This press release may include 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, about the business of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company's management, including future plans for the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, investors should not unduly rely on the forward-looking information because the Company cannot assure that it will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. **NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES** To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109091 New Mobility of Things (MoT) concept to enable the movement of traditionally inanimate objects through the company's robotics technology Plug & Drive (PnD) and Drive & Lift (DnL) modules to provide all-in-one mobility solutions as parts of an unlimited MoT ecosystem PnD module to provide mobility to everything from small objects to community spaces with infinite flexibility and scalability DnL module with an eccentric wheel mechanism to extend the operation of robots to both indoor and outdoor locations Diverse applications of the newly unveiled PnD and DnL modules, such as the recently revealed Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED), to be on display at the Hyundai Motor booth along with Boston Dynamics' Spot and AtlasTM LAS VEGAS and SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today revealed its Plug & Drive (PnD) modular platform that enables mobility of traditionally inanimate things, from small objects to large community spaces, at CES 2022. At the event, the leaders of Hyundai Motor and Boston Dynamics presented a shared vision for robotics in both the real world and metaverse under the main theme of 'Expanding Human Reach'. Hyundai Motor also revealed its plans for creating an advanced mobility experience with an unlimited Mobility of Things (MoT) ecosystem, and showcased a range of robots and robotic concepts. "We are directing all our robotics engineering and creative efforts toward building the unlimited Mobility of Things ecosystem," said Dong Jin Hyun, Vice President and Head of Robotics Lab of Hyundai Motor Group. "The goal is for robotics to enable all kinds of personal mobility, connected to communicate, move and perform tasks autonomously." The PnD modular platform is an all-in-one mobility solution that combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware. The single wheel unit uses a steering actuator for infinite wheel rotation, meaning it can turn 360 degrees, which enables holonomic movement, like a figure skater. LiDAR and camera sensors allow a PnD-enabled object to move autonomously. Also at CES 2022, Hyundai exhibited the MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid) small mobility platform with the Drive & Lift (DnL) module, an all-in-one robotics solution based on an eccentric wheel mechanism that combines the drive, steering and braking systems into one structure. For more information about Hyundai's Plug & Drive Robotic Module, please visit: globalpr.hyundai.com Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719539/1_CES_2022_PnD_Module_169_youtube_220103_Final.mp4 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719540/2_PnD_Logistics.mp4 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719541/3_PnD_Personal.mp4 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719542/4_PnD_Service.mp4 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719543/5_MobED.mp4 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719544/6_L7.mp4 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719545/7__Spot.mp4 TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Toyota Motor North America reported that U.S. sales for the month of December 2021 were 174,115 vehicles, a decrease of 30.2 percent on a volume basis and a decrease of 27.7 percent on a daily selling rate basis compared to December 2020. Toyota division posted December U.S. sales of 150,072 vehicles, down 29.0 percent on a volume basis and down 26.4 percent on a DSR basis. Lexus division posted December U.S. sales of 24,043 vehicles, down 37.1 percent on a volume basis and down 34.8 percent on a DSR basis. For calendar year 2021, Toyota Motor North America reported U.S. sales were 2.33 million vehicles, an increase of 10.4 percent on a volume basis and an increase of 11.5 percent on a DSR basis. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TOKYO, Jan 5, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu will host its first ever online global event dedicated to technology, Fujitsu ActivateNow: Technology Summit 2022 from Wednesday, January 19 to Thursday, January 20, 2022, showcasing how it can leverage the transformative power of innovation to realize a more sustainable future. Participants will enjoy access to exclusive panel discussions highlighting Fujitsu's latest R&D use cases in the key areas computing, networks, AI, data & security and converging technologies(1), and strategies alongside an exploration of some of the urgent social and environmental issues facing the world today.REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/3EV3ICzThe event will offer insights from experts spanning a wide range of technological fields and disciplines, including academia, government, medical care and industrial organizations.This year's theme is: Towards a Sustainable World: Technologies Shaping a Better Future. The program will feature speakers including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, who will discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the internet and how technology will support the future of the World Wide Web in an interview led by Fujitsu's Chief Technology Officer, Vivek Mahajan.Other speakers from Verizon, Carnegie Mellon University, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the British Government and more will highlight how technology can confront growing challenges in areas like the environment, public health, and social inequality."As one of the world's leading technology companies, Fujitsu envisions a role for innovation that not only drives the digital transformation of business, but delivers a sustainable future for everyone." said Vivek Mahajan, Chief Technology Officer, Fujitsu."I look forward to sharing our latest efforts to further strengthen our research and development capabilities and technologies with real-world applications in areas like computing and AI. I'm confident that viewers will also come away with a better understanding of how we can draw on the power of innovation to unlock new business models and opportunities together with customers while remaining committed to the betterment of society."Event Overview:1. Period and Target Regions(2):- Europe, India: January 19 (Wednesday),2022, 9:00 GMT- Americas: January 19 (Wednesday), 2022, 10:00 PST- Japan, APAC: January 20 (Thursday), 2022, 11:00 JST- On-demand viewing will be available after the online event2. Event Contents:1) Keynote address- Greetings from Vivek Mahajan, Chief Technology Officer of Fujitsu- Talk Session with Hirotaka Hara, Representative and Head of Fujitsu Research & Yoshikuni Takashige, Executive Director, Technology Strategy Unit Fujitsu: Fujitsu's vision and R & D strategy to make the world more sustainable with technologies2) Guest speaker and key note interviewInterview with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, led by Vivek Mahajan, Chief Technology Officer of Fujitsu: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the internet and how technology will support the future of the World Wide Web3) Thematic sessions with guest speakers: regional programsSpeakers will differ per regionTheme 1: Towards a Trusted Society: Coordinating Digital Actions for Positive Social ImpactTheme 2: Technologies Powering the Future of Healthy Living(1) Converging technologies:Advanced technologies that combine digital technologies and knowledge from the humanities and social sciences to solve complex social challenges(2) Period and Target Regions:Contents and duration of the event may vary by regionFujitsu's Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 represent a set of common goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030. Fujitsu's purpose--"to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation"--is a promise to contribute to the vision of a better future empowered by the SDGs.About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. SHANGHAI, Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UnionTech, a leading industrial 3D printing company from China, announced on December 21 that it has completed a $30 million Series D financing. In 2021, China's 3D printing industry has maintained rapid development and has attracted the attention of capital markets. There have been dozens of financings throughout the year, and UnionTech's D-round financing is one of the largest. This round of financing is led by Dening Capital, followed by Cash Capital, Yingke PE and Dragonrise Capital Advisors. Evonik Venture Capital and Luhe Venture Capital, the investment shareholders of UnionTech in Series C round, made an additional investment in this round. Founded in 2000, UnionTech is a leading enterprise in the field of industrial non-metallic 3D printing in the world. It has maintained rapid growth for nearly a decade with an average annual revenue growth rate of more than 50%. According to Contextworld, under the classification of industrial-level 3D printing equipment, UnionTech has jumped to the first place in the world in Q1 and Q2 of 2021 by shipment. While ensuring the leading advantages in the industry, UnionTech has changed its operation structure and revenue structure significantly. At present, its products cover 3D printing equipment, materials and applications, which has formed a full closed loop in the upstream, midstream and downstream of the industry. With its data pre-processing software Polydevs, printing control software RSCON/DSCON, process algorithm software BP and digital production management collaboration system UnionFab, UnionTech has built a complete 3D printing software system. In the third quarter of 2021, UnionTech and China's leading All-in-One CAx (CAD/CAE/CAM) provider, ZWSOFT jointly reached an overseas strategic cooperation agreement. The development and breakthrough of material technology is one of the most critical factors to promote the progress of 3D industry. On July 19, 2021, UnionTech and Evonik jointly inaugurated the "Joint R&D Laboratory", marking the comprehensiveness and depth of cooperation between the two parties have been greatly enhanced. Jason Ma, General Manager of UnionTech stated that after this round of financing, UnionTech will be committed to the development and application of new materials, intelligent manufacturing, digital production management and the network collaboration of capacity, empowering with knowledge, breaking the market boundary, connecting partners, working collaboratively and developing in a win-win way. Contact person: Ted Bai Email: mkt@uniontech3d.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719233/UnionTech_Raises__30_Million_Series_D_Funding_Round.jpg BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The Chrysler brand announced the Chrysler Airflow Concept, which represents the start of the brand's journey toward a fully electrified portfolio. The company said the backbone of the Airflow Concept user experience is the new electrical/electronic and software architecture, STLA Brain. The STLA SmartCockpit, built on top of STLA Brain architecture, seamlessly integrates with the digital lives of vehicle occupants to deliver AI-based applications, such as navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce marketplace and payment services. The Chrysler Airflow Concept is equipped with STLA AutoDrive, which delivers Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities and will be upgradable via OTA updates. The concept features all-wheel-drive capability and is powered by two 150 kW electric drive motors, one in the front and one in the rear. The battery is designed to achieve between a 350- and 400-mile range on a single charge. Chrysler also announced that the brand's transformation will include the launch of its first battery-electric vehicle by 2025 and full battery-electric portfolio by 2028. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved 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. If you already subscribe to our print edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading the El Campo Leader News. DGAP-News: Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.: PEPCO GROUP N.V. 05.01.2022 / 07:20 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. PEPCO GROUP N.V. - Andy Bond to Step Down as CEO Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. ("Steinhoff" and with its subsidiaries, the "Group"). Shareholders are advised that Steinhoff's subsidiary, the fast-growing pan-European variety discount retailer, Pepco Group, owner of the PEPCO and Dealz brands in mainland Europe and Poundland in the United Kingdom, has today released an announcement regarding the decision of its Chief Executive Officer, Andy Bond, to step down at the end of March 2022 on health grounds. The announcement is available on the Pepco Group website (https://www.pepcogroup.eu/). Louis du Preez, Chief Executive Officer of Steinhoff said: "On behalf of Steinhoff we thank Andy for his outstanding leadership of the Pepco Group and its underlying businesses." Steinhoff has a primary listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited. Stellenbosch, 5 January 2022 05.01.2022 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de HONG KONG, Jan 5, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Yeahka Limited ("Yeahka" or the "Company") (09923.HK) founder and CEO, Luke Liu, sent an open letter to all employees via email, looking back on the 10-year history of the company and announcing its future development plan on January 3. In the email titled "Toward a More Promising Future", Luke looked back on Yeahka's transformation over the past 10 years since its inception, sharing how the Company grew from payment focused business to a comprehensive 2B business solution provider with extended product offerings including SaaS, Fintech, and other; subsequently evolved to an ecosystem with recently added In-store E-commerce business that covers both 2B and 2C markets; finally successfully transformed into a "payment-based digital commerce ecosystem". Till now, Yeahka serves nearly 7 million active merchants, with its service covering over 800 million consumers and generates nearly 100 million daily payment transactions within its ecosystem. To prepare for the increasing complexity and uncertainty of macro environment, Luke outlined Yeahka's future development blueprint in his letter, which is "upholding value creation principle, establishing strategic certainty and implementation certainty". He said that the Company's positioning and overall big picture strategy is getting clear and the Company's next steps will be the refinement of sub-strategy in the future. He also added that the strategy execution will be realized by strengthening corporate management, optimizing organizational mechanism, cultivating talents and leveraging scientific management methodologies. In relation to the Company's recent focus on the In-store E-commerce business, Luke reiterated his confidence in Yeahka's entry into the local lifestyle market. According to Yeahka's 2021 interim report, the Company has served more than 10,000 merchants with its in-store e-commerce services, with over 1.42 million paying consumers and a GMV exceeding RMB71 million. In order to further strengthen its capabilities in local lifestyle services, the Company invested RMB100 million for 60% equity of Dingding Cultural Tourism (Chengdu) Co., Ltd., expanding the scope of the Company's in-store e-commerce business. Full text of the 10th Anniversary Letter from Luke Liu, the founder and CEO of Yeahka Title: Yeahka's 10th Anniversary Letter - Toward a More Promising Future Happy New Year, colleagues of Yeahka! In today's world where uncertainty has become a challenge, we need to keep reflecting ourself both in work and life. Thinking about the many moving pieces of the Company's businesses and what is happening with life, I want to take the opportunity to review the path we have all travelled together at this meaningful point in time, and to discuss how we should develop as a company going forward. On this day 10 years ago, I moved to 1802 Chang Hong Building, filled with anticipation for starting the offline payment business. In the following five years, my colleagues and I explored possibilities of various products in the offline payment space. However, the product/market fit was less than optimal, so we could only rely on the venture capital investments and hang on to our firm belief, that immerse opportunities lie in the offline payment space, to survive with strong will. In 2015, we set company strategy to be a "cloud platform for offline merchants", and chose the development direction of the Company to move "beyond payment". So we started the Smart Shopkeeper SaaS and fintech businesses. Looking back, these were very forward looking positioning and planning, way ahead of its time. In 2017, we foresaw that mobile payment would change people's lives, and started to invest into QR code payment early on. We strongly believed that if we dedicate ourselves to each and every single payment transaction, we could accumulate massive merchant and user base, traffic, channels, bring more value to merchants, and develop our comprehensive technology services. In 2020, we officially positioned Yeahka as a payment-based technology company, successfully listed the Company on HKEX, and became a high-profile IPO stock in the Hong Kong capital market. Ever since our listing 18 months ago, we have been thinking: where is Yeahka's next peak summit? Currently, although we have experienced the global pandemic for the last two years, and are facing the greatest changes in the century, we still firmly believe that the nearly 7 million active merchants and over 800 million consumers we serve, the nearly 100 million daily payment transactions we support, the flow of capital and information among different entities, and rich portfolio of value-added services will create the foundation for a payment-based digital commerce ecosystem, same as the exchange of matter and energy to create a natural ecosystem. Recently, we entered into the trillion dollar "local lifestyle" market in a big way, leap frogging from payment pureplay to providing enhancement of 2B business efficiency and financial performance, and subsequently to elevating the broader 2C consumer experience. Our chosen path has derived from mature and long-term business thinking, our drive comes from our innovative and assertive company value and genes, as well as our mission to consistently create value for merchants and consumers. 10 years is enough for a toddler to become a teenager, but for a startup company, 10 years is only long enough for us to go from survival to just starting growth. Perhaps Yeahka does not yet have a revolutionary product to change the world, but we have the resilience, the long-term and forward-looking ways of thinking, and the capabilities to grasp industry opportunities, which are most-needed for an entrepreneurial company like Yeahka. The qualities we possess make us confident about our future, and keep us as curious and excited as we were 10 years ago. How do we deal with the complexity and uncertainty in the environment and still maintain our leading position? I believe the goal will be achieved primarily by upholding value creation principle, establishing strategic certainty and implementation certainty. On strategic certainty front, through 10 years of continuous exploration, we have developed a proprietary "clover" model to analyze and measure the user value of our business, to assess our competitive advantage and economic moat, and to accumulate long-term company value. After 10 years of shaping and reshaping, the Company's positioning and overall big-picture strategy has become crystal clear, and the Company's next steps will be the refinement of sub-strategy in the future. On implementation certainty front, we need to focus on management. Firstly, the robustness of the Company's organizational capability and the vitality of the corporate culture is the source of management power. It takes people with similar values to run a business. We ought to optimize our organizational mechanism to train and nurture talents. Also, we need to achieve goals by adopting scientific methodologies, identifying the core essence and key process points of issues, dissecting tasks from top down, and simplifying complicated matters. We will become very efficient on problem solving by adopting the above-mentioned practices. In the past 10 years, we have gone through ups and downs, tears and joys through our journey of entrepreneurship. But for every enterprise to achieve its goals, this is a necessary experience. The experience is just like the youth we have all experienced. It is filled with contradiction and uncertainty, and there is absolutely no need to be overly joyful or depressed, as I believe the journey itself is actually the most wonderful part. As long as we stand by our beliefs of creating value for users and society, we will be able to smile honestly and advance down the right path. Let us march forward towards the promising future. Luke Jan 2022 About YEAHKA LIMITED (Stock Code: 9923.HK) Yeahka is a leading payment-based technology platform dedicated to creating value for merchants and consumers. According to Oliver Wyman, Yeahka is the second largest non-bank independent QR code payment service provider in China in terms of transaction count in 2019, with a market share of 14.0%. Yeahka's vision is to build a commercial digitalized ecosystem to enable seamless, convenient and reliable payment transactions among merchants and consumers , and to further provide a rich portfolio of diversified technology-enabled business services, including SaaS digital solutions, which help customers improve their operating efficiency; precision marketing services, which allow customers to effectively reach their target markets; fintech services, which satisfy customers' diversified financing needs; and in-store e-commerce services, which helps merchants to increase sales and consumers to enjoy local lifestyle discount benefits. Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. YEAHKA-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Known for its autonomous driving security solutions, AUTOCRYPT recently announced the launch of AutoCrypt SCMS Version 5.0, a Security Credential Management System (SCMS) for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications, and a crucial component of its AutoCrypt V2X security solution. An SCMS is essential for autonomous driving as it signs and verifies the messages transmitted via V2X to ensure security and safety. Utilizing a public key infrastructure (PKI) to encrypt, validate, and manage certificates for V2X communications, the newest version of AutoCrypt SCMS, Version 5.0, comes with newly added Certificate Revocation List (CRL) and Misbehavior Detection (MBD) functionalities. Based on the IEEE 1609.2 standard, the CRL supports both hash-based CRL, which lists the hash value of revoked certificates; and full linkage ID-based CRL, which allows for more efficient mass revocation. AutoCrypt SCMS securely manages the entire lifecycle of a certificate and is updated regularly to comply with stringent regulations from various regions. While many security providers only provide compliance in one or two regions, AUTOCRYPT's research and development team have secured compliance with all existing standards regarding certificate management, including the US SCMS, European-based C-ITS CMS (CCMS), and Chinese-based C-SCMS. The company most recently participated in the OmniAir Consortium's "OmniAir Plugfest" with companies like Blackberry, ESCRYPT, and Green Hills Software. AUTOCRYPT showcased AutoCrypt SCMS Version 5.0 by completing a demonstration of the revocation of cross-certificates in an actual driving environment and were able to demonstrate international compatibility of the entire certificate lifecycle, including issuance, management, and revocation. "V2X technology will need to be prioritized if the industry wants to move past Level 3 Driving Automation into Level 4 and 5. And as autonomous driving technology continues to become more prevalent, security for V2X communications will be more important than ever," said CEO and co-Founder, Daniel ES Kim. "We are very pleased to be one of the few companies to be able to provide an authentication system that supports all regional standards and look forward to continuously updating our technologies to stay above all regulatory changes." AUTOCRYPT currently oversees security for all smart highway/expressway projects in Korea and has focused on expanding its projects to other C-ITS endeavors worldwide. With its wide international compliance and customizable integrations, AUTOCRYPT is ideal for OEMs, public institutions, and governments looking to prioritize secure mobility for all. ---------- AUTOCRYPT is the leading player in autonomous and connected mobility security technologies. Recognized by Forbes Asia in its 100 to Watch list, AUTOCRYPT paves the way in transportation and mobility security through a multi-layered, holistic approach. Through security solutions for V2X/C-V2X, V2G (including PnC security), in-vehicle security, and Fleet Management, AUTOCRYPT ensures that security is prioritized before vehicles hit the road. Elanders' Board of Directors has decided to change the publication date of the Year End Report for 2021 to Thursday 3 February 2022, at 07:30 CET instead of Thursday 20 January 2022, as earlier announced. The publication of the Year End Report on 3 February 2022, will be followed by a conference call at 09:30 CET, hosted by President and CEO Magnus Nilsson and CFO Andreas Wikner. We invite fund managers, analysts and the media to participate in the conference call. Please see below details to join the conference. To join this event, please use the below Click to Join link 5-10 minutes prior to start time, where you will be asked to enter your phone number and registration details. Our Event Conferencing system will call you on the phone number you provide and place you into the event. Please note that the Click To Join link will be active 15 minutes prior to the event. CLICK TO JOIN Use the Click to Join option above for the easiest way to join your conference or use one of the access numbers below: Sweden: +46 (0)8 5664 2754 Germany: +49 (0)69 22222 5195 UK: +44 (0)33 033 69600 USA: +1 646-828-8082 Participant Passcode: 758620 Agenda 09:20 Conference number is opened 09:30 Presentation of the Year End Report 09:50 Q&A 10:30 End of the conference During the conference call a presentation will be held. To access the presentation, please use this link: https://www.elanders.com/presentations For further questions, please contact Magnus Nilsson, President and CEO, telephone: +46 31 750 07 50 Andreas Wikner, CFO, telephone: +46 31 750 07 50 Attachment Pre-Stabilisation notice January 5, 2022 Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. Commerzbank AG EUR benchmark Mortgage Covered Bond due 2032 Pre-Stabilisation Notice Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 13620) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014). The security to be stabilised: Issuer: Commerzbank AG Guarantor (if any): none Aggregate nominal amount: EUR benchmark Description: Fixed rate Mortgage Covered Bond Offer price: tbc Other offer terms: payment date 12th Jan 2022, maturity 12th Jan 2032, denoms 1k/1k, launched unter MTN programme Stabilisation: Stabilisation Coordinator: Stabilising Managers: Commerzbank AG Bayerische Landesbank DZ Bank Banco Santander UniCredit Stabilisation period expected to start on: 5th January 2022 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Frankfurt SE, regulated Market In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules. This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction. This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. END Iktos, a company specialized in artificial intelligence (AI) for novel drug design and Astrogen, a clinical and research-oriented biotech company focused in developing innovative new drugs for treatment of intractable neurological diseases today announced that the companies have entered into a research collaboration agreement aimed at discovery of innovative small molecule pre-clinical drug candidates for Parkinson's disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Iktos will apply its proprietary active learning based deep docking and de novo structure-based generative modelling technologies to design and optimize novel compounds and expedite the identification of pre-clinical drug candidates targeting an undisclosed target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Astrogen will contribute to in-vitro/in-vivo efficacy screening of lead compounds/pre-clinical drug candidates and will lead the entire development process from pre-clinical stage. The companies will share responsibility for generating lead compounds and pursuing the optimal development path for selecting pre-clinical drug candidates. "We are thrilled to collaborate with Astrogen, a leading biotech company based in S. Korea focused on developing innovative drugs for neurological diseases. We are proud and excited to announce our first collaboration deal in S. Korea bio-pharma sector'' commented Yann Gaston-Mathe, President and CEO of Iktos. "Our objective is to expedite drug discovery and achieve time and cost efficiencies for our global collaborators by using Iktos's proprietary AI platform and know-how. We are confident that together we will be able to identify promising novel chemical matter for the treatment of intractable neurological diseases. Our strategy has always been to tackle challenging problems alongside our collaborators where we can demonstrate value generation for new and on-going drug discovery projects." "We are very pleased to collaborate with Iktos, one of the leading AI companies in drug design and discovery. Iktos has successfully utilized their proprietary AI platform in multiple real world drug discovery projects as demonstrated by several collaborations established to date with leading global pharmaceutical companies. We are looking forward to this collaboration, as we believe that there is good chance to build up a mutually beneficial business model, by combining the strengths of biotech companies specialized in novel target identification and AI companies with their proprietary drug designing platform technology" commented JoonBeom Park, the director of Business Development at Astrogen. About Iktos Incorporated in October 2016, Iktos is a start-up company specializing in the development of artificial intelligence solutions applied to chemical research, more specifically medicinal chemistry and new drug design. Iktos is developing a proprietary and innovative solution based on deep learning generative models, which enables, using existing data, the design of molecules that are optimized in silico to meet all the success criteria of a small molecule discovery project. The use of Iktos technology enables major productivity gains in upstream pharmaceutical R&D. Iktos offers its technology both as professional services and as a SaaS software platform, Makya. Iktos is also developing Spaya, a synthesis planning software based upon Iktos's proprietary AI technology for retrosynthesis. More information on: http://www.iktos.ai/ About Astrogen Founded in 2017, Astrogen is a S.Korea based clinical and research-oriented biotech company developing treatment of intractable neurological diseases. The company is specialized in discovering new therapeutic targets, conducting efficacy tests of compounds, and planning/administration of clinical strategies. The lead candidate in the pipeline is AST-001, under phase 2 clinical development in S.Korea for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The company aims to become a leading a biopharmaceutical company in neurodegenerative and intractable neurological diseases by utilizing innovative business models. More information on: www.astrogen.co.kr View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005498/en/ Contacts: Yann Gaston-Mathe (CEO), +33 6 30 07 99 26, contact@iktos.com Somin He, Manager of Business Development, +82-70-5038-5190, somin@astrogen.co.kr Ananda Developments Plc - Exercise of Warrants 5 January 2022 ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC ("Ananda" or the "Company") EXERCISE OF WARRANTS Ananda announces that 16,863 ordinary shares of 0.2p each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares") have been issued following the exercise of warrants at 0.45p per share. Application will be made for the new Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on the Access segment of the AQSE Growth Market and admission is expected to become effective on Tuesday, 11 January 2022. Following this issue, the Company has 797,579,590 Ordinary Shares in issue, each share carrying the right to one vote. This figure of 797,579,590 Ordinary Shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. -Ends- The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC Chief Executive Officer Melissa Sturgess Investor Relations Jeremy Sturgess-Smith +44 (0)7717 573 235 ir@anandadevelopments.com PETERHOUSE CAPITAL LIMITED Corporate Finance Mark Anwyl Corporate Broking Lucy Williams Duncan Vasey +44 (0)20 7469 0930 Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. About Ananda Developments Ananda is an AQSE-listed medical cannabis company creating UK-based operations to grow and provide carbon neutral, consistent, medical cannabis for the UK and international markets. The UK medical cannabis market is predicted to be worth 450m by 2025 and the European market is predicted to be worth USD4.2bn by 2027. Ananda, through its 50% owned subsidiary, DJT Plants Limited, was granted a Home Office licence in May 2021 to grow >0.2% THC cannabis in a new research facility to breed and stabilise 65 strains. For more information, please visit: https://anandadevelopments.com/ Delta Capita acquires JDX Consulting to create one of the largest specialist Capital Markets consulting and managed service providers LONDON, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JDX Consulting, a global resource augmentation and domain consulting business, today announced that its shareholders completed a transaction under which JDX is acquired by Delta Capita Group. JDX will become a subsidiary of Delta Capita, establishing the combined organisation as a significant force in global managed services and consulting in Capital Markets, leveraging its bank as a service 'one bank' infrastructure platform. Delta Capita is the Financial Services division of Prytek and this acquisition is part of the committed $500m allocation of capital to accelerate the build and deployment of the 'one bank' infrastructure platform. JDX is a successful global resource augmentation and consulting business, headquartered in the UK; its established presence in both the US and APAC provides Delta Capita with stronger capabilities in these regions. The combined firm will have a comprehensive product and service offering as well as an enhanced UK and EU footprint. Clients will benefit from the increased global scale across its complementary consulting offerings, technology and managed services. Delta Capita will have revenues of $130m and more than 1100 professional staff. Both organisations share core values underpinned by an inclusive and supportive people culture and a relentless focus on client needs. Delta Capita has a keen focus on talent acquisition, development and retention that will be further enhanced by JDX's leading academy programme. The combination of Delta Capita's industry expertise, its experienced staff, and JDX's ability to rapidly respond at scale to clients' demands, provides clear opportunities and a strong career path for all employees. Following the acquisition,Jonathan Davies, CEO of JDX said "I am delighted by the combination of JDX and Delta Capita and believe the combined firm now has the people, technology and solutions to much better address our clients' needs. There are also considerable benefits for our staff in being part of what will now be a larger and more diversified organisation". Joe Channer, CEO of Delta Capita Group, said "We continue to listen to our clients and this acquisition allows us to take on globally significant consulting and managed service engagements at scale. Clients are evaluating their operating models to drive efficiency and simplification and require innovative solutions that significantly reduce their costs. We recognise JDX's expertise in its successful resource augmentation business across Financial Services, and in particular, Capital Markets, and I am delighted that the team joining us will allow Delta Capita to offer an enhanced capability to our clients. I can see that as two organisations combining, we have a great cultural fit and many capabilities that are truly complementary. I expect this combined capability to rapidly accelerate our growth". The acquisition of JDX Consulting is the third acquisition completed by Delta Capita in the last 15 months. This significant growth has been recognised by the Financial Times in their FT 1000 ranking. www.jdxconsulting.com www.deltacapita.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Scotch Creek Ventures Inc. (the "Company") (CSE:SCV)(FSE:7S2)(OTC PINK:SCVFF) ("Scotch Creek" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received its drill permit from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on its Macallan East lithium project in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Clayton Valley has been a prolific source of lithium brine in North America and is the home of the only producing lithium operation in North America (Albemarle Corp). Scotch Creek's Macallan East project borders multiple known lithium resources including Pure Energy Minerals' 218,000 metric-tonnes lithium resource. Scotch Creek has identified three high-priority lithium drill targets within its Macallan East project and aims to initiate a drill program totaling over 19,000 feet of drilling (See press release October 27, 2021). Matt Vitale, Scotch Creek's Technical Expert, commented "Clayton Valley's basin has collected, retained, and concentrated lithium into both mineral brines and claystone. The Macallan East Lithium Project is located along a key portion of the eastern margin of the basin. This eastern margin seems to be preferential for lithium concentrations in the Clayton Valley, based on adjacent projects. We are excited to begin our drill campaign in hopes of discovering America's next considerable lithium resource." Scotch Creek would like to invite investors and stakeholders to connect with our investor relations team or visit our website to sign-up to receive regular updates and news alerts. About Scotch Creek Ventures Scotch Creek is a mineral exploration company, focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium projects located in tier-one North American mining jurisdictions. Scotch Creek's mission is to become a best-in-class lithium exploration company situated in one of the most promising lithium districts in the world, Clayton Valley, Nevada. On behalf of the Board of Directors "David K. Ryan" David Ryan Chief Executive Officer Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.scotch-creek.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and on the CSE website at www.thecse.com. Public Relations Contact Scotch Creek Ventures Inc. Telephone: +1.604.685.4745 Email: info@scotch-creek.com Website: www.scotch-creek.com The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Forward-looking and cautionary statements This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This release may contain statements within the meaning of safe harbour provisions as defined under securities laws and regulations. This release may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company and certain of the plans and objectives of the Company with respect to the same. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. SOURCE: Scotch Creek Ventures Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681017/Scotch-Creek-Ventures-Inc-Receives-Drill-Permit-for-Macallan-East-Lithium-Project BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks were moving higher in cautious trade on Wednesday as investors await the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes of its Dec. 14-15, 2021 policy meeting for clues about the timing of any rate hikes. The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 15 points, or 0.2 percent, at 7,521 after rallying 1.6 percent on Tuesday. Oxford Biomedica shares advanced 1.5 percent. The gene and cell therapy group announced that it has signed a new License and Supply Agreement or LSA with Cabaletta Bio, Inc. (CABA) for LentiVector Platform. Renewi fell over 2 percent. The waste management company said that Toby Woolrych will step down as chief financial officer on 1 April. Gambling software maker Playtech lost about 1 percent. The company said it was also postponing court and shareholder meetings relating to the offer by Aristocrat Leisure Limited, previously scheduled for January 12 to February 2. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved 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. Some of the best years of my life I miss those people. Good times and memories, but I have moved on. Not my best days, but I have made peace with them. Glad to be away from those people I dont miss the high school experience. Vote View Results Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - BAROYECA GOLD & SILVER INC. (TSXV: BGS) (the "Company") is pleased to announce further assay results from its phase 1 drilling program at its flagship Atocha high-grade silver project in Tolima, Colombia. The Company issued the results of its first two holes from the program in its news release dated November 16, 2021, some of the results of which are repeated below for continuity purposes. The focus of this release is the results from holes three through seven. The Company has completed one additional hole (hole eight) for which the Company is currently awaiting assay results and is drilling hole nine at the time of writing this press release. Baroyeca has drilled eight holes at La Ye as part of an ongoing drill program which has to date covered approximately 200m of strike length of the vein corridor from its north-easternmost end. Drilling has already identified one high-grade mineralized zone or shoot near surface at La Ye that will be followed at depth in future delineation drilling campaigns once the company identifies and prioritizes other high-grade mineralized zones in different vein sets. Phase 1 drilling started targeting the San Antonio vein as the primary master vein at La Ye, which is an approximately 4 meter wide breccia/vein zone comprised of two larger (0.5 to 1 meter) well developed parallel quartz-sulfide rich veins located at the edges of the vein zone, that includes a dense set of veinlets and spur veins between them. There is also a parallel vein situated 25m to the north of the San Antonio vein, intersected in holes 3 to 8 at shallow depths, and several other narrow veins parallel to the San Antonio vein toward the south (footwall), that are producing anomalous values. These secondary veins have been mapped and can be followed at surface toward the southwest, in which direction the Company's drill program is intended to proceed. Drilling is following these veins as linked structures probably forming an echelon pattern of shoots within them along the main shear/vein corridor. Holes AT-21-01 and 02 were drilled targeting the northeastern end of the most prominent San Antonio central vein zone of La Ye vein system (see Company's press release November 16, 2021). Hole AT-21-01 intersected 1.1m (*) averaging 890 g/t AgEq, including a 0.50m interval of 1,137.05 g/t AgEq. Immediately below the main vein, were a series of thinner veins and spurs as part of the main vein zone, that included 1.05m averaging 159 g/t AgEq. Hole AT-21-02 intersected the same vein at 85.70m and returned 2,233.5 g/t AgEq for an interval of 0.80m, and a second zone immediately below that returned 373 g/t AgEq over 0.90m, which correlates with the previous hole. Holes 3 and 4 were drilled along strike toward the southwest targeting the same San Antonio vein and another parallel vein set to the north that came in the upper part of both holes. This parallel vein returned 316.03 g/t AgEq over 0.50m in hole AT-21-03 and 236.32 g/t AgEq over 0.25m in hole AT-21-04. The equivalent to the San Antonio vein in hole AT-21-03 returned 551.30 g/t AgEq over 0.50m and split in two narrow segments in hole AT-21-04 of 158.89 g/t AgEq over 0.20m and 101.81 g/t AgEq over 0.30m. Holes AT-21-05 and 06 were directed eastwards to reach the lower downdip projection of the San Antonio Vein next to hole AT-21-01 and between AT-21-01 and 03 to fill the gap, and to see the effect of a NW-SE fault. Hole AT-21-05 intersected the shallow parallel vein returning 190.6 g/t AgEq over 0.40m and followed intersecting the richer San Antonio vein below that returned 561.08 g/t AgEq over 0.55m in the upper part of the vein and two contiguous intervals of 772.45 AgEq over 0.40m following 345.93 g/t AgEq over the next 0.40m in line with the intersects of holes AT-21-01 and 02. Hole AT-21-06 sucessfully intersected the shallow northern vein returning 404.23 g/t AgEq over 0.50m and the two veins part of the San Antonio vein (See photo 1) returning 221.20 AgEq over 0.0.60m following 240.08 g/t AgEq over the next 0.30m. Hole AT-20-07 intersected the same sequence of veins with 384.40 g/t AgEq followed by 400.30 g/t AgEq over 0.50m Table 1. Au and Ag drill core assay results Hole # From (m) To (m) Interval (*) Au ppm Ag ppm AgEq ppm AT-21-01 84.00 84.50 0.50 13.11 153.8 1,137.05 84.50 85.10 0.60 4.519 364 702.93 87.35 87.90 0.55 1.163 24.1 111.33 87.90 88.40 0.50 2.605 17.4 212.78 AT-21-02 85.70 86.50 0.80 20.14 723 2,233.50 88.10 89.00 0.90 1.289 276.5 373.18 AT-21-03 38.50 39.00 0.50 0.127 306.5 316.03 62.50 63.00 0.50 1.305 11.8 109.68 65.80 66.30 0.50 3.736 271.1 551.30 AT-21-04 41.30 41.55 0.25 0.176 251 263.32 52.80 53.10 0.30 0.379 42.2 68.73 59.20 59.40 0.20 2.047 15.6 158.89 63.32 63.62 0.30 0.373 75.7 101.81 AT-21-05 67.10 67.50 0.40 1.112 107.2 190.60 85.40 85.95 0.55 2.529 371.4 561.08 85.95 86.30 0.35 0.183 53.8 67.53 86.30 86.70 0.40 0.273 56.8 77.28 86.70 87.10 0.40 4.146 461.5 772.45 87.10 87.50 0.40 1.411 240.1 345.93 AT-21-06 49.50 50.00 0.50 0.908 6.4 74.50 50.00 50.50 0.50 3.011 178.4 404.23 60.80 61.40 0.60 0.884 154.9 221.20 62.75 63.05 0.30 1.173 152.1 240.08 82.70 83.20 0.50 1.807 127.5 135.53 AT-21-07 47.50 47.70 0.20 0.984 310.6 384.40 51.70 52.20 0.50 2.084 244 400.30 64.10 64.50 0.40 0.63 53.9 101.15 (*) True thickness to be further calculated with additional drilling from different orientations. AqEq converted using a silver to gold ratio of 75:1 assuming recoveries of 100%. Figure 1. Plan view of first 8 drill holes at La Ye vein system, including drill intercept highlights and surface vein traces with rock/outcrop locations with assay results (AgEq). To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7881/109056_032263d12408d8fc_001full.jpg Drill hole AT 21-08 has been completed and samples submitted to SGS for preparation and analysis. At the date of this news release, the Company is still awaiting the results of their analysis from SGS. The ninth hole is underway as part of Baroyeca's initial 2,500m phase 1 drilling program at the La Ye vein system, targeting three silver-gold bearing vein zones at depth which have been mapped at surface. Photo 1. AT-21-06. Multiple parallel mineralized veins as part of San Antonio master vein at La Ye target. To view an enhanced version of Photo 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7881/109056_032263d12408d8fc_002full.jpg Raul Sanabria, P.Geo., President of Baroyeca commented: "We are pleased to see more high-grade results coming from ongoing drilling on the La Ye vein system. We have confirmed the presence of multiple stacked parallel vein sets and are progressing to establish the geometry of the shear corridor which hosts the mineralized zones within them. Our systematic approach to delineating the structure by moving along its strike length is allowing us to much better determine the distribution of ore shoots, vein bulging and vein splays. Drilling continues to move along toward the southwest where the vein splays into a wider zone and where we found higher grades in outcrop and float at surface." QA/QC Rock samples are shipped by transport truck in sealed woven plastic bags to SGS sample preparation facility in Medellin, Colombia for sample preparation and analysis. Baroyeca implements QA/QC best practices and per every 21 samples, three certified control samples are inserted (one blank, one standard and one field duplicate). SGS operates according to the guidelines set out in ISO/IEC Guide 25. Gold is determined by fire-assay fusion of a 50 g sub-sample with atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Samples that return values >10 ppm gold from fire assay and AAS are determined by using fire assay and a gravimetric finish. Silver is analyzed by inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectroscopy, following multi-acid digestion. Silver is determined by ore grade assay for samples that return >500 ppm. About Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. is a mineral exploration company focused on high-grade silver and gold projects located in Colombia. Baroyeca's flagship asset is the high-grade Atocha Silver-Gold Project located in Tolima Department, Colombia. The Company also holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Santa Barbara Property, Bolivar Department, Colombia, which is renowned for its high-grade gold mineralization and vein density. Current exploration activities on the Santa Barbara Property involve the bulk sampling of vein structures, which material then feeds into a trial production facility which has consistently been producing gold for over a year. The revenue from the sale of produced gold defrays part of the operating costs. The Company is planning to expand these activities. The Company's Board and senior management are committed to creating shareholder value through the discovery process, careful allocation of capital, and environmentally and socially responsible mineral exploration. Qualified Person Raul Sanabria, M.Sc., P.Geo., President of Baroyeca Gold & Silver Inc. and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release. Annual Meeting Update The Company held its Annual General Meeting of shareholders by telephone conference call on December 31, 2021, with voting conducted by submission of proxies. The business presented to the Meeting was all routine in nature and all matters were approved by the shareholders. Raul Sanabria, Richard Wilson, Douglas Eacrett and William Carr were re-elected as directors for the ensuing year. BAROYECA GOLD & SILVER INC. Per: "Raul Sanabria" Raul Sanabria, President FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Wilson - (604) 351-3599 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109056 BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were moving higher on Wednesday, though the upside remained capped by Covid-19 worries and uncertainty surrounding the interest-rate outlook. Investors await the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes of its Dec. 14-15, 2021 policy meeting later in the day for clues about the timing of any rate hikes. In economic releases, the euro zone services PMI was finalized at 53.1 in December, down from November's 55.9. The Composite PMI was finalized at 53.3, down from November's 55.4, signaling the softest expansion in combined manufacturing and services output since March. The pan European Stoxx 600 edged up 0.1 percent to 494.67 after climbing 0.8 percent on Tuesday. The German DAX rose half a percent, France's CAC 40 index gained 0.3 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.2 percent. Dutch tech investor Prosus, which has a stake in China's Tencent, fell 2.4 percent after a sell-off in Chinese tech names listed in Hong Kong. Oxford Biomedica shares advanced 1.5 percent in London. The gene and cell therapy group announced that it has signed a new License and Supply Agreement or LSA with Cabaletta Bio, Inc. (CABA) for LentiVector Platform. Renewi fell over 2 percent. The waste management company said that Toby Woolrych will step down as chief financial officer on 1 April. Gambling software maker Playtech lost about 1 percent. The company said it was also postponing court and shareholder meetings relating to the offer by Aristocrat Leisure Limited, previously scheduled for January 12 to February 2. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved 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. The "Construction in Austria Key Trends and Opportunities to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Austrian construction industry contracted by 3.2% in real terms in 2020, as a result of disruptions caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the subsequent lockdown measures. This decline was due to the temporary closure of businesses across the country, resulting in an increase in unemployment, a fall in disposable income and weak consumer and investor confidence. The latest data release by Eurostat shows that the construction industry's value-add declined by 2.1% in the first three quarters of 2020, on a yearly basis. In 2021, the construction industry's output is expected to recover with growth of 2.2%, driven by the government's focus on the development of the country's transport and energy infrastructure. Downside risks remain, however, including a prolonged second outbreak. The vaccine rollout is expected to provide scope for a revival in investor confidence, and output is forecast to grow at an annual average rate of 1.8% over 2022-2025. Growth in the sector will be supported by the government's focus on improving regional connectivity through the development of the country's rail and road transport infrastructure, coupled with efforts to boost energy production. The development of Vienna airport, the upgrade of the Pottendorfer railway line and the aim of generating 100% electricity from renewable sources by 2030 are expected to support the industry and economy. This report provides detailed market analysis, information, and insights into the Austrian construction industry, including The Austrian construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, as well as an analysis of key risks and opportunities in the Austrian construction industry Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, focusing on development stages and participants, in addition to listings of major projects in the pipeline. Scope Historical (2016-2020) and forecast (2021-2025) valuations of the construction industry in Austria, featuring details of key growth drivers. Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline. Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants Key Topics Covered: 1 Executive Summary 2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance 3 Context 3.1 Economic Performance 3.2 Political Environment and Policy 3.3 Demographics 3.4 COVID-19 Status 4 Construction Outlook 4.1 All Construction 4.2 Commercial Construction 4.3 Industrial Construction 4.4 Infrastructure Construction 4.5 Energy and Utilities Construction 4.6 Institutional Construction 4.7 Residential Construction 5 Key Industry Participants 5.1 Contractors 5.2 Consultants 6 Construction Market Data 7 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k7225t View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005548/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 5 January 2022 Clean Invest Africa Plc ("CIA", the "Company" or the "Group") Annual General Meeting update Further to the announcement of 9 December 2021, convening an Annual General Meeting ("AGM"), and in light of recent developments concerning the Omicron variant of Covid, the Company is making changes to the format of its AGM, to be held at 11 a.m. on 10 January 2022. In accordance with the UK Government's guidelines in response to the risks of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 (the "Plan B Announcement"), that people work from home wherever possible, shareholders are requested not to attend the AGM in person. The AGM will be held as a closed meeting. Shareholders are encouraged to vote by proxy. Instructions for voting by proxy are set out in the notes at the end of the notice of AGM and on the proxy card sent to shareholders. Shareholders who wish to ask questions at the AGM will be able to raise their questions by email to enquiry@coaltechenergy.com The directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. ENQUIRIES: Clean Invest Africa plc Filippo Fantechi - Chief Executive Officer +973 3 9696273 Peterhouse Capital Limited Guy Miller +44 20 7469 0930 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Established in 2018, FINX has always been a pioneer in decentralized digital banking in Malaysia, with its efforts to solve the problem of high banking costs with conventional banks, while providing financial solutions to the unbanked market in Southeast Asia. Further establishing itself in digital finance, FINX is taking another revolutionary step with the introduction of its proprietary technology, FINX SHIELD. With cybersecurity issues on the rise and getting more complicated, there is a need for defence against this threat especially when dealing in digital finance. Ransomware attacks, malware and software infections, and other cyber vulnerabilities continue to loom over governments, organizations and agencies. Backed by data and know-how from FINX, FINX SHIELD is well-placed to solve, and prevent, any cybersecurity issues with its advanced approach to AI-powered threat protection. Opportunities in Cybersecurity With Blockchain Technology As a leading blockchain pioneer, FINX will leverage blockchain technology, which many experts are of the opinion will become mainstream within 10 years. Blockchain transactions are distributed in a way where network gatekeepers help facilitate the security of the blockchain. Building on this, FINX SHIELD will utilize big data and blockchain, powering Artificial Intelligence to disrupt the cybersecurity technology landscape. By collecting big data and incentivizing individuals and organisations, FINX SHIELD's end goal is to make threat data freely available to the general public. "Through a network of proficient individuals and organizations, FINX tokens will be rewarded to contributors to the FINX Ecosystem," explains Henry Chai, CEO of FINX. "With participation and cooperation across the blockchain sphere, the FINX Ecosystem will become the new standard across the cybersecurity industry to ensure security, privacy and trust for establishments dealing with data, digital finance, and personal data security," he says. According to a FINX whitepaper on FINX SHIELD, the data provided is expected to power many cybersecurity-related products and eventually become the world's largest cyber threat detector powered by blockchain. With the introduction of FINX SHIELD, FINX envisions being the leader in cybersecurity thanks to their expertise in the blockchain terrain. Moreover, with its recent partnership with global digital asset trading platforms BigONE and Biconomy, as well as popular cryptocurrency platform Coinovy, FINX will be able to leverage more resources as it builds a more robust and secure cybersecurity shield and defence. For more information, please visit www.finx.global Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1716907/FINX_announces_addition_global_digital_asset_trading_platforms___BigONE.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Komo Plant Based Foods Inc. (CSE:YUM)(OTCQB:KOMOF)(FRA:9HB) ("Komo"), a premium plant-based food company, is pleased to announce it achieved record revenues for product sales in the month of December 2021. Komo's December revenues of $69,999 were 104% higher than the previous month and 51% higher than its previous highest revenue month, which was October 2021. Komo's gross profit margin for its three month interim period ended October 31, 2021 was 35%. The increase in December revenues was mainly due to an increase in wholesale orders as Komo expands distribution to retail grocery chains. The December revenues also included revenues from the launch of Komo Eats hot meals through Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes. Komo has experienced hyper growth since launching its brand on March 5th, 2021. Since that date, Komo introduced frozen, plant-based lasagnas, chickenless pot pies, bolognese sauces, taco fillings and shepherd's pies through eCommerce, at Farmers markets and its retail distribution network. Komo has also developed a line of vegan Mac & Cheeze, Jackfruit Chick'n and vegan wrap as hot entrees through meal delivery apps. These avenues are aligned with Komo's mission to make plant-based meals a staple at every dinner table. For full details on Komo's growth in revenues see it's reported financial results for the year ended July 31, 2021 and for the 3 month period ended October 31, 2021 please go to the issuer profile for "Komo Plant Based Foods Inc." at SEDAR.com. "Our significant increase in revenues in December was a surprise since we experienced many delays in distributing our products outside of British Columbia due to weather conditions and widespread labour shortages," says Komo CEO William White. "We are very excited about our continued revenue growth as we expand throughout Canada and the United States. We know our products are well received by consumers as we continue to receive five star consumer reviews through our eCommerce platform and we are receiving consistent repeat orders in both wholesale and direct to consumer sales." Komo follows a two tier approach for its product launches. All products are first launched locally through Komo's direct-to-consumer eCommerce platform in Metro Vancouver. Komo uses the consumer feedback to improve the product until it is ready for larger scale production through a co-manufacturing facility, and then gets distributed to retail stores through multiple distributors. Recently, Komo launched 11 new ready-to-eat meals through meal delivery apps and a ghost kitchen in Vancouver, British Columbia, allowing Komo another avenue for product development and customer feedback. About Komo Komo Plant Based Foods Inc. is a premium plant-based food company that develops, manufactures and sells a variety of plant-based frozen meals that are always hearty, satisfying, and made with wholesome ingredients. At Komo, our mission is to help make plant-based meals a staple on every dinner table by sharing our love for feel-good food that connects the people to the planet. We believe plant-based eating is the future and - Change can start with a single biteTM. Our experienced plant-based innovation and development team recreates vegan versions of traditionally cheesy and meaty classics, with 100% plants. Komo's products are sold direct-to-consumer through our eCommerce website and a distribution network of online and brick and mortar grocery, convenience and natural retailer channels. Our operating subsidiary Komo Comfort Foods launched in 2021 with our flagship products: plant-based Lasagna, Shepherd's Pie and Chickenless Pot Pie and has recently launched a new line - Komo Plant-Based Meal HelpersTM - versatile meal starters to allow the creation of many dishes at home. All of our products are 100% plant-based, made with wholesome ingredients, free from preservatives, and frozen for freshness. Freezing products is a natural and effective way of keeping food products for longer without having to use any preservatives. Our meals have a 1-year frozen shelf life. We also sell hot ready-to-eat meals in Metro Vancouver through Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes. Learn more at: www.komocomfortfoods.com and follow on Instagram: @komocomfortfoods and @komoeats For further information, please contact: William White, President & CEO, Komo Plant Based Foods Inc. will@komoeats.com 1-866-969-0882 The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or Komo's future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Komo's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, Komo's product development plans, its ability to launch new products, its ability to retain key personnel, its revenues, and its ability to export its products to retail stores across Canada and throughout the United States constitute forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The statements made in this press release are made as of the date hereof. Komo disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be expressly required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Komo Plant Based Foods Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681022/Komo-Plant-Based-Foods-Announces-Record-Revenues-in-December--with-35-Profit-Margin-Reported-Last-Quarter Wilson Chow, PwC Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Leader; Patrick Lau, HKTDC Acting Executive Director; Mary Huen, Chairperson, AFF 2022 Steering Committee; and Ma Jun, Chairman and President, HK Green Finance Association [L-R] Mark Carney, United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance Jean-Claude Trichet, Former President of the European Central Bank HONG KONG, Jan 5, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - As a highlight event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the 15th Asian Financial Forum (AFF), organised by the Government of the HKSAR and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held entirely online through the AFF virtual platform on 10 and 11 January. This decision has been made with public safety as the primary concern, and in line with the tightening of the government's public health measures in response to the latest pandemic developments. The two-day forum will help participants from both Hong Kong and overseas build business connections, exchange market intelligence and seize global opportunities.Running on the theme "Navigating the Next Normal towards a Sustainable Future", more than 170 global business leaders, policymakers, financial experts, investors, entrepreneurs, tech giants and economists will speak at AFF 2022. In addition to addressing the key issues reshaping the economic landscape amid the gradual global economic recovery, the speakers will shed light on how industries can realise sustainable and inclusive development through impactful venture capital and business strategies. In addition, the forum will host AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking Sessions and a fintech exhibition to help participants identify investment opportunities and explore innovative solutions.A stellar line-up of heavyweight speakers will give the keynote speeches on both days. They include Mark Carney, United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, Jean-Claude Trichet, Former President of the European Central Bank, and Brett King, Founder of Moven and bestselling author. They will impart insights and perspectives on a variety of topical issues across different fields, including how the financial industry, regulators and policymakers should step up their concerted efforts and build a sustainable financial system to mitigate the threats posed by climate change; and how the emergence of innovative fintech enterprises presents both an opportunity and a challenge to the banking and financial industries.Speaking at the press conference today, Mary Huen, Chairperson of the AFF 2022 Steering Committee and Executive Director and CEO, Hong Kong, and Cluster CEO of Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, said: "The pandemic has led us to enter the era of the new normal. The world's economy and businesses are resuming under a new model. Entering 2022, changes in the global landscape continue to deepen, while governments and enterprises in different economies are taking innovative approaches to promote sustainable development. I hope we can see stable growth in the global economy this year."Patrick Lau, Acting Executive Director of HKTDC, noted: "Even though it has been two years since the onset of the pandemic, businesses are still facing all sorts of challenges, and versions of the new normal are continually emerging in different sectors. We must step further ahead to sense the pulse of the market and generate business opportunities. The theme of AFF 2022 is sustainable development, which is a goal shared by everyone touched by the pandemic. We must strive to conserve our natural resources and minimise the impact of climate change."Spotlighting policy responses to climate change and economic recoveryThe global pandemic has led to paradigm shifts in many aspects of the economic and business landscapes. Economies are taking action to support economic recovery while mitigating the risks of the global crisis brought about by climate change. On the first morning of AFF 2022, Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the HKSAR, will host a plenary session to address this subject. Panellists will include Vincent Van Peteghem, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Thailand's Minister of Finance; Sean Fleming, Ireland's Minister of State at the Department of Finance; Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Jin Liqun, President and Chairman, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Verena Ross, Chair, European Securities and Markets Authority; Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, Chairman, Islamic Development Bank; and Marcos Troyjo, President, New Development Bank.In the afternoon, a policy dialogue will focus on measures to achieve longer-term sustainability goals and keep climate-related financial risks at bay. The session will be chaired by Eddie Yue, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, who will be joined by Ashley Alder, Chairman of the Board, International Organization of Securities Commissions, and Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission; Benjamin Estoista Diokno, Central Bank Governor, Philippines; Klaas Knot, Chair, Financial Stability Board and President, De Nederlandsche Bank; Teresa Ko, Trustee, International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation China Chairman, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; and Ma Jun, Chairman and President, Hong Kong Green Finance Association.Four thematic panels shed light on ESG, sustainability and moreIn the nearly 60 sessions being held at AFF 2022, a roster of distinguished global policymakers and business leaders will share their insights on a host of topical issues relating to the event's theme, including the global economic outlook, environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing, climate change and sustainability.As the world enters 2022, the global economy is riddled with myriad uncertainties, yet digital transformation could provide new impetus for businesses. At the panel discussion titled "Global Economic Outlook", speakers including Paul M Achleitner, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG; Liu Jin, President, Bank of China Limited; Tian Guoli, Chairman and Executive Director, China Construction Bank; Shriti Vadera, Chair, Prudential Plc; and Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered PLC, will discuss the global outlook and share their thoughts on how corporations and financial institutions can help to shape an inclusive, resilient and sustainable landscape in the years to come. The session will be chaired by Victor Chu, Chairman & CEO, First Eastern Investment Group.With ESG practices becoming mainstream, it is now incumbent upon all businesses to embrace ESG standards in making successful investment decisions and implementing business strategies. At the first panel discussion on "ESG & Sustainability", speakers including Andrew Erickson, Chief Productivity Officer, Head of International Business, State Street; Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO, Sintesa Group; Amy Lo, Head and Chief Executive, UBS Hong Kong; and Saker Nusseibeh, CEO, International, Federated Hermes International, will join panel chair Stewart James, Chief of Staff, Sustainability Policy & Regulation at HSBC, in exploring how to work together towards a wider implementation of ESG to build a more sustainable future.Global developments necessitate that the insurance and wealth management industries must continue evolving to keep pace. They must also address the changing demands of investors, leverage market intelligence to seize post-pandemic investment opportunities, and play an active role in addressing climate change. At the panel discussion "Innovating Insurance to Combat Climate Change", Hong Kong's Insurance Authority will speak with experts from the insurance sector to examine using alternative risk transfer solutions for mitigating extreme weather events. Meanwhile, the panel discussion on "Asset & Wealth Management Post-COP26" will see the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and global banking and asset management experts exchange insights on developments in the green and sustainable investment space.Deciphering tech trends and exploring cryptocurrencies and NFTsResponding to the rapid development of technologies spurred by the pandemic, AFF 2022 will feature sessions hosted by pioneers in cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Expert speakers will include Sam Bankman-Fried, Founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.com and the richest person in crypto, who is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, talking about his entrepreneurial journey and the outlook for blockchain and cryptocurrency. There will also be sessions examining the prospects of such cutting-edge technologies as digital wealth management, cloud computing and paytech. At the "Dialogues for Tomorrow" session, an array of industry experts and entrepreneurs will outline the roadmap for innovation and future breakthroughs in a range of pillar sectors, including fintech, banking, insurance, energy, food and agritech, property and healthcare.Growth in global wealth accelerates family office and philanthropy developmentOn the back of the global wealth boom, especially in Asia, the HKTDC and the Private Wealth Management Association will co-organise a Family Office Symposium at AFF 2022 to shed light on this emerging trend. Speakers including Ronnie Chan, Chair, Hang Lung Properties; Adrian Cheng, Chief Executive Officer, New World Development; and Seri Cheah Cheng Hye, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer, Value Partners Group, will explore wealth management trends relating to family offices and discuss their development among Asian families.In addition, Tony O Elumelu, Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, will share his efforts to improve people's lives in Africa and transform the country through long-term investments in strategic sectors and by empowering young African entrepreneurs.Other eminent speakers, including Douglas Flint, Chairman, abrdn plc, will discuss market trends in global impact investment. Miao Jianmin, Chairman, China Merchants Group, will share his views on Mainland China's carbon neutrality goals and green finance development, while Ju Weimin, Vice Chairman, President & CIO, China Investment Corporation, a sovereign wealth fund, will analyse the current macro investment trends in Asia and China.AFF Deal Flow extended with three days of matchmaking meetingsIn response to popular demand, this year's AFF Deal Flow Matchmaking Session, jointly organised by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, will be extended by a day and held over three days from 10 to 12 January. The goal is to facilitate collaboration between project owners, potential business partners and investors. The investment projects covered will span such sectors as deep tech, digital technology and media, healthtech, education, infrastructure and real estate services. A function for identifying ESG-integrated projects will also be debuted for interested investors to understand more about this subject area.More than 130 exhibitors showcase new technologies and investment opportunitiesAFF 2022 also features online exhibitions, where more than 130 local and international financial institutions, tech companies, start-ups and investment agencies will showcase a broad range of advanced technologies in the Fintech Showcase, InnoVenture Salon and FintechHK Startup Salon. Exhibitors will include PwC, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China, HSBC, China International Capital Corporation and Cyberport. Meanwhile, the Global Investment Zone will showcase a plethora of unmissable investment opportunities through the AFF's virtual platform, including those from Australia, Canada, Italy, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Korea, Qatar and the United Kingdom.The InnoVenture Salon is also a platform for start-ups to connect with international incubators, investors and potential business partners. With a mission to support entrepreneurship and innovation, the Salon is joining hands with Hong Kong's regulators to help start-ups resolve their business pain-points.Additionally, the HKTDC, Mizuho Bank and Eureka Nova, a start-up incubation and open innovation platform established by New World Development, will come together for the first time for AFF Accelerate. On the platform, innovators will introduce their innovation and technology solutions and demonstrate how innovative concepts can be commercialised for adoption in the business sector.As the premier financial and business forum kicking off the new year, AFF 2022 is set to gather and galvanise the global industry to generate synergy for a sustainable future.Websites- Asian Financial Forum: https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/- AFF programme: https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/programme/programme- AFF speakers: https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/aff/en/speaker/main- Photo download: https://bit.ly/3mXdwG4Media registrationMembers of the media who joined today's press conference will automatically receive a two-day online media pass for the 15th Asia Financial Forum. Other media representatives who would like to join AFF 2022 should send an email to wk.lee@hktdc.org on or before 7 January for registration details.Media remarks: All video or audio recordings of the event may be used only in the context of media reporting.Members of the media interested in interviewing speakers at AFF 2022 can fill out the form at https://bit.ly/3duYAd3 and email it to clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org or janet.ch.chan@hktdc.org on or before 7 January 2022.About HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedInMedia enquiries:Please contact the HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs DepartmentJanet Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4369, Email: janet.ch.chan@hktdc.orgClayton Lauw, Tel: +852 2584 4472, Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.orgAgnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: agnes.ky.wat@hktdc.orgSource: HKTDCCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Trust Stamp (OTCQX:IDAI, Euronext Growth: AIID ID), a global provider of AI-powered trust and identity services used across multiple sectors, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has allowed the applications for U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 16/855,588 for "Systems and Methods for Passive-Subject Liveness Verification in Digital Media" and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 16/841,269 for "Systems and Processes for Lossy Biometric Representations" for issuance as patents and published the application for U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17/401,504 for "Systems and Methods for Liveness-Verified, Biometric-Based Encryption". Trust Stamp CEO Gareth N. Genner comments: "As a result of our significant investment into research and development, Trust Stamp's robust privacy-first patent portfolio protects the unique benefits of our product offerings and enables us to deliver unparalleled security, utility, and privacy, at a fraction of the cost of traditional biometric solutions. Our commitment to innovating secure, privacy-first identity and trust verification solutions has driven our global, cross-industry growth as we identify and address the compounding challenges and changing consumer demands in digital service delivery and strengthen our competitive advantages when delivering enterprise security and fraud prevention, data protection and privacy, and financial accessibility solutions." Systems and Processes for Lossy Biometric Representations was allowed for issuance as a patent on 9 December 2021, following the initial filing on 6 April 2020 and substantive analyst examination. The invention protects biometric data through irreversible tokenization, a key differentiator of Trust Stamp's innovative privacy-first approach to identity. This core technology cryptographically obfuscates biometric information to provide a means for secure authentication that protects the privacy of individuals and mitigates potential damage due to data loss or compromise. The process encodes biometric information via a neural network that destroys much of the source data, inserts a key, and transforms the resulting data to create an anonymized representation known as the Irreversibly Transformed Identity Token (IT 2 ) . Trust Stamp's IT2 technology can be applied to any data from any source, for accurate, protected, and low-footprint identification and deduplication. The application for Systems and Methods for Liveness-Verified, Biometric-Based Encryption was published on 2 December 2021 after filing on 13 August 2021. This innovation builds on the security and fraud-resistance of Trust Stamp's proven biometric capture, tokenization, and comparison technologies by determining whether biometric information is provided by a live individual or has been spoofed through methods including the use of printed images, recorded video, and feature-altering face masks. Systems and Methods for Passive-Subject Liveness Verification in Digital Media was initially filed on 22 April 2020 and allowed for issuance on 17 December 2021, complementing Trust Stamp's comprehensive presentation attack detection capabilities with technology that detects liveness in photos or videos of an individual without requiring their active physical movement for a low friction user experience. The Company's advanced proof-of-liveness algorithms deliver a multi-layered approach to blocking presentation attacks, to ensure that only the authorized individual can gain access to their accounts and sensitive data. Enquiries Trust Stamp Email: Shareholders@truststamp.ai Gareth Genner, Chief Executive Officer Nisha Naik, Executive VP of Communications About Trust Stamp Trust Stamp is a global provider of AI-powered identity services for use in multiple sectors including banking and finance, regulatory compliance, government, real estate, communications, and humanitarian services. Its technology empowers organizations with advanced biometric identity solutions that reduce fraud, protect personal data privacy, increase operational efficiency, and reach a broader base of users worldwide through its unique data transformation and comparison capabilities. Located in seven countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, Trust Stamp trades on the OTCQX Best Market ( OTCQX: IDAI ) and Euronext Growth in Dublin ( Euronext Growth: AIID ID ). Founded in 2016 by Gareth Genner and Andrew Gowasack, the company now employs over 90 people. Disclaimer The information in this announcement may contain forward-looking statements and information related to, among other things, the company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events-based information currently available and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. SOURCE: T Stamp Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681054/Trust-Stamp-Advances-Innovative-IP-Portfolio Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Plurilock Security Inc. (TSXV: PLUR) (OTCQB: PLCKF) and related subsidiaries ("Plurilock" or the "Company"), an identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider for workforces, is pleased to provide its 2021 year in review from Chief Executive Officer Ian L. Paterson. Current and future shareholders, As we begin 2022, we would like to thank each of you for your support of PlurilockTM. In writing this letter, I wanted to highlight the transformational progress made in 2021. Since 2016, Plurilock has rapidly grown, creating novel behavioral biometric technology and using it for our advanced cybersecurity solutions, to protect enterprises against the increasing cyber threat. As stated throughout the year, we believe that extending our distribution streams to scale the delivery of our technology solutions is imperative in driving sales and securing new clients. With this in mind, we will continue to integrate with resellers and our existing distribution channels to capitalize on the growing demand from government, education, healthcare, and defense verticals. We believe this strategy continues to evolve as we continue to capture market share in the IAM market. Let's look back on Plurilock's accomplishments in 2021 with our eye to what lies ahead. Revenue Progress In November, we released our fiscal 2021 third quarter financial results, demonstrating strong sales growth, with CA$23.9 million in total revenue (as of September 30, 2021) for the 9 month period. During the year we saw progress in our technology division, namely in the sales of our Plurilock ADAPTTM and Plurilock DEFENDTM product. On August 16, 2021, we secured a US$672,000 order with an overseas financial institution for our DEFEND product. This transaction marked our first purchase order in the cybersecurity market outside of North America. This sale came following the client's stringent product evaluation in which DEFEND achieved an average detection time of under 1 minute. Financing Success & Healthy Balance Sheet During the year we raised over CA$9.5M in growth capital, including CA$4.6 million in a "bought deal" financing, announced on November 10, 2021. This financing, led by Leede Jones Gable, received strong institutional investor demand and participation from insiders. The additional working capital has allowed Plurilock to invest in our growth initiatives as part of our work to become the industry's leading identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider. We are positioned well heading into the new year with a strong balance sheet with CA$7.05 million cash on hand (as of September 30, 2021). Growth Through M&A We are presently seeing a shift in the way enterprises are protecting their networks and assets. This shift has resulted in emerging authentication technologies gaining traction in the market. We are regularly evaluating assets we believe could be good bolt-on acquisitions and assist us in scaling our technology and distribution, while expanding our geographical footprint. On April 1, Plurilock announced its first acquisition of Aurora Systems Consulting, Inc., a leading cybersecurity and IT service provider based in California. Through this acquisition, Plurilock expanded its sales footprint across North America with major U.S. operations, gaining access to over 140 tier-1 customers and a professional sales team. As a result of this acquisition, Aurora now forms the backbone of Plurilock's Solutions Division, securing multiple contracts and orders with U.S. federal and state entities, including: U.S. Air Force - US$1.08 Million Purchase Order U.S. Department of Defense - US$1.9 Million Purchase Order & US$1.7 Million Overseas Order U.S. Department of Navy - US$1.15 Million Order We will continue our work to integrate Aurora into the Plurilock family of companies and leverage existing sales channels and business relationships to serve customers in the government, education, healthcare, and defense verticals. On October 21, we announced that Plurilock has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with CloudCodes Software Private Limited, a leading cloud access security broker (CASB). This pending asset acquisition is expected to provide Plurilock with additional offerings within our product portfolio and create new opportunities to provide our customers with a cloud security solution and a path to integrate low-friction, high-security behavioral biometric identity with SSO. The Cloud Codes acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions which are expected to be completed in Q1 2022. We believe this acquisition will further accelerate our sales growth and strongly position us in the zero trust market. Expansion of Advisory Board In 2021, we added world-class cybersecurity leadership to Plurilock's Advisory Board to provide expert guidance as the Company moves forward. On February 4, 2021, it was announced that Dr. Jan Tighe joined our advisory board. Dr. Tighe is a retired Vice Admiral of the U.S. Navy who currently serves as an independent director at Goldman Sachs. Dr. Tighe has held numerous executive roles in the U.S. Navy and U.S. National Security Agency. Dr. Tighe has a 20-year federal career, having served as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, Director of Naval Intelligence, Fleet Commander of the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, and Deputy Director of Operations in the U.S. Cyber Command. Continued Innovation with an Eye Toward Zero Trust As part of our commitment to continuous innovation, Plurilock has continued to expand our competitive moat through patent filings. On October 28, we announced that Plurilock has submitted documentation to finalize a patent currently pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, to solve for delays that exist when operating remotely in a virtual desktop infrastructure environment and protect against cyber attacks that target remote desktop data. In addition to new offerings via M&A activities, Plurilock has continued to invest heavily in the development of its core continuous authentication products, Plurilock ADAPT and Plurilock DEFEND. Our team has been working hard to innovate and enhance the functionality of our products, with an eye toward the growing emphasis on a zero trust architecture (ZTA). We have seen the market begin a shift from outdated authentication paradigms to the mindset of zero trust - never trust, always verify - and the architecture that will facilitate enhanced security for enterprises. Zero trust will be a core focus for us in the year ahead. Expectations for 2022 As we look to the next year, you can expect that Plurilock will be focused on executing on our combined organic and in-organic growth strategy, continuing product development, and pursuing opportunities that solidify our role as a zero trust leader. I am energized about our future, as customer demand in cybersecurity continues to accelerate. And while the number of high-profile cyber attacks continue to increase, and the challenges posed by COVID-19 persist, the Plurilock family of companies is positioned for growth and to deliver a competitive product in the growing zero trust market. Thank you for your continued support and investment in our company. Ian L. Paterson Chief Executive Officer About Plurilock Plurilock provides identity-centric cybersecurity for today's workforces. The Plurilock family of companies enables organizations to operate safely and securely while reducing cybersecurity friction. Plurilock offers world-class IT and cybersecurity solutions through its Solutions Division, paired with proprietary, AI-driven and cloud-friendly security through its Technology Division. Together, the Plurilock family of companies delivers persistent identity assurance with unmatched ease of use. For more information, visit https://www.plurilock.com or contact: Ian L. Paterson Chief Executive Officer ian@plurilock.com 416.800.1566 Roland Sartorius Chief Financial Officer roland.sartorius@plurilock.com Prit Singh Investor Relations prit.singh@plurilock.com 905.510.7636 Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") related to future events or Plurilock's future business, operations, and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements normally contain words like "will", "intend", "anticipate", "could", "should", "may", "might", "expect", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential", "project", "assume", "contemplate", "believe", "shall", "scheduled", and similar terms. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions, and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable, and appropriate in the circumstances. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Plurilock's business. Additional material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, the impact of general economic conditions, the success of the Company in obtaining new or extended contracts or orders; the Company's ability to maintain existing customers or develop new customers; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions of other businesses and/or companies or to realize on the anticipated benefits thereof; and unforeseen events, developments, or factors causing any of the aforesaid expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the control of Plurilock. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as at the date hereof, and Plurilock undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Information Form. They are otherwise disclosed in its filings with securities regulatory authorities available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109019 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: 5YY) ("Riverside" or the "Company"), is pleased to report high grade surface sample assay results from its most recent field exploration program at La Union Project in Sonora, Mexico. After completing a claim consolidation in September, Riverside conducted a follow up field mapping and sampling program of 103 samples with the best sample returning 83.2 g/t (2.6 oz/t) gold and 4,816 g/t (150 oz/t) silver. The work further enhanced Riverside's understanding of the structural and lithological context by linking the small historical workings into a larger regional context. Although the Project is still in its initial stages, mineralization appears to be of manto-chimney and replacement type within Pre-Cambrian to Cambrian sedimentary rocks (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Interpretative schematic cross section of the Plomito target in the Union-Famosa corridor showing stratigraphic column with interpretative mineralization relationship. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/109082_34f4e158144e3bc0_002full.jpg Previous sampling this year by Riverside returned high grade gold assays up to 59.4 g/t Au from dump materials and surface sampling (see press release October 6, 2021). Following-up on this high-grade discovery Riverside's team returned and was able to define the extent of the mineralization. The highlights of this latest work defined high grade polymetallic samples up to 30% Zn, 83.2 g/t Au, 4,816 g/t Ag, 10.3% Pb (see Table 1). Of the 103 samples assay value ranged from 83.3 g/t gold to non-detectable with about 30% of the samples returning significant values in gold, silver, lead and/or zinc the best being. Au - high: 83.2 g/t ; low cut-off: 0.5 g/t ; low cut-off: 0.5 g/t Ag - high: 4,816 g/t ; low cut-off: 300 g/t ; low cut-off: 300 g/t Pb - high: 10.3% ; low cut-off: 0.1% ; low cut-off: 0.1% Zn - high: 30%*; low cut-off: 0.1% *30% Zn is the upper detection limit in analysis method performed Table 1: Assays from La Union Polymetallic Project. Results from November 2021 program Note: Best 13 assays from 103 samples collected. To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/109082_table1.jpg Riverside's President and CEO, John-Mark Staude: "Our surface sampling results continue to return tremendous gold, silver and zinc grades at La Union. We recently expanded the property package here to more than 26 km2 and our ongoing field work is expected to include a geophysical survey and additional mapping and sampling while we advance permitting in tandem with preparation for a maiden drill program in 2022." Geological Setting: Figure 2: Geological map of the Union Project highlighting the two zones of El Plomito and the Union-Famosa Corridor. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/109082_34f4e158144e3bc0_004full.jpg Geological Environment The La Union Project is part of the El Viejo Mountain range of NW Sonora, Mexico. The Sierra El Viejo comprises a thick sequence of Pre-Cambrian to Cambrian sedimentary units which the Company has been carefully mapping in detail. Many historical workings are spread across the range with the most extensive being the Union Mine, La Famosa Mine and El Plomito Mine; all located along the southern tip of the El Viejo range within Riverside's mineral concessions. Three sedimentary units have been identified from top to bottom: black limestone, quartzite, and grey limestone. Thicknesses of these units vary from 150 to 250 m with folding occurring mostly within the grey limestone, which is believed to be the primary reactive layer responsible for mineral deposition (see Figure 1). As a weaker unit the grey limestone is prone to low angle thrusting while the quartzite units are more brittle and tend to fracture. Post-mineral faulting also plays an important role. The west side of the property at the Plomito mine target area is separated from the Union-Famosa corridor target by a 3 km-wide colluvium-filled N-S trending graben. The geology at the Plomito Mine shows many similarities to the eastern side of the range at Union-Famosa where grey limestone with a small window of quartzite is mapped. Low angle faulting is also present in the area and tends to be mineralized showing carbonate replacement and patchy marble zones. Historical workings are scattered across the property and tend to follow the low angle oxidized structures varying from centimeters to metres in width. Geochemistry shows an overall similar pattern across the property, with the dominant geochemical signature being polymetallic Pb-Ag-Zn-As-Cu-Sb-Au. Secondary Au-As association is recognized which suggests another hydrothermal event spatially associated with the dominant polymetallic event. Mineralization is found on surface associated with low angle faults, folds, with the thicker mineralized intervals being where high angle fault intersect with other structures creating 'traps'. GIS compilation of Riverside's work and older data is showing a tendency for thicker mineralized zones to occur within the stratigraphy defined 'grey limestone' (see Figures 1 & 2) where replacement and crack infilling is noted. Riverside is currently planning future exploration work, which will include a geophysical survey to better identify the depth and behavior of mineralization within the grey limestone unit and the structural nature of the lower part of the sedimentary sequence. The next stage in exploration will be to compile the proposed geophysics with the existing information to identify drill targets for a 2022 program. Qualified Person & QA/QC: The scientific and technical data contained in this news release pertaining to the La Union Project was reviewed and approved by Freeman Smith, P.Geo, a non-independent qualified person to Riverside Resources, who is responsible for ensuring that the geologic information provided in this news release is accurate and who acts as a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Rock samples from the exploration program discussed above at La Union were shipped to the Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Hermosillo, Mexico for ICP and fire assaying for gold. The rejects remained with Bureau Veritas in Mexico while the pulps were transported to Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, BC, Canada for 45 element ICP/ES-MS analysis and Aqua Regia total Hg analysis. A QA/QC program was implemented as part of the sampling procedures for the exploration program. Standard samples were randomly inserted into the sample stream every 20 to 30 samples prior to being sent to the laboratory for analysis. About Riverside Resources Inc.: Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has no debt and approximately 71M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside's own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has additional properties available for option, with more information available on the Company's website at www.rivres.com. ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC. "John-Mark Staude" Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO For additional information contact: John-Mark Staude President, CEO Riverside Resources Inc. info@rivres.com Phone: (778) 327-6671 Fax: (778) 327-6675 Web: www.rivres.com Raffi Elmajian Corporate Communications Riverside Resources Inc. relmajian@rivres.com Phone: (778) 327-6671 TF: (877) RIV-RES1 Web: www.rivres.com Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., "expect"," estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "plans"). Such information involves known and unknown risks -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109082 Starting in Canada, consumers will be able to experience Corona's new non-alcoholic beer innovation during the winter months via Corona Sunbrew 0.0% LONDON, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, global beer brand Corona is proud to announce the worldwide launch of Corona Sunbrew 0.0%. This innovative, first-of-its-kind, non-alcoholic beer contains 30 per cent of the daily value of vitamin D per 330 mL serving in Canada. As the newest member of the Corona family, a brand that celebrates getting outside and enjoying life in the sun, Corona Sunbrew 0.0% allows consumers to have "Sunshine, Anytime" every season. "As a brand that was born on the beach, Corona embraces the outdoors in everything we do, because we believe that outside is where people best disconnect and relax. The feeling of the sun is one of the things that people love most about the outdoors and the Corona brand is always innovating to remind them of that feeling," said Felipe Ambra, Global Vice President for Corona. "Now, we're excited to offer consumers Corona Sunbrew 0.0%, the first non-alcoholic beer with vitamin D, reinforcing our desire to help people reconnect to nature, anytime." According to IWSR, the global no/low alcohol category total volume is forecasted to grow by 31% by 2024. Corona Sunbrew 0.0% provides consumers looking for a non-alcoholic beer with a unique new option. Corona Sunbrew 0.0% contains 30 per cent of the daily value of vitamin D in Canada and 60 calories per 330 ML serving. Corona Sunbrew 0.0% maintains Corona's essence; it was developed from Corona Extra by extracting the alcohol and then blending the non-alcoholic beer with vitamin D and natural flavours to reach the final recipe. This launch also demonstrates AB InBev's continued commitment to smart drinking to help reduce and prevent the harmful use of alcohol across the world. "After numerous and rigorous trials, Corona Sunbrew 0.0% proudly showcases our ability to find solutions, gaps, and opportunities for growth as a brand," said Brad Weaver, Global Vice President of Innovation Research & Development for ABInBev. "The journey was not easy as vitamin D is sensitive to oxygen and light, and not easily soluble in water. But thanks to our ongoing investment in innovation and research and development, our team was able to create the only non-alcoholic beer with vitamin D, providing a unique opportunity in the market." Corona Sunbrew 0.0% will be available to consumers in a few distinct phases. The global brand will first launch Corona Sunbrew 0.0% in Canada, precisely at the time of year where most Canadians experience limited sunlight, making it an ideal market to launch an innovation from a brand synonymous with the beach and celebrations outdoors. Later this year, Corona will extend the non-alcoholic product offering in the UK followed by key markets across the rest of Europe, South America, and Asia. Creative Agency DAVID Miami collaborated closely with Corona on the development of Corona Sunbrew 0.0% from its very inception, more than two years ago. As an ongoing brand partner, DAVID proactively presented the idea for Corona to develop a beverage containing vitamin D. "Each detail of the project is special. From the product ideation to the final campaign. It's not every day that we have the chance to present a product idea and have an innovative client like Corona buy, develop and take it to the next level. A true collaborative effort," says Pancho Cassis, Global Chief Creative Officer at DAVID. To help support the launch of Corona Sunbrew 0.0%, Corona will unveil a new creative campaign capturing the enjoyment of "Sunshine, Anytime." A compilation of scenes filmed on a pristine beach in Costa Rica presents the pleasure of outdoor living and the boundless positive energy of the sun. The new Corona Sunbrew 0.0% campaign taps into the feeling of being carefree and relaxed. The 360-degree integrated marketing campaign, created by DAVID Miami and Director Juan Cabral, inspires consumers to enjoy the Corona lifestyle, which is best experienced with sunshine. For more information on Corona Sunbrew 0.0%, please visit http://www.coronaextra.ca/ca_en/products. Join the conversation on Twitter @corona. About Corona Global Born in Mexico, Corona is the leading beer brand in the country, the most popular Mexican beer worldwide exported to more than 180 countries. Corona Extra was first brewed in 1925 at the Cerveceria Modelo in Mexico City. Corona is a pioneer in the beer industry by being the first to use a transparent bottle showcasing its purity and high quality to the world. The artwork found on the bottle is painted, highlighting our commitment to quality in our packaging and our Mexican heritage. No Corona is complete without the lime. Naturally adding character, flavor and refreshment, the lime ritual is an integral part of delivering an experience that is truly unique to Corona. The brand is synonymous with the beach and celebrates time outdoors. It invites people to pause, relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Corona has an ongoing commitment to reducing plastics. Since its partnership with Parley for the Oceans in 2017, they have exceeded its mission to protect 100 islands before 2020, and continue to deploy consistent global clean-up efforts. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719854/Corona_Sunbrew.jpg Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719891/Corona_Sunshine_Anytime.mp4 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719855/Corona_Sunbrew_Lock_Up_Logo.jpg WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former President Donald Trump has cancelled a news conference he had scheduled for January 6, which marks the first anniversary of pro-Trump mob's riot at the Capitol Hill. Trump did not specify the reason for cancelling the event, which was scheduled to be held at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday night, but accused the media and the bipartisan House committee investigating the deadly attack of 'total bias and dishonesty.' The businessman-turned-politician plans to provide comments at a rally on January 15 in Arizona. 'In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am cancelling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona-It will be a big crowd!' Trump said in a statement released Tuesday by his Save America PAC. At a joint session of Congress convened to certify the election victory of Joe Biden on January 6, 2021, dozens of Trump-supporters stormed the Capitol and disrupted the proceedings. Five people, including one woman shot by police, died and about 140 members of law enforcement were injured in the rampage, apparently instigated by Trump. The nine-member House select committee, which is dominated by Democrat lawmakers, is probing if Trump had knowledge about the riot in advance. A federal appeals court last month had rejected the former Republican President's bid not to release his White House records to the committee investigating the Capitol riot. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak on Thursday morning at the Capitol Hill marking the first anniversary of the incident 'On Thursday, the President is going to speak to the truth of what happened - not the lies that some have spread since - and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a news conference Tuesday. She said that the President will speak to the historical significance of January 6th and what it means for the country one year later. Psaki recalled that on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, Biden called what was happening at the Capitol then 'an unprecedented assault on our democracy' and an attempt to subvert our Constitution and interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. 'He will also mark that day - commemorate the heroes of January 6th, especially the brave men and women of law enforcement who fought to uphold the Constitution and protect the Capitol and the lives of the people who were there. Because of their efforts, our democracy withstood an attack from a mob and the will of the more than 150 million people who voted in the presidential election was ultimately registered by Congress,' Psaki told reporters. Trump insists that Biden fraudulently won the presidential election, and refuses to acknowledge losing it. In his statement, Trump vehemently criticized the Congressional investigation of the Capitol attack. 'This is the Democrats' Great Cover-Up Committee and the Media is complicit,' Trump said. 'Why is the primary reason for the people coming to Washington D.C., which is the fraud of the 2020 Presidential Election, not the primary topic of the Unselect Committee's investigation? This was, indeed, the Crime of the Century,' he added. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Endurance Gold Corporation (TSXV: EDG) (the "Company") is pleased to report encouraging results of chip and grab samples from newly exposed outcrops at the Reliance Gold Property (the "Property") in southern British Columbia. The Property is located 4 kilometres ("km") east of the village of Gold Bridge, and 10 km north of the historic Bralorne-Pioneer Gold Mining Camp which has produced over 4 million ounces of gold. As reported on October 28, 2021, construction of a new drill access road exposed quartz-stibnite-pyrite-arsenopyrite breccias and oxidized shearing within an area of structural deformation associated with the 300 metres ("m") long Eagle South gold-in-soil anomaly ("Eagle South"). Gold-pathfinder elements were identified in outcrop using a hand-portable XRF unit and a subset of samples were submitted for gold assay analysis. Assay results are reported herein where all five samples collected from Eagle South returned high-grade gold ranging from 7.01 grams per tonne ("gpt") to 21.20 gpt gold. Table 1 - Eagle South Soil Anomaly - Surface Rock Sample Results Bedrock Prospect Gold Grade (gpt) Sample ID Description Eagle South (E5) 21.20 B838878 Grab- Ultramafic at porphyry contact with scorodite after arsenopyrite Eagle South (E5) 15.30 B838879 0.5 m wide chip - hematite shearing Eagle South (E5) 7.01 B838880 1.8 m wide chip - hematite shearing Eagle South (E7) 9.66 B838875 2.5 m wide chip - hematite shearing Eagle South (E7) 12.90 B838876 Grab - 0.5 m wide stibnite-arsenopyrite in quartz vein The surface exposure for the combined Eagle and Eagle South Zones has now been expanded to a 400 m strike length and up to 150 m in projected width to surface. The Eagle and Eagle South Zones together with the Upper Eagle gold-in-soil anomaly are still open to expansion to the southeast and to depth. Three samples were collected from the E5 prospect at three different locations over a 40 m distance across Eagle South. Samples exhibited iron carbonate alteration, strong hematite altered shearing, and arsenopyrite, stibnite, scorodite and chrome mica. The samples assayed 21.20 gpt, 15.30 gpt, and 7.01 gpt gold. The chrome mica suggests the presence of ultramafic rocks that have been altered. The E5 prospect is located on surface 150 m southeast of DDH21-006 which intersected 8.62 gpt gold over 24.4 m including 17.02 gpt gold over 4.3 m (see press release December 29, 2021) and is currently interpreted to be a southeastern extension of the Eagle Zone. The E7 prospect is located an additional 130 m to the southeast of E5 and 270 m southeast of DDH21-006. Two samples were collected from poorly exposed and partly oxidized outcrop exhibiting iron carbonate alteration and hematite shearing including a narrower stibnite-arsenopyrite bearing quartz vein. Chip sample B838875 returned 9.66 gpt gold and 3,050 ppm antimony ("Sb") over 2.5 m across the exposure. A representative grab sample B838876 returned 12.9 gpt gold and 1.83 % Sb from the 0.5 m wide stibnite-arsenopyrite vein. The E5 prospect has been partially tested with diamond drill holes DDH21-014, DDH21-015, and DDH21-020 completed in late October 2021. Assay results remain to be reported on these drill holes. The E7 prospect has not been drill tested. The Upper Eagle gold-in-soil anomaly has not yet been explained with any associated bedrock exposures and remains to be tested with drilling. These outcrop sample results are very encouraging and continue to demonstrate the excellent exploration potential on the Reliance Property. The Company plans to complete systematic channel sampling in these outcrop areas. Exploration plans, when finalized, will include maiden drill testing of the E7 prospect, the Upper Eagle gold-in-soil anomaly, and further drilling at the E5 prospect with the objective of expanding and defining the Eagle Zone. Endurance Gold Corporation is a company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of highly prospective North American mineral properties with the potential to develop world-class deposits. ENDURANCE GOLD CORPORATION Robert T. Boyd FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Endurance Gold Corporation (604) 682-2707, info@endurancegold.com www.endurancegold.com Grab and chip samples are selective by nature and were collected at locations where elevated XRF values for pathfinder elements were identified and are unlikely to represent average grades on the property or within the target areas. Diamond drill core was logged and evaluated on the Property and samples designated for collection under the supervision of a geologist at the property. Drilling was completed using a skid mounted Hydracore 2000 equipped with NQ size tools capable of collecting 4.76 cm diameter core. Diamond drill core was cut using a diamond drill saw with one half of the core sent for analysis and the remaining kept for future studies. Sample intervals were typically 2 metre core length and intervals were shortened for lithology or alteration changes. For drilled and sampled intervals of poor average core recovery, the complete core was sampled and sent to the laboratory for assay analysis. All grab, chip samples and diamond drill core samples have been submitted to ALS Global in North Vancouver, BC, an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited laboratory, where they are crushed to 70% <2 mm then up to 250 gram pulverized to <75 microns. Samples are then submitted for four-acid digestion and analyzed for 48 element ICP-MS (ME-MS61) and gold 30g FA ICP-AES finish (AU-ICP21). Over limit samples returning greater than 10 ppm gold are re-analyzed by Au-GRA21 methodology and over limit antimony returning greater than 10,000 ppm Sb are re-analyzed by Sb-AA08 methodology. Endurance Gold monitors QA/QC by inserting blanks, certified standards and pulp duplicates into the diamond drill core sample stream. The 2020 and 2021 work programs were supervised by Darren O'Brien, P.Geo., an independent consultant and qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. Mr. O'Brien has reviewed and approved this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results. Figure 1: Reliance Property, 2021 Drill Plan Eagle Area - Eagle South Rock Sample Locations To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4976/109109_ffce24b4948c486d_002full.jpg Figure 2: Reliance Property - Eagle South at E5 Prospect To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4976/109109_ffce24b4948c486d_003full.jpg Figure 3: Reliance Property - Eagle South at R7 Prospect To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4976/109109_ffce24b4948c486d_004full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109109 TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, today announced promotions earned by investment staff members in TA's Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong offices, effective January 1, 2022. "Each of our talented and dedicated team members plays a vital role in generating value for our investors, portfolio companies and TA," saidAjit Nedungadi, Chief Executive Officer of TA. "We're thrilled today to recognize the accomplishments of 14 individuals who have contributed greatly to TA's performance, particularly over the last year. Their leadership, innovative thinking and commitment to partnership will help drive our continued growth and evolution as a firm." Max Cancre earned the promotion to Director from Principal. He is based in the London office of TA Associates (UK), LLP, focusing on investments in technology and data services companies across Europe. Mr. Cancre serves on the Board of Directors of DL Software, Interswitch, ITRS and Netrisk Group, and was previously on the Board of Byggfakta Group. He has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in 10bis, DNCA Finance, Interswitch, ITRS and Zadig Voltaire. Prior to joining TA in 2010 as an Associate, he worked in the Investment Banking Division, Structured Finance Group at Barclays Capital. Mr. Cancre received a BA degree, summa cum laude, in Economics and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. Clara Jackson earned the promotion to Director from Principal. She is based in TA's Boston office, focusing on investments in financial services and technology and other services companies in North America. Ms. Jackson serves on the Board of Directors of AffiniPay, Caprock and Financial Information Technologies (Fintech); is a Board Observer of Russell Investments; and previously served on the Board of Orion Advisor Solutions. She has also been actively involved in the firm's investment in Rectangle Health. Prior to joining TA in 2014, she was an Associate at TPG Growth and an Analyst at Goldman, Sachs Co. Ms. Jackson received a BS degree, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. Lovisa Lander earned the promotion to Director from Principal. She is based in the London office of TA Associates (UK), LLP, focusing on investments in healthcare and education companies across Europe. Ms. Lander serves on the Board of Directors of Biocomposites and Elos Medtech AB; is a Board Observer of Vivacy; and formerly served on the Board of Cath Kidston. She has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in Babilou, Inspired, Internationella Engelska Skolan (IES), Kiwoko, PhysIOL, Soderberg Partners and Zadig Voltaire. Prior to joining TA in 2010 as an Associate, she worked in the Investment Banking Division, Consumer Products and Retail Group at Rothschild. Ms. Lander received an MSc degree in Technology Management and Economics from Chalmers University of Technology. Michael Libert earned the promotion to Director from Principal. He is based in TA's Boston office, focusing on investments in technology companies in North America. Mr. Libert serves on the Board of Directors of Appfire, Aptean, HelpSystems, Idera, insightsoftware, MRI Software, Netwrix, Precisely and Revalize; is a Board Observer of PDI and Sovos; and was formerly on the Board of Nintex. He has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in Answers, Bomgar and Prometheus Group. Prior to joining TA in 2011 as an Associate, Mr. Libert was an Associate Consultant in the Private Equity and Technology Groups at Bain Company. Before rejoining TA in 2016, he worked in Corporate Strategy at Nintex, a former TA portfolio company. Mr. Libert received an AB degree, cum laude, in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Emily McGinty earned the promotion to Director from Principal. She is based in TA's Menlo Park office, focusing on investments in healthcare companies in North America. Ms. McGinty serves on the Board of Directors of Behavioral Health Works, Healix and Navia Benefit Solutions. She has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in Amplify Snack Brands, eviCore healthcare (formerly MedSolutions) and Triumph HealthCare. Prior to joining TA in 2007 as an Associate, she worked in the Consumer, Healthcare and Retail Group at J.P. Morgan Securities. Ms. McGinty received a BA degree, summa cum laude, in Economics from Boston College and an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Amara Suebsaeng earned the promotion to Director from Principal. She is based in TA's Boston office, focusing on investments in business, technology-enabled, information and other services companies in North America. Ms. Suebsaeng serves on the Board of Directors of Backstage, OMNIA Partners, PurposeBuilt Brands (formerly Weiman Products) and Stackline. She has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in Cosentry and MicroSeismic. Prior to joining TA in 2010 as an Associate, Ms. Suebsaeng worked in the Investment Banking Division, Global Power and Utilities Group at Morgan Stanley. Before rejoining TA in 2015, she worked in the Product Management and Business Development Group at Logi Analytics. Ms. Suebsaeng received a BA degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA degree, with Distinction, from the Harvard Business School. Andrew Tay earned the promotion to Director from Principal. He is based in the Hong Kong office of TA Associates Asia Pacific Ltd., focusing on investments in the Asia-Pacific region across technology, healthcare, business and financial services. Mr. Tay serves on the Board of Directors of Honan Insurance Group and InCorp, and is a Board Observer of BetaShares. He is also actively involved in the firm's investment in MISA. Prior to joining TA in 2019, Mr. Tay was a Vice President at Baring Private Equity Asia. He also worked at Snow Phipps Group and Lazard Fr?res Co. Mr. Tay received a BS degree, magna cum laude, in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. Jeremy Drean earned the promotion to Principal from Senior Vice President. He is based in the London office of TA Associates (UK), LLP, focusing on investments in financial services and technology-enabled services companies across Europe. He also helps lead TA's effort in French-speaking countries across sectors. Mr. Drean serves on the Board of Directors of Fairstone Group, Foncia, Odealim Group, Soderberg Partners and Solabia Group. He has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in CIPRES, DNCA Finance, Hana Group, Merian Global Investors, PhysIOL, Russell Investments, The Access Group and Zadig Voltaire. Prior to joining TA in 2013 as an Associate, he worked in the EMEA Consumer Group at Morgan Stanley, and also worked at GSV Asset Management (formerly NeXt AM). Mr. Drean received a BA degree, magna cum laude, in Business Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and an MSc degree in Management from the HEC School of Management, Paris. Jessica Gilligan earned the promotion to Principal from Senior Vice President. She is based in TA's Boston office, focusing on investments in consumer products, services and related companies in North America. Ms. Gilligan serves on the Board of Directors of Death Wish Coffee, MAV Beauty Brands, Mid-American Pet Food and Thermacell; and formerly served on the Board of Petcurean. She was also actively involved in the firm's investment in Amplify Snack Brands. Prior to joining TA in 2012 as an Associate, Ms. Gilligan worked in the Mergers Acquisitions Group at Sagent Advisors Inc. Before rejoining TA in 2017, she worked in Corporate Strategy at Paula's Choice. Ms. Gilligan received a BS degree, magna cum laude, in Finance, Economics and International Business from Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. Amit Jain earned the promotion to Principal from Senior Vice President. He is based in TA's Menlo Park office, focusing on investments in technology companies in North America. Mr. Jain serves on the Board of Directors of DigiCert, Insurity, Ivanti, Netwrix and PDQ; and is a Board Observer of Edifecs. Prior to joining TA in 2013 as an Associate, Mr. Jain was an Analyst in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Group at UBS Investment Bank. Before rejoining TA in 2019, he was a Senior Associate at Marlin Equity Partners. Mr. Jain received a BS Commerce degree, Beta Gamma Sigma, in Finance and Management from the University of Virginia. Nicholas Leppla earned the promotion to Principal from Senior Vice President. He is based in TA's Menlo Park office, focusing on investments in technology companies in North America. Mr. Leppla serves on the Board of Directors of Arcserve (formerly StorageCraft Technology Corporation), e-Emphasys, LeadVenture and Radiant Logic; and is a Board Observer of Confluence, HelpSystems and Planview. He has also been actively involved in the firm's investments in Accruent, Maintenance Connection and Prometheus Group. Prior to joining TA in 2013 as an Associate, he was an Analyst in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Group at J.P. Morgan, and was the Chief of Staff of AVG Technologies, a former TA portfolio company. Mr. Leppla received a BA degree in Economics and Engineering Sciences (Environmental) from Yale University and an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Charles Ha earned the promotion to Senior Vice President from Vice President. He is based in TA's Boston office, focusing on investments in technology companies in North America. Mr. Ha serves on the Board of Directors of Riskonnect and is a Board Observer of Mediaocean and Revalize. He was also actively involved in the firm's investment in Power Line Systems. Prior to joining TA in 2019, Mr. Ha was a Vice President at General Catalyst. Previously, he worked in the Office of the CEO at Cisco Systems, as an Associate at North Bridge Growth Equity (NKA Guidepost Growth Equity) and an Associate at L.E.K. Consulting. Mr. Ha received a BA degree in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS), Economics and Legal Studies from Northwestern University, a Certificate in Managerial Analytics from the Kellogg School of Management and an MBA degree from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School. Gurnoor Kaur earned the promotion to Vice President from Senior Associate. She is based in the Mumbai office of TA Associates Advisory Pvt. Ltd., focusing on investments in business services companies in India. Ms. Kaur has been actively involved in the firm's investments in Accion Labs, Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) and Ideal Cures Pvt. Ltd. Prior to joining TA as an Associate, Ms. Kaur worked at the Investment Banking Division at Rothschild Co., and the Investment Banking Division at J.P. Morgan. Ms. Kaur received a B.Com. degree (Honors) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and an MBA degree from IIM Kozhikode. Michele Lim earned the promotion to Vice President from Senior Associate. She is based in the Hong Kong office of TA Associates Asia Pacific Ltd., focusing on investments in companies in the Asia-Pacific region, with an emphasis on Southeast Asia. Ms. Lim has been actively involved in the firm's investments in InCorp, MISA and YeePay. Prior to joining TA as an Associate, she was an Assistant Vice President, Investments at Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Ms. Lim received a B.Com. degree, Accounting and Finance, from the University of Melbourne, and an MSc, Accounting and Finance, from the London School of Economics and Political Science. About TA Associates TA is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services the firm invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 550 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $47.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968. The firm's more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005613/en/ Contacts: Maggie Benoit TA Associates + 1-617-598-6685 mbenoit@ta.com Caroline Collins BackBay Communications +1-617-963-0065 Caroline.collins@backbaycommunications.com Stephen Fishleigh BackBay Communications +44 203 475 7552 Stephen.fishleigh@backbaycommunications.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Bell Copper Corporation (TSXV: BCU) (OTCQB: BCUFF) ("Bell Copper" or the "Company") reports that it has drilled a strongly altered and veined hematitic leached capping hosted by quartz porphyry at its Big Sandy project. Big Sandy is a large, truncated porphyry copper-molybdenum target located in northwestern Arizona, approximately 30 kilometers south of the Company's Perseverance Project. Highlights The Drill is now cutting hematitic leached capping hosted by intensely sericitized quartz porphyry, cut by quartz veinlets at an inclined depth of 1284 meters. Leached capping began immediately beneath the gravel at an inclined depth of 1192 meters with continuous, strong, seal-brown hematite vein fillings, quartz veinlets, hydrothermal breccia and pervasive sericitic alteration in quartz porphyry. Core drilling at BS-3 has resumed. Drilling and Analysis Drillhole BS-3, which was oriented to test a 2400 meter by 2100 meter area of high electrical conductivity that was detected in an earlier magnetotelluric survey (refer to news release dated October 6, 2020), entered the mineralized quartz porphyry beginning at an inclined depth of 1192 meters, immediately beneath cemented gravel cover rocks. The true thickness of the gravel layers penetrated by BS-3 at an oblique angle is estimated to be 860 meters. BS-3 encountered strongly altered and veined hematitic leached capping, consisting of seal-brown-colored, earthy-textured hematite filling fractures and pervading the strongly sericitized groundmass of the quartz porphyry host rock. Stockwork-style to sheeted-style quartz veinlets and sericite-enveloped "D-veins" constitute a significant volume of the core, along with minor amounts of hydrothermal and structural breccia. To date, a 92-meter interval of this type of rock has been cut in BS-3, extending to the current bottom of the hole at a depth of 1284 meters. Drilling at BS-3 was suspended over the Christmas holiday and has now resumed. Oriented core collected near the base of the gravel cover shows that at BS-3 the porphyry system is tilted about 45 degrees from its orientation before faulting. This tilt suggests that any supergene copper blanket that might underlie the hematitic leached capping in BS-3 can be targeted at shallower depth in the direction of drillhole BS-1, located 1200 meters to the east. A 2-meter interval of chalcocite supergene enrichment underlying hematitic leached capping was cut at a depth of 936 meters in BS-1, suggesting continuity of supergene leaching and porphyry-related alteration across a distance of 1200 meters. The intervening ground showed anomalously high electrical conductivity in the August 2020 magnetotelluric survey. A future drillhole is now contemplated to test that shallower target. Pictures are representative of the 92 meters of leach capping drilled to date at BS-3 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2825/109071_bellcopper.jpg Tim Marsh, Bell's President and CEO, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI43-101, said, "BS-3 finished 2021 in a 90-meter interval of intensely hematitic, quartz-veined, sericitized quartz porphyry. It is exactly what we wanted to see as the first bedrock under gravel cover. All but the bottom 30 meters of the hole are now cased off and protected behind steel. We look forward to revealing what happens at the upcoming oxidation boundary, where any copper oxide and supergene copper sulfide minerals would tend to accumulate." About Bell Copper Bell Copper is a mineral exploration company focused on the identification, exploration and discovery of large copper deposits located in Arizona. Bell Copper is exploring its 100% owned Big Sandy Porphyry Copper Project and the Perseverance Porphyry Copper Project which is under a Joint Venture - Earn In. Qualified Person The technical content of this release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Marsh, PhD, PEng., the Company's CEO and President. No mineral resource has yet been identified on the Big Sandy Project. There is no certainty that the present exploration effort will result in the identification of a mineral resource or that any mineral resource that might be discovered will prove to be economically recoverable. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Bell Copper Corporation "Timothy Marsh" Timothy Marsh, President, CEO & Director For further information please contact the Company Tel: 1 800 418 8250 Email: info@bellcopper.net Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "potential", "target", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Bell Copper operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic, and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include actual exploration results, interpretation of metallurgical characteristics of the mineralization, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators, including those described in the Company's most recently filed MD&A. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109071 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Novamind Inc. (CSE:NM)(OTCQB:NVMDF)(FSE:HN2) ("Novamind" or the "Company"), a leading mental health company specialized in psychedelic medicine, today unveiled its clinic design concept (the "Design Concept") to accommodate the unique requirements of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. The Design Concept will launch first in Novamind's Park City, Utah location, and later across Novamind's de novo clinics. Select design elements and principles will be integrated within existing clinic locations. Inclusive and welcoming, the Design Concept enhances the patient experience at Novamind clinics, prioritizing patient safety and privacy, and utilizing evidence-based therapeutic elements to optimize patient care, including: Biophilic designs that mimic nature and emphasize light interplay and neutral colour theory Walking paths designed to minimize disruption and traffic across the clinic, creating a sense of privacy and tranquility Curved treatment spaces, representing the protective space of cocoons, to facilitate the more sedentary experience of ketamine treatment Larger treatment rooms to accommodate group therapy programs and support movement and more active patient behaviours associated with MDMA, psilocybin and other psychedelic medicines when approved by the FDA To create the Design Concept, Novamind contracted DesignAgency, an internationally recognized interior design firm with clients that include the Four Seasons Hotels, MGM Resorts, Momofuku restaurants, Soho House and others. DesignAgency worked closely with Novamind's clinical team to incorporate a host of therapeutic considerations into the design blueprint to achieve optimal patient experiences. "We collaborated with Novamind's clinical team and understood the importance of 'set and setting' in psychedelic medicine," said Matt Davis, Co-Founder and Principal at DesignAgency. "The goal was to create spaces that allow patients to have a holistic experience and signal hope and healing well before they walk through the door." Dr. Reid Robison, Chief Medical Officer at Novamind, commented: "This new concept, combined with Novamind's standard operating procedures, creates the most welcoming and effective healing environment possible. We wanted our clinics to be comforting, inviting and calming. With guidance from the DesignAgency team, we now have the blueprint to create spaces that elevate our patients' healing experience." To see renderings of the Design Concept, click here. About Novamind Novamind is a leading mental health company enabling safe access to psychedelic medicine through a network of clinics and clinical research sites. Novamind provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other novel treatments through its network of integrative mental health clinics and operates a full-service contract research organization specialized in clinical trials and evidence-based research for psychedelic medicine. For more information on how Novamind is enhancing mental wellness and guiding people through their entire healing journey, visit novamind.ca. About DesignAgency DesignAgency is an award-winning international design studio that draws on over two decades of expertise in interior design, architectural and landscape concepting, strategic branding, and visual communications. With studios in Toronto, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Barcelona, DesignAgency has developed a global reputation for creating exceptional environments that people experience fully and deeply. Key to our success is the strength of collaboration. Our talented design teams are informed by curiosity, international perspectives, and a drive for innovation. Working across hospitality, residential, commercial, and retail sectors, we work with our clients and with local and international artists, craftspeople, and suppliers to realize extraordinary experiences and lasting value. Contact Information Yaron Conforti, CEO and Director Telephone: +1 (647) 953 9512 Samantha Delenardo, VP Communications Email: media@novamind.ca Investor Relations Email: IR@novamind.ca Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the Company's public disclosure. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable laws. SOURCE: Novamind View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/678939/Novamind-Unveils-New-Design-Concept-for-Clinics All 20,000 tonnes of aggregate translates to an additional annual revenue opportunity ranging from $200,000 to $1,000,000 from SusGlobal's Belleville land holdings Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - SusGlobal Energy Corp. ("SusGlobal" or the "Company") (OTCQB: SNRG), the developer of SusGro, an award winning, revolutionary and pathogen free organic liquid fertilizer, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary SusGlobal Energy Belleville Ltd. ("SusGlobal Belleville") has received Licence # 2984, at Pt. Lot 20, Conc. 8, Geographic Township of Thurlow, City of Belleville, Hastings County, approved by The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry ("NDMNRF") to operate a pit above water under Section 18(3)1 of the Aggregate Resources Act ("ARA") for a 2.66 hectare site with a tonnage condition authorizing removal of 20,000 tonnes of aggregate annually from the site. "We are pleased to have received this sought after and valuable license for the production and sale of aggregate from the operation of a pit located on our 49-acre Belleville site adjacent to our Organic Waste Processing and Composting Facility," stated Marc Hazout, Executive Chairman, President and CEO of SusGlobal Energy Corp. "Using sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible methods for extraction, the aggregate will be sold under our own brand and translate to additional revenue on a yearly basis from our Belleville land holdings." About SusGlobal Energy Corp. SusGlobal Energy Corp., the developer of SusGro, an award winning, revolutionary and pathogen free organic liquid fertilizer is a biotechnology company focused on acquiring, developing, and monetizing a portfolio of proprietary technologies in the waste to regenerative products applications globally. It is management's objective to grow SusGlobal into a significant sustainable waste to energy, regenerative products provider and a trusted brand for the fertilizer, soil and aquaculture market, as LEADERS IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: www.susglobalenergy.com. Safe Harbor Statement This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company's objectives. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, lack of sufficient financial resources; variations in market conditions, currency and our stock; the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, approvals, consents or authorizations required for its activities; the Company's ability to produce energy, biogas, compost or organic fertilizer from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, or to be fully able to implement its business strategies and other risk factors described in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov. Contact SusGlobal Energy Corp. Marc Hazout, President and CEO (416) 223-8500 or Toll Free: 1-866-512-7374 Email: info@susglobalenergy.com SOURCE: SusGlobal Energy Corp. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109079 Acquisition Adds European Food Beverage M&A Capabilities to the Piper Sandler Consumer Advisory Business Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR), a leading investment bank, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Stamford Partners LLP. Founded in 1997, London-based Stamford Partners is an entrepreneurial, specialist M&A boutique offering high quality investment banking services to European food beverage as well as related consumer sectors. The Stamford Partners team, led by the firm's three partners Damian Thornton, Simon Milne and Alastair Mathieson, adds yet another industry-leading advisory practice to the Piper Sandler platform and broadens Piper Sandler's European investment banking capabilities. "Stamford Partners offers differentiated, best-in-class M&A advisory services tailored to the unique needs of clients in the European consumer industry. The addition is complementary to our existing consumer practice and creates significant opportunities to further expand our reach in partnership with them," said James Baker, global co-head of investment banking at Piper Sandler. Damian Thornton, Chairman of Stamford Partners, commented, "We are very proud of the position Stamford Partners has established in European food drink M&A over the last 24 years as a result of our unwavering commitment to experienced, insightful advice driven by our deep understanding of sector dynamics and rigorous M&A standards. We are excited to be partnering with a firm that shares our commitment to providing quality advice based on sector expertise. Our team will remain the same, as will our strategy and the way we approach the market. By joining Piper Sandler and its market-leading consumer franchise, we can accelerate our growth and broaden our offering to clients, whilst staying entirely true to our underlying principles." The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022 and is subject to obtaining required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. About Stamford Partners Stamford Partners is a specialist investment banking firm offering financial advisory and corporate development services to companies and investors in the European food and beverage and related consumer sectors. The firm's offices are located in London. www.stamford-partners.com About Piper Sandler As a leading investment bank, we enable growth and success for our clients through deep sector expertise, candid advice and a differentiated, highly productive culture. We transcend transactions to define possibilities-enabling clients to achieve their short-term goals while realizing their long-term vision. Founded in 1895, the firm is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices across the United States and in London, Aberdeen and Hong Kong. Learn more at PiperSandler.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements cover, among other things, the future prospects and growth of the Company. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the following: (1) the transaction described in this announcement is subject to customary closing conditions and may not close on the expected timing or at all; (2) the costs or difficulties relating to the combination of the businesses may be greater than expected and may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition and our ability to realize anticipated synergies from the transaction; (3) the expected benefits of the transaction may take longer than anticipated to achieve and may not be achieved in their entirety or at all, and will in part depend on the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its clients; (4) developments in market and economic conditions have in the past adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, the business and profitability of the Company generally and of its investment banking business specifically; and (5) other factors identified under "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and updated in our subsequent reports filed with the SEC. These reports are available at www.pipersandler.com or www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events. Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR) is a leading investment bank driven to help clients Realize the Power of Partnership. Securities brokerage and investment banking services are offered in the U.S. through Piper Sandler Co., member SIPC and NYSE; in the U.K. through Piper Sandler Ltd., authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority; and in Hong Kong through Piper Sandler Hong Kong Ltd., authorized and regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission. Alternative asset management and fixed income advisory services are offered through separately registered advisory affiliates. Follow Piper Sandler: LinkedIn Facebook Twitter 2022. Since 1895. Piper Sandler Companies. 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-7036 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005218/en/ Contacts: Pamela Steensland Tel: 612 303-8185 pamela.steensland@psc.com Val-d'Or, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Bonterra Resources Inc. (TSXV: BTR) (OTCQX: BONXF) (FSE: 9BR2) ("Bonterra" or the "Company") is pleased to provide new exploration results from the regional drilling campaign on the Moss property. The recent drilling results at Moss confirm the existence of high-grade gold mineralized veining in hole UB-21-15, which returned 6.4 g/t Au over 1.5 metres ("m"), including 18.9 g/t Au over 0.5 m. Highlights: 6.4 g/t Au over 1.5 m, including 18.9 g/t Au over 0.9 m in hole UB-21-15 6.5 g/t Au over 1.5 m in hole UB-21-16 Pascal Hamelin, CEO commented: "These new high-grade exploration drilling results at Moss are very encouraging. Moss is an important regional target that was first drill tested by the Company in 2016. The discovery hole BE-16-09 returned 9.2 g/t Au over 2.2 m and 70.9 g/t Au over 2.6 m (see press release by a predecessor Company {Metanor Resources Inc.} dated October 31, 2016). Importantly, Moss is open along strike and at depth and situated between the Company's Barry deposit and the neighboring Windfall deposit. We currently plan to continue drill testing the Moss target area in the coming year." The recent exploration drilling targeted the expansion of existing gold mineralization interpreted to trend northeast from some key historic high grade intersections in the Moss Center and Moss East areas. Moss historic values include 15.2 g/t Au over 1.3 m, 70.9 g/t Au over 2.6 m, and 102.2 g/t Au over 0.2 m (see SIGEOM document GM 70866 - MNRQ). Mineralization at Moss consists of a system sub-parallel mineralized veins trending northeast identified along a span of approximately three kilometres ("km") and remains open along strike and at depth. Bonterra has drilled sixteen holes representing a total of 6,990 m at the Moss since September 2021. Partial results from twelve drill holes have been received thus far. Results from the remaining four holes are pending (See Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 and Table 1). Figure 1 - Urban-Barry Regional Geology To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1528/109124_cbc8d2c5145d9a72_001full.jpg Figure 2 - Moss Drill Hole Location Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1528/109124_cbc8d2c5145d9a72_002full.jpg Moss is centered on the northeast trending Mazeres fault along which several gold deposits and gold showings are spatially associated including the Barry and Windfall deposits. The Moss property is dominated by massive to pillowed basaltic to andesitic rocks with minor felsic volcanic rocks and tuffaceous horizons across the central and southeastern property area with local gabbroic to dioritic and felsic intrusions. Mineralization at Moss consists of a system of sub-parallel, shear hosted quartz-carbonate-chlorite veining and stockworks with minor sulfides which include pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and gold trending northeast and identified along a span of approximately three kms. The Moss mineralized trend is subdivided into three areas: Moss West, Moss Center and Moss East. (See Figure 2) Figure 3 - Moss East Cross-Section UB-21-15 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1528/109124_cbc8d2c5145d9a72_003full.jpg Figure 4 - Moss East Cross-Section UB-21-17 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1528/109124_cbc8d2c5145d9a72_004full.jpg Figure 5 - Moss Cross-Section UB-21-16 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1528/109124_cbc8d2c5145d9a72_005full.jpg Figure 6 - Moss Cross-Section UB-21-10 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1528/109124_cbc8d2c5145d9a72_006full.jpg Table 1: Significant mineralized intersections from drilling on the Moss Property Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Grade (g/t Au) Target UB-20-09 Anomalous values UB-21-10 217.5 218.6 1.1 0.7 Moss center 325.9 326.5 0.6 1.3 Moss center 464.0 465.0 1.0 2.8 Moss center UB-21-11 496.3 497.5 1.2 1.0 Moss center UB-21-12 Anomalous values UB-21-13 Anomalous values UB-21-14 285.0 285.7 0.7 0.5 Moss center UB-21-15 482.0 484.0 2.0 0.6 Moss center 487.5 488.8 1.3 0.6 Moss center 492.5 494.0 1.5 6.4 Moss center including 492.5 493.0 0.5 18.9 Moss center 505.1 505.6 0.5 0.7 Moss center 510.0 510.5 0.5 0.7 Moss center UB-21-16 196.5 198.0 1.5 6.5 Moss center 486.5 487.5 1.0 1.8 Moss center 491.7 492.2 0.5 0.8 Moss center 544.6 545.6 1.0 0.7 Moss center 551.0 551.5 0.5 0.8 Moss center 565.3 565.8 0.5 0.8 Moss center 587.5 591.5 4.0 0.5 Moss center 598.0 598.5 0.5 0.5 Moss center 619.5 620.0 0.5 0.6 Moss center UB-21-17 19.6 20.6 1.0 0.6 Moss east 99.0 101.1 2.1 1.2 Moss east including 99.0 99.5 0.5 4.0 Moss east 158.0 159 1.0 0.5 Moss east 204.3 205.0 0.7 2.0 Moss east 249.5 250.0 0.5 0.5 Moss east 256.0 257.0 1.0 0.7 Moss east 269.0 271.5 2.5 2.8 Moss east including 270.3 271.5 1.2 5.6 Moss east UB-21-18 Anomalous values UB-21-19 Results pending UB-21-20 Results pending UB-21-21 Results pending UB-21-22 Results pending UB-21-23 No significant values UB-21-23A No significant values Notes: 1) The meterage represents the length of the drilled lengths. 2) True widths are estimated to be greater than 75% of the drill intersection length. 3) The mineralized intervals shown above use a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off grade. 4) Gold results obtained between 0.1 and 0.5 g/t Au are represented as anomalous values. 5) Gold results obtained below <0.1 g/t Au are represented as no significant values. Quality Control and Reporting Protocols The Moss drill core gold analyses are performed at the Company's Bachelor Mine analytical laboratory (the "Laboratory") and at Activation Laboratories Ltd. ("Actlabs"). The Company employs a rigorous QA-QC analysis program that meets industry standards. The analyses are carried out by fire assay (A.A.) with atomic absorption finish. Blanks, duplicates, and certified reference standards are inserted into the sample stream to monitor the Laboratory's performance. The Company's QA-QC program requires that at least 10% of samples be analyzed by an independent laboratory. These verification samples are sent to ALS Minerals laboratory facility located in Val-d'Or, Quebec. The verifications show a high degree of correlation with the Laboratory's results. Qualified Person Boris Artinian, P.Geo., Chief Geologist of the Company oversees all exploration activities on the Moss property. Mr. Artinian is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI-43-101"). Marc Ducharme, P.Geo. and Bonterra's Exploration Manager, has compiled and approved the information contained in this press release. Mr. Ducharme is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. About Bonterra Resources Inc. Bonterra is a Canadian gold exploration company with a large portfolio of advanced exploration assets anchored by a central milling facility in Quebec, Canada. The Company has four main assets, Gladiator, Barry, Moroy, and Bachelor that collectively have a total of 1.24 million ounces in Measured and Indicated categories, and 1.78 million ounces in Inferred category. Importantly, the Company owns the only permitted and operational gold mill in the region that is currently estimated at 75% through the permitting process to expand from 800 to 2,400 tonnes-per-day. Bonterra is focused on graduating from advanced exploration to a development company over the next 18-24 months to deliver shareholder value. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Pascal Hamelin, President & CEO ir@btrgold.com 2872 Sullivan Road, Suite 2, Val d'Or, Quebec J9P 0B9 819-825-8678 | Website: www.btrgold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Any statement that implies predictions, expectations, interpretations, opinions, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often using words such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", "in management's opinion", "anticipates", or "plans", "budget", "schedule", "forecasts", statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) is not a statement of historical fact and may constitute forward-looking information and is intended to identify forward-looking information. This news release may contain forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the outlook for the Gladiator, Barry, and Moroy projects; updated mineral resources; the deposit remaining open laterally and at depth; and future drilling. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the ability of exploration activities (including drilling results) to accurately predict mineralization; the Company's ability to obtain required approvals; the results of exploration activities; risks associated with mining operations; global economic conditions; metal prices; dilution; environmental risks; and community and non-governmental actions. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable at the time of release, Bonterra cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of the Company's securities that actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither Bonterra nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of forward-looking information. All statements made, other than statements of historical fact, that address the Company's intentions and the events and developments that the Company anticipates, are considered forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ from those in the forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109124 BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - U.S. ADP private payrolls data for December is scheduled for release at 8:15 am ET Wednesday. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major counterparts. While it fell against the yen and the euro, it held steady against the pound and the franc. The greenback was worth 115.76 against the yen, 1.1311 against the euro, 1.3545 against the pound and 0.9163 against the franc at 8:10 am ET. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved 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. LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / UMAX Group Corp. (OTC PINK:UMAX), a Nevada corporation, would like to announce that it has filed amended articles of incorporation with the State of Nevada, Secretary of State, lowering its authorized common stock from 1,850,000,000 shares of Common Stock to 500,000,000 shares of Common Stock. Mr. Fletcher (President and CEO of the Company), states"We started the process of changing our capital structure over a year ago. As announced last month, we were able to effectuate the cancellation of 500,000,000 shares of Common Stock lowering our issued and outstanding common stock by 89%. The filing of the amended articles of incorporation, lowering our authorized common stock, is the final step in this process. As promised, the Company will not increase the authorized Common Stock for a minimum of three fiscal years. With these actions in place, not only will our market capitalization be more in line with our financial performance, but investors can rely on the fact there will be no significant dilution of their holdings as we grow the Company." The Company filed an amended articles of incorporation with the Nevada Secretary of State to lower the authorized Common Stock from 1,850,000,000 to 500,000,000, a lowering of over 300%. Additionally, the Company's Board of Directors has resolved to not increase the authorized Common Stock for a minimum of the next three fiscal years or April 30, 2025. Mr. Fletcher further stated"With this corporate restructuring out of the way, we are now fully focused on growing the business of the Company. Our sole subsidiary, Funny Media, Group, LLC, a Wyoming corporation, will have several material events to announce over the coming weeks and months. Additionally, the Company is also in final negotiations with regards to several material business acquisitions. Our focus in these acquisitions is to acquire cash flow positive operational subsidiaries or companies that show increased revenue potential in the short term. These acquisitions will not only diversify our business operations but will spread the risk of our financial performance over several revenue producing entities. It is really exciting time for the Company." About Us UMAX Group Corp. is a Nevada corporation, is a public-quoted Pink Sheet issuer under the ticker symbol "UMAX". UMAX reports as an alternative reporting issuer with OTC Markets Group, Inc. and is current in its mandatory required filings (E.g., "Pink Sheet Current"). Disclaimer Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements that we make may constitute "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning future?strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated savings, financial results (including expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures), industry or market conditions, demand for and pricing of our products, acquisitions and divestitures, anticipated results of litigation and regulatory developments or general economic conditions.? In addition, words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," and future or conditional verbs such as "will," "may," "could," "should," and "would," as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. ?Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.? We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking?statements. Company Information: UMAX Group Corp. 2020 Bay Avenue Los Angeles, California 90021 Web: New website under construction Website: https://funnymediagroup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funnymediagroupofficial/?hl=en YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/c/FunnyMediaGroup Investor Relations: Jack Zietz Email: investors@umaxgrpcorp.com SOURCE: UMAX Group Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/680996/UMAX-GROUP-CORP-Lowers-Authorized-Common-Stock Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Queensland Gold Hills Corp. (TSXV: OZAU) ("Queensland Gold Hills Corp" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's shares have been accepted for listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange ("FSE") and trade under the symbol FSE: MB3. The Company's common shares are now cross-listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the FSE. The European listing is a strategic move for the Company as the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is one of the world's largest trading centers for securities and is the largest of Germany's stock exchanges. Blair Way, CEO, commented, "We are pleased to acquire a European listing as we expand our trading exposure. We plan to follow this up with a listing on the OTC Market in the United States to facilitate trading for American investors." About Queensland Gold Hills Corp. Queensland Gold Hills is focused on gold exploration in the historic goldfields of Queensland, Australia. The Big Hill Gold Project covers the historic mines of Big Hill, Queenslander, Monte Cristo and Sultan & Taylor of the Talgai Goldfields. This is one of eight historical Goldfields in the broader Warwick-Texas District. The Company will be conducting modern exploration in these historic gold fields. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Blair Way, Chief Executive Officer & Director Telephone: 1 (800) 482-7560 E-mail: info@queenslandgoldhills.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Accordingly, all statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, any statements or plans regard the geological prospects of the Property or the future exploration endeavors of Queensland Gold Hills. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable and reflect expectations of future developments and other factors which management believes to be reasonable and relevant, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, but are not limited to, the risk that the Proposed Transaction, the Offering and resulting name change may not be completed as set out herein or at all, and the inability of the Company to execute and raise funds necessary to complete its planned future activities and proposed business plans. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109015 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Trigon Metals Inc. (TSXV:TM) ("Trigon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the first copper concentrates were produced at the Kombat Mine in Namibia on Thursday, December 30, 2021. Teams worked through the Christmas period to complete the install of filter presses and run ore through the full production process to achieve this milestone, meeting management's forecasted goal. The concentrate produced exceeded the expectations of management, demonstrating that the combination of new equipment from Xinhai and refurbished equipment from the historic operation are operating well. The feed material for this initial production was sub optimal lower grade ore, while grind size, residence times and reagent use are being optimized, but satisfactory copper grades were achieved approaching 20% copper and over 600 g/t silver, well ahead of expectation at this stage of start-up. Production continues, building up to first concentrate shipments toward the end of this month, January 2022. A declaration of full commercial production is forecast for March 2022, as the mine production ramps up and systems are optimized. Jed Richardson, President and CEO of Trigon, commented, "This first production is a tremendous milestone for the Company, the Kombat community and our shareholders. Successful concentration of copper represents a major de-risking of the mine. A functioning mill is the primary technical hurdle in a mine's operation, and that hurdle has been overcome at Kombat. I cannot overstate how proud I am of our team in reaching this goal; battling through shipping challenges, COVID-19 and working through the Christmas holidays." About Kombat Mine The Kombat Copper Project is the flagship project of Trigon Metals Inc., with the Company's mining and prospecting licence areas covering an area of more than 7,500 ha in the Otavi Mountainlands in Namibia. The Kombat Project is comprised of three mining licences, which produced approximately 12.46 million tonnes of Copper between 1962 and 2008, at a grade of 2.62%. The other two mining licences are within close proximity to Kombat at Gross Otavi and Harasib, which are believed to be highly prospective for lead and zinc. In addition, the Company also holds an interest in two exclusive prospecting licences, which represent a potential strike extension of Kombat. Trigon Metals Inc. Trigon is a publicly traded Canadian exploration and development company with its core business focused on copper and silver holdings in mine-friendly African jurisdictions. Currently the company has operations in Namibia and Morocco. In Namibia, the Company holds an 80% interest in five mining licences in the Otavi Mountainlands, an area of Namibia widely recognized for its high-grade copper deposits, where the Company is focused on exploration and re-development of the previously producing Kombat Mine. In Morocco, the Company is the holder of the Silver Hill project, a highly prospective copper and silver exploration project. Cautionary Notes This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the restart of the Kombat Mine, the timing of commercial production and ramp up at the Kombat Mine, the Company's strategies and the Company's abilities to execute such strategies, the Company's expectations for the Kombat Project, and the Company's future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information, contact: Jed Richardson +1 647 276 6002 jed.richardson@trigonmetals.com Website: www.trigonmetals.com SOURCE: Trigon Metals, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681060/Trigon-Announces-First-Concentrate-Production-at-Kombat-Mine-Namibia LONDON, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Brandessence Market Research, the Personal Emergency Response Systems Market size reached USD 5.64 Billion in 2021. The Personal Emergency Response Systems market is likely to grow at robust CAGR of 5.5%, and reach size of USD 8.20 Billion by 2028 end. Personal emergency response systems are the devices which let the user to call for help in an emergency by pushing a button. It has three components: a small radio transmitter, a console connected to the user's telephone and an emergency response center that monitors calls. In the event of an injury, disaster, burglary, or other emergency, the button on the device is pressed and the response center dispatch is alerted to send help immediately. That help may come in the form of a family member, friend, neighbour or emergency personnel - depending on the emergency situation. It is very beneficial for seniors who have a history of falling or have been identified as having a high fall risk, older individuals who live alone and people who have mobility issues. Some PERS products offer automatic fall detection, which uses technology to detect falls, and triggers a call for help, even when the wearer is unable to press their medical alert button. For example; every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in an emergency room (ER) for some type of injury related to a fall, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report@ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/390 Personal Emergency Response Systems Market: An Overview A personal emergency response system allows an individual to register an emergency response during a health emergency. This system is ideal for millions of elderly individuals who live alone, and suffer greatly from chronic health conditions. The elderly are susceptible to various conditions like cancers, diabetes, heart strokes, among others. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22.2% non-institutionalized person aged 65 and over are in poor condition, with 7.0% requiring regular assistance from other people. In such conditions, personal emergency response systems are essential for elderly individuals in countries like the US, wherein rural-urban divide also makes a huge impact on health conditions. For example, according to the CDC, rural population experience worse suffering on average from conditions like respiratory illnesses, heart disease, stroke, unintentional injuries, cancer, among others. Incidences like unintentional injuries in this population results in 50% higher deaths, with causes like opioid overdoses, and motor accidents leading the fatalities. On average, the CDC reports that the rural America is generally sicker, and older than its urban counterparts. Due to increased mobility by young people to urban areas, and lower commercial opportunities in the rural population, health facilities continue to witness lower penetration in rural areas across the globe. Key Companies Covered in Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) Market Some major key players for Global Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) Market are Koninklijke Philips N.V. Medical Guardian LLC AlertOne Services LLC Bay Alarm Medical Tunstall GreatCall Rescue Alert LogicMark ADT Security Services VRI, Inc. Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc. Nortek Security and Control Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) Market report is segmented on the basis of type, end-user and region & country level. By Type: Standalone PERS Landline PERS Mobile PERS Others By End-User: Home-based Users Assisted Living Facilities Nursing Homes Hospitals Get Methodology @ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/390 Personal Emergency Response Systems Market: Notable Developments NXT-ID announced in December, 2021 that it received a contract from the US government to deliver its personal emergency response systems to veterans around the country. The company will soon supply its devices to the state and local governments to bring the technology to government partners like Veterans Health Administrations. According to the company's press release, the demand among elderly to live independently and growing elderly population remain key drivers of growth. According to the United Nations, the number of elderly people over the age of 65 reached 727 million people in 2020. According to the UN estimate, it is expected to reach 1.5 billion individuals in 2050, with share of the elderly set to rise to 16.0% from 9.3% in 2020. Moreover, the elderly today are far sicker than their previous generations, due to growing burden of chronic diseases. For example, 80% of global deaths are attributed to the chronic diseases. The loss of lives to chronic disease also incurs significant economic costs to nations. For example, according to the World Health Organization, China was estimated to lose $558 billion to premature deaths between 2005-2015. The growing penetration of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke in elderly also remain a key reason why technology advancements have become essentially for the elderly to provide them access to emergency services. The growing population of the frail, and elderly, the growing penetration of chronic diseases, and enormous costs associated with both premature deaths, and healthcare remain key drivers to growth of the personal emergency response systems market. Complete Purchase of this Report: https://brandessenceresearch.com/Checkout?report_id=390 Personal Emergency Response Systems Market: Key Trends The covid-19 has also had a tremendous impact on the personal emergency response systems market. The global elderly population has remained at significantly higher risk from Covid-19 than others. Furthermore, countries with great financial resources have been able to do very little to help elderly population, with many countries in Europe , North America , and Asia Pacific witnessing high death rates. Hence, additional means of privatized assistance both in terms of technology, family support, and other forms of assistance is essential for patients to lift themselves during this crisis. Currently, many challenges including real dynamics driving higher covid-19 fatalities in nursing homes remain unclear, even in countries with advanced healthcare facilities like the US, UK, among others. Nursing homes are largely believed to be susceptible to greater spread of coronavirus. However, limited data on way of transmission still plagues the system, and hence, urgent, and immediate means of care are the need of the hour in nursing homes, and elderly homes around the world. , , and witnessing high death rates. Hence, additional means of privatized assistance both in terms of technology, family support, and other forms of assistance is essential for patients to lift themselves during this crisis. Currently, many challenges including real dynamics driving higher covid-19 fatalities in nursing homes remain unclear, even in countries with advanced healthcare facilities like the US, UK, among others. Nursing homes are largely believed to be susceptible to greater spread of coronavirus. However, limited data on way of transmission still plagues the system, and hence, urgent, and immediate means of care are the need of the hour in nursing homes, and elderly homes around the world. The healthcare around the world is likely to witness several key drivers shaping the growth dynamic of the personal emergency response systems market. For example, women in 2020 accounted for 55% of the global elderly population above age 65 years. Moreover, women represent 62% of individuals older than 80 years. As women age more, diseases like breast cancer need to be paid special attention, and the rising populations of elderly are likely to drive relatively lower proportion of diseases like heart disease to greater penetration in the near future. This trend makes it essential to adopt personal emergency response systems. The living arrangements also make a key difference to quality of life for elderly individuals. According to the UN, living arrangements for elderly vary significantly, globally. While in emerging nations, the family structure provides support to elderly individuals, in developed nations, the emergence of nuclear families remains the status-quo, prompting demand for greater communication, and emergency devices to serve the needs of the elderly. According to the UN report, living with a spouse is the common form of living arrangement in North America , Europe , New Zealand , and Australia . On the other hand, in Caribbean , Latin America , Asia Pacific , and Africa ; living with a child or an extended family is the most common form of living arrangement. Personal Emergency Response Systems Market: Regional Analysis Personal Emergency Response Systems market report divides the globe in key regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Among these, the North America is expected to witness highest growth. The growing support for digital technologies, platforms by key agencies like Medicare, and Medicaid, and increased political support for healthcare for people, remain promising drivers of growth. Personal emergency response systems promise not only to cater to those who are in dire need due to their condition, but also reduce costs in terms of human lives lost, and economic costs incurred due to worsening of chronic health conditions, without an appropriate response. The growing demand for healthcare services to meet the demands of the elderly in regions like Europe, and Asia Pacific also promises tremendous opportunities. The growing favorable attitude of insurance companies to provide digital health monitors, and increased penetration of private insurance in new regions like Asia Pacific remain key drivers of growth. North America U.S, Canada Europe Germany , France,U.K., Italy , Spain , Sweden , Netherland, Turkey , Switzerland , Belgium , Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific South Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Rest Of APAC, Latin America Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia , UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest Of MEA Get Full Access of all Report: https://brandessenceresearch.com/healthcare/personal-emergency-response-systems Related Reports : Global Industrial Hemp Market Accounted for USD 3.91 Bn in 2020 in 2020 Quantum Computing Market Size to hit USD 2074.6 Mn by 2027 by 2027 Global Conductive Inks Market Size to hit USD USD 3757.3 Mn by 2027 by 2027 Global Endpoint Security Market USD 21.18 Bn by 2027 by 2027 Prosthetics Market Size to hit USD 12.40 Bn by 2025 by 2025 Electric Bikes Market Size to hit USD 95.48 Bn in 2027 in 2027 Global Dark Fiber Market is Anticipated to reach USD 20,011 Mn in 2027 in 2027 Digital Map Market size is Expected to reach USD 59.94 Billion in 2026 in 2026 Automotive Semiconductor Market is expected to reach USD 81.40 Billion by 2027 by 2027 Global Molecular Diagnostics Market Size Expected to Reach USD 32.08 Billion by 2027 by 2027 Electric Motors Market Size to hit 193.64 billion by 2027 i-Factor: Live Market intelligence platform I-Factor is our guaranteed seal to keep our clients ahead of the competition, always. This knowledge platform delivers real-time updates on key economic indicators, competitive landscape, changing demand, trends, customized regional insights, and more. The platform visualizes key data points to help make decision making agile, trustworthy, and holistic. Register for free trail here @ https://brandessenceresearch.com/i-factor/login/userRegister Brandessence Market Research & Consulting Pvt ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Website: https://brandessenceresearch.com Blog: Dark chocolate Companies Mr. Vishal Sawant Email: vishal@brandessenceresearch.com Email: Sales@brandessenceresearch.com Corporate Sales: +44-2038074155 Asia Office: +917447409162 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1392316/BEMR_Logo.jpg FN Media Group Presents Microsmallcap.com Market Commentary NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After experiencing the worst drop since the Great Depression, demand for fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil are roaring back to pre-pandemic levels. Despite hopes that the COVID-19 crisis would lead to a faster transition to clean energy, the fact remains that over three-quarters of global energy needs are still being met by fossil fuels. Until the world makes a full transition to clean energy, fossil fuel demand will likely remain high. Meanwhile, several factors such as global shortages, the offline Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline, cold weather, and a power crunch in China are expected to keep prices elevated in Europe and the US, creating a perfect storm for oil and gas companies like NG Energy International Corp. (TSXV:GASX) (OTCQX:GASXF), Cardinal Energy Ltd. (TSX:CJ) (OTCPK:CRLFF), Crescent Point Energy Corp. (NYSE:CPG) (TSX:CPG), Contango Oil & Gas Co. (NYSE:MCF) and Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSE:LNG). On December 21, 2021, European gas prices soared 16% to $193.46 per megawatt hour, the highest since hitting a record in early October due to rising demand expectations and renewed concerns over Russia's inactive Nord Stream 2 pipeline. NG Energy International Corp. (TSXV:GASX) (OTCQX:GASXF) has been working diligently to advance exploration programs to help curb supply deficit of natural gas in Colombia while advancing the construction of production facilities at Maria Conchita. On January 4, NG Energy International Corp. announced it is nearing completion of the pipeline and production facilities that will connect its most advanced block Maria Conchita to the national pipeline system. The completion of this infrastructure, along with receival of an amended environmental permit expected in January, will mark a significant milestone for the young company as it transitions from an explorer to a producer. Simultaneously, NG Energy is getting ready to mobilize the drill rig for its fully funded, phase 1 four well drilling campaign at its flagship SINU-9. SINU-9 is a 311,353-hectare block adjacent to Canacol, Colombia's largest independent gas producer, with 1.5 TCF in prospective resources that NG will endeavor to unlock. In September 2021, the company received approval from the National Authority of Environmental Licences ("ANLA) for the drilling of 22 wells and related work programs on the property. Phase I will be focused in the northern area of the block which is the most prospective area of the property from a resource's standpoint. In early October 2021, NG Energy closed a C$7,000,000 financing which will be used to fast track the company's exploration timeline at SINU-9 by funding upfront infrastructure buildout of roads and pads, in addition to US$27.7 million in financing already committed by CPVEN for the drilling and completion of the first four wells. CEO Serafino Iacono has been adding to his shareholdings with open market purchase over the past several months; on November 10, 2021 he purchased 100,000 shares at $1.56 and an additional 26,000 shares at $1.89 on November 17, 2021. For more information on NG Energy International Corp. (TSXV:GASX) (OTCQX:GASXF), click here . Gas and Energy Companies Gear Up For Industry Changes Ahead Cardinal Energy Ltd. (TSX:CJ) (OTC:CRLFF) recently acquired Venturion Oil Limited in an arrangement agreement, in hopes of developing low decline oil production. This strategic move by Cardinal Energy will lead to operations in the Wainwright area, and the company will be able to achieve economies of scale while utilizing pre-existing infrastructure to reduce operating costs per boe. Cardinal will also be operating Venturion's asset in central Alberta, which consists of an estimated 2,500 boe/d of production (~83% oil). For Contango Oil & Gas Co. (NYSEAMERICAN:MCF), a new adventure lies ahead as the company announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to combine with Independence Energy in an all-stock merger and bring a premier U.S. independent oil and gas company. The objective is to bring a combined company that will be KKR's leading platform for pursuing upstream oil and natural gas opportunities. While other gas companies are moving ahead with their new arrangements, Crescent Point Energy Corp. (NYSE:CPG) (TSX:CPG) is looking ahead to 2022 and what is in store for the company. Crescent Point shared its preliminary 2022 budget and is expected to generate further shareholder value. Additionally, the outlook for production is between 131,000-135,000 boe/d with development capital expenditures of $825-$900 million. Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG) is heading in a different direction and announced in the late summer of 2021 that it will be publishing the life cycle of greenhouse gas after a thorough assessment. This peer-reviewed study has been an ongoing journey since 2018 in order to understand and demonstrate future efforts to improve the environmental performance of gas emissions. NG Energy International Corp. (TSXV:GASX) (OTCQX:GASXF) is gearing up for a busy start to the year as the company looks to reach production from Maria Conchita and commerce drilling at its flagship SINU-9. DISCLAIMER: Microsmallcap.com (MSC) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with MSC or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by MSC are solely those of MSC and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. 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This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and MSC and FNM undertake no obligation to update such statements. Media Contact: FN Media Group, LLC info@financialnews.com +1(561)325-8757 COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (OTCQB:NJMC) ("IDR", "Idaho Strategic" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the latest exploration results from the Company's 2021 drill program at the Golden Chest mine. These recent results come from drill holes GC 21-208 and GC 21-209 in the Klondike area, located north of current underground operations in the Skookum. These latest intercept highlights below are reported in grams of gold per tonne (g/t) and in drilled thickness, as vein orientations have yet to be determined. GC 21-208 20.66 g/t gold over 1.3 meters from 184.8 to 186.1 m 29.64 g/t gold over 2.7 meters from 213.8 to 216.5 m Includes 793 g/t Au (2 nd highest grade drill intercept at GC) sample over 0.1m GC 21-209 1.06 g/t gold over 50 meters from 186.0 to 236 m including the following higher-grade intervals: Includes 4.79 g/t gold over 7.3 meters from 190.6 to 197.9 m Includes 8.54 g/t gold over 2.6 meters from 195.3 to197.9 m from 186.0 to 236 m including the following higher-grade intervals: 10.72 g/t gold over 2.2 meters from 258.3 to 260.5 m Drillhole GC 21-208 is the last hole drilled from the first pad in the Klondike area, whereas GC 21-209 is located on a separate pad approximately 50 meters south of this previous drilling. The high-grade intervals are anchored by widespread sections of low-grade gold mineralization (Figure 1). The high-grade intervals are highlighted by the 793 g/t Au sample over 0.1 m in hole GC 21-208, as shown by the easily visible gold contained in quartz veinlets (Photo 1). In contrast, gold mineralization is more widespread and continuous in drillhole GC 21-209 which exposed 1.06 g/t Au over 50 meters. These areas of widespread gold mineralization are associated with strong silicification and hornfels alteration. The IDR drillers have kept the company-owned core drill turning in the Klondike area through fall and early winter due to these superlative drill results. To date, drillholes completed in the Klondike area are GC 21-203 (273m), GC 21-204 (276m), GC 21-205 (281m), GC 21-206 (lost at 49m), GC 21-207 (271m), GC 21-208 (294m) and GC 21-209 (323m). Thus far, this drilling has delineated a mineralized body with 100 meters of strike and 100 meters of dip with varying thicknesses - and it continues to expand with each additional drill hole. Discovering this new zone of mineralization in the Klondike area is only one of the highlights of our very successful 2021 Golden Chest drill program. We are currently finishing Klondike hole (GC 21-210) and additional holes are planned in this area. The focus of our drilling remains mineral resource expansion in concert with planning production options to access, develop and extract this new gold resource area. Our 2022 Golden Chest exploration drill program includes more step-out drill holes in order to build from the impressive drilling and exploration accomplishments of 2021. NJMC's Vice President of Exploration, Rob Morgan commented, "It feels like are walking into something big and may be on the cusp of a great discovery. Our drilling has demonstrated that the gold is there, and the intercepts seem to get better with each new hole. Even for a high-grade orogenic deposit like ours, to see assays exceeding 100 g/t gold are remarkable and to have grades of 793 g/t, or almost 25 ounces per ton, is amazing. We need to add drill holes on the east (up dip), west (down dip) and to the south along strike, however the results to date are impressive. Of course, there remains much more drilling to do to further refine this mineralized body, but I see that as a good problem to have." Qualified Person NJMC's Vice President of Exploration, Robert John Morgan, PG, PLS is a qualified person as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this press release. QA/QC Core samples are delivered by the driller to a secure facility prior to logging by Company geologists. Core is then logged and samples for assay are obtained by sawing the core in half longitudinally while trying to ensure a representative sample is submitted to the laboratory for analysis. All the samples were analyzed by American Analytical of Osburn, Idaho, an ISO certified laboratory. Samples were analyzed using lead collection fire assay with a gravimetric finish. A series of known assay standards are submitted with each drill hole as part of the quality assurance-quality compliance program. Assay results are utilized in decision making related to exploration, resource modeling, stope and mine development and other tasks related to mine production and milling. Figure 1. Photo 1. About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. Domiciled in Idaho and headquartered in the Panhandle of northern Idaho, Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is one of the few resource-based companies (public or private) possessing the combination of officially recognized U.S. domestic rare earth element properties (in Idaho) and Idaho-based gold production located in an established mining community. Idaho Strategic Resources produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine located in the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) area of the world-class Coeur d'Alene Mining District, north of the prolific Silver Valley. With over 5,000 acres of patented and un-patented land, the Company has the largest private land position in the area following its consolidation of the Murray Gold Belt for the first time in over 100-years. In addition to gold and gold production, the Company maintains an important strategic presence in the U.S. Critical Minerals sector, specifically focused on the more "at-risk" Rare Earth Elements (REE's). The Company's Diamond Creek and Roberts REE properties are included the U.S. national REE inventory as listed in USGS, IGS and DOE publications. Both projects are located in central Idaho and participating in the USGS Earth MRI program. With an impressive mix of experience and dedication, the folks at IDR maintain a long-standing "We Live Here" approach to corporate culture, land management, and historic preservation. Furthermore, it is our belief that successful operations begin with the heightened responsibility that only local oversight and a community mindset can provide. Its "everyone goes home at night" policy would not be possible without the multi-generational base of local exploration, drilling, mining, milling, and business professionals that reside in and near the communities of the Silver Valley and North Idaho. For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources go to www.idahostrategic.com or call: Monique Hayes, Corporate Secretary/Investor Relations Email: monique@idahostrategic.com (208) 625-9001 Forward Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that Idaho Strategic Resources believes are reasonable, but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual resultsto differ materially from future resultsexpressed, projected, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the risk that results of current exploration activities will further define an economic viable resource at the Golden Chest Mine, the impact of supply chain risks and expanding needs of operations as inventory increases; an increased risk associated with production activities occurring without completion of a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability; environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions; changes in the marketprices of gold and silverand the potential impact on revenues from changes in the market price of gold and cash costs; a sustained lower price environment; risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreaks including the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and maintain employee productivity; the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as other uncertainties and risk factors. Actual results,developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Idaho Strategic Resources disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE: Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681041/Idaho-Strategic-Drilling-Extends-Klondike-Zone-with-High-Grade-Intercepts--Highlighted-by-793-gt-Au-Over-01m The company's proprietary AI and IoT technology is 'privacy first,' allowing for both anonymity and accuracy; learns from surrounding environment and people's behavior to deliver better analytics, experiences, and results LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Ulisse, a new physical space analytics platform for connected spaces, is launching the only radar and computer vision-based IoT AI platform to help retailers, businesses, cities, and more turn their spaces into intelligent places to improve overall experiences and results. From retail and office buildings to pedestrian areas and public transportation, the camera-free platform includes self-installing sensors and algorithms to quickly adapt to every situation and provide real-time analytics, delivering highly accurate data while maintaining privacy. Rather than cameras which invade privacy (capturing faces and identities) and require stable lighting, Ulisse incorporates a unique radar-based approach which increases the overall accuracy of the analytics and reduces the required density of sensors in the physical environment, also making the entire solution less expensive. The Ulisse RF (radio frequency)-based sensors--which act like radar--illuminate the target with reflection point-clouds, not a true color image, resulting in unobtrusive and privacy-friendly technology.? Currently the Ulisse platform is being piloted in Singapore Cable Cars to determine the crowds and comfort level of the transit system and in the Metropolitan City of Venice where it will analyze and measure the density of tourists traveling through the town. Several luxury fashion brands have also implemented the Ulisse platform to determine how potential customers behave and interact with their display windows. Retailers may also use the analytics to determine the best store staffing options and to determine the optimal staff-customer engagement ratio. "As the post-pandemic world starts to emerge with more people seeking experiences outside of their homes, it will be obvious that the real estate industry has not really understood people's experiences and behaviors," said Luca Nestola, CEO, Ulisse. "Cities, buildings, and public transit all need data about how people interact. Human experience is a crucial aspect of how buildings and places are designed and will be an important part of the equation as we move forward. Ulisse does that through its technology and analytics." Ulisse is creating technology that delivers critical spatial intelligence: the analysis of a wide spectrum of data signals coming from IoT sensors distributed around a smart environment. The AI solution utilizes hardware, software, and algorithms, and can provide compelling visual analytics in minutes, quickly learning from people's behaviors so clients can make measurable improvements relating to people's experiences. The technology delivers physical space analytics for all types of locations--from stores to sidewalks to buses and cable cars, and more. It's easy to set up (just a few minutes) and can run uninterrupted without maintenance for years. Using a 'LEGO-like' approach, the hardware can be assembled by combining multiple hardware modules and the software algorithms which can then be adapted for different industry applications like smart retail, smart cities and smart buildings. The technology has many applications: Businesses can understand unused space in buildings to maximize operations, deliver better workplace experiences, plan for growth and improve security and emergency response. Retailers may receive real-time insights to improve operations in brick-and-mortar stores. Hotels can improve the customer experience, optimize staff planning and resources and reduce energy consumption. Smart Cities can implement the technology to improve public transportation, assess traffic, detect crowded pedestrian areas, reduce pollution, prevent crime, and enhance the overall quality of life. Caregivers can improve quality of care for the sick and/or elderly by using the technology to identify falls or other dangerous situations. The solution can be used in many healthcare settings or homes. "Ulisse has a unique adaptive design so that it learns from human behavior and can turn every physical space into an intelligent space, regardless of what it is. For example, in an office building we can simulate different layouts and the effects on people's occupancy and behaviors. With that information, management can optimize spaces for specific purposes," Nestola continued. "We want to help realign spaces and places with people to create more liveable, comfortable and--for businesses--more profitable environments." About Ulisse Ulisse is the physical space analytics platform for connected spaces. Using a fusion of depth vision and radar technologies along with proprietary sensors, software and machine-learning algorithms, the IoT platform can be used for smart cities, smart buildings, retail and smart homes. Unlike alternatives which are either invasive or imprecise, Ulisse technologies are both anonymous by design and among the industry's most accurate. The company has closed a $2.2 million seed round of funding. For more information, visit www.ulisse.tech. Media Contact: Erica Zeidenberg Hot Tomato Marketing erica@hottomato.net 925-518-8159 mobile SOURCE: Ulisse View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681004/Ulisse-Launches-the-Only-Radar-and-Computer-Vision-Platform-to-Transform-Every-Physical-Space-Into-an-Intelligent-Place Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Casa Minerals Inc. (TSXV: CASA) (OTC Pink: CASXF) (FSE: 0CM) (the "Company" or "Casa") is pleased to announce it has entered into an amendment to the option agreement to expedite the purchase of the Congress Gold Mine, located in west-central Arizona, USA. The Company has expedited to the optionors the final cash payment of US $45,000 and share issuance of 1,125,000 common shares, subject to a hold period of one year from the issue date. In consideration of the accelerated payments, the optionors have eliminated the expenditure obligations under the option agreement. Casa president and CEO, Mr. Farshad Shirvani, stated, "We are excited to move forward with our Congress Gold Mine acquisition. The Company is working to finalize its Phase One exploration program on the project and news detailing expected exploration activities will be released shortly." The Congress Gold Mine is located three miles north of Congress in the Martinez Mining District of Yavapai County, Arizona. The property consists of 14 Patented Mineral Properties with approximately 260 acres area. Commencing in or about 1887, the Congress mine operated at intervals until 1992 and at one time supported a full-scale mining and milling operation and the small town of Congress. It has the distinction of being Arizona's largest gold-silver mine with production of about 500,000 ounces of gold. Qualified Person: Mr. Erik Ostensoe P.Geo., a director and chief geologist of the Company, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. Cautionary Note: All historic data referenced in this news release were obtained from available archives and have not been confirmed or verified by the Company or a Qualified Person. There is no assurance that work by Casa Minerals will result in identification of economically-viable mineral bodies comparable in size and/or grade to those that supported historic mining operations. About Casa Minerals Inc. The Company is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in Canada and the USA. The Company owns a one hundred percent (100%) interest in the polymetallic Pitman and Keaper properties (BC, Canada), has an option to acquire a seventy-five percent (75%) interest in the Arsenault VMS Property (BC, Canada), and owns ninety percent (90%) interest in the Congress gold mine from 40 feet depth and beyond, subject to a 1.5% Net Smelter Royalty (Arizona, USA). This historic high-grade gold producing mine has not been explored or produced since 1992. On Behalf of Board of Directors Farshad Shirvani, M.Sc. Geology President and CEO For more information, please contact: Casa Minerals Inc. Farshad Shirvani, President & CEO Phone: (604) 678-9587 Email: contact@casaminerals.com https://www.casaminerals.com NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109112 The "Europe Secondhand Luxury Goods Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe secondhand luxury goods market grew at a CAGR of around 6% during 2015-2020. Looking forward, the market to exhibit moderate growth during 2021-2026. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor. Secondhand luxury goods refer to high-end and premium items that are purchased by the second user. These items commonly include antique furniture, jewelry, artworks, luxury footwear and apparel, bags, watches, etc. Secondhand luxury goods are usually durable with an extended warranty period that makes them suitable for the resale market. In Europe, secondhand luxury goods are generally sold at auctions, charity events, bazaar-style fundraisers, privately-owned consignment shops, online retail channels, etc. The wide presence of numerous luxury retail brands ranging from fashion apparel to cosmetics is primarily driving the market growth in Europe. The growing demand for high-end clothing, accessories, footwear, etc., at affordable prices, is further propelling the market for secondhand luxury goods in Europe. Additionally, the rising popularity of limited capsule collections and fashion drops have also created scarcity for luxury items, which in turn is bolstering the demand for secondhand luxury goods. Apart from this, the changing socio-economic culture across the European countries coupled with the diminishing stigma on using pre-owned goods is also augmenting the market growth. Moreover, the growing number of online re-selling platforms is further fueling the demand for secondhand luxury goods. These platforms are entering into strategic partnerships and alliances with luxury brands for improving the reputation of secondhand products, thereby propelling the market growth in Europe. Additionally, the emergence of numerous advanced technologies for enhanced authentication procedures and quality checks has provided a safe and reliable environment for the customers to re-sell and buy secondhand luxury goods. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the Europe secondhand luxury goods market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the Europe secondhand luxury goods market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the product type? What is the breakup of the market based on the demography? What is the breakup of the market based on the distribution channel? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the Europe secondhand luxury goods market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Fendi (LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton) Vestiaire Collective Harrods Limited Cartier International (Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA) Chrono24 Collector Square Rewind Vintage Affairs Audemars Piguet Chronext AG Key Market Segmentation Breakup by Product Type: Jewelry and Watches Handbags Clothing Small Leather Goods Footwear Accessories Others Breakup by Demography: Men Women Unisex Breakup by Distribution Channel: Offline Online Breakup by Country: France Italy United Kingdom Germany Russia Spain Others Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 5 Europe Secondhand Luxury Goods Market 6 Market Breakup by Product Type 7 Market Breakup by Demography 8 Market Breakup by Distribution Channel 9 Market Breakup by Country 10 SWOT Analysis 11 Value Chain Analysis 12 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 13 Competitive Landscape For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sbo2o View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005719/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX) ("Benton") is pleased to report that Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air"), of which Benton has a substantial shareholding, has announced new assay results from the 2021 drilling campaign from the Escape and Current PGE-Cu-Ni Deposits at Clean Air's Thunder Bay North Project near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (the "Project"). Drilling operations are set to resume on January 6, 2022. As reported by Clean Air, highlights from the Escape South High Grade Zone include: Hole ELR21-083A, which intersected 46.0m grading 19.6 g/t PtEq composed of 3.03g/t Platinum (Pt), 3.94g/t Palladium (Pd), 1.33% Copper (Cu) and 0.51% Nickel (Ni) from 399.0-445.0m downhole including 31.0m grading 25.0 g/t PtEq composed of 3.90 g/t Pt, 5.10g/t Pd, 1.70% Cu and 0.63% Ni from 405.0-436.0m downhole. The Escape Deposit underwent 37,000m of expansion drilling in 2021, which Clean Air expects to add materially to the maiden Indicated Mineral Resource of 849,481 ounces PtEq (6.16 g/t PtEq in 4.28 million tonnes) reported January 20, 2021. The Current Deposit 2.5km to the east has a well-defined Indicated Mineral Resource of 2,233,575 PtEq ounces (5.79 g/t PtEq in 11.99 million tonnes). There is a total of 37,000m of previously reported drilling results from the Escape Deposit in 2021 which not yet applied to the mineral resource for the Thunder Bay North Project. Assay results to date, along with the 2000m of core in the lab still awaiting assay, suggest good continuity of mineralization between sections along the 900m trend of mineralization between the Escape South High Grade Zone (HGZ) (>5g/t Pt+Pd) and Steepledge South Zone. Readers are encouraged to view the Clean Air announcement in its entirety at: https://www.cleanairmetals.ca/news-media/news-releases/clean-air-metals-drill-results-from-the-thunder-ba-122541/ Benton continues to hold approximately 24.6 million shares in Clean Air Metals Inc. and holds a 0.5% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") from production on the Escape Lake portion of the project and a 0.5% NSR from production on any mineral claims comprising the original Thunder Bay North portion of the project on which an NSR has not previously been granted. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Resources Inc., "Stephen Stares" Stephen Stares, President About Benton Resources Inc. Benton Resources Inc. is a well-funded mineral exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BEX. Following a project generation business model, Benton has a diversified, highly-prospective property portfolio of Gold, Silver, Nickel, Copper, Platinum Group Elements and most-recently Lithium assets. In addition, it currently holds large equity positions in other mining companies that are advancing high-quality assets. Whenever possible, BEX retains Net Smelter Royalties (NSR) with potential long-term cash flow. Benton also recently entered into a 50/50 strategic alliance with Sokoman Minerals through three large-scale joint venture properties including Grey River, Golden Hope and Kepenkeck in Newfoundland that are now being explored. For further information, please contact: CHF Capital Markets Cathy Hume, CEO Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251 Email: cathy@chfir.com Benton Resources Inc. Stephen Stares, President & CEO Phone: 807-475-7474 Email: sstares@bentonresources.ca Website: www.bentonresources.ca Twitter: @BentonResources Facebook: @BentonResourcesBEX LinkedIn: @BentonResources THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109128 CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Allegiant Travel Co. (ALGT) reached an agreement with Boeing to purchase 50 new 737 MAX aircraft, the companies said in a statement. The multi-year deal includes the purchase of 737-7 and 737-8-200 models, as well as options to purchase 50 additional aircraft. Allegiant will take delivery of an initial group of planes in 2023, with the remaining deliveries scheduled throughout 2024 and 2025. The aircraft will be powered with CFM LEAP 1-B engines. Allegiant has signed a 12-year exclusive maintenance agreement with CFM for the LEAP engine fleet, which will also bring support for the existing Airbus fleet. Allegiant currently operates 108 Airbus A319s and A320s and will continue sourcing A320s in the used market. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved 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. Code Corporation, a global leader in barcode scanning and data capture technologies, today announced the launch of the EMEA Code Alliance Channel Partner Programme to develop relationships and nurture strategic partners throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Code's new programme features industry-leading benefits such as partner-exclusive pricing, deal registration protection, no minimum revenue requirements, low regional competition, participation in rebates and world-class training. The programme is headed up by Hilde De Bisschop, Senior Channel Marketing Manager, Code Corporation, who has developed and expanded several highly successful international programmes throughout her career. "The new EMEA-dedicated partner programme is not simply an outgrowth of Code's successful channel efforts in North America, it is an entirely new venture," De Bisschop said. "We are looking to work with partners who desire best-in-class solutions for barcode scanning and data capture technology in several sectors such as manufacturing, retail and healthcare. Code's portfolio of solutions enables our resellers and partners throughout the world the region-specific resources they need to develop new opportunities and build revenue streams with ease." The EMEA Code Alliance Partner Programme is made up of five partner tiers, including Distributor, Trusted Partner, Trusted Healthcare Partner, Selected Reseller and Software Partner ISVs. "The thing I like about Code is their "can do" approach, nothing seems to be too much trouble. Aligned to this, their products are well made with some key differentiators; the quality of the scanners is excellent, and customers love their reliability," said a UK Code partner's Managing Director. "Additionally, we have excellent engagement throughout their organization, they collaborate with us on opportunities and markets, for mutual benefit, overall, an excellent company to deal with." EMEA partners will have access to a new Partner Portal with exclusive resources including a new learning management system (LMS) that will be available near the end of Q1. This LMS platform will be a one-stop-shop for learning and training on Code's products and solutions. It will provide enhanced rewards and incentives to further build partner relationships. Code Alliance is designed to put partners' unique needs first to help them solve the most complex data capture challenges their customers face. For more information and to apply for the EMEA Code Alliance Channel Partner Programme, please visit https://codecorp.com/partners/code-alliance. About Code Corporation Code Corporation is part of the Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) owned companies. For more than 20 years, Code Corporation has been an industry pioneer, leader, and champion for data capture innovation and has garnered more than 100 patents. By crafting and continuing to perfect its unique decoding algorithms, Code and its line of image-based scanning and decoding technology consistently deliver unparalleled performance companies around the world depend on every day. Code designs and manufactures a complete line of market-leading hardware and software data capture solutions. Code products are not only valued for providing a consistent level of workflow efficiency year after year, but also for their ergonomic design, durability, ease of customization, and seamless integration. Code is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah with offices in Boston and Amsterdam. For more, please visit www.codecorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005317/en/ Contacts: Tim Rush Springboard5 801-208-1100 tim.rush@springboard5.com Nintex to host digital event over the course of 24 hours to help organisations in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe Middle East and Africa rapidly transform their business processes with process intelligence and automation innovations LONDON, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintex, the global standard for process intelligence and automation, today announced registration is open for the marquee automation event of the year, Nintex ProcessFest 2022. Taking place virtually this year, the 24-hour event kicks off with a global broadcast of the keynote on Tuesday, 1 March 2022, at 12 p.m. Eastern. Visit https://www.nintex.com/processfest to register for virtual Nintex ProcessFest 2022. "Organisations in every industry and in every region of the globe continue to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives in order to meet the needs of our changing world and workplaces," said Nintex CEO Eric Johnson. "During our March 2022 event, we look forward to showcasing what is possible with the complete capabilities of the Nintex Process Platform and sharing process excellence and automation best practices from members of our global customer and partner community who are achieving transformative results with our powerful and easy-to-use software solutions." Nintex ProcessFest 2022 includes global and local sessions scheduled for various time zones to ensure participants from every region of the world may network with their peers in real-time. This year's event also includes a fast paced, news-style keynote featuring Nintex product and technical experts and customers like ClaimCare and Capital Group. The star of the global keynote broadcast will be Nintex Workflow Cloud, where attendees will experience how easy it is to turn a highly manual, paper-based process into a fully automated process with the platform's complete end-end capabilities including Nintex Promapp, Nintex Workflow and Forms, Nintex RPA, Nintex DocGen, Nintex AssureSign, and Nintex Analytics. Product highlights from the keynote will include: Nintex process intelligence capabilities - including Nintex Promapp, Nintex Analytics, and My Nintex to facilitate process understanding and process optimisation including Nintex Promapp, Nintex Analytics, and My Nintex to facilitate process understanding and process optimisation Intelligent PDF Form Converter - transform PDFs into dynamic forms with an AI-driven forms generation tool - transform PDFs into dynamic forms with an AI-driven forms generation tool Nintex AssureSign - native eSign integrated with Nintex Workflow Cloud and Nintex Drawloop DocGen for Salesforce The 2022 event also includes live local sessions in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe Middle East and Africa regions featuring Nintex executives and customers and dozens of on-demand breakout sessions from industry-leading organisations and award-winning Nintex partners, as well as Nintex product experts and customer success teams. To experience the power, ease and speed of Nintex, request a demo at https://www.nintex.com/request-demo/. Media Contact Kristin Treat Nintex kristin.treat@nintex.com cell: +1 (215) 317-9091 About Nintex Nintex is the global standard for process intelligence and automation. Today more than 10,000 public and private sector organisations across 90 countries turn to the Nintex Platform to accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimising business processes. Learn more by visiting www.nintex.com and experience how Nintex and its global partner network are shaping the future of Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1720090/Annoucing_Nintex_ProcessFest_2022.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/700078/Nintex_Logo.jpg STG completes acquisition of Kantar's Reputation Intelligence business alongside investments in PRgloo and Onclusive The three businesses merge forming a new standalone company which adopts the name 'Onclusive' reflecting inclusive and globally scalable strengths of the newly combined offer New company provides clients with expanded geographical footprint in Europe and the US and portfolio of industry-leading media monitoring, measurement and workflow management solutions Today, leading technology investor Symphony Technology Group "STG" completes its acquisition of Kantar's Reputation Intelligence business, and with it announces the additional purchases of PRgloo and Onclusive. Together the three businesses merge to create a new global media monitoring, measurement, and workflow management partner for PR and communications. The new standalone company will operate under the name 'Onclusive' reflecting the inclusive and scalable nature of its newly combined offer and its commitment to accelerating investment in tech-powered platforms and solutions. The company builds on the consultative strengths and scale of Europe's largest media monitoring and analysis provider, Kantar Reputation Intelligence; UK-based PRgloo's industry-leading media relations and workflow management platform and US-based Onclusive's AI technology and data science. Commenting on the new company, Chief Commercial Officer of the newly-formed Onclusive, Petra Masinova explained: "We've always admired each other's strengths and we've increasingly teamed up on programmes to help solve clients' needs. Today we accelerate our natural evolution to become one company, amplifying our strengths and supporting our clients with leading insights, technology and expertise together under one roof." Dan Beltramo, Chief Innovation Officer of the new Onclusive, also praised the union: "Onclusive is a technology and innovation pioneer in media monitoring and analytics while Kantar Reputation Intelligence is a leader in customer service with top-tier European coverage and market-leading insights capabilities. It brings us scale and ambition for global leadership." Samantha Deeks, VP Customer Experience at new Onclusive added: "Building on PRgloo's customer-centric design approach, we're delighted to work with like-minded industry leaders to build a scalable and agile business; one which actively listens and responds to the needs of its clients as they navigate an increasingly complex communications environment." Managing Director at STG, J.T. Treadwell, said: "Last year STG made clear its intention to create a market leading insights and software company through the proposed acquisition of Kantar Reputation Intelligence. Completing that acquisition is a major first step and the additional capabilities brought by Onclusive and PRgloo widen the scope of our commitment to providing best-in-class solutions for PR and Communications teams, both now and in the future." Onclusive will serve more than 9,000 clients, including many of the world's biggest brands, across 130 markets. The company has over 1,100 employees based in the USA, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Australia. Onclusive North America Managing Director, Sean O'Neal, continued "Our clients were our matchmakers they told us they wanted one trusted partner to help them access and integrate our combined best-in-class services. We listened and from today Onclusive will help every client from small enterprises to multi-national public and private organisations shape, manage and evaluate their communications strategies." From today, clients can access the new Onclusive's full range of services, supporting them at every stage of the communications cycle. Existing services continue uninterrupted. About Onclusive Onclusive is a global partner for PR and Communications success. We bring together Kantar Reputation Intelligence, the largest media monitoring and measurement service in Europe, with the best-in-class tools of PRgloo, and Onclusive's own powerful AI and data science. Our technology, insights and expertise make sense of the fractured, fast-moving media world, helping you manage, monitor and measure your communications activity. Elevate your performance and prove and improve your value with Onclusive on your side. About STG Partners STG is a private equity partner to market leading companies in software, data analytics and software-enabled technology services sectors. The firm brings expertise, flexibility, and resources to build strategic value and unlock the potential of innovative companies. Partnering to build customer-centric, market leading portfolio companies, STG seeks to create sustainable foundations for growth that bring value to its companies. The firm is dedicated to transforming and building outstanding technology companies in partnership with leading management teams. STG and its predecessor, Symphony Technology Group ("Symphony"), have managed approximately $6 billion in total capital. For more information, please visit stgpartners.com Kantar Reputation Intelligence The leader in earned media tracking and measurement in Europe. Reputation Intelligence provides trusted insights on corporate, PR and brand coverage in 130+ markets to brands can understand and manage how audiences and influencers see them, globally and locally. Onclusive Empowers the world's leading brands and agencies to modernize communications, increase performance and demonstrate value. The inventors of PR Attribution and Power of Voice, Onclusive measures the true impact of earned, owned and social content on a company's bottom line. PRgloo The complete media relations platform. PRgloo combines easy to use tools with exceptional analysis to make PR professionals' lives easier by giving them the tools they need to do their jobs well. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220104005044/en/ Contacts: For further information contact Corey Herscu for Onclusive (North America) 416-300-3030 corey@verbfactory.com onclusiveteam@firstlightgroup.io +44 020 36177240 Learn more at: future.onclusive.com Global BPO's Certification Validates Internal Culture Where Employees Feel "Welcome" and "Proud" NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Based on employee feedback on the Trust Index Survey, Ubiquity has been recognized as a Great Place to Work -Certified company . This award validates the commitment that Ubiquity employees and leadership have made to the company's core values of Partnership, Innovation, and Community. From a thorough onboarding process to encouraging team cooperation and promoting individual career growth, Ubiquity's culture has become a strong differentiator in the business process outsourcing industry. "Ensuring employee satisfaction has been one of our central tenets since we founded Ubiquity in 2012," said Matt Nyren , president and CEO. "From the start, we believed that a happy workplace is more productive and a key differentiator in attracting the best talent in the industry. We have found that empowering employees to be in control of their careers reaps many benefits, as our company growth is a direct result of every employee's personal growth." The foundation of the Great Place to Work recognition is a survey that employees complete anonymously. The candid answers create a profile of the day-to-day work environment analyzed through a sixty-factor Trust Index that compares employees' responses and comments in the subject company to the best workplaces in the country. After the results were tallied up, 76% of Ubiquity employees participating in the survey said the company is "a great place to work." The average U.S.-based company has only 59% of its employees agreeing with that statement. The Great Place to Work survey results also break down the data to identify more particular company strengths. The survey discovered that Ubiquity employees agreed strongly with these statements: I am given the resources and equipment to do my job. (87%) When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome. (86%) I'm proud to tell others I work here. (86%) People celebrate special events around here. (86%) I am treated as a full member here regardless of my position. (84%) I can be myself around here. (84%) The Great Place to Work (GPTW) survey platform enables business leaders to leverage important feedback for driving future employee initiatives and guiding employee policy responsiveness. The GPTW results also highlight opportunities for companies to respond to areas where the takeaways were not so favorable. The GPTW certification has meaning beyond the formal company recognition and benchmarking. Studies show that certification correlates highly with other favorable business objectives. For instance, GPTW-certified employers are four times more successful at attracting, retaining, and engaging talent than the average U.S. workplace. In addition, employees at certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and employees have twice the opportunities for promotion. "This recognition validates our work to ensure that every member of our team feels supported, appreciated, and included," said Tanya Clark, senior vice president of human resources. "We stress a strong people-centric culture, so it is heartening to see that it has taken root in the company. I am particularly proud of our onboarding and training processes, which leave 85% of employees feeling 'welcome' when joining Ubiquity." Ubiquity has a long history of valuing its employees by encouraging them to excel and advance in their careers. Ubiquity Academy was founded specifically to help employees learn new skills and take on new responsibilities. The company also incentivizes employees to work as cooperative teams and promote the successes of their peers through our "Better with U" awards program. Each quarter, senior leadership reviews nominees for the award and selects employees that exemplify Ubiquity's core values of Partnership, Innovation, and Community. The recognition includes a trophy, a monetary award, and a congratulatory video presentation from CEO Matt Nyren outlining the employees' contributions, which is distributed company-wide. Ubiquity also promotes employee events inside its offices that celebrate holidays, employee accomplishments, and special causes. For instance, Ubiquity regularly sets aside time for employees to get together and socialize, such as cupcake spreads for Juneteenth and Pride celebrations. Employee celebrations also include luncheons for holidays, with the biggest events being festive "Year-End" banquets. Founded in 2012, Ubiquity is the leading customer service and business process outsourcing services provider for highly complex industries, including financial services, healthcare, and e-commerce. Ubiquity, whose customers include BM Technologies, Marqeta, Green Dot, Chime, and Greenwood, is the #1 BPO for fintechs, supporting over 150 brands. The company's relationship-based outsourcing delivers increased returns for challengers and disruptors by increasing customer satisfaction and reducing costs. Ubiquity's end-to-end solutions leverage agile methodologies, AI-enabled technologies, and call center expertise to help brands grow customer relationships quickly and cost-effectively. About Great Place to Work Certification Great Place to Work Certification is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. The certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their mission is to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work for All. Learn more: www.greatplacetowork.com . About Ubiquity Ubiquity's Relationship-based Outsourcing pioneers next-gen CX, changing how brands interact with customers in an omnichannel world. Our teams of dedicated problem-solvers combine deep industry knowledge with an agile methodology to understand how customer experience supports a brand's objectives and devise plans to accelerate toward them. Ubiquity provides multilingual, end-to-end solutions across industries, including customer experience management services, interactive voice response (IVR) and AI-enabled technologies, and Banking Operations support, incorporating fraud investigation, ID verification, and dispute and chargeback management. Ubiquity is headquartered in New York City and has delivery locations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Visit us at https://ubiquity.com , browse open positions at https://ubiquity.com/career , and connect on LinkedIn or Twitter . CONTACT: Ubiquity Matthew Agronin matthew.agronin@ubiquity.com SOURCE: Ubiquity View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/681099/Ubiquity-Is-a-Great-Place-to-WorkR ATLANTA, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shiba Inu provided massive returns to its investors last year, but the crypto was down over 3.4% over the past month. With the beginning of the New Year, Investors are looking for the next Shiba Inu that could explode in 2022. EverGrow Coin , a hyper-deflationary token, is cited by many analysts as the crypto that could beat Shiba Inu. EverGrow coin is arguably the most innovative and deflationary token ever launched. After distributing $31 million in $BUSD rewards to its token holders, and the recent announcements of new utilities, Evergrow Coin Token Price has increased by over 150% this week. According to BSCscan, EverGrow Coin has accrued more than 125,000 token holders in just three months of launch. Due to its deflationary nature, the token will become more scarce over time. 52.32%% of EverGrow Coin's total supply has already been burned. EverGrow coin contracts implement a 14% tax on all Buy/Sell transactions, including those occurring between two wallets. The contract distributes 8% from every transaction to its holders as rewards in $BUSD (Binance-pegged USD). EGC is currently listed on top cryptocurrency exchanges like PancakeSwap , Bitmart, and ZT. 2% of every transaction is automatically supplied to the EverGrow smart contracts for Auto Buybacks and burn. When the Autobuyback is enabled, the amount stored in the smart contracts will automatically be invested to burn Evergrow tokens from the Exchanges. The burned tokens are removed permanently from the circulatory supply. Along with this, 3% of each transaction in EGC is transferred to the PancakeSwap Liquidity Pools to increase price floor stability. According to the website roadmap, EverGrow Coin will launch its NFT Marketplace in Q1, 2022. Through the Marketplace, NFT owners and traders can buy, mint, or sell their NFTs using images, videos & other data. The NFT ecosystem will be supported by the NFT lending marketplace, which will allow NFT owners to lend and borrow liquidity by keeping their NFTs as collateral. This will also create an unparalleled opportunity for the lenders to buy NFTs below their usual value presented in the Marketplace. Apart from this, it will also introduce "Crator.com," a content subscription platform for creators to provide quality content and updates to their fans. This subscription platform facilitates the integration of both Crypto and FIAT payment options. It means users can choose Fiat, Stable coins, and EGC tokens to purchase the creator's subscription plan. The platform will also allow them to connect with their favourite creators, purchase premium content, tip them, and acquire daily updates. EverGrow Coin comprises a unique combination of the most advanced smart contracts and mainstream utilities that is never seen before in any other crypto. EverGrow Coin ecosystem also includes its Oracle-based NFT game to provide additional play-to-earn opportunities to its users. Game participants can win rewards by acquiring unique characters by purchasing mysteryboxes and using the acquired NFTs to play games. Evergrow Coin is also supposed to launch EverGrow wallet, exchange, and even more distinctive platforms in the future. Company: EverGrow Coin Email: contact@evergrowcoin.com Website: https://evergrowcoin.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1720622/EverGrow_Coin_Shiba_Inu.jpg Prodways Group has received orders for four machines from Australia's leading manufacturer of clear orthodontic aligners. After an assessment phase lasting several months, Australia's leading manufacturer of clear orthodontic aligners by 3D printing has just confirmed its choice of MovingLight technology to be installed in its first production plant. As in the case of the US order announced early December, these latest orders concerned the MovingLight LD20 printer, the most productive model in the Prodways range. While the transaction concluded at the end of the year concerned only four machines, as explained in the previous release this order heralds an investment program that is expected to lead to further orders over the coming 24 months. After installation and production ramp-up, the first four machines are expected to consume over five tons of Prodways material per year. About Prodways Group Prodways Group is a specialist in industrial and professional 3D printing with a unique positioning as an integrated European player. The Group has developed right across the 3D printing value chain (software, machines, materials, parts & services) with a high value added technological industrial solution. Prodways Group offers a wide range of 3D printing systems and premium composite, hybrid and powder materials (SYSTEMS division). The company also manufactures and markets parts on demand, prototypes and small production run 3D printed items in plastic and metal (PRODUCTS division). The Group targets a significant number of sectors, from aeronautics to healthcare. Listed on Euronext Paris, the Group reported in 2019 revenue of 57 million. Prodways Group is a Groupe Gorge company. For further information: www.prodways-group.com Contacts INVESTORS CONTACT Anne-Pauline Petureaux Investor relations Tel: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 72 / apetureaux@actus.fr PRESS CONTACT Manon Clairet Financial press relations Tel: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 73 / mclairet@actus.fr Disclaimer Releases from Prodways Group may contain forward-looking declarations with statements of objectives. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations of Prodways Group. Their realization, however, depends on known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or events to differ significantly from those previously anticipated. The risks and uncertainties that might affect the Group's future ability to achieve its targets are reiterated and presented in detail in our Annual financial report on Prodways Group's website (www.prodways-group.com). This list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Other unanticipated, unknown or unpredictable factors may also have significant negative effects on the achievement of our objectives. The current release and the information contained therein do not constitute an offer to sell or to subscribe, nor a solicitation for an order to purchase or subscribe to shares in Prodways Group or in any subsidiaries thereof listed in whatsoever country. ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: lm5uaZSZaJnKnG5xaJWZa2Zkm2lhmmiVmpKbx2dtlp/GaGqRmWxpm8eYZnBjm2Vp - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-72603-cp_prodways-australie_05012022_en_vdef.pdf IDB Invest supports the expansion of infrastructure to close the digital divide in Colombia IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, participated in a guarantee line of up to COP625,000 million for the benefit of Tigo Colombia, a subsidiary of Millicom. To the left, James P. Scriven, IDB Invest CEO and to the right, Mauricio Ramos, Millicom CEO Through this operation, IDB Invest will issue one or more letters of standby credit (CCSB) to eligible local banks, such as Bancolombia, in order to cover Tigo's obligations to cover guarantees issued in favor of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC) and the Single Fund for Information and Communication Technologies (FonTIC). The guarantee line will have an availability of ten and a half years and a tenor of up to two years for each letter of credit issued. This project seeks to increase access and connectivity to mobile broadband, in addition to increasing opportunities for the most vulnerable sectors of Colombia, helping to close the digital gap. "At Millicom | TIGO we are committed to continuing our investment to build digital highways throughout Latin America, which is essential in order to grow our economies and connect our communities to the digital world," said Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom. "We celebrate the fact that IDB Invest shares this vision with us." "Quality broadband connectivity has a direct and indirect impact on activity and competitiveness, facilitates job creation, and improves productivity in urban and rural areas. This project demonstrates IDB Invest's determined commitment to reduce the digital divide in the region and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth," said James P. Scriven, CEO of IDB Invest. This guarantee line will support the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure that TIGO will carry out in 177 localities that did not have access to mobile services with broadband connection. The operation also seeks to upgrade the mobile service from 2G or basic 3G to 4G broadband for 340 municipalities in Colombian territory. Compliance with the Environmental and Social Action Plan As a consequence of IDB Invest's participation in the project, Tigo agreed to comply with the Environmental and Social Action Plan (PAAS). The company is taking appropriate measures to advance its efforts to adopt best practices in its operations, including the development of an external complaints system and improvements in third-party contracting procedures to ensure that contractors appropriately manage environmental risks as well as occupational health and safety risks. IDB Invest, through its advisory services, is working with Tigo to maximize the impact of this transaction on rural populations. IDB Invest will help Tigo support the activation of digital agricultural productivity (such as climate monitoring and information services) for small rural businesses and the digital delivery of opportunities in basic services, such as telehealth or virtual education, for rural populations and those connected for the first time. The project will be implemented in phases, beginning with a pilot in strategic rural areas and in alliances with key actors in the area that have the capacity to connect on site and carry out the necessary activities. This operation is expected to contribute to four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): End of poverty (SDG 1), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), and Partnerships to achieve the goals (SDG 17). About BID Invest IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. IDB Invest finances sustainable companies and projects to achieve financial results and maximize economic, social and environmental development in the region. With a portfolio of US$13.1 billion in assets under management and 385 clients in 25 countries, IDB Invest provides innovative financial solutions and advisory services that respond to the needs of its clients in a variety of sectors. About Tigo Tigo is a leading provider of Telecommunications services in Colombia with more than 10 million mobile subscribers, 1.7 million fixed residential customers, and more than 3,800 employees as of December 31 2020. Tigo is owned by subsidiaries of Millicom International Cellular, S.A. and Empresas Publicas de Medellin. IDB Invest PIC 1 image2 Attachments WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - American EV manufacturer Tesla Inc (TSLA) opened a new store in China's Xinjiang province at the turn of the year, an action that has been shrouded with controversies. Now the activists in the US are asking Elon Musk's company to close the outlet due to the humanitarian crisis associated with the province. The Chinese leadership is heavily linked with the systematic elimination of Uyghur Muslims, who are religious minorities in the country who are largely concentrated in Xinjiang. Tesla opened its showroom at Urumqi, the capital city on Friday. The company announced on its post on Weibo, 'Let's start Xinjiang's all-electric journey!'. China is Tesla's biggest market and one of the primary contributors to the growth Tesla has enjoyed in the past couple of years. The Council on American-Islam Relations is viewing the action as support for the genocidal actions of the local governance. Ibrahim Hooper, the organization's communications head said, 'No American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority.' American corporates have been facing a dilemma in the case as the Chinese government is handling every type of criticism of its actions in the province very seriously. Recently, big-box retailer Walmart Inc. (WMT) has received threats of boycott from the Xi Jinping authority after it removed products from Xinjiang from its shelves. Tech giant, Intel Corporation has also faced similar threats after it tried to condemn the actions of the country. The Biden administration has posed sanctions on products imported from Xinjiang unless they are produced keeping the labor rights intact. According to various reports, the Asian powerhouse has jailed more than one million Uyghurs in concentration camps where they are being tortured and eventually killed. In a maniacal vein, the camp authorities are also being accused of using the religious minorities as test subjects. However, the governance has denied any such claim. The ruling party has labeled the people as terrorists and has claimed the camps as 'reeducation' camps rather than extermination camps. Apart from Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan Motors also have their outlets in Xinjiang. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX TESLA-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de Binding agreement with PlanetArt's minority shareholder for the phased redemption of between 25% and 65% of its 7.7% preferred stake Consideration ranges from $14 million to $38 million 1 with phased funding out of PlanetArt's cash, starting with $14 million paid before the end of March 2022 Claranova's stake in PlanetArt to increase proportionally, for a greater share of the division's future performance Regulatory News: Claranova (Euronext Paris: FR0013426004 CLA) (Paris:CLA) announces the signing of a binding agreement between its subsidiary PlanetArt LLC ("PlanetArt" or the "Company") and Societe Commune Europeenne de Participation ("SCEP"), for the redemption of between 25% and 65% of the 7.7% minority interest SCEP holds in PlanetArt (the "Redemption"). With this transaction, Claranova will have a greater share of PlanetArt's future performance. Total cash consideration paid out to SCEP from PlanetArt's cashflows ranges from a minimum of $14 million up to a maximum of $38 million. The shares acquired from SCEP will be cancelled. SCEP is a subsidiary of CAP Invest, the family office of the Riccobono group, a major European print industry manufacturer. In September 2017, SCEP took an equity interest in PlanetArt through the $14 million purchase of new preferred shares (the "Units") at a post-money valuation of over $225 million to fund growth. If, at the time, the Company had revenues of 89 million and a negative EBITDA (July 2016-June 2017), it has since become a worldwide e-commerce leader in the make-on-demand space, with a strong financial profile, recording revenues of 380 million and an EBITDA of 26 million in the last fiscal year 2020-2021 (July 2021-June 2021). Pierre Cesarini, CEO of the Claranova group, declared: "We are very grateful for the support of SCEP through the past four years and their active engagement in steering PlanetArt through the hypergrowth phase the company has experienced since SCEP's investment in 2017. In view of PlanetArt's unmatched long-term potential and SCEP's desire to start cashing out, we believe improving our access to PlanetArt's future performance to be an excellent use of the Company's cash position." Details of Redemption phases: Based on a total of 671 Units held by SCEP and a price of $85,840 per Unit, the Redemption will be broken down into: an initial acquisition of 168 Units for an aggregate redemption price equivalent to $14 million, with a payment before the end of March 2022; subject to PlanetArt's EBITDA for the fiscal half-years ending June 30, 2022, December 31, 2022, June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2023 reaching certain pre-negotiated thresholds, the Company will redeem a number of Units equal to 30% of the EBITDA achieved for each concerned period (the "Subsequent Redemption"); at the end of each concerned period, the Company, in its sole discretion, may elect to redeem a greater number of Units than is required pursuant to the Subsequent Redemption, up to a maximum aggregate number of 437 Units (65% of total Units); in no event shall SCEP be required to sell an aggregate number of Units greater than 437, or the Company be required to purchase an aggregate number of Units greater than 336 (i.e. 50% of total Units). Financial calendar: February 9, 2022: H1 2021-2022 revenue. March 30, 2022: H1 2021-2022 results About Claranova: As a diversified global technology company, Claranova manages and coordinates a portfolio of majority interests in digital companies with strong growth potential. Supported by a team combining several decades of experience in the world of technology, Claranova has acquired a unique know-how in successfully turning around, creating and developing innovative companies. With average annual growth of more than 40% over the last three years and revenue of 472 million in FY 2020-2021, Claranova has proven its capacity to turn a simple idea into a worldwide success in just a few short years. Present in 15 countries and leveraging the technology expertise of nearly 800 employees across North America and Europe, Claranova is a truly international company, with 95% of its revenue derived from international markets. Claranova's portfolio of companies is organized into three unique technology platforms operating in all major digital sectors. As a leader in personalized e-commerce, Claranova also stands out for its technological expertise in software publishing and the Internet of Things, through its businesses PlanetArt, Avanquest and myDevices. These three technology platforms share a common vision: empowering people through innovation by providing simple and intuitive digital solutions that facilitate everyday access to the very best of technology. For more information on Claranova Group: https://www.claranova.com or https://twitter.com/claranova_group CODES Ticker :? CLA ISIN : FR0013426004 www.claranova.com Disclaimer: All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 1 Approximately 12.5 million and 33.5M million respectively, converted at today's EUR/USD exchange rate of 1.13. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005890/en/ Contacts: ANALYSTS INVESTORS +33 1 41 27 19 74 ir@claranova.com FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION +33 1 75 77 54 65 ir@claranova.com In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. 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(Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announced today that the evaluation of NOX-A12 by a leading international pharmaceutical company in a non-oncology indication announced on June 24, 2019 has been completed. The pharmaceutical company has decided not to pursue further work with NOX-A12 in this field and to terminate the collaboration agreement. The indication will remain undisclosed. "While this decision comes as a disappointment to us and our shareholders, the significant investment in time and resources of the pharmaceutical partner over the last two years to evaluate NOX-A12 in a non-oncology indication indicates the unique potential of NOX-A12's direct chemokine-targeting action versus competing single receptor agents that do not fully block CXCL12-receptor interactions. While the biological hypothesis tested by the pharmaceutical partner did not work in the evaluated indication, we are pleased that the pharma research and development team worked so diligently on testing this additional therapeutic potential of NOX-A12. We remain committed to the development of NOX-A12 in oncology indications and look forward to updating the market on clinical progress we make in brain and pancreatic cancers," said Aram Mangasarian, CEO of NOXXON. NOX-A12 is currently under clinical development in two indications: Glioblastoma (GBM) a Phase 1/2 study of NOX-A12 radiotherapy (GLORIA) in patients newly diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer is ongoing. All patients have been recruited in all three dose cohorts (200, 400 or 600 mg NOX-A12 per week), and will have completed 6 months of therapy in Q1 2022. Based on the encouraging data obtained from the two initial dose cohorts, expansion arms of the study have been initiated to assess potential synergistic benefit of NOX-A12 with additional treatment combinations. As a next step, a pivotal trial is planned to start in 2022. Pancreatic cancer following the promising results from the OPERA trial, a Phase 2 study (OPTIMUS) comparing two NOX-A12 combinations with anti-PD-1 antibody and two different standard of care chemotherapy regimens in second-line patients is expected to start in 2022. For this trial, NOXXON and MSD (Merck Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J. USA) have entered into their second collaboration. About NOXXON NOXXON's oncology-focused pipeline acts on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking the tumor protection barrier and blocking tumor repair. By neutralizing chemokines in the TME, NOXXON's approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses against the immune system and enable greater therapeutic impact. NOXXON's lead program NOX-A12 has delivered final top-line data from a Keytruda combination trial in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients published at the ESMO conference in September 2020 and in July 2021 the company announced its Phase 2 study, OPTIMUS, to further evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in combination with Merck's Keytruda and two different chemotherapy regimens as second-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. NOXXON is also studying NOX-A12 in brain cancer in combination with radiotherapy which has been granted orphan drug status in the US and EU for the treatment of certain brain cancers. GLORIA, a trial of NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy in newly diagnosed brain cancer patients who will not benefit clinically from standard chemotherapy has delivered interim data from the first two cohorts showing consistent tumor reductions and objective tumor responses. The company's second clinical-stage asset NOX-E36 is a Phase 2 TME asset targeting the innate immune system. NOXXON plans to test NOX-E36 in patients with solid tumors. Further information can be found at: www.noxxon.com. Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. Visit NOXXON on LinkedIn and Twitter. About the GLORIA Study GLORIA (NCT04121455) is NOXXON's dose-escalation, phase 1/2 study of NOX-A12 in combination with irradiation in first-line glioblastoma (brain cancer) patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter (resistant to standard chemotherapy). About the OPTIMUS Study OPTIMUS (NCT04901741) is NOXXON's open-label two-arm phase 2 study of NOX-A12 combined with pembrolizumab and nanoliposomal irinotecan/5-FU/leucovorin or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in microsatellite-stable metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. Disclaimer Certain statements in this communication contain formulations or terms referring to the future or future developments, as well as negations of such formulations or terms, or similar terminology. These are described as forward-looking statements. In addition, all information in this communication regarding planned or future results of business segments, financial indicators, developments of the financial situation or other financial or statistical data contains such forward-looking statements. The company cautions prospective investors not to rely on such forward-looking statements as certain prognoses of actual future events and developments. The company is neither responsible nor liable for updating such information, which only represents the state of affairs on the day of publication. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220105005905/en/ Contacts: For more information, please contact: NOXXON Pharma N.V. Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer Tel. +49 (0) 30 726247 0 amangasarian@noxxon.com Investor and Media Relations: LifeSci Advisors Guillaume van Renterghem Tel. +41 (0) 76 735 01 31 gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com NewCap Arthur Rouille Tel. +33 (0) 1 44 71 00 15 arouille@newcap.fr SEATTLE, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coherent Market Insights, the global healthcare robotics market is estimated to be valued at US$ 9,520 million in 2021 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.8% over the forecast period (2021-2028). Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Healthcare Robotics Market: Key trends in the market include increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries, technological advancement in the medical robotic systems, potential of rehabilitation, hospital, and pharmacy robots, and increasing collaborations, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions among key players. These key trends are expected to aid in growth of the global healthcare robotics market. For instance, in October 2019, Parata Systems LLC. a leading provider of pharmacy automation, launched the new generation of Vial-Filling Robot, Max 2. The robot reached the expectations of pharmacies across all settings and improves workflow by automating the filling, capping, and labelling of vials. Moreover, in August 2019, Capsa Healthcare, a global leader in developing and delivering innovative healthcare solutions, launched new Kirby Lester KL-SR secure robotic dispenser. This dispenser expeditiously handles the prescription dispensing of retail pharmacies. Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/4847 Key Market Takeaways: The global healthcare robotics market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.8% over the forecast period, owing to rising product approvals by regulatory authorities. For instance, in November 2019, avateramedical GmbH, a German medical technology company, received CE approval for its avatera(R) system for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Among product type, systems segment accounted for largest market share in 2021, owing to increasing product launches. For instance, in November 2019, Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, launched a new version Welwalk WW-2000, a robot designed to assist rehabilitation support for patients with lower limb paralysis. Key players operating in the global healthcare robotics market include Accuray Incorporated., Capsa Healthcare, LLC., Hocoma, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Agilent Technologies, Inc., Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Titan Medical, Inc., Aurora Biomed Inc., Abbott, Omnicell, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Stryker Corporation, Medtronic Plc., Parata Systems LLC, avateramedical GmbH, Toyota Motor Corporation, Siemens Healthineers AG, BIONIK Laboratories Corp., THINK Surgical, Inc., Globus Medical Inc., and Restoration Robotics, Inc. Need customized report? Please visit @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/4847 Detailed Segmentation: Global Healthcare Robotics Market, By Product Type: Systems Surgical Robots Rehabilitation Robots Non-invasive Radiosurgery Robots Hospital and Pharmacy Robots Others Instruments & Accessories Global Healthcare Robotics Market, By End User: Hospitals Pharmacies Rehabilitation Centers Home Care Settings Global Healthcare Robotics Market, By Region: North America By Country: U.S. Canada Europe By Country: U.K. Germany Italy France Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific By Country: China India Japan ASEAN Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America By Country: Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa By Country: GCC Countries Israel South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Purchase this Complete Report Now @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/4847 About Us: Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients. Contact Us: Mr. Shah Senior Client Partner - Business Development Coherent Market Insights Phone: US: +1-206-701-6702 UK: +44-020-8133-4027 Japan: +81-050-5539-1737 India: +91-848-285-0837 Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com Website: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/902389/Coherent_Market_Insights_Logo.jpg Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - PC 1 Corp. (TSXV: PCAA.P) (the "Corporation") has entered into a letter of intent (the "Letter of Intent") dated January 3, 2022, for the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding securities of Cashtag Media Corp. ("Cashtag"). Cashtag is developing an online media platform exclusively focused on investor communications. The Corporation is a capital pool company and intends for the acquisition of Cashtag to constitute the Qualifying Transaction of the Corporation (the "Qualifying Transaction") as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). Term of Acquisition Pursuant to the terms of the Letter of Intent, subject to completion of satisfactory due diligence, a definitive purchase agreement (the "Agreement"), receipt of applicable approvals and other standard closing conditions, the Corporation intends to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Cashtag for consideration consisting of 28,227,273 common shares (prior to any shares to become issuable following the Concurrent Financing (as defined below)) at a deemed price of $0.2125604 per share. Common shares of Cashtag will be converted into common shares of the Corporation on the basis of approximately 1.129090909 Corporation shares for each Cashtag share. The Qualifying Transaction is an arm's length transaction. No insiders of the Corporation own securities in Cashtag and no insiders of Cashtag own securities in the Corporation. It is intended that the Corporation will complete a name change in connection with the Qualifying Transaction and it will therefore be seeking shareholder approval. Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, the resulting entity (the "Resulting Issuer") will be engaged in the business of Cashtag and interests as may be subsequently acquired by the Corporation. Certain common shares of the Resulting Issuer to be issued pursuant to the Qualifying Transaction are expected to be subject to restrictions on resale or escrow under the policies of the Exchange, including the securities to be issued to "Principals" (as such term is defined under the policies of the Exchange), which will subject to the escrow requirements of the Exchange. In addition, 25,000,000 common shares of the Corporation issued to the founders of Cashtag will be subject to a contractual 18 month escrow with 10% of such shares being released from the contractual escrow on closing of the Qualifying Transaction and an additional 15% being released every two months thereafter. This contractual escrow is in addition to any regulatory escrow that will apply to the securities of the Corporation to be issued in connection with the Qualifying Transaction. Concurrent Financing Prior to or concurrently with the closing of the Qualifying Transaction, Cashtag will complete a private placement raising a minimum of $1,900,000 (the "Concurrent Financing"). The issue price per security in the Concurrent Financing will be no less than $0.2125604 and the specific terms of the Concurrent Financing will be determined by Cashtag. The Corporation will issue a further press release once the terms of the Concurrent Financing are finalized. Cashtag Cashtag is building an investor media online platform focused on the investor communications sector using the concept of the "$Cashtag." Cashtag Media Corp, which owns the URL www.CashTag.com, is a new concept based on utilizing web 2.0 social media platforms parlayed with traditional media outlets. Cashtag Media Corp expects to be a top community maker and content creator in traditional investments as well as new and speculative investment areas. Cashtag is bringing together several top Finfluencers who will broadcast 24/7 "STOCK TALK" podcasts/shows via www.CashTag.com, various social media platforms and beyond. Cashtag is working to combine reach, frequency, influencers and a strong team of creative Capital Market savvy and Social Media savvy individuals with aims to be a disruptive and vertically integrated financial media company. Cashtag currently has 25,000,000 common shares outstanding (prior to the completion of the Concurrent Financing) and no convertible securities. Currently, 1407535 Ontario Limited, Stacey Farber, 2674775 Ontario Limited, Richlin International, and 8797668 Canada Ltd each hold more than 10% of the outstanding shares of Cashtag. The current directors of Cashtag are Robert Schwartz and Bilal Vakani, and the current officers of Cashtag are Robert Schwartz (President, CEO) and Kyle Appleby (CFO, Secretary). Sponsorship of Qualifying Transaction Sponsorship of a qualifying transaction of a capital pool company is required by the Exchange unless exempt in accordance with the Exchange policies. The Corporation is currently reviewing the requirements for sponsorship and may apply for exemption from sponsorship requirements pursuant to the policies of the Exchange, however there is no assurance that the Corporation will ultimately obtain this exemption. Termination The letter of intent will terminate (i) on the mutual consent of both the Corporation and Cashtag and (ii) automatically if the Agreement is not executed on or before 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on February 14, 2022. Description of Significant Conditions to Closing Completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and obtaining all required shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that the Qualifying Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Qualifying Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Qualifying Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. All information contained in this news release with respect to the Corporation, Cashtag, and the Resulting Issuer was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein. Additional Information Additional information concerning the Qualifying Transaction, the Corporation, Cashtag and the Resulting Issuer, including financial information of Cashtag and proposed board and management of the Resulting Issuer, will be provided in subsequent news releases and in the Corporation's Filing Statement to be filed in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, which will be available under the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Upon closing of the Qualifying Transaction, the Resulting Issuer expects to list as a Tier 2 Industrial Issuer on the Exchange. In accordance with the policies of the Exchange, the Corporation's shares are currently halted from trading and will remain so until such time as the Exchange determines, which, depending on the policies of the Exchange, may not occur until completion of the Qualifying Transaction. None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Qualifying Transaction have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Qualifying Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. About PC 1 Corp. The Corporation is a capital pool company within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange that has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. Except as specifically contemplated in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, until the completion of its "Qualifying Transaction" (as defined therein), the Corporation will not carry on business, other than the identification and evaluation of companies, business or assets with a view to completing a proposed Qualifying Transaction. The Corporation currently has issued and outstanding 10,350,000 common shares, agent compensation options exercisable to acquire 500,000 common shares at an exercise price of $0.10 per share and incentive stock options exercisable to acquire 1,010,000 common shares at a price of $0.10 per share. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Aaron Eisenberg, CEO, CFO, Corporate Secretary and Director Phone: 416-481-2222 Cautionary Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the timing and completion of the Qualifying Transaction and related transactions, the future operations of the Corporation, Cashtag and the Resulting Issuer and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements regarding the anticipated performance of Cashtag as the top community maker and content creator in traditional investments as well as new and speculative investment areas. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Corporation's and Cashtag's expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions to completion of the Qualifying Transaction or the Concurrent Financing set forth above, the limited business history of Cashtag, general market and industry conditions, competitive conditions, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Corporation and the Resulting Issuer with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Corporation, Cashtag and the Resulting Issuer. As a result, the Corporation, Cashtag, and the Resulting Issuer cannot guarantee that the Qualifying Transaction or the Concurrent Financing will be completed on the terms and within the time disclosed herein or at all. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Corporation, Cashtag and the Resulting Issuer will only update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release, publication, distribution or dissemination, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined under the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109154 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Scryb Inc. (CSE: SCYB) (OTCQB: RYMDF) (FSE: EIY) ("Scryb" or the "Company"), an applied intelligence Company, is pleased to report on an engagement with Canada's National Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association Inc. ("APMA")1, and to provide the Cybeats cybersecurity platform on Project Arrow, the all-Canadian, zero-emission connected vehicle.2 The APMA is Canada's national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies, advanced technology, and services for the worldwide automotive industry. Its members account for 90% of independent parts production in Canada and in 2018, represented over $35 billion of automotive part shipments with over 100,000 people employed. Cybeats cybersecurity platform provides certainty in software, from launch to legacy. Cybeats will provide cybersecurity products and advisory services to APMA and its Project Arrow, to enhance component security, software development security, as well as software bill of materials (SBOM). "Every modern electrified vehicle has a dramatically larger digital footprint than the internal combustion engine platform it replaces. The integrity of that footprint must be a foundational element of vehicle design and we are excited to work with Cybeats to ensure the Project Arrow concept vehicle serves as a prime example of this vision," said Flavio Volpe, President of APMA. "Project Arrow is a broad collaboration of the best-in-class companies in Canada and we are honoured to be working with the AMPA to develop Canada's own safe and secure connected zero-emission concept vehicle," said Yoav Raiter, CEO of Scryb Inc. "We have an opportunity to use our Cybeats' platform, including the SBOM Studio to incorporate high-level cybersecurity through the design phase to the final product. We look forward to collaborating with APMA and the broader project team to deliver this landmark concept vehicle." Project Arrow To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/952/109176_8cfc5a39149dba8a_001full.jpg CES in Las Vegas - January 5 - 8 The APMA is currently attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)3, an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). It is considered the most influential tech event in the world, hosting breakthrough technologies and global innovators. It is being held January 5-8, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States, where the world's biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage.4 APMA's chief technical officer Fraser Dunn told Automotive News Canada that Project Arrow plans to reveal at the CES show in Las Vegas in January, 2023. Concept drawings of the car show it to be larger than a Tesla Model Y and smaller than a Model X. It will also feature large magnesium castings, inspired by the Tesla Model Y. The projected sale price of the SUV is between $40,000 and $60,000 and the engineers are also targeting at least Level 3 autonomy. As opposed to relying on battery cells from Asian suppliers like CATL, Panasonic, or SK Innovation, Project Arrow will be powered by cylindrical cells from VoltaXplore, a joint venture between Martinrea International and Montreal-based graphene firm NanoXplore Inc.5 The APMA is leveraging its leadership position and longstanding relationships in the automotive manufacturing industry to bring together key industry and academic partners to facilitate Project Arrow. The partners are working together to design, engineer and build a connected autonomous zero-emissions concept vehicle with a digital copy, to be used as a virtual platform for testing and validating connected and autonomous technologies before they are integrated into the physical car. Project Arrow is positioned to lead the transformation of Canada's automotive sector from traditional fuel vehicle development to zero-emission vehicle development, while showcasing the capabilities of the Canadian automobility and digital technology sectors to compete on the global stage. The project will also help to create a robust electric vehicle supply chain in Canada, increasing Canada's domestic electric vehicle development capacity in everything from electric powertrains and connected autonomous vehicle systems to battery production. About Project Arrow In October 2020, the APMA of Canada launched the first, original, full-build, zero-emission concept vehicle named Project Arrow. The all-Canadian concept vehicle is to be designed, engineered and built through the joint efforts of the world-class automotive supply sector and post-secondary institutions in Canada. Answering the federal government's call for a Zero-Emissions future by 2050, Project Arrow brings together the best-in-class of Canada's electric-drive, alternative-fuel, connected and autonomous and light-weight technology companies. As the North American market enters a new automotive era focused on "ACES" (Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared), Project Arrow is a lighthouse initiative that showcases the capability of Canada's world-class automotive supply sector by bringing together Canada's Tier 1 supply chain, auto-tech SMEs and academic institutions. Project Arrow builds on the success of Canada's auto sector in advanced manufacturing with a goal to establish a more value-added, technology-centered foundation to drive a new age of automotive. The initiative will promote investments from OEMs Canada and beyond to develop next generation products and technologies within the Canadian auto tech ecosystem. For more information visit: https://projectarrow.ca. About APMA The APMA is Canada's national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies, advanced technology, and services for the worldwide automotive industry. The Association was founded in 1952 and its members account for 90% of independent parts production in Canada. In 2018, automotive parts shipments were over $35 Billion, and the industry employment level was over 100,000 people. For more information visit https://www.apma.ca. SUBSCRIBE: For more information, or to SubScryb to the Company's mail list, visit: https://www.scryb.ai. About Scryb Scryb is a platform that powers businesses and technologies with applied intelligence, real-time analytics, and actionable insights. The platform boasts proven adaptability across diverse markets, from digital health and diagnostics to cybersecurity and manufacturing. The cloud-based platform is composed of crucial elements including sensor technology, IoT, predictive analytics, and computer vision. For more information, please visit our website at: http://scryb.ai. Contact: W. Clark Kent President Office. 647-872-9982 TF. 1-844-247-6633 Email: info@scryb.ai Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for the technology described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/952/109176_cybeat.jpg ____________________ 1 https://apma.ca/ 2 https://projectarrow.ca/ 3 https://www.ces.tech/ 4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Show 5 https://cleantechnica.com/2021/12/20/canadas-project-arrow-planned-for-2023-reveal/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109176 Britannia pays down vendor loan with 1.7mm of funds on hand Extends vendor note into 2022 to facilitate due diligence timeline for new debt facility Britannia commits to an additional 10% interest in operating subsidiary Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 5, 2022) - Britannia Life Sciences Inc. (CSE: BLAB) ("Britannia") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with the vendors of Advanced Development and Safety Laboratories ("ADSL"), a 60%-owned operating subsidiary of Britannia (each a "Noteholder", collectively the "Noteholders"), to extend the maturity date of the sellers' note agreement between Britannia Bud Canada Holdings Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Britannia, and the Noteholders (the "Sellers' Note") to February 28, 2022, to facilitate the credit approval process related to a new debt facility. On December 23, 2021, Britannia repaid 1,551,032.57 in principal amount owing under the Sellers' Note, plus accrued interest, to the Noteholders. Britannia is currently in the due diligence phase with new lenders with respect to a debt facility which is expected to provide a minimum of 5 million to fund the repayment of the Sellers' Note and acquire a minimum of an additional 10% interest in ADSL. Britannia expects the credit process to be completed in 6 to 8 weeks. In order to allow time for Britannia to complete the credit process, the Noteholders have agreed to extend the maturity date of the Sellers' Note to February 28, 2022. As consideration for facilitating the extension of the Seller's Note, Britannia issued 3,000,000 common shares of Britannia ("BLAB Shares") to Mark Bowes-Cavanagh. Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, Chief Technical Officer of Britannia, is a "related party" of Britannia within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). As such, the extension of the Sellers' Note and the issue of the common shares in satisfaction of the extension fee, each constitute a "related party transaction" within the meaning of MI 61-101. Pursuant to MI 61-101, Britannia will file a material change report providing disclosure in relation to the "related party transaction" on SEDAR under Britannia's issuer profile at www.sedar.com. Britannia did not file the material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing date of the issuance as the details of the issuance to Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh were not settled until shortly prior to the issuance, and Britannia wished to close the issuance on an expedited basis for sound business reasons. Britannia is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61-101. Britannia is exempt from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 in reliance on sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the transaction, insofar as it involves related parties, is not more than the 25% of Britannia's market capitalization. Required Early Warning Report Disclosure Following the issuance, Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh has beneficial ownership or control, directly or indirectly, over an aggregate of 18,600,000 BLAB Shares and 1,960,000 options, representing approximately 11.5% of the issued and outstanding BLAB Shares on an undiluted basis immediately following the Issuance (approximately 12.6% on a partially diluted basis). At the time of the last early warning report filed by the Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh, Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh held beneficial ownership or control, directly or indirectly, over 15,600,000 BLAB Shares, representing approximately 10% of the issued and outstanding BLAB Shares on an undiluted basis. The total dollar value of the issuance based on the closing market price of $0.18 per BLAB Share on the day preceding the issuance is $540,000.00. An early warning report will be filed by Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh in respect of Britannia with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities. A copy of the early warning report filed by Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Britannia's issuer profile or may be requested from Britannia using the contact information below. As of the date of this news release, Mr. Bowes-Cavanagh is not aware of any plans nor has any future intentions which would relate to or result in any of items (a) to (k) described in Item 5 of Form 62-103F1. About Britannia Life Sciences Inc. Britannia Life Sciences Inc. is a global platform offering an integrated suite of services to assist companies along their product development journey. Britannia's services, including product formulations, safety assessments, analytical and microbiological testing, global compliance and consumer evaluations are offered to companies ranging from multinationals to startups particularly in the cosmetics, food and wellness industries. Britannia has garnered significant expertise in the development and regulatory approval of topical and edible cannabis products, including preparation and support for novel food authorizations. Britannia's head office is located at 120 Adelaide Street West, Suite 2400, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1T1. For further information about Britannia Life Sciences Inc., please contact: Peter Shippen, CEO Telephone: 416-930-7711 Email: peter@britannia.life Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, require Britannia to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Information contained in forward-looking statements, including future prospects in the laboratory services and product development industry, is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, public disclosure from peer companies, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Britannia consider its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond Britannia's control, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Britannia, and its business. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements made in this news release concerning Britannia, see the Listing Statement available electronically under Britannia's issuer profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). The forward-looking statements set forth herein concerning Britannia reflect management's expectations as at the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. Britannia disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109167 Capstone Mining Corp. ("Capstone" or the "Company") (TSX:CS) announces that, further to its news release dated November 30, 2021 (the "Release"), it has filed technical reports for Mantos Copper's Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde mines entitled "Mantos Blancos Mine NI 43-101 Technical Report Antofagasta Region de Antofagasta, Chile" and "Mantoverde Mine and Mantoverde Development Project NI 43-101 Technical Report Chanaral Region de Atacama, Chile" (the "Reports"). The reports are effective November 29, 2021 and were independently prepared by NCL, Golder Associates and GT Metallurgy in accordance with Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 and can be found on the Company's website at www.capstonemining.com and under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There are no material differences in the information in the Reports and the information contained in the Release. ABOUT CAPSTONE MINING CORP. On November 30, 2021, Capstone Mining and Mantos Copper announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). Upon completion of the Transaction, the new Company would be renamed Capstone Copper Corp. (Capstone Copper). Capstone Mining Corp. is a Canadian base metals mining company, focused on copper. We are committed to the responsible development of our assets and the environments in which we operate. Our two producing mines are the Pinto Valley copper mine located in Arizona, US and the Cozamin copper-silver mine in Zacatecas State, Mexico. In addition, Capstone owns 100% of Santo Domingo, a large scale, fully permitted, copper-iron-gold project in Region III, Chile, as well as a portfolio of exploration properties. Capstone's strategy is to focus on the optimization of operations and assets in politically stable, mining-friendly regions, centred in the Americas. Our headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada and we are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol CS. Further information is available at www.capstonemining.com. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This document contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect our expectations or beliefs regarding future events and the impacts of the ongoing and evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the filing of a final base shelf prospectus, future offerings of securities and updated technical reports or technical information. In addition, the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations are unknown at this time, including Capstone's ability to manage challenges and restrictions arising from COVID-19 in the communities in which Capstone operates and our ability to continue to safely operate and to safely return our business to normal operations. The impact of COVID-19 to Capstone is dependent on a number of factors outside of our control and knowledge, including the effectiveness of the measures taken by public health and governmental authorities to combat the spread of the disease, global economic uncertainties and outlook due to the disease, and the evolving restrictions relating to mining activities and to travel in certain jurisdictions in which we operate. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipates", "approximately", "believes", "budget", "estimates", expects", "forecasts", "guidance", intends", "plans", "scheduled", "target", or variations of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "be achieved", "could", "may", "might", "occur", "should", "will be taken" or "would" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this document certain forward-looking statements are identified by words including "anticipated", "expected", "guidance" and "plan". By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, amongst others, risks related to inherent hazards associated with mining operations and closure of mining projects, future prices of copper and other metals, compliance with financial covenants, surety bonding, our ability to raise capital, Capstone's ability to acquire properties for growth, counterparty risks associated with sales of our metals, use of financial derivative instruments and associated counterparty risks, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, market access restrictions or tariffs, changes in general economic conditions, availability of water, accuracy of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates, operating in foreign jurisdictions with risk of changes to governmental regulation, compliance with governmental regulations, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, reliance on approvals, licenses and permits from governmental authorities and potential legal challenges to permit applications, contractual risks including but not limited to, our ability to meet the completion test requirements under the Cozamin Silver Stream Agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals, our ability to meet certain closing conditions under the Santo Domingo Gold Stream Agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals, acting as Indemnitor for Minto Exploration Ltd.'s surety bond obligations post divestiture, impact of climate change and changes to climatic conditions at our Pinto Valley and Cozamin operations, changes in regulatory requirements and policy related to climate change and GHG emissions, land reclamation and mine closure obligations, risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreak including the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources and what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on our business, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of Capstone relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainties and risks related to the potential development of the Santo Domingo Project, increased operating and capital costs, increased cost of reclamation, challenges to title to our mineral properties, increased taxes in jurisdictions the Company operates or is subject to tax, changes in tax regimes we are subject to and any changes in law or interpretation of law may be difficult to react to in an efficient manner, maintaining ongoing social license to operate, dependence on key management personnel, potential conflicts of interest involving our directors and officers, corruption and bribery, limitations inherent in our insurance coverage, labour relations, increasing energy prices, competition in the mining industry including but not limited to competition for skilled labour, risks associated with joint venture partners, our ability to integrate new acquisitions and new technology into our operations, cybersecurity threats, legal proceedings, and other risks of the mining industry as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's public filings, including the Shelf Prospectus, which are filed and available for review under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause our results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that our forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. CAUTIONARY NOTE TO UNITED STATES INVESTORS REGARDING PRESENTATION OF MINERAL RESERVE AND MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATES As a British Columbia corporation and a "reporting issuer" under Canadian securities laws, we are required to provide disclosure regarding our mineral properties in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. In accordance with NI 43-101, we use the terms mineral reserves and resources as they are defined in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards on mineral reserves and resources (the "CIM Definition Standards") adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. In particular, the terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve", "probable mineral reserve", "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, are Canadian mining terms defined in accordance with CIM Definition Standards. These definitions differ from the definitions in the disclosure requirements promulgated by the SEC. Accordingly, information contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies reporting pursuant to SEC disclosure requirements. United States investors are also cautioned that while the SEC will now recognize "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources", investors should not assume that any part or all of the mineralization in these categories will ever be converted into a higher category of mineral resources or into mineral reserves. Mineralization described using these terms has a greater amount of uncertainty as to their existence and feasibility than mineralization that has been characterized as reserves. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to assume that any "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources", or "inferred mineral resources" that we report are or will be economically or legally mineable. Further, "inferred resources" have a greater amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. Therefore, United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of the inferred resources exist. In accordance with Canadian rules, estimates of "inferred mineral resources" cannot form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies, except in limited circumstances where permitted under NI 43-101. NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 43-101 COMPLIANCE Unless otherwise indicated, Capstone has prepared the technical information in this news release ("Technical Information") based on information contained in the technical reports, Annual Information Form and news releases (collectively the "Disclosure Documents") available under Capstone Mining Corp.'s company profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Each Disclosure Document was prepared by or under the supervision of a qualified person (a "Qualified Person") as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 43-101"). Readers are encouraged to review the full text of the Disclosure Documents which qualifies the Technical Information. Readers are advised that Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Disclosure Documents are each intended to be read as a whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of context. The Technical Information is subject to the assumptions and qualifications contained in the Disclosure Documents. The disclosure of Scientific and Technical Information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Carlos Guzman, RM CMC, FAusIMM, Principal, Project Director, NCL, Gustavo Tapia, RM CMC, Metallurgical and Process Consultant, GT Metallurgy, and Ronald Turner, MAusIMM CP(Geo), Golder Associates all Qualified Persons under NI 43-101. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220104006060/en/ Contacts: Jerrold Annett, SVP, Strategy and Capital Markets 647-273-7351 jannett@capstonemining.com Kettina Cordero, Director Investor Relations Communications 604-262-9794 kcordero@capstonemining.com Growve, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based brand aggregator specializing in acquiring, operating and growing world-class omnichannel brands in the supplements & active nutrition, home & leisure, beauty & personal care, lifestyle foods, and pet care & nutrition verticals, raised an additional $205m in funding after amending and upsizing its existing senior credit facility. Nine financial institutions led by Truist Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and Bank of America, N.A., participated in the arrangement, which followed a $175m credit facility announcement six months earlier for a total borrowing capacity of up to $380m. Just prior to this expansion of the senior loan, Growve also completed a $20m equipment line closing through Truist in order to fund its organic growth and vertical integration strategy. Led by CEO Dave Bunch, Growve is a brand aggregator specializing in acquiring, operating and growing world-class brands in the supplements & active nutrition, home & leisure, beauty & personal care, lifestyle foods, and pet care & nutrition verticals. Its team of 500+ derives its value from aggregating brands and driving growth through in-house expertise in marketplace management, digital marketing, creative services, innovation, distribution, retail sales, manufacturing, supply chain management, regulatory and accounting. The companys portfolio includes 26 brands and hundreds of unique products. FinSMEs 05/01/2022 Good Parents Inc. (d/b/a Kiddo), a San Francisco CA-based provider of remote patient monitoring (RPM) and continuous care platform for pediatric patients, raised $16M in Series A funding. The round was led by Clearlake Capital-backed Vive Collective with participation from existing investors. As part of the investment, Vives Founder and CEO Cheryl Cheng will join the companys board of directors. The company intends to use the funds to double the size of its US and Asia teams, expand its partnerships with health systems and benefits providers, and obtain FDA device certification. Led by CJ Swamy, CEO, and Chief Medical Officer Rishi Madhok, MD, Kiddo provides an RPM platform for pediatric patients with acute and chronic conditions such as asthma, autism, diabetes, and congenital heart disorders. Kiddo monitors key vitals through five clinical-grade sensors that monitor heart rate, temperature, SPO2, perspiration and motion. Meanwhile, the Kiddo mobile app allows parents and caregivers to understand their childs daily health needs, track health reports and care protocols, and receive alerts and recommendations. The company has already partnered with more than seven health systems, benefits providers and foundations including UHC/Optum, PC Health, as well as several childrens hospitals across the United States and Canada. The platform is HIPAA, HL7 and FHIR compliant, HSA/FSA eligible, and FCC, CE and IEC certified. Kiddo previously raised $9.5 million in funding from Wavemaker 360, Techstars, the Iconiq family office (Ravi Sajwan), Mojo Partners, and others. FinSMEs 04/01/2022 The financial experts at the Traders Union recommend using a well-planned approach when selecting a broker. Traders need to thoroughly study and analyze all aspects of potential brokerage companies to start a successful and profitable career on Forex. Specialists at the Traders Union suggest that traders should pay attention to the reliability of the brokerage and confirm that it is licensed by a reputable financial regulator. How do the Traders Union experts compile the list of the Top 5 Forex brokers? The Traders Union financial experts apply more than 100 proprietary parameters to objectively assess, analyze, and investigate a brokers trading activities. They are divided into five main groups, which assure a comprehensive approach during the evaluation process Indicia employed to analyze the brokers performance Whether the broker is licensed and supervised by at least one reputable governmental agency and regulator that has jurisdiction within the state where the broker is headquartered. The duration of the companys work on the financial market. The advantage should be given to those brokers that have been actively and continually providing untarnished brokerage services for at least 5 years. Professionalism and effectiveness of the brokers support service. It is important to have support working around the clock and have the ability to be contacted via several communication avenues. The trading conditions of a broker must be both favorable and comfortable to the client. These include a reasonable minimum deposit, leverage, adequate training materials, a variety of basic trading instruments, and multiple methods to deposit and withdraw funds. The brokers reputation and the level of its clients satisfaction and quality of its services may be assessed by a thorough examination of a brokers online reviews. Several parameters are employed to make sure that (1) the reviewer is actually a present or recent client of the broker being reviewed and (2) that the review is, in fact, objective in its overall scope and comments. The team of TU experts also looks at: how a broker takes care of its reputation; whether it reacts to negative customer feedback; and how quickly it reacts to improve its conduct or the working conditions at its business. Every trader can study these five main areas of each broker because the information is publicly available on each brokers website. It requires a substantial amount of work to dig out the important details and compare the results to competing brokers. But you dont have to do the hard work because the Traders Union has already done it for you. You can find the results of TUs comprehensive analyses and list of the Top 5 Best Forex Brokers on the Traders Union website. Top 5 Forex brokers according to the Traders Union Based on a comprehensive review of Forex brokers, Traders Union experts compiled the Top 5 brokers in the Forex trading industry. This list consists of the brokers that have regularly earned top scores on all the basic metrics, have achieved the highest level of their clients trust, maintained a positive reputation, and also have sterling trading conditions compared to their competitors. RoboForex. The minimum deposit is $10. Suitable for independent trading and investing through the CopyFX service. Forex4you. The minimum deposit is $1. It will suit beginning traders because it has a cent account with optimal leverage. Exness. The minimum deposit is $1. The company offers a variety of trading instruments as well as liberal leverage with equity up to 999 USD. Admiral Markets. The minimum deposit for traders is $100 and for investors, it is $1. The company operates under the control of authoritative financial regulators FCA, ASIC, and CySEC. FxPro. The minimum deposit is $100 with leverage up to 1:500. The company has a 24/5 support service and its activity is regulated by FCA, CySEC, and FSCA. These brokers are the most popular among traders because they are client-oriented and provide high-quality professional support. This is evidenced not only by the test results of Traders Union experts but also by traders reviews of cooperation with the brokers. How the Traders Union helps traders to choose a broker and protect themselves from fraudsters? The Traders Union is an association of Forex traders. It has been working in the financial markets since 2010. Registration and participation in Traders Union are free of charge for all traders. In return, traders working with brokers through the Traders Union get additional income for each executed transaction whether profitable or unprofitable and the right to legal assistance in case of a conflict with a broker. The Traders Union site has many expert articles on various financial and economic topics, as well as instructions and training guides on how to choose a broker for Forex trading, and how to distinguish scammers from trustworthy companies. In addition, the financial experts at the Traders Union make recurring evaluations of brokers, formulate objective ratings, and release to the public, free of charge, a list of the Best Forex Brokers. Thus, each member of the Traders Union has access to the results of comprehensive and in-depth research, as well as detailed and objective information about the best brokers. Also, those traders, who cooperate with brokers through the Traders Union, work in Forex under the protection of TUs highly-qualified legal specialists, all of whom are members of the bar. Google at the CES 2022 announced that it is extending Fast Pairs functionality beyond audio connectivity with wearables, headphones, speakers and cars and is extending it to TVs and smart home devices. With the new feature, if you turn on your Fast Pair-enabled headphones, your Chromebook will automatically detect it and pair with it in a single click. This will roll out in the next few weeks. In the Chromebooks coming out later this year, you can use your Android phone to quickly set it up and get immediate access to all the information such Google login and your Wi-Fi password automatically. In the coming months, you can set up your headphones for when you need to watch quietly with your Google TV or Android TV OS device at home. And with built-in support for Matter on Android, Fast Pair will let you quickly connect new Matter-enabled smart home devices to your network, Google Home and other accompanying apps all in just a few taps. In the coming months, Wear OS smartwatch will let you instantly unlock and access your Chromebook and Android phone or tablet when youre close by. With Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology on supported phones, you can use it as a car key on supported BMW vehicles. This will roll to more Android phones and vehicles later this year. Google said that it is building a technology for Bluetooth-enabled headphones that will enable them to automatically switch the audio to whatever device youre listening to. If youre wearing headphones to watch a movie on your Android tablet, and you receive a phone call, the movie will pause, and the headphone audio will automatically switch to your Android phone and then switch back to the movie when youre done. Spatial audio will also be available to headsets in the next few months on supported headphones. Chromecast built-in will be available to more brands, starting with all Bose smart speakers and soundbars, in the next few months. Phone Hub on Chromebooks will soon let you use chat apps from your phone directly to your Chromebook without needing to install them again on your Chromebook. Camera Roll access will also be added to the Phone Hub to access recent photos and videos as easy as one click. These feature will be available later this year. You can soon use your voice to ask Google to warm up and cool down your car, lock and unlock and get information (like how much battery you have left) on all Assistant-enabled devices. These capabilities will be available first to vehicles from Volvo Cars in the coming months, with more to follow. You can soon connect an Android phone to your Windows PC with Fast Pair to quickly set up Bluetooth accessories, sync text messages and share files with Nearby Share. Google said that it is working with Acer, HP and Intel to bring these experiences to select Windows PCs first later this year. The L.A. Dodgers The L.A. Angels Both the Dodgers and the Angels Neither one of them Vote View Results Xplorer Prize to award young medical scientists Xinhua) 13:20, January 05, 2022 BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Xplorer Prize, one of China's highest grants for young scientists, will set up a new category of medical science starting from 2022. A non-government award, the prize was initiated by Tencent Chairman and CEO Ma Huateng, together with a number of renowned scientists in 2018. It aims to support full-time Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao-based science professionals aged 45 or below engage in fundamental science and cutting-edge technology research. The aim of adding the new award category is to "encourage research to improve people's health and solve fundamental problems in the field of medical science," Tencent said in a statement. It will award scientists for their contribution across fields including basic medicine, clinical medicine, pharmacy, public health and biomedical engineering. Despite the category addition, the annual award quota of 50 people remains unchanged. Each winner will be awarded a total of 3 million yuan (about 470,700 U.S. dollars) over the course of five years, according to the company. The prize nomination and application will be open until April 15, and the winner's list will be announced in September. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) This is our best offer! You get home delivery Monday through Saturday plus full digital access any time, on any device with our six-day subscription delivery membership. This membership plan includes member-only benefits like our popular ticket giveaways, all of our email newsletters and access to the daily digital replica of the printed paper. Also, you can share digital access with up to four other household members at no additional cost. Subscriptions renew automatically every 30 days. Call 240-215-8600 to cancel auto-renewal. Most subscribers are served by News-Post carriers; households in some outlying areas receive same-day delivery through the US Postal Service. If your household falls in a postal delivery area, you will be notified by our customer service team. Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below. The Benton County Board of Commissioners was warned Tuesday, Jan. 4 that the coronavirus omicron variant is disrupting life across the globe and locally. The news came during an update from April Holland, Benton County deputy director of Public Health. She said vaccination and previous infection dont provide as much protection from omicron as they did against previous strains, although vaccine boosters do help prevent infection and reduce symptom severity. This variant is incredibly quickly transmitting, Holland said. Our cases have gone to new heights in the last couple of weeks, last week in particular. Holland detailed a steady increase in county COVID-19 case numbers from three weeks ago, when the county reported 92 cases for the week. She said the following week cases jumped 90% to 175, and this past week Benton County had 421 cases, another 140% increase. Our seven-day case rate is 445 cases per 100,000 people, she said, more cases than weve ever seen, certainly. The testing positivity rate has jumped dramatically as well, according to Holland, who said that indicates the testing system is struggling and likely isnt catching all the positive cases. She said there was a 13% positivity rate out of nearly 3,500 tests conducted in the last full week of data. 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. Private testing is strained as well. Pharmacy shelves are bare and rapid at-home tests sell out fast. Health care organizations get priority over private retailers, which adds to the at-home test kit supply problem. Samaritan Health Services and the Corvallis Clinic reported being fully stocked with COVID-19 tests. Doctors offices and hospitals administer both rapid tests and polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests, whose results come back more slowly but are more accurate. Factoring in unreported home testing, Holland said COVID-19 is more widespread locally than statistics show. Meanwhile, citing Oregon Health & Science University projections, she said hospitalizations are expected to surpass the delta variant surge by around 25% toward the end of January. She said hospitals are preparing for a wave of patients and emphasized the value of vaccines and boosters. Holland said communicable disease teams all over Oregon and in Benton County are overwhelmed to the point of being unable to carry out investigations and contact tracing and are focusing on high-priority outbreak settings. Upcoming vaccination clinics will lift some of the weight locally, as will a mass-vaccination effort by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, she added. We may see disruptions with schools, with workplaces, as other places around the country are starting to see, Holland said. The state is breaking record-high numbers, with 9,701 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases for the recent four-day holiday period and another 4,540 reported Tuesday, according to Oregon Health Authority. OHA reported 55 Oregon deaths in the same time frame. National case statistics are also spiking. Benton County has updated its website with additional COVID-19 guidance at www.co.benton.or.us/covid19. Cody Mann covers the cities of Albany and Lebanon. He can be contacted at 541-812-6113 or Cody.Mann@lee.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. For more than a year, the African Energy Chamber has been pushing back against steadily building pressure to halt new foreign investments in Africas oil and gas industry. To prevent catastrophic climate change, environmental organizations, financial organizations, and governments across Europe and North America have insisted that developing nations, including those in Africa, must immediately transition from fossil fuel production and usage to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydrogen. Mind you, the majority of those making these demands are based in industrialized nations that were built on fossil fuels oil and gas fueled their economic engines yet they are unwilling to allow less developed nations to use fossil fuels to the same end. Even more troubling, the African countries these groups are taking aim at have a wealth of natural resources under their feet, resources that can be used to deliver reliable power, to grow economies, and to build a better future. These are a few of the reasons that the Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organization, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, has rightly pointed out that it would be a mistake for Africans to abandon their abundant petroleum resources. Turning our backs on approximately 130 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves and over 15 trillion standard cubic meters of natural gas, to pursue expensive, unreliable energy sources, would not be a wise course of action. The African Energy Chamber has stated, over and over, that Africa still needs its oil and gas sector. And, weve tried to explain the important role that international oil companies (IOCs), foreign governments, and investment institutions play in building the kind of oil and gas sector that will truly benefit Africans. IOCs, for example, engage in knowledge sharing and provide opportunities for Africans to build valuable job skills. Whats more, foreign oil and gas investments generate revenue that can be used to build and improve energy infrastructure for both fossil fuels and renewables. And, by supporting natural gas projects, investors create a path for gas-to-power projects that help minimize the continents widespread energy poverty. In July 2021, when it became apparent that reasoning was not yielding results, the chamber went so far as to employ the same tactics the international community used against our members. We called for boycotts (https://bit.ly/3FTH7rb) against financial institutions that discriminated against the African oil and gas industry. But the calls to stop financing African oil and gas have only grown louder and more insistent. Most recently, during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, more than 20 countries and financial institutions pledged to stop public financing for overseas fossil fuel projects. For those of us who care about Africas oil and gas industry, its time to face facts: We need to find a way to save it ourselves. The African Energy Chamber is calling upon African states and the private sector to establish energy banks focused on funding African energy projects. The idea is to create funding sources for all types of African energy from oil and gas exploration to solar and hydrogen operations that will not depend on foreign support. No more begging for aid that only would be awarded on the condition that we abandon fossil fuels. We can do this, and we must. Too much is at stake. We cant afford not to capitalize on such recent discoveries as the light oil found offshore Angola, the oil in Namibias Kavango Basin, the shale gas in South Africas Karoo Basin, or the oil and natural gas off the coast of Cote dIvoire. Those are only a few of the important discoveries that occurred in 2021, and each represents critical opportunities for everyday Africans. Pressing Needs Call for Definitive Action The call for Africa to save its oil and gas industry alive is not based on greed, on making money for an elite few. Were not placing economic objectives above our people or the climate. On the contrary, we are convinced that harnessing our oil and gas is the best way to meet some of our peoples most pressing needs. And we believe that pursuing our oil and gas opportunities is not the environmental catastrophe that some have suggested it is. As OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo has said, addressing energy poverty in Africa is an urgent matter that must take priority over abandoning oil and gas. Barkindo described the devastating impacts of energy poverty during African Energy Week in Cape Town. (Incidentally, that meeting was organized after London-based Hyve Group/ Africa Oil Week moved from Capetown to Dubai. Imagine talking about African energy somewhere other than in Africa? Seems like thats another example of the West holding our energy industry in low regard.) The unfortunate reality for developing countries is that a staggering 759 million people worldwide did not have access to electricity in 2019, with around 79% of them located in Africa, Barkindo said. Moreover, there were roughly 2.6 billion people or 34% of the global population who did not have access to clean cooking fuels and technologies and this includes a massive 70% of Africans who have no access, exposing them to high levels of household air pollution. The energy poverty numbers for Africa are stark, Barkindo continued And to add in one further number, Africa accounts for only around 3% of global emissions. As the chairman of the African Union, President Macky Sall of Senegal, has said, African states are open to embracing renewable energy sources: The problem comes when we are bullied into giving up our fossil fuels, and the opportunities they represent, on others timetables. Our countries cannot achieve an energy transition and abandon the polluting patterns of the industrialised countries without a viable, fair and equitable alternative, Stated Sall . Our countries, which are already shouldering the crushing weight of unequal trade, cannot bear the burden of an unfair energy transition. President Sall is right and so is South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said, We must contend not only with these primary dangers (of climate change), but also with potential economic and social damage should the global community fail to deal with the crisis in a way that works for developing as well as developed markets. Developing African energy banks is a way to protect our countries from those social and economic dangers. China might be a credible partner to Africa in building these unique financial infrastructure. We Can Do This You may be wondering if African energy banks are a realistic goal. How can a continent that is struggling to bring many of its people out of poverty raise capital for energy projects? I believe it can be done. To begin with, African governments can set aside a percentage of their oil and gas revenues for new project funding. In our report, Africa Energy Outlook 2021, the African Energy Chamber projected that African governments earnings from royalties, profit oil, and other taxes in 2021 would reach USD 100 billion. Even 5% of that amount would produce $50 million that could be leveraged for exploration, development, or infrastructure. We can also raise capital by investing African pension funds in African energy projects. According to Capetown-based investment firm RisCura, local pension funds collectively manage around USD 350 billion of assets in sub-Saharan Africa, and they are actively looking for new places to invest. Why not encourage them to add oil, gas, and renewables projects to their list? Investing pensions in the energy sector is hardly a new practice. Some of Americas largest pension funds are invested in fossil fuel producers and pension funds around the globe are investing in green energy projects. This would not be a giveaway: Investing in fossil fuels, especially gas projects and developing marginal fields, provides a large return on investment. And millions of Africans would be participating in our growth and our future. Our options for raising capital dont end there. We also should seek the support of wealthy Africans who want to invest in a better African future. As of December 2020, total private wealth in Africa totaled approximately USD 2 trillion. Thats not even including the African diaspora. Imagine what can be done if we just unite. Not only do we have pathways for raising capital, we also have an example of the kind of bank(s) Africa needs to finance its own energy projects, one that goes back decades. Im talking about the African Export Import Bank (Afrieximbank). In 1993, African governments worked with public and private investors to create a bank that would finance, promote, and expand intra-African and extra-African trade. They succeeded. In 2020, Afrieximbank received the Africa-America Institutes (AAIs) Institutional Institution of Excellence Award for its commitment to the creation and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and its ongoing dedication to investing in education. AAI noted that between 2015 and 2019 alone, Afrieximbank disbursed more than $30 billion in support of African trade, including more than $15 billion for the financing and promotion of intra-Africa trade. Afrieximbank, by the way, recognizes the importance of protecting Africas oil and gas industry. The way we see it at the bank, Africa produces less than 4% of greenhouse gas. We are not the problem of greenhouse gases. We are the victims. We are asking for balance, Afrieximbank President and Chairman of the Board Benedict Oramah said. I say, lets build on Afrieximbanks model. And not only that, lets cultivate a pool of investors who understand and appreciate the importance of oil and gas to Africa. Capital from foreign countries and companies will always be welcome as long as it isnt predicated on phasing out fossil fuels on their timeline. If theyre pushing a rush to renewables, theyre not going to be part of our solution. With the support of one or more African energy banks, local oil and gas companies will have the finances necessary to acquire assets. Theyll have the financing to build crude and gas pipelines across Africa and to facilitate the use of natural gas (including liquid natural gas) to power Africa, minimizing energy poverty and driving industrialization. And African states and entrepreneurs will be able to finance the development of renewable energy operations, particularly blue, green, and grey hydrogen operations that create additional opportunities for Africans. Africa already has emerging green hydrogen operations in Mali, Namibia, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, and South Africa, and with the proper funding, could become a major green hydrogen exporter. The African Energy Chamber will support the energy bank initiative and work to bring potential participants together. Creating our own institutions to finance energy projects will send a clear signal to the marketplace that Africans are seeking to become leaders in scaling up private capital. It will show that we are advancing natural gas development and infrastructure while supporting low-carbon investments. With the financing in place, not only will African companies be able to produce oil and gas, but they also will support local community development, develop green energy markets, and create jobs. The financing also will allow African companies to upgrade their refineries, an urgent need addressed by Anibor Kragha the Executive Secretary of African Refiners and Distributors Association during African Energy Week, so they can produce cleaner fuels. For many African countries, the oil and gas industry represents our best shot at giving millions of Africans the kind of jobs, living standards, and stability that developed countries have enjoyed for well over a century. We must hold fast to those goals and do what it takes to achieve them. By NJ Ayuk Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires An Albany police shooting on Christmas Eve has been ruled justified by Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny. To come to his decision, Marteeny said he reviewed the investigation conducted by the Corvallis Police Department. He looked at body camera and patrol vehicle video footage and reviewed the interview associated with the incident. In a letter sent to CPD Detective Greg Kantola dated Dec. 30, Marteeny determined Albany police Officer Jim Estes' actions were legally justified. The incident According to an APD news release on the agencys Facebook page, officers responded at around 6 p.m. Dec. 24 to the area of Ninth Avenue and Southeast Jackson Street to investigate a man accused of violating a restraining order. The man was later identified as Thomas Leonard Jones, 51. According to a probable cause affidavit for the case, the 911 call came from Jones estranged wife, who was at the Second Hand Shelter in Albany. At the time, CPD had probable cause to arrest Jones for violating a restraining order, according to the affidavit. When APD Officer Estes tried to speak with Jones, according to the affidavit, the suspect was uncooperative and armed himself with two large knives. At this point, Jones reportedly told Estes he would not go back to jail. As Jones allegedly became more aggressive, he began yelling at Estes and walking toward the officer with a knife in each hand. According to the affidavit, Estes ordered Jones to drop the knives multiple times. Estes then tried to move away from Jones. Initially, Jones allegedly approached Estes at a walking pace, but then moved faster and lunged toward the officer with both knives lifted up, according to the affidavit. At this point, Estes, an 18-year veteran of the Albany Police Department, fired his duty weapon, striking Jones in the leg. Confronted with this deadly threat, Officer Estes had no choice but to defend himself by shooting his gun at Mr. Jones, Marteeny wrote in the letter. It wasnt until a second shot was fired that Mr. Jones began to change his behaviors towards Officer Estes. According to the news release, Jones dropped the knife, and officers provided lifesaving efforts while Albany Fire Department personnel responded. Jones was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound. 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. After being released from the hospital, CPD arrested Jones for violating a restraining order and unlawful use of a weapon. He is currently lodged in Linn County Jail. The investigation The matter regarding Estes justification for the use of force is closed, according to Marteeny. Officer Estes acted professionally and courageously, Marteeny wrote. The actions observed here clearly show that Mr. Jones acted criminally towards Officer Estes. My office has filed charges against Mr. Jones and intends to hold him accountable for his actions. On Dec. 27, Jones was arraigned on an unlawful use of a weapon charge in Linn County Circuit Court. According to Oregons online court system, the court appointed Dillon Duxbury as Jones attorney, and Michael Paul is representing the state. The next court hearing for the matter is set for Jan. 10. Jones has two open cases in Benton County. These charges include strangulation and fourth-degree assault allegedly against his estranged wife, as well as a reckless driving charge. A string of alleged threats to local police The Christmas Eve incident isnt the only recent occurrence in which suspects allegedly threatened police. Just a day before, on Dec. 23 at around 8:26 a.m., the Linn County Sheriffs Office and Sweet Home police responded to reports of an armed disturbance at the 1000 block of North River Drive in Sweet Home. According to a probable cause affidavit for the case, the caller said a man was arming himself with several knives and threatening to kill people. When deputies arrived, the suspect locked himself in his room. According to the affidavit, it was determined the man may have mental issues, and the threats were made to people who did not exist. Officers identified the suspect as Kirk Ferguson, 40. When officers were about to clear the scene, Ferguson allegedly threatened to blow up the law enforcement personnel. According to the affidavit, Ferguson came out of his room briefly to allegedly toss a smoking hissing device into the hallway. He allegedly threw more devices after officers evacuated the building. The devices were identified as green aerosol canisters with nails taped to the outside. Police allege Ferguson exited and walked down the street holding a machete. The affidavit states Ferguson made threats to kill and blow up law enforcement personnel. Officers allegedly used two separate Taser deployments because Ferguson would not drop the machete. According to the affidavit, the stun gun was ineffective because Ferguson was wearing improvised body armor made from a frying pan and a metal street sign. Ferguson was booked into Linn County Jail on Dec. 23. He was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on Dec. 27 and is facing multiple counts of of attempted second-degree assault, possession of hoax destructive device, unlawful use of weapon and menacing. Another Albany incident Two days later, at around 5:30 a.m. Christmas Day, an APD officer made a traffic stop at the 2500 block of Eighth Avenue in Albany. The driver, suspected to be Robin Ray Gilliland, 51, fled and allegedly fired a gun at pursuing officers. According to an APD news release, neither officer was hit by gunfire, but one officer did sustain minor injuries from flying debris. Officers took cover and could not locate the suspect. On Dec. 28, the Linn Benton Regional SWAT team surrounded Gillilands residence and arrested him for outstanding felony warrants and on suspicion of two counts of attempted aggravated murder. Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_ Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Lawyers for former New York Times columnist Nick Kristof have submitted a 15-page letter to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office asserting he is legally qualified to run for governor this year. The office, which regulates elections in the state, is questioning Kristof's qualifications, in large part because he registered to vote in New York while working at the Times. The Oregon Constitution requires that candidates for governor be a resident of the state for at least three years before their election, or no later than November 2019 in Kristof's case. "Mr. Kristof is an Oregon resident and has been for his entire adult life," said the letter from Misha Isaak and Jeremy Carp of the Perkins Coie law firm, dated Monday, Jan. 3. Among other things, the letter cited a 1974 Marion County Circuit Court case that found where a candidate votes does not determine residency. The Portland Tribune first reported on the case on Dec. 28, 2021. Kristof filed as a Democrat for governor on Dec. 20, 2021. The next day an election compliance specialist sent him a letter which said, in part, "We typically determine whether candidates meet residency requirements by checking their voter registration records, but your Oregon voter registration record has insufficient information. In addition, it has come to our attention that you voted in New York State as recently as 2020." In their response, Isaak and Carp note that many people have multiple residences, sometimes in different states, but that Kristof has always considered Oregon his home, even when going to college or working out of state. Among other things, the letter said Kristof has returned to his family farm in Yamhill every summer over the past three decades, built an addition large enough for his growing family there in 1994, and purchased three nearby parcels of land between 1993 and 2020. Kristof also has called Oregon his home in numerous columns and interviews beginning in 1982, the letter said. According to the letter, there has only been one Oregon court case that considered the question of whether voter registration determines residency. It took place in 1974 after former Oregon Secretary of State Clay Myers ruled then-Clatsop County state Rep. Bill Wyatt off the ballot because he had registered to vote in Lane County while attending the University of Oregon in Eugene. Wyatt challenged the decision in court. Marion County Judge Jena Schlegel disagreed with Myers, ruling that "the question of domicile is largely one of intent" and Wyatt "by his testimony maintained his ties with Clatsop County and never made an affirmative decision to change his domicile elsewhere. Continuous physical presence (within the district) is not required." 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. Myers did not appeal the ruling. "Thus, today, the Marion County Circuit Court decision is the only judicial decision to address the significance of registration and voting in evaluating an Oregon candidate's residency. That decision squarely resolves the issue in favor of Mr. Kristof's position," the letter reads. In their letter, Isaak and Carp also say that residency requirements are historically rooted in racism, especially in Oregon. "They applied originally both to voting and serving in elected office and were adopted by powerful white elites to keep themselves in power and to exclude from political participation people of color, 'foreigners,' and other disempowered newcomers," the letter reads. Also included was an independent opinion from retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice R. William Riggs that Kristof is qualified to run for governor. Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan must now decide whether to keep Kristof's name off the May 17 primary election ballot. If she does, Kristof's lawyers likely will file a legal challenge, just as Wyatt did 47 years ago. Kristof already has raised more than $2.5 million from more than 5,500 donors. A link to the letter and other materials from the law firm to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office can be found here. Editor's note: Reporter Jim Redden testified in support of Bill Wyatt at the 1974 trial before becoming a journalist. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 It is a steep climb up Northwest Mirador Place from Satinwood Drive. At the peak of the hill there is still snow on lawns, likely the melting remains of holiday snowmen. Once you crest the hill you can see a small, undeveloped lot at the end of the cul de sac. The 0.81-acre parcel seems way too inconsequential to have had such a storied history. Its kind of like the little lot in Corvallis that could as in could produce reams of paper for multiple city meetings. And could lead to appeals all the way to the state Supreme Court. And yet the lot still stands, undeveloped, despite 30-plus years of land-use wrangling. On Monday night, Jan.3, with virtually no discussion, the Corvallis City Council unanimously approved the removal of what's called a "planned development overlay," essentially another layer of zoning rules, on the property. The action gives the developers more flexibility regarding the design of the apartments that they hope to build there. The removal of the PD will allow the development to proceed under clear and objective standards, said Dale Kern, a broker with Commercial Associates in Corvallis who has been working with the property owners since the projects inception in 2013. The PD requirements are not to the developers liking. Jason Yaich, the Planning Division manager with the city, noted they can still build apartments, but it might look different than the previous proposal, and/or have a different number of units. At this time, we do not know for certain what the property owner's plans are. Years of wrangling Group B LLC, based in Salem, has been planning to build a 10-unit apartment complex on the 0.81 acres since the spring of 2013, although the property decisions that led to the areas Coronado subdivision and the adjacent Regent senior living facility and the Corvallis Clinics Aumann Building, go back to the 1980s. 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. By 2013 the final piece, called Coronado Tract B, had not been developed, sitting vacant at the end of Northwest Mirador. Nearby neighbors had become accustomed to an attractive bit of open space across their back fences. The project was rejected twice by both the Corvallis Planning Commission and City Council. Neighbors expressed concerns about stormwater, traffic, parking, noise, compatibility with the single-family homes in the neighborhood, privacy issues, light pollution and the loss of trees on the lot. Complicating the case was the status of a 135-foot setback rule that was approved when the adjacent Regent retirement facility was OKd in 1981. Had the setback remained in place, development on the Tract B lot would have been impossible. City staff also expressed concerns about varying from cul de sac standards, which limit how many units can be served by a street such as Northwest Mirador. Such standards generally are driven by the needs of first-responders. The developers cited the citys needed housing statute and noted that the project would be beneficial to the neighborhood because it would provide housing for employees at nearby medical facilities. Ultimately the citys rejection of the project went to the Oregon Supreme Court, which in 2016 affirmed earlier decisions by the state Land Use Board of Appeals and state Court of Appeals to let the project go forward. Kern told Mid-Valley Media in February 2017 that Group B was in the permitting process and just waiting for drier weather to get rolling on the project. In August 2018 Kern told the newsgroup the property owners were still exploring their options and also had been talking with prospective buyers. The property is zoned for medium-density residential, and developers would need to go through a public process to change the zoning if they wanted to move away from the planned apartments. Kern said in 2018 the owners had no interest in going that route because of the cost. But they were interested in removing the planned development overlay to reel in that extra margin of flexibility. And they have vast experience in Corvallis land use, which often means stretches in which patience is a virtual requirement. The ownership has had other projects to work on, and this one has not been a priority, Kern said Monday. The ownership will develop the number of units that is allowed in the zoning for this specific property. Most all issues have been extinguished with this property. The project tentatively will be called The Villas at Mirador. Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@lee.net or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Gillette, WY (82718) Today Becoming partly cloudy and windy. High 54F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies with gusty winds. Low 34F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Ben Affleck arrives at the premiere of "The Tender Bar" on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Heres a collection of the best of whats arriving on TV and streaming services this week. The Tender Bar Ben Affleck has another winning turn in The Tender Bar, the George Clooney-directed adaptation of J.R. Moehringers memoir about growing up on Long Island that starts streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Friday. Tye Sheridan plays the author, who in the absence of his father, starts to look to his uncle Charlie (Affleck) to fill that void. In his review for The Associated Press, Mark Kennedy wrote that The Tender Bar is a gentle, oddly crafted but loving look at men, fueled by a soundtrack of classics like Paul Simons 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover and Steely Dans Do It Again. Its a valentine to guys who step up. Advertisement Four to Dinner If youve already made it through Season 2 of Emily in Paris and all your romantic comedy mainstays on Netflix, why not change things up a little bit with an Italian spin on the genre, Four to Dinner, coming to the streamer on Wednesday? Four single friends try different pairing combinations in this new flick starring Matteo Martari, Matilde Gioli, Giuseppe Maggio, Ilenia Pastorelli, Luis Filipe Eusebio and Elmano Sancho. The Criterion Channel has a series of documentaries from Lee Grant. (NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) Lee Grant docs Or for something completely different, the Criterion Channel has a series of documentaries from Lee Grant (yes, the actor Lee Grant) available starting on Monday. In 1986s Down and Out in America, which won an Oscar, she focuses on poverty in the 1980s. In What Sex Am I, from 1985, she looks at the transgender experience. And in A Father A Son Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, she focuses on the lives of Kirk and Michael Douglas. Advertisement GOOD SAM's Sophia Bush (Photo: Business Wire) Good Sam A father-daughter relationship is the beating heart of CBS Good Sam, debuting 10 p.m. Wednesday. A health crisis takes brilliant but testy heart surgeon Dr. Rob Griff Griffith (Jason Isaacs) out of commission as a hospitals chief of surgery. His equally gifted but overshadowed offspring, Dr. Sam Griffiths (Sophia Bush) steps in and proves a natural, which her recovered dad resents. There are lighter moments between their clashes in the series from producers Katie Wech and Jennie Snyder Urman, who worked together on Jane the Virgin. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 14: Chrissy Metz attends NBC's "This Is Us" Season 6 red carpet at Paramount Pictures Studios on December 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images,,) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images,,) This Is Us The stage is set for the sixth and final season of NBCs This Is Us. Pearson family matriarch Rebecca (Mandy Moore) is in the grip of dementia; the wedding of Kevin and Madison (Justin Hartley, Caitlin Thompson) is off; the marriage of Kate and Toby (Chrissy Metz, Chris Sullivan) is toast, and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), the most likely Pearson sibling to succeed, seems poised to fulfill his destiny. There are younger generations to be accounted for, including scene-stealers Asante Blackk and Lyric Ross as Malik and Deja. The series returns Tuesday (9 p.m.) for the 18-episode last chapter. Civil rights specials A wrenching chapter in U.S. civil rights history is the focus of two ABC programs. Women of the Movement dramatizes Mamie Till-Mobleys crusade for justice for her 14-year-old son Emmetts 1955 racially motivated Mississippi killing. The limited series, starring 2021 Tony Award-winner Adrienne Warren as Till-Mobley, will air from 8-10 p.m. on three consecutive Thursdays starting this week. Its paired with Let the World See, an ABC News docuseries that includes a detailed account of Till-Mobleys effort to bring her sons body home to Chicago and hold an open-casket funeral to expose the brutality of his death. The three-episode Let the World See will follow Women of the Movement each Thursday at 10:01 p.m. AP writers Lynn Elber and Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report. New York, Dec. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Power Generation Global Market Report 2022" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06193685/?utm_source=GNW The global power generation market is expected to grow from $1,614.03 billion in 2021 to $1,763.21 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $2,462.37 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 8.7%. The power generation market consists of sales of electric power by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that operate electric power generation facilities.These facilities generate electric power using various forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, wind and water. The establishments in this industry produce electrical energy and provide electricity to electric power transmission and distribution systems. The main types of power generation are hydroelectricity, fossil fuel electricity, nuclear electricity, solar electricity, wind electricity, geothermal electricity, biomass electricity, and other electricity.Hydro electricity, also known as hydroelectric power or hydroelectric energy, is a type of energy that generates electricity by harnessing the power of moving water, such as water running over a waterfall. The power generation energy is sourced from conventional/non-renewable sources and renewable sources. The different types of grids include off grid, on grid is used by residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Asia Pacific was the largest region in the power generation market in 2021.Western Europe was the second largest region in the power generation market. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The increasing applications of electricity in the transportation industry are expected to increase the demand for electricity, driving the power generation market.The electrification of railways in underdeveloped and developing countries, the setting up of public transportation networks such as rapid metro transit systems, and the increasing use of electric vehicles in developed countries will create significant opportunities for power generation companies in the market. For instance, to attain net-zero carbon emissions, Network Rail estimates that 13,000 single track kilometers or about 450km per year of the track will need to be electrified by 2050 in the UK and around 251 kilometers were electrified between 2019 and 2020. According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the annual electric vehicle sales in the USA are expected to surpass 1.2 million by 2025. Electric vehicles are expected to account for 9% of the global electricity demand by 2050. Electric power generation companies are using batteries to store solar energy during daylight hours.The energy-storage sites consist of large lithium-ion batteries. Storage of energy in batteries is also getting prominent in other types of power generation.These batteries store enough energy to serve as a backup in case of power shortage due to disruptions in fuel supply. They are designed to absorb solar power and feed it back to the grid.These systems minimize the need for capital intensive power generation plants, enhance transmission and distribution efficiencies, and reduce operational costs. By 2025, the World Bank Group aims to fund 17.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery storage, more than tripling the current 4-5 GWh installed across all developing nations. The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has acted as a significant restraint on the power generation market in 2020 as demand for utility services from industrial and commercial establishments decreased due to trade restrictions and lockdowns imposed by governments globally.Many manufacturing facilities globally halted operations to contain the spread of virus among its workforce, thereby limiting the need for utility services such as electricity and wastewater treatment. COVID-19 is an infectious disease with flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing.The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province of the Peoples Republic of China and spread globally including Western Europe, North America and Asia. Steps by national governments to contain the transmission have resulted in a decline in economic activity with countries entering a state of lock down and the outbreak had a negative impact on businesses throughout 2020 and into 2021. However, it is expected that the power generation market will recover from the shock across the forecast period as it is a black swan event and not related to ongoing or fundamental weaknesses in the market or the global economy. The countries covered in the power generation market report are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Venezuela and Vietnam. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06193685/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone, a leading national commercial real estate finance company, has provided $13.4 million in total Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriting Services (DUS) loans to refinance two multifamily properties in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The loans were originated by Keith Hires and Carter King, Managing Directors at Greystone, on behalf of Patrician Management. An $8,100,000 Fannie Mae loan was provided for Bienville Towers, covering 160 units of the 200-unit fractured condominium property located at 2100 College Drive. The non-recourse loan carries a 10-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization and four years of interest-only payments. Amenities at the property include two swimming pools and four laundry centers. A $5,339,250 Fannie Mae loan was provided for Parc at Mid City, an 88-unit property located at 1100 South Foster Drive. The non-recourse loan also carries a 10-year fixed rate with a 30-year amortization and the first 5 years of interest-only payments. On-site amenities at the property include a swimming pool, a barbeque / picnic area, and a community laundry center. The timing to refinance these two properties was right, and the borrower received favorable terms for both properties, given the rising occupancy demand and strong fundamentals for multifamily in the Baton Rouge market, said Mr. Hires. Greystones deep expertise and knowledge of Fannie Mae financing products serve as a strength for borrowers like Patrician. Greystone has been an incredible partner over the years as weve worked on optimizing our portfolio, said Alex Lewis, operating partner of the borrower. We appreciate their guidance on refinancing and their industry experience in multifamily. About Greystone Greystone is a private national commercial real estate finance company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac lender in these sectors. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Company LLC, Greystone Funding Company LLC and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greystone.com. PRESS CONTACT: Karen Marotta Greystone 212-896-9149 Karen.Marotta@greyco.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The individual claims process in the Gottfriedson Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars Class Action settlement is now open. The deadline to submit a claim is October 4, 2023. Each Day Scholar who attended an Indian Residential School during the day only (but did not sleep there overnight) is eligible to apply for a $10,000 Day Scholar Compensation Payment. For a full list of Indian Residential Schools that had or might have had Day Scholars and are included in the settlement see: http://www.justicefordayscholars.com/schools-lists/ In cases where the Day Scholar died on or after May 30, 2005, the deceased Day Scholars estate may apply for the Day Scholar Compensation Payment. Claims may be made by the estate Executor/Administrator/Trustee/Liquidator, or if none is appointed, the deceased Day Scholars highest priority heir. Claim forms can be completed and submitted online at: http://www.dayscholarsclaims.com Paper versions of the claim forms can be requested from the Claims Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 or dayscholarsclaims@deloitte.ca. The claim forms require basic information only and do not require claimants to provide information about their experiences at Indian Residential Schools. For assistance with filling out a Claim Form, contact the Claims Administrator at 1-877-877-5786. If you need help determining if you are eligible for compensation, or have any other questions regarding the class action and settlement, please contact Class Counsel at dayscholars@waddellphillips.ca or call 1-888-222-6845. The settlement also provides $50 million for a Day Scholars Revitalization Fund established to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, and commemoration for the benefit Day Scholar Survivors and their Descendants. The Fund will be administered by an independent Day Scholars Revitalization Society, which is currently being established. The process for applying for funding from the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund has not yet been set, and will be available from the Day Scholars Revitalization Society once established. Mental health counselling and crisis support is available to Class Members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, and Hope for Wellness Hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or online at www.hopeforwellness.ca . Counselling is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut, on request. Quotes Diena Jules, Day Scholar and Survivor Class Representative Plaintiff, Tkemlups te Secwepemc: Today is an historic day. After having been left behind for so many years, the experiences of students who attended Residential Schools as Day Scholars are finally being recognized, and Day Scholars can finally apply for compensation. I encourage all of my fellow Day Scholars to apply as soon as possible. Charlotte Gilbert, Day Scholar and Survivor Class Representative Plaintiff, Tkemlups te Secwepemc The road to healing is long, and this is just one step along the way, but it is an important one. I am so glad that Day Scholars no longer have to wait to apply for compensation. Day Scholars also suffered at the Residential Schools and we are glad to finally see this recognition 14 years after the Residential School Settlement. Councillor Selina August, shishalh Nation: Ever since Day Scholars were excluded from the common experience payment of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in 2005, Day Scholars from our community have been advocating for justice. shishalh Nation is proud to have supported Day Scholars along with Tkemlups te Secwepemc and the Grand Council of the Crees in their struggle to include the excluded. I have been honoured to work on this file in various capacities, including with Garry Feschuk (hiwus akista) when he first joined forces with Chief Shane Gottfriedson of Tkemlups te Secwepemc, and later as a Councillor. As a member of the Descendant Class myself, I have grown very passionate about attaining justice for Day Scholars. I thank the Day Scholars and particularly the Representative Plaintiffs who took on the burden of this fight on behalf of Day Scholars across Canada. Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, Elected Chief/Kukpi7 of Tkemlups te Secwepemc: I am proud that Tkemlups te Secwepemc, together with shishalh Nation and the Grand Council of the Crees has championed the cause of Day Scholars over their ten year battle for recognition. It was wrong that Day Scholars were excluded from the common experience payment of Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, and we are glad that today they finally they are able to apply for compensation. Media Contact: Titilayo Ajibose 437-788-2120 tajibose@argylepr.com MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trex Commercial, a leading national provider of architectural railing systems, has expanded its U.S. sales force with the appointment of two new regional sales representatives. Michael Angelo Scalze and Kyle Jorgenson share responsibility for the Midwest region working together to grow business, drive sales and nurture relationships with specifiers and project managers in the commercial arena. They report to Tim White, vice president of sales for Trex Commercial. The Midwest is one of the most active regions for commercial building right now and it is critical that Trex Commercial be well represented and connected, stated White. These men have the experience, talent and passion to effectively broaden our reach and deepen our engagement with decision-makers in this important market. Scalze joins Trex Commercial with more than 20 years of experience working in sales, estimating and project management for companies in the industrial and commercial roofing sectors. He has spent the last four years with Dakota Safety as National Strategic Sales Director of Guard Rail Safety focusing on food plants, higher education and military contracts. Prior to that, he worked in the Commercial Roofing Sales & Marketing Division for Fischer Companies, Inc., where he assisted with marketing, business development, web and graphic design, installations and more. By the end of his tenure, he had helped to grow the Wisconsin-based company by 400%. Scalze earned an architecture and engineering intensive degree from St. Paul College in Minnesota. Jorgenson comes to Trex Commercial from within the Trex family having spent the past five years as a Territory Account Representative for the companys residential products division. He started his career as a sales intern with Boise Cascade, a leading manufacturer of wood products and wholesale distributor of building materials, including Trex products. Jorgenson holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Michael and Kyle have very different but complementary backgrounds and already have proven to be a dynamic and effective team, said Laura Rygielski Preston, president of Trex Commercial. Their knowledge of the Midwest region combined with their relationship building skills and proven abilities to drive sales growth bode well for our continued expansion and success. For more information about Trex Commercial, visit www.trexcommercial.com. About Trex Commercial Trex Commercial is a national leader in architectural railings for commercial applications. Since 1990, the company has been committed to elevating the abilities of all people to safely access and enjoy amazing life experiences, while building an industry-leading reputation for quality and customer service. Based in Minneapolis, Trex Commercial, Inc. is a subsidiary of Trex Company, Inc. To learn more, visit www.trexcommercial.com. About Trex Company Trex Company, Inc. [NYSE: TREX] is the worlds largest manufacturer of high performance wood-alternative decking and railing, with nearly 30 years of product experience. The #1 brand in outdoor living is proud to be named to Forbes 2021 List of Americas Best Mid-Size Companies and to Fortune magazines 2020 list of the worlds 100 Fastest-Growing Companies. Stocked in more than 6,700 retail locations worldwide, Trex outdoor living products offer a wide range of style options with fewer ongoing maintenance requirements than wood, as well as a truly environmentally responsible choice. For more information, visit trex.com. You also can follow Trex on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/trex-company/), Twitter (@Trex_Company), Instagram (@trexcompany), Pinterest (trexcompany) or Houzz (trexcompany-inc), like Trex on Facebook (@TrexCompany) or view product and demonstration videos on the brands YouTube channel (TheTrexCo). Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b5215bf-454c-4c19-ac8d-d7238bbaac30 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ece103a-0c1c-4e55-9d32-70c267ce3bf6 Visiongain has published a new report on Antidiarrheal Drug Market Report to 2031. The market is segmented by type (Prescription drugs, OTC (over the counter) drugs), by end user (Children, Adults). By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa). The report includes detailed Profiles of Leading Antidiarrheal Drug Companies. PLUS, COVID-19 Recovery Scenarios. 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. Rising cases of diarrhea in developing countries and growing demand for anti-diarrheal drugs are some of the factors driving the growth of Antidiarrheal Drug market. Download Exclusive Sample of Report @ https://www.visiongain.com/report/antidiarrheal-drugs-market/#download_sampe_div COVID-19 Impact on the Global Antidiarrheal Drug Market The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the antidiarrheal drug market around the globe. In COVID patients, the development of diarrhea, increases the use of antidiarrheal drugs, which enables to slow intestinal motility. The use of drugs such as loperamide and diphenoxylate-atropine combinations act as opiate receptor agonists to decrease intestinal motility. However, the use of antidiarrheal drugs may extend the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and may lead to more severe course of illness. Market Driver Rising cases of diarrhea in developing countries. Diarrhea is considered as the third leading cause of child mortality in developing countries. According to National institute of Health about 13.0% of children under 5 year of age dies every year due to diarrhea in the region. The factors such as malnutrition, low socioeconomic status, low birth weight, inadequate breastfeeding, malnutrition is motivating the chances of diarrhea in developing countries. However, the adoption of preventive measures, strategies & proper planning of healthcare system enables in managing the disease. Rising prevalence among children and ageing population According to WHO, Diarrhoeal disease is considered as the second leading cause of death among children & elderly. The mortality rate of diarrheal is children is much high than elderly. The disease is leading cause of malnutrition & kills about 5,25,000 children every year. There are nearly 1 .7 billion diarrheal cases around the globe, however, the diseases can be prevented through safe drinking-water, proper hygiene &adequate sanitation, and hygiene. The rising prevalence of diarrhea among children and elderly in developing countries is increasing rapidly. Market Opportunity FDA encouraging safety us of drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits packaging to ensure safety use of over-the counter (OTC) anti-diarrheal medicine loperamide (Imodium). The FDA collaborated with manufacturers to reduce number of doses in a pack, by using blister packs or single dose packaging. The FDA has approved changes to prevent misuse of drugs, changed packaging for tablet and capsule forms of OTC anti-diarrheal medicines Imodium A-D, Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief, and Be Health Loperamide HCl Capsules. The health safety is increasing to prevent from high dose of loperamide, which can intentionally or unintentionally, leads towards serious cardiac adverse events, such as QT interval prolongation, Torsades de Pointes, or other ventricular arrhythmias. Get Detailed TOC @ https://www.visiongain.com/report/antidiarrheal-drugs-market/#download_sampe_div Competitive Landscape Lupin laboratories, Pfizer, Inc., Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Perrigo Company Plc, Proctor & Gamble, Novartis AG, Sanofi Aventis, Merck & Co., are some of the key players contributing to the growth of the global Antidiarrheal Drug market. The market players are adopting new strategies to stay competitive in the global market such as new product developments, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and geographical expansions. In December 2018 Lupin Pharma announced the approval from Health Canada for ZAXINE (rifaximin) to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea in adults. ZAXINE is launched under a strategic licensing agreement with Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. The agreement grants company with exclusive rights to promote, distribute and market ZAXINE in Canada. For instance, In September 2018, Perrigo plc received final approval from the U.S. Food & Drug administration for the store brand over the counter (OTC) equivalent of Imodium, Multi-Symptom Relief (loperamide hydrochloride and simethicone tablets) for diarrhea plus bloating, pressure and cramps. Find quantitative and qualitative analyses with independent predictions. Receive information that only our report contains, staying informed with this invaluable business intelligence. To access the data contained in this document please email contactus@visiongain.com 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 Antidiarrheal drugs market and leading companies. You will find data, trends and predictions. Find more Visiongain research reports on Therapeutic Drugs Sector click on the following links: Do you have any custom requirements we can help you with? Any need for a specific country, geo region, market segment or specific company information? Contact us today, we can discuss your needs and see how we can help: catherine.walker@visiongain.com About Visiongain Visiongain is one of the fastest growing and most innovative, independent, market intelligence around, the company publishes hundreds of market research reports which it adds to its extensive portfolio each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis across 18 industries worldwide. The reports cover a 10-year forecast, are hundreds of pages long, with in depth market analysis and valuable competitive intelligence data. Visiongain works across a range of vertical markets, which currently can influence one another, these markets include automotive, aviation, chemicals, cyber, defense, energy, food & drink, materials, packaging, pharmaceutical and utilities sectors. Our customized and syndicated market research reports mean that you can have a bespoke piece of market intelligence customized to your very own business needs. Contact: Catherine Walker PR at Visiongain Inc. Tel: + 44 0207 336 6100 USA Tel: + 1 718 682 4567 EU Tel: + 353 1 695 0006 Toll Free: 00-1-646-396-5129 Email: catherine.walker@visiongain.com Web: https://www.visiongain.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter - SOURCE Visiongain Limited. NEWTON, Kan., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Park Aerospace Corp. (NYSE-PKE) announced that it has entered into a Business Partner Agreement with ArianeGroup SAS of Les Mureaux, France. Under the Business Partner Agreement, ArianeGroup SAS appointed Park as its exclusive North American distributor of ArianeGroups RAYCARB C2B NG proprietary product. RAYCARB C2B NG is used to produce ablative composite materials for critical rocketry and missile systems. Park is a long-term customer of ArianeGroup and uses ArianeGroups RAYCARB C2B NG product in the production of many of Parks key ablative materials which Park supplies into critical rocket and missile programs. Park will continue to purchase RAYCARB C2B NG for its own programs, and, through the Business Partner Agreement, Park is now taking on the new role of ArianeGroups exclusive North American distributor for its RAYCARB C2B product. Brian Shore, Parks Chairman and CEO, said, ArianeGroup is a special company, and we have been blessed by our long-term relationship with them. We are honored and humbled that ArianeGroup has chosen Park to be its exclusive North American distributor of their unique and very important RAYCARB C2B NG product. It is very gratifying for us to be able to expand our relationship with ArianeGroup. Opportunities like this do not come around all that often, and we intend to make the most of it. Park Aerospace Corp. develops and manufactures solution and hot-melt advanced composite materials used to produce composite structures for the global aerospace markets. Parks advanced composite materials include film adhesives (undergoing development) and lightning strike materials. Park offers an array of composite materials specifically designed for hand lay-up or automated fiber placement (AFP) manufacturing applications. Parks advanced composite materials are used to produce primary and secondary structures for jet engines, large and regional transport aircraft, military aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs commonly referred to as drones), business jets, general aviation aircraft and rotary wing aircraft. Park also offers specialty ablative materials for rocket motors and nozzles and specially designed materials for radome applications. As a complement to Parks advanced composite materials offering, Park designs and fabricates composite parts, structures and assemblies and low volume tooling for the aerospace industry. Target markets for Parks composite parts and structures (which include Parks proprietary composite SigmaStrut and AlphaStrut product lines) are, among others, prototype and development aircraft, special mission aircraft, spares for legacy military and civilian aircraft and exotic spacecraft. Parks objective is to do what others are either unwilling or unable to do. When nobody else wants to do it because it is too difficult, too small or too annoying, sign us up. Additional corporate information is available on the Companys web site at www.parkaerospace.com Contact: Donna DAmico-Annitto 486 North Oliver Road, Bldg. Z Newton, Kansas 67114 (316) 283-6500 With the latest increase in COVID-19 cases, Lehigh Valley school districts are reviewing their policies to keep staff and students safe. Some districts are switching from in-person to virtual instruction, as Catasauqua High School did this week, while others are reinstating mask mandates. Advertisement Lehigh and Northampton County have, respectively, the second and third highest population-adjusted COVID-19 case rates over the last seven days. Several districts indicated no immediate upcoming changes to their policies, but said they will take whatever steps are appropriate to mitigate the spread of COVID. Advertisement Allentown School District We continue to follow the health and safety plan that outlines our mitigation strategies, spokesperson Melissa Reese said Tuesday. The only recent change was the extension of our mandatory masking policy, which was extended in November through to the end of the second quarter in mid-February. Bethlehem Area School District No changes to district policy are expected any time soon, Superintendent Joseph Roy said Tuesday. Masks are still required and students are learning in person. Catasauqua School District The high school switched to online instruction this week, due to challenges with safely and adequately staffing the school, and will return to in-person learning Monday, Superintendent Robert Spengler said. Face coverings are optional but strongly encouraged, Spengler said. Diligent monitoring of cases and attributes of each case are imperative to identify any spread occurring in buildings. East Penn Area School District Masking is mandatory and instruction is in person. Whereas students and staff who tested positive were previously required to quarantine for 10 days, they must now quarantine for only five, provided they are asymptomatic or have resolving symptoms, district community liaison Laura Groh said. That follows recent changes to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Easton Area School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masks are required. Nazareth Area School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masks are optional. Northampton Area School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masks are optional inside district buildings. Advertisement Northern Lehigh School District Masks are optional and instruction is in person. We continue to follow and revise our health and safety plan and educational approach as necessary and consider [state and federal] guidance offered to us each time, Superintendent Tania Stoker said Tuesday. Northwestern Lehigh School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Face coverings remain required indoors. Pen Argyl Area School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masks are optional. Parkland School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masks are required. Salisbury Township School District Masks are still required in our schools per our health and safety plan, Superintendent Lynn Fuini-Hetten said. We are working diligently to maintain in-person learning at all levels across the district. In some cases, staffing has been a significant challenge. Many have picked up additional duties and covered for other staff members in order for us to maintain in-person learning. We are in great need of substitute teachers. We are also hiring instructional assistants. Saucon Valley School District Last Call Daily Get top headlines from The Morning Call delivered weekday afternoons. > No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masking is optional for K-12, with a K-6 option for a fully masked classroom. Advertisement Southern Lehigh School District Masking is mandatory and learning is in person in all grades, Superintendent Michael Mahon said Tuesday. Whitehall-Coplay School District The district is mask-optional with in-person learning, Superintendent Robert Steckel said Tuesday. Were monitoring staff and student absences and will be discussing any potential changes to our health and safety plan in the coming days, Steckel said. Wilson Area School District No policy changes are indicated on the districts website. Masks are optional for students, staff and visitors, but encouraged. Passengers and drivers are required to wear a face covering when transported by the district. Diocese of Allentown schools Plans to switch from mandatory to optional masking have been put on hold, according to a Tuesday article on the Diocese website. The article quotes Philip Fromuth, superintendent of Catholic education, as saying the Diocese must be responsive to the most current information available and prioritize keeping our students and staff safe and safeguard in-person instruction. Morning Call reporter Molly Bilinski contributed to this report. Morning Call reporter Andrew Scott can be reached at 610-820-6508 or ascott@mcall.com. CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Capital Bank ("the Bank") today announced that it has converted from a North Carolina state-chartered bank to a South Carolina state-chartered bank and relocated its headquarters to 304 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina. The Bank remains a subsidiary of First Capital Bancshares, Inc., which is also headquartered in Charleston. The Bank operates three banking centers in the Charleston, South Carolina, region including locations in downtown Charleston, Summerville, and a newly opened office in Mount Pleasant. "The majority of our growth and assets are in South Carolina, and the Charleston area specifically. We believe converting to a South Carolina-chartered bank and moving the Bank's headquarters to Charleston will enable us to best serve our customers and shareholders," said First Capital Bank Chairman and CEO Harvey Glick. "We look forward to working with the South Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banking and to our continued growth with the new Charleston headquarters." Glick continued, "We also remain committed to our North Carolina markets, and will continue to serve them through our branch in Laurinburg and loan production office in Pinehurst." The conversion to a South Carolina state-chartered bank and headquarters relocation will have no effect on the Bank's customers. Deposits will continue to be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the "FDIC") to the fullest extent permitted by law. Following the charter conversion, the South Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banking and the FDIC are now the Bank's primary regulators. The Bank's holding company, First Capital Bancshares, Inc., continues to be regulated by the Federal Reserve following the charter conversion. About First Capital Bancshares, Inc.: First Capital Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, with assets of approximately $387 million as of Dec. 31, 2021. Its principal activity is the ownership and operation of First Capital Bank, a state-chartered community bank that operates five branches and one loan production office in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, please visit www.fcbcarolinas.com. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to future plans and expectations, and are thus prospective. Such forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "should," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "target," and "project," as well as similar expressions. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, we can give no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by our company or any person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by our company will be achieved. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: (1) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions may increase significantly and have an effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; (2) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which the company conducts operations may be different than expected, including, but not limited to, due to the negative impacts and disruptions resulting from the national political turmoil as well as continuing impact of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, on the economies and communities the company serves, which may have an adverse impact on the company's business, operations and performance, and could have a negative impact on the company's credit portfolio, share price, borrowers, and on the economy as a whole, both domestically and globally; (3) the rate of delinquencies and amounts of charge-offs, the level of allowance for loan loss, the rates of loan growth, or adverse changes in asset quality in our loan portfolio, which may result in increased credit risk related losses and expenses; (4) changes in legislation, regulation, policies, or administrative practices, whether by judicial, governmental, or legislative action, including, but not limited to, changes affecting oversight of the financial services industry or consumer protection; (5) the impact of the results of the recent U.S. elections on the regulatory landscape, capital markets, and the response to and management of the COVID-19 pandemic; (6) adverse conditions in the stock market, the public debt market and other capital markets (including changes in interest rate conditions) could have a negative impact on the company; (7) changes in interest rates, which may affect the company's net income, prepayment penalty income, mortgage banking income, and other future cash flows, or the market value of the company's assets, including its investment securities; and (8) changes in accounting principles, policies, practices, or guidelines. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the company or any person acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements above. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law. For More Information, Contact: Joseph S. Kassim President & Chief Operating Officer First Capital Bank (843) 990-7770 Related Images Image 1: First Capital Bank First Capital Bank Logo This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Incorta , the Direct Data Platform, today announced the launch of the Incorta Partner Program , a new and improved partner program built to support the companys rapid global expansion, as well as the Incorta Partner Summit , a virtual event taking place on January 19, 2022. The Incorta Partner Program gives businesses everything they need to help their customers maximize the value of their data with Incorta including educational resources, support and expertise, and other generous incentives. The effort is led by Steve Walden, Incortas new EVP Business Development & Strategy, who joined the company in October 2021. Prior to Incorta, Walden held senior leadership roles at Alteryx and Collibra, overseeing partnerships and alliances at each company as SVP of Business Development. Great partnerships are foundational to Incortas success they are a huge part of how we deliver such a powerful data analytics advantage to our customers, said Walden. With the launch of the new Incorta Partner Program, we are ready to scale our partner ecosystem globally to meet fast-growing demand for unified data analytics platforms like Incorta. Partner Program Benefits The Incorta Partner Program provides generous incentives and benefits for partners to build a successful Incorta Practice, including: Software license discounts Deal registration protection and referral fees Free training and technical certifications Extensive sales, marketing, and technical enablement support, including resources traditionally reserved for internal employees, such as access to our notes on deal progress, deal stage, and key contacts at Incorta who can help. Inaugural partners include: Accenture, eCapital Advisors, ibTech, Infosys, Perficient, and Wipro. To kick off the newly launched Partner Program, Incorta is hosting a half-day virtual Partner Summit on January 19, 2022. Attendees will hear from Steve Walden on the new Partner Program and whats in store this year, as well as Incorta CEO Scott Jones on our overall 2022 business strategy, and EVP of Product Matthew Halliday on the product roadmap. The event will also feature several technical and sales breakout sessions for attendees to further accelerate their success. For more information about the Incorta Partner Program, please visit www.incorta.com/partners Resources Incorta Website Incorta on Twitter Incorta on LinkedIn About Incorta Incorta is the only unified data analytics platform powered by Direct Data Mapping. Purpose-built to help companies stay ahead of the accelerating rate, volume, and complexity of modern enterprise data, the platform delivers unmatched speed and visibility. Incorta is built with open standards and integrates with cloud-friendly tools and platforms, making it easy to consolidate data in the cloud and extract meaningful insights. By making any data source continuously available for analytics, the platform helps business leaders, business teams, and data scientists make more accurate, timely and transparent decisions with faster access to richer data sets. Backed by GV (formerly Google Ventures), Kleiner Perkins, M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures), Telstra Ventures, Sorenson Capital and Wipro Ventures, Incorta powers analytics for some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Broadcom, Cisco, Credit Suisse, and Shutterfly. To learn more and try it for yourself, visit www.incorta.com . IDB Invest supports the expansion of infrastructure to close the digital divide in Colombia IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, participated in a guarantee line of up to COP625,000 million for the benefit of Tigo Colombia, a subsidiary of Millicom. To the left, James P. Scriven, IDB Invest CEO and to the right, Mauricio Ramos, Millicom CEO Through this operation, IDB Invest will issue one or more letters of standby credit (CCSB) to eligible local banks, such as Bancolombia, in order to cover Tigo's obligations to cover guarantees issued in favor of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC) and the Single Fund for Information and Communication Technologies (FonTIC). The guarantee line will have an availability of ten and a half years and a tenor of up to two years for each letter of credit issued. This project seeks to increase access and connectivity to mobile broadband, in addition to increasing opportunities for the most vulnerable sectors of Colombia, helping to close the digital gap. At Millicom | TIGO we are committed to continuing our investment to build digital highways throughout Latin America, which is essential in order to grow our economies and connect our communities to the digital world, said Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom. We celebrate the fact that IDB Invest shares this vision with us. Quality broadband connectivity has a direct and indirect impact on activity and competitiveness, facilitates job creation, and improves productivity in urban and rural areas. This project demonstrates IDB Invest's determined commitment to reduce the digital divide in the region and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, said James P. Scriven, CEO of IDB Invest. This guarantee line will support the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure that TIGO will carry out in 177 localities that did not have access to mobile services with broadband connection. The operation also seeks to upgrade the mobile service from 2G or basic 3G to 4G broadband for 340 municipalities in Colombian territory. Compliance with the Environmental and Social Action Plan As a consequence of IDB Invest's participation in the project, Tigo agreed to comply with the Environmental and Social Action Plan (PAAS). The company is taking appropriate measures to advance its efforts to adopt best practices in its operations, including the development of an external complaints system and improvements in third-party contracting procedures to ensure that contractors appropriately manage environmental risks as well as occupational health and safety risks. IDB Invest, through its advisory services, is working with Tigo to maximize the impact of this transaction on rural populations. IDB Invest will help Tigo support the activation of digital agricultural productivity (such as climate monitoring and information services) for small rural businesses and the digital delivery of opportunities in basic services, such as telehealth or virtual education, for rural populations and those connected for the first time. The project will be implemented in phases, beginning with a pilot in strategic rural areas and in alliances with key actors in the area that have the capacity to connect on site and carry out the necessary activities. This operation is expected to contribute to four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): End of poverty (SDG 1), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), and Partnerships to achieve the goals (SDG 17). About BID Invest IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. IDB Invest finances sustainable companies and projects to achieve financial results and maximize economic, social and environmental development in the region. With a portfolio of US$13.1 billion in assets under management and 385 clients in 25 countries, IDB Invest provides innovative financial solutions and advisory services that respond to the needs of its clients in a variety of sectors. About Tigo Tigo is a leading provider of Telecommunications services in Colombia with more than 10 million mobile subscribers, 1.7 million fixed residential customers, and more than 3,800 employees as of December 31 2020. Tigo is owned by subsidiaries of Millicom International Cellular, S.A. and Empresas Publicas de Medellin. IDB Invest PIC 1 image2 Attachments EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Built In today announced that 3PL Central, a leader in cloud-based Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Order Management Systems (OMS) built to meet the unique omnichannel fulfillment needs of both third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses and brands, was honored in its 2022 Best Places to Work Awards. Specifically, 3PL Central earned a place on Built In LA's Best Midsize Places to Work. The annual awards program includes companies of all sizes, from startups to those in the enterprise, and honors both remote-first employers as well as companies in the eight largest tech markets across the U.S. "People come first at 3PL Central," said Jennifer Albert, vice president of people at 3PL Central. "We've built an incredible team and are excited to be honored for the culture we have created. Between the three acquisitions we completed last year and additional investment from Mainsail Partners, we've more than doubled our employees and expect to continue to grow the team by 30%+ this year." Albert continued, "Throughout this growth, we've prioritized building an engaging culture and expanding benefits to our team. Whether through our Give Freely volunteer events, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, Ambassadors of Fun 'Stuff' culture team, or dedication to continuous training for our team, 3PL Central has built an environment where team members can not only grow but also thrive and have fun." Built In determines the winners of Best Places to Work based on an algorithm, using company data about compensation, benefits and companywide programming. To reflect the benefits candidates are searching for more frequently on Built In, the program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings. "It is my honor to extend congratulations to the 2022 Best Places to Work winners," says Sheridan Orr, Chief Marketing Officer, Built In. "This year saw a record number of entrants and the past two years fundamentally changed what tech professionals want from work. These honorees have risen to the challenge, evolving to deliver employee experiences that provide the meaning and purpose today's tech professionals seek." To learn more about career opportunities within 3PL Central, go to the 3PL Central careers page. ABOUT BUILT IN Built In is creating the largest platform for technology professionals globally. Monthly, more than three million of the industry's most in-demand professionals visit the site from across the world. They rely on our platform to stay ahead of tech trends and news, develop their careers and find opportunities at companies whose values they share. Built In also serves 1,800 innovative companies of all sizes, ranging from startups to the Fortune 100. By putting their stories in front of our uniquely engaged audience, we help them hire otherwise hard-to-reach tech professionals, locally, nationally or remotely. www.builtin.com ABOUT BUILT IN'S BEST PLACES TO WORK Built In's esteemed Best Places to Work Awards, now in its fourth year, honor companies across numerous categories: 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Small Places to Work, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work, 50 Companies with the Best Benefits and 50 Best Paying Companies, 100 Best Large Companies to Work For, and 100 Best Remote-First Places to Work. About 3PL Central 3PL Central is a leader in cloud-based warehouse management (WMS), inventory management (IMS), and order management (OMS) solutions built to meet unique omnichannel fulfillment needs of both 3PLs and brands. Serving as the backbone of our customers' operations, our platforms aim to quickly transform paper-based, error-prone businesses into service leaders that can focus on customer satisfaction, operate more efficiently, and grow faster. Offering comprehensive WMS, OMS, and IMS platforms, 3PL Central endeavors to make it easy for companies to manage inventory, automate routine tasks, and deliver complete visibility to their customers. As an industry leader for over a decade, 3PL Central manages billions of dollars in inventory and processes more than 140 million orders a year from our customers' systems. Company Contact: Rachel Trindade 310-356-7546 rtrindade@3PLcentral.com www.3PLcentral.com Related Images Image 1: Logo This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Louisville, KY., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Signature HealthCAREs residents and families have been nothing short of resilient during our on-going pandemic in a number of ways, including staying in touch with family. Thanks to our use of telehealth, digital communication, and cards and letters, our families have been able to stay connected, even when visitation and face-to-face meetings at times prove challenging due to distance or federal safety guidelines issued for the utmost care of our residents and staff. In May 2021, through an inaugural pilot program lead by the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council (LHCC), Signature HealthCARE announced an exciting addition to those communication methods with Famileo, the personalized family gazette created to connect families across the globe, with a unique, personalized newspaper. In just 7 months, thanks to the success of the inspirational program, more of our families are staying connected as weve expanded the program to more facilities. To see a moving testimonial by our beloved residents, families, and staff at our Sunrise Manor facility, in Hodgenville, Kentucky, please enjoy this short video. My Famileo journey has been an absolute blessing to me, our elders, and to our families, said Jamie Turner, Activities Director over two Signature HealthCARE facilities in Kentucky. COVID has hit hard in so many areas, but especially in long-term care. Visitation regulations can sometimes affect the social and family time of our elders, or families live miles, or states away. Battling isolation with creativity and innovation is a priority for us. When the Famileo program came to one of our facilities for their pilot program, from the first meeting with the Famileo Team, I was in love with this program. Turner is one of several leaders, in an expanded 5 Signature facilities, who regularly work with residents and their families on the Famileo newsletter. Our residents who receive these customized gazettes get so much joy from seeing their families in photos, relating to their day-to-day activities, reading their personal messages, and sharing their experiences, said Brian Owens, Signature HealthCAREs State Quality of Life Director for Florida and Georgia. Its like reading the latest news, but its the latest news of their loved ones and family! Plus, Famileo creates it, with our guidance. Our residents do not have to be concerned with using any digital technology. Its done for them. Famileo is a gazette-style newsletter, created by Tanguy de Gelis, a businessman in France who wanted to create another form of communication for his grandmother in long-term care. His vision has now become an international form of family communication for elders and their families, and for our residents within our facilities. The newsletter is made up of pictures, messages, stories, and updates from the family of our residents. Each participating family member posts their photos, messages, milestones, events, celebrations, and more using the Famileo app on their smartphone, tablet, or computer. Once downloaded, Famileo does the rest, creating a personal and customized family gazette and newsletter for a familys loved one in our facilities, and it can be done on a weekly or monthly basis. Signature started with just one facility. But as success spread, and family connections grew, so did we, expanding our program. For more on how the Famileo newsletter works, click here. The identification and implementation of Famileo was through Signatures engagement with the Louisville Healthcare CEO Councils Innovation work. This included a Global Innovation Search lead by Aging2.0 LLC, a global network which contains more than 40-thousand members across 31 countries, dedicated to accelerating innovation to address the biggest challenges and opportunities in aging. Famileo was chosen as the top innovation through the search. LHCC recently announced their acquisition of Aging2.0, which now serves as LHCCs entrepreneurial and innovation arm. Signature HealthCARE is a founding member of the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, an organization comprised of the top 13 healthcare companies headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, focused on collectively harnessing and maximizing the strengths and resources of their organizations within the Louisville, Kentucky area and beyond, to help solve important national healthcare challenges that extend beyond the scope of any one single member company. Signature HealthCARE is thrilled that Famileo gives our healthcare landscape another avenue to keep our residents and families together, no matter the circumstance or distance! ### Signature HealthCARE is a family-based healthcare company with integrated services at each point of the continuum of care: skilled nursing, home health, assisted living and in-home care. The companys organizational culture inspires more than 12,000 employees with three pillars: Learning, Spirituality, and Innovation. A growing number of Signature HealthCARE centers are earning five-star quality ratings, the highest classification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and 103 Signature HealthCARE locations earned QAPI accreditation. Signature HealthCARE was also awarded the Great Place to Work award for the past five consecutive years. Attachments NEW YORK, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC (GREC or Greenbacker), a leading owner and operator of sustainable infrastructure and energy efficiency projects, announced today that RoxWind, a 15.3-MW wind farm, entered commercial operation on November 30. When it was acquired in 2020, the to-be-constructed project in Roxbury was Greenbackers first asset in Maine, a state with a history of strong support for renewables. Since then, the company has acquired four other assets and steadily built out its pipeline of renewable energy projects there, with RoxWind being its first in the state to reach the commercial operation milestone. The RoxWind projects wind power helps diversify the regions energy resources and is expected to produce nearly 50,300 megawatt-hours of annual clean energy, or enough to power approximately 4,500 homes per year. The project has also supportedand continues to providelocal clean energy jobs, including approximately 80 jobs during its construction, dozens of subcontractors for ongoing maintenance and special projects, and four full-time service technicians. The wind farm is Greenbackers largest sustainable infrastructure asset in Maine. Its four turbines are also the biggest in the companys fleet, by both capacity and length, reflecting an evolutionary trend in wind power technology: Fewer, larger turbines generate energy more efficiently than many smaller turbines producing the same amount of power. Each of RoxWinds turbines can produce over 3.8 MW of wind power and has a rotor diameter of 137 metersroughly the length of 10 full-sized school buses placed end to end. RoxWind also has deep roots in the community. John G. Richardson, Jr., the 97th Speaker of Maines House of Representatives, was an invaluable proponent of the project who passed away before the construction was completed. His memory was honored in June 2021 during a community blade signing and commemoration event organized by Greenbacker and its development partners. RoxWind is a win for all involved, delivering affordable clean power to consumers and driving a future powered by clean energy, said Charles Wheeler, CEO of GREC. This milestone is a testament to the Town of Roxburys support, and a credit to the expertise of the development teams at Palmer Capital, Solaya Energy, and Horseshoe Valley Wind, with whom we look forward to partnering again. Originally developed by Palmer Capital, RoxWind began construction in 2020. Today, it generates renewable energy for four investment-grade municipal utilities via long-term offtake agreements. We are pleased to have partnered with GREC, with their active footprint in Maine, to construct and commission this project in the Town of Roxbury, said Lindsay Deane-Mayer, Senior Vice President from Palmer. Bringing a project online is the culmination of many years of focus by the entire development team, the Town, and various stakeholders. We are grateful for everyone who participated in bringing this project from concept to commercial operation. This project, dedicated to our partner John G. Richardson, will generate clean energy for decades as part of his legacy of giving back to his home state. Greenbackers fleet of sustainable infrastructure projects comprises approximately 2.2 GW of generating capacity (this includes both RoxWind and assets that are to be constructed). Since 2016, Greenbackers real assets have generated 3.4 million megawatt-hours1 of clean energy, abating 2.1 million metric tons of carbon.2 Today these projects support 3,200 green jobs.3 1 Data is as of September 30, 2021. 2 Carbon abatement is calculated using the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator which uses the AVoided Emissions and geneRation Tool (AVERT) US national weighted average CO2 marginal emission rate to convert reductions of kilowatt-hours into avoided units of carbon dioxide emissions. Data is as of September 30, 2021. 3 Green jobs are calculated from the International Renewable Energy Agency's measurement that one megawatt of renewable power supports 3.8 jobs. Data is as of September 30, 2021. About Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability sustainable infrastructure company that acquires and manages income-producing renewable energy and other energy-related businesses, including solar and wind farms. We seek to invest in high-quality projects that sell clean power under long-term contract to high-creditworthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. We are long-term owner-operators, who strive to be good stewards of the land and responsible members of the communities in which we operate. We believe our focus on power production and income generation creates value that we can then pass on to our shareholderswhile facilitating the transition toward a clean energy future. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Although Greenbacker believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Greenbacker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in its expectations. Media Contacts: Greenbacker Chris Larson Senior Writer & Media Communications 847.313.9035 c.larson@greenbackercapital.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/48325fcb-17ac-47b9-b404-4c933383273d https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bec5d6a9-b7c7-49bf-b159-9986513cb157 Newark, N.J., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Trustees of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Teik C. Lim as NJITs ninth president following a national search and a unanimous vote of the Board on January 5, 2022. President-elect Lim, who also will be appointed as a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, will begin his NJIT tenure on July 1, 2022. The appointment of Dr. Lim as NJITs next president is the result of his emergence from an exceptionally talented pool of candidates, said Robert Cohen, chair of NJITs Board of Trustees. Teik has incredibly impressive credentials as a scholar and senior administrator, including having most recently served as the interim president of the University of Texas at Arlington. He has a clear understanding of what NJIT is about, who we serve, and what we need to do to continue the upward trajectory of this great university. I and the entire board enthusiastically welcome Dr. Lim to NJIT and are excited to work with him in the years ahead. As noted by Cohen, Dr. Lim presently serves as the interim president of the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where he also holds the rank of Professor within the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Prior to assuming the interim presidency at UTA, Dr. Lim was the universitys provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2017 to 2020. Before joining UTA, Dr. Lim spent approximately 15 years at the University of Cincinnati, where he held both academic and administrative appointments, the last of which was as dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. During his time as interim president at UTA, Dr. Lim has successfully guided the university through the COVID-19 pandemic while driving increases in student success metrics such as degree attainment, student population diversity, and graduation rates. He also led the effort to achieve Texas Tier One status, making UTA only the fourth institution in Texas to earn this distinction reserved for elite national research institutions. Dr. Lim additionally has enhanced external engagements that strengthen existing and new research as well as career services partnerships, increased philanthropy to UTA, and built support from legislators and public officials, among many other accomplishments. While at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Lim founded the UC Simulation Center in collaboration with Procter & Gamble. This became one of the largest interdisciplinary university-industry research centers on campus and received the P&G Connect+Develop private/public partnership award. Dr. Lim also created the Joint Engineering Co-op Institute in partnership with Chongqing University. Dr. Lim is a renowned scholar who has published 158 refereed journal papers, presented 94 refereed conference proceedings, and delivered nearly 140 conference presentations and invited lectures or seminars. He has been awarded approximately $20 million in funding of research contracts and grants. Dr. Lim is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers International as well as a Licensed Professional Engineer. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence from The Ohio State University in 2019. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University, a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology), and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University, Dr. Lim spent several years in private industry as an engineer before his first faculty appointment. My wife, Gina, and I are ecstatic to be joining the NJIT community, and we are excited about the opportunities and challenges that await us, said Dr. Lim. It truly is an honor to be selected to lead such an important institution into the future. NJIT has been on an amazing trajectory and is fortunate to have a very forward-thinking and collaborative Board of Trustees as well as a strong commitment to social mobility. These facets as well as NJITs position as a top public polytechnic research university drew me to this opportunity. He added, As an engineer who attended polytechnic universities for my bachelors and masters degrees, joining NJIT brings me back to my roots. The chance to lead NJITs continuing growth into a preeminent public polytechnic research university is very appealing to me, as is the opportunity to work with the talented faculty, staff, and students, many of whom are, like me, the first from their family to attend college. The impact of NJIT on its students as well as on the world through its innovative and entrepreneurial spirit is undeniable. In assuming NJITs presidency, Dr. Lim brings a laser focus on continuing NJITs ascendance as a preeminent public polytechnic research university in the region and globally, with intense focus on student success and access, as well as academic and research excellence. Among his priorities, Dr. Lim noted a refresh of NJITs strategic plan to reflect the new circumstances created by and lessons learned through the COVID-19 pandemic; an embrace of the digital revolution occurring right now in higher education; and using NJITs location in a highly industrialized setting to create mutually beneficial private/public partnerships that will enrich the experience and education of students. He also cited diversity as a strength that will continue to help NJIT flourish. Dr. Lim will be the first person of color to assume the presidency of NJIT, which is one of the most diverse universities in the United States. NJIT is a top 20 university nationally for producing African American and Hispanic engineers, and 62% of all engineering degrees awarded to African American and Hispanic students by New Jersey public institutions are awarded by NJIT. NJIT began its search for a new president in March of 2021, after Dr. Joel S. Bloom announced that he would step down from his post as NJITs president on June 30, 2022, following 11 years leading the university and another 19 as vice president and founding Dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College. A presidential search committee consisting of more than 20 individuals representing the Board of Trustees, the Board of Overseers, the faculty, NJITs alumni, students, and the senior administration worked in consult with Isaacson, Miller, a leading professional search firm with extensive experience in the higher education sector, to attract a deep and talented pool of candidates and complete a national search. The entire NJIT community was invited and encouraged to provide, through open forums and other means, input that helped develop the presidential profile. I would like to personally thank the members of the search committee, the staff members who supported our work, and the countless members of the NJIT community who provided insights and feedback throughout this process, said Cohen. It was imperative that this search be conducted in an inclusive manner and the result has been a great success. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said of the selection, I look forward to working with Dr. Teik C. Lim as the next president of NJIT and continuing the partnership with the state that has been cultivated by President Joel Bloom. Dr. Lims scholarly achievements are extremely impressive, and his experience in leading a major public research university through much of the past two years has prepared him well for this opportunity. NJIT, as our states public polytechnic university, plays a vital role in partnering with industry and with the state on critical issues and also serves as an engine for the upward mobility of students from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Lim understands and appreciates the unique position NJIT occupies within New Jerseys higher education ecosystem, and I am confident he will be a great addition to NJIT and to our state. Newark Mayor Ras A. Baraka added, I recently met with Dr. Lim and am excited about his intent to continue building upon the already strong relationship between the City of Newark, our residents, and NJIT. Dr. Lim has an extensive background as an academic, an innovator, and a leader, and I welcome him to Newark and to NJIT. I look forward to working closely with him to further the Universitys mission of excellence and innovation to students, learning, scholarly research, investments and our community. About New Jersey Institute of Technology: One of only 35 polytechnic universities in the United States, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that spurs economic growth and prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT is an economic engine with a $2.8 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey and is a catalyst for applied research, conducting more than $155 million in research activity each year. Ranked No. 1 nationally by Forbes for the upward economic mobility of its lowest-income students, NJIT also is ranked in the top 2% of colleges and universities nationally for the mid-career earnings of graduates, according to PayScale.com. NJIT is ranked No. 39 nationally by The Princeton Review as a Best Value College and is rated among the Top 50 public colleges and universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. WATCH VIDEO: Dr. Lim reflects on his academic journey and priorities as president: https://youtu.be/BsZwF3PHM3w Attachments Toronto, ON, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Six million Canadians will meet the criteria for addiction in our lifetimes. COVID-19 has intensified the problem. Opioid-related deaths surged 25% in Ontario in the first few months of the pandemic and continue to be at a crisis point. Premiering Tuesday, January 25 at 9 pm ET on TVO, TVO.org, YouTube and TVO streaming channels, TVO Original Come Clean is a close look at what fuels addiction, as well as the herculean effort and hope recovery demands. The reality of addiction seriously impacts individuals, families and communities across Ontario, says John Ferri, VP of Programming and Content at TVO. With unflinching honesty, Come Clean shares the real struggle of overcoming addictions through deeply personal journeysstories that most Ontarians will relate to. Written and directed by Derreck Roemer and Neil Graham of Insurgent Projects (Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel, The Lost Highway), TVO Original Come Clean begins on New Years Eve in the southwestern Ontario farming community of Thamesville, home to Westover Treatment Centre. Cameras roll as the dozen addicts in group 1313 embark on 19 days of in-treatment counselling. With intimate and unfettered access, the filmmakers embedded round-the-clock at Westover, living alongside the program participants. Post-treatment, filming followed select subjects stories for 18 months to experience their realities and see who among them could break the habits that landed them in rehab. Bryanna, Annie, Ryan and Julie, the featured four from group 1313, are as different as their backstories. Ranging in age from their teens to their forties, the common through-line is shame and guilt from early-life traumas that theyve been unable to overcome thus far. Come Clean isnt about wallowing in the depths, but the valiant efforts to rise out of addictions malaise Freed from drugs during treatment at Westover, the films subjects are lucid, smart and funny, with a startling degree of self-awareness. But staying clean in rehab is the easy part. The hard work begins once program participants reenter the turmoil of the world. For filmmakers Roemer and Graham, who specialize in long-term projects, Come Clean challenged them to work in a distinctly different way. With the understanding that each additional day an addict waits for treatment puts them further at risk, Westover admits clients quicklywhich meant the filmmakers didnt know who their subjects would be until two weeks before filming commenced. Westovers admissions staff asked prospective clients if theyd participate in a doc film, says Roemer, and we spent the next two weeks crisscrossing the province to meet those whod consented, knowing the next time we saw them would be on day one of filming. It was, says Roemer, equal parts stressful and invigorating. Directors Graham and Roemer wanted to get to the root of why were increasingly vulnerable to addiction. Grahams own bout with a painkiller dependency was an eye-opening experience for him. Any one of us is susceptible to addiction, he said. With astronomically high rates of addiction to sex, gambling, food, drugs and technologywhere a misplaced cell phone precipitates a crisisnone of us are safe from its reach. According to Westovers Laird Brush, addicts can stay clean by changing one thing: Everything. The way you think, the way you feel, the way you behave, where you work, where you live, and who you hang out with. But if everything is the goal, whats the reality? How many will be able to make the wholesale changes necessary to redeem a life? TVO Original Come Cleans featured four: Bryanna arrived at Westover a victim of a brutal upbringing at the hands of violent, negligent parents. After bouts of bingeing led to suicidal tendencies, twenty-something Bryannas goals are realistic. I just want to feel OK, she says. But with her emotional growth stunted by trauma, the main obstacle, according to a counselor, will be overcoming the mind of a child in a womans body. Annie came to treatment in her early forties as a self-described mess with a history of addiction to alcohol, food, gambling and drugs. Her Achilles heel is her alcoholic husband Chris, who Annie, initially, believed to be an asset in her recovery. But in treatment, she learns he puts her at greatest risk for relapse. Hes the best thing thats ever happened to me, she says. And maybe the worst. Ryan, by his late teens, was a small-town drug kingpin. But arrest and incarceration brought his world tumbling down. His enrollment at Westover is a condition of his parole, and a relapse could lead him straight back to jail. Clear-eyed about his chances for success, Ryan knows abstinence will be hard. Probably the hardest thing Ill ever do in my life, he says. Julie is a strong-willed Windsor auto worker and mother of two young adults who had an intense cocaine addiction. A prime example of Westovers mantra that addiction is a response to trauma, Julies recovery begins when she confronts her childhood and an event thats shrouded her life in regret, shame and guilt. Watch the premiere of TVO Original Come Clean on Tuesday, January 25 at 9 pm ET on TVO, TVO.org, YouTube and other TVO streaming channels. Viewers can also access the latest on TVO documentary news and insights by signing up for the forthcoming TVO Docs newsletter at TVO.org/newsletters. -30- About Insurgent Projects: Toronto-based filmmaking duo Derreck Roemer and Neil Graham have worked together for over 20 years, producing and directing everything from shorts to feature-length documentaries. In late 2000, the pair began work on Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel, a film that premiered to critical acclaim and sold-out screenings at the Hot Docs festival, then played festivals worldwide before television broadcasts in Canada and elsewhere. The film garnered Roemer and Graham a Gemini Award for best direction in a documentary series, as part of TVO's documentary anthology The View From Here. In 2009, Graham and Roemer formed Insurgent Projects, and in 2014 released the Canadian Screen Award best-doc-nominee The Lost Highway. In 2018, TVO commissioned Roemer and Graham to create Come Clean. About TVO: TVO inspires learning that changes lives and enriches communities. Founded in 1970, we are a globally recognized digital learning organization that engages Ontarians of all ages with inclusive experiences and diverse perspectives. Through video, audio, games, courses, newsletters and articles, were investing in the transformative potential of education for everyone. Funded primarily by the Province of Ontario, TVO is a registered charity supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. For more information, visit tvo.org and tvokids.com. TVO streaming channels: LG: TVO, TVOkids Apple TV: TVO, TVOkids Amazon Fire TV: TVO, TVOkids Roku: TVO, TVOkids Android: TVOkids Running time: 89 minutes Media screeners and hi-res photos available upon request. See the trailer. For further information: TVO.org/documentaries insurgentprojects.com westovertreatmentcentre.ca/ Social media: Twitter: @tvodocs, Facebook: /tvodocs, /insurgentprojects Hashtag: #ComeCleanDocumentary Kennesaw, Georgia, USA, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KENNESAW, Ga., Jan. 5, 2022 Building upon its work with Flatiron-Aecon Joint Venture on the Calgary Ring Road Project in Alberta, Canada, BrandSafway's Major Projects Group (MPG) and the Infrastructure Services Group were selected to design and build a one-of-a-kind under-bridge traveling platform to provide access for the final construction stages of the Bow River Bridge twinning project. "This solution proves, once again, that BrandSafway can meet the widest range of project demands, where safety and efficiency are high priorities," said Alex Di Domenico, managing director, BrandSafway, MPG. "We started working with Flatiron-Aecon in 2019 at the beginning of the Bow River Bridge twinning project by providing stairs and engineering services. Now, were proud to be designing and fabricating an innovative access solution for its completion." BrandSafway has provided the most efficient solution for our challenging access requirements to the underside of the bridge. With their platform, we will be significantly more efficient with less downtime to our operations, said Kyle Hendrikx, bridge manager for Flatiron-Aecon Joint Venture. The unique, triangle-shaped Truss Frame System solution was custom-designed for Flatiron-Aecon to provide safe access to the underside of the bridge for several workers at a time. Adapted to have retractable extensions, the solution allows the system to travel around piers, without having to dismantle the platform. Patent-pending launching extensions, which are now available to the bridge market, will allow the entire 112-foot length and 32-foot width C-frame structure to move back and forth along the 1542-foot length of the bridge. The platform consists of two half-truss frame platforms mounted securely to the manually operating top bridge deck carriages. Each half-platform is equipped with launching triangular trusses, which are extended and retracted manually as the system travels the length of the bridge, across four bridge piers. Traditional Systems Scaffold, located on each half of the fixed truss platform, provides access to the underside of the bridge segments. "BrandSafways patent-pending Truss Frame System provides the flexibility, mobility and low cost of a movable platform system, while eliminating need for hoists and cranes to traverse around bridge piers, said Mathieu Grumberg, director of North American Product Development for BrandSafway and the engineer who designed and developed the innovative solution for the twinning project. Flatiron-Aecon's West Bow River Bridge twinning project has been tendered at a cost of $89 million CAD. According to Aecon, the Bow River Bridge twinning project is a key component in the completion of the Calgary Ring Road and will provide vital transportation infrastructure for growing communities in the Greater Calgary Area. When complete, the entire Calgary Ring Road will provide travelers with 101 kilometres of free-flow travel. AlumaSafway, which provides the broadest range of forming, shoring, scaffolding, work access and industrial service solutions to the industrial, commercial and infrastructure markets in Canada, will manage the delivery of site services for BrandSafway in Alberta. BrandSafway's new under-bridge traveler access platform will be in use on the Bow River Bridge twinning project in 2022 and 2023. About BrandSafway With a commitment to safety as its foremost value, BrandSafway provides the broadest range of solutions with the greatest depth of expertise to the industrial, commercial and infrastructure markets. Through a network of 360 strategic locations across 30 countries and more than 40,000 employees, BrandSafway delivers a full range of forming, shoring, scaffolding, work access and industrial service solutions. BrandSafway supports maintenance and refurbishment projects as well as new construction and expansion plans with unmatched service from expert local labor and management. Todays BrandSafway is At Work For You leveraging innovation and economies of scale to increase safety and productivity, while remaining nimble and responsive. For more information about BrandSafway, visit www.brandsafway.com. PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. # # # Attachments TORONTO, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galane Gold Ltd. (Galane Gold or the Company) (TSX-V: GG; OTCQB: GGGOF) today announces that it has issued to Gavin Vandervegt a notice to terminate his contract as the Companys Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Vandervegt has served as Galane Golds CFO since October 2016 and he will remain with the Company in a transitional role for a period of up to three months. We would like to thank Gavin for his tireless and invaluable contributions to Galane Gold, said Nick Brodie, Chief Executive Officer. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Ravi Sood, the Chairman of Galane Gold, said in addition, The Galane Gold board of directors is currently undertaking a review of its senior management team with a view to aligning it closer with the Companys growth plans over the next two years and the shift in the Companys focus with the addition of the Summit mine. About Galane Gold Galane Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in Botswana, South Africa and New Mexico. Galane Gold is a public company and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GG and the OTCQB under the symbol GGGOF. Galane Golds management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. Galane Gold is committed to operating at world-class standards and is focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information please contact: Nick Brodie CEO, Galane Gold Ltd. + 44 7905 089878 Nick.Brodie@GalaneGold.com www.GalaneGold.com FILE - Members of Congress shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (Andrew Harnik/AP) WASHINGTON Long after most other lawmakers had been rushed to safety, they were on the hard marble floor, ducking for cover. Trapped in the gallery of the House, occupying balcony seats off-limits to the public because of COVID-19, roughly three dozen House Democrats were the last ones to leave the chamber on Jan. 6, bearing witness as the certification of a presidential election gave way to a violent insurrection. Advertisement As danger neared, and as the rioters were trying to break down the doors, they called their families. They scrambled for makeshift weapons and mentally prepared themselves to fight. Many thought they might die. When I looked up, I had this realization that we were trapped, said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They had evacuated the House floor first. And they forgot about us. Advertisement During the chaos and as lawmakers found their way to safety, Crow comforted Susan Wild, the Democratic congresswoman representing Pennsylvanias 7th District. In an interview with The Morning Call in the aftermath of the chaos, Wild recalled she may have been having a panic attack and her heart was pounding really, really hard. [ It was pandemonium: Inside Rep. Susan Wilds experience during the U.S. Capitol riot ] She only realized her distress was visible when Crow reached out to hold her hand and told her, We are going to be OK. That moment was captured in a photo widely shared on social media. UNITED STATES - JANUARY 6: Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., comforts Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., while taking cover as protesters disrupt the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call) Bound together by circumstance, sharing a trauma uniquely their own, the lawmakers were both the witnesses and the victims of an unprecedented assault on American democracy. Along with a small number of staffers and members of the media, they remained in the chamber as Capitol Police strained to hold back the mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The lawmakers were finally taken to safety roughly an hour after the siege began. Interviewed by The Associated Press before this weeks anniversary of the attack, 10 of the House members who were in the gallery talked of being deeply shaken by their experience. Vividly they remember the loud, hornetlike buzz of their gas masks. The explosive crack of tear gas in the hallways outside. The screams of officers telling them to stay down. The thunderous beating on the doors below. Glass shattering as the rioters punched through a window. The knobs rattling ominously on the locked doors just a few feet behind them. Most indelibly, the loud clap of a gunshot, reverberating across the cavernous chamber. Advertisement Ive heard a lot of gunshots in my time, and it was very clear what that was, Crow said. I knew that things had severely escalated. Wild knew, too. After hesitating she didnt want to worry them she FaceTimed her 27-year-old son, Clay, and her 24-year-old daughter, Adrienne. Theyre trying to evacuate us, she told them. I think Im OK. We can hear glass shattering and shots behind you, her son responded. How can you be OK? The shot was fired by Officer Michael Byrd and killed Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter trying to crawl through the broken window of a door that leads to the House chamber. Both the Justice Department and Capitol Police investigated the shooting and declined to file charges. Their terror was compounded by knowledge of what the mob was after: stopping Congress from certifying the Electoral College votes that would make Joe Biden the 46th president. Mike Pence, as is customary for the vice president, had been presiding over the ceremony in the House where lawmakers gathered to hear the certified election results. Advertisement Trump had other ideas. Spouting lies about election fraud that were refuted by his own Justice Department, Trump pressured Pence to reject the electors a move that would have bucked the Constitution and thrown the House, and potentially the country, into chaos. Pence refused to do so, but Trump held a rally in Washington before the vote-counting began, telling hundreds of supporters at the Ellipse that they had to fight like hell. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., was also among those sheltering in the gallery. The former police chief in Orlando shuddered when police said there had been a breach of the building. I knew that meant that the police had somehow lost the line. And I also know, having been a former police officer, that they would have done everything in their power to hold that line to protect us," she said. Demings said she told a colleague sheltering with her in the gallery: Just remember, were on the right side of history. If we all die today, another group will come in and certify those ballots. Congress reconvened that night, certifying Bidens election victory before sunrise. Advertisement In the days after the attack, many of the lawmakers who were in the gallery started connecting on a text message chain. It quickly evolved into therapeutic group sessions and even potluck gatherings where they tried to make sense of it all. They dubbed themselves the gallery group, and the name stuck. Many went on to seek therapy. Some were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, their struggles exacerbated by the raw tensions on Capitol Hill and an increasing number of death threats. Others said they have been more traumatized by the growing tendency among Republican lawmakers, and some in the public, to downplay or ignore the violence than they were by the attack itself. Rep. Annie Kuster, who sought treatment for post-traumatic stress, says the gallery group connects almost daily on the text message chain. Kuster, D-N.H., was one of the first to be let out of the gallery on Jan. 6, escaping through the doors along with three other members just before the remaining lawmakers were locked inside. When Kusters group reached the hallway, a group of rioters was rushing toward them. We ducked into the elevator, Kuster said. And I said to this incredible policeman I said, oh, my God, what if the elevator doors open, and they kill us? And I will never forget this moment ... he said, Maam, I am here to protect you. And he was there to protect our democracy. Eventually, Capitol Police determined the upstairs area was clear, even as insurrectionists kept trying to break through the doors below. The lawmakers and others were rushed out of the chamber and down a warren of staircases and hallways. When they left, they could see police officers holding five or six rioters flat on the ground, guns pointed at their heads. Advertisement The rioters were inches from the doors of the gallery. When Kuster made it home two days later, she watched hours of video from the insurrection. It only compounded the trauma. Last Call Daily Get top headlines from The Morning Call delivered weekday afternoons. > I remember my husband coming in, and I was just sobbing, Kuster said. And he was holding me, saying, I dont know if this is the best thing for you to see. But we have to we have to acknowledge the reality of what happened that day. And whats challenging for us is that we are both victims and witnesses to the crime on our country. Once the initial shock wore off, Wild also started to feel angry. I was also furious that people felt emboldened enough to do this, she said. How dare they? Advertisement Wild also said she believed it was important for the House to take a stand against the behavior that incited this violence. In the coming months, members of the House committee panel investigating the insurrection will start to reveal their findings. They are planning televised hearings and reports that will bring the full story of Jan. 6 out into the open. The Morning Call contributed to this report. Gloucester, MA (01930) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning giving way to a few showers late. High 52F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low 44F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. There are historic dates in our memories that will never be forgotten, such as Dec. 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States was brought into World War II. Another is Sept. 11, 2001, when foreign terrorists crashed airplanes into the heart of our country. Advertisement Yet, only one year ago, another attack occurred that should be remembered in equal measure with Pearl Harbor and 9/11: Jan. 6, 2021. The death toll on Jan. 6, 2021 was not nearly as large as on the days of the other attacks. However, the threat to our democracy was greater than from the other two we all remember. Advertisement First, it was designed, encouraged and perpetrated by our own countrymen, including the defeated president, members of his staff and certain members of Congress, not by foreign terrorists. Second, it was a violent attempt to overturn a presidential election, and an assault on our Constitution. Third, the lie upon which the insurrection was based is continuing one year later, led by the now-former president, senators and congressmen, unscrupulous lawyers, Fox News, and countless purveyors on social media. We still hear these apologists for Jan. 6 saying the crowd was a normal tourist visit or it wasnt that big a deal and certainly wasnt an armed insurrection. Anyone who has seen the videos of the attack on the Capitol knows these claims are ludicrous. And as U.S District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, observed, Im especially troubled by the accounts of some members of Congress that Jan. 6 was just a day of tourists walking through the Capitol. I dont know what planet these people are on. Thomas A. Wallitsch (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / JOHN MORGANELLI) Supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 attack the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/TNS) It is anticipated numerous serious federal charges could, and should, be brought against those who planned, instigated and participated in the attack. Although crimes charged could also include crimes involving federal property (the rioters caused $1.5 million in property damage), and crimes against persons (five lives were lost and nearly 150 law enforcement officers were injured), the most-discussed possible charges relate to crimes against government authority. Treason, the best known and most serious of the offenses against government authority, will probably not be charged since the exact requirements of this crime are unclear. The Supreme Court said treason, defined in the Constitution as levying War against the United States, or adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort, should not be extended by construction to doubtful cases. Advertisement However, despite Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., minimizing the attack, saying it couldnt be considered an armed insurrection, it certainly could be charged as such under federal law. The statute criminalizing insurrection defines the offender as anyone who incites, sets on foot, or engages in any insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof It is now known that the planners and inciters of the march to the Capitol intended to disrupt the constitutional requirement of counting the Electoral College votes, clearly an attack on the authority of the highest law of our country, the Constitution. Another federal criminal law, seditious conspiracy, would possibly be even easier to prove. This law prohibits a conspiracy (two or more people agreeing) to prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any law (here, the counting of the Electoral College votes). Again, based on even the public statements of some of the individuals involved in the planning of the events of Jan. 6, charges for this crime are likely. Let there be no mistake: History will judge Jan. 6, 2021, to be another date which will live in infamy. It is truly unbelievable that so many of our fellow citizens still believe the lies that led to the attack on our Capitol, our Constitution and the peaceful transition of power that existed in the United States for its entire history. This is not a partisan issue; there are millions of thoughtful and honest Republicans who know that Trumps nonsensical, unsupported claims that President Biden was not duly elected have done serious damage to our political system. Advertisement They know that Trump and his minions have been damaging the Grand Old Party as well as attempting to destroy our democracy, before, on and after Jan. 6, 2021, a date that none of us should ever forget. Thomas A. Wallitsch, a Salisbury Township resident, served as a judge in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas from 1991 to 2006. SHIPSHEWANA [mdash] Lorene Miller, 69, Shipshewana, died at 7:15 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at Life Care Center, LaGrange. She was born Sept. 8, 1952 in LaGrange, to Lester and Mary Alice (Miller) Hochstetler. On Oct. 24, 1974 in Shipshewana, she married Chris B. Miller, he survives. Survivor Yes, like every other state in the nation At least half of it No, keep funneling to the General Fund Eliminate the fuel tax Uncertain Vote View Results The unwise decision by Lehigh County to count undated mail ballots is headed to the state Supreme Court. Good. Lets put this matter to rest before the midterm election. Advertisement The election is shaping up to be ugly enough. Pennsylvania cant give sore losers any reason to cry voter fraud or misconduct by election officials. The mail voting law has been subject to interpretation and applied inconsistently for too long. The Lehigh case is just the most recent example, and it could change the outcome of a judical race. Advertisement On Monday, Commonwealth Court ruled that 257 mail ballots returned without a date in the November election in Lehigh should not be counted. That reversed a decision by a county judge, who upheld the county election boards decision to count them. Republican judicial candidate David Ritter filed the case, seeking to have the ballots thrown out. He is leading Democrat Zachary Cohen by 74 votes. With Democrats more likely to vote by mail, its possible Cohen could win if the undated ballots are counted. Cohens attorney said Monday the case is not over, as it will be appealed to the state Supreme Court. State lawmakers have sat idle as this debate has emerged since they passed the mail voting law in 2019. Instead of clarifying that the law intends for undated ballots to be disqualified, they have allowed county election boards and the courts to make that call, resulting in erratic application. Considering the Supreme Court justices previous positions on this issue, Im hopeful they will uphold Mondays Commonwealth Court ruling and finally end this debate. The Commonwealth Courts ruling relied on what the Supreme Court said in a series of opinions in 2020 after the presidential election. Advertisement Three of the seven justices said ballots in Philadelphia and Allegheny County should be disqualified for not being dated. Three justices said the lack of dates was not a reason for disqualification, as election law should be interpreted liberally so voters are not disenfranchised. The seventh justice, Democrat David Wecht, said dates are required. But he gave voters a pass for the 2020 election and said the requirement should be enforced in future years. Like 2021. Case closed, I hope. The Supreme Court hearing the appeal in the Lehigh case will have one different justice. Republican Kevin Brobson was sworn in Monday to replace Republican Thomas Saylor, who had reached mandatory retirement age. [ Justice for sale? A $5M Supreme Court race illustrates whats wrong with how Pennsylvania picks judges ] We will see if that makes a difference, or if any of the other justices change their position. Brobson previously was president judge of Commonwealth Court. He was not involved in Mondays ruling on the Lehigh case. It was decided by a panel of three other judges, which split 2-1. Advertisement This isnt the only case pending on the matter. In October, before the election, Bucks and Montgomery counties sued state elections officials, seeking an order allowing them to count signed but undated ballots. The counties did not count undated ballots in November, as they sought direction from the state. Their lawsuit alleges there hasnt been sufficient clarification. I disagree. In addition to the 2020 Supreme Court ruling, in 2020 and 2021 the state elections office told counties that mail ballots must be dated to be counted. Thats the critical word the law is missing. Advertisement I believe the law is clear, as I argued in a column in November urging Lehigh not to count the disputed ballots. But it says ballots shall be dated and signed. Courts, unfortunately, have been divided about whether that term means something is required, or merely suggested. Lawmakers should stop using that term. Its archaic, a relic of the Kings English. When is the last time you heard that word used in conversation? Use must and there would be no confusion. Because the Legislature hasnt done that, we have cases like this. The Republican leaders of the House and Senate did, though, submit a compelling legal brief supporting Ritters case to have Lehighs undated ballots disqualified. They said the date requirement is consistent with previous election law. They noted that when absentee ballots, often submitted by mail, were created in 1963, a date was required. Advertisement The requirement that electors date and sign their absentee or mail-in ballots serves a variety of important election administration purposes, said the brief by Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman; Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward; House Speaker Bryan Cutler; and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff. The date on the ballot envelope provides proof of when the elector actually executed the ballot in full, ensuring their desire to cast it in lieu of appearing in person at a polling place. The presence of the date also establishes a point in time against which to measure the electors eligibility to cast the ballot. The date also ensures the elector completed the ballot within the proper time frame and prevents the tabulation of potentially fraudulent back-dated votes, their brief says, citing opinions from the 2020 cases. [ Mail voting is as easy as boiling water. Yet Pennsylvania voters still make mistakes, threatening the system. ] I irritated some people when I urged that undated ballots not be counted. My critics contended a date is meaningless if ballots are received on time. That should be apparent by the postmark or when they are collected from the countys drop box, they scolded. The law requires a date. Its that simple. Postmarks are irrelevant, as ballots must be received by Election Day. It isnt a Draconian mandate. The intent isnt to trap voters, hoping they will screw up their ballots so they are disqualified. Advertisement And its not an attempt by Republicans to suppress votes. The mail ballot law passed in 2019 was a bipartisan effort. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill. I hope the state Supreme Court ends this nonsense with a sensible ruling in the Lehigh case. If it doesnt, then the Legislature must do its job and clarify the law. Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall.com This column was updated on Jan. 5 to add that Montgomery County did not count undated ballots in Novembers election. JuiceBar, a commercial EV charger manufacturer based in Connecticut, has entered the home charging market with the release of a 48-amp charger that it calls the Cheetah. Our new home charger combines the speed and unparalleled reliability of our commercial chargers with a smart interface that will impress every EV driver. JuiceBar CEO Paul Vosper The Cheetah will be compatible with all EV models. The home version will be available in 32-, 40-, and 48-amp configurations and will include dual safety relays, a smart mobile app, and a 3-year warranty. Options include an extra-long 25-foot cord and a cord retractor. Amy Harris, JuiceBars Chief Marketing Officer, said that the company will soon be announcing plans to offer customers an option to make their EVs 100% carbon neutral through the purchase of certified renewable energy credits that offset the cars carbon footprint. About JuiceBar JuiceBar has been building a global EV charging infrastructure since 2009. JuiceBar chargers are manufactured and assembled in the US and can be found in hundreds of cities throughout North America. The commercial chargers offer unique safety features, OCPP connectivity, and charge times that are 60-250% faster compared to most Level 2 chargers. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Drivers on Interstate-95 in Virginia were met with gridlock traffic on Monday and Tuesday after a snowstorm hit the area, causing tractor-trailers to jackknife across the highway as well as a number of other accidents, according to the New York Times. Among those passengers was U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who was stranded in traffic after attempting to make the commute to the U.S. Capitol from his Richmond home. According to the Associated Press, Kaine spent 21 hours in his car and even phoned a local radio station to express his concern for those stuck in their cars as the temperature outside dropped to 15 degrees. GREENWICH At least 60 staff members at Greenwich Hospital were not working Wednesday amid a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections that is likely driven by the omicron variant, a hospital official said. We didnt have the number of staff out the first three waves that we are having now, so its just there are different challenges, for sure, Diane Kelly, the hospitals president, said during the towns COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday afternoon. Across Yale New Haven Health, the hospitals parent health care system, 700 patients were hospitalized as of Wednesday for treatment of COVID-19, with 95 in intensive care units, Kelly said. That includes 60 patients at Greenwich Hospital, five of whom were in the ICU, she said. This fourth wave, whats different is how contagious it is - so its rapidly spreading, very quick - but what we are seeing is a different level of acuity, Kelly said. Some people who have received an initial round of vaccine are getting sick and ending up in the hospital, she said, but those who are hospitalized after getting a booster shot often have other underlying issues. Really, the majority of people are not in the ICU, theyre not requiring ventilated or mechanical assisted breathing in any way, she said. Those who are not vaccinated at all are the ones that are sicker, Kelly said. Greenwich Hospital recently announced a new policy severely limiting visitors in most wards due to the spike in COVID-19 cases across the state. No visitors are allowed in inpatient, emergency, outpatient surgeries, procedural areas and psychiatry departments at all, with exceptions for people with disabilities and patients who are dying. As of Tuesday, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in Greenwich was 466, town officials said. Between Dec. 28 and Jan. 4, a total of 650 new cases were reported. Despite the jump in cases, First Selectman Fred Camillo said he had no plans to reinstate a townwide mask mandate. Many businesses already require patrons to wear face coverings, Camillo said, and most people are wearing masks of their own accord. Youve got to be careful with these mandates, Camillo said during the news conference. You know weve done it in the past we did it a few times, and in some cases it was not very popular. Except for a mask mandate put in place last August, he noted that all prior mask mandates predated the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Most businesses downtown are already doing it, he added. You dont want to be nanny state, always throwing mandates left and right, Camillo said. Masks are required in all town-owned buildings, including town hall and the civic centers, under an order from Camillo last month. Also last month, Town Director of Health Caroline Baisley said the omicron variant was raging in town. In total statewide, Connecticut recorded more than 10,300 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, while hospitalizations rose to 1,676 patients higher than at any point since the spring of 2020, according to state statistics. Camillo acknowledged that the surge in COVID-19 cases has also affected town agencies, without naming which ones. Some have been hit particularly hard, but theyre all coming back full-strength, he said. One department had a lot out a few weeks ago, Camillo said. We were in contact with them and operations were unaffected. We had other contingency plans, he said. On Tuesday, the town distributed thousands of COVID-19 home test kits at two sites for town residents Grass Island Park for everyone and the Senior Center for residents age 60 and up. The town received a shipment of 6,000 Flowflex kits ordered by the state of Connecticut. The town expects to receive another shipment of tests to distribute, Camillo said. But when they would arrive is unclear, and he declined to say how many kits the town is expected to receive. Also on Tuesday, the Greenwich Public Schools reported its largest-by-far number of new COVID cases 392 among students and staff on its online tracker. The numbers, which were the first reported in the 11 days since Dec. 24, reflect the new COVID-19 cases diagnosed during the school districts holiday recess. The Greenwich Public Schools also received 46 boxes of iHealth tests, or 8,280 total tests, and five boxes of Flowflex, or 1,440 total tests, on Tuesday. The kits can be used if a student or staff member exhibits symptoms and needs to be screened for COVID-19; if a student or staff member has a direct exposure to an individual with COVID-19; or if a class or program is experiencing multiple cases of COVID-19, a school may distribute tests to all students in that classroom or program if they have difficulty accessing tests. The state also sent tests to private schools in Greenwich. As I continue to meet, photograph, listen and curate stories from my fellow manaotao sanlagu, I am enriched with an ongoing nuanced understanding of what it means to be CHamoru not living in Guam. The documentary Manaotao Sanlagu: Chamorus from the Marianas launched four months ago in the PDN, the first photo shoot and interview was eight months earlier, but the concept and idea has been fermenting like fine tuba in my brain for about four years. I always believed in it happening, but timing and circumstances never seemed right. Back then I always thought the documentary would be a simple and sweet love letter to my people. I wasnt aware early on of its impact and importance until I started interviewing CHamorus on my early short list and they saw the idea, vision and power of the concept before me. I am no stranger to long-term photography and narrative documentation; its my preferred way of working. I love the fluid nature of honoring the documentarys mission statement but also being open to critical feedback, serendipity and the refinements that it brings. Its part of the magic that keeps my creative soul engaged and inspired. I am after all just a curious conduit, as I tell them: Its your story, your migration, your family, your life trajectories and your universal truths. I am humbled by the time and the stories they shared with me. I revel in the conversations, the talking story, the oddly familiar, shared island experiences and new found familial re-connections, and its even better when I am being fed. I have eaten more CHamoru food this past year than I have the previous four years living in the San Francisco Bay Area. As I look back and push forward, I find the documentary makes me believe in something bigger than myself, it initiates gratitude and fills me with a sense of life purpose. Today The Story Continues is another crop of CHamoru portraits, the second 110 manaotao sanlagu. But we also look back at the story so far and some feedback from those we profiled and from readers. Resonate for years Truly, the credit goes to Manny for thinking of capturing the essence of who we are through our culture. And I told him his work, which is far from being finished, will resonate for years to come. This was a message from Pete Gumataotao, whom we featured on Sept. 16, 2021, on a Father Duenas class of 1976 WhatsApp group chat. I was just talking to my two sons and I was telling them how these weekly stories can help heal both sides: those of us here in the states and the CHamorus back home. I think it would help them to understand our experiences and journey being away from home. It gives all of us a bigger picture of how we are all connected and for me it feels like were so more included, said Lyn Aflague Arroyo, whom we featured on Sept. 23, 2021. I really enjoy these conversations. I need more of them in my life. Thank you for grounding Jay and I with these ideas and helping us explore the things that are ingrained into our DNA from those that came before us. It is these moments that will ensure our culture will be ingrained into those that will come after us, said Jeremy Castro, whom we featured on Dec. 9, 2021. Love and admiration for my aunties and mother is a huge part of the foundation in my life. And since the feature, my heart is full. They expressed that theyre so very proud of me and honored that Jeremy and I lead the way for the family. They now constantly validate my contributions to the culture and remind me that were blessed to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves, said Jay Castro, whom we featured on Dec. 9, 2021. It was a blessing How I feel: embarrassed by the attention; grateful to you for telling my story; humbled that you thought I was worthy of having my story told; and proud that people relate to me. I am blown away by how many people related to Moana the way I do. I feel like the very essence of our spirit was caught in the story and that song, said Melissa Leon Guerrero Do, whom we featured on Sept. 30, 2021. I feel so grateful and humbled. And inspired to continue exploring, researching, finding ways to connect to the culture and honor my family, my ancestors, said Lisa Tenorio, whom we featured on Oct. 14, 2021. My family already reached out earlier this morning to say that they enjoyed reading the article. Most didnt know the extent of my tribulations to get to where I am today and my perspective of home. So thank you for making sense of what mattered and delivering professionally, said Rod Taitano, whom we featured on Nov. 18, 2021. It made me appreciate my family more, especially during this pandemic, which has kept me from my family. Your article made me feel even more connected to homeland, to home culture, and family. It was a comfort during this prolonged time of separation due to the pandemic. It was a blessing, said Mary Therese Perez Hattori, whom we featured on Sept. 30, 2021. It wasnt difficult to share my adversities and practices with Manny, since I grew up with his sister Arlene and she is my best friend. His series is a testament to the multiplicities of his artistry and love for our people, said Fran Nededog Lujan, whom we featured on Dec. 2, 2021. An epic journey Very proud to read the many stories of Chamorros succeeding in a variety of fields from business, art, education, etc. and bringing the CHamoru culture with them. said Johnny Gogo, whom we featured on Oct. 7, 2021. As someone who spent most of my adult life away from Guam, the mahalang feeling is real and worth capturing among people from the Marianas. My sister, who has been in NYC since the 80s still tries to capture her CHamoru-Ness, even trying to pray in CHamoru. I relocated home in 2013 because my mom was slowing down and I wanted to spend time with her before she passed away. She died a year ago and Im glad I was here. Your project will stir up many emotions, some we will not realize weve been feeling, said Juan Flores of Agana Heights. We are all over the world, but our hearts are always home. This should be an epic journey for you. Safe travels! said Jeff Castro Harris of Pennsylvania. Yes, the journey is epic as I continue navigating mahahalang yan sasaonao (from root forms mahalang and saonao) my longing and belonging. Telling a story about our people, one mahalang sanlagu CHamoru at a time. Checks totaling $17.2 million were presented to 43 child care centers by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio Wednesday. The funds were distributed from the Guam Childcare Assistance Program Stabilization 2021. Each center got $400,000. We trust child care providers to support parents who are working to earn a living for their families. They nurture the minds of our children at a crucial time in their development, and they do so with loving care and kindness, the governor said. The child care centers were chosen based on those with an 80% revenue loss in 2020, according to a release by the governors office. It is welcomed news that these desperately needed federal resources that have been sitting idle are finally being released, Guam Del. Mike San Nicolas stated in a news release. While other jurisdictions across the country have deployed similar federal relief resources more timely, it seems we are expected to celebrate what is proving to be an intentional slow drip of support into our community, fueling speculation that it is on a political clock. Godsend This program is a godsend, said Caroline Arriola-Matsumiya, representing Mercy Heights. She said the grant will help update and buy safer and better learning equipment for children. The governor established the program with Executive Order 2021-28, to disperse American Rescue Plan funds through a collaboration between the Guam Economic Development Authority and Department of Public Health and Social Services. With this grant we will be continuing to provide high quality early childhood programs to the families on Guam, said Lani Tamondong, president of the Guam Child Care Association. She said funds will go toward resources for clients as well as training for staff. The grant is part of an effort by the governors office to prioritize child care with the establishment of the Division of Childrens Wellness under Public Health, Adelup stated. Established under executive order 2021-26 in November, the division includes the Bureau of Social Services, Child Protective Services and the Bureau of Child Care Services. A Superior Court of Guam judge issued a warrant for the arrest of a woman who allegedly smuggled drugs and paraphernalia into the Department of Corrections. Joanie Siguenza is wanted by the authorities after she failed to show up for a hearing before Judge Alberto E. Tolentino. Siguenza was scheduled to plead guilty to allegedly smuggling drugs and paraphernalia during a three-day stay at DOC in 2016. Tolentino issued a warrant for her arrest as she is on pre-trial release and did not show up for the hearing. DOC stay In 2016 Siguenza was confined at DOC for about three days for an unrelated case when officers discovered a black pouch under her bunk, PDN files state. Inside the pouch, authorities found the following: a digital scale, a plastic syringe, a glass pipe with black residue, a plastic straw, a metal container with several unused plastic bags, a small plastic bag with marijuana and two plastic bags with about 11 grams of methamphetamine, according to PDN files. Siguenza faces charges connected to possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver and two counts of promoting major prison contraband as a second-degree felony. Since 2001, Siguenza has been in and out of DOC for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, according to prison records. Siguenza was most recently released on Dec. 23, 2021. With the emergence of the omicron variant around the world and an increase in holiday travel and gatherings, Guam's public health officials were expecting a surge in COVID-19 cases. "Just like the delta variant, there was nothing additional that we could have done to avoid omicron's effect in our community," Dr. Nathaniel Berg said Wednesday. "We are certain that the omicron variant is present on our island." Berg, chairman of the governor's physician advisory group, delivered a video message advising people to treat health care guidance with urgency and to seek help if they feel sick. "We know that testing and treating COVID-19 as efficiently as possible will help us heal," he said. Berg said the Department of Public Health and Social Services has placed orders for antiviral pills medications that were recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19. "If you are showing any signs at this point, such as a new cough, a new fever or generally feeling fatigued, you need to get tested quickly," he said. "And if your symptoms are getting worse, you need to do more than that: You need to see your health care provider." On Monday, there were three deaths reported from COVID-19-related causes. Two of the three were dead on arrival at the hospital. "I do not want to see any more dead on arrival cases," Berg said. "No one does. Go to the emergency room if you have symptoms that are progressively getting worse." Berg also advised people who haven't been vaccinated to get their shots. "If you have already relaxed your personal measures feeling OK about it things have changed," he said. "Now is the time for everyone to wear their mask correctly in public indoor settings, and especially in areas of substantial or high community transmission, such as at school or in the health care environment." Corrections & Clarifications: It was mistakenly reported in the 14th paragraph that in-patient dialysis was on hold at the Guam Memorial Hospital at the time of publication. Guam Memorial Hospital is experiencing a crush of patients visiting the emergency room as COVID-19 cases spike amid the global rise of the infectious omicron variant. We are certain that the omicron variant is present on our island, said Dr. Nathaniel Berg, chair of the governors physicians advisory group in a Wednesday announcement. While the island has been averaging around 10 new cases of COVID-19 a day in previous weeks, testing identified 210 new cases Tuesday and 189 Wednesday. Berg advised patients experiencing any symptoms to get tested immediately to avoid severe illness or death. The islands only public hospital is seeing an influx of non-COVID patients, GMHA public information officer Mai Habib said. As of Wednesday morning, there were 184 patients total at both the hospital and the Skilled Nursing Facility in Barrigada. GMH has a 161-bed capacity and Skilled Nursing has 40, but the total number that could be used was limited based on the number of staff available. The ER, specifically, is slammed, she said. According to Habib, the ER has seen a total of 46 visits in each of the last two 24-hour cycles, and six patients were awaiting a transfer Wednesday afternoon. The climbing number of patients was due in part to increased comorbidity factors over the holiday season for already unwell residents, along with rising cases of the flu, she said. GMH officials have been warning for months about an increased number of people who have had to delay treatment of non-COVID health issues. Some who delay treatment end up in the ER, Habib said. GMH and the Guam Regional Medical City have had to divert patients out of their ERs in the past few days. A portable, negative-pressure, BLU-MED tent that was set up outside of GMH to serve as an ER overflow for COVID patients in August is still standing outside of the hospital, ready to be used. A portable morgue is also on standby, should the morgue fill. A $15 million grant from FEMA is being used to outfit the Skilled Nursing Facility with 54 negative pressure-capable beds, but construction was still ongoing, Habib said. Dealing with previous surges had prepared GMH as far as designation of care units and personal protective equipment, she said, but another surge would still stretch resources thin. Weve been there, done that, and we know how to deal with it. And we will deal with it and well always be there for whatever the community needs. But if you ask the common health care worker whos on the floor, nobody wants to see another surge. Besides keeping elective surgeries on hold, another surge would also continue to drain resources from many of the goals that GMHA has of improving the hospital this year, she said. Government of Guam employees who use donated leave cant receive retirement credit for that time off, according to GovGuam, which this week responded to a federal lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleging employees were not credited for time on active military duty. The lawsuit, filed last September, states several GovGuam employees used donated leave while on active military duty, and alleges GovGuam and the Government of Guam Employees Retirement Fund broke federal law by failing to give them retirement service credit and by failing to pay their retirement contributions. GovGuam allows employees to donate unused leave to other employees. The employees involved in the lawsuit reportedly used donated GovGuam leave several times, sometimes for months at a time, while on active duty with the Guam National Guard. The lawsuit cites the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, which states service members are entitled to retirement service credit in their civilian jobs while deployed. Defendants violated (the law) by treating employees using donated leave while on active military duty as having breaks-in-service, the lawsuit states. The attorney generals office, in a motion to dismiss, stated there was no discrimination because the policy regarding donated leave and retirement service credit applies equally to all GovGuam employees. Guam treats all of its employees alike, the AGs office stated. USERRA only prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee on the basis of military service USERRA does not require Guam to provide preferential treatment to military service members government employees. The Retirement Fund, in a response filed this week, stated it was following the law and, cannot receive contributions for non-creditable service, including service by any government employee on leave sharing. It stated it did not receive employer or employee retirement contributions for four of the five claimants, and is not obligated to include any creditable service not paid for in full by the government employer or the employee. The employees in question all belong to the governments defined benefit retirement plan also referred to as the old plan, which guarantees retirement pay based on the number of years worked in GovGuam. The more years of credited service, the higher the retirement pay, to a maximum of 85% of their average salary. Public safety workers, including firefighters and police officers, are eligible to retire several years earlier than other GovGuam employees. GovGuam in October 1995 cut off new enrollment in the defined benefit plan, citing its high cost, and implemented a hybrid defined contribution plan for new employees, which provides a smaller guaranteed retirement annuity. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of: Jesse Cruz, who retired from the Guam Fire Department in December 2020; Raymond San Nicolas, who retired from GFD in August 2018; Alan Torre, who retired from GFD in September 2020; Andy Quinata, who joined the fire department in October 1992 and still is a firefighter; and Frederick Guzman, a teacher at John F. Kennedy High School who currently is on military leave. They all filed USERRA complaints with the U.S. Department of Labors Veterans Employment and Training Services in 2020, alleging their rights were violated. Cruz, San Nicolas and Torre allege their retirement checks are smaller because the government failed to give them enough retirement credit. Quinata alleges he now is required to work about two more years for GFD before he qualifies for full retirement benefits, and Guzman alleges he will have less credited service time, which will mean a lower pension for the rest of his life. The case is being heard by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who scheduled a settlement conference for February 2023, and a bench trial for March 2023. Support for armed rebellion in U.S. long predates Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill: Australian news website Xinhua) 14:19, January 05, 2022 WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- American support for conspiracy theories and armed rebellion has long existed before the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6 last year, an article on the Australian news website The Conversation has said. In her article, Amanda Crawford, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Connecticut, explained how a 2013 poll on public perception of gun control and armed rebellion evolved from being considered "too unbelievable to be true" at the time to having gained serious attention even from those who originally dismissed it. The 2013 poll, which was carried out by Fairleigh Dickinson University following 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 26 people were killed, found widespread doubts about that shooting and shockingly high support for armed rebellion. Besides, a whopping 44 percent of Republicans said that armed rebellion might soon be necessary in the United States to protect liberties, according to Crawford. "If reality doesn't fit what you want it to be, you have to change what you believe, or you have to change reality," Daniel Cassino, a professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, was quoted by Crawford as saying. "It's easier for people who believe strongly in gun rights to say it didn't happen rather than change their minds" about guns, Cassino added. Philip Bump, now a national correspondent at The Washington Post, was quoted as saying in an article published then by The Atlantic magazine that "the poll is at-best semi-scientific and should probably not be taken seriously." Bump, who has written about the Jan. 6 insurrection, told Crawford in a recent phone call that he would not dismiss the poll today like he did back then. Cassino said the finding of the poll didn't necessarily indicate that regular people would pick up arms, but it did show this notion was becoming part of the Republican partisan identity. Crawford also mentioned several polls in 2021 after the Capitol insurrection, which showed that a troublesome portion of Americans think political violence, and even a civil war, is necessary in today's America. "The actual armed insurrection that happened in January (2021) showed us this is a real strain in American politics that has gotten stronger and is not going away," Cassino said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) "The golden age of durian trade is coming," said Edwyn Chiang, secretary general of the Malaysia International Durian Industry Development Association, expecting the RCEP to spur exports of the thorny "king of fruits" by 50 percent by the year 2030. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service Joey Allan Acfalle Terlaje, the former deputy director of the Department of Corrections, denied charges brought against him connected to an incident in 2017. Terlaje pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious restraint as a third-degree felony and two charges of official misconduct as a misdemeanor at the Superior Court of Guam with his attorney Joaquin Jay Arriola Jr. The charges stem from a grand jury indictment that accuses Terlaje of exposing a victim to the risk of serious bodily injury at a 2017 barbecue, and for ignoring and abusing his position as a government official in relation to a crime. Alleged victim No other details have been made public since the indictment, however, at the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Leonardo Rapadas asked the court to ensure Terlaje stay away from the alleged victim, Vickilyn Teregeyo. According to PDN files, Teregeyo was the girlfriend of now incarcerated former Yona mayor Jesse Mendiola Blas. During Blas court proceedings, where he faced federal bribery and extortion charges, both he and Terlaje were accused by the FBI of assaulting Teregeyo at a barbecue. In the testimony, an alleged comment by Teregeyo made Terlaje and Blas upset, which was followed by the two hitting her and holding her against her will for three days, PDN files state. Terlaje resigned from his position as DOC deputy director shortly after his name was mentioned in the District Court of Guam in 2019 and hadnt been charged with anything since. Conditions Another condition of Terlajes pre-trial release proposed by Rapadas was for the former DOC deputy director to stay away from personnel in the marshals and probation offices if they were involved with the case. However, Quan requested more information about potential witnesses involved. I cant put a blanket stay away order ... Youre not giving me any names or anybody to stay away from, Quan said to Rapadas. Arriola added a vague order would set up Terlaje for greater potential to violate. It sets the client up for potential violation when hes not aware of exactly who he should not be in contact with, Arriola said on behalf of his client. To resolve the issue, federal probation will oversee Terlajes probation obligations while on pre-trial release. Terlaje is the son of Sen. Joe Pedo Terlaje. When Guam DOE students went strictly online for a few weeks during the previous COVID-19 case surge, there were more than 800 students who werent accounted for. In preparation for the next possible wave, Superintendent Jon Fernandez said the department has already prepared to make sure the hard to reach students will be able to get instructional time, even if its remotely. At this point, compared to last year, we have the available inventory of laptops to support distance learning at home, said Fernandez. We do currently do have an issue with the mifi contract that we hope to resolve shortly, at least have an interim measure in place to at least address internet access at home for those who dont have access. The previous mifi contract has expired. The department is currently focusing on a short-term solution for the 3,600 individuals who previously had the devices, as well as moving forward with a larger procurement. Despite the mifi issue, Fernandez believes that Guam DOE will have the ability to provide that support if the department is directed to move back to remote online learning. However, Fernandez said the department is maintaining the five days of face-to-face instruction for now. The department is closely monitoring what is happening in other states and other jurisdictions, as well as continuing to work with the Department of Public Health and Social Services and the governors office in other possible situations Guam DOE could encounter, according to Fernandez. Were in a constant state of preparation, but we are trying to adjust to the different characteristics this variant seems to be displaying, said Fernandez. Its not just our job, but Public Healths job as well, to ensure that the guidance out there regarding safety are again, adjusted to meet the situation and the unique characteristics that this variant could be posing. Fernandez said a meeting was held with school administrators Wednesday morning to clarify the situation and ensure the department is prepared for a variety of scenarios. The Mayors Council of Guam has recruited 15 new licensed foster parents thus far from its Gift of Family Christmas season campaign. The council is preparing to launch a new initiative to reach its goal of 19 foster parents, to represent the number of villages. Our intention is to now continue until the month of May, so even if we surpass the 19, our goal is to do the best that we can, said Kevin Delgado, vice mayor of Mangilao, during the councils Wednesday meeting. The campaign began in December with a village belen display contest between the mayors offices to raise awareness. Winners received cash prizes that will go to foster care efforts in their respective villages. The villages the foster families have been recruited from havent been released by the Department of Public Health and Social Services, said Delgado. Part of the initiative, Delgado said, is to create digital and print informational flyers about the campaign and the need for foster families on the island, accompanied by a prayer for the children. They will be passed out at churches around the island for Valentines Day weekend, Feb. 12-13. Piti Mayor Jesse Alig, the councils president, said mayors can help by giving a special focus on reaching out to the Catholic communities through the Archdiocese of Agana because Harvest Ministries is working within the islands Protestant communities to recruit families. Delgado said the digital flyers will be sent to the archdiocese as well as to the mayors offices to circulate through the community. Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said shes eager to get the flyers, as there are 12 church denominations in her village she thinks could help. Corrections & Clarifications: this story has been updated to reflect that the Guam Ethics Commission has signed a memorandum of agreement with the University of Guam to develop an ethics curriculum, and that Ron McNinch does not officially serve in any capacity with the Commission. Other information was previously contained in the second paragraph. A more ethical government of Guam needs officials who first understand the laws they are supposed to follow and enforce, according to Ron McNinch, associate professor of public administration at the University of Guam. The recently-activated Guam Ethics Commission is developing an ethics training curriculum that every GovGuam employee will have to go through, and has signed an agreement with the University of Guam to deliver it. McNinch spoke on his own behalf to the Rotary Club of Northern Guam on Wednesday afternoon and said training alone would not develop more ethical public servants. Ethics is not something you can really learn. It is something you have to practice. Do as I say, not as I do? No, you have to practice it. You have to do what is right and show others youre doing what is right, he said. The laws that set the ethical examples to follow are close to what society might judge moral or ethical, McNinch said, but many officials dont have a firm grasp of their own mandates. There are some reasons why they dont know: They havent ever read the law, or the Legislature in its wisdom makes laws so fast (that) nobody can keep up with them, he said. A common example was Freedom of Information Act requests wrongly turned down. Lots of FOIA requests are denied. And the only recourse an average citizen has when they are fully turned down is to take them to court, and that takes about $10,000, he said. Conflicting or poorly formed legislation could also cause confusion, and the problem was further compounded by new appointees who relied on their advisers civil servants who remain in their positions for a long time to make decisions. But a long period serving the government doesnt mean someone understands the law, he said. More advanced training for leaders in GovGuam is a first step toward fixing the issue, McNinch said, but GovGuam employees arent the only people who need ethics training. A member of the Guam Board of Education, McNinch said he believes that ethics training is a duty of every citizen, which should start in high school. Another solution is to simply slow down the number of laws that are passed. I think Guams gotten to the point where we dont even need the Legislature to meet every year. I think that we could have an every other year body, but because Guam has so much vested in the industry of legislative action, we feel as if we need a full-time Legislature, full-time employees and everything else, when in fact were probably getting very little, McNinch said. The procurement of a new power plant for the Guam Power Authority, oversight of chemical disposal by government of Guam agencies, above-step hiring practices in GovGuam, and more will come under the scrutiny of the Office of Public Accountability in 2022. The office released its annual audit plan for 2022 Monday. Besides performance audits of chemical disposal, power plant procurement and above-step hiring, four other performance audits are planned: Physician services contracts and compensation packages at the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority. The Research Corporation of the University of Guam. Analysis of GovGuam agency leases. Sole-source procurement at the General Services Agency. We collectively agreed on the top seven audit topics based on our ranking and independently did a risk assessment for each, the office stated in a news release. Topics were provided by GovGuam agencies, department heads, public officials, hotline tips and citizen concerns. They were ranked based on financial impact, public concern, likelihood of a program failing and interest by public officials. The Office of Public Accountability also plans to continue 10 performance audits from 2021, including audits of alcohol and tobacco taxes, business privilege taxes on military contracts and COVID-19 quarantine and isolation facilities analysis. The subjects of other performance audits include: Part 3 of a Port Authority of Guam back wage audit. Procurement of a consultant for the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center. Part 2 of an audit of community funds for the Mayors Council of Guam. Part 3 of an audit of non-appropriated funds of the Mayors Council of Guam. Operations for the Government of Guam Retirement Fund. COVID-19 expenditures for GovGuam. The Autonomous Agency Collections Fund. We are committed to complete the performance audits we planned for calendar year 2021, the release stated. The plan is flexible and may be adjusted based on other audit requests, the availability of resources or the need to investigate potential fraud or conflicts of interest, the release stated. In addition to performance audits, the office plans to have all GovGuam financial audits issued by Feb. 28 at least 25, including the consolidated government-wide audit. A man found guilty by a jury for groping a 14-year-old girl will spend 60 days in prison. Normandy Ilagan Penaflorida was sentenced to a year in prison with all but 60 days suspended for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct as a misdemeanor. Presiding Judge Alberto C. Lamorena then allowed Penaflorida to serve the time on the weekends to accommodate his work schedule. Penaflorida will also have to register as a sex offender. Incident In 2018, Penaflorida was accused of touching a 14-year-old girls butt, kissing her on the lips and telling her she looked so sexy, according charging documents. At the time of his arrest, Penaflorida told the police that he told the girl not to tell anyone what happened because he knew what he did was wrong. Penaflorida was initially charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct as a first-degree felony and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct as a misdemeanor, PDN files state. Penaflorida was found guilty by a trial for the fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, which under Guam law is considered a misdemeanor for first time offenders. He was found not guilty for the second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. The girl was commended by Assistant Attorney General Rolland Wimberly for testifying at trial. The victim showed real bravery in speaking out against what the defendant did and being willing to face him. We commend her for her bravery. Our View: Now is not the time for the community to be complacent about COVID-19 Haiti - News : Zapping... HUEH emergency room ransomed Unidentified armed individuals broke into the emergency department of the Hospital of the State University of Haiti (HUEH) at the beginning of this week, have ransomed the sick and the doctors and threatened with death of hospital security guards. PNH : Technical and logistical support from Taiwan Monday January 3, Elbe Frantz, Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) accompanied by his Chief of Staff and the central directors of the administrative and judicial police, met with Wen-Jiann KU Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China) in Haiti. Discussions focused on issues concerning security, technical and logistical support from Taiwan to the PNH. Assassination of the President : 4 people released provisionaly Eddy Amazan, Jacques Sincere, Ciceron Cedernier and Wilner Cange, who were imprisoned at the National Penitentiary in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, were granted provisional release on Monday. Chancellor Geneus in Argentina The Chancellor, Jean Victor Geneus, will participate to the Summit of Foreign Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on January 6 and 7, 2022 which will work on the implementation of decisions taken by the last summit of heads of state and government. On the sidelines of the summit, the Chancellor will meet with his counterparts from Mexico, Argentina and the Dominican Republic on issues of common interest. Fever, flu or Omicron ? Many cases of influenza and fever are recorded in Haiti. The Ministry is awaiting the result of the genomic sequencing of the virus samples sent to a specialized laboratory in the USA to find out whether the Omicron variant is present in Haiti. While waiting for the Director General of the Ministry, Dr Laure Adrien invites the population to observe health measures and barrier gestures to avoid the worst. Tennis : Naomi is back Tuesday, January 4, 2022, after four months of absence, the Japanese of Haitian origin Naomi Osaka (24) made her return to competition with a victory in the first round of the Melbourne tournament, [6-4, 3-6 , 6-3] against the French Alize Cornet (31 years old). In the 8th final, Naomi will face the Ukrainian Maryna Zanevska (28 years old). HL/ HaitiLibre Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Published on 2022/01/04 | Source Star writers who dominate the home theater return. Advertisement Kim Eun-sook, Noh Hee-kyeong, Kim Eun-hee-I, drama writers, who boast as much impact as top stars, will release new works this year. Top stars lined up to appear in these dramas naturally gather in the small screen. Production teams are raising interest by pre-warming up viewership ratings by 'reviewing' previous works on the return of star writers. Strengthening personality or trying something new. Writer Kim Eun-hee-I, who created Netflix's "Kingdom" series, will return to her trademark thriller genre. She is preparing for "The Demon" (working title) to air on SBS at the end of the year. As soon as tvN's "Jirisan" ended on December 12th last year, she immediately began casting. It is about two men and women who know how to see ghosts looking for demons that harm people. Top stars, including Kim Tae-ri, have been offered the main role and are discussing it. Writer Kim Eun-sook, who made her name known for KBS 2TV's "Descendants of the Sun" and tvN's "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God", chose to transform. She will join hands with actor Song Hye-kyo to release an eight-part drama, "The Glory". It is a drama about revenge that is quite different from the typical desperate romance that she mainly focused on. It is the story of the protagonist who appears as a teacher in front of her perpetrators to revenge the school violence she suffered during her school days. It plans to shoot in advance from January and release it on Netflix in the second half of the year. Production companies, 'busy preparing' Writers Noh Hee-kyeong and the Hong Sisters (Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran) will present their works in the first half of the year. Writer Noh Hee-kyeong, who created tvN's "Dear My Friends" and "Live", wrote "Our Blues", in which top stars such as Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won and Kim Woo-bin participate one after another. The drama, which has been filmed since last fall and aired on tvN in April, was organized in omnibus format in accordance with the Noh Hee-kyeong's request, who said, "I want to attempt something new". The Hong Sisters' fantasy world will also open again. The Hong Sisters, who gained popularity with fantasy materials such as SBS's "Master's Sun" and tvN's "Hotel Del Luna" will present "Soul Marriage", which depicts the stories of young 'magicians' who perform magic in June. In addition, Park Ji-eun, author of tvN's "Crash Landing on You", is known to have recently begun planning a new romantic comedy genre drama. It is unusual for star writers to flock to the home theater at once. As a result, not only broadcasters but also OTT platforms are competing behind the scenes to secure their works. An official from a production company said, "Since last year, each production company and broadcaster have been rapidly producing works by famous artists to jump on the trend of 'K' content' around the world". Quincy, IL (62301) Today Partly cloudy early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain this afternoon. High 63F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low around 55F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. KABUL, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- "I earn up to 1,000 afghani a day, depending on my work," said Samsoor, 28, who works for Zmarai Gayanwal Ltd., a pine nut processing and export company in Kabul. "I love my job and so we really need to export more to China. It's the only way to increase our income and keep the plant operating," said Samsoor. Established in 2015, Zmarai Gayanwal Ltd. now has over 100 people working for the company, said company president Sher Ali Zadran. "Between 100 to 150 people work here directly in the factory and thousands more work indirectly," Zadran told Xinhua. "The factory pays 300 afghani a day for each worker, besides providing lunch and transportation." The company exported 650 tons of nuts to China last year and is planning to hit 950 tons in 2022, with between 28,000 and 38,000 U.S. dollars per ton. While Zadran is happy enough with his income and the progress of his plant, he hopes that more Chinese investors will see the profits to be made and use their money to create more jobs. Khalil Rashid, managing director of a pine nuts processing and export company, highlighted that the pine-nut trade with China had created jobs for thousands of people in his country, which had been at war for decades. "Besides people working in the factory, their families also process nuts at home and bring them back to factory after they finish," Rashid said. Pine cones are harvested 10 days before they open. The cones are dried in the sun for 20 days and then smashed to release the nuts which are sorted by hand. It takes time and persistence to extract the nuts from the cones, justifying the high price. Afghanistan historically exported 10,000 tons of pine nuts to China each year, with others heading to countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Exports had been disrupted last year, but to China at least, trade more or less resumed at the end of October with the first air shipment of 45 tons. Thousands of Afghans are now working with more than a dozen nut processing factories. "We are very happy to provide more jobs for people and to make more money, not for us also for our workers," said Rashid. "More exports will bring more jobs." According to aid agencies, more than 22 million Afghans will face severe food shortages in Afghanistan this winter. Without overseas assistance, a humanitarian catastrophe threatens. "More than 10,000 people work in the pine-nut industry whether on plantations, transportation or processing," said Shafiqullah Atayee of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment. "Creating jobs could be the most effective way to help Afghans out of poverty. China is the main destination for our pine nuts. The country has a huge market for Afghan products and seems keen to import as much as we can offer them in terms of dried and fresh fruit, carpets and handicrafts," Atayee said. Afghan private airline Kam Air has run more than 30 cargo flights taking pine nuts to China since November. "Cargo flights will continue in 2022. Kam Air and exporters are determined to increase Afghanistan's exports," said the airline's Mohammad Nadeam Naqshbandi.(1 Afghani equals 0.0095 U.S. dollar) Enditem What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com. HAMMOND As COVID-19 cases reach new highs in Indiana, Hammond has reinstated a mask mandate for all public buildings. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. signed an executive order reinstating the mask mandate Monday morning. The mandate is effective immediately and will last until March 1 if McDermott does not renew or rescind it. Unmasked visitors will not be allowed entry into city buildings; the order does not apply to private businesses. The mandate also makes exceptions for people who are eating or drinking, or who are participating in sporting events. In the Hammond Sportsplex, masks will be required for attendees and staff, but not for players or refs, McDermott explained. I am still approaching Hammond as business as usual, just with masks, McDermott said. This is different because with the new strain (omicron) I know a dozen people that are ill with COVID right now, and through the first and second waves of the pandemic, I couldnt say that. All city meetings and events currently on the books will continue as planned, though details on masking requirements for speakers and performers will be worked out in the coming weeks. McDermott said the city may even institute vaccine or testing requirements for larger public events. "I hope I can reverse this and rescind the order soon, but given what we are hearing about a surge and with many holiday gatherings increasing the risk of spread of COVID-19, I think this is the best course of action for the near term, McDermott said. "I want to make sure we are safe at City Hall and all other public buildings so that the city is being proactive about protecting its workforce including our first responders." The executive order also encourages COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots "as the best and easiest way to slow the spread and minimize the risk of hospitalization and death." McDermott cited the recent surge in COVID-19 cases as the reasoning behind the new mandate. Lake County is currently classified as "red," meaning uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Ive told everyone that will listen that Im vaccinated and boosted and that doing so is the best way to overcome this illness and minimize the risk to yourself of a severe illness or worse," McDermott said. "Go get the shot thats about as straightforward as I can be." McDermott signed two other executive orders in November, mandating vaccinations for all newly hired city employees as well as current employees who apply for a transfer or promotion. Thus far, there has been little pushback on the orders; city departments often do not add many new hires around the holidays, McDermott said. "The City Hall is a gathering place and people come here to conduct their business," McDermott said. "If they do not want to wear a mask, they can conduct their business online." Gov. Eric Holcomb is well aware Hoosier Republicans have practically unlimited power, and nearly unlimited resources, heading into Tuesday's first daily meeting of the 2022 Indiana General Assembly. But the Republican chief executive is preaching caution to the state's occasionally unruly legislative congregation urging them to follow through on initiatives begun last year and to prepare for next year's budget session, rather than immediately upending the state's tax rates, education system and myriad other stable public policies. "We've got a lot of momentum. We want to make sure we're doing everything we can to keep that momentum going forward," Holcomb said Monday as he unveiled his modest agenda for the 10-week legislative session. The governor said it all starts with prioritizing the state's business environment by eliminating the business personal property tax on newly purchased equipment, restructuring corporate incentive programs to make Indiana more attractive for investment, and encouraging remote workers to relocate to Indiana. At the same time, Holcomb wants to "skill up" Hoosier workers beginning in the earliest years by establishing an Office of Kindergarten Readiness at the Department of Education, measuring schools based on how well they prepare students for success beyond the classroom and working to better connect Hoosiers seeking new jobs with the skills and training Indiana employers need. "We've got a 3% unemployment rate here in the state of Indiana, lower than any state that we touch. That's 100,096 individuals, and we've got 152,000 unfilled jobs posted on our state website," Holcomb said. "How do match those? We'll be proactively reaching out." Holcomb also is urging the Legislature to improve access to mental health services, support his effort to reform Indiana's public health systems, invest in initiatives to prevent sudden unexplained infant deaths, follow through on plans to bolster state infrastructure and broadband connectivity, safely dispose of dangerous firefighting foam and modernize law enforcement training and technology. "These priorities will cultivate a more competitive environment to attract new economic development opportunities, establish better access to public health resources and help connect Hoosiers to better employment and training opportunities," Holcomb said. "Our efforts will advance Indianas reputation as a state Hoosiers want to live, work, play, study and stay." The governor repeatedly declined to specifically address many of the hot-button proposals pending in the House and Senate, including limiting how schools teach controversial subjects, immediately reducing tax rates and preventing businesses from implementing COVID-19 prevention measures. "I'll look at the bills that come across my desk. There's a number of them," Holcomb said. "I've got my agenda that's what I think we need to focus on." House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, and Senate President Rod Bray, R-Martinsville, both said they'll consider Holcomb's priorities as they work with him to improve Indiana. Hastings, NE (68901) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Becoming windy for the afternoon. High 41F. Winds NE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy. Periods of light rain and windy at times early. Low 34F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible. Our View: Some New Year resolutions for Havasu in 2022 Our community can get these things right this year from Montana Cattlemens Association Montana Cattlemens Association created Montana Cattlemens Foundation several years ago. The foundation has a program called Beef On Every Plate Beef On Every Plate is a program that ranchers donate cull cows. Montana Cattlemens Foundation pays for the processing and the beef is donated to programs in need. It is totally volunteer and the donated proceeds go 100 percent toward feeding the needy of Montana. Just before Christmas, two beef were donated to Beef On Every Plate. Monday, the processing was complete and one beef was donated to the Great Falls Rescue Mission and the other beef was donated to the City of Denton. Montana Cattlemens Association and Foundation are very grateful for the donation of beef. So many people need food, especially at this time of the year. Beef On Every Plate has one more beef in the processing stage. Please consider donating a beef it is a tax deductible donation or donating money to help pay for the cost of processing. Thank you to everyone who help Beef On Every Plate help the people of Montana eat. If you are interested in donating to the program, please contact Jan McDonald at 406-467-2251 or at [email protected] Steam billows from Havre Laundry and Dry Cleaning into the frosty air this morning. The cold weather is expected to stick around through the week, though some warmer temperatures are expected to accompany snow Friday, but the highs are expected to go up next week. After a brief respite over the weekend, the cold is back - and some more snow also is expected this week including a winter weather advisory Thursday - but forecasters expect this part of north-central Montana to see warmer temperatures again next week. After bitter cold last week including temperatures colder than minus 30 New Year's Eve, it warmed up New Year's Day and Sunday, when highs hit above freezing. But the cold was quick to return, with highs in the 20s and lows in the teens by Monday and temperatures back below zero by Tuesday. The cold was not quite as severe as predicted - lows in the minus 20s were expected Tuesday night while Havre saw a low of minus 18 - but the high in Havre was zero shortly after midnight and the temperatures kept dropping. The cold is expected to continue today, with highs predicted in the negative teens and lows from the negative 30s to a prediction of minus 32 tonight in Harlem. And a wind chill warning is in effect in the area through Thursday afternoon, followed by a winter weather advisory as snow comes back. The wind chill advisory warns that the temperatures could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as few as 10 minutes. Montana Disaster and Emergeny Services advises people to wear layers, changing layers periodically to prevent them becoming damp or wet, and covering exposed skin. The winter weather advisory, in effect from noon Thursday through 5 a.m. Friday, warns of 2 inches to 5 inches of new snow in Chouteau County and 1 inch to 3 inches in Liberty, Hill and Blaine counties with 5 inches to 10 inches in the mountains. The snowy weather is expected to bring slightly warmer temperatures, with highs near or above zero Thursday and lows near or above zero with highs in the 20s to even 30s in the area Friday, but lows dropping again below zero Friday night and highs just warmer than zero Saturday. Highs are expected to be above zero Sunday with lows in the negative teens, but a warming trend is predicted after that. Highs are expected to hit the 20s Monday and rise above freezing by Tuesday. At a time when the Middle East is suffering from regional interventions and colonial policies by capitalist countries, the Kurdish-Arab alliance has become an urgent necessity. For years, seminars and dialogue conferences have been held between the Kurds and Arabs aimed at protecting the region and how to deter colonialism in addition to establishing brotherly relations between the two peoples to preserve the social fabric, and stressing the importance of establishing a Kurdish-Arab alliance that stands in the face of colonial ambitions. In this regard, our agency conducted a dialogue with the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council in Egypt, Laila Mussa. The following is the text of the interview: * What is the importance of this dialogue in light of the various challenges in Middle East from foreign interference and terrorism? In the midst of the events in the region in general and the challenges, and in light of the development of new strategies and mapping of the region imposed from the outside, taking advantage of the contradictions experienced by the majority of the regional countries with the complete absence of the will of their peoples, in many cases these strategies and mapping contradict their aspirations and their freedom, will and ambitions. , and even more than that, most of the countries in the region, in light of the global war, have turned into quagmire, suffering from intractable disasters and crises, because most of the solutions do not reflect on addressing the reasons for which societies rose up, so that the peoples of the region have an actual and central presence in addressing their issues. Getting out of the crises he suffers from and developing constitutions and policies to manage their regions requires the adoption of dialogue between the peoples and components of the region as a strategic option and not a tactical or interim option, because any alliance between the peoples of the region and their solidarity is the way to reduce the size of the gap of contradictions that the region suffers from, which has long been nourished by the outside to pass its agendas and projects colonial expansion. This choice is not difficult or impossible. On the contrary, there is a lived experience and it achieved a great deal of what we are talking about, which is the experience of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and how the Arab-Kurdish alliance, along with the rest of the components of the Syrian people, played the role in maintaining civil peace, social fabric, coexistence, fighting defeating terrorism, and standing in the face of many regional projects with expansionist occupier ambitions, foremost of which are the Ottoman Erdogan project and the Iranian Shiite crescent. The Autonomous Administration areas of northern and eastern Syria, thanks to this alliance, are managed according to a national project by its people of all ethnicities and beliefs, unlike the rest of the regions Syria, which is systematically subjected to Turkification and Shiism. Therefore, the Arab and Kurdish peoples should seize the opportunity and stand hand in hand and form a strategic alliance that contributes to ensuring their survival alongside the rest of their brothers from the components of the Syrian people by running their country according to a national project that preserves the principles of the revolution and guarantees freedom, democracy, social justice, a dignified life and true citizenship. And when I talk about the Syrian experience, I do not limit the relationship within the Syrian national domain only, but rather include the Arab and Kurdish peoples in general, because the danger is not only to Syria, but to the entire region, and regional and even international countries, their projects and ambitions, include the entire region. The success of their experience in Syria opens the way to generalize their experiences in the rest of the countries of the region and vice versa, and the preservation of the national security of any people is dependent on the preservation of the national security of the other people. * How do you assess Kurdish-Arab relations at the present time, and what is the common basis between the two peoples? The relations between the two peoples historically, even at the present time, exist and dominated by brotherly, respect and good neighborliness. They fought in one trench in the face of the occupying forces of their countries, because they share a common destiny, history, enemy and threat. Their national security depends on each other. Unfortunately, this relationship has not developed into a strategic choice due to some politicians and leaders in the region whose personal interests have prevailed over the public interest. Some regimes of a nationalistic and religious nature are the creation of the abroad and often play on ideological and nationalist tendencies, taking advantage of material needs and greed. And the narrow personal interests of some leaders and chiefs of tribes and clans to strike peoples at each other, in addition to dividing countries according to the Sykes-Picot Agreement and other agreements, contributed to creating a rupture between the peoples of the region by practicing a systematic policy of starvation and limiting the thinking of the peoples of the region to securing a living and distracting them with their material needs. Sometimes, however, its successes remained within narrow frameworks, and it was unable to cause a rupture in the historical relations that are rooted in the depth of history and are based on humanitarian and moral foundations in the first place. * What are the obstacles that stand in the way of Kurdish-Arab dialogue? In my opinion, there are many obstacles and difficulties, in addition to many challenges that try to prevent any Kurdish-Arab rapprochement from occurring. Rather, it works actively to erase the alliances and relations that used to unite the two peoples from the memory of the peoples, and works to present these alliances in a distorted and hollowed out of their essence and reality. Among the obstacles and challenges, for example: The continuity of the existence of the artificial borders imposed on the region and its repercussions on the mental and spiritual state and its contributions to creating a rupture and isolation between the two peoples. The majority of the two peoples ignored the truth and history of each other, for many reasons, either because of the spread of illiteracy and ignorance of historical facts or school curricula far from the truth and history of the region, and the smear campaigns that the two peoples are exposed to by the enemies of the region and portraying them as sometimes separatists or barbarians and other epithets far from The truth, or misrepresentation of the history of the region. In addition to the nature of the regimes that run the region, whether those characterized by a religious or national character that reject the different other, and even find that ensuring its existential security passes through the elimination of the other. In addition to the preoccupation of every people with their internal problems, securing their basic needs, their ignorance of history and drawing lessons and lessons from it, their lack of reading and analysis of the present, and the development of plans, projects and future strategies for managing their countries. We do not forget the huge amount of continuous smear campaigns that both peoples are exposed to, and the policies of powers, states, organizations, and parties with expansionist occupier ambitions and economic projects, which have long been nourished by contradictions and the gap between the peoples of the region, they work diligently to create enmities and rifts between the Arab and Kurdish peoples. How can Kurdish-Arab unity be effectively achieved on the ground? In my opinion, as long as the causes are known, the solutions are not impossible, and as it is logically known, discovering the problem is half the solution. We need, in the first place, to rewrite the history of the region and remove all the impurities and distortions that plague it. To work hard to raise the level of knowledge of the two peoples about their history and present by conducting a real and serious dialogue based on a real and serious desire of the two peoples by intensifying the dialogue and cultural activities, media programs and civil society institutions aimed at bringing the two peoples together by strengthening the commonalities and working together to overcome controversial and pending issues. In addition to the real and actual participation of the two peoples along with the rest of the peoples who are united by the unity of destiny, history and the goal of developing strategies, plans and projects to manage their countries in proportion to the nature, characteristics and privacy of their societies. Conducting a real dialogue to discuss the threats and challenges facing the two peoples, and come up with long-term projects and strategies and interim tactics to overcome and eliminate them. Most important of all, the Kurdish-Arab dialogue should not be restricted to the framework of Iraq and Syria alone, as the relationship between the two peoples is more comprehensive, deeper and broader. * What is required of influential figures from both sides to highlight the Kurdish issue to the whole world? The beginning of defining the Kurdish issue in all its aspects and dimensions for the people, and not limiting it to political and academic frameworks and elites, because the majority of the Arab people are ignorant of the history, truth and cause of the Kurdish people, and if they possess some information, most of them are distorted, distorted and misleading due to the horror and the size of the media and private war practiced by the enemies and usurpers of Kurdistan and the beneficiary forces From pricing the hostility and conflicts between the peoples of the region to keep them fragile and weak. Introducing the two peoples to the dialectical relationship with regard to existential, national and identity security and their effects on each other. Highlighting and highlighting the importance and necessity of the relationship between the two peoples at this historical and fateful stage that the two peoples are going through, the role of this relationship in reaching safety, and the repercussions it may have on the future and fate of the two peoples in the event that this relationship fades. We are in dire need of a constructive style and discourse that calls for fraternity and coexistence. (A) ANHA In a statement, the coalition said, "At approximately 6:45 am, the outlaw militias fired 5 missiles towards the Iraqi base of Ain Al-Assad." These missiles fell, according to the statement, "about two kilometers from the base in another reckless act that could have caused severe damage to innocent Iraqi civilians!" The pro-Iranian factions usually target bases where US forces are present, and indicators of tension between the two sides have risen since the beginning of this month, coinciding with the second anniversary of the assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and his companions. A Source: Alsumaria Despite passing decade of the Syrian crisis, but Damascus Government still sticks of its despotic mentality, at a time that considered Turkish - backed groups terrorists, rejects the dialogue with AANES under false pretexts, holding meetings with Turkey that occupies Syrian lands that committed horrible crimes, entering thousands of mercenaries to the Syrian lands, annexation the Sanjak of Alexandretta to its lands since decades. In the view of the co-chair of the Kurdistan Democratic Peace Party, Talal Mohamed: "Ten years after the Syrian crisis, however, there has been no change in the attitude, mentality and culture of the Syrian regime towards what the Syrian regime has been subjected to. On the contrary, the regime continues to maintain its exclusion mentality, its disapproval of others who disagree with it politically, and its demands for democratic change. At the same time, it is willing to engage in dialogue with any party with whom it agrees only in tyranny and exclusion, in order to maintain its presence in the reins of the rule. He went on to say the intransigence of the Syrian regime that caused massive destruction, a lot of exodus, saying it is fully ready to hold dialogue with those who violates and occupies the Syrian lands and collaboration with Turkey that occupied an extensive parts of the Syrian lands, making demographic change and policies of stealing, looting abusive practices against indigenous residents. Talal Mohammed addressed the intransigence of the Damascus Government and its constant rejection of dialogue with AANES: "The regime always rejects dialogue with AANES with irrational arguments; the Syrian regime has its primary role; Because it makes the Syrian border open to all the powers that have entered the country, its history is full of bargaining and trade - offs at the expense of Syrian geography and the Syrian people, and the Sanjak of Alexandretta is the best proof of that. " He noted that: "This regime describes the democratic forces that have struggled to liberate Syrian areas from terrorism, maintained Syria's unity with militias and mercenaries, and asked them to settle it considers the AANES project is a separatist project, while the administration has managed to preserve and protect vast areas of Syria." About the Turkish press's reported meeting between Turkey and the Damascus Government to launch a joint attack against the AANES, Mohammed explained: "I believe that such discussions between Ankara and Damascus are not new, that security and secret meetings have not stopped between them, and that the aim is to prolong the Syrian crisis. Turkey continues its occupation project and the regime continues to cling of the reins of the rule, at a time when 2021 witnessed some understandings among the international Powers to agree on a step towards a political solution to the Syrian crisis, based on United Nations resolution 2,254, which Turkey and the Syria regime are also aware of. So, what brings Ankara and Damascus Government together, and it is in their interest, is to deepen the crisis further and agree on everything that is in their interest. " Talal Mohammed stated that if Damascus Government had any intention of agreeing with AANES, Turkey would not have been able to occupy more Syrian territory and commit crimes against the Syrian people: "The option for Damascus Government is dialogue with the AANES in order to resolve the Syrian crisis and expel the Turkish occupier." To stop the Syrian bleeding, a serious dialogue must be opened with the Autonomous Administration. Talal Mohammad believes that the continuation of the Damascus Government in its intransigence and its militarization policy to solve the Syrian crisis will lead to more destruction, devastation and displacement. The co-chair of the Kurdistan Democratic Peace Party, Talal Mohammad, stressed that the Damascus government's opening of a serious dialogue with the Autonomous Administration is enough to stop the Syrian bleeding, and he stated: "In order to stop the Syrian bleeding, Damascus Government must show a spirit of responsibility and open a serious dialogue with the Autonomous Administration and agreement with it, Because facts have proven the success of the Autonomous Administration project, to be a basis on which Syrian understandings are built in order to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis, a solution that satisfies everyone. T/S ANHA TOP 10 STORIES OF 2021: 10, 9, 8 The new $11.7 million police station on Ashe Street is one of several major projects complete or in the works. Others include a new parking deck downtown and a replacement for Fire Station 1. 10. A capital year A project that has been in the talking stages for decades will be visible as concrete and steel in the coming year. In September the Hendersonville City Council authorized a $9.7 million construction contract for a new parking deck on North Church Street at Fifth Avenue West. Projected to open in 2023, the parking deck is financed a loan that will be repaid by parking deck fees, long-term leases and paid parking on Main Street at $1.75 per hour starting in January 2023. In November city officials celebrated the opening of the new 26,000-square-foot police headquarters on Ashe Street. The City Council envisioned the new $11.7 million cop shop as a potential catalyst for stability and redevelopment in the Historic Seventh Avenue District, which has some homes in dilapidated condition. Coming next in the district is a new streetscape. And finally, the council also authorized a replacement for Fire Station 1 at a cost of $9.5 million after engineers said repairs and renovation would be impractical and inadequate to serve the needs of the American Disability Act and a co-ed firefighting force. 9. Life in prison for Stroupe Phillip Michael Stroupe II received a sentence of life in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of a beloved Mills River man from a family who had been in the county for generations. After Stroupe, 43, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and first-degree kidnapping, Superior Court Judge Joseph Crosswhite imposed a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole plus additional consecutive sentences totaling another 304-402 months, which is 25-33 years in prison. The agreement was announced Aug. 31 by District Attorney Andrew Murray. Members of Tommy Bryson's family joined District Attorney Andrew Murray for the announcement of the guilty plea of Phillip Michael Stroupe II for the murder of Bryson.This defendant robbed our community of a salt of the earth, Godly man who was cherished by his family, friends and neighbors, he said. We agree with the family that this sentence, which ensures the defendant will never walk our streets again, hopefully brings some closure not only to the family but the entire community grieving the loss of Tommy Bryson. A convicted felon who had recently been released from prison, Stroupe fled from deputies at a traffic stop in Transylvania County on July 22, 2017, triggering a four-day manhunt in and around Pisgah National Forest. Stroupe encountered and kidnapped Bryson, 68, at gunpoint. Eventually, he took Mr. Bryson to a cornfield, where he coldheartedly shot Mr. Bryson and left him to die, Murray said. Sparing the family the agony of reliving horrific details of their loved ones murder, the uncertainty of holding a lengthy death penalty trial during Covid restrictions and avoiding the years, even decades of the likely appeal of a capital murder conviction were reasons for the decision. "Considering all these factors, Mr. Brysons family reached out to the District Attorneys Office after concluding that they would prefer to extend unmerited grace to the defendant and ensure finality and closure for their family, he said. 8. No asphalt, no storage units Disruptive land-use cases again drew organized public opposition. After Southeastern Asphalt Co. owner Jeff Shipman refiled a rezoning request for an asphalt plant on Spartanburg Highway in East Flat Rock, homeowners, business owners and environmental activists fought back with yard signs, billboards, online petition, a social media campaign and legal counsel. Hours before the Board of Commissioners was scheduled to hear the rezoning request, Shipman withdrew the application, just as he had done in 2020. Friends of East Flat Rock leader Michelle Tennant Nicholson thanked residents for their support during the land-use fight. "On behalf of all the neighbors who signed our petition and have worked tirelessly to fight this asphalt plant rezoning property next door to our churches, schools, homes, and businesses, I want to thank the Henderson County planning department for their endless hours receiving emails, letters, and phone calls," she said. Meanwhile, homeowners in Crab Creek won a battle before the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which denied applicant Matthew Cookes request to rezone land for 1,000 self-storage units. Opponents presented testimony on traffic, the viewshed and residential property depreciation while Cookes attorney argued that the commercial use was compatible with surrounding use. Cooke has appealed the zoning boards decision in Superior Court. A COUPLE from Henley have started a new online vegan bakery. Kerina Newell and Joshua Gaillet work out of the kitchen at their home in Adwell Square and offer 18 different types of baked goods, including seven brownies, six cakes and five shortbreads. The products can be shipped anywhere in England, Wales or Scotland and can also be collected by locals. The couple, both 31, have called their business Bam Bam Vegan after their nickname for each other. Mr Gaillet is a patisserie chef who began his training at age 16 in his native Brittany. Miss Newell, who is originally from Wiltshire, said: Joshua worked full time from the age of 16 and it was always his dream to start his own business and we thought, Why not put our skills together? My background is in buying and communication, which I studied at Bournemouth University, so I do the operations and social media and source all the ingredients. The business took about six months to set up and during that time I was doing the box creations, coming up with the name and the branding and Joshua was working on the recipes. We wanted to create our favourite household treats without compromising on flavours. The couple first met in 2014 while they were travelling around Australia. They thentravelled to Indonesia and around Europe before moving to Henley in January 2020. We hit it off straight away, said Miss Newell We then travelled together for a bit in Australia before going to Indonesia. We moved back to Wiltshire and stayed there for two years before we went travelling in our campervan around Europe. When we came back we discussed starting our own business. We moved to Henley as Joshua worked at Hurley House Hotel as a pastry chef for about a year and then covid happened so we thought, Why not open our own business from home? In the beginning we had really great feedback in Henley we had outstanding reviews. It was going really well but has slowed down since then. With any small business it can always be quite slow but were very optimistic were both being positive. The products made by Mr Gailett contain no eggs, dairy, gelatin or chemical compounds. Miss Newell made sure the packaging is eco-friendly and is compostable and recyclable. She said: It was about two years after we met that we went vegan. We did it for a number of reasons. Were very health conscious and its a mixture of thinking about the environment, being eco-conscious and thinking about animal cruelty as well. The pair hope to move to a bigger kitchen in the future and are considering opening a vegan cafe. Mr Gaillet is also working on new items to add to the bakerys range. such as macaroons and praline cakes. For more information, visit /www.bambamvegan.com News featured popular urgent Piedmont Henry Hospital not allowing visitors due to COVID-19 increase Special Due to the increase in community spread of COVID-19, Piedmont Henry Hospital is not allowing visitors for the time being. Visitors for patients with emergencies or for those undergoing outpatient procedures must wait outside in their vehicles. STOCKBRIDGE Due to the increase in community spread of COVID-19, Piedmont Henry Hospital is not allowing visitors for the time being. Visitors for patients with emergencies or for those undergoing outpatient procedures must wait outside in their vehicles. We believe that restricting visitation at this time is in the best interest of keeping our patients and our staff safe, said Lily Henson, M.D., CEO of Piedmont Henry. We are asking the community to do everything they can to help stop the spread of this virus. That means wearing a mask, watching your distance and limiting potential exposure to others, washing your hands frequently, and getting the vaccine and booster when you are able to do so. Legal guardians or family caregivers will be allowed if it is determined necessary for the care of the patient (such as end of life care, NICU and other minors receiving care). Labor and delivery patients will be allowed one support person. Any other exceptions need to be approved by leaders in specific departments. All visitors (support persons) must be 18 years of age or older and are required to wear a mask in the hospital at all times, regardless of vaccination status. Masks must cover a persons nose and mouth. We realize that this will be very difficult for our patients and their families and friends, but we need to keep our patients and staff safe, said Henson. We appreciate everyones understanding and cooperation during this healthcare crisis. Piedmont Henry encourages people to remain closely connected to their loved ones in the hospital through virtual means. Email messages to patients can be sent to PHHFeelTheLove@piedmont.org and apps such as Skype, Zoom, DUO or FaceTime can be used to set up virtual face-to-face meetings. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. BEIRUT, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese-Qatari Businessmen Council was established to boost the partnership between the two countries' private sectors, Mohammad Choucair, head of Beirut's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, announced on Wednesday. A statement released by the chamber noted that the new council will work on boosting bilateral economic ties. Choucair stressed that the establishment of this council comes as Lebanon aims to strengthen economic relations with Arab countries, especially the Gulf States. "The Gulf States are strategic economic partners for Lebanon at all levels, including tourism, export of industrial, agricultural and service products, investments, and foreign transfers," he said, adding that the historical, human, and brotherly relations bind the Lebanese with peoples of these countries. Fadi Saab, president of the new council, said that he will make a high-quality leap in economic cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries. In light of Lebanon's economic crisis, Saab called for efforts to improve relations with the Gulf countries in the interest of his country. Greenville, TX (75401) Today Mostly cloudy this morning then windy with a few scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 84F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 66F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we've all known individuals who have done more than their share to help their neighbors and communities with food, comfort, care, companionship and dozens of other needs. If you know of such a person, you can nominate them to be featured in our upcoming H Princeton, KY (42445) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. ASMARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi met with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh here on Wednesday. Wang Yi said that it has been 32 years in a row for Chinese foreign ministers to visit Africa for the first time. This demonstrates the solidarity and cooperation between China and Africa, and also shows that China's diplomacy always stands on the side of developing countries. Eritrea is the first country on this African tour. China cherishes its traditional friendship with Eritrea and is willing to open up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations. The biggest outcome of this visit is that the two sides reached a consensus and the top leaders of the two countries have made major political decisions to elevate China-Eritrea relations to the Strategic Partnership, which serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and two peoples. China would like to take this opportunity to advance all-around mutually beneficial cooperation, open a new chapter in bilateral relations and bring more benefits to the two peoples. The two sides should strengthen the synergy of the "nine programs" put forward at the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to inject strong impetus into future cooperation. Wang Yi said that as strategic partners, China and Eritrea should more firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns. "We should strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and multilateral affairs, hold high the banner of multilateralism, and oppose hegemony and power politics. We will continue to promote democracy in international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice," said Wang. China will always stand by our African brothers, and China's vote in the United Nations always belongs to developing countries. On his part, Osman said the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Eritrea and China will push bilateral relations to a new height. Eritrea fully agrees with Chinese President Xi Jinping's "nine programs" initiative and is ready to work with China to align and implement the cooperation framework plan, strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, ports, industrial parks, and translate the willingness of cooperation into tangible results. Eritrea and China share common ideals on issues such as peace and stability, sovereignty and independence, mutually beneficial development, equity and justice. Eritrea firmly pursues the one-China policy and supports China's just position on issues related to China's Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea. It is Eritrea's long-standing tradition to stand with China. Eritrea is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to jointly safeguard the legitimate interests of developing countries. Following the talks, the two foreign ministers signed a joint statement. Enditem We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit On January 2, Chattisgarh state BJP leader and ex-minister Brijmohan Agrawal levelled serious allegations against the Congress-led Chhattisgarh government over the allotment of 25-acre land to Pakistani extremist outfit Dawat-e-Islami. After a massive outrage against the move by the BJP, the allotment of the 25-acre land in Raipur has been cancelled by the state government. Earlier, the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh had decided to allot 25-acre land to the Pakistan-linked extremist Islamic organisation Dawat-e-Islami. The outfits Chattisgarh wing had requested the government to allot 10 hectares(25 acres) of land in the Boriakhurd area of Raipur to construct a community centre. After the primary allotment, the additional collector at the district court had issued an advertisement for claiming objection against the allotment. In the advertisement dated December 22, 2021, respondents were asked to file objections in court before January 13, 2022. Following the development, the state BJP unit led a massive uproar over the allotment of a huge piece of land to an Islamist Organisation with Pakistani links. Brijmohan Agrawal, ex-Cabinet minister in the state government tweeted, The Chhattisgarh government is allotting 25 acres (10 hectares) of land in Raipur to an organization named Dawat-e Islami. Dawat-e-Islami is a Pakistani organization, and Congress is enabling them to open their branches in our country 25 (10 ) , (1/4) pic.twitter.com/BxyqaFSKuB Brijmohan Agrawal (@brijmohan_ag) January 2, 2022 Agrawal alleged that several allegations have been made against Daawat-e-Islami over forced conversions, influencing voters and spreading terrorism through donations. Their members have been earlier identified as terrorists and spies who have been caught by the special cell of the Delhi Police. He noted that the Facebook page of Dawat-e-Islami has photos of its Pakistani founder Ilyas Qadri and that the logos of The original Pakistani organisation and its Chhattisgarh wing are also similar. He questioned, The government has gone ahead to donate 10 lakh,76 thousand square feet space to a Pakistani organisation for building a community centre. Has any community in history been allotted such a large space for building a community hall? Does it take 25 acres to build a community hall? 12 acre govt owned land in Raipur Chhattisgarh allotted to Dawat-e-Islami, a Karachi based organisation. Application given on 28th December, approved same day by minister Mohammad Akbar and allotted the very next day, 29th December by Raipur DM. Amazing speed! pic.twitter.com/kfmFOW2MCJ Rahul Kaushik (@kaushkrahul) January 3, 2022 Following the controversy, the Govt. cancelled the allotment and in defence said Dawat-e-Islamis request was declined in the first place. The Government has also set up an enquiry against the officials who had initially passed the allotment. Devendra Patel, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Raipur said that the application was made by a man named Syed Kalim in the collectors office on behalf of the organisation. He stated, As per the preliminary process, on receipt of the application, a memorandum was issued by the Additional Tahsildar for publishing an advertisement. After the publication of the advertisement, the applicant appeared in the court of the Additional Tehsildar and withdrew his application saying that he had mistakenly written the area as 10 hectares, whereas he needed only 10,000 square feet. Finally, the SDM stated that the application in the Tehsil has been dismissed on 01 January 2022 and the case has been finally closed. He assured that notice is being served to the Officer-in-Charge of Land Allotment (Collectorate) and the Additional Tehsildar for errors in the publication of the advertisement. Daawat-e-Islami and its links with Pakistan Founded in 1981 by Maulana Abu Bilal Muhammad Ilyas Attari, Dawat-e-Islami (Invitation to Islam), is a Sunni Islamic organisation with its base in Pakistan. The extremist organisation has spread its wings in India and is active in many countries in the world. Started as a revivalist organisation inspired by Sufi doctrines, it has developed into an extremist Islamist outfit with brazen terror links. While it claims to be involved in social work, its activities have been long curtailed by Pakistani military authorities after the assassin of a Pakistani politician was found to be a DIE member. Recently in 2020, one of the terrorists who were involved in the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris named DIE founder Ilyas Attari as his guide. A Pakistani terrorist named Md Ashraf, who was arrested in Delhi in October 2021 was also found to be linked with this organisation. The Facebook page of Dawat-e-Islami Chhattisgarh can be seen heaping praises for its Pakistani founder Ilyas Attar. Raipur Mayor Ejaz Debhar is also seen praising the activities of the organisation in a video. In India, Dawat-e-Islami has garnered criticism from other Muslim sects over their open links with terrorism. Voices have been raised earlier against the objectives of Dawat-e-Islami to hold religious congregations (Iztema) in Kanpur and Hyderabad. Source : OpIndia Half Moon Bay, CA (94019) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 56F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low near 45F. N winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's agricultural exports, including its much sought-after durians, will greatly benefit from the rolling out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), industry experts said. RCEP will facilitate the broader market and development space for the development of Malaysia's agriculture, as well as strengthen agricultural investment and international cooperation between Malaysia and the RCEP members, Edwyn Chiang, secretary general of the Malaysia International Durian Industry Development Association told Xinhua in a recent interview. "The signing and future of RCEP would undoubtedly bring benefits and development opportunities. Among the members of the agreement, ASEAN, China, Japan and Australia are all important agricultural countries, and there is a huge space for the development of agricultural economy and trained cooperation between Malaysia, and China, ASEAN, Japan and Australia," he said. Chiang also said the golden age of the durian trade has begun, predicting that by the year 2030, the export volume of durians will increase by 50 percent, and the production of the well-known Musang King variety of the fruit will double. "At the same time, the external market competition influenced by the agreement will also help the development of domestic agriculture, and reshape the regional industrial chain, and the value chain of agriculture," he said. Deputy Secretary-General Michael Chai Woon Chew of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia said the agreement will boost the export of a whole range of Malaysian agricultural products to China while helping to raise local production standards. Chai explained that the Malaysian durian industry has worked hard to comply with China's stringent importation requirements and this is well worth the effort considering the vast size of China's domestic consumer market, especially the demand for tropical fruits. Malaysia first exported whole frozen durians to China starting in 2019, after the country's authorities cleared the fruit for export. In 2020, China imported around 575.9 million kg of fresh durians, with an import value exceeding 2.3 billion U.S. dollars. Between 2017 and 2020, China's annual import value of fresh durians increased more than threefold, according to market and consumer data provider Statista. The 2028 second-round pick the Thunder acquired from the Jazz in Tuesdays Miye Oni trade was technically already owed to Oklahoma City conditionally, as ESPNs Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter). When the Jazz sent Derrick Favors to the Thunder in an offseason deal, Utah included a top-10 protected 2024 first-round pick. If that pick falls in its protected range, the Jazz would instead owe the Thunder their top-10 protected first-round pick pick in 2025. If it still hasnt changed hands by that point, it would become a top-eight protected 2026 first-rounder. The conditions of the Favors trade called for the Thunder to get Utahs 2028 second-round pick if that first-rounder fell in its protected range all three years. Now, Oklahoma City will receive the pick unconditionally. If the Jazzs 2024 first-rounder isnt conveyed after 2026, the Thunder will instead receive $890K in cash, according to Marks. Heres more on the Jazz/Thunder swap: Hyde Hotels has announced that its first European property will open in 2023, occupying the redeveloped 15 Old Bailey. It has now been confirmed that the property will be known as Hyde Paradox Hotel London City, with features including 110 rooms, two restaurants and a speakeasy bar. The Hyde brand originated as an LA nightclub in 2005, and currently counts three hotels in Hollywood Beach, Midtown Miami and its most recent opening in Dubai. The brand forms part of Accor's global lifestyle hotel partnership with UK-based developer Ennismore, which was announced in late 2020. Hotel website Swiss-Belhotel International Indonesia recently sealed a management agreement of Swiss-Belhotel Airport, Yogyakarta with PT Adhiraka Graha Sejahtera. The official signing was held in Jakarta on December 16, 2021. Scheduled to be opened in 2022, the 4-star hotel project is planned to have 167 rooms and a range of international standard facilities and services. The hotel's prime location is the most advantageous factor as it is only minutes away from the International Airport of Yogyakarta. Located in the Kulon Progo Airport hub complex, the hotel will be a perfect accommodation offering the utmost comfort rooms. And, it will become an ideal choice for frequent travellers and layovers who wish to be close to the airport. The hotel will also provide a ballroom and meeting rooms with modern meeting facilities. The hotel will offer an all-day dining restaurant with indoor and outdoor sitting options, in-room dining, a rooftop swimming pool, and a gym for guests who need leisure activities before or after flights. Hotel website Turnstone Ventures, a vertically-integrated real estate investment first led by seasoned Boston-based developer Jeff Glew, has acquired the historic 50-key The Shire Woodstock in Woodstock, VT. Turnstone has hired New York-based Life House Hotels, signaling the tech-enabled hotel operator's first hotel in Vermont and 20th hotel in New England. The village of Woodstock, Vermont was chartered in 1761, 15 years before the United States of America signed the Declaration of Independence. Later designated as the Shire Town of Windsor County in 1786, Woodstock became a hub for entrepreneurs, appealing to some of Vermont's earliest manufacturers, craftsmen, and artisans, and quickly became one of the largest towns in the state. Originally built in 1963, The Shire Woodstock pays homage to the town's namesake, with the property offering a year-round retreat on the banks of the Ottauquechee River with waterfront views from each oversized guestroom. Given its central location in the heart of the Village of Woodstock, The Shire Woodstock delivers a pedestrian-friendly experience with walkability the town's local restaurants, boutique artisan shops, and eclectic galleries, with an array of four-season outdoor activities within a short drive from the property. The property will operate "as-is" under its existing branding prior being reimagined as a locally-rooted boutique hotel that will feature elevated interiors and enhanced public space programming. The transaction was marketed by Earle Wason and Joe Cardillo of Wason & Associates, an experienced hospitality real estate brokerage group located in Portsmouth, NH. Hotel website The Statler has recently appointed Adam Gollub as its general manager. Gollub arrives from Albany, New York, where he was the dual general manager for two Hilton properties for the past three years. He has more than 13 years of leadership experience in the hospitality and real estate industries. Gollub's professional background is heavily weighted in branded hotels, but to diversify his leadership and hospitality experience in an urban setting, he oversaw luxury rental properties in Manhattan's Chelsea and Union Square neighborhoods for Related Companies. This invaluable experience allowed Gollub to leverage his customer service and entrepreneurial skill set to drive results. His dual experience in managing rental/condo properties and retail establishments will be beneficial in his position at The Statler. The Statler, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, is managed by Aimbridge Hospitality. Javier Cuesta has been appointed executive chef at Georgia's award-winning Barnsley Resort. In this leadership role, Chef Cuesta is responsible for overseeing all culinary operations of the resort's three onsite restaurants, leading and managing the culinary team for the restaurants and supervising an extensive banquet operation for weddings and group events across the resort's 3,000 acres. Chef Cuesta brings with him more than 25 years of culinary experience at world-class resorts and upscale restaurants. Prior to joining Barnsley Resort, Chef Cuesta served as food & beverage director of Aimbridge Hospitality in St. Croix, and before that, as executive chef at The Cavalier Virginia Beach, Autograph Collection. Throughout his career, Cuesta grew his international knowledge and expertise through various positions at prestigious resorts and restaurants in Pennsylvania, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Portugal and more. Cuesta completed his formal culinary training in Paris where he earned a degree in French gastronomy from the Ritz Paris. Throughout his career, Chef Cuesta has been recognized as a visionary chef and is known as an expert in culinary arts trends. His global experience complements Barnsley Resort's Southern charm, where he's able to add his international knowledge to elevate and enhance the resort's culinary program with world-class techniques. With employees continuing to return to offices, ongoing vaccination progress and the reopening of many international borders, the time would seem to be ripe for the return of business travel. Yet, even before the news of the omicron variant in recent days, there continued to be negative sentiments about the return of this segment, whereas pandemic-era leisure travel sentiments remain buoyant. Results from a November STR survey of 600 global travelers indicates that more consumers are less likely to travel for overnight business amid the pandemic: 44% in November 2021 versus 39% in July 2021. Additionally, net propensity to travel, which is the difference between those more likely and less likely to travel, was down 30% in November 2021 after coming in down 27% in July 2021. Analysis of business travel sentiments across different age groups reveals only a slightly less negative sentiment among younger business travelers compared with those in older age groups. The narrowing sentiment highlights that the views of younger and older audiences are converging. This may be due to increased confidence in traveling among older audiences because of vaccine success as well as decreased confidence among younger travelers, who are typically less risk-averse possibly due to fears of long-haul COVID-19, which is reported to be more prevalent in younger people. Read the full article at HotelNewsNow (part of CoStar) WASHINGTON Texas is among 26 states seeking a piece of $4.7 billion in federal funding to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells. The Interior Department announced Wednesday that funding would be decided in the weeks ahead, toward addressing an estimated 130,000 orphaned wells around the United States. "The Interior Department is committed to helping working families, often in rural and Tribal communities, who face hazardous pollution, toxic water levels, and land subsidence both during and long after energy companies have moved on," the agency said in a statement. It is typically the job of oil and gas companies to plug and clean up old wells, but whether due to financial difficulty or malfeasance, many wells are simply abandoned after they run out of meaningful production. The resulting pollution poses a public health risk to surrounding communities. The funding stems from legislation introduced this summer by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D- Houston, which was included in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Congress passed in November. The legislation allows states to use the money not only plug old wells but clean up any contamination of surrounding lands. "Orphaned wells can harm our environment and create public health risks for neighboring communities," Fletcher said in June. "The legislation) will also create jobs for oilfield workers in Texas and across the country, which is especially important now, after the downturn brought on by COVID-19. Other states applying for funding include Alaska, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo cautioned that the region's COVID threat could be raised to its highest and most severe level in the next week or so, if hospitalizations continue to rise. Hidalgo raised the county's COVID-19 threat level to significant," the second-highest point, on Dec. 20 due to rapidly rising infections sparked by the spread of the omicron variant. Threat Level 2 recommends that people minimize all unnecessary contacts in order to stem the flow of the virus, while Threat Level 1 recommends that unvaccinated people stay home as much as possible and only leave for essential needs like groceries or medicine. Following several weeks of family gatherings and traveling, Hidalgo said during a Tuesday news conference that the county has met three of four indicators that would raise the threat level yet again. The last indicator to be reached is hospitalizations. Hidalgo said 12 percent of the region's ICU population is COVID positive once that reaches 20 percent, the county will reach Level 1 status. On HoustonChronicle.com: Omicron may be less severe, but it's raising Houston hospitalizations to staggering levels "The bad news is that cases are through the roof...the good news is that hospitalizations are rising, but not as much as they had in previous waves relative to cases," Hidalgo said. Between Christmas and New Years Day, the Texas Medical Center topped 400 new COVID admissions per day. Before omicron, TMC was averaging just 56 hospitalizations per day throughout the month of November, the Houston Chronicle reported. During this time period, pediatric hospitalizations have also skyrocketed among children who are mostly unvaccinated. The rise in infections has also led to massive staff shortages at Houston hospitals. Hidalgo said those hospitals should see some relief soon, once 900 additional staff make their way to Houston in the coming weeks. Hidalgo stressed getting the population vaccinated and boosted as the greatest means to curb hospitalizations and prevent the threat level from rising. "And that's completely in our hands, we can control that," Hidalgo said. "If we get our vaccination, get our booster, that will keep folks from going to the hospital because of COVID." Hidalgo added the county is on standby to open more testing sites. The city and county have opened several new mega-sites with more on the way in response to the recent increased demand for tests. TEST DEMAND: Walmart, Kroger raise at-home COVID test price as deal with President Biden expires The newest mega-test site opened Wednesday at Butler Stadium, with a capacity for 1,000 daily tests. Appointments are not required but are available by calling 1-866-333-2684. Another mega-site is planned for the former Dave & Busters at 6010 Richmond Ave later this week, according to a release from the Houston Health Department. Details on that site have yet to be announced. Two other mega-sites opened last week, at Delmar Stadium and Minute Maid Park. There are 71,378 active COVID cases and 661,501 confirmed total cases in Harris County and Houston, according to the latest data from Harris County Public Health. The region's positivity rate is at 27 percent. rebecca.hennes@chron.com South Africa: Zondo report recommends new anti-corruption agency The first part of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture has recommended the establishment of a single, multifunctional, properly resourced and independent anti-corruption authority by government with a mandate to confront the abuses inherent in the present system. The report handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday by the Commissions Chairperson, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, said that the authority could be called the Anti-Corruption Authority or Agency of SA South Africa (ACASA) and could be modelled along the lines of the Competition Commission. The Agency or Authority, like the Competition Commission structure, must include specialised departments with particular mandates but which collectively represent a comprehensive response to the challenges which arise, the report suggested. The Commissions Chairperson said that it is a fundamental feature of the Agency that it be independent. There has, however, been lengthy judicial debate on the question whether such independence can be achieved within a government department or by an entity under Ministerial control. That debate requires careful consideration, said the report. South Africa requires an anti-corruption body free from political oversight and able to combat corruption with fresh and concentrated energy. Public trust will not otherwise be re-established in the procurement system. The ultimate responsibility for leading the fight against corruption in public procurement cannot again be left to a government department or be subject to Ministerial control. What is required are specialised oversight and monitoring authorities which operate upon the basis that they are independent in the full and untrammelled sense, i.e. that they are subject only to the Constitution and the Law, according to the report. The report suggested that the choice of officials who will lead and staff such bodies should not be left to the discretion of government. "Such appointments must be in accordance with a transparent procedure in a public process," the report said. Access to resources The report identified inadequate funding and unfilled vacancies as some of the ways in which such an agency could be prevented from doing its job effectively and properly. These measures, taken together, have been responsible in a large measure for preventing wrong-doers being held accountable for their actions. In order to ensure that the Agency is able to do its work effectively and properly, it will be necessary to ensure that the adequacy of its funding is proof against political interference. This may be achieved by protections built into the enabling legislation and by providing for sources of revenue additional to Parliamentary funding, it said. In leading the fight against corruption, the Agency will provide an essential service for both the public and the private sectors, and both should contribute in some appropriate way to its funding. There should be no objection to the imposition of a levy payable to the Agency by every person seeking a procurement contract or participating in a tender process. This will provide the Agency with necessary additional funding beyond that supplied by Parliament and other sources, the report said. Recommendations for consideration by the President The Commission further recommended that government, in consultation with the business sector, prepare and publish a National Charter against corruption in public procurement. The Charter would include a Code of Conduct setting out the ethical standards which apply in the procurement of goods and services for the public. The commission has further recommended that government introduce legislation for the establishment of an independent Public Procurement Anti-Corruption Agency (PPACA), which will constitute the Agency as an independent body, subject only to the Constitution and the law, which has jurisdiction throughout the Republic, is impartial and must perform its functions without fear, favour or prejudice. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-01-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Tibet beefs up investment during 14th five-year plan Xinhua) 16:17, January 05, 2022 LHASA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region plans to invest 601.5 billion yuan (about 94.3 billion U.S. dollars) during its 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to local authorities. The number sees a growth rate of 58 percent, compared with that during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), said the fifth session of the 11th People's Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region. The region plans to beef up investment in infrastructure, ecological protection, grassroots governance, and people's livelihood to achieve high-quality regional development during the 2021-2025 period. From 1952 to 2020, the total investment in fixed assets in Tibet reached 1.79 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth of 21.6 percent. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defended the agencys shifting guidance that workers should stay home after testing positive for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday that the newly shortened five-day stay at home guidance reflects medical science that the chance of transmitting the disease to others is very low after that period, instead of the previous 10-day recommendation. Advertisement She also defended the confusing fact that workers are not being told to take a rapid COVID test before returning to work after the new shortened period. We cant tell how transmissible you are from a positive test and negative tests are most useful when taken serially, more than one time, Walensky said at a briefing by the White House coronavirus task force. Advertisement Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky (Jim Lo Scalzo/AP) The pandemic doctor also defended new recommendations about what workers should do if they do take a rapid test after five days. If that test is positive, people should stay home for those extra five days, she said. If that test is negative, people really need to continue to wear their mask for the rest of the ten days. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > Critics say that guidance is confusing since the nations top public health agency is not recommending those rapid tests or vouching for their effectiveness as diagnostic tools. Amid soaring caseloads powered by the omicron variant, the relaxed return-to-work recommendations are seen by officials as a needed step to keep essential public services like police, hospitals, transit systems and schools functioning. Walensky said guidelines for health workers are somewhat stricter a seven-day stay-at-home recommendation to reflect their routine contact with patients who are vulnerable to COVID infection. Dr. Anthony Fauci told the same task force briefing that increasing clinical evidence suggests that omicron is less likely to cause severe COVID disease than previous strains of the virus. He cited studies from South Africa, where omicron was first identified last November, along with England and Scotland, showing far lower rates of critical illness compared to the numbers of cases caused by omicron. Fauci added that some studies suggest omicron is less dangerous because it attacks the upper respiratory system as opposed to the lungs of victims. Advertisement The big caveat is we should not be complacent, Fauci warned. Dont take this as a signal we can pull back from the precautions. SAN FRANCISCO Jessie Palmatier had only been working at her job at an East Bay nonprofit for a few weeks before the pandemic forced offices to close across the Bay Area. Since then, shes been working fully remote with no end in sight. Shes only been back to the office once, she says, and that was in May 2020 to grab her computer monitor. The switch definitely took some adjustment. Palmatier, 30, had to arrange her home office as she was using it, making it comfortable, filling it with all the right things. But once I realized how much I was saving with my commute, and how much energy I had after work was done, I was like, This is awesome. When she needs a break she can kick a ball around with her dog in the backyard, which beats standing around a water cooler any day. Now, as the omicron variant once again scrambles well-laid plans, possibly killing the return-to-office date altogether, Palmatier, like millions of others, finds herself hoping shell never have to work in an office full-time again. I sort of just have this impending dread of the possibility of being required to go back full time, Palmatier says. Ive learned my job and grown my role and all of that from my home office, so it would be more disruptive to make me go back to an office I only spent a few weeks in. Almost overnight, it seemed, the novel coronavirus transformed the way millions of Americans worked and just as quickly, some of the regions largest employers, like Salesforce, Facebook (now Meta) and Apple began to re-imagine the very nature of work. As early as May 2020, the same month Palmatier collected her monitor, Meta began talking about a hybrid approach and the possibility of letting certain employees work from home forever. What might have seemed then like a niche, tech-world revolution has, by now, spread to nearly every sort of job where remote work is possible, says Nicholas Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University and an expert in remote-work trends. About 50% of the American workforce, he says, has the ability to work from home of that 50%, he expects 40% will go hybrid while the remaining 10% will go fully remote. For a considerable part of the countrys labor force, and perhaps even a larger piece of the Bay Areas, the future is very clearly hybrid, Bloom says, the question is what exactly that will look like. Back in May 2020, he might have expected employees would only spend a day working from home. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle By May 2021, a year later, hybrid was becoming the norm, but at three-two, Bloom says, meaning three days in the office, two remote. By May 2022, I wouldnt be surprised if hybrids become the model at two-three. I think what omicron is doing is pushing up, slowly, the number of days people will see hybrid. By now, what some used to call the new normal is simply normal. In some sense, undoing the shift to remote work would feel just as strange as the first few months of working from home did. At San Franciscos Metromile, a pay-by-the-mile car insurance startup, the transition is already well underway. The company stopped guessing at a return to office date a while back, says Debra Jack, the senior vice president of communications. And, she says, even once the pandemic has faded, we have told metro milers they are welcome to work from anywhere. That wasnt always the case. I remember when we decided to go home in March of 2020, we thought it would be for about two weeks, says Jack. As the pandemic stretched on, though, it fundamentally changed their hiring model. It really gave us an opportunity to expand our hiring options and pull from places all around the country. Now, the company has employees in 30 states, she says. Their CFO is based in Seattle, while their senior vice president of marketing lives in Richmond, Va. The companys offices are still open currently at 50% capacity, Jack says but most days there are very few people working there. Were still encouraging people to work from home if they want to and most Metromilers are taking us up on that. Another way to view this trend, Bloom says, is that employers, motivated in part by the hot job market and the possibility of recruiting talent wherever they live, are moving closer to what employees want. According to his own surveys, a full half of employees who can work from home want a hybrid model, and ideally, theyd like to be in the office about only half of the week or less. (For employers who resist the trend, Bloom says his surveys show that as many as 40% of employees would begin seeking new jobs if they were required to go back full time.) William Young had spent his whole life in North Carolina until December 2019, when he made a cross-country move to San Francisco, where hed landed his first job out of college at an advertising firm. He loved the city, he says. Hed run along Marina Boulevard and across the Golden Gate Bridge. He visited Ocean Beach and hiked in the Marin Headlands. A few months in, though, the pandemic forced Young, 24, to reorient his life all over again. Like others who were able to work from home, Young decided to leave San Francisco. He went back to Greenville, N.C., where he could weather the storm at his parents place. The move was supposed to be temporary, but nearly two years later, theres no concrete end in sight and the pandemic has changed the way Young thinks about the future of work. He still has plans to return to San Francisco once the office reopens (whenever that may be) but he cant imagine returning to the office full time and neither do his employers expect him to. I was only a few months into office life and sort of getting slightly depressed at the cubicle five days out of the week, he says. At this point, its been so long of remote working that Ive just gotten used to it and really enjoy the perks of it. Last week, Brent Edwards, 51, packed up his work station and moved from San Jose to Los Angeles with his wife, who is starting her dream job as a law librarian at UCLA. In the past, Edwards might have had to leave his job and go looking for something new, but in this remade world, there was no decision to make. Edwards has been working remotely as a programmer for Clairi, a revenue operations platform based in Sunnyvale, since he began in October 2020. And like Metromile, Clari has been actively hiring all over the United States, he says. Nearly a third of the companys engineers work remotely. Like most remote workers, Edwards is planning on occasional trips to the office at least one a month. Its important to be seen. But, he adds, I dont have much of a desire to go into the office. The times Ive been there Ive been less productive. Now mind you, the reason Ive been less productive is because Im talking to people, Im getting my face out there. Travis Gohr, a product designer at Google who lives in the Outer Sunset, has noticed the same thing with his own productivity. For all the concerns employers may have had initially about letting employers work on their own, Gohr, 42, finds hes much better able to optimize his time at home. Being in an office, Ive just realized I get less done, he says. Im hunting for meeting rooms. Theres just a bunch of options of stuff to do. Even lunch, I can go to a really nice Google cafeteria, but all of that just means then Im at the office more to get the same amount of work done. At home, he can put in headphones and concentrate, no distractions. Its great not having to spend 100 minutes a day commuting, he says. And its nice to be able to walk out in the backyard and spend 10 minutes out there. Gohr started his job at Google in the midst of the pandemic, so when variants are no longer a daily topic of conversation, he expects to work some sort of hybrid schedule he wants to make sure to enjoy all the perks that the tech giant has spent decades refining. Still, he says, I keep getting a little excited every time they delay. Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @RyanKost courtesy of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office A call to police about suspicious behavior in Spring last week has led to the seizure of several thousands of dollars in stolen auto parts by the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office. Upon an investigation finding they had stolen in excess of $25,000 in catalytic converters, two juvenile males were taken into custody Thursday afternoon by sheriffs deputies and charged with felony theft and felony criminal mischief, according to the agency. A case of flurona someone infected with both the flu and coronavirus simultaneously has been discovered in a child in Southern California, a testing company announced. In this file photo, a graduate student holding a swab and specimen vial in the new COVID-19 on July 23, 2020, in Boston. (Charles Krupa/AP) Its the first case in Southern California though not in the U.S. This week, Texas Childrens Hospital announced that another pediatric patient had come down with both as well, reported USA Today. Advertisement Flu-COVID combinations were already being seen in children as flu cases rise, Dr. Matthew Harris, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Northwell Health, told the Daily News last week, noting that it is not at all uncommon for kids to test positive for more than one virus. But we dont yet know how kids will react with flu and COVID, he said, given COVIDs newness and unpredictability. Advertisement The Southern California case was detected in a minor who had just returned from vacation in Cabo San Lucas with their family, reported KABC-TV. It was found at a testing site at the Getty Center in Brentwood, KABC said. The child had symptoms but had been sent home with their parents, testing company 911 COVID Testing CEO Steve Farzam told KABC. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > In Texas, the story was similar. The childs age was not mentioned, but the infection with influenza A and SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, was confirmed. This is one confirmed case and, of course, well be working with our colleagues across the country to see if there are more cases and whether we will see a distinct pattern in these cases, Dr. Jim Versalovic, pathologist-in-chief and COVID-19 command center co-leader at the hospital, said Monday, according to USA Today. Earlier this week Israel confirmed its first known case of flurona, in an unvaccinated pregnant woman with mild symptoms. Medical professionals stressed the importance of getting the flu vaccine to avoid being vulnerable to multiple infections, especially with the flu resurging to pre-pandemic levels this year. The two together is more dangerous with either one by itself, Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, the director of critical care services at Northwell Health, told The News on Wednesday. Especially in elderly people or people who are immunocompromised. Wearing masks is also important, Narasimhan said. We see much less virulent flu in patients who are vaccinated against the flu, she said. Last winter when we were wearing masks, we saw no flu at all. Its been a year since the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and many Republican leaders are planning to mark the anniversary as theyve spent the months leading up to it: by acting as if they have no idea what the rest of us are even talking about. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after engaging with rioters, and four other law enforcement officers who responded to the brutal, hours-long siege committed suicide in its aftermath. Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was among the rioters, was fatally shot by a police officer as she tried to access the Speakers Lobby by climbing through a broken window of a barricaded door. She had a Trump flag wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. Many other Americans were left injured, terrified or traumatized by the days events, set in motion when outgoing President Donald Trump urged supporters to march on the Capitol and fight like hell. The old huckster managed to convince many of them that he actually won an election that he resoundingly lost. The leader of the free world cannot spend weeks thundering that shadowy forces are stealing our country and then feign surprise when people believe him and do reckless things, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor in February, declaring Trump practically and morally responsible. That was then. This week, McConnell struck a note of resignation when asked about Trumps plans to address the nation on the anniversary of these events, which led to his second impeachment. Itll be interesting to see what he has to say, the Kentuckian said at a Tuesday morning news conference. Trump announced later Tuesday that he would postpone his remarks until a rally in Arizona on Jan. 15, but he issued a news release reciting many of his familiar and baseless grievances. Meanwhile, vigils were being planned in major cities across the country. In Houston, people will gather downtown on Thursday, outside the Mickey Leland Federal Building. For many rank-and-file Republican voters, this might seem like wallowing on the part of Democrats or perhaps a cynical attempt to exploit a tragic day to smear an entire political movement. Those voters should remember it isnt. For one thing, were learning more every day about what actually happened on 1/6, and in the weeks leading up to it. CNN reported last month that former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was Trumps energy secretary, was apparently suggesting ways to undermine the 2020 election results. The news network said Perry is believed to be the author of a text to Mark Meadows, then the White House chief of staff, on the day after the election that said: HEREs an AGRESSIVE [sic] STRATEGY: Why can t [sic] the states of GA NC PENN and other R controlled state houses declare this is BS (where conflicts and election not called that night) and just send their own electors to vote and have it go to the SCOTUS. Sure. Great idea. What could possibly go wrong? Through a spokesperson, Perry has denied authoring the text, which was sent from a cellphone registered to James Richard Perry. Hes had no further comment on the report. You wont find many other profiles in courage among Texas Republican leaders, either. Take U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who led an unsuccessful charge to object to the certification of President Joe Bidens victory. Thats literally what he was doing as Trump supporters who had traveled to Washington, D.C., for a Stop the Steal rally were toppling police barricades outside the Capitol. And yet theres no evidence that our states junior senator has spent any time since reflecting on his shameful role. He still wants to be president and is presumably hoping to make inroads with Trump supporters if he runs in 2024. Well see. Meanwhile, other Republican leaders continue to pursue Trumps favor by peddling his ongoing and entirely baseless claims of a stolen election. Attorney General Ken Paxton wants the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to give him the power to prosecute election-related crimes, despite a ruling from the all-Republican court last month that the power belongs to local officials. This push has to be understood in context. After Trump lost the election, Paxton filed a lawsuit contesting its results in four states that Democrat Joe Biden won. While the suit was quickly tossed by the conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court, we can reasonably assume it helped Paxton win Trumps endorsement over several GOP primary opponents. Do you get the sense this is all a game to these guys? A few Texas GOP leaders former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, for example, and former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd have been straight with voters and called for putting country over party. For those members of Congress that want to act like that was a normal day is insane, right? Its insane, Hurd said in July. He noted that the days events victimized young men and women working as staff for members of Congress fresh arrivals in Washington who were passionate about making a difference. Its refreshing to hear such candor from a prominent Republican. But former is a salient descriptor, in this case. Current Republican elected officials seem to be more wary of poking the bear known as Trump, even though he remains largely sequestered at his Mar-a-Lago resort and was booed at his most recent appearance in Texas, after touting COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots. They may find it easier to tell their constituents to move along nothing to see here. But is it really appropriate to put our heads in the sand and pretend like 1/6 never happened? There needs to be a full accounting, so we can move forward with a shared understanding of what happened, even if we disagree about how to prevent it from happening again. And if Republican leaders pay a price for what happened that day as the U.S. president watched the violence unfold on TV and waited more than three hours to intervene so be it. erica.grieder@chron.com Chronicle file It was a milestone day for Houston and its role in spaceflight as President Richard Nixon gave the the go-ahead for a $5 billion project to create a space shuttle program. In doing so, the Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the Johnson Space Center) would be overseeing the shuttle program. Though the article here says it should be operational by the end of the decade, the first space shuttle launch was in 1981. Channelview ISD now is requiring masks in all schools and district facilities, citing the rise in COVID cases as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads throughout the area. Before the districts winter break, masks had been optional. The change was made as the district reopened Monday for staff and students returned for the spring semester Tuesday. We have been closely monitoring COVID-19 cases and have made the decision that we will go back to requiring masks for all those who enter our facilities and campuses in an effort to protect our students, staff and parents, reads a statement on the districts website. The COVID-19 Omicron variant is rapidly spreading and we must do our part to protect ourselves and each other. We ask that you understand our policy and abide by this new guideline. Please remember, everything we do is in an effort to protect our staff and students. On HoustonChronicle.com: HISD to keep mask mandate, expand COVID testing in 2022 According to the districts online dashboard, there currently are 175 students and 82 staff with reported lab-confirmed cases. Of those, 136 students and 74 staff were not on a campus or in contact with other students or staff. There are 39 student and eight staff cases in which the infected person was on a district campus or interacted with peers. Those infected with COVID during the winter break have not been on any CISD campus or facility and have been asked to stay home until they have completed their isolation period as mandated by CISD guidelines, said Lila Hollin, director of communications for the district. On HoustonChronicle.com: Reversing course, Aldine ISD will keep mask mandate after holidays Three other districts in the Houston region Houston, Spring and Aldine ISDs are mandating masks despite an ongoing legal battle over Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order banning such requirements in schools. hannah.dellinger@chron.com Prairie View A&M University was among seven historically Black colleges and universities to receive bomb threats and subsequent "all clear" notices Tuesday evening, according to university leaders. None of the seven universities had reported an actual bomb, suspicious package or attack as of Wednesday morning. All issued "all clear" notices to their communities, The Washington Post reported. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston-area universities reviewing return-to-campus plans amid COVID-19 surge In addition to Prairie View A&M, the other HBCUs to receive bomb threats were Howard University in Washington, D.C., Norfolk State University in Virginia, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluffs, Florida Memorial University, North Carolina Central University and Xavier University in Louisiana. The PVAMU Senior Class Council advised followers of the bomb threat in a tweet at 4:11 p.m. Tuesday. "Prairie View A and M University has received a bomb threat. Please remain where you are." The threat came in at 3:39 p.m., when a caller claimed that bombs were placed on the south and east parts of campus but refused to provide specific locations, according to a safety notification sent to Prairie View students Tuesday evening. Officers conducted safety sweeps and did not locate any suspicious packages or activity. Investigators have been unable to locate the original call source or identity of the caller, university officials said. The university also notified students about the threats at other HBCUs. It was not immediately clear whether the threats were connected. "While working with our federal law enforcement partners, UPD has been able to confirm that similar threats were made both locally and nationwide," the notification reads. "These threats occurred within hours of the threat received at PVAMU. Thus far, it appears that a number of HBCUs have been similarly targeted. The cause of the bomb threats are unclear at this time." HBCUs: A history of funding failures at Texas' historically Black colleges and universities Police urged students and employees to remain vigilant, according to a campus safety notification sent at 4:38 p.m. The university is located in Waller County, some 45 miles northwest of downtown Houston. Cameron Dockery, PVAMU's senior class president, said the threat seemed to shake up many students who had remained on campus over winter break. "We were all taken back and surprised because this is not something to be taken lightly," Dockery said. After hearing that other HBCUs dealt with similar issues Tuesday, he said, "We knew that there was something bigger going on. samantha.ketterer@chron.com THE WOODLANDS The front half of Mark Meinraths home is sinking. He knows because he had it lifted up and leveled three times. His crepe myrtle sits well above his lawn, pushed up by its roots from where the earth sloped down. Almost all the concrete slab is exposed; he added an extra step to reach his front door. The front part of the brick home, built in 1992, fell about a half inch a year, Meinrath said. Relief came when new rules in 2016 reduced how much water was being pumped from underground in Montgomery County. The sinking slowed. But water bills got pricier. Newly elected local groundwater officials agreed to void those pumping reduction rules as part of a lawsuit settlement; Meinrath said his house began sinking quickly again. Future help that Meinrath, 72, might have hoped for didnt come Wednesday. Members of Groundwater Management Area 14 unanimously adopted new guidelines that will continue to allow so much well water to be pumped that areas of The Woodlands and northern Harris County could sink in coming decades by more than a foot. Someone whistled in celebration after the vote, the result of years of rigorous work. Meinrath joked that that much subsidence would leave his house, now supported with underground concrete piers, looking like a beach house. It sits over a fault line, he said, making the sinking ground evident because its happening unevenly on either side. Youve destroyed my home, he remarked. (A spokesperson for the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, part of the GMA, wrote in an email Thursday that Meinrath lacked direct proof groundwater pumping was definitively causing his problem.) Wednesdays vote disappointed those who fought for a more cautious approach to groundwater regulation. Land subsidence cannot be reversed and can damage public and private property, such as Meinraths house. It can also worsen flooding. The value of Meinraths home plummeted. On HoustonChronicle.com: New goals would allow for ground to sink in The Woodlands Yet the GMAs decision satisfied officials in Republican-led Montgomery County, who in recent years abruptly eliminated requirements similar to those in Harris and Galveston counties to transition to use more treated lake water instead of so much well water. Those in Montgomery County plan to continue studying subsidence but for now allow users to pump as much water as demand requires. The differing perspectives reflect a debate over how to balance the cost of water against damage to the environment. Its much cheaper to pull water up from underground because it doesnt need to be treated as heavily. But if too much is pumped, the water can get harder to reach and the ground can sink. How much is too much, and who should decide that, is hotly contested. In Harris and Galveston counties, leaders decades ago realized the harm from pumping too much. An entire subdivision famously sunk into Galveston Bay. Officials began phasing in treated lake water as a main source of drinking water and continue to shift toward its use. They recently finished a 26-mile series of pipes and canals to bring more water from Trinity River to Lake Houston. Harris County still continues to use groundwater, though. Previous water boards in Montgomery County, a suburban and rural area north of Houston, planned for years to do the same as the population grew. They aimed to use only as much water from underground as would be naturally replaced. This required a water treatment plant to boost supply, which the San Jacinto River Authority built in 2015 for $480 million. Water costs went up, however, angering some and prompting a change in law to allow for a utility-backed election of new leadership. Board members of Lone Star in Montgomery County pivoted entirely from what former leaders did. The board did not follow the last set of regional guidelines, after they faced legal challenges locally. On HoustonChronicle.com: Political takeover upends Montgomery Countys drinking water war Lone Star is one of five water management groups that make up GMA 14. There are also two non-voting groups, the Harris-Galveston and Fort Bend subsidence districts. Together, they represent 20 counties. Because groundwater is a shared resource, state law requires them to set big-picture goals collaboratively. Wednesdays vote on new guidelines means Lone Star will have to manage according to the shared goals. They have two years to devise a plan for that and another year to implement any rules that are needed. The new guidelines may not require them to make any changes at all. Samantha Reiter, general manager of the Lone Star district, stressed that the guidelines allow for local control. She noted that users in The Woodlands, a master-planned community of about 115,000 residents that is part of the area Lone Star manages, could always choose to use more water from the new water treatment plant on Lake Conroe even though its not required. There is not a one-size-fits-all in the groundwater world, Reiter said. The adopted guidelines give individual districts two metrics, which Lone Star pushed to be linked with or instead of and. None can use more than 30 percent of the average available water underground by 2080. Or none can see more than a foot of subsidence on average between 2009 and 2080. (The former is thought to be the limiting factor for Montgomery County.) Mike Turco, general manager of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, called inclusion of the subsidence metric a step in the right direction. He said he expected that as growth continues in Montgomery County, more people will see subsidence as an issue because it will occur in places where it hadnt in the past. A regional goal-setting process will meanwhile restart. They are updated roughly every five years. Meinrath and neighbors such as Laura Norton, 51, will be watching. Norton tried to drum up support from neighbors this time around to call for change to the proposed rules. She gave tours of subsidence to anyone willing to learn, including some from her water aerobics class. My hope, Norton said, is that in the next five years we get our act together. Editors note: This story has been updated for clarification with further comment from Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District. emily.foxhall@chron.com City Council on Wednesday voted nearly unanimously to extend a controversial gunshot detection system even as members expressed skepticism or acknowledged widespread questions about its effectiveness in directing police to the scenes of gun crimes. Council voted 16-1 to approve a five-year $3.5 million contract with ShotSpotter to continue using the program in south Houston, with plans to expand to an undisclosed second location in 2022. At-Large Councilmember Letitia Plummer voted against it, saying the data does not support that it actually works. The program will cover 10 of the citys 640 square miles. Harris County uses the system as well, including in Aldine. Houston police say the system has helped officers respond more quickly to gunfire and catch suspects they may not have been able to find otherwise, calling it a fantastic tool and a force multiplier. Some national and local advocates, though, have cast doubt on the systems accuracy and effectiveness. At-Large Councilmember Mike Knox, a former Houston police officer, voted for the program, but only after holding his nose and expressing serious concerns about its usefulness. He said ShotSpotter alerts have resulted in arrests in fewer than 1 percent of cases, and he suggested HPD was using a dearth of numbers to sway our votes without demonstrating the technologys influence. I was hoping to see some statistics that would support that claim, Knox said, referring to HPDs laudatory comments. There comes a time when we have to do a cost-benefit analysis. Mayor Sylvester Turner acknowledged the system is not perfect, but he said it represents a useful device to help police officers cover ground. He said it works in coordination with additional cadet classes to boost police ranks, overtime payments to keep current boots on the ground, and investing in crisis response teams, all of which the city has done in recent years. It is a tool. It is one of the tools that we are using, it is going to require all of the tools in order to address public safety, Turner said. No one element is the answer. But its all of these tools being done collaboratively to help reduce crime. Its not going to solve it. Its a tool in the toolbox, and I know we all want to do everything we can to meaningfully impact crime. On HoustonChronicle.com: Where is Aldine gunfire coming from? This program is trying to find out. ShotSpotter initially approached Houston officials in early 2020 about conducting a pilot program. The city began one, free of charge, in December of that year. It focused on a five square-mile zone in south Houston including parts of the Old Spanish Trail area and Sunnyside that police identified as one of the most gun-heavy areas in the city. Sensors in the area detect loud noises and send a recording to ShotSpotters offices, where an employee verifies the sound is gunfire and sends an alert to police officers cell phones and patrol computers. From December 2020 through September 2021, the system detected more than 5,600 instances of gunfire accounting for more than 20,000 rounds. More than half, though, were detected outside the contracted area of the pilot program, meaning an alert was not sent. About 2,330 instances were detected inside the pilot area. Of those, 471 or about 20 percent generated an offense report. In the other 80 percent of cases, police did not discover evidence of a gunshot and did not write a report. Jacob Wourms, a researcher with the national police reform nonprofit Campaign Zero, told council members that ratio is unacceptable. It doesnt provide actionable evidence, said Wourms. He described police rushing to the scene in these cases only to come up empty-handed, creating needless, high-intensity interactions between police and residents. DeRay McKesson, a national advocate who leads Campaign Zero, trekked to Houston to urge council members to reject the program. He said the tradeoff should not be technology that makes some people feel safe while criminalizing other. Campaign Zero suggested using the funds to invest in the citys 911 system, expand mobile crisis outreach teams, or direct to gun violence interruption programs. Analysis of ShotSpotter in other cities also has questioned its efficacy. San Antonio canceled its contract in 2017, saying it simply was not worth the money. Officers there made four arrests and confiscated seven weapons over 15 months thanks to the technology, while the city paid $378,000. Houston police say officers here have made 54 arrests during the one-year pilot. The MacArthur Justice Center found the system in Chicago created thousands of dead-end police deployments that find no evidence of actual gunfire. That finding was backed up by a report from Chicagos inspector general , which found ShotSpotter reports rarely produce evidence of a gun-related crime, rarely give rise to investigatory stops, and even less frequently lead to the recovery of gun crime-related evidence during an investigatory stop. A report from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville found the system in St. Louis did not significantly reduce violent crime levels and may be of little benefit. Less than one percent of ShotSpotter calls over five years produced enough evidence to write a report. Several Houston residents joined advocates Wednesday to urge the council to reject the contract, citing the reports in other cities. We do need solutions to gun crimes, we do, said Stephanie Villanueva. But allocating $3.5 million to ShotSpotter is a waste of public funds that will have no effect on Houston gun violence. Other residents and some council members from crime-heavy districts said any help would be appreciated. Kathy Gunter, who hails from northeast Houston, said residents in her community requested the technology there. We have come together, we asked for it, we need it and we want it, Gunter said. The gun violence is very bad in northeast Houston. Her council member, Tarsha Jackson of District B, echoed the desire for the technology, although she acknowledged it would not stop shootings. District D Councilmember Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, whose district includes the area covered by the pilot, said her constituents have asked for ShotSpotter, as well. We have to do something, Evans-Shabazz said. Our gun violence is really just at epic proportions. Houston Police Commander W.M. Martin, who oversees the area where the system was deployed, has said the system marks an improvement to more traditional reports. He said officers otherwise would have to rely on 911 calls from residents, who often do not witness the gunfire themselves and cannot identify where it came from. With ShotSpotter, he said, an officer usually gets an alert and an address within 30 and 45 seconds of the noise. This data has been very helpful for us as a police department in trying to better target our efforts to protect our residents from gun crime, Martin told council members in an earlier committee meeting. Under the contract, ShotSpotter will own the data and license it to the city on a subscription basis. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com Both of Houstons parades celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day are planning to return in 2022, ending a one-year hiatus and setting up a return to the citys long-running duel between two events. The Original Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, organized by the Black Heritage Society and backed by the city, went virtual last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday that is not the plan for the 44th rendition this year. We want people to know, the parade will go on, Turner said during a City Hall press conference. The parade, which dates back to 1978, will begin at Lamar and Smith downtown at 10 a.m. Jan. 17. Likewise the MLK Grande Parade, which began in 1995, is planning a separate, in-person event in Midtown, according to its website. That also will begin at 10 a.m. at San Jacinto and Elgin streets. Organizers of that event suspended the 2021 edition and rebroadcast the 2020 version last year. The two parades have feuded for years, sparring over permits, guests and city and corporate support. Turner gave the citys backing to the Black Heritage Society in 2018, calling for the city to come together and celebrate one event. The next year, MLK Grande invited the mayors two foremost opponents, Tony Buzbee and Bill King, to be its grand marshals in 2019, although organizers said their motivation was not political. Some wondered whether the recent surge of cases, fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, would force the city to call for another virtual event this year, the mayor said. Turner said that would not be the case. He encouraged all attendees to wear masks, get tested for COVID-19 beforehand, and ensure they have all their vaccinations. It did not appear those measures would be required. Vanessa Wyche, director of NASAs Johnson Space Center, will serve as the Grand Marshal of the parade. Im just so humbled by this, said Wyche, who pointed out the agency is working to return to the moon with its first woman astronaut and first astronaut of color. MLK Grandes grand marshals are Houston Independent School District Superintendent Millard House II; and Bryan Taulton, superintendent at Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD. The organizers also have consolidated the parade with their youth parade, which used to occur on the preceding Saturday, according to Charles Stamps, MLK Grandes founder. And the Black Trail Riders Association, which has done a separate event in the afternoon on MLK Drive, is joining that parade as well, Stamps said. As a result, this is the largest event weve ever done, Stamps said. We like to think its the largest event the city has ever seen. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com New body camera footage released by Houston police Dec. 30 shows an officer who fatally struck a Sunnyside pedestrian who was walking to his barber in early December was going in excess of 80 mph in the incident, according to Chron.com. The almost 5-minute video on the police departments YouTube channel showed a Dec. 4 incident where HPD officer Orlando Hernandez, 25, lost control and hit 62-year-old Michael Wayne Jackson around 5:40 p.m. at the 4100 block of Reed Road. Jackson was pronounced dead shortly after at 5:51 p.m. by EMS, according to police. VIDEO: Pearland police post bodycam footage after arresting sister of man killed in HPD shootout Body cam footage from both Hernandez and his partner, officer Anthony Aranda, 25, showed they were responding to assist other officers in pursuing four suspects who fled on foot during an aggravated robbery in progress. Hernandez drove the cruiser at an average speed of 75 mph in the moments leading up to him losing control and crashing on Reed Road a 40 mph zone, according to the footage released. This was first reported by Chron.com Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff As he sped toward the intersection of Reed Road and Scott Street, video showed Hernandez turn the steering wheel nearly 180 degrees with one hand in order to avoid colliding with other cars. The cruiser slid slightly right, jumping the sidewalk and hitting Jackson before slamming into a dumpster bin in a nearby parking lot. HPD has not closed the case and have yet to release any other findings from the investigation including any data from the cruiser's computer regarding its actual speed and if/when Hernandez applied the brakes. Yet, crash investigators in HPDs vehicular crimes division noted in the crash report that Hernandez was "traveling at an unsafe speed" and "performed a faulty evasive action,"according to the police report and first reported by Chron.com According to a police spokesperson on Monday, both officers have fewer than five years on the force and are still listed as active duty. On HoustonChronicle.com: New bodycam footage in fatal HPD officer shooting shows suspect used illegally modified handgun Jacksons brother, Timothy, told Chron.com in the days following the incident he speculated Hernandez was ill-trained. "It looks like to me, maybe the guys couldn't drive that well," Jackson said. "They just weren't ready. Their skill level in pursuits maybe wasn't that good, because they came out of the street onto the sidewalk. They put anybody that's on the sidewalk in danger." Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, told the Chron.com the collision was a "tragic accident." "Officers were responding to an assist while chasing robbery suspects," Griffith said in a text message. "It's my belief that the officers left the road to avoid a collision and never saw the citizen. Truly sad for all involved." It is unclear if prosecutors will pursue charges against Hernandez as both he and Aranda are past their preliminary 3-day placement on administrative duties. HPD stated in a December press release the incident is being investigated HPD Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Chron.com contributed to this story joel.umanzor@chron.com Wayne Parry, STF / Associated Press A Houston-area woman is celebrating a win of close to a million at a Louisiana casino. The Golden Nugget Lake Charles in Louisiana announced that Jeannine L. earned more than $829,000 in a jackpot while gambling on New Years weekend. The woman is from Spring and was with friends and family when she won, according to click2Houston.com. French President Emmanuel Macron isnt afraid to take a jab at the nations unvaccinated. With just three months left before the upcoming presidential election, Macron set off a wave of backlash Wednesday with a vow to make life as difficult as possible for the citizens who have opted against getting their coronavirus shots. He specifically used a French term, a slang word viewed by many as offensive, which closely translates to annoy or piss off. Advertisement I really want to piss off the unvaccinated, he told the newspaper Le Parisien. And so we are going to continue doing that, until the end. They undermine the solidity of a nation. French President Emmanuel Macron addresses a media conference at the conclusion of an EU Summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. (JOHN THYS/AP) The French leader continued on to blast those without their shots as irresponsible, while also emphasizing that they make up only a small part of the population. About a third of Frances 67 million people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, leaving about 5 million still unprotected. Advertisement Im not going to put them in prison, he said in the interview, published late Tuesday. Im not going to vaccinate them by force. Macron has instead decided to advocate for legislation that will so severely limit the everyday activities of the unvaccinated that they have nearly no choice but to receive their jabs. The proposed law would require people to be fully vaccinated to enter restaurants, gyms and other public places while striking an option that permitted to people to present a negative COVID test taken within the last previous hours to gain entry to such spots. If it is approved, the measure will effectively ban those without their shots from huge portions of French social life. Discussion over the legislation, expected to pass later this week, was put on hold Wednesday but not before the presidents political rivals took aim at his comments. I cannot support a bill whose only goal is to piss off the French, Christian Jacob, the head of the right-wing Republicans party, told fellow lawmakers. A president cannot say such things. The controversy comes as France struggles to battle back a surge of infections that have left some hospitals overwhelmed. The nation on Tuesday reported a record-breaking 271,686 daily virus cases as omicron infections tear across the nation, triggering a potential disruption to transportation, schools and other services. With News Wire Services After spending nearly 20 years in prison for a murder in Dallas they did not commit, Stanley Mozee and Dennis Allen were granted certificates of innocence, released and provided compensation by the state. Such cases are not uncommon. Texas leads the nation in exonerations of wrongfully convicted citizens with 400 since 1989, including 15 in 2020. Yet, wrongful convictions of innocent people continue to be a significant problem in Texas. What can be done to prevent these miscarriages of justice is complex; what prosecutors should do if they become aware of a possible wrongful conviction is clear. At a minimum, disclose it, and take reasonable steps to correct it. The evidence that exonerated Mozee and Allen was only discovered after a long post-conviction investigation, which included a new district attorney opening the complete file to the defendants attorneys. As the authority charged with both the administration of justice and the protection of public safety, prosecutors play a central role in balancing the scales of justice. It serves no useful purpose to continue the incarceration of an innocent person, while the actual perpetrator remains unaccountable. The State Bar of Texas Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda has proposed commonsense additions to their Rules of Professional Conduct that address the basic ethical requirements of Texas prosecutors who encounter wrongful convictions. The proposed additions would put Texas in line with the longstanding Model Rules of the American Bar Association, which have been adopted in more than a dozen other states. The committee meets on January 5 to vote on these proposed changes. It is troubling that the Texas District and County Attorneys Association is against these proposed updates, evidently believing that failure to disclose evidence that could exonerate those who are wrongfully convicted is not a problem and that existing rules already require such disclosures. These prosecutors have formed a committee of their own to block these proposed ethical rules from going into effect. They have formalized their opposition in a letter to the State Bar Committee. The amendments simply state that when a prosecutor knows of new, credible and material evidence creating a reasonable likelihood that a convicted defendant is actually innocent, the prosecutor should: (1) promptly disclose that evidence to an appropriate court or authority; (2) disclose that evidence to the defendant, unless a court authorizes delay; and (3) undertake further investigation, or make reasonable efforts to cause an investigation, to determine whether the defendant was convicted of an offense that the defendant didnt commit. The proposed changes also state that when a prosecutor knows of clear and convincing evidence establishing a defendants innocence, the prosecutor shall seek to remedy the wrongful conviction. Honestly, it is hard to believe that the prosecutors association actively opposes them. Even if they believe existing laws and rules require disclosing potentially exonerating evidence, prosecutors should support the proposed amendments to bring clarity to their ethical duties. Similarly, an ethical obligation will remove the concern of disobeying supervisors that could potentially deter appropriate action. Mistakes in the criminal justice system happen. Advances in the science of forensic DNA testing alone have proven that these mistakes have imprisoned thousands of innocent people. Since 1989, 2,933 innocent people have been exonerated many after spending decades locked up for a crime committed by someone else. Anyone who works in this field knows that there are many more innocent individuals who are either identified, but because of flaws in the system, or the people who administer it, are never exonerated, or are never identified at all. Prosecutors should be part of the solution. Instead, they are effectively denying the existence of an undeniable problem. Prosecutors are by far the most powerful officials in the American criminal justice system. Prosecutors have at their disposal entire investigative agencies with the power to search and arrest. They have absolute discretion on whether to charge a citizen with a criminal offense, who to charge and what level of offense to charge. Their charging power, combined with their plea-bargaining power, often pre-determines the outcome of criminal cases. This broad discretion in their everyday decisions has profound effects on the lives of the literally hundreds of thousands of people who, sometimes through no fault of their own, become involved with the criminal justice system. Prosecutors maintain this power through not just the charging, convicting, and sentencing processes, but also throughout all appeals. Their stances even weigh heavily in parole decisions. Further, unlike other members of the legal profession, prosecutors enjoy absolute immunity for their mistakes, even if their mistake causes an innocent person to be wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. The prosecutor involved in the Mozee and Allen case was recently disbarred because of his misconduct on this case, but was immune from a lawsuit. If the new district attorney had not followed the rules of conduct that should be adopted by the state bar, the two innocent men could still be in prison. Should prosecutors not be ethically bound to assist in identifying these mistakes and fixing them once identified, regardless of whose mistake it was? Innocent Texans should not suffer because Texas prosecutors deny their existence or shun their ethical responsibilities. The bar committee should vote favorably on the proposed ethical amendments and Texas prosecutors should support them. Mike Ware is the Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Texas and former head of the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Dallas County District Attorneys Office. Efforts across Texas to encourage aspiring college students to fill out their free application for federal student aid forms ahead of a Jan. 15 deadline have taken on new urgency after 100,000 fewer high school students nationwide completed the forms that were due in summer 2021. Colleges and universities use the applications to examine how much financial need a student has for scholarships. The federal priority deadline for high school seniors is Feb. 1, although the so-called FAFSA applications are accepted through April 1. Thousands of dollars in Federal Pell Grants are available for students in need, and those students can also access loans at favorable rates. In July 2020, more than 2 million applications were filed by high school seniors nationwide, data from the National College Attainment Network show. The high school class of 2021 filled out nearly 5 percent fewer of the applications, or about 102,000 less. About 18 million students seeking college financial aid file the application each year, in total. In addition to federal student aid, the applications can be submitted for student aid from Texas, typically offered to students to stay in-state for college. Texas state deadline is Jan. 15. I think that it is important that we help each other and we help the students here in high schools like mine, where sometimes its a bit harder for parents to be able to support the student, so sometimes its necessary to have those resources available for students, said Nataly Martinez, a spring 2021 graduate of Eastside Early College High School in Austin, at an event held by Austin ISD where students and parents were offered assistance with filling out the 108-question form. TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday Martinez, an academic junior at the University of North Texas, is the first person in her family to attend college. She said she completed 62 credit hours while still in high school. The questions on the form are often technical, and the familys 2020 income taxes must be completed before a FAFSA can be submitted for the household. The process can be especially difficult for families in which English is a second language or for those who have never had to prepare the documents before, like Martinezs. For high school students who need help filling out the form, information is available online or from college counselors at their schools. She thanked two staff members with the district, crediting them with helping her complete it. I am extremely thankful that I had them, because otherwise I would not be able to attend college today. It was because of the resources that I was able to find on this campus that I was able to pursue my college dream, Martinez said. School districts, local education nonprofits, business groups such as local chambers of commerce and other organizations often hold events or make resources available to prospective students and their families. Average earnings for college graduates are higher than non graduates, so whole communities benefit from increased college attendance and affordability. FAFSA help breaks into three categories, said Darrin Hanson, the director of college readiness for Houston ISD, the largest school district in the state: direct student or family support, professional development and public awareness. Houston ISD hosts events it calls Financial Aid Roadshows where district staff and local experts are made directly available to families to help them fill out their FAFSAs or answer questions. Professional development refers to the behind-the-scenes work to prepare the experts for those events, and they occur throughout the year, Hanson said. There are also online resources including videos to help families fill out the FAFSA, and some districts send text messages or emails to check in with students and families and to remind them of deadlines. Each year there are millions of dollars of federal student assistance that go unclaimed, said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, speaking at the Austin event. We have barriers that stand in the way of too many students in our community and coming right out of the school from getting the education that they need and want to achieve, and this morning were trying to do something about it. edward.mckinley@chron.com Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. A juror who found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty says he cant remember if hed shared during jury selection that hed been sexually abused prompting a judge Wednesday to order briefing on whether Jeffrey Epsteins chief enabler should get a new trial. The 35-year-old juror, identified by his first and middle names, Scotty David, told Reuters he persuaded some of his fellow jurors that Maxwells victims were credible by revealing hed been sexually abused as a child. Advertisement When I shared that, they were able to sort of come around on, they were able to come around on the memory aspect of the sexual abuse, David told Reuters. This courtroom sketch shows jurors seated according to COVID-19 health mandate, during the Ghislaine Maxwell sex abuse trial in New York, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams) (Elizabeth Williams/AP) The juror, who did not respond to inquiries from the Daily News, also gave interviews to The Daily Mail and The Independent. He, along with every other juror, filled out a questionnaire during jury selection that asked if hed ever been a victim of sexual abuse. Advertisement Federal prosecutors wrote Judge Alison Nathan that the revelations merit attention by the Court. Assuming the accuracy of the reporting, the juror asserted that he flew through the prospective juror questionnaire and does not recall being asked whether he had been a victim of sexual abuse, but stated that he would have answered honestly, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey wrote. Maxwells lawyers, meanwhile, wrote that no hearing was necessary and that the British socialite deserved a new trial. An undated photo released as a government exhibit in the 2021 trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, showing her close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. (Court Evidence) It is clear to Ms. Maxwell that based on this record alone a new trial is required, defense lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca wrote, adding that Maxwell wants all the jurors to be summoned to evaluate Davids conduct. Judge Nathan did not rule on the request for an inquiry, but ordered both sides to submit new legal arguments. She also offered the juror a court-appointed lawyer a sign that Davids conduct will face close scrutiny in the coming weeks. Maxwell was found guilty last week and faces up to 65 years in prison for grooming Epsteins underage victims between 1994 and 2004. Also on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that a second juror also admitted to being sexually abused as a child and shared their experience during deliberations. Advertisement David S. Weinstein, a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor in Miami, cautioned that the jurors admission did not guarantee a mistrial. They would have to find that his failure to disclose was an intentional failure, Weinstein said. It certainly strengthens their argument for a new trial, it certainly taints the conviction. If the judge finds David accidentally omitted that hed been sexually abused, the broader inquiry will likely focus on whether his story improperly influenced other jurors, Weinstein said. The fact that the jury acquitted Maxwell of one of six counts also complicated arguments for a mistrial due to juror misconduct, he added. The Thurgood Marshall federal courthouse. (Mark Lennihan/AP) Advertisement The stunning admission isnt the first time a chatty juror has recently jeopardized a high-profile conviction in New York. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > Following the conviction of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, in February 2019, a member of the jury admitted disobeying the courts rules not to read about the case. The anonymous juror told Vice that the jury talked about the case a bunch of times during the trial and that at least five jurors regularly checked the Twitter feeds of journalists covering it. The interview is cited in Guzmans pending appeal. The News tracked down David on Tuesday on social media. Photos on his now-private account showed him posing in a selfie dated Nov. 4, early in jury selection, outside the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse in lower Manhattan, where Maxwell went on trial. Advertisement I can now tell everyone that I was a juror on the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, reads a post on Davids account published Thursday, a day after the jury convicted Maxwell of five of six felony charges. Been an incredible, surreal experience and an honor to serve our country! Hudson, NY (12534) Today Overcast with rain showers at times. High 57F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. A Long Island Rail Road track worker was sentenced Tuesday to three months in prison for a scam described by a judge as feeding frenzy of overtime fraud. Joseph Balestra was paid $348,000 by the MTA in 2018 $241,000 of which was overtime. That made the 51-year-old the 12th-highest paid MTA employee that year, earning more than the authoritys chairman. Advertisement He was charged in 2020, along with four other LIRR workers, in a fraud conspiracy in which they covered for each others absences from work while still getting paid. A Long Island Rail Road train is seen on the track inside the Atlantic Terminal. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images) I regard this crime as quite serious, Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer said. To begin, your offense was a form of public corruption. It involved public employees plotting together to steal from the public. You and your co-conspirators engaged in a feeding frenzy of overtime fraud. Advertisement Balestra must also make restitution in the amount of $109,641 a figure prosecutors say represents the total amount of losses caused by the crews no-show shifts. The amount of overtime you claimed is eye-popping to the point nearly of physical impossibility, the judge said. An LIRR foreman, John Nugent, was sentenced to five months in prison in November. Prosecutors wrote that Thomas Caputo, who was the 11th-highest paid MTA employee in 2018, was the most culpable of the crew. Caputo pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced next month. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > In arguing for leniency, Balestras attorney wrote that sleeping on the job was widely accepted at the LIRR. The charges in the case, however, were for physical absenteeism from work not sleeping. I loved the work that I did, and I loved that I could build a comfortable life for my family. Now, because of my greed and poor decisions, Ive actually hurt my family and derailed our future, the LIRR employee of 31 years wrote in a letter to the court. Engelmayer said the scam gave hardworking civil servants a bad name. Advertisement The extra money that you obtained by fraudulently claiming to have worked longer than you worked came from real people, the judge said. They are called taxpayers. Viewed of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. One year after an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, 10 New Yorkers have pleaded guilty in their federal cases, a Daily News survey of court records found. The resolved cases mostly came from people who played small roles in the mayhem including one who smoked a marijuana cigarette in a senators office, and another who led rioters in a singalong of the Twisted Sisters Were Not Gonna Take It. Advertisement The people who simply engaged in mere trespassing are having their cases rapidly adjudicated with little or no jail time, said criminal defense attorney Ron Kuby, noting that the feds are trying to close easier cases in one of the largest prosecutions ever undertaken. In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. (Julio Cortez/AP) The far more serious cases, however, involving violence against the police, large scale acts of property destruction and terroristic threats are the cases that take much longer to prosecute, Kuby said. Advertisement The double-digit pleas represent a jump from September, when two New Yorkers from the riots were set to take guilty pleas, but none had yet. Now, 22 percent of the 45 cases reviewed by The News have been resolved with guilty pleas. Among those who copped to federal charges are Brandon Straka, 45, a gay, self-described former liberal-turned-conservative activist who encouraged other rioters to take a shield away from a police officer at the Capitol, and a QAnon-supporting city Sanitation worker, Dominick Madden, who claimed he was out on sick leave when he was actually in Washington D.C. attending the riot. Brandon Straka Another New York state resident, Robert Chapman, 51, pleaded guilty to being at the riots after he admitted he was inside the Capitol to a match on the dating app Bumble. Possibly the most serious guilty plea came in the case of Matthew Greene, who admitted to conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding for his role in the riots. Greene was a member of the Proud Boys who travelled from Syracuse to the Capitol and was later discovered to have an unregistered AR-15 and ammunition in his New York home. Well kill them all, Greene allegedly told a witness about returning to the Capitol for Joe Bidens inauguration. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > In other cases, New Yorkers have decided to try their luck at trial. Advertisement Two rioters have already had dates set for trial in the coming months, including the son of a Brooklyn judge. In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump, including Aaron Mostofsky, right, and Kevin Seefried, left, walk down the stairs outside the Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Aaron Mostofsky, 35, whose father is Kings County Supreme Court Judge Steven Shlomo Mostofsky, is set to go on trial in March for his role at the riots, during which he wore a distinctive fur coat and carried a long wooden cane. He was also charged with theft of government property because he was carrying a Capitol police riot shield, according to prosecutors. Mostofskys trial comes after his lawyers tried twice to have his charges dismissed, but a federal judge ruled against them both times. Thomas Webster, 55, a former NYPD officer, will face a jury in April, and his lawyers plan to argue he was acting in self-defense when he battled with a Capitol police officer at the West Front of the building. Excessive force was used against him, Websters lawyers wrote in a December motion ahead of the trial that claims the officer, referred to as N.R., assaulted numerous rioters besides their client. The police officers responding to Mayor Adams 911 call reporting three men brawling in Brooklyn showed up to find just one of the combatants who denied any fight ever took place, a high-ranking cop source said Monday. Adams called 911 on Saturday, his first day on the job, after he and a gaggle of reporters spotted three men fighting on the street below the elevated J train station on Kosciuszko St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Advertisement In an interview with PIX11 the next day, Adams said the officers should have done more after responding to the scene. The officers, I believe, should have stopped, carried out a more thorough investigation, interviewed the people at the scene. I dont believe they did that properly, he said. Im going to take a look at that and make sure we instruct our officers on what my expectations are. Advertisement Mayor Adams watches a fight on a Brooklyn street while waiting for the subway to City Hall on his first day in office, Saturday, Jan. 1. (Seth Wenig/AP) According to a high-ranking police source, Adams called in the 8 a.m. brawl as an assault in progress, and the dispatcher logged it in as a fight. When police arrived, only one of the men remained. Officers asked the man through the window of their NYPD vehicle what happened, and he told them nothing, that there was no fight and that someone had just fallen down, the source said. The officers left, marking the job as unfounded. But before that happened, the dispatcher called Adams back for more info, multiple police sources said. He didnt answer, the sources said, though he may have been traveling on the subway at the time. Its unclear if either the dispatcher or the mayor followed up on the missed call. Mayor Adams calls the police while keeping his eye on a fight on a Brooklyn street while waiting for the subway to City Hall. (Seth Wenig/AP) Even if the officers got out of their car and more actively questioned the man, the result would have been the same, since no one else was around to report they were a victim of an assault, the high-ranking source said. The NYPD did not formally comment on the mayors remarks, and Adams spokesman Jonah Allon could not confirm if the mayor received a return call from the 911 dispatcher. With Michael Gartland In Brief: Chris Evans to play Gene Kelly; More COVID drama for 'The View', and more On January 7, the Islamabad High Court will frame contempt charges against The News Internationals owner, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, and two of its staff, Aamir Ghauri and Ansar Abbasi, for publishing an affidavit accusing Pakistans former Chief Justice, Saqib Nisar, of corruption. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned by the court's decision to commence punitive proceedings against journalists and calls for the annulment of all charges. Senior journalist with The News International, Ansar Abbasi, published a report on November 15 last year containing an affidavit accusing former Chief Justice, Mian Saqib Nisar, of misconduct while in office. The affidavit was prepared by the former Chief Justice of Gilgit-Baltistan, Rana Shamim, and alleged that Nisar conspired to deny bail to several leaders of the PML-N opposition leadership before the 2018 elections. On December 28, the Islamabad High Court moved to frame contempt charges against Abbasi and Ghauri, with the case slated to continue on January 7. If successful, the charges would effectively punish journalists for conducting their professional duties, seriously jeopardising the future of reporting and the medias freedom of expression in Pakistan. Owner of Jang Geo Media Group, which oversees The News International, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was also implicated in the proceedings. Renowned for its critical investigations of Pakistani politicians, Jang Geo Media Group is one of Pakistans largest media groups. Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has previously served eight months in prison in 2020 for a decades-old property deal. Before publishing the article, Abbasi verified that the affidavit was genuine, and was prepared by Shamim. Abbasi said in court that he only intended to report the existence of an affidavit, not about the veracity of the facts narrated in it. Pakistan's press clubs' and journalist bodies have expressed great concern for journalists and editors targeted for reporting which is critical of authorities. According to the IFJs South Asia Press Freedom Report 2020-2021, Pakistani media workers suffered under the harshest clampdown on dissent by any government during 2020 and 2021. The IFJ said: The Pakistani governments campaign against media rights and freedom of expression is driving an already beleaguered media industry into deeper crisis. The IFJ calls on Pakistani officials to cease prosecuting journalists for critical reportage. Journalism is not a crime. Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community! Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region. Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. Receive information of your transactions directly from Exchanges on your mobile / email at the end of day and alerts on your registered mobile for all debits and other important transactions in your demat account directly from NSDL/ CDSL on the same day." - Issued in the interest of investors. KYC is one time exercise while dealing in securities markets - once KYC is done through a SEBI registered intermediary (broker, DP, Mutual Fund etc.), you need not undergo the same process again when you approach another intermediary. No need to issue cheques by investors while subscribing to IPO. Just write the bank account number and sign in the application form to authorise your bank to make payment in case of allotment. No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account." www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed multiple departments to work together cohesively for the protection of tigers in the state amid an increase in the number of big cat deaths. "A combined effort that includes taking the local citizenry into confidence with the assistance of the police department to create a network of informers should be prioritised while also creating public awareness on the imperatives of tiger conservation. This should be done even while joint patrolling is carried out and laws are strictly enforced and amendments to the law are made wherever required to provide for even stricter punishment," Thackeray said. BCCL/ Representational Image Last week Thackeray had informed Maharashtra Assembly that as many as 23 tigers lost their lives in the state from January to July 2021. Causes for death The reasons recorded for the death of the tigers included the natural reason (15), railway accident (1), poisoning (4), electrocution (1) and poaching (2). The Chief Minister further informed that out of the 23 dead tigers, 15 were adults and 8 were cubs. Data collected by wildlife NGOs show that the number of big cat deaths in Maharashtra from electrocution are on the rise. BCCL/ File Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) revealed that in the last five years, beginning January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021, at least 18 tigers have been electrocuted in the state. One tigress was electrocuted in Bhadravati on January 3, 2022. IIegal fencing Most of these deaths are caused by illegal electric fences around agricultural lands close to the forests or traps laid by poachers. Though such high-power fences are illegal, farmers have been using them to keep their cattle and other livestock safe from wild animals. Electrocutions from low-lying power lines passing through forest areas are also not uncommon. BCCL/ representational image "Special tiger conservation teams have been set up at four tiger reserves in the state and a network of conservation huts were erected to facilitate the patrolling of remote areas. Wireless messaging system has been implemented in all the tiger project areas particularly, in the most sensitive areas. It was informed in the meeting that a joint patrol is being carried out by the Forest Department and MSEDCL to prevent the death of tigers and other wildlife due to electrocution," Thackeray said. According to the latest estimate, there are 312 tigers in the state, most of them inhabitants of the Chandrapur district. For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. A gunslinger who tried to kill a man on Christmas Eve has been busted for the slaying of another man outside a Brooklyn deli last month, cops said. Christopher Jones, 23, of Harlem, has been charged with the Dec. 9 murder of Augustin Santiago in Williamsburg. Advertisement Santiago, 34, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, was shot in the chest outside the JMZ Broadway Deli by the Brooklyn-bound steps of the Marcy Ave. subway stop. The shooter fired off at least three rounds before running off. Police investigate a shooting outside 296 Broadway in Brooklyn on Dec. 9, 2021. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News) Jones was already locked up on Rikers Island in connection with another shooting when he was charged with Santiagos killing, cops said. Advertisement He was arrested Dec. 31 on attempted murder charges after police say he shot a 28-year-old man multiple times on Christmas Eve outside an apartment building on W. 148th St. in Harlem. Santiago has a lengthy criminal record, including separate prison stints for grand larceny and drug-dealing, police sources said. Police believe his killing was drug-related, sources sad. Jones was arraigned on murder charges and ordered held without bail until he returns to Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned nearly Rs 79 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) to support 13 institutions run by the Missionaries of Charity (MOC) in the state, his office said in a statement on Tuesday, 4 January. "Ensure no one in these organisations suffer" The 13 leprosariums and orphanages are spread over eight districts, where more than 900 inmates will be benefited by this decision, news agency ANI reported, citing the CMO. The charity set up by the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1950 has its headquarters in Kolkata. File "Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked District Collectors to be in regular touch with organisations run by the Missionaries of Charity in Odisha. He has directed them to ensure that no one in these organisations suffer, especially from food security and health related distress. Wherever needed, funds from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund can be used for this purpose," Patnaik said in the statement sent by his office. Centre refused to renew organisation's FCRA licence This comes days after the Ministry of Home Affairs refused to renew the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, causing a significant disruption for their charitable work across India. The Home Ministry rejected on December 25, Christmas, a request from the Missionaries of Charity to receive funds from donors abroad. To use these funds, non-profits need clearance under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act, or FCRA, but Mother Teresa's charity had said their request to renew this licence was rejected. Reuters To ensure there is no lapse, the charity then asked its centres not to operate any of foreign contribution accounts until the matter was resolved. Refusal of FCRA clearance criticised widely Refusing FCRA clearance has been criticised by activists as the government's way of suppressing organisations whose work or officials are not considered supportive enough of the centre. File The Home Ministry had denied that it had not frozen the bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity, claiming, State Bank of India informed that the charity itself sent a request to the bank to freeze its accounts. For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a fresh warning saying that the high number of Omicron cases around the world could increase the risk of the emergence of newer and more dangerous variants. Speaking to news agency AFP, the WHO in Europe sounded alarm and said that the soaring infection rates may have opposite effects. AFP "Now, Omicron is lethal" The more Omicron spreads, the more it transmits and the more it replicates, the more likely it is to throw out a new variant. Now, Omicron is lethal, it can cause death ... maybe a little bit less than Delta, but who's to say what the next variant might throw out, WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood said. Due to its less severity, the scientists are hoping that Omicron could possibly overcome the pandemic and bring life back to normal. But, according to Smallwood, more than 100 million COVID cases have been enrolled in Europe since the start of the pandemic, and more than 5 million new cases were enrolled in the last week of 2021. ap So far, studies have indicated that though the Omicron variant can easily bypass the immunity offered by vaccines, but the new strain is milder than the previous variants. We are at a very dangerous stage and we are seeing a very significant increase in infection rates in Western Europe, the full impact of which is not yet clear, WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood said. IHU with 46 mutations, 37 deletions found The warning comes at a time when French researchers have detected a new Covid 'variant', probably of Cameroonian origin, and have temporarily named it as `IHU`. The new 'variant' from the lineage named B.1.640.2 is believed to have infected 12 people in the country, according to a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study supported by the French Government. Indiatimes It has 46 mutations and 37 deletions. France reported a record-smashing 271,686 daily virus cases on Tuesday as omicron infections race across the country, burdening hospital staff and threatening to disrupt transport, schools and other services. The French government is straining to avoid a new economically damaging lockdown and is instead trying to rush a vaccine pass bill through parliament in hopes that it is enough to protect hospitals. Meanwhile, the omicron variant accounted for 95% of new coronavirus infections last week, according to US health officials' latest estimates. For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Archaeologists claim to have solved the mysteries behind an ancient Greek "computer" that shouldn't even exist. Known for its hidden relics archaeological treasures, Greece has offered great insights into a world long lost. In fact, some of the earliest advances in understanding space and the position of Earth around the sun were made in ancient Greece. The very first astronomical calculator was also built in ancient Greece. This "computer" has continued to stun scientists and archaeologists alike. Known as the Antikythera Mechanism, the 2,000-year-old Greek hand-powered orrey is a mechanical model of the solar system. It's also considered the world's oldest analogue computer. Getty World's oldest "analogue computer" Using the Antikythera, Greek scientists used to track eclipses and astronomical positions. In addition, they used to trace the cycle of Olympic Games (yes, the same ones we all have now). The Antikythera Mechanism was first found in ruins of a shipwreck in 1901 off the cost of Greek island Antikythera (hence its name). A year later, it was identified as carrying gear by archaeologist Valerios Stais. On first sight, the Antikythera Mechanism appeared as a hunk of corroded metal that "no one knew quite what to do with." Also read: Scientists Build 256-Qubit Quantum Computer That's Unlike Anything Else In conversation with BBC, Professor Tony Freeth of the University College London said that "it was not recognised at all as being anything interesting when it was discovered, it was just a corroded lump about the size of a large dictionary." Getty Using its bronze gear and calculative prowess, ancient Greeks used the Antikythera Mechanism to assess the cycle of cosmos. It is now kept in a museum in Athens - split in to 82 fragments. But no body really knew what it was for until Professor Freeth put it under the magical lens of x-ray. Also read: One Of World's Largest Supercomputers Lived For Only 10 Minutes Besides thousands of text characters in Greece, scientists discovered certain cogs that made the computer function. It could predict eclipses, follow the motion of the moon among a series of things. Did you know that ancient Greeks were so advanced? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com. References Day, J. (2022, January 3). Archaeologists stunned by astonishing ancient Greek computer that shouldnt exist. Express.Co.Uk. An asteroid with more force than the largest nuclear bomb on Earth is going to be very close to our planet at the end of this decade. Scientists in Russia recently concluded that the asteroid named after a Greek god Apophis (the embodiment of chaos) will fly past Earth in April 2029. Unistellar Earth's closest known encounter with an asteroid According to the estimates, the rock of chaos called Apophis will be 39,000 kilometres away from Earth's surface (about 24,000 miles). How close is this? Current satellites that beam channels onto our televisions are situated at the same distance, news agency Sputnik reported. NASA had also predicted the same not too long ago. Earlier, it was believed that Apophis was slated to smash into Earth in 2068, but that turned out to be an incorrect estimate. Apophis was first spotted by NASA scientists in 2004, who described it as one of the "most hazardous asteroids" that could really put Earth in danger. The asteroid has a diameter of about 340 metres (1,115 feet) and more about its path will unfold as it comes closer to Earth. What's clear is that Apophis is not expected to collide with Earth, but will instead pass by safely (albeit extremely close). Also read: No Sunlight: How Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Wiped Off 75% Of All Life On Earth It appears that the Greek god of chaos is in no mood to cause Earth more harm than it is currently enduring at the hands of human beings with climate change, political strife, and a pandemic. Unsplash/Representational Image The event will be remarkable because it will mark the first time an asteroid of such size will come so close to Earth. Even then, satellites and space stations appear to be safe from impact, according to South China Morning Post. The space rock was taken off NASA's risk list in March and the agency is now calling it an opportunity to study a "solar system relic" for it'll be extremely close to Earth in 2029. Also read: How NASA's Asteroid-Deflecting DART Mission Could Save Life On Earth One Day In case the asteroid did hit Earth, it would release energy equal to 1,717 megatons, Russian ministry's researchers believe. This would make it 30 times more powerful than the Soviet Tsar Bomba that was tested in 1961 and remains the largest bomb detonated. Uncredited What do you think about Apophis' close brush with Earth in 2029? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com. References Chik, H. (2022, January 5). Asteroid with more force than biggest nuclear bomb to come close to Earth in 2029. South China Morning Post. Sputnik . (2022, January 2). . We now offer lithium prices and coverage free for reference. Click here to read all about it. Join our growing community of participants who want to learn more about electrification and how this market is developing. A trio of gangs formed a strategic alliance and took part in more than a dozen shootings and four killings, the Brooklyn district attorney charged Tuesday, announcing the arrest of 17 people. One member of the criminal coalition is accused of taking part in three murders over a three-month span, when the suspect was just 16. Advertisement Police officers escort a handcuffed suspect into a police station during an operation in Brooklyn Tuesday. (Seth Wenig/AP) The supergang was formed out of three crews Young and Wild and Hustling, Pistol Packing Pitkin and Fort N---as Only that joined forces to dominate East New York, Brownsville and Fort Greene. They called themselves YPF and hoped by teaming up they would gain greater geographic dominance and access to guns, according Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez. They shoot on sight. ... This is the insidious part of the gang culture, Gonzalez said. This successful takedown is part of our ongoing strategy to reduce shootings and senseless deaths by targeting the most violent offenders. Advertisement Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez speaks during a press conference on Tuesday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News) The newly formed gang boasted more than 200 members and was responsible for four killings and 14 shootings, authorities charge. Gonzalez highlighted a trio of fatal shootings connected to YPF, including the October 2020 killing of Sherard Jamie McKoy, a college student slain outside a bodega because he was wrongly identified as an opposition gang member. Suspect Iquan Warlick (Brooklyn DA) Iquan Warlick, 17, was arrested two months after the murder outside the New Lots Ave. bodega on Oct. 28, 2020. Nakhai Addison, 17, was charged with murder as an accomplice as part of the takedown. McKoy was in the bodega waiting for food with his friend, a rival of the Fort N---as Only gang. After a fistfight inside the bodega, McKoy escaped but was chased and shot to death by Warlick, prosecutors charge. McKoys friend escaped with his life, getting away by crawling into the back of the bodega as bullets whizzed by. McKoy was wrongly perceived to be a rival gang member because he was with a friend who was a gang member. He was not, Gonzalez said. He was shot because he was in East New York in opposition territory. Less than a month later, Warlick and George Risher Jr., another member of YPF gang, and at least two other unidentified people, went to a birthday party in East New York for a 16-year-old after hearing rival gang members would be in attendance, prosecutors said. One of the unidentified individuals shot at a group outside the party and hit someone in the leg, authorities said. Advertisement Later that night, the four crew members went to Crown Heights where the party had relocated to a building on Albany Ave. Risher and another gang member went up to the third floor of the building and shot at partygoers, killing Daijyonna Long, 20, who was visiting from Virginia, prosecutors say. Warlick remained in the lobby, where he and another unidentified person shot at people getting out of the elevator, injuring two. Horrific surveillance video released Tuesday shows one victim desperately trying to close the elevator doors. But Warlick gets his hand in before the elevator can shut. The two then tussle in the lobby as Warlick tries to shoot the rival, the video shows. Warlick in September 2021 was charged with murder for his involvement in Longs death. Shooting victim Daijyonna Long On Tuesday, Warlick was charged with murder for the death of Wayne LaFontant, 23, who was fatally shot at a Fort Greene housing project in September 2020. He was an accomplice of the alleged gunman, Ziquan Thompson. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > Warlick also fatally shot Kendale Hamilton in August 2020 while Hamilton was armed and pursuing Iquan Warlick, according to the indictment. Warlick was charged with criminal possession of a weapon but not murder, in that case. Advertisement Police officers gather after apprehending suspects during a raid in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Jan. 4. (Seth Wenig/AP) Also swept up in the two indictments was Giovanni Bennett, 17, who prosecutors say was responsible for a terrifying midday shooting in downtown Brooklyn that injured an innocent bystander who was an NYU student. Bennett allegedly rode up into the middle of MetroTech Mall on Sept. 21, 2021, around 3 p.m. on a Razor scooter, pulled a gun and began firing at a rival gang member. Throngs ran for cover as bullets flew in the crowded area, surveillance video released Thursday shows. These guns were in the hands of bad people that did bad things to good people, said Mayor Adams, who announced the charges along with Gonzalez. Mayor Adams speaks during a press conference at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office on Tuesday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News) Its the gangs and the guns. That is the problem. Everyday New Yorkers in this borough of 2.6 million were held hostage. The defendants were set to be arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court later Tuesday. Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. To add your business to the stream, email cfields@insidenova.com or click on the green button below. This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. As if 2020 didnt test the insurance industry enough, 2021 has proved to be yet another challenging year for property & casualty insurers. We saw significant variations in reconstruction costs, growing threats to property from natural catastrophes, and the continued impact of the global pandemic. As the new year dawns on us, we asked the CoreLogic Protect team to share some predictions for whats to come for the insurance industry. Here are the top four predictions: Parametric insurance programs will gain increased adoption and incorporate the full spectrum of hazard modeling tools. Parametric insurance, enabled by developments in Internet of Things (IoT), is proving to be a valuable supplement to traditional indemnity insurance. These IoT technologies are perfectly suited to provide insights into the high-gradient perils which are most impacted by climate change, such as flood and wildfire. Insurers will adopt hazard modeling tools into parametric insurance to avoid adverse selection and set rates at a level associated with the risk levels. This will allow them to write business previously out of reach while also providing policyholders with fair and transparent pricing of their insurance needs. Climate change will necessitate the implementation of climate-adapted catastrophe risk models. Climate change is an insurance industry wildcard. For example, winter storm Uri highlighted the fragility of insured assets to simultaneous events, which in this case were the deep cold combined with an extended power outage. Hurricane Idas losses in the U.S. Northeast reminded insurers of an existing vulnerability to flood losses. Insurers will need to adopt the next generation of climate-adapted catastrophe risk models to project losses into the future, which will influence the insurance market for years to come. Artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-enabled tools will continue to learn from past natural catastrophe events to ensure the underlying science is up to date with current conditions. This will increase the ability to create measurements in the form of probabilities for various natural hazard and climate outcomes. Insurers will roll out new P&C insurance pricing incentives like mitigation-based policyholder credits. As insurers apply more sophisticated risk modeling to underwriting, theyll be able to develop pricing incentives that better protect policyholders and reduce losses. Insurance premium credits for policyholders that take part in mitigation efforts is a good example of this. Insurers will need to educate property owners on what kinds of actions they can take to help protect their propertystorm shutters, vegetation clearing, plumbing insulation, etc. This will require a new communication strategy that educates policyholders on how to get involved. Niche-oriented insurance startups will reach new heights. Niche-oriented insurance startups are serving a narrow customer base while improving business efficiency through technology. Insurance startups can quickly build client-focused solutions by taking advantage of interoperable data standards or tapping into ecosystems of open API-enabled technology solutions. New imagery technology is also powering this movement, with AI and ML stretching whats possible with analyzing property imagery and digital records. Insurance startups can now build the most complete property record possible, making niche markets a viable growth business. As the world continues to adapt to the pandemic and the changing climate, insurers need to be equipped with the latest insights to stay competitive and provide their policyholders with the best service possible. Ultimately, insurers who can provide the fairest pricing to policyholders while protecting against big losses and incentivizing risk mitigation participation will build the most resilient businesses. Topics Trends Market MountainOne Insurance Agency, based in northwestern Massachusetts, has acquired the Cross Insurance agency branch in nearby Pittsfield. The company said in a news release that it plans to keep all of the Cross Insurance employees in Pittsfield, making MountainOne one of the largest agencies in the Berkshires, the mountainous region in the western part of state. Cross Insurance was formed in 2016 when Cross purchased Bardwell, Bowlby & Karam Insurance Agency and Colt Insurance Agency, two agencies in Pittsfield. MountainOne, which offers personal lines, business property and casualty insurance, surety bonding and employee benefits, was founded in 1848, the company said. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Massachusetts Thanks to Facebook, cops are one step closer to finding a suspect in a gunpoint holdup of a Brooklyn deliveryman. Police are using a shirtless photo from the social media site in their search for Gregory Adams, wanted for an armed mugging at a Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment. Advertisement Suspect Gregory Adams (DCPI) A 21-year-old deliveryman had just dropped off food at the apartment on Lafayette Ave. near Malcolm X Blvd. about 1:25 a.m. Dec. 2 and was heading down a building staircase when Adams allegedly ran up and pulled a gun on him. Put your hands up! Give me your money, Adams ordered before rifling through the deliverymans pockets, snatching $500 cash, according to cops. Advertisement The crook ran off down Patchen Ave. Detectives quickly identified Adams as the suspect and as the NYPD Brooklyn warrants squad pressed their search for him they found crystal-clear images of a bare-chested Adams on Facebook. The NYPD released one of those pictures Wednesday and asked the publics help tracking him down. In other pictures on his Facebook page, Adams wears a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and has an American flag draped over his shoulders. He describes himself as single and self-employed. Adams is described by cops as about 30, 190 pounds, 5-feet-7 and bald. He has a tattoo on his left arm and was wearing blue jeans and a waist-length black jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed three judges to fill vacancies on the states intermediate appellate court that hears workers compensation cases. With diverse experience and background, I am proud to appoint these justices to the Appellate Division and am certain that their service will further the interests of justice for New Yorkers, Hochul said in a statement Monday. Known as the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court, Third Department, the court hears a range of appeals in Upstate New York, but also hears appeals from the state Workers Compensation Board. The new Third Department judges are currently judges on the states Supreme Court, which, in New Yorks unusual court structure, is similar to a trial court or circuit court in other states. The judges: Lisa Fisher, a judge in the Third Judicial District since 2015. She previously was an assistant public defender in the family court in Ulster County. Andrew Ceresia, a judge in the Third Judicial District in Rensselaer County since 2017. Eddie McShan, a judge in the First Judicial Department of the Appellate Term, which is another section of the states Supreme Court system. He also is a judge in the Twelfth District and an adjunct professor at Bronx Community College. The new judges were recommended by a Judicial Screening Committee, the governors office said. Topics New York In whats being called one of the deadliest residential fires in recent Philadelphia history, a blaze at a rowhouse killed 13 people Wednesday, including seven children, according to local news reports. This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our citys history, the loss of so many people in such a tragic way, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said at a news conference. Losing so many kids is just devastating. Authorities said at least 18 people were living in the upper floors of the three-story building. Eight people were able to escape, and two were taken to a hospital. The building was a Philadelphia Housing Authority property, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, fire officials told the USA Today newspaper. The fire occurred on North 23rd Street, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department. Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said the Housing Authority had inspected the building in 2019 and 2020, and both times installed smoke detectors. The detectors were battery-operated with 10-year lithium batteries in them, but none of them operated, Murphy said. Firefighters responded to the fire at around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday and found heavy fire and smoke on the second story, the Philadelphia Fire Department said in a tweet. It took about 50 minutes to get the fire under control, the department said. Photo: A Philadelphia firefighter works at the scene Wednesday morning in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Canadian insurance broker Western Financial Group has acquired Wiesner Insurance Inc., a high-end full-service insurance brokerage located in southern Ontario. Originally founded in 1991 by Jason Wiesner, Wiesner Insurance Inc. is an independent brokerage serving customers in and around Brampton, a significant trading area west of Toronto, Ontario. The Wiesner team offers a full line of commercial, personal, and financial services products, with a specialization in commercial products and programs, including employee benefits. The brokerage takes pride in providing boutique-level customer service, based on strong and trusting relationships. Under the leadership of Wiesner and Nick Rizzuto, and through the efforts of their energetic sales professionals, Wiesner Insurance has been growing rapidly over the last five years, said High River, Alberta-headquartered Western Financial in a statement. We are pleased to announce this new partnership and are excited to work with the team at Wiesner Insurance, said Western Financial Group President and CEO Kenny Nicholls. Our organizations share a sharp focus and a strong emphasis on customer and people relationships. We are excited to be joining the Western Financial Group family, said Jason Wiesner, founder and president of Wiesner Insurance. At Wiesner we are aligned with Westerns vision and their community values. Like Western, we place an emphasis on the value of the broker and the level of service we deliver to our customers. This new step is great for our people, customers, and our communities and we are pleased to join an organization that shares our values. About Western Financial Group Inc. Western Financial is a diversified insurance services company that has cared for the insurance needs of over one million Canadians for more than one hundred years. Western Financial provides personal, business, and life insurance services in over 200 communities through sales and service centers, affiliates, and online. It is a subsidiary of Trimont Financial Ltd., a subsidiary of The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company. Source: Western Financial Group Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies Canada Canopius Group, the London-based global specialty re/insurer, announced that Neil Robertson has been appointed group chief executive officer. Robertson joined Canopius as deputy group CEO in May 2021, reporting to Group Chairman and CEO Michael Watson, and takes up his new role immediately. Watson will continue as group chairman. As group CEO, Robertson will lead Canopius in setting and achieving its strategic ambitions, furthering its distinctiveness and delivering enhanced returns for our shareholders, all while creating a culture in which its employees can thrive, the company said in a statement. He will also focus on developing its Asia-Pacific, Bermudian and U.S. operations, while continuing to build the companys position as a leading London specialty re/insurer. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Robertson joined Canopius in May from AXA XL where he had served as CEO, Global Specialty, overseeing a multi-billion dollar portfolio of business written across a broad global network. His previous responsibilities have included chief executive of Insurance Underwriting for XL Catlin and seven years as CEO of XL Groups Lloyds Managing Agency. After leading Canopius for 20 years, it is now the right time to empower the next generation of leadership for the group, commented CEO Watson. Recent months have shown Neils exceptional talents as a motivational leader and a builder of effective teams, which will help propel us to the next level. This is a wonderful opportunity to lead a business with outstanding potential. I have had time get to know Canopius over the last six months, and I have been hugely impressed with what I have learned and by the enormous potential of our talent to deliver sustained success, said Robertson. I look forward to continuing our work to realise our strategic objectives by building on Canopiuss established footprint, strong capital base and enviable reputation as we embark on the next exciting phase of our development. Source: Canopius The year 2021 ended as the fifth hottest in records maintained by the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service that go back to 1979. That finding comes from publicly available data analyzed by Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist who posted his calculations on Twitter. This is among the first readings of last years temperature data but it wont be the last. Copernicus is expected to release its full results later this month. Additional global temperature data will be released from NASA, NOAA, the U.K. Met Office, and Berkeley Earth, which draw on records dating back to the 19th century. Officials from Copernicus did not respond to requests for comment on data posted to the agencys website. Hausfather, a research scientist at Berkley Earth, said in an email its likely that other data sources will rank 2021 somewhere between the fifth- and seventh-hottest years on record. Last year did set the highest-ever June-to-August average land temperature. But a La Nina event, which is an occasional cooling pattern in the Pacific Ocean, arrived in October and caused temperatures to dip. That pattern makes winter milder in the southern U.S.and has been blamed for contributing to flooding in Indonesia and Australia. It was enough to push 2021s average temperature down closer to 2018 and 2015, according to Hausfathers analysis of the Copernicus data. The last seven years are the hottest on record and 21 of the 22 hottest years have come since the year 2000, according to the Copernicus data. Photograph: Residents at a cooling center during a heatwave in Portland, Oregon, U.S., on Monday, June 28, 2021. Photo credit: Maranie Staab/Bloomberg. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Europe Climate Change The Illinois Office of the Special Deputy Receiver (OSD) was hit by a cyberattack last summer, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to two auto insurance agencies under liquidation, the Illinois Department of Insurance confirmed. The cyber breach was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. On July 15, 2021, the OSD learned of the loss of approximately $6.85 million resulting from wrongful transfer wires. The DOI said the criminal actor obtained funds from the accounts of Gateway Insurance Company and Affirmative Insurance Company which are under liquidation. To date, $2,870,500 has been recovered, which the Tribune reports belongs to the account of Affirmative. Gateway sold commercial auto insurance and Affirmative sold personal auto insurance. Affirmative was ordered into liquidation in March 2016 and Gateway entered liquidation in July 2020, according to the OSD. The OSD is a nonprofit formed in 1991 to administer the estates of insolvent or financially troubled Illinois insurance companies placed in judicially supervised receivership. The majority of policyholders claims are covered under the Illinois or other state guaranty funds and will therefore not be impacted, the DOI said. OSD has insurance for cyber fraud, and recovery efforts are ongoing. OSD reported the loss to law enforcement authorities and to its insurance carriers and an investigation is ongoing. Topics Carriers Cyber Illinois World Insurance Associates has acquired Safety Consulting, Inc. of Topeka, Kansas. Founded in 1971, Safety Consulting, provides loss control and risk management services that include safety training, site inspections, and safety supply equipment across its diverse customer base, ranging from construction, manufacturing, transportation, municipalities, national trade associations and oil industries. Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla provided legal counsel to WIA. Smith Law provided legal counsel to Safety Consulting, Inc. No other advisors, diligence firms or legal counsel were disclosed. Source: World Insurance Associates Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Kansas A Jonesboro, Louisiana fire chief and a Jackson Parish sheriffs deputy have been arrested for insurance fraud over an alleged fraudulent vehicle crash that involved two Jonesboro Fire Department vehicles. In August 2021, Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit-Monroe Field Office received a complaint of a suspected fraudulent insurance claim from the Jackson Parish Sheriffs Office. The fraudulent claim for over $26,000.00. As a result of this investigation, 37-year-old Brandon Brown of Jonesboro and 58-year-old George Wyatt of Jonesboro were arrested. At the time of this investigation, Brown was the fire chief for the city of Jonesboro and Wyatt was a Jackson Parish sheriffs deputy. According to the Louisiana State Police, during the course of the investigation and from information obtained, it was determined that Brown and Wyatt falsified a crash report and that Brown and Wyatt were the drivers of the vehicles involved. After interviewing several people, including Brown and Wyatt, it was determined that Browns juvenile son was actually driving one of the vehicles at the time of the crash. Brown and Wyatt have been charged with insurance fraud, filing or maintaining false public records, and malfeasance in office. They were both booked into the Jackson Parish Jail. This investigation remains active and on-going. For more information and/or to contact the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft Unit. Source: Louisiana State Police Topics Louisiana Fraud Arson Investigators looking for the cause of the Colorado wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes have narrowed their search to a sparsely populated neighborhood near Boulder where a passer-by captured video of a burning shed on the day the fire began, authorities said. The fire originated somewhere in that neighborhood, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told a news briefing Sunday. He said authorities did not know whether the burning shed started the larger fire or whether the shed caught fire as a result of other flames. Experts say the winter fire was rare but that similar events will become more common as climate change warms the planet and suburbs grow in fire-prone areas. The inferno broke out unusually late in the year following months of drought that included a dry fall and a winter with hardly any snow so far. No downed power lines were found in the area being investigated, according to the countys Office of Emergency Management. Meanwhile, teams continued searching Monday for two people who were still missing, and survivors sorted through the charred remnants of their homes to find whatever was left. The Boulder County area known as Marshall Mesa is near the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills and overlooks the more heavily populated suburbs to the east that were devastated by the fast-moving fire, which was whipped up by furious winds blowing from the foothills to the west. The area is surrounded by tinder-dry public open space and private grasslands. Over the weekend, authorities executed a search warrant, but the sheriff declined to elaborate and did not comment on whether he thought the fire was arson. But a sheriffs official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that several properties were under investigation, including one in the Marshall Mesa area, about 2 miles west of the hard-hit town of Superior. A National Guard Humvee blocked access to the property. In the search for the missing, crews were looking for a woman in the town of Superior and a man from the nearby community of Marshall. Other investigators were trying to determine if the missing might have made it out but did not contact their families or friends, Pelle said. Rex and Barba Hickman went through the ashes of their Louisville home with their son and his wife. Their son Austin cut a safe open with a grinding tool to reveal gold and silver coins, melted credit cards, keys and the charred remains of the couples passports. They had evacuated with their dog, their iPads and the clothes on their back, and Rex Hickman said he was heartbroken to discover that there was nothing left of their home of 23 years. Theres a numbness that hits you first. You know, kind of like you go into crisis mode. You think about what you can do, what you cant do, he said. The real pain is going to sink in over time. The couple have to find a rental property and clothes in the short-term, and their insurance company told them Sunday it would take at least two years to rebuild their home. We know how fortunate we are, Rex Hickman said. We have each other. We have great friends, wonderful family. So many people have got to be suffering much more than we are, and we feel for them. While homes that burned to the foundations were still smoldering in some places, the blaze was no longer considered an immediate threat _ especially with frigid temperatures and a blanket of snow that fell Saturday. Most of the 991 buildings destroyed by the fire were homes. But the blaze also burned through eight businesses at a shopping center in Louisville, including a nail salon and a Subway restaurant. In neighboring Superior, 12 businesses were damaged, including a Target, a Chuck E. Cheese pizzeria, a Tesla car dealership, a hotel and the town hall. The two towns are about 20 miles northwest of Denver and have a combined population of 34,000. The Boulder Valley School District, which serves the wildfire area, planned to resume classes as scheduled on Wednesday and to provide counseling services for students and staff affected by the flames. The University of Colorado in Boulder delayed in-person classes to Jan. 24, with remote learning starting Jan. 10. The flames stopped about 100 yards from Susan Hills property in Louisville. She slept Saturday night in her home using a space heater and hot water bottles to keep warm because her natural gas service was still off. She choked up as she remembered seeing the sky change color and nervously fleeing with her college-age son and the dog, cat and a fire box with birth certificates and other documents. I dont even know how to describe it, she said. Its so sad. Its so awful. Its just devastating. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Colorado Nevada has agreed to back a proposed nationwide settlement worth up to $26 billion resolving lawsuits against three large drug distributors and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson over the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic, the states attorney general said on Tuesday. Nevada was among a handful of states that until now was not participating in the landmark agreements to resolve thousands of opioid lawsuits against J&J, McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc . The settlements backers had agreed to extend to Jan. 26 a deadline for cities and counties in states that backed the proposal to opt-in to the settlements, citing the potential for more states to join. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said he was optimistic the states local governments would join the settlements, allowing Nevada to receive more than $285 million. There is no question that the opioid epidemic has devastated Nevada and money is needed now to address comprehensive statewide remediation, he said in a statement. J&J said it agreed to a $63 million settlement with Nevada consistent with its proposal to pay up to $5 billion to resolve cases against it nationally. AmerisourceBergen and McKesson declined to comment. Cardinal Health did not respond to requests for comment. More than 3,300 lawsuits largely by state and local governments are pending seeking to hold those and other companies responsible for an opioid abuse crisis that led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths over two decades. The companies deny wrongdoing. The distributors said in September that 42 states, five territories and Washington, D.C., had agreed to participate in their $21 billion settlement. A similar number backed J&Js proposal. The extent state and local governments participate will shape how much the companies ultimately must pay and how much outstanding litigation they face. New Mexico, another holdout state, on Dec. 7 signed on. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Leslie Adler, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) China secures extraordinary achievements in expanding high-level opening up in 2021 People's Daily Online) 17:09, January 05, 2022 China made extraordinary achievements in pushing high-level opening up in 2021 against the backdrop of profound changes and a pandemic unseen in a century. The country opened even wider to the rest of the world, creating opportunities for its own development and injecting strong momentum into the steady recovery of the global economy. Photo shows an interior view of the Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub, a permanent trading platform for the China International Import Expo (CIIE). The hub is next to CIIEs venue the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) On Dec. 27, 2021, China unveiled its latest national negative list and pilot free trade zone (FTZ) negative list for foreign investment, as part of efforts to further open up the economy. This marked the fifth consecutive year that China has revised the two negative lists. The number of items that are off-limits for foreign investors will be cut to 31 for the nationwide version, and 27 for the pilot FTZ version, with a reduction ratio of 6.1 percent and 10 percent, respectively, according to a statement jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce. In 2017, there were 93 and 122 items on the lists, respectively. Chinas continued expansion of the scope for foreign investment has created a broader space for foreign investors. Bucking a sharp drop in global cross-border investment, China attracted $149.34 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2020, maintaining its status as the worlds second biggest recipient of FDI. In the first 11 months of 2021, FDI into the Chinese mainland, in terms of actual use, topped the 1-trillion-yuan ($156.85 billion) mark, surpassing the overall annual FDI achieved in 2020. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Chinas accession to the World Trade Organization. Over the past two decades, China has fully delivered on its accession commitments. Its overall tariff rate had been cut from 15.3 percent to 7.4 percent, lower than the 9.8 percent accession commitment. On Dec. 15, 2021, the Customs Tariff Commission of Chinas State Council announced that the country would eliminate tariffs on a radium chloride injection, a new anticancer drug, and reduce tariffs on some imported commodities, including aquatic products, baby clothing, and ski gear, in 2022. A large batch of high-standard projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) witnessed new progress in 2021. People shop at the Haikou Riyue Plaza duty-free shop in south Chinas Hainan province, Nov. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) The China-Laos Railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021. The railway, which connects Kunming in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province with the Lao capital Vientiane, can reduce transport costs between the two cities by 40-50 percent, according to a report released by the World Bank. The transit trade through Laos along the railway is expected to reach 3.9 million tonnes per year by 2030. Under the BRI framework, over 90 percent of the total civil construction works for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia were completed and the cornerstone was laid for the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway connecting the capital cities of Hungary and Serbia, while the construction of the railways section running from Novi Sad to Subotica in Serbia has been initiated. In 2021, China-Europe freight train trips continued to see steady growth. In November 2021 alone, the number of China-Europe freight train trips rose 1 percent year-on-year to reach 1,246, exceeding 1,000 for the 19th consecutive month, and with the freight trains carrying 120,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, up 4 percent from a year earlier. As of the end of November 2021, China-Europe freight trains had made 47,414 trips and transported 4.3 million TEUs of goods. Chinas circle of friends under the BRI has continued to expand. As of Dec. 15 last year, China had signed more than 200 cooperation documents for the joint construction of the Belt and Road with 145 countries and 32 international organizations. The fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off in Shanghai on Nov. 5, 2021. At the event, over 420 new products, technologies and services were showcased. Nearly 3,000 companies from 127 countries and regions participated in the event. The numbers of enterprises as well as countries and regions that had been attracted to the event both surpassed those of the third CIIE. A total of $70.72 billion worth of tentative deals were reached at the fourth CIIE, increasing from $57.83 billion during the first CIIE. The fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum was also held simultaneously with the expo. Over 2,000 guests at 12 sub-forums and an international seminar of the forum exchanged ideas on hot topics, including green development and the digital economy, and explored paths towards building a community with a shared future for mankind. The World Openness Report 2021 was issued at the forum, calling for greater international cooperation to promote opening up. A China-Europe freight train departs from Dongxiang district, Fuzhou city, east Chinas Jiangxi Province, on Dec. 16, 2021, heading for the city of Vorsino in Russia. (Peoples Daily Online/Rao Fangqi) The first China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) concluded on May 10, 2021, at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center in Haikou, capital of south Chinas Hainan Province. It was the first ever expo focusing on high-quality consumer goods that has been held by China at the national level. A total of 70 countries and regions attended the four-day expo, and 2,628 brands of 1,505 enterprises from home and abroad participated in the exhibitions. The CICPE, along with the CIIE in Shanghai, the Canton Fair in south Chinas Guangdong Province, and the China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, has become yet another global public good for the world to share in Chinas own development opportunities. Last year, China made steady progress in reform and innovation for its pilot FTZs. In early September 2021, China rolled out a raft of new measures on promoting reform and innovation for trade and investment facilitation at its pilot FTZs, including helping them develop offshore trade capabilities. Wang Shouwen, Vice Minister of Commerce, said the 19 new measures focusing on advancing investment and trade facilitation gave the pilot FTZs greater command over reform, enabling them to better leverage their roles as pioneers and as good examples of reform and opening up. Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce, said that China would introduce a negative list for cross-border services trade in the pilot FTZs as soon as possible and support some pilot FTZs and free trade ports to learn and adopt the rules of high-level international free trade agreements. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Reality-TV star Renee Graziano told investigators she took Adderall before crashing into a parked vehicle on Staten Island with such force her SUV overturned, cops said Wednesday. Graziano, 52, struck the parked Jeep near Arden Ave. and Arthur Kill Road about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, police said. Her 2020 Nissan Murano flipped over onto its roof from the impact. Advertisement Cops arrested her for driving while impaired by drugs, but the Staten Island district attorneys office deferred prosecution as it continues to investigate. Renee Graziano on March 5, 2018 in New York City. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) The VH1 star wasnt injured in the crash and admitted to first responders she had taken an Adderall earlier in the day, cops said. She also appeared wobbly on her legs and slurred her words, an NYPD spokesman said. Advertisement Adderall, prescribed to millions of Americans, is a stimulant mixture of amphetamine salts used primarily to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Graziano is the daughter of former Bonanno crime family consigliere Anthony Graziano and ex-wife to former Bonanno crime family associate Hector Pagan Jr. She was awaiting arraignment in Staten Island Criminal Court on Wednesday. Graziano was in all six seasons of Mob Wives, which documented the everyday lives and interactions of women who were married or related to organized crime figures. The show ended in 2016. In 2019, Mob Wives star Drita DAvanzo and her mobbed-up husband and Bonanno family associate, Lee DAvanzo, were busted on drug and other charges following a surprise raid at their Staten Island home. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges against Drita, although her husband was sentenced to more than five years in prison for keeping two loaded guns in their home. Three years earlier, DAvanzo was arrested for punching a Staten Island chef in a parking dispute. Other stars of the VH1 show included Karen Gravano, the daughter of Salvatore Sammy Bull Gravano, and Angela Big Ang Raiola, the niece of a reputed captain of the Genovese crime family. Raiola died of brain and lung cancer in 2016. OLDWICK JANUARY 05, 2022 AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A+ (Superior) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to aa- (Superior) from a+ (Excellent) of Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company (Atlantic Casualty) (Goldsboro, NC). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from positive. Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of aa+ (Superior) of Auto-Owners Insurance Company (Auto-Owners) (Lansing, MI) and its four wholly owned property/casualty (P/C) companies that compose Auto-Owners Insurance Group (AOIG). At the same time, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of aa- (Superior) for the members of Concord Group Insurance Companies (Concord Group), which is led by Concord General Mutual Insurance Company (Concord General) (Concord, NH). AM Best has also affirmed the FSR of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of a- (Excellent) of Auto-Owners Specialty Insurance Company (AOSIC) (Dover, DE). Also, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of a (Excellent) of California Capital Insurance Company (Monterey, CA) and its subsidiaries, which operate under an intercompany pooling arrangement, collectively referred to as Capital Insurance Group (Capital). In addition, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICR of aa- (Superior) of Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company (AOLIC) (Lansing, MI), which is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Auto-Owners. The outlook of these ratings is stable. (See below for a detailed listing of the companies). The ratings of Atlantic Casualty reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The rating upgrades of Atlantic Casualty reflects its increased level of integration, as well as tangible operating benefits and synergies derived from ownership by Auto-Owners in various functions including, but not limited to: investments; actuarial services; product development; reinsurance; claims; marketing; and information technology. In addition, this rating action recognizes Atlantic Casualtys strategic importance within the Auto-Owners organization, particularly evident in the companys access to Auto-Owners distribution channel, which has contributed to growth in premiums, while maintaining favorable operating performance. The ratings of AOIG reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its very strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate ERM. AOIG has exhibited generally improved operating performance in recent years. AOIG also maintains a business profile that is well-balanced between personal and commercial lines, and property/casualty (P/C) business. Through its acquisition of Atlantic Casualty and AOSIC in 2016, its affiliation with Concord General in 2017 and its acquisition of Capital in 2019, AOIG has further broadened its business profile from a product and geographic perspective. These positive rating factors are offset partially by its exposure to credit risk associated with the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. The ratings of Concord Group reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. Concord Groups ratings reflect its risk-adjusted capitalization, which is assessed in the strongest category, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), as well as its favorable operating performance in recent years. The ratings also reflect Concord Groups strategic position within the Auto-Owners organization, as well as the significant operating and financial benefits that Concord Group has realized as a result of its April 2017 affiliation with Auto-Owners. The ratings of AOSIC reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, very limited business profile and appropriate ERM. AOSIC is a shell company that plans to provide excess and surplus lines coverage to small- and medium-size commercial businesses in North Carolina. AOSICs risk-adjusted capitalization is supportive of its business plan, which includes moderate premium growth projections. In addition, the company is led by a management team with a track record of generating favorable operating results at its sister company, Atlantic Casualty, and possessing extensive knowledge of the surplus lines and commercial P/C business. These positive rating factors are offset partially by the expected concentration of non-admitted business in one state. The ratings of Capital reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its marginal operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. Capitals ratings reflect its risk-adjusted capitalization, which is assessed in the strongest category, as measured by BCAR, as well as the groups recent improvement in operating performance. The ratings also reflect the substantial explicit and implicit support received from Auto-Owners since December 2018, which followed severe net losses and surplus erosion due in part to the California wildfires in 2017 and 2018, as well as adverse reserve development on prior accident years in 2017. The ratings of AOLIC reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. The ratings consider AOLICs integral role and positive contribution to its P/C parent organization, diversified product portfolio, its favorable level of risk-adjusted capitalization and high quality investment portfolio. The FSR of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of aa+ (Superior) have been affirmed, each with a stable outlook, for Auto-Owners Insurance Company and its wholly owned P/C subsidiaries: Home-Owners Insurance Company Owners Insurance Company Property-Owners Insurance Company Southern-Owners Insurance Company The FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of aa- (Superior) have been affirmed, each with a stable outlook, for the following members of Concord Group Insurance Companies: Concord General Mutual Insurance Company Green Mountain Insurance Company, Inc. State Mutual Insurance Company Sunapee Mutual Fire Insurance Company Vermont Accident Insurance Company, Inc. The FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs of a (Excellent) have been affirmed, each with a stable outlook, for the following members of Capital Insurance Group: California Capital Insurance Company Eagle West Insurance Company Monterey Insurance Company Nevada Capital Insurance Company This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. Topics Carriers AM Best Casualty Try out IoscoNews.com for only 99 per month for the first 3 months, $5.80 a month after. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-Edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. New changes in relation to Covid-19 testing have led to questions around self-isolation period durations and how people can apply for illness benefits. Here we look at those changes and answer some of your questions. What are the new testing rules? According to the HSE, anyone aged 40 or over with symptoms of Covid-19 should self-isolate and book a PCR test. This advice applies even if you have had your first-round vaccines, a booster, or a positive PCR test in the past three months. Similarly, a child under the age of four and who is symptomatic should also be booked in for a PCR test. Parents and guardians can arrange an appointment for their child through the PCR test booking portal. While they await a PCR test appointment or result, others in the household should restrict their movements (stay at home). If this PCR test result comes back positive, everyone in the household should continue to restrict their movements, for a period depending on their vaccination status. Specific details about who should restrict their movements, and for how long, can be found on the HSE website. I'm between the ages of four and 39 and have symptoms. Should I book a PCR test? No. In a bid to ease some of the pressure on the PCR testing system, the HSE is asking symptomatic people to book antigen tests and self-isolate. You can book/order the tests online via the HSE. You will need to do three antigen tests on consecutive days. If all three are negative, continue to self-isolate until you have not had symptoms for 48 hours. If any of them show a positive result, you should book a PCR test and self-isolate. If you have an invalid test result, do another antigen test. What about if I am a close contact of a confirmed case? Advice for close-contacts varies slightly depending on vaccination status. If you have received a booster more than a week after a close contact text from the HSE, you should restrict your movements for five days from your last contact with the person who has tested positive. You will also need to take three antigen tests, with two days between each. Any positive result means you will need to isolate and book a PCR test. This advice also applies if you have completed your primary vaccine course and had a positive PCR test in the last three months. If you test positive for COVID-19 you will get a text message. This will include a link to a website where you can upload contact details for your close contacts. pic.twitter.com/9BWFI35EPP HSE Ireland (@HSELive) January 2, 2022 If you got a booster less than a week after receiving a close contact text, you should restrict your movements for 10 days. You will also need to do five antigen tests, with two days between each. This same advice applies to people who got their initial vaccinations but have not got a booster. Lastly, if you suspect you are a close contact but you haven't heard from the HSE, you should arrange a Covid test, following the steps relevant to you on the HSE's website. As you wait for a PCR test appointment or result, the HSE's advice is to self-isolate in your room if you are symptomatic; or restrict your movements (stay at home) if you aren't symptomatic. More information on what to do if you are a close contact can be found on the HSE's website. Ok. I've ordered antigen tests from the HSE, when will they arrive? HSE lead on vaccination Damien McCallion has said that antigen tests are being dispatched within one or two days, meaning they will most often arrive one day after that. With so many new cases being confirmed each day, is there a sufficient supply of antigen tests? HSE lead for vaccinations, Damien McCallion. File picture: Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland Mr McCallion said the HSE currently had a sufficient supply of antigen tests for the month of January, but this is being continually monitored. Such is demand for antigen tests, the secretary-general of the Irish Pharmacy Union has warned there will be a shortage of the tests in the country this week as further stocks are awaited. Speaking on RTE Radio, Darragh OLoughlin said some pharmacies have resorted to putting limits on the number of tests individuals can purchase. He said more orders of the tests would arrive in the country later this week. I have Covid symptoms and need to take time off work. Can I get the enhanced illness benefit? Yes. Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has announced that her department has adjusted the documentation needed to get the 350 enhanced illness benefit. To avail of this benefit, you must now provide the Department of Social Protection with either: Confirmation from the HSE that you have ordered an antigen test; A text message from the HSE showing that you are a close contact or; Certification from your GP that you have symptoms of Covid-19 and/or are a probable source of infection. As has been the case previously, a positive PCR test result can also be used. The overall criteria for availing of the enhanced illness benefit have not changed. More information on the benefit itself can be found on citizensinformation.ie Burma Concerns Over Hun Sens Aims Ahead of ASEAN Chairs Visit Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen / AFP Later this week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will fly into Myanmar, which has been riddled with violence since a military coup last year. But he holds out hope of a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in the country as he prepares for a visit on Jan. 7 in a bid to bring Myanmar back into the fold of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The country was isolated by the bloc last year, especially over junta boss Min Aung Hlaings failure to keep his promise to the group to implement a peace plan. During the visit, Hun Sen will meet with top junta leaders including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. But will he be able to meet Myanmars political icon and most famous prisoner, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi? The Myanmar juntas spokesman said on Tuesday that the regime would not allow Hun Sen to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit to the country. [O]nly those who represent political parties are allowed to meet and hold discussions, but there are limitations on those who are still facing legal charges, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told RFA. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since the first day of the coup last February and faces junta lawsuits that many see as politically motivated. Before his departure to Myanmar, Hun Sen said on Wednesday in Phnom Penh he had not set any pre-conditions before his visit, but said his aims were not far from the five-point consensus or the peace plan. He called on all observers not to make any early conclusions on the outcome of his visit to Myanmar. If the results are fruitful, it may bring peace to Myanmar and the people of Myanmar will acknowledge the efforts of the ASEAN member states, he underlined, according to the Cambodian state news agency, AKP. The prime minister said that while his return was scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 8, it could be delayed if there is any fruitful outcome on the Myanmars crisis. However, Myanmar citizens worry that Hun Sens visit will lend legitimacy to the regime, as he will be the first foreign leader to meet the ruling generals, who have been globally denounced for their brutality against their own people, including the killings of more than 1,300 people for opposing their rule. Its not surprising to see outrage on social media over Hun Sens visit as the regime continues to arrest and kill people and burn down villages where armed resistance has been taking place. Many also question Hun Sens engagement with the regime, saying he should be making contact with all key actors in Myanmar including the National Unity Government, a shadow civilian government. A joint statement issued on Tuesday by 200 civil society groups in Myanmar and abroad condemned Hun Sen for his planned visit. Last April, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and leaders of ASEAN member states agreed a five-point consensus that aimed to set Myanmar back on the path to democracy. The consensus called for an end to violence, the appointment of a special ASEAN envoy to Myanmarwith access to all sides in the conflictand the delivery of humanitarian assistance. But the regimes leader failed to honor the consensus, prompting ASEAN to exclude him from its summit in October last year. ASEAN and the United Nations General Assembly have backed the Five-Point Consensus, and must ensure that Hun Sen does not act alone in 2022lending legitimacy to the Myanmar military junta and further emboldening them to cause more harm to the people, the civil society groups said. Last week, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn told Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, United Nations special envoy on Myanmar, that Phnom Penh was committed to taking a practical step-by-step approach toward achieving progress on the implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus. According to The Phnom Penh Post, Hun Sen at first said Myanmar had itself to blame for being excluded from the ASEAN summit. But he changed his rhetoric soon after receiving the ceremonial gavel for the revolving chairmanship of ASEAN. It is not up to ASEAN to resolve this issue. ASEAN is here to help, but Myanmar needs to solve its own problems by itself, Hun Sen said on Dec. 15. It is important for me to meet Myanmars [military] leaders, but under-the-table negotiations are the best and most fruitful approach for us to take. Dont disturb me, just give me time, he said. Two bombs recently exploded near the Cambodian Embassy in Myanmar, hurting no one. The blasts have not fazed Hun Sen, however, with the Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman saying the visit would go ahead as planned. Hun Sen spoke to Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Tuesday and they discussed the Myanmar issue. The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation also issued a press statement on the outcome of the telephone conversation between Hun Sen and Jokowi. The two leaders also exchanged views on the current developments in Myanmar and underscored the important need to focus ASEANs efforts to assist Myanmar in finding suitable solutions to achieving national reconciliation, durable peace, stability and development, it said. Ro Vannak, co-founder of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy, said the meeting between Hun Sen and Jokowitaking place mere days before the Myanmar tripwas a form of public diplomacy that showed there was solidarity within ASEAN toward all of the parties to the conflict within Myanmar and beyond. Vannak said Hun Sen places a high value on Indonesian input in any discussion on regional issues because Jakarta has played an important role as mediator and facilitator in regional conflicts in the past. Now, he said, Hun Sen may need the full backing of Indonesia if his trip to Myanmar is to go smoothly and bear fruit. His call with Jokowi may have been intended to shore up that support, Vannak said. You may also like these stories: Junta Forces Suffer Heavy Losses in Southeastern and Western Myanmar Myanmar Resistance Groups Claim New Year Victories Over Junta Forces Myanmar People Greet New Year With Shouts of Our Revolution Must Prevail! Burma Forensic Evidence Confirms Myanmar Juntas Atrocities on Massacre Victims Victims massacred on December 24 in Hpruso Township, Kayah State are buried on December 29. / KNDF A doctor who examined the charred remains of 35 people massacred by the junta in Kayah States Hpruso Township on December 24 said that forensic evidence found that the deceased were civilians who were tortured before being burned, contradicting the claim by the military regime that those killed were members of Peoples Defense Forces. Myanmars civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and the ethnic Karenni State Consultative Council held a virtual joint press conference on Monday regarding the Christmas Eve massacre near Moso Village, Hpruso Township to publicize their findings in their ongoing investigations into the killings. Along with forensic results, witness accounts and statements from relatives of the dead were also shared during the briefing. This is a massacre like I have never seen before in my life, said the doctor, a local Karenni health officer, citing the charred remains of the victims who had been tied up, stabbed in the chest and hit hard on their heads. The doctor noted that the skulls of the victims had been broken or damaged. The doctor urged everyone to help in seeking justice for those brutally killed, so that further incidents can be prevented. The bodies were examined by the doctor after being retrieved on December 27 by members of the Karenni State Police, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and Karenni Army, all groups resisting the Myanmar military. We were unable to retrieve the bodies on the day of the massacre as Light Infantry Battalion 531, which is stationed near the incident site, fired artillery at us. The junta troops also fired on us when we attempted to retrieve the charred remains of the bodies on the next two days, said a KNDF member. Karenni State Police cited crime records and witness reports stating that there was no fighting going on when the civilians were captured by the troops from Light Infantry Battalion 531 and soldiers under Light Infantry Division 66 (LID 66), based in Pyay Township, Bago Region. The Irrawaddy has learned that LID 66 is led by Colonel Kyaw Lin Tun and that its tactical commander is Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Swa Tun. Citing autopsy results, doctors were able to identify 26 men and five women, including a girl around the age of 12 and two young men around the age of 16 or 17, among the victims. They included two Save the Children staff members who were providing international humanitarian assistance. The remains of some victims were unable to be retrieved fully because the bodies had been totally burned. DNA tests are being performed on the bodies to identify the deceased so they can be returned to their families, said U Bo Bo, the deputy chief of the Karenni State Police. The doctors also found a 5.56mm bullet shell at the site where four Karenni Border Guard Force members were shot and killed, added U Bo Bo. The Border Guard members had attempted to negotiate the release of the 35 civilians as soon as they heard that they were being held by junta forces. U Bo Bo said that the Karenni State Police had received reports of 42 missing people forty men and two women after they had asked the public to notify them of any missing family members or friends in their communities following the massacre. The deputy police chief said that because of those missing people, the death toll from the Hpruso massacre may rise to 49. U Aung Myo Min, the NUGs Minister for Human Rights, said that they will share the findings of the investigation with diplomats and the United Nations (UN) so that action can be taken against the junta for their atrocities. People are dying every day. It is not enough just to issue statements. We will try to raise such incidents, hold further investigations and take effective action against the perpetrators, said the minister. He added that the NUG will work together with the UN Human Rights Council and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar to get justice for the victims. The minister added that they will seek justice via international judicial mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court or in the court of a country where universal jurisdiction is practiced. We will also raise the massacre at the upcoming meeting of the UN Security Council, said U Aung Myo Min. The UN Security Council has called for an immediate end to hostilities in Hpruso Township and urged member states of the Security Council to condemn the massacre. You may also like these stories: Concerns Over Hun Sens Aims Ahead of ASEAN Chairs Visit Junta Forces Suffer Heavy Losses in Southeastern and Western Myanmar Myanmar Resistance Groups Claim New Year Victories Over Junta Forces Burma Head of Myanmars Shadow Govt Vows to Continue Second Struggle for Independence A ceremony is held in an area controlled by an ethnic armed organization for graduates of a military training course for people who have taken up arms against the regime. / Knac The acting president of Myanmars National Unity Government (NUG), Duwa Lashi La, has called the ongoing peoples defensive war against the junta, which the shadow government launched nearly four months ago, a second struggle for independence. In his speech on the occasion of Myanmars 74th annual Independence Day commemoration on Tuesday, the acting president said that although the country is now free from colonial rule, its people continue to suffer harsh violence and repression at the hands of military dictatorships, pointing out that the military has staged coups four times over the period. As long as the owners of the sovereignty of the country lose their rights, we cannot say the country has achieved its independence, he said. Since seizing power, the junta has violently put down opposition to its coup, killing at least 1,435 people, torturing to death more than 100 detainees and arresting more than 11,300 people. Duwa Lashi La said that in the face of the bloody attempted coup and the militarys continuing brutality against civilians, the people had no choice but to launch a defensive war to completely remove the military dictatorship. Since the launch of the defensive war on Sept. 7, civilian resistance groups attacks on junta targets have become increasingly frequent and inflicted heavy losses on the juntas forces. Meanwhile, the junta has also escalated its atrocities, including massacring civilians, using detained civilians as human shields, shelling and bombing residential areas, and looting and burning houses. Fighting between the Myanmar military and the countrys ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) has also intensified, as some have joined hands with the peoples revolution. The most important thing at the moment is, based on the objectives of ending the military dictatorship and building a federal democratic union, all political forces including the EAOs should build unity and get involved in the peoples revolution, the acting president said. He dismissed coup leader and junta boss Min Aung Hlaings call for EAOs to mark the new year by engaging in a peace dialogue as an attempt to stall for time and find a political exit strategy from the crisis, as well as to deceive the international community and confuse the resistance forces. The attempted coup has trampled hopes of peace. They have destroyed the peace and future of the country, Duwa Lashi La said. The NUGs declaration of war on the regime prompted calls for dialogue from the international community but most Myanmar people, having endured the regimes atrocities, heartily embraced the announcement. The UNs then special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, was among those who attempted to persuade the coup leaders in Naypyitaw to engage in dialogue to settle the ongoing political and social turmoil caused by the coup. Before the end of her term, however, she acknowledged that her months-long attempts had failed and borne no fruit, saying the clear lack of will on the part of the regime for a peaceful solution could have led other stakeholders to feel they had no choice but to seek a solution through violent means. The second item in ASEANs five-point consensus on Myanmar also called for dialogue between the junta and representatives of the Myanmar people. Agreed in late April, the consensus appears no closer to implementation. The acting president added that in fact, the war criminals, who are stained with the peoples blood, are not fit for political dialogue, but should be sent to face domestic and international criminal courts. The NUG has been documenting evidence of serious human rights abuses and crimes against civilians by junta forces to file with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in order to find justice for the victims. The acting president said the revolution, for which many lives have been sacrificed in the last 11 months, will see new developments in 2022, and said he had no doubt that the people would achieve victory. I would like to urge [all people] to work together until we free ourselves from military slavery and bring back freedom, equality and justice for the people, he added. You may also like these stories: Junta Court Rejects Appeal for Myanmars Ousted Ruling Party Vice-Chair ASEAN Acknowledges Illegality of Myanmars Military Coup Post-Election Palm Reading as Myanmars Vote Nears Burma Junta Court Rejects Appeal for Myanmars Ousted Ruling Party Vice-Chair Dr Zaw Myint Maung with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw in September 2020. / The Irrawaddy Myanmar juntas court in Mandalay rejected an appeal from the regions chief minister, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, his legal team told The Irrawaddy. The 70-year-old vice-chairman of the ousted National League for Democracy was sentenced to four years in prison on December 8, including two years for alleged sedition under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code and two years for two charges under the Natural Disaster Management Law for alleged breaches of COVID-19 regulations. His legal team said: We summited an appeal for Dr. Zaw Myint Maung and his cabinet members on January 3. The court rejected it that day without giving any reasons. We will proceed to the higher court. He has been held in Mandalays Obo Prison since the February coup. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who suffers from leukemia, also faces five corruption charges and two charges for electoral fraud. He was ill on December 29 during the court hearing and was given oxygen and has since recovered. His cabinet members are also in good health, a family member said. The veteran politician was also jailed by former dictator Than Shwe for 19 years. When the NLD came to power in 2016, he became Mandalay Regions chief minister while serving as one of the partys vice-chairs along with then-President U Win Myint. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi chairs the party. Appeals were also rejected for Mandalay mayor Dr. Ye Lwin, who was sentenced to two years for sedition under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code and the regional minister for agriculture and irrigation Dr. Soe Than, electrical minister U Zar Ni Aung and U Tin Ko Ko, the Mandalay secretary of the NLD, who were given two years in prison for violating the Natural Disaster Law. The junta has arrested 649 members of the NLD, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, and 489 are still in detention, the NLD said on January 1. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint were sentenced to four years on charges of sedition and breaches of COVID-19 regulations, which were cut to two years on the day of the sentencing. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Losing Grip on Key Kayah Township: Resistance Forensic Evidence Confirms Myanmar Juntas Atrocities on Massacre Victims Concerns Over Hun Sens Aims Ahead of ASEAN Chairs Visit Burma Junta Forces Suffer Heavy Losses in Southeastern and Western Myanmar Karenni Army soldiers in Kayah State. / KnAC More than 20 junta soldiers were reportedly killed over the last two days in intense firefights with civilian armed resistance forces in Kayah and Chin States. Another 50-odd regime troops have been killed in Kayah since last Friday. On Tuesday afternoon, a fierce clash broke out in Shadaw Township, Kayah State when the Karenni Army (KA), the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party, attacked a detachment of 300 junta troops marching through the township, according to the Karenni Army Center, the media wing of the KA. At least 16 junta soldiers, including deputy battalion commander Kyaw Thu Soe, were killed and many others wounded during two hours of fighting, the KA Center said. One KA fighter suffered minor injuries to his leg. The KA claimed that regime forces left the body of the dead deputy battalion commander at a border guard force camp under Myanmar military supervision. Junta forces have looted houses and burned down villages during their operations in Kayah State, said the KA. The armed group predicted that there will be further clashes with regime troops in the near future as a combined force of the KA and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) will respond to the presence of junta forces in Shadaw Township. Another 50-odd regime soldiers, including a battalion commander, have been killed in Kayah since last Friday, most dying in continuous clashes with combined forces from the KA, KNDF and local Peoples Defense Forces (PDF) in Kayah States Demoso and Hpruso townships. Four civilian resistance fighters and KA troops were killed and others injured in the fighting, according to Karenni resistance forces. After military regime forces lost around 30 killed in a clash in Demoso last Friday, the junta called in two jet fighters to attack the resistance groups. Deputy Colonel Kyaw Zaya, a battalion commander notorious for leading brutal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters and civilians in Yangon and Kayah State, was reportedly killed during the fighting. On Monday morning, five regime troops were killed and another 15 injured when civilian resistance fighters from the Chinland Defense Force-Matupi (CDF-Matupi) raided a military base in Htalbwe village in Matupi Township, Chin State. On the same evening, the CDF-Matupi also attacked a detachment of military reinforcements traveling the Matupi-Hakha Highway. Two regime soldiers were captured during the fighting, the CDF-Matupi spokesperson told The Irrawaddy. The resistance group said that it continued to attack the base in Htalbwe Village on Tuesday. A civilian resistance fighter was injured in the raid. Military casualties are unknown, the spokesperson said on Wednesday. Regime forces are now facing daily attacks from PDFs and ethnic armed groups nationwide, with the exception of Rakhine State in western Myanmar. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Resistance Groups Claim New Year Victories Over Junta Forces Myanmar People Greet New Year With Shouts of Our Revolution Must Prevail! Suu Kyis Female Bodyguard Sentenced to Jail by Myanmar Junta Commentary As 2022 Dawns, Myanmars People Brace for a Tough Fight Members of ethnic armed group the Karenni Army, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party, in action during their fight against regime troops in Kayah State. / KnAC This is Burma. It will be quite unlike any land you know about. Rudyard Kipling. More than a century after they were written, the British poets words hold true. This year, far from celebrating, many Myanmar citizens saw in the new year defiantlyeven reluctantly. Few were in a festive mood. Why? They hate the regime and they know that 2022 will bring fresh turmoil. It is not a happy new year. Those who did gather on New Years Eve marked the occasion with shouts of, Our revolution must prevail! in defiance of the junta, and cursed coup leader Min Aung Hlaing. It has been 11 months since the military coup, but Myanmar people continue to show unwavering opposition to the regime that overthrew the countrys elected civilian government. It is safe to say that the Myanmar militarys attempted coup is not yet a fait accompli. The regime, known officially as the State Administration Council (SAC), has so far failed to consolidate its grip on the country. Opposition to the coupincluding armed resistanceremains fierce and is only likely to strengthen in 2022, leaving the outlook for the coming year bleak. The regime has turned Myanmar into a killing field and continues to murder and detain activists and other civilians across the country, with tens of thousands displaced from their homes by the juntas campaign of terror in the countryside. Images of smoldering corpses, some with their limbs tied, have shocked the world but there has been little action to match the expressions of concern. The junta continues to act like an occupying force, much like the British and Japanese forces during the colonial period, who with total impunity implemented a scorched-earth policy in which anything that might be of use to the enemy was destroyed. Last year, the Myanmar people experienced these same horrors at the hands of their own military; they resisted and they are not giving up now. Having realized that their early hope of international intervention was misplaced, Myanmars people have decided it is time to take up arms to oppose the brutal regime. Loosely coordinated People Defenses Force (PDF) groups have sprouted up across the country; many have taken up training in ethnic insurgent-controlled territories. It is expected that in 2022 Myanmar will see more clashes in Sagaing Region and Kayah, Chin and Karen states. The PDF forces and the people as a whole know that they are fighting a powerful army, so why do they keep fighting? Because if the coup leader has his way, Myanmar will remain a slave to the military forever. In the cities, Myanmar people are boycotting products and services linked to military-owned businesses, including the once hugely popular state lottery, and many are refusing to pay taxes, donating the money to armed resistance groups instead. The Myanmar diaspora, from migrant populations in neighboring countries to wealthier residents of countries further afield, have showered the resistance forces with donations. Wealthy families have sold properties and companieseven their prized collections of vintage automobiles and motorcyclesand headed into the jungle to set up their own armies to fight the regime. The determination of the Myanmar people is truly remarkable. The regime has few friends abroad and is recognized by only a handful of countries. During Myanmars Independence Day celebration on Jan. 4, the juntas mouthpiece newspapers printed felicitation messages from Russia, Belarus, Serbia, North Korea and Cambodia. The first three of those are key sources of weapons for the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw). Most countries in the region and around the world have denied the regime the legitimacy it craves. Even ASEAN, which has historically upheld a policy of noninterference in members affairs, has refused Min Aung Hlaing a seat at its table, though questions have arisen over the regional groups solidarity on the issue now that Cambodia has assumed its rotating chair. Over the past few months, officials from China, India, Thailand and Cambodia have all made visits or diplomatic overtures. These governments would do well to keep in mind the consequences of endorsing or appearing to favor the regime. Myanmar saw a wave of anti-China protests soon after the coup, including attacks on China-funded factories. If the PDF groups and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) can develop a more coordinated plan and a more effective military strategy to sustain the fight, the regime will likely suffer more casualties and see more defections. And if opposition forces can offer incentives including security, resettlement and insurance, it is expected that even mid-ranking officers will defect. Infantry forces are already heavily reliant on air support and heavy artillery. The liberated area in Sagaing Region and Chin and Kayah states is set to expand. If the armed resistance can be sustained throughout this year, we could expect to see internal rifts appear within the junta. So far, however, neither side has victory in its grasp. The countrys economyalready badly damaged by COVIDhas been in freefall since the coup and experts predict more illegal trade and zero growth in 2022. Still, the regime is hoping Myanmars small economy can return to a recovery track with some assistance from China and other regime-friendly countries in Asia. But other than China, no one is going to invest in Myanmar in the near future. It has become clear that the regime leaders will struggle to hold the country together. Their families are now kept in secure locations and dont dare go out in public. The regime has no public support and the army is at war with the nation. The military has dominated the diverse and complex country since independence in 1948. Its self-serving 2008 constitution gives it vast institutional powers, maintained with the help of proxy political parties including the Union Solidarity and Development Party, and through constitutional provisions. The coup was the latest attempt by the military to reassert control over those aspects of society it deems essential to preserving its own interests, and its perception of state interests. In reality, this institution has been nothing but a source of division, destruction and disunity in the country. Holding the military accountable is a must, despite all the huffing and puffing by defenders of the junta, who contend that the military is the only institution capable of holding the country together. This argument has now been definitively exposed as a falsehood. The UN, the superpowers China and the US, and other Western powers must all give up once and for all the notion that the Tatmadaw is the only institution that can deliver stability and unity, which will only embolden Min Aung Hlaing and his group. For many Myanmar citizens, the question long ago ceased to be about how the current military can be reformed, and became one of finding a way for Myanmar to be rid of it so that it can return to being a genuine and inclusive democracy. You may also like these stories: ASEAN Acknowledges Illegality of Myanmars Military Coup Post-Election Palm Reading as Myanmars Vote Nears The Sinners Against Myanmars Elections Guest Column Cambodia: ASEANs Spoiler or Savior? This handout from the National Television of Cambodia (TVK) taken and released on Dec. 7 shows Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, left, listening to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. / AFP via Bangkok Post Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will be the Myanmar militarys first guest of honor in Naypyitaw this weekend. Whatever the outcome of his two-day trip, it will have both intended and unintended consequences for the future of the ASEAN process, especially the five-point consensus (FPC). For nearly a year since the coup on Feb. 1, ASEAN has assumed the role of peacemaker, going strictly by the book to ensure that the crisis in Myanmar would come to an end through the groupings agency and good practices. After Brunei handed over the chair to Cambodia at the end of October, Hun Sen made it clear that he would like to see Myanmars top leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, return to the ASEAN fold and take part in upcoming ASEAN-related summits under his watch. ASEAN decided in mid-October to invite a senior non-political representative instead of its leader for their meetings after the junta had not fulfilled its pledges outlined in the FPC. So far, the junta chief has missed two major gatheringsthe 38th-39th ASEAN summits and the ASEAN-China special summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of their relations. The latter was a sore point as Myanmar is the current country coordinator for ASEAN-China ties. To ascertain the progress of the FPC, Hun Sen will not shy away from enhancing dialogue with Myanmar from the first day. When the ASEAN leaders met in Jakarta for an emergency summit on April 24, Hun Sen was the only leader who spoke to and looked into the eyes of the junta leader, recommending that he take up the groupings assistance and citing his own experience with ASEAN as an example. Indeed, when it comes to ASEAN affairs and his 22-year engagement, it has to be said that the Cambodian leader knows ASEAN like the back of his hand. In the past eight weeks, his comments have caused trepidation and high anxiety among some ASEAN member countries and their supporters. They believe that Hun Sen could be a spoiler who might ignore the ASEAN process and go his own way in engaging Myanmar. The 2012 faux pas remains the former ASEAN chairs albatross. After all, Hun Sen had extensive and quite memorable engagements with ASEAN long before Cambodia joined ASEAN in October 1999the last country to do so. ASEAN envisaged in 1997 having Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia come under one roof simultaneously. As a veteran ASEAN politician, Hun Sen knows both the terrain and its pitfalls ahead of attempts to make headway with Myanmar. Doubtless, he will maximize his capacity as the ASEAN chair in proactive ways. After all, it will be his third chair and also his last before he retires from politics. During the Thai-Cambodian dispute over the Preah Vihear/Phra Viharn Temple in 2008, he single-handedly pushed the issue up to the UN Security Council for review. His multilateral diplomatic experience since the Paris days in the 1990s has furnished him with broad perspectives and maneuverability. Naypyitaw reiterated earlier that a general election is scheduled for August 2023. That amounts to a 20-month deadline for all stakeholders to make peace in Myanmar. Like it or not, if all goes as planned, the State Administration Council (SAC) will eventually have to handle all the electoral preparations under the current 2008 constitution. That helps explain partly why Hun Sen has been eager to visit Naypyitaw ahead of the scheduled ASEAN ministerial retreat in Siem Reap on Jan. 19. It is highly likely that Hun Sen will not return empty handed from Naypyitaw, although any trumpeted achievements will likely be accompanied by skepticism in equal measure. Hun Sens special envoy designate, Foreign Minister Prak Sokonn, will have something concrete and positive to report to his ASEAN colleagues at the retreat, who will assess his boss trip and determine whether it conforms to the ASEAN process. Consensus from all ASEAN members is needed before any further steps are taken. Hun Sen is going to Naypyitaw on his own without any conditions. That is unlike the proposed visit of the previous ASEAN special envoy, Second Foreign Minister of Brunei, Erywan Yusof, who demanded to meet with the imprisoned opposition party leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, among others during his planned visit. Naypyitaw was not ready to comply with the request. Months of wrangling failed to bring about the much-awaited visit. This time around, it is possible that Naypyitaw will permit Hun Sen to meet with representatives of the National League for Democracy (NLD), which could include Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other stakeholders. It depends on the optics Naypyitaw wants to project. If past history is any judge, the junta has been very expedient in coming up with unexpected moves. Furthermore, the new ASEAN chair has succinctly said that he wants to work with the Tatmadaw (Myanmars military), the current power holders. His experience in engaging with ASEAN during the Cambodian conflict in the 1980s and early 1990s taught him that the real power brokers on the ground, especially in the dry season, determine the endgame. At this juncture, the Tatmadaw has intensified its assaults against armed ethnic groups and the resistance groups, consisting of Peoples Defense Force groups and young fighters. During the past three weeks, over 5,000 refugees from villagers in Karen State opposite Thailands Tak province crossed the Thai border. As of today, some remain in temporary shelters provided by provincial authorities instructed not to force them back. Thai military leaders have already fired warning shots to respond to stray bullets and artillery shells. Given the current violent circumstances, the ASEAN chair will try to convince all conflicting parties to come to the negotiating table to kick off a series of political dialogues aimed at ending the current carnage. At the moment, it does not augur well as both sides still appear focused on war-making. Having ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, thanks to past ASEAN endeavors that helped to create a unique political environment for the country, Hun Sen has already designated his son, Hun Manet, as his political successor. Under his leadership, the countrys human rights record has long been criticized by Western aid donors. Nevertheless, despite many harsh words, none has severed ties with Cambodia, knowing full well its geostrategic value. Now that the Cambodian Peoples Party has endorsed Hun Manet as his successor, he can move on to the next level of engagement to put a regional stamp on his longstanding leadership. If ASEAN leaders support his approach and proposed plans, Hun Sens chair would be considered a success. Then, he will leave the chair to the groups most powerful member, Indonesia, to wrap up the loose ends, especially preparations for the democratic transition in Myanmar. Judging from the trajectory of predictable circumstances, Cambodia would prefer the role of savior to end the quagmire in Myanmar. We will find out sooner rather than later whether the regions, if not the worlds, most versatile leader will be successful in his final act of political brinkmanship. Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs. This article first appeared in The Bangkok Post. You may also like these stories: Cambodia Set to Take Global Stage Again as ASEAN Chair ASEAN and the Myanmar Quagmire: Chinas Next Move Regional Leaders Face Dual Task: Save ASEAN, Save Myanmar Football and family were on Richard Washingtons Sunday afternoon agenda when he was stabbed in the neck and partially paralyzed in an unprovoked knife attack on a Queens subway platform, relatives said. Most Sundays, even through the pandemic, Washington, 36, would leave the Far Rockaway homeless shelter where he stayed to spend time in Brooklyn with his family or girlfriend, said his sister, Raven Washington. Advertisement Cops said Richard Washington was waiting for a Manhattan-bound A train in the Rockaway Blvd. station in Ozone Park when a man with a knife approached him from behind shortly before 2:30 p.m. Without saying a word, the attacker stabbed Washington twice in the right side of the neck and took off as Washington crumpled to the ground. Richard Washington, 36 (Obtained by New York Daily News) Medics rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition and could be paralyzed from the neck down, police said. Advertisement His sister said Washington was able to move his right arm and shrug his left shoulder and hopes the paralysis is only temporary. She said he still has trouble breathing, but was able to eat regularly. Doctors told her they expect him to be in a wheelchair for a while, and are making plans to put him in a rehabilitation center. Its just the breathing, but other than that he is OK, the sister said. Hes pushing. Hes fighting hard, but hes OK. Raven Washington said detectives told her the subway stabbing was a random attack. We dont know who the guy is, she said. My brother doesnt even know who the guy is, and I think the problem is that there is too much mental illness going on and its not being fixed. The thing is I dont want to sit here and say get this guy and get justice and I dont even know what his mental state is. Raven said her brother, an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, was on his way to Brooklyn when he was attacked. Relatives had gotten home from church around the time of the assault and were expecting him to show up before stopping by another relatives home to watch the Cowboys game. That day was sunny and warm out and we went to church, Raven said. That night, my mom was like, Thats weird, Richard is not here. I never thought much of it because he would come and then stay for a few hours or come to Brooklyn or he wouldnt come at all and stay with his girlfriend or aunties house. Police released a surveillance photo of the suspect clutching the knife in his right hand after the attack. (DCPI) That day for some weird reason my mom was just shook. She was like, Something is wrong. Richard is not here. She started panicking. Advertisement Raven said her brother was just trying to enjoy the day. He wanted to go watch the football game, Raven said. Hes a huge Cowboys fan, so he loved them and he wanted to come out, watch a game like he would usually do on a Sunday and go home. It gave us some relief that, you know, he wasnt targeted. It was random, she added. For me I feel bad for my brother but at the same time Im really feeling bad for the other person as well simply because if it is a mental illness, he has to get that checked out. If its not mental illness, then justice needs to be served. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > Raven described her brother as a strong soldier who used to work as a mechanic in a car shop. She said he was forced into the shelter after a storm damaged the Brooklyn building where he lived and left it inhabitable. He used to ride his bike or a moped to his family visits, she recounted, noting the moped broke down recently. She also said her brother has a 12-year-old son and that his dog had died before the new year began. Its so much going on that he has to deal with his dog dying, the shelter. Then, now its like youre just trying to live your life and youre getting stabbed, Raven said. Richard has a great support system so hell be fine. Were pushing for him to get better. Advertisement Washingtons mother, Barbara Washington, also expressed compassion for the attacker. It baffles me. I dont understand why he would do this, the mom said. I have no anger toward the man. I just want to know why he did it. Why did he look to cut my sons life short? What triggered his mind to do that? He looks like a sick person that needs help, she said. Im just worried if he is going to attack someone else, I just pray he gets help. I just want him to get help so he doesnt do this to someone elses child. Its terrible, the mom lamented. I cant even be mad, I just want my son to get better and for the police to catch this man so he can get some help. Trinity, TX (77320) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Like the Ithaca Times? Please help support local journalism by whitelisting this site in your ad blocker. Thank you! Ms Parente will be responsible for driving Pegas global people strategy and operations, reporting to Alan Trefler, Pegas founder and CEO. In her 20-plus years of human resources experience, Kate has established and led strong international teams across a wide range of HR disciplines within firms in the financial services, technology, and professional services industries. Her areas of expertise include people strategy, compensation and benefits, recognition, organisational and leadership development, workforce planning, and culture and value proposition. Kate brings Pega a wealth of experience and innovative ideas that will enable us to continue to nurture our people and attract new talent to our offices around the world, said Alan Trefler, founder and CEO, Pegasystems. It is a pleasure to welcome Kate to Pega at an exciting time in our history as we look to our people function to help power our ongoing growth trajectory. Ms Parente joins Pega from FactSet Research Systems, a data technology company with more than 10,000 employees across 20 countries servicing over 6,000 financial service firms. As senior vice president of human resources, she was responsible for the global HR strategy across product, content, and technology functions. Before that, she was vice president of people at Axiom, a global leader in providing high-calibre, on-demand legal talent. Ms Parente also held HR management positions with increasing responsibility at Investment Technology Group (ITG, now Virtu Financial). Ms Parente graduated from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a degree in Business Management. She also studied human rights at the University of Leicester, England. Ms Parente is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Institute for Applied Management and Law (IAML). Pega employs more than 6,000 people worldwide, inclusive of The Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company was recently honoured by, The Boston Globe, the hometown newspaper of Pegas global headquarters, as one of the Top Places to Work in Massachusetts for 2021. Pega was also named a Best Company for Women to Advance by Parity.org in 2021 and has been recognised worldwide as an employer of choice. About Pegasystems Pega delivers innovative software that crushes business complexity so our clients can make better decisions and get work done. We help the worlds leading brands solve their biggest business challenges: maximizing customer lifetime value, streamlining customer service, and boosting operational efficiency. Pega technology is powered by real-time AI and intelligent automation, while our scalable architecture and low-code platform help enterprises adapt to rapid change and transform for tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.pega.com. Stacker compiled the most popular baby names for girls of the 1970s in Georgia using data from the Social Security Administration. Click for more. Error! There was an error processing your request. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. The Rev. Hal Brady is an ordained United Methodist minister and executive director of Hal Brady Ministries, based in Atlanta. You can watch him preach every week on the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters TV channel Thursdays at 8 p.m. A California COVID denier allegedly attacked a mobile vaccine clinic last week, assaulting the staff members and calling them murderers. Thomas Apollo, 43, has been charged with battery and resisting arrest, the Orange County Register reported Tuesday. Advertisement Apollo allegedly walked up to the Families Together of Orange County Community Health Centers mobile clinic in Tustin Thursday and began pacing the parking lot, where more than a dozen people were lined up to get their vaccines, according to the Register. An employee asked him to put a mask on and he refused, instead trying to force his way into a closed area. Advertisement The Families Together of Orange County Community Health Centers mobile clinic in Tustin, Calif. (Facebook) He said, I dont need a mask, I dont have the virus and you are the ones making people sick, operations manager Parsia Jahanbani told the newspaper. And just every type of profanity you can imagine. Jahanbani, a colleague and a security guard walked over and tried to calm Apollo, which is when he allegedly began punching and screaming murderers at the staff members. It took five people, including two patients, to pin Apollo until police arrived and used a stun gun on him. Were extremely saddened to report that staff members working to help vaccinate patients in Tustin were attacked last week. While Families Together believes that vaccines are important in the fight against the pandemic, we understand that the decision to get vaccinated is purely personal, the organization said in a statement Tuesday. However, we will not tolerate violence or harassment of any kind against our staff, patients or volunteers. Were proud of the strength and bravery of our team, and while this incident has shaken us, we will not be deterred from our mission to keep our community safe and healthy. On the contrary, it has motivated us to fight even harder. One of the clinics employees was hospitalized with serious injuries but both victims are expected to make a full recovery, according to Families Together. Jacksonville, TX (75766) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support. Divers with the FBI were scouring waters across San Antonio in a desperate bid to find Lina Sardar Khil, a three-year-old refugee from Afghanistan who vanished just more than three weeks ago. Lina was last seen alive playing at a park on Fredericksburg Road the evening of Dec. 20 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Police said she was not far from her familys home, the Villa Del Cabo apartment complex, at the time. Advertisement Her mysterious disappearance has sparked a massive, weeks-long search effort, with police issuing multiple Amber Alerts, warning that the child could be in grave danger. Lina Sardar Khil was last seen on the afternoon of December 20, 2021, at a playground at an apartment complex located in San Antonio, Texas. (FBI) During a press conference on Tuesday, Police Chief William McManus revealed investigators have so far uncovered few leads in the weeks since Linas disappearance. The limited clues they have found however, is what prompted a recent search of a wooded area near her familys residence, he said. Advertisement Anything we get that has any kind of potential at all, were following it up, he told KENS5. I wish there was more uplifting information I could give you to at least provide some hope. But I dont have any of that information right now, unfortunately. McManus also confirmed the FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team arrived from Washington, D.C. Monday night. While agents with the bureau have already been involved in the investigation, the elite team of 12 divers joined in on the efforts on Tuesday. They were spotted at a creek a little more than two miles from the familys apartment, according to the news station. Linas father was also seen praying by the site. McManus on Tuesday also emphasized that the girls disappearance is still being treated as a missing persons case. A reward for information leading up to her discovery has climbed to $150,000. Lina, who has brown eyes and brown hair, was last seen wearing a black jacket, red dress and black shoes. She and her family are Afghan refugees who came to the U.S. on special immigrant visas in 2019. (The Center Square) The Kentucky General Assembly kicked off its 2022 session Tuesday as lawmakers in the House and Senate gathered in Frankfort to start the 60-day session. With celebrations of the New Year just starting to wind down, a police officer responding to a deadly crime in Mississippi made a heartbreaking discovery. Officer Laquandia Cooley arrived at the scene on Larkin St. near the Hazlehurst Police Department on Sunday to investigate a fatal shooting, only to learn that her 20-year-old son, Charles Stewart, Jr., was the victim of the bloody violence. He was discovered in the middle of the street with a gunshot wound to the head. Advertisement We initially responded to the call not knowing, when I made it over there, the person was going to be my son that was laying there, Officer Laquandia Cooley told WLBT on Monday. She added that the sight was overwhelming and that she immediately felt a sense of panic wash over her. Advertisement As we get out, I look and I was like, This is my son, this is my son. So, I literally just go into a break down you know? Like, why? Who would do this to my son? Stewart Jr.s father, Charles Stewart, called the fatal shooting traumatizing and said it has been difficult to return to normal life since his loss. Were just trying to cope day to day, he told the news station. Just trying to figure out why this happened and who could have did this. Its not clear whether any arrests have been made in the case as of Tuesday. Because the matter involves an officers family member, Police Chief Darian Murray said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has taken over the probe, which is ongoing. Joplin, MO (64801) Today Morning rain followed by strong thunderstorms in the afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Occasional thunderstorms - possibly severe. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. A former psychologist accused of killing his wife with a cocktail of opioids and antifreeze and then attempting to disguise it as a suicide in a bid to cash in on her life insurance policy has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in an effort to avoid life in prison. Dr. Gregory Dennis had been facing homicide charges in connection with the death of his 48-year-old wife, Susan Winters, a Las Vegas-area judge who was discovered dead inside her home back in 2015. While the case appeared poised to go to trial, it faced a series of roadblocks and delays over the years, including the global health pandemic. Advertisement During a court appearance on Tuesday, Dennis entered what is called an Alford plea, a deal that allows him to acknowledge prosecutors have enough evidence to convict but not does not require him to admit guilt. As part of the agreement, he is facing between three and 10 years behind bars. This undated file booking photo provided by the Henderson Police Department shows Gregory Brent Dennis. (AP ) Winters death was initially declared a suicide, but authorities later determined her husband had a financial motive and ultimately mislead authorities amid their investigation. Dennis at one point told officers he believed his wife intentionally ingested antifreeze because he discovered a series of internet searches she supposedly conducted about antifreeze poisoning. Advertisement In reality, it was Dennis himself who carried out the internet research, according to an arrest report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Whats more, the couple was on the verge of separation at the time, thanks in part to Dennis cocaine addiction and the strain it placed on their finances. Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo on Tuesday noted the ex-psychologist stood to inherit $2 million in wake of his wifes death, including a $1 million payout from her life insurance policy. Authorities suspect he planned to used the funds to pay off his drug debts. DiGiacomo added Dennis waited for her to stop breathing before calling 911. She was later pronounced dead at a hospital after her husband issued a do-not-resuscitate order. Despite the agreement, a judge will ultimately be the one to decide Dennis jail time. If they do not accept the predetermined, three to 10-year sentence, Dennis will be allowed to withdraw his plea and the case will go to trial. Available July 16, 2021 - The annual Journal Inquirer Discovery edition features an in-depth summary of all 18 towns' services, schools, contacts, clubs, and important locations - plus articles and art! Yarrr in trouble again, matey. An Idaho man who goes by the name Pirate was sentenced to time served after spending a year in jail for burning a disabled woman with cigarettes. Advertisement Pirate, 43, was released from Bannock County Jail last month and will not have to serve any more time after he was originally charged with four felony counts of aggravated battery with a persistent violator enhancement, according to East Idaho News. Pirate, who had previously legally changed his name from Daniel Selovich, is also a sex offender. Daniel Selovich, also known as Pirate Tuesday. (Bannock County Sheriff's Office) As part of a plea agreement, Pirates charges were reduced to two misdemeanors. He will also have to pay $515 in fees and fines. Advertisement Pirate had met a disabled woman on a dating app in November of 2020. While spending the night at the womans home, Pirate allegedly burned her with cigarettes, ashed in her mouth and scratched her back. While with the woman, Pirate looked himself up on the internet to see if there were any warrants for his arrest in Salt Lake City. The Bannock County Sheriffs Office turned its attention to Pirate soon after performing a family-requested welfare check on the woman on Nov. 9, 2020. Police later learned Pirate was wanted in Salt Lake City for assaulting a woman at a motel. Police also learned he was a registered sex offender for unrelated offenses, including two prior convictions in California and Nevada. A third incident, where Pirate allegedly held a woman captive in an Alaska cabin for weeks was headed for trial but the case was dismissed after the victim died from a drug overdose. Pirate denied he was responsible for the Idaho womans injuries but expressed a desire to settle the matter and get out of jail. My only regret is I didnt go no contendo (sic) or whatever, Pirate said after his sentencing. A trial started in Guatemala Wednesday for five former paramilitary soldiers accused of sexually abusing 36 indigenous Mayan women some 40 years ago during the countrys civil war. The five are former members of Guatemalas Civil Self-Defense Patrols (PAC) blamed for several atrocities during the 1960-1996 war in which an estimated 200,000 people were killed or disappeared. They will take part via videoconference from the Mariscal Zavala jail where they are being detained for crimes committed between 1981 and 1985 around the town of Rabinal, north of the capital Guatemala City. The population of Rabinal was particularly hard hit by the war. A mass grave with the bodies of more than 3,000 people was discovered in the area. Thirty-six women have come forward in the last decade with accusations of sexual violence committed against them during that time. The identities of most of the women are being withheld for their own security, said their lawyer Lucia Xiloj. Some have already given recorded evidence to investigators, which will be played in court. Only five of the victims have opted to be present for the trial before Judge Jazmin Barrios in the Supreme Court of Justice. According to Xiloj, many Mayan women were raped after the (forced) disappearance of their husbands by paramilitaries and soldiers. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu told reporters at the court that Guatemala had failed to fulfill its obligation to defend these sisters who were raped, tortured, humiliated and subjected to (sexual) slavery during so many years of armed conflict. A United Nations truth commission documented 669 massacres committed during Guatemalas civil war, of which 93 percent were attributed to government forces. Matthew Holt I participated in the annual physical examination with my doctor Yiyi In December. Well, its actually not once a year, because the last time I went was 2 years and 1/2 years ago, but its under ACA, my document Andrew Diamond Keep bothering me because Im old and fat. So I went in. I took the general exam and had a wonderful chat for about 45 minutes. Then I performed blood tests and laboratory tests (cholesterol, A1C, etc.) and TDAP vaccination, because I have not been vaccinated for more than 10 years. Today, about a month later, I received an email asking me to pay for One Medical. So as a difficult person, I think I will go through this process to see how much consumers should know how much they should pay. This is an email from One Medical and it says: You owe us money. When I clicked the Pay button, I saw this screen It told me that I owed $7 and got change, and asked for my credit card. why? who knows? So I clicked on the Account Details button in the corner-suppose it will ask me to log in to One Medicals website. But instead, it sent me to a screen and asked me to send myself a code. Although it did it in a messy way, saying null null When I clicked null null, it did show my phone number and allowed me to select it and send the code to myself. Im not sure why this step is needed. Safety? Prevent others from paying the bills they have shown me? It now sends me to an actual page on a website called Patientops which contains detailed information. Now it becomes interesting. Or maybe not It told me that I was charged for a blood draw (I know this because I can search for venipuncture on Google!). One Medical charges $15 and I owe $7.49. But what about the billing for all other aspects of access? You will never know from the One Medical website, but of course I can go to my insurance company, which happens to be Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. After some navigation, I found my appointment claim at One Medical. This is a summary This is classified by service. It told me that One Medicals bill was US$975, and BCBS Mass very well agreed to pay them US$781-this is not a significant price reduction! It does tell me that there are 4 different medical services. But I cant know which is what. Online transparency is so much But wait. With a little attention and looking around on the website, I can Also Download EOB. You know, the multi-page incomprehensible document issued by the health insurance company says that this is not a bill. So I did. Below is a snippet of a 6-page PDF from EOB. Just to confuse you even more, it told me that BCBS Mass allows $882 in the total bill of $1,365-yes, I owe me a deductible of $108, which may be for preventive care that is not prescribed by the ACA Service. (More on this). Since One Medical only charges them US$975, I want to know where the US$390 comes from? To do this, you need to delve into the 3 page EOB PDF, and then you will eventually get some information. Yes, BCBS Mass bundles all my medical expenses in December, including the laboratory incurred when I visit One Medical and the chiropractor who visits me entirely. (My chiropractor is the best Taylor labez If you are looking for one in San Francisco and its office happens to be located in the next block of One Medical in Embarcadero, I highly recommend you). Here you can see the details of all the parts visited. One Medical charged US$660 for office visits and BBCCS Mass paid US$530. (do not worry Andrew Diamond Its worth it, but they still pay him a pretty good hourly wage! ). My Tdap vaccine charges $160 and BCBS Mass charges $153-it seems a lot Goodrx will provide you with it in the pharmacy for about $55! BCBS Mass paid $90 for other medical services for $140-I dont know what those are, and I didnt give a CPT code, so I cant figure it out. In the end, the blood drawn for the laboratory test was $15, for which BCBS Mass received a discount of $7.51, leaving me with a bill of $7.49. I guess laboratory tests and lotteries do not count as preventive care, but immunizations. Therefore, this $7.49 allowed me to start the whole mission. But wait there is more. The poor chiropractor charged $120, but his effort only got a negligible $57 (I paid, of course, because it was under the deductible). Somehow, BCBS discounted it to 50%, and One Medical got 90% of the bill. So my chiro must see 10 times One Medicals PCP brings the same number of patients in one hour. Then there are the laboratory tests themselves-although they are arguably the most important part of preventive care, they are clearly not included under the ACA. I havent received the bill from Labcorp, but now I know what will happen. Their bill was somehow split into 4 different tests. I cant tell which is which again, but I actually have CBC, lipids, A1C, uric acid, and fecal occult blood (although this is a take-home test that I delivered later, so it may not be on this bill). But the most surprising thing is that their bill was 270 US dollars, but they only got 43 US dollars. So while One Medical got about 90% of the demand and chiro got 50%, the poor small laboratory company (well, not very small) got only about 15%. Yes, when they start charging me, I have to pay them $43. All this leads me to several conclusions: Six years after Health 2.0 and Mad*Pow challenged ONC, AARP and RWJF called A bill you can understand For most of us, there is still no such thing. I mean, besides a nerdy grumpy person like me, who will go through all the troubles I just did? Even so, there is no information like CPT code to really track what happened. There does not seem to be a relationship between the time spent or the services provided and the payment. Yes, my chiro spent 15 minutes with me and my PCP 45, but what is the logic of the 10x payment difference? There is also no relationship between fee and payment-I mean this has been known for decades. But why does One Medical get 90% of the fee while LabCorp only gets 15%? There does not seem to be any logic regarding the actual cost of preventive care under the ACA. This is The official list of what is coveredIt includes cholesterol screening, but BCBS Mass believes that I should pay for it, and I also paid for the blood draw-it is hard to imagine that my LDL and others have not been checked! (Sorry, Elizabeth Holmes!). I should get too Free diabetes screeningBut I have to pay for the A1c test. However, the immunizations are on the list, and yes, they have been paid in full. The only way out seems to be a unified fee schedule. My guess is that we wont get it anytime soon. But beyond that, consumers basically have no chance to figure out all this. Remember, this not-so-simple billing experience is for routine inspections! God knows how it feels for patients with complicated conditions! Oh yes, no matter whether I really owe them $7.49 or not, I have to pay One Medical. Given their Recent share priceThey may need it! Taiwan is setting up a US$200 million fund to invest in Lithuania, aiming to acquire as many goods as possible from this Baltic country that is embargoed by China, as Taipei is trying to reward Vilnius for diplomatic support. Eric Huang, head of Taiwans representative office in Lithuania, said on Wednesday that he hopes to make the first investment with funds guaranteed by the National Development Fund later this year. Now is the time for us to help you solve your difficulties, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Zeng Haoren told Lithuania. Vilnius agreed last year to allow Taiwan to open a representative office in its own name-the de facto embassy-rather than in the name of the capital Taipei, as many other European countries do.Beijing claimed that Taiwan is part of China and tried to force other governments to treat it like this, and thereafter launched a wave Diplomatic and economic punishment of Vilnius. Beijing withdrew its ambassador from Vilnius, banned imports from Lithuania, and put pressure on foreign manufacturers Stop using Lithuanian components. The Baltic States were also forced to Evacuate The remaining diplomats from China worry about their safety. Whether Lithuania can gain a firm foothold and receive the full support of other EU member states has become the litmus test of the effectiveness of Chinas economic and political coercive measures. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda recently overthrew his Earlier position And said it was a MistakeLet the representative office be in the name of Taiwan instead of Taipei. He also complained that the government led by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, who he defeated in the 2019 presidential election, did not coordinate this with him. One decision. The quarrel caused officials to worry that Lithuanias message might be downplayed because the president represented the country at EU summits and often took the lead on foreign policy issues. Simonite said on Wednesday that she was disappointed by Nausedas comments and that he has supported these initiatives for several months since the announcement. Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, vice chairman of the Lithuanian Parliament and vice chairman of the ruling Homeland Alliance Party, told the Financial Times on Wednesday that the government insists on its position and does not The name of the representative office will be changed. The international community understands that our position on foreign affairs is very important. We will not withdraw from our position, she said. Lithuania was shocked by the intensity of Chinas response. It not only stopped Lithuanian imports, but also put pressure on German auto parts manufacturer Continental and other European manufacturers to not use Lithuanian parts in its Chinese operations. Since expanding relations with Lithuania last year, establishing economic ties has been Taipeis main focus.Kong Mingxin, Minister of the National Development Committee in charge of the National Development Fund, led a delegation to visit Lithuania in late October and expressed his hope that the country will become Fulcrum of Taipei To Central and Eastern Europe. But in the face of Chinese punishment, Taipei feels that it is necessary to make up for part of the economic losses Vilnius suffered. A senior Taiwanese government official said: Originally, this has nothing to do with the competition between us and Beijing. It should not be a zero-sum game. A senior Taiwanese foreign policy official said: We want to ensure that Chinas economic coercion against Lithuania will be offset by our trade and investment efforts. On Monday, the state-owned Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Company snapped up a batch of 24,000 bottles of Lithuanian rum rejected by Chinese customs. Huang said on Wednesday that Taiwan had seized 120 Lithuanian export containers blocked by China. The Taiwan representative said that he expects the new funds priority investment areas to include semiconductors, lasers and biotechnology.Taiwan also Sure Fintech is a possible area of ??cooperation. Vilnius has more regulated Fintech companies than any other EU country. Subscribe to our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you get podcasts. Stuck in an unusual set-up, Kook Yeon Soo (Kim Da Mi) and Choi Woong (Choi Woo Sik) try to start anew as friends. Things become more complicated when jealousy visits the ex-couple's hearts. 'Our Beloved Summer' Episode 10: Dormant Feelings Resurface There was an awkward silence surrounding Yeon Soo and Woong when Ji Woong (Kim Sung Cheol) caught the two of them in Woong's house late at night. To prevent the latter from questioning their sudden closeness, Yeon Soo picked up her bag and went straight home. To her surprise, she is welcomed by her friend Sol Yi (Park Jin Joo) and her grandmother who were waiting for her to come home since the other night. Unfortunately, she didn't get through the net safely, and was shot with intriguing questions. Accepting defeat, she confessed to her best friend that she still has feelings for her ex, to which Sol Yi referred to as a "crush." With that said, Yeon Soo spent the days and nights thinking about Woong, and their new friendship. Kook Yeon Soo Vexed by Choi Woong and NJ's Sudden Closeness Top celebrity idol NJ (Noh Jung Ui) is without a doubt Yeon Soo's source of jealousy and insecurity when it comes to Woong. NJ and Woong met for the first time in Woong's art exhibition as Ko-o, where the former enjoyed looking at the displayed art works, even buying a 10 million South Korean won worth of illustration. Since then, NJ constantly contacted Woong to inquire about his new drawings, and mostly because of her growing interest towards the artist. The pair's closeness didn't go unnoticed by Yeon Soo, whose heart is slowly being enveloped by jealousy. So when Woong and NJ went out for a date, Yeon Soo felt her heart sink and figured that she had already lost. Choi Woong Learns About Kook Yeon Soo's Unsaid Pain and Tears Woong is invited over for dinner by Yeon Soo's grandmother after he brought his ex's pouch that was left sitting in his lavatory. Obviously, Yeon Soo's grandmother wasn't very much pleased to see Woong, and she made sure that the latter felt her hatred. Yeon Soo apologized and told her grandmother to be kinder, but refused to do so after Woong made her granddaughter "cry nonstop for weeks." With her haughty personality and independence, Woong never thought that Yeon Soo was hurt by their breakup. This made him ponder, even when he came back home. While washing the dishes, Yeon Soo talked about her breakup with Woong and confessed that she was the one who broke Woong's heart. For the nth time, Yeon Soo cried because of Woong but this time, she wept inside her grandmother's warm embrace. Follow KDramaStars for more KMovie, KDrama, and celebrity updates! KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. Rain is still puzzled by his situation as "Ghost Doctor" episode 2 featured Kim Bum possessed by his spirit. In addition, the January 4 episode also welcomed the character of Sung Dong Il, who plays Tess, shirt for Socrates. 'Ghost Doctor' Viewership Rating According to Nielsen Korea, "Ghost Doctor" episode 2 showed a modest increase from its debut episode, garnering a nationwide average of 5 percent while 4.3 percent in metropolitan areas. To recall, episode 1 achieved a nationwide rating of 4.4 percent and 4.9 percent in the metropolitan area. 'Ghost Doctor' Episode 2 Recap: Cha Young Min Falls Into a Coma The second episode illustrates more about the thoracic surgeon's car accident. In "Ghost Doctor" episode 2, Cha Young Min (Rain) went to the meeting place where he and his ex-girlfriend Jang Se Jin (UEE) used to hang out. Unfortunately, she never came but received a call from the ICU updating Chairman Jang's status. Of course, he tried to be in Eunsang University Medical Center as soon as possible but ended up in a car crash. Prior to this, he noticed that a motorcycle was following him. While the first episode featured Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) doing his first-ever operation, the doctors warned him that professor Cha's BP was declining and needed another operation. Unfortunately, the newbie doctor froze and did not know what to do. Thankfully, Dr. Ahn Tae Hyun (Ko Sang Ho) stepped in and wrapped up the operation. Following the surgery and monitoring, the test concluded that Cha Young Min was in a coma after his brain got severely damaged during the accident. Cha Young Min Meets Socrates The result shocked the doctors and left Cha Young Min devastated. Visiting his body and checking on his vitals, he saw that the drain was not connected. Luckily, a cleaning lady fixed it and thought she could see him; however, a man got out of the female's body and introduced himself to the professor. His name is Tess, short for Socrates, the Greek philosopher. Unlike Cha Young Min, Tess can enter anyone's body because he is dead. Since the thoracic surgeon is in a coma, it could only mean that he could touch, hold or enter anyone's body, except for Ko Seung Tak. To recall, Cha Young Min operated on himself by using the newbie's body. Handling a solo surgery shocked the whole hospital and became the talk of the town. Meanwhile, after the surgery, Ko Seung Tak was also baffled about how he managed to pull it off. He even asked his senior Oh Soo Jung (APink Son Na Eun) to keep things secret between them. Chairman Jang's is in Coma Apart from the top-notch doctor, his patient and the hospital's VIP were also diagnosed with comatose due to malpractice. Cha Young Min insisted that he did the operation successfully and wondered what went wrong after the procedure. Since he can roam around the hospital without being seen, he overheard the conversation between his junior Ahn Tae Hyun and Kim Jae Won. The resident gave a large dose of a substance that was quite dangerous to the patient. Dr. Ahn went furious and seemed bothered by Chairman Jang's condition. Kim Jae Won then revealed that he asked Ko Seung Tak to inject the substance since he was also in an emergency. Was Ko Seung Tak Involved in Chairman Jang's Incident? Cha Young Min visited the chairman's office and saw his ghost sitting near his bed. The two heard that his son plans on killing his father through medical malpractice. Moreover, he was surprised to see that the son was talking to the vice president of the hospital's administration Han Seung Won (Tae In Ho.) Following Seung Won, professor Cha saw him and Ko Seung Tak talk about something. "Don't forget that I'm right beside you, Okay," he tells the newbie doctor. At the doctor's office, Ko Seung Tak reflects on his actions, especially with Chairman Jang and Doctor Cha's case. Sensing that he might be involved in a plotted murder against the chairman, Cha Young Min was very disappointed at Dr. Ko and thought he did it just to pass the board exam and fulfill his parents' wish. KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills The upcoming Disney+ original series "Rookie Cops" starring Kang Daniel and Chae Soo Bin introduced its characters through their MBTI personalities and refreshing individual posters! Disney+ Introduces Kang Daniel, Chae Soo Bin and Other 'Rookie Cops' Actors The upcoming coming-of-age rom-com series "Rookie Cops" depicts the stories of aspiring police officers who are determined to reach their dreams. It will revolve around the relatable and interesting stories of eight police university students and their exciting shenanigans. The newly published posters reveal the different characteristics of the characters through their MBTI personality types. Kang Daniel takes on the role of top student Wi Seung Hyun, who dreams of becoming a police officer to follow his father's legacy. His life becomes more interesting after he gets involved with a young woman named Go Eun Gang. In the poster, he flashes his bright smile as his MBTI type is written in bold letters, marked as "ISTJ." His integrity is his utmost priority. Seung Hyun has a charisma that draws everyone to him. Opposite Chae Soo Bin who plays Go Eun Gang, an impulsive student who enrolls at the university to chase an unrequited love. In the poster, she holds a whistle with a playful look on her face. Despite her heart being broken, she is eager to learn and doesn't look back when running towards her goals. Her energetic nature and impulsiveness make her an "ESFP." While she enjoys the police student life, she comes to meet her complete opposite Wi Seung Hyun. Go Eun Gang is a refreshing character with a big heart. Lee Shin Young takes on the role of the national Judo athlete who becomes a police university student, Kim Tak. Because his MBTI is "ISFP," he always basked in the serenity of being free and alone. However, Wi Seung Hyun becomes his one true friend in the university. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kang Daniel and Chae Soo Bin's Upcoming Drama 'Rookie Cops' Unveils New Poster Meanwhile, Park Yoo Na will transform into the most intelligent student Ki Han Na. Her character will add tension as individualistic nature clashes with the team-centered culture of the university. Like Kim Tak, she enjoys her alone time, making her an "ISTP." Park Sung Joon will play Yoo Dae Il, an "ENFP" who is an avid fan of police-themed dramas. No matter where he goes, he makes friends easily. He is always seen holding a walkie-talkie like in the dramas he's watched before. On the other hand, future forensic science technician Woo Joo Young is played by Min Do Hee. She is curious, free-spirited, and driven with her MBTI as "INFJ." Kim Woo Seok plays the role of Seo Beom Joo, an anal student who is always hellbent to follow the rules. He wows everyone with his unexpected dancing skills. In the poster, Beom Joo is seen pointing at his planner, reflecting his personality as "ESTJ." Lastly, Cheon Young Min is the "INFP" ulzzang (pretty face) Shin Ah Ri. Because of her vanity, she is seen holding a mirror in the poster. Attention is focused on how the chaotic and very diverse students get along with one another. They are also expected to change for the better as they meet new friends in the strict and rules-driven police university. 'Rookie Cops' Release Date and Further Details Looked over by director Kim Byung Soo and penned by writer Lee Ha Na, "Rookie Cops" is the very first Korean original series in Disney Plus. Veterans Kim Sang Ho, Seo Yi Sook, Song Chang Min, Lee Moon Sik, and Kwak Si Yang will also participate in the drama to guide the eight interesting students of police university. "Rookie Cops" is set to air in the first half of 2022 on Disney Plus. Just in case you missed it, catch "Rookie Cops" trailer here: Follow KDramaStars for more KMovie, KDrama, and celebrity updates! KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. The 2019 OCN series "Strangers from Hell," which stars Lee Dong Wook, Im Si Wan and more, gave the viewers a whole new level of spine-chilling Kdrama. Based on the webtoon of the same name, the psychological thriller series follows the story of Yoon Jong Woo (Im Si Wan), an amateur writer who moved to Seoul for an internship at his senior's company. Struggling to find a place to live that offers a reasonable price, he ends up renting room 303 in a place called Eden Residence. Here, Yoon Jong Woo meets different kinds of odd-looking people and scary tenants. One Of which is the charismatic dentist Seo Moon Jo (Lee Dong Wook.) After a few nights at the Eden Residence, he senses that something is off and is about to find out the secret behind the cheap hotel. Two years since the OCN series aired, here's what the "Strangers from Hell" cast are up to now, including their current and upcoming projects. Im Si Wan (Yoon Jong Woo) After playing the role of Yoon Jong Woo in "Strangers from Hell," he starred in the rom-com Kdrama "Run On" alongside Shin Se Kyung, Girl's Generation Sooyoung and Kang Tae Oh. After the 2020 drama became a huge hit, Im Si Wan is set to make a comeback to the big screen with his new series "Tracer." The South Korean heartthrob is also set to headline the much-awaited action thriller movie "Emergency Declaration" and is rumored to have a team-up with Chun Woo Hee and Kim Hee Won in "Stolen Identity." Lee Dong Wook (Seo Moon Jo) Far from his usual roles, Lee Dong Wook surprised fans when he played the creepy dentist Seo Moon Jo in "Strangers from Hell." Following the OCN series, he headlines the fantasy Kdrama "Tale of the Nine-Tailed" and currently starring in the action thriller "Bad and Crazy" with "Squid Game" star Wi Ha Joon. In addition, he also launched his new movie "A Year-End Medley" with a star-studded cast including Kang Ha Neul, Girl's Generation's YoonA, Jan Ji Min and more. Lee Jung Eun (Um Bok Soon) The "Parasite" star kept the viewers at the edge of their seats with her character Um Bok Soon or simply Ms. Um, the owner of Eden Residence. This 2022, Lee Jung Eun is set to appear in three Kdramas. First is the omnibus-style series "Our Blues," where she is among the lead stars and will play the past lover of Cha Seung Won. The award-winning actress will also join the cast of Netflix's "Juvenile Justice" and the sci-fi- drama "Beyond the Memory." Park Jong Hwan (Twin Brothers Byun Deuk Jong and Byun Deuk Soo) The 39-year-old actor took on the role of twins Byun Deuk Jong and Byun Deuk Soo, who lived in rooms 306 and 307. After "Strangers from Hell," he appeared as one of the supporting actors in "Dr. Romantic 2" and will reunite with Lee Jung Eun in "Juvenile Justice." Lee Joong Ok (Hong Nam Bok) Lee Joong Ok played the creepy pervert in room 313. Kdrama fandom would get to see Lee Joong Ok and Lee Dong Wook together in a movie as he is also one of the casts of "A Year-End Medley." On top of that, he had cameos in "Inspector Koo," "D.P," "L.U.C.A.: The Beginning," and "Mine." Ahn Eun Jin (Police Officer Seo Jung Hwa) After landing a role in "Strangers from Hell," Ahn Eun Jin's fame skyrockets after being one of the casts of the beloved medical Kdrama "Hospital Playlist." Now, she proved to be one of the rising leading ladies in Kdrama after starring in JTBC's "The One and Only" and in talks to headline the upcoming series "The Fool at the End of the World." KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills The family of a Florida boy who died after he crashed his dirt bike while a police officer was attempting to pull him over in an SUV is demanding answers. We are here for justice for all, Shannon Thompson, the mother of 13-year-old Stanley SJ Davis III, said during a city commission meeting in Boynton Beach, Fla., on Tuesday. Advertisement We would like some accountability. The boy died Dec. 26 in Boynton Beach. Surveillance video from a gas station showed the boy buy gas before driving off. Seconds later, a Boynton Beach police car zooms off in the same direction. Moments after that, SJ can be seen riding in the opposite direction before turning left with the SUV following closely behind. Advertisement Stanley SJ Davis III (Handout) Boynton Beach police have repeatedly denied that the officers car struck SJ while attempting to pull him over, but the car did not have a dashcam. The police have said SJ was driving erratically. However, according to ABC News, the departments policy is to only initiate a pursuit if the a forcible felony is suspected. The Florida Highway Patrol is conducting the investigation. I dont want you guys to do more than what you feel is right. Thats all I ask, Stanley Davis Jr., the boys father, told the city council at the meeting. There never should have been a high-speed pursuit and it never should have resulted in the death of a child, attorney Ben Crump told ABC News. The Boynton Beach Police Departments own policy is that pursuits should only be initiated if the officer reasonably believes the person fleeing has committed a felony. Were talking about a child. The Boynton Beach police said the officer involved in the incident could not be publicly identified because they are covered by a law which guards victims of crimes against intimidation, harassment and abuse. However, it is not clear what crime the officer is a victim of. Coronavirus Watch: Oregon sets another pandemic record for daily COVID-19 cases, the second in less than a week A Sunwing Boeing 737-800 passenger plane prepares to land at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, August 2, 2017. In the wake of a wild party on a Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico, flight attendants are demanding stronger action from government and carriers to ensure health and safety on board amid the Omicron surge.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov The highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in B.C. due to the Omicron variant will likely come within the next few weeks, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry suggested Tuesday. This undated electron microscope image the virus that causes the disease. The number of dwellings in buildings with less than five storeys has risen 23.7% in Kelowna in the past five years, the highest increase of any city in Canada, new housing-related data from the 2021 census shows. KENOSHA Though the Civil War Museum covers a long-ago era, Doug Dammann hopes visitors feel a personal connection to its exhibit Defending the Union Immigrant Soldiers in the Civil War. The exhibit, running through Jan. 16, focuses on the foreign-born men who served in the Union Army, a number that grew to 25% of the total Union forces. We focused on individuals who came here from all over the world, said Dammann, the Kenosha Public Museums education coordinator. No matter where their family history is from, they can see themselves in this exhibit. Museum staffers spent several months doing research for the exhibit. The mens stories are told in panels on the gallerys walls. You learn about their journeys to America and whether or not they survived the war, said Gina Radandt, collections curator for the museums. The biggest surprise for Dammann, who also did research for the exhibit, is the stories of the African-born men who served in the Union Army. I had never heard those stories before. Those Africans, Dammann explained, were never enslaved. They were mostly sailors who came to U.S. ports and ended up enlisting. Their stories are detailed in the National Archives, which was a great resource for us. Foreign-born soldiers in the Union Army, he said came in big numbers from Germany and Ireland, but we also have stories of soldiers from China, the Philippines, Poland, Hungary and Cuba. Those are places people dont think of during the Civil War. Creating the exhibit The exhibit, which opened in December of 2020, features graphics, installation and research done by museum staffers, working under COVID-19 restrictions. The museum closed for a while in 2020, Radandt said. We were scattered as a staff but really came together for this project. She added that the local museums collection really speaks to this story. We have a lot of artifacts that fit the focus on immigrants, plus it really relates to conversations that have been going on in our country in the past few years. We dont get political, however; we keep the exhibit to its time frame. Why serve? The huge numbers of newly arrived immigrants signing up to serve in the Union Army begs the question: Why would these men take on this dangerous endeavor? We found different reasons for these men to serve, Dammann said. Some men served because they wanted to help their adopted country; others were very much against slavery. And there was a financial consideration, too. They were paid to serve and would have money to send home. Dammann said recruiters also played to feelings of national pride. One Scandinavian group appealed to men by saying are we going to sit back and let the Irish and English serve? They stressed personal honor. Also, some men saw this as a chance for an adventure. Sights and sounds When visitors walk into the second-floor gallery at the museum, they are immersed into this world, Dammann said. We really wanted a wow factor. The gallerys entryway features murals depicting the busy Brooklyn, N.Y., harbor, circa 1860, with immigrants arriving by ship. Not only do you see this scene, however; you hear it, too. You hear the sounds of the docks, Dammann said. And you hear voices speaking in different languages as they step onto the busy docks. Its the kind of comments you hear in airports filled with travelers. The voices, Dammann said, were recorded over Zoom, using family members and local people. Youll hear comments in Spanish, Italian, German and Swedish, which gives it a real international flavor as soon as you enter the exhibit. It draws you into the chaos of all these immigrants arriving and filling the docks, Dammann added. Artifacts in the exhibit include photos of the soldiers, textiles, a uniform (that belonged to Racine native Frederick Malish) and even a German language newspaper from that time, Dammann said. Some of the items, Radandt said, are being showcased for the first time. Were very pleased with this exhibit. Its a great story to tell, and were proud to tell it. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The parents of Brian Laundrie, a Florida man considered the lone person of interest in the murder of his fiancee Gabby Petito, have asked the FBI to hand over a notebook that was found in a nature preserve near their sons remains. Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while hiking in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Fla., in September but his skeletal remains were not found until late October. A notebook was among the items of Laundries found nearby. Advertisement Petitos body was found in September near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming after the couple had gone on a cross-country road trip. Attorney Steven Bertolino is trying to get the notebook back for Laundries parents, citing it as an estate matter, according to WFLA. Bertolino said the FBI is expected to return the notebook after closing the case. Advertisement This Aug. 12, 2021 file photo from video provided by the Moab, Utah, Police Department shows Brian Laundrie talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van he was traveling in with his girlfriend, Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito, near the entrance to Arches National Park in Utah. (AP) Laundries parents are also attempting to be named beneficiaries of his estate, which is believed to consist of at least one bank account with several thousand dollars deposited. Bertolino said he is also trying to get items returned to Petitos family. Nichole Schmidt filed to obtain Gabbys belongings that are in the Laundrie home or in police custody, he said. Rick Stafford [the Petito family attorney] and I are trying to work this out cordially. Hopkinsville, KY (42240) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 84F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 68F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Ketchikan, AK (99901) Today Light rain this morning. Then remaining cloudy. High 51F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Periods of rain. Becoming windy late. Low around 40F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. 125 Shares Share An excerpt from Medical Answers Now!: How Direct Primary Care Guarantees Fast Access to Your Doctor. Virtually everyone understands the importance of major medical insurance as it relates to unexpected high-dollar care for severe injuries and significant medical conditions, but the value equation for health insurance is quite different when applied to coverage for primary care services. The full potential cost for primary care services is neither expensive nor unpredictable. Routine and preventive care and the management of most acute illnesses and the majority of chronic disease processes by primary care physicians would be quite affordable for most Americans even if they had no health insurance. The involvement of health insurance in the relationship between patients and their primary care physicians introduces several major challenges and disadvantages. Here are the six primary areas of concern. 1. Non-value-added middlemen Insurance involvement makes primary care more expensive. It is estimated that as much as 40 percent of revenue paid to primary care physicians who participate with major health insurance goes to pay for administrative overhead, claims processing, insurance company profits, and the compensation of insurance brokers. This list of middlemen who mediate the interactions and care that you receive from your doctor do not actually add value to your quality of care or patient experience. They do add significant costs for your doctor, your employer, and ultimately you. In reality, inserting these middlemen between you and your doctor makes it more challenging for doctors to do their job. Who pays your doctor? The answer makes all the difference to your access and customer service. So who pays your doctor? Your insurance company. Realistically, your doctor doesnt work for you. They work for your insurance company and spend a lot of time and money meeting their requirements. This insurance middleman increases your cost, kills convenience, and leads to poor health. 2. Volume-based care When the delivery of health care services is adjudicated by insurance on a fee-for-service basis, your care is volume-based. Every service you receive, including lab work, other diagnostic tests, all treatments, examinations, discussions, and time with your doctor, only happens if these services are individually deemed covered and reimbursable by your insurance plan. For physicians practicing under this model, they are only paid if they are able to justify each individual service they render with codes (CPT procedure codes for specific ICD-10 diagnostic codes) and documentation that are acceptable to the insurance carrier. A provider contract between your doctor and your insurance company determines the amount your doctor is paid on a fee-for-service basis. Given the ever-increasing costs to operate a medical practice, providers can only sustain practice viability by increasing the volume of patients they see. This dynamic of volume-based care is why primary care physicians are always rushed and access to care is limited. 3. Misaligned incentives Why do doctors do what they do? Why do they require the visits that they do? Why do they order the tests that they order? The treatments? Make the referrals they make? Medical doctors are regularly found to be among the most trustworthy professions, but most doctors practice in an environment that incentivizes them to order more tests and treatments. Whether self-employed or working as employees of hospital systems, your doctors take-home pay is largely determined by what the doctors office bills. Just as volume-based care adds costs to the system, these misaligned incentives also add to the number of medical services that are performed. Not only is physician compensation tied to their number of patient visits, physicians may also be reimbursed directly or indirectly based on the number of tests, treatments, and other ancillary services that they order. Hospitals benefit greatly from the downstream medical care that is referred to their facilities by primary care physicians working directly for hospital-owned medical practices. In this insurance-based fee-for-service system, even the most altruistic physicians may be ordering office visits, tests, treatments, and referrals that are questionable or altogether unnecessary. Your doctors incentives are rarely ever actually in line with yours. 4. Noncovered services There is another side to the coin. This volume-based practice model may also result in the under-delivery of important medical services. Some important diagnostic and treatment services are deemed to be noncovered in certain situations. If your insurance carrier is unwilling to reimburse your doctor for a test or treatment, the doctor will be less likely to recommend it. If insurance is not willing to cover the procedure (or if it would be subject to a very high deductible and out-of-pocket expense to the patient), your doctor may choose not to recommend the procedure due to concern about your direct expense or fear that they may not collect payment at all. Your doctor really doesnt work for you in these cases but is beholden to your insurance company. As you can imagine, this mindset has great potential to compromise the quality of patient care. 5. Hidden true patient costs Health insurance is a shell game. The true costs of health care services and the mark-up at each step in the delivery system are well hidden. What does a service cost your doctor or the medical office to provide? What does it cost your employer? The insurance company? As a patient or covered member, you may never know. Eventually, you will find out what it will cost you personallybut not until well after you have received the service. The complexity and multiple middlemen involved in health insurance pricing, repricing, and reimbursement currently make it nearly impossible for individuals to determine the real costs for medical services that they receive. It is fairly common for out-of-pocket payments for diagnostic and treatment services that are delivered by primary care physicians and filed with health insurance to exceed the market-based cash prices that could be paid (without insurance involvement) for the same services. The fact is, most patients never know it when their health insurance is delivering a penalty rather than a financial benefit. Historically, these disparities have not been disclosed by insurers. This long-standing industry practice leaves most patients overpaying for some medical services on a regular basis. 6. Deterrents to care Health insurance is designed to limit how often and how quickly people go to the doctor. This is particularly true with primary care. Copayments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses built into insurance plans have proven to deter patients from seeking timely and appropriate primary care. As health insurance has become increasingly expensive, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs have increased to keep premiums from rising even higher. Patients pay first before their insurance kicks in when accessing most primary care services. They are paying directly for more routine primary care services and become increasingly likely to postpone or avoid needed care. According to a recent survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by 20|20 Research, 64 percent of Americans say they have avoided or delayed medical care in the last year due to expected costs. These costly insurance plan design mechanisms, along with the other inefficiencies created by insurance involvement in your relationship with your doctor, deter access to medical care that is otherwise uniquely available to people across our country. Troy A. Burns is an internal medicine physician and author of Medical Answers Now!: How Direct Primary Care Guarantees Fast Access to Your Doctor. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Almost a year before Lyndon McLeod went on a shooting rampage in Denver, killing five people, his graphic, homicidal books raised red flags for a reader, but seemingly not for police. In early January 2021, Andre Thiele alerted the Denver Police Department to McLeods trilogy of self-published novels, filled with violence, rage and the names of at least two of his eventual victims. Advertisement I think that there is a small, but undeniable possibility, that the accused may commit a terrorist attack, wrote Thiele, who called himself a fan of the books and had interacted with McLeod in chatrooms, the Denver Post reported Tuesday. Lyndon McLeod killed five people last week. I cannot in good conscience say that he will act with certainty. But I can say that IF he should act, the result would be devastating. He then would stop at nothing. Advertisement A Denver police officer reached out to Thiele and said they would look into it. That was the last he heard. [ Denver gunman self-published gruesome novels filled with murder ] Though the book is not political per se, it could be read as an extremist right-wing manifesto and a terrorist prophecy, Thiele wrote. It may very well be that the accused is a typical case of a literary genius and a petty thug, who runs his mouth and talks too much... I would from my personal experiences say that this might be a 90% chance. But there is a 10% chance, that he has at least in his own mind created the perfect storm of right-wing terrorism. McLeod's shooting rampage spanned two cities before he was shot and killed by police. (David Zalubowski/AP) A spokesman for the Denver Police Department told the Daily News Wednesday that there was not sufficient evidence to file criminal charges or a legal basis for monitoring McLeod at the time of the tip. Investigators were not even able to confirm that McLeod lived in the area. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > The Denver police previously told The News they were aware of the books. [ Colorado police officer shot by Denver gunman still recovering ] Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said during a press conference after the shootings that McLeod had been on the radar of law enforcement and had been investigated in 2020 and 2021, but no charges were ever filed. Pazen refused to give specifics on the nature of the investigations. The three-book series called Sanction was self-published between 2018 and 2020 under the pseudonym Roman McClay and told of a hero named Lyndon McLeod who went on similar rampages to reality, targeting tattoo shops in the area. Two of McLeods victims, Alicia Cardenas and Michael Swinyard, were characters in the books. Mourners gather outside the door of a tattoo parlor. (David Zalubowski/AP) In real life, McLeod began his rampage Dec. 27 at a Denver tattoo parlor, where he fatally shot two women, owner Alicia Cardenas, 44, and Alyssa Gun Maldonado and injured Maldonados husband, Jimmy, who worked there. He then moved to a nearby residence, where he fired but did not injure anyone, then to another home where he fatally shot 67-year-old Michael Swinyard. Advertisement After trading gunfire with Denver police officers, McLeod fled to the nearby suburb of Lakewood, where he fatally shot 38-year-old Danny Scofield inside another tattoo shop. He fled again on foot to a Hyatt hotel where he fatally shot the desk clerk, 28-year-old Sarah Steck. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 Police vehicles sit outside the Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Broadway where two women were shot and killed and a man injured on Dec. 27, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. The Broadway shooting was the first in a series of shootings tonight that claimed five lives across the Denver metro area, according to police. Police say officers exchanged gunfire with a suspect at one of the scenes. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images) Thats when Lakewood police caught up with him and Officer Ashley Ferris ordered him to drop his weapon. He refused and shot her in the abdomen, but she was able to return fire and kill him. Ferris was in stable condition as of Sunday and continuing her recovery in a local hospital. A spokesperson for the Lakewood Police Department did not return a request for her updated condition Wednesday. In the last year we've lost thousands of family members, friends and co-workers to COVID-19. We'd like to give you a chance to honor their memory. Share a Memory Kilgore, TX (75662) Today Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Low 69F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. Move in line with Xi's calls to protect, continue heritage of iconic waterway China plans to construct national parks with Yangtze River culture as their theme, as part of efforts to preserve the waterway's cultural heritage. The parks will help implement President Xi Jinping's instructions on protecting the culture of the Yangtze River. The central leading group on promoting national culture parks has issued a circular on the parks' construction, requiring relevant government bodies and regions to begin work on the projects, according to a media statement released on Monday. The parks will be located in the 13 provincial-level regions in the Yangtze basin. Coordinating relevant central government bodies, the central leading group will establish a working mechanism to map out construction and preservation plans, the statement said. Guidance will also be offered to local authorities on drafting regional plans. "As the country's longest watercourse, the Yangtze River, together with the Yellow River, are dubbed the Chinese nation's mother rivers," the release said. The construction of the parks will have "far-reaching significance in helping display the splendid Chinese civilization to the world," the statement added. In late 2020, Xi chaired a symposium in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, on advancing development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Noting that the Yangtze River is an icon of the country and symbol of Chinese civilization, Xi called for protecting, inheriting and carrying forward Yangtze River culture, as well as protecting its cultural relics and heritage. In addition to the Yangtze River parks, the government also plans to build at least four national cultural parks. In late 2019, the central authorities made public plans for the construction and preservation of national cultural parks based on three themesthe Great Wall, the Grand Canal and the Long March, vowing to complete most of the construction by the end of 2023. At the end of 2021, Beijing authorities unveiled planning for construction of the section of the Great Wall national park that falls under its jurisdiction. Aside from mapping out the protection areas, the Beijing municipal government will upgrade the China Great Wall Museum, renovate the Jiankou section, and launch a series of cultural celebration events. The country will also construct Yellow River national culture parks, according to the Communist Party of China Central Committee's proposals on the blueprint for China's development in the next 15 years. To facilitate the construction of national culture parks, an expert committee was established in February 2021. Consisting of 81 scholars and specialists from various fields including history, culture and tourism, the committee is expected to offer suggestions on policies and decision-making for development of the cultural parks, assess cultural park development plans submitted by regional authorities and conduct relevant research. The Philadelphia fire department works at the scene of a deadly row house fire in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. Firefighters and police responded to the fatal fire at a three-story rowhouse in the city's Fairmount neighborhood around 6:40 a.m. and found flames coming from the second-floor windows, fire officials said. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) A massive fired ripped through a crowded row home in Philadelphia early Wednesday morning, leaving 13 people, including seven children, dead. This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our citys history, the loss of so many people in such a tragic way, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said. Advertisement Losing so many kids is just devastating, he added. Keep these babies in your prayers. The Philadelphia fire department works at the scene of a deadly row house fire in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ/AP) Firefighters responded to the citys Fairmount neighborhood, where a residential building owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority burst into flames around 6:40 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, heavy fire and thick black smoke were escaping through the windows on the second floor of the three-story row home. Advertisement Crews managed to contain the blaze in just under an hour, but fire officials said in a series of tweets that the scene remained active late Wednesday morning. Officials warned the already-high death toll could climb as first responders continued to search the residence, home to 26 people. The first-floor unit reportedly had eight occupants while the second and third-floor unit housed 18 people. Bystanders watch as the Philadelphia fire department works at the scene of a deadly row house fire in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ/AP) At least eight residents were able to escape the flames while another two victims, an adult and child, were rushed to the hospital amid the chaos. Fire officials acknowledged the number of residents living in the duplex seemed high given its size, but a spokesperson for Philadelphias Department of Licenses and Inspections said the city does not limit the number of family members allowed in a single unit. You dont know the circumstances of each and every family, and maybe there were relatives and family that needed to be sheltered, Kenney said. Obviously the tragedy happened, and we all mourn for it. But we cant make judgment on the number of people living in the house because sometimes people just need to be indoors. Neighbors said they were startled awake early Wednesday by the sound of screams echoing through the streets as flames quickly spread through the duplexs top two stories. Dannie McGuire became overwhelmed with emotion as she looked on at what remained of the building from the doorway of her own home. I knew some of those kids I used to see them playing on the corner, she said through tears, noting that some of them have lived here as long as us. Advertisement Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney speaks during a news conference near the scene of a deadly row house fire on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, Penn. (Matt Rourke/AP) Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > I cant picture how more people couldnt get out jumping out a window, McGuire continued. Its just heartbreaking, added 68-year-old Andrea Duszenczuk, whose family has long owned a home in the neighborhood, which is home to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the popular Rocky steps. Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy, who has worked with the department for nearly 35 years, said the blaze was one of the worst hed ever experienced. He added that while the cause of the fire is not considered suspicious at this time, the Philadelphia Fire Departments Fire Marshals Office has taken over the investigation due to the large loss of life. People gather near the scene of a deadly row house fire, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/AP) ATF agents are also responding to the scene to assist. Despite annual inspections, none of the row homes four fire detectors appeared to have been working when the flames broke out before sunrise on Wednesday. At least two had been replaced as recently as 2020 and the batteries were swapped out of several other devices around the same time, Philadelphia Housing Authority officials said. We plan on making sure that this tremendous loss of life did not happen in vain, Murphy said. Advertisement With News Wire Services At the Enable Ireland shop on Kieran Street, Kilkenny In 2021 Kilkenny Arts Office organised a community art project, Knitted Together 2. The project brought over 230 individuals and community groups together to create hand-knitted and crocheted blankets and donated them to local charity shops in Kilkenny to help offset the financial pressure they faced due to lockdown. As a charity shop enthusiast, Arts Officer Mary Butler knows that these sometimes-overlooked outlets are among retails best-kept secrets. For anyone who is yet to discover the joy of charity shopping, you are in for a treat, she said. Charity shops offer so much in terms of clothing, shoes, gifts and surprises, you just never know what may turn up, what someone has brought in, and this only adds to the excitement. The adage of one mans trash is another mans treasure no longer fits the modern charity shop model. These stylish boutique shopping experiences are a credible, sustainable, and cherished alternative to commercial shopping. In this article we look at some of Kilkennys local charity shops, The Jack and Jill Foundation, National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI), The Samaritans, Irish Cancer Society, Enable Ireland, and St Vincent de Paul (SVP) and the treasures they hold. Each charity shop purchase pays back three-fold. It supports the work of charities, providing a unique experience for people to shop affordably and gives a new lease of life to preloved items in a sustainable and philanthropic way. One of the great advantages of buying from a charity shop is that we offer gifts and everyday items at affordable prices, Carol Duggan of St Vincent de Paul Butts Green explained. As well as supporting a very worthwhile cause, customers will be able to purchase something a little different from mainstream retail shops, added Deirdre Power of the Irish Cancer Society shop on Parliament Street. For example, we have a collection of framed oil paintings donated to us by local artists. We also have festive candles, novelty socks and jumpers, accessories and toiletry gift sets, many of which are new in original packaging. These treasures come at bargain prices. People can expect to find brand-new, top-quality products as Rachel Walsh Lawlor of NCBI, Castlecomer told us. We have a Ted Baker window display with four brand new dresses, all with original tags and pricing. Charity shops offer good quality clothing and items at affordable prices Long gone are the days when a charity shop was merely the final resting place for household bric-a-brac. The modern charity shop is a carefully managed, curated, and merchandised treasure trove. It is a place of wonder to explore and find unique one-off pieces, local craft, and designer brands like Ted Baker, Aynsley, Beleek, plus clothes, jewellery and decorations. A charity shop is a store of true serendipity, said Barry Dempsey of the Jack and Jill Foundation on Friary Street. That is the act of finding something of value through chance. Jack and Jill has the largest selection of books and records of any shop in Kilkenny and many designer brands at a fraction of high street prices. We also have a great toy department of the kiddies, young and old. Lockdown was extremely difficult for the charity sector who rely on the generosity of their local community to raise funds. The charities reported very negative effects of the lockdown for the work they do, calling it a huge blow to the operation with fundraising at an all-time low. Income was cut from shop revenue, donations, church gate collections and flag days. The loss of revenue will inevitably have a knock-on effect on what the organisations can offer the families they support in the coming months. The Knitted Together 2 project was funded by Creative Ireland as part of its Age-Friendly Initiatives, the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) as part of the Governments Keep Well campaign and is supported by Age-Friendly and Healthy Ireland Kilkenny programmes. The charity shops involved reported increased footfall and new visitors, many of whom had never been in a charity shop before. The project has raised over 3,500 for the participating stores. We are most grateful for the project as it had brought new customers into our shop, said Joseph Byrne from NCBI on High Street. We would like to thank the Arts Office for choosing our charity shop and the wonderfully talented craftspeople for creating such beautiful gifts. The exquisite handmade blankets are available for purchase priced from 34.95. The profits go towards the charity shop in full. Kilkenny Arts Office has carefully considered the gift-wrapping of each stunning woollen blanket, presented in a gorgeous eco-friendly bag, and includes a colourful postcard explaining the meaning behind the Knitted Together 2 project. Knitted Together 2 was a great community-based project, showing tremendous skill and talent by all who were involved in knitting the squares and assembling the beautiful handmade blankets, according to Ann Quinn from Samaritans, Kieran Street. These gifts can adorn a bed, chair, or be used to snuggle under on a sofa! The sale of the blankets contributed enormously to our proceeds and was much appreciated as we had been closed for such a long time. The Arts Office hopes that people will consider these unique, handmade treasures as a present for a loved one or a gorgeous new adornment for their home. The Arts office project has shown the wider public, how people through their skill and talent can support charity shops, said Ray OMeara from Enable Ireland on Kieran Street. Knitted Together 2 has helped us raise much-needed funds, not just from the direct sale of the wonderful, knitted blankets, but also because it brought people into the charity shops who may not have been in one before, he added. It allowed them to see the high standard and great value of clothes, footwear, and homewares that we sell. I recommend that people make their local charity shop their first port of call when shopping for gifts. Start 2022 off on a positive note by booking a luxury hotel break with the Flynn Hotel Collection, including Kilkenny's Newpark Hotel, in their January sale. Not only will it be something to look forward for the New Year ahead but youll be making a savvy saving with a 20% discount on bed and breakfast bookings. Youll also be treated to an additional 22 food credit at the hotel during your stay, with lots of local food to choose from. The sale launched online on December 26and runs until this coming Sunday, January 9. You can choose from the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny set on 40 acres of beautiful parkland, the historic Imperial Hotel in the heart of Cork City, The Park Hotel Dungarvan in the beautiful harbour town, or the 18th century Old Ground Hotel in the heart of Ennis, which is the perfect base to explore Clares best attractions and the stunning west coast of Ireland. If you are looking for New Years resolution inspiration Flynn Hotels have 5 ideas for meaningful resolutions that are easy to keep. Be Kind to yourself Why not use the promise of a fresh year to be kind to yourself or someone who you think needs a boost? A great way to execute this type of resolution is to commit to dedicated me time. Carving out time on your calendar and booking in for self-care and wellness activities like an afternoon tea, spa treatments or downtime with a book in a hotel lobby. Local Good Food Many people will go on health kick that fizzles out as fast as it starts. Instead why not simply resolve to simply eat well and savour the experiences of dinner prepared by the experts. Enjoying good quality local food that is locally sourced and expertly prepared is a goal that you will want to stick to. For exemplary dining experiences in the New Year why not try Lafayettes, Sketch or Thyme at 76 on the Mall Restaurant at the Imperial Hotel, The Poets Corner or Town Hall Bistro at the Old Ground Hotel, Scotts Bar and Brasserie or Gullivers Restaurant at the Newpark Hotel or the Meladon Bar and Bistro at the Dungarvan Park Hotel. Go Green For 2022 why not resolve to be more eco friendly and sustainable in how you shop, stay, eat, drink and travel. All 4 properties in the Flynn Hotel Collection operate to a sustainability charter which includes buying local, supporting smaller business and local farmers; supporting local charities; maintaining a green procurement policy to soften their impact on the environment, and providing sustainable training for their team. The Imperial Hotel in Cork recently achieved an Eco label for their efforts! Make Memories and Share Experiences It is said that the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Put a fresh focus in 2022 on making memories. Whether its spending time with someone special on a romantic couples break to the Old Ground Hotel Ennis or Imperial Hotel Cork or making treasured family memories on a getaway at The Park Hotel Dungarvan or Newpark Hotel Kilkenny. Appreciate What is On Your Doorstep If anything positive is to be taken from the travel restrictions over the last two years it might be the renewed interest in staycations which has reminded people to explore our beautiful country, and appreciate the culture, history, heritage, landscapes, and experiences that are on our doorstep. The Flynn Hotel Collection January Sale ends on Sunday, January 9, 2022. To book see flynnhotels.com or contact your desired hotel directly to make a booking: The Imperial Hotel Cork +353 21 4274040, Old Ground Hotel Ennis +353 65 682 8127 Newpark Hotel Kilkenny +353 56 7760500, The Park Hotel Dungarvan +353 65 682 8127 T&Cs Bookable for 14 days only Selected dates, subject to availability. No date changes once the sale is over T&C's apply Bookable from Sunday 26th December to Sunday 9th January for 14 days Mayo Clinic: About 1 percent of staff released due to not complying with vaccine deadline Israel has logged its first official case of whats being called flurona, a flu-COVID combo that yes, can happen. But the chances of contracting both diseases at once is actually pretty small, an expert in aerosol transmission told the Daily News. Advertisement Theres a certain probability of being exposed to SARS-CoV-2, and a certain probability of getting influenza, said David Edwards, a bioengineer and professor at Harvard University. And the probability of being exposed to both is significantly less. The dual infections occurred in an unvaccinated pregnant Israeli woman whose symptoms were mild, Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva told The Times of Israel. The woman, who was in her 30s, was treated with a drug combination targeting both viruses, said Arnon Wiznitzer, director of the Beilinson Womens Department, in a statement. Advertisement We are seeing more and more morbidity of influenza among the maternity population, along with cases of corona that mainly occur in women not vaccinated against corona and influenza, Wiznitzer said. This is definitely a challenging time that in addition to the corona diseases we are increasingly dealing with flu. Medics organize swab samples at a drive-thru testing site for the coronavirus, in the central Israeli city of Modiin, on January 2, 2022. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images) While simultaneous infections with both viruses were recorded even in the early days of the pandemic in the U.S., flu was not as much of a factor last year because of a record mild season. This year, the flu season is returning with a vengeance back to pre-pandemic levels, even as fewer people get flu shots. [ Flu season heads toward pre-pandemic levels as travel and mask restrictions ease ] Fewer flu shots both in the U.S. and abroad means a potential surge of both. Edwards told The News that even though the probability of a double infection is significantly smaller than the probability of being infected by one or the other, it can happen. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > He added: Its clearly true that anything that reduces your immune defenses makes you more vulnerable to infection, and therefore if you are infected by SARS-CoV-2 or influenza and then are exposed to the other virus, it would increase the chances that the second infection would be more serious by virtue of being infected with one or the other. In Israel, flu has spiked in recent weeks, and officials fear a twindemic of both illnesses crowding hospitals. Not that all patients will have both diseases, but the concern is that a high volume of patients will overwhelm health care systems already stretched to the limit with COVID, as The Atlantic reported in November. The same thing could happen here in the U.S., though double infection may not become common. Both viruses attack the airways, so someone who is unvaccinated and/or immune-compromised could buckle under the double whammy, experts say. Advertisement Children are already known to get infected with more than one virus at a time, though its not known what the combination of flu and COVID could do, Dr. Matthew Harris, pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Northwell Health and the medical director for the vaccine program, told The News. We dont yet know how kids will react with flu and COVID, he said, adding that they were already seeing more flu cases than last year. We have certainly had several hospitalizations and a few to the intensive care unit for a higher number of children with high-risk medical conditions who have been hospitalized with influenza A. He repeated the advice given by medical professionals worldwide: I think this year more than ever getting vaccinated against the flu is even more important. Joan Copeland, the Broadway, film and TV actress and sister of playwright Arthur Miller whose career spanned more than six decades, died Tuesday in Manhattan. She was 99. Copeland died peacefully in her sleep at 5:47 a.m. at her home on the Upper West Side, her son Erik Kupchik and his wife Geralen Silberg-Kupchik told the Daily News. Advertisement She lived an amazing life, Silberg-Kupchik said. In addition to her brilliant career, she was a wonderful mother. And were going to miss her very much. Actress Joan Copeland attends the opening of "Picturing Marilyn" at Milk Gallery on Nov. 9, 2011, in New York City. (Gary Gershoff) Copeland, who was Marilyn Monroes sister-in-law for five years, was best known for her work on Broadway, starring in the 1976 revival of Pal Joey and delivering a Drama Desk Award-winning performance in 1980s The American Clock. Advertisement That star turn came in a unique role: She played her own mother, and her brother was the playwright. Arthur didnt write the part for me but its one of the few roles I didnt have to audition for my brother, Copeland told the Southampton Press in 2012. Ive had to audition for several of his plays and he always treated me as an actress, not a sister. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > Copeland only starred in one more of Millers plays to make it to Broadway, The Price in 1968. Its been said that blood is thicker than water, but whoever said it was not a writer, she said in 2012. But Copeland was easily talented enough to earn credits for several other productions: Detective Story (1949), Not For Children (1951), Tovarich (1963), Something More! (1964), Coco (1969), Two By Two (1970) and Checking Out (1976) among them. Copeland made her film debut in 1958s The Goddess. She played a small role in the movie, which was based on the life of Monroe, her sister-in-law at the time. Miller and Monroe were married from 1956 to 1961. Copeland moved seamlessly between stage, screen and television. She appeared in two soap operas, Search for Tomorrow and How to Survive a Marriage in the 1960s and 70s while also working on films including Roseland, Its My Turn and A Little Sex into the 1980s. TV viewers probably knew her best for her recurring work on Law & Order as Judge Rebecca Stein. She also had a small voice role in the 2003 Disney animated film Brother Bear. Advertisement Copeland married George Kupchik in 1946, and they remained together until his death in 1989. In addition to Erik and Geralen, Copeland is survived by niece Rebecca Miller and her husband, English actor Daniel Day-Lewis. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Periods of rain. High 52F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 41F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Adrienne Adams was elected speaker of the City Council on Wednesday, becoming the first Black woman to ever take on the powerful post after a contentious back-room race that dealt an early blow to Mayor Adams perceived influence over the legislative body. Adams, who represents a section of eastern Queens that includes Jamaica, was picked for the speaker job in an internal vote by the Councils 51 members during their first meeting of the year. Advertisement New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News) In her first floor remarks as speaker, Adams said she was honored by her colleagues trust, but did not linger on the celebratory note. We must realize that we are here because New York is at the crossroads of multiple crises, each one competing for our full attention, she said, listing off the still-raging coronavirus pandemic, gun violence and economic inequality as issues that must be addressed by the Council this term. Advertisement The people who elected us demand our government take action. Theyre exhausted as they stagger into Year 3 of this pandemic. They want to feel safe and they want to be treated with respect and dignity. Adams historic appointment had a preordained air to it, in that speakers race was effectively decided last month when all other candidates dropped out and a majority of members publicly committed support for Adams. But some fireworks still erupted in the Council chamber during the vote. Adrienne Adams was elected the next speaker of the New York City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit) Newly sworn-in socialist Council members Charles Barron of Brooklyn and Kristin Richardson Jordan of Harlem, who were alone in voting against Adams speaker nomination, both suggested their colleague from Queens is too closely aligned with Mayor Adams and not sufficiently progressive on issues like policing. They say they prioritize police and criminal justice reform, but support the racist NYPD with more money, said Barron, adding that he believes the new speaker is cut from the same political cloth as the mayor and Gov. Hochul. With the support from this speaker and the governor, he will turn Black and brown communities into a police state. Richardson Jordan kept her remarks briefer. I vote firmly no. We need more than symbolic representation, she said. Adrienne Adams sworn in as speaker of the NYC Council on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit) The conclusion of the speakers race came after months of political jockeying among members, labor leaders and other powerbrokers including Mayor Adams. Behind closed doors, Adams and his team advocated aggressively for Queens Councilman Francisco Moyas speaker bid. Advertisement But the effort failed as dozens of members took issue with Team Adams meddling in the race and lined up behind Adrienne Adams candidacy instead. The Moya hiccup got Mayor Adams off to a shaky start with the new Council, which has many members who oppose some of his public safety policies, including his vows to resume solitary confinement on Rikers Island and reinstate a controversial plainclothes NYPD anti-crime unit. The pro-Moya push appeared to still be on some members minds Wednesday as they cast their votes for Adams. New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams speaking on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2022. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit) We are emerging from an era of boys club-style backroom deals, bullying and strong-arming, said Queens Councilwoman Tiffany Caban. It is a joy to say goodbye to that era. Still, Mayor Adams, who attended the same Queens high school as the new speaker, offered his congrats to her after her election. Weve come a long way since Bayside High! he tweeted. Congratulations to my friend and colleague Adrienne Adams on her historic election as City Council Speaker. I look forward to our partnership in delivering for all New Yorkers. Two Easy Ways To Subscribe! The Kodiak Daily Mirror offers full-service, five-day a week subscriptions with home delivery in addition to unlimited access to our online services (including our e-Edition). Online-access-only subscriptions include unlimited access to the Mirror's online services without delivery of the printed newspaper. (Note: New users: You must register and login before purchasing a subscription. Support local journalism Local news, sports and entertainment when you want it. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the best local news, sports and entertainment coverage. COLUMBIA - Adventurous. Happy. Go-lucky. Spunky. Kind-hearted. Motivated. All words used to describe 23-year-old Haven Thomason who died by suicide in early September. Thomason was a cheerleader, bartender at McNally's, and according to her friends and family, a social butterfly. "She's got all these friends and family to support her after she is gone and would have supported her until the end," Thomason's mother Jenny Rebarchek said. Thomanson's father, Earl Rebarchek, said they want to bring awareness to the public so that nobody else loses their child. According to the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network (MSPN), Missouri suicide rates exceed the nation's numbers as a whole and are steadily rising. In 2019, there were 1,130 deaths by suicide in the state, and suicide was the ninth leading cause of death. The state of Missouri has taken action to prevent suicides and made a Missouri Suicide Prevention Plan on behalf of MSPN to show that it is not taboo to ask for help. The vision of this plan is to "have resources and capacity to reduce the risk of suicide, decrease the effects of suicide on communities, and positively impact the health of all." MSPN has an ask, listen, refer training that is offered in Missouri. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. The chairman to MSPN, Lauren Moyer, states that while she hates to give the usual advice of getting help when suicidal or knowing of someone who is, she said the training from MSPN provides the answers to the questions people often have. "I would 100% push [training] out for anyone and everyone to take so that they can just start to learn, like, 'How do I look for these signs?' And then, you know, if somebody does confide in me, 'How do I listen to them respectfully and non judgmentally?' And then after that, 'How do I refer them to actually get assistance and help?'" Moyer explained. The number one step prior to taking this training is acknowledging that you or someone else needs to access the system, Moyer said. Thomason's parents emphasized that no life is worth losing and furthermore emphasize this first step. "Reach out, there are people there, people love you," Jenny Rebarchek said. "You don't have to have a lot of money to reach out and get help," Earl Rebarchek said. MSPN has the goal to be proactive and provide better suicide prevention efforts. One vital part to this is gathering data. "We have to have that data to have people realize how big of a crisis it is right now," MSPN Lead Councilman Mikala Jungmeyer-Geiger said. "If we don't have hard facts to show people are struggling with suicidal ideation, they're not going to think that this is a public health crisis." Other efforts include establishing Missouri as a ZeroSuicide state and embracing a public health approach. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call (800) 273-8255, text "MOSAFE" to 741741, or talk with a counselor. The FCC is in the process of using 988 as a nationwide number to call for the National Suicide Prevention Line. I am currently a senior in the J-school at Mizzou. Coming from the Minneapolis area, I have always had a strong passion for journalism. I am proud to be apart of the best journalism school in the nation! Follow Brandon Antony Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today A former Republican member of the City Council and a real estate attorney with ties to former President Donald Trump are joining Mayor Adams administration in senior capacities, Hizzoner announced Wednesday. Eric Ulrich, who departed the Council last month after 12 years as the representative for Queens 32nd District, is returning to City Hall as a senior adviser to Adams, the mayor said in a press release that included a total of 14 new appointments to his administration. Advertisement Also on the list was Edward Mermelstein, a luxury real estate lawyer who will be Adams commissioner of international affairs. This team has the experience, knowledge and skill to take our government and our city to new heights, Adams said in a statement. Our motto is Get Stuff Done and we are already off to a flying start. Together, we will work day in and day out to make New York City safer, more equitable and more prosperous for all. Advertisement Edward Mermelstein (left) and Eric Ulrich (right) (AP ) Both Ulrich and Mermelstein are Republicans who supported one or both of Trumps presidential campaigns. Ulrich, who used to consider himself a Never Trump Republican, flip-flopped and endorsed the former presidents reelection bid in 2020, citing concerns that the Democratic Party was getting hijacked by socialists. Mermelstein touts a professional history with Trump, having worked with him on real estate matters in New York before he became president. Its unusual for a mayor to cross party lines for prominent hires, and the Trump connection underlying the Ulrich and Mermelstein appointments is especially glaring considering Adams has long been a fierce critic of the twice-impeached former president. But Mermelstein told the Daily News that Adams, himself a former Republican, does not govern in a traditionally partisan manner. There is a new sheriff in town, said Mermelstein, who donated the maximum $2,000 allowed to Adams mayoral campaign last year, according to public records. He gets along with everybody. In addition to Ulrich and Mermelstein, former Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, another Republican, was tapped earlier this week to join Adams City Hall as the chief of staff to Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi. Ulrich could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Advertisement Also among Adams latest appointments was Frank Carone, a prominent lawyer and Brooklyn political powerbroker who will serve as the mayors chief of staff, as previously reported by The News and other outlets. I am honored to join his team and serve the city that I love, Carone said. As chief of staff, I will be focused on ensuring City Hall runs smoothly, keeping our City agencies aligned, and delivering on the mayors vision for the city. Practical steps needed to reduce nuclear threats Five global nuclear powers the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France adopted a joint statement Monday, vowing to avoid nuclear war and prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. "We believe strongly that the further spread of such weapons must be prevented. A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," according to the statement adopted by the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). They emphasized the avoidance of war between nuclear-armed states and the reduction of strategic risk as their foremost responsibilities. The agreement by the nuclear-armed states is meaningful as it comes amid growing signs of a new Cold War. It is rare for the nuclear-weapons nations to stress their responsibility to avert nuclear war and prevent unauthorized or unintended use of such weapons. Notably, the statement was adopted amid escalating Sino-U.S. tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the brewing conflict between the U.S.-led Western allies and Russia over Ukraine. Russia has been mobilizing armed forces along its border with Ukraine, indicating a possible military intervention and prompting the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations to vow retaliatory measures. The Monday statement is largely expected to help mitigate the tensions in the two regions, though it stopped short of mentioning them by name. It stands in stark contrast to previous ones that only called on non-nuclear states such as Iran and North Korea to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It is encouraging to see the nuclear-armed states embrace their responsibilities via the statement. The agreement can be construed as the first step toward a "nuclear-free world." Currently, there are 13,000 nuclear warheads around the globe, of which 90 percent are possessed by the U.S. and Russia. Despite the rising expectations, the agreement fails to refer to specific measures over how to implement it. The UNSC member countries should provide follow-up measures to abide by their pledges to reduce nuclear weapons. Contrary to the expectation, however, China announced it would continue efforts to modernize its nuclear arsenal, Tuesday only hours after the joint statement was adopted, calling on the U.S. and Russia to curtail their nuclear weapons first. The U.S. has been expressing concerns that China can probably increase its nuclear arsenal to 700 warheads by 2027 and 1,000 by 2030. The U.S. and Russia earlier agreed to reduce the number of their nuclear weapons to 1,550 each, but have failed to make tangible progress so far. We expect the joint statement will have a positive impact on establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. Yet, it is regrettable that North Korea fired a projectile, presumed to be a ballistic missile, into the East Sea again Wednesday. Pyongyang should end such provocative acts, and come to the dialogue table to discuss key issues such as denuclearization, exchanges and cooperation. No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results Construction has begun for homes at Eastland Crossing, a new subdivision on S.R. 827, north of Herrington Heights and east of Nolan Meadows. The subdivision is one of multiple residential projects currently in the works for 2022 to help address rising housing needs in the area. A photo from the School Superintendents Association shows the 2020 Superintendents of the Year who were honored Nov. 3. Philip Downs, assistant professor and director of education graduate programs for Trine Universitys Franks School of Education, is in the back row, third from the right. Students from the Career Academy of South Bend pitch their idea to judges during the 2020 Innovation Challenge at Trine University. High school students interested in this years competition must submit projects by Jan. 26. Mayor Adams on Tuesday did not rule out vetoing a bill that would extend voting rights to noncitizen New Yorkers, upsetting fellow Democrats in the City Council who say hed flip-flop on a key campaign promise by torpedoing the legislation. The bill, which would allow roughly 800,000 green card holders and immigrants with certain work visas to vote in local elections, passed the Council on Dec. 9, but Mayor Bill de Blasio never signed it before leaving office, giving Adams final say on the matter. Advertisement Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday afternoon, Adams said hes concerned about an aspect of the bill stipulating that an eligible noncitizen only has to be a city resident for 30 days to gain the right to vote and affirmed he has asked his legal team to weigh his options, including potentially vetoing the measure. Im not open or closed to anything, he said when asked if hes considering a veto, adding that his team will review the issue before he makes a final determination. Advertisement Mayor Adams signs an executive order at a Tuesday press conference at the Pearl River Mart in Manhattan. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office) A Council bill automatically becomes law 30 days after passage unless a mayor vetoes it. Based on that time line, Adams has until Saturday to decide if hes going to veto the noncitizen bill. But some experts say its up for debate how the 30-day rule applies in this context, since Adams took office in the middle of the process. If the mayor fails to give public notice for and hold a public hearing on Council legislation within 20 days of passage he can neither sign nor veto it and it will lapse into law at the end of 30 days. We are beyond the time limit in this bill, tweeted Jon Paul Lupo, de Blasios former director of intergovernmental affairs. Regardless of the procedural question, Council members who voted for the noncitizen voting bill were taken aback by Adams opposition to the bill. Opposing it at this point is sort of a fringe position that I hope none of my fellow Dems would adopt, said Queens City Councilwoman Tiffany Caban, who cast her first-ever Council vote for the noncitizen voting legislation. Theres a nationwide Republican assault on voting rights, and that assault hinges on xenophobic, racist fearmongering about immigrants and this bill represents an opportunity to counteract that. Another head-scratcher for some Council insiders is that Adams has long been a supporter of noncitizen voting in general and the bill that passed the Council last year in particular. In February 2021, he became one of the first candidates in the mayoral primary to announce his support for the bill which at that point already had the 30-day residency rule baked into it. At the time, he called it a moral and democratic responsibility to pass the bill, which was written by former Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a loyal Adams supporter who has since been appointed his transportation commissioner. Rodriguez did not return a request for comment on Adams veto tease. Advertisement But ex-Brooklyn Councilman Carlos Menchaca, who was among the top sponsors of the bill alongside Rodriguez, said the measures 30-day residency requirement is based on state law about voting eligibility for citizens. If anyone wants to change that, go to the state to have that debate, he said. Otherwise we would have a multitier system to access democracy? Really? That doesnt sound fair or equal. Adams openness to a veto could land him on the bad side of the Councils large contingent of incoming left-leaning Democrats. The Council has the power to override a veto if it can muster support to do so from two-thirds of its members. The bill was originally passed by a 33-to-14 margin just one vote shy of the 34 needed for an override. But the margin may be wider if the same bill came up for a vote in this Council, which appears to be more progressive than the last. The political ramifications of a veto are also considerable for Adams, who got off to a shaky start with this Council by having his team support the losing candidate in the chambers speaker race. Advertisement Still, Democratic Brooklyn Councilman Kalman Yeger, who voted against the noncitizen voting bill, urged Adams to veto it. Its not a constitutional bill. It violates the state Constitution, and it violates state election law, Yeger said. I hope he vetoes it. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Overcast. High 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 49F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. An Auburn woman was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon after her vehicle left the roadway and struck a residential garage in the 3800 block of C.R. 35, the DeKalb County Sheriffs Department said. Crews inspected the outside of the residence for it structural integrity after the crash. Retired city workers are pleading with Mayor Adams to rescind his predecessors attempt to move them onto a new Medicare plan amid revelations that the switch-over could financially burden not only them but also spouses of first responders who died in the line of duty. As first reported by the Daily News on Sunday, the Medicare shakeup, initiated by Mayor de Blasios administration last fall, is resulting in elderly widows and widowers of first responders being told by the city that theyll have to pay the same monthly $191 penalty as retirees if they want to stay on their current coverage instead of enrolling in the new plan. Advertisement Thats in spite of a law passed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks requiring the city to offer free health insurance for life to line-of-duty spouses. Municipal retirees many of whom were already opposed to the de Blasio administrations so-called Medicare Advantage proposal out of fear it would water down their coverage say the ripple effect on line-of-duty spouses is unconscionable and must be an impetus for Adams to block the plan. Advertisement I need him to understand that the city cant just shove something down peoples throats like this and tell them that they have to pay if they dont fall in line, said Shawnee Powell-Phillips, a retired NYPD detective who suffered a line-of-duty injury and wants to stay on her current coverage because she fears the Medicare Advantage plan will restrict access to certain medical procedures. I trust my plan and I dont want to change it. If this plan is so great, why is it that youre forcing us onto it? Health insurance form (Shutterstock/Shutterstock) More than 100 other city retirees from a variety of agencies have sent emails to Adams office making similar points as Powell-Phillips in recent days, according to correspondences shared with The News by the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees. I believe that you are a man of integrity and character and Im asking you to do the right thing and please stop this travesty from happening to the retirees and let us live out the rest of our lives in peace, Joanne MacDonald, a retired city nurse, wrote in one such email to Adams. Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said they are bombarding Adams with messages because theyre concerned about his silence. They see hes not listening. Thats why people are getting frustrated. He has the power to end this, modify it, fix it, but hes not giving us his time of day, said Pizzitola, a retired FDNY emergency medical technician who has asked Adams to meet with her about the issue for months to no avail. Adams, a retired NYPD captain who is himself relying on municipal health benefits, has not said how he plans to deal with the convoluted Medicare Advantage rollover, though he told reporters last year that he wanted to make sure the new plan isnt a bait and switch. As mayor, he has the power to modify or even outright scrap the de Blasio administrations plan. Stefan Ringel, a spokesman for Adams, only said City Hall is actively reviewing the issue when asked late Monday about the repercussions for line-of-duty spouses. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) Last year, the de Blasio administration presented the Medicare Advantage plan as a boon for city taxpayers in that it would save them $500 million per year due a larger chunk of federal funding without tinkering with health coverage for the citys roughly 250,000 Medicare-eligible retirees. Advertisement But the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees filed a lawsuit charging that the new plan would mess with their health coverage by, among other things, instituting pre-authorization processes for dozens of medical procedures. The lawsuit prompted a Manhattan court to push back an opt-out deadline for the Medicare Advantage plan until April after de Blasios administration at first wanted it set for this past November. That means Adams has until April to decide what to do about the plan, but Steve Cohen, an attorney for the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, urged the mayor to pull the plug on it sooner rather than later. We humbly request that you terminate it now, Cohen wrote in a Monday letter to Adams. You will be hailed as a hero by hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled former first responders, public service retirees, and their widows and dependents. Weather Alert THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. The Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Mario Locatelli has been canceled. Mario has been located and is safe. Ravalli County Sheriff's Office thanks everyone for their assistance. HELENA, Mont. - Gov. Greg Gianforte held a press briefing Tuesday marking one year in office as Montana's governor. During the press briefing, Gianforte said his administration's main focus is and has been building back Montana's economy, changing the way Helena does business and protecting Montana's way of life. Gianforte mentioned his and the state legislature's combined effort that passed the tax cut and tax reform bills, Senate Bills 159 and 399, to get the economy going and create more well-paying jobs. He said the tax bills are meant to benefit working Montanans and small Montana business. COVID-19 remains a concern, though were not in the same place today as we were a year ago," Gianforte says. "We have tools at our disposal including vaccines and treatments to prevent severe health outcomes and treat Montanans who become infected. And because of the tools available to Montanans and our success with putting them to use, I firmly believe the state does not need to have or exercise emergency powers. Gianforte said Montana has more resources to combat COVID than it did a year ago, which include expanded vaccines and new treatments. Although Montana currently has some of the fewest active cases reported compared to other states, Gianforte said cases are expected to rise with the Omicron variant. The governor stressed vaccines are proven to work and help keep hospitalization rates and severe outcomes down. While he said he encourages Montanans to get vaccinated, he also stressed Montana will not mandate vaccine requirements saying they are left up to the personal choice of each individual. In effort to help build the economy and increase Montana's competition, Gianforte mentioned his administration's launching of the Come Home Montana campaign incentivizing young working Montanans who moved out-of-state to come back. In changing the way Helena does business, Gianforte explained it is about prioritizing customer service. He said that is done by state agencies listening to and working with stakeholders. Gianforte added his administration is committed thoroughly reviewing every state agency's regulations to remove all that are unnecessary and burdensome. In protecting Montana's way of life, Gianforte touched on cracking down on drug dealers and providing help to Montanans struggling with addiction. He also mentioned the changes to Montana's voting laws, Senate Bill 169 (requiring voter ID) and House Bill 176 (a deadline for voter registration). Gianforte also mentioned the passing of two measures restricting abortion. He closed the press briefing repeating what he said at his swearing into office last year. "We have an opportunity to help Montana realize our full potential. We must cease this opportunity and act. To do so will require leadership. But no one leader can do this alone. It will require all of us to work together, and we did." Administration lawyers defending a new workplace vaccination requirement highlight the human toll of the deadly virus, a collapsing health care system and the "grave danger" of Covid-19 transmission among workers, and pictured, the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 2, 2021. President Biden plans to denounce former President Trumps singular responsibility for the attack on the Capitol in a speech marking the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection. With a divided nation marking the anniversary, Biden will pull no punches in piling the blame squarely on Trump for inciting thousands of his loyal supporters to storm the Capitol in an effort to overturn his election defeat. Advertisement President Biden will lay out what happened at the Capitol and speak to the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage we saw, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. He will forcefully push back against the campaign of lies designed to mislead the American people. President Joe Biden (Andrew Harnik/AP) The president will also slam Trump, who says he will probably run for president again in 2024, for trying to evade his own responsibility for the attack. Advertisement Psaki would not say whether Biden will call out Trump by name or refer to him as a predecessor or some other euphemism. I think people will know who he is referring to, Psaki said. Bidens speech will likely carry more weight because Trump is apparently foregoing the chance to directly counter his narrative. The former president had planned a press conference of his own to mark the anniversary. But he scrapped it Tuesday amid reported warnings from allies that it could do more harm than good to his political standing. With Trump silent, two of his strongest supporters in Congress, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), will hold what they call a Republican response on the anniversary. Then-President Donald Trump speaks during a rally protesting the electoral college certification of Joe Biden as the next U.S. President in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Evan Vucci/AP) Biden has mostly steered clear of open criticism of Trump during his first year in office as he tries to focus on his main mission of keeping a lid on the COVID-19 pandemic and getting the crippled economy back on track. He sees the anniversary, which will include speeches and commemorations by lawmakers, as a chance to help record for historys sake what really happened on Jan. 6 after a remarkably successful yearlong misinformation blitz by Trump and his MAGA loyalists. After some Republicans briefly broke ranks with Trump in the hours and first days after the attack, the GOP has mostly moved in lockstep to echo Trumps efforts to downplay the riot and even defend the attack as a legitimate protest over the false claims that the election was stolen from him. The Congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has asked Fox News host Sean Hannity to testify about frantic text messages he sent to the Trump White House before and during the riot. The panels chair also revealed he wants to hear from Vice President Mike Pence, although no official request for his testimony has been made. Advertisement Hannity sent dozens of texts to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, including one on Jan. 5 saying he was very worried about the impending riot, the committee revealed late Tuesday. Fox News host Sean Hannity speaks during a taping of his show, "Hannity," in Manhattan, New York. (Frank Franklin II/AP) In another newly released text, Hannity pleaded with Meadows to get Trump to end the violent attack in real-time on Jan. 6. Advertisement The committee asked Hannity to voluntarily appear to explain his messages, which it said suggest that he had inside information about the planning and also Trumps intentions before and during the attack. Hannitys lawyer said he would respond when appropriate and the host did not mention the committees request during his Tuesday evening show on Fox. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the committees chair, also said late Tuesday the panel hopes to eventually hear from Pence. I would hope that he would do the right thing and come forward and voluntarily talk to the committee, Thompson told CNN. Thompson said the threats by rioters to capture and assassinate Pence is a key part of the committees probe, along with what Trump did or didnt do to protect the veep. Rioters on the West Front at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (John Minchillo/AP) His life was at risk. There were people who had gallows erected on the lawn of the Capitol ostensibly to hang the vice president. Thompson said. This was the No. 2 person in government. Pence has not responded to calls for his testimony, although some of his aides have cooperated with the probe. Despite the fact that he was personally targeted for death by the attackers and Trump tweeted a political attack on him during the riot, Pence has sought to downplay the significance of Jan. 6 as he considers a White House run in 2024. Advertisement The committee says it wants to talk to as many Trump loyalists as possible as part of its goal to uncover who was behind the attack and what the former presidents role was in the planning and execution of the attack. Meadows handed the panel a trove of documents, reportedly after Trump erupted in anger at him. The damaging documents reveal that many loyalists sought to get Trump to denounce the attack as it unfolded, messages that suggest they knew it was Trump who incited the attackers and only he had the power to stop them. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 100 After violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol today, a tactical team with ATF gathers in the Rotunda to provide security for the continuation of the joint session of the House and Senate to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) Instead, Trump watched the attack on television at the White House for more than three hours as thousands of extremist supporters marauded through the Capitol. After the riot, Hannity and others were deeply concerned about the negative impact the attack had on Trumps legacy and sought to convince him to end the Big Lie effort to overturn the election. Hannity texted Meadows and pro-Trump Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Jan. 10 saying he advised Trump to never talk about the election again, but his advice fell on deaf ears. Advertisement Trump confirmed that conversation in a statement to CNN, and claimed that his year-long effort to rally his supporters behind the Big Lie has largely been successful. I disagree with Sean on that statement and the facts are proving me right, he said. Officials from Lake Geneva Schools have modified their Health Plan and COVID protocols, which went into effect Monday, Jan. 3. Students and staff who test positive for COVID are asked to provide proof of the positive test including photo of the test with name, date or medical documentation. Students and staff who test positive are to isolate themselves for five days, then if symptom-free or improved symptoms and fever-free for 24 hours, then they can return to school on the sixth day, wearing a mask on days six through 10. For more information students and parents are asked to refer to the district's When can my student return after illness? document. If a student or a staff member is vaccinated or previously had COVID within the past 90 days and exposed to a positive case: do not need to quarantine as long as they remain symptom-free will be able to remain in school as long as they remain symptom-free will be put on a watch list, if any symptoms develop, and they will have to remain home and meet their medical provider. If a student or staff member is not fully vaccinated and exposed to a positive case in the school environment (low-risk): They will be able to remain in school as long as they remain symptom-free Testing will be available to them based on the availability of testing supplies They will be put on a watch list, if any symptoms develop, they will have to remain home and meet with their medical provider. If a student or staff member is not fully vaccinated and is exposed within their household (high-risk): They will need to quarantine for five days from the last day of close contact with the positive case in the home. They will be asked to wear a mask for five days following the quarantine, days six through 10. Students and staff who provide proof of vaccination do not need to quarantine even in high-risk close contact case, unless they begin to experience symptoms and then they are asked to become tested. The district encourages staff, students and families to get vaccinated, but students and staff are not required to receive a vaccination in order to be in school. Proof of vaccination will be required upon request. Anyone waiting for the results of a pending COVID test should stay home until the receive their results. If a parent or household member has symptoms and a pending COVID test, all unvaccinated students and staff should also stay home until COVID test results are available, then they should report the results to the school office. Lake Geneva schools offer a free, voluntary COVID-19 testing program for students and staff of the Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School District and the Lake Geneva Joint No.1 School District. Students and staff are asked to not come to school when you they are sick and to report any COVID positive cases. Students and staff are asked to visit the district website, www.lakegenevaschools.com, to view the 2021-2022 COVID-19 Resource Center and the 2021-2022 Health Plan for the latest information. Officers from the Walworth County Sheriff's Office, City of Lake Geneva, City of Elkhorn and City of Delavan will be on hand Jan. 19 to talk to the community about public safety issues. Some of the topics that will be discussed include relationship building, what is occurring in local communities, community resources and strategies for staying safe. The forum is hosted by the Elkhorn Area School District Resiliency Coalition. It will be held at 6 p.m., Jan. 19, at the Matheson Memorial Library, 101 N. Wisconsin St., to give residents an opportunity to discuss issues with local law enforcement officers. Virtual attendance is available by registering at tinyurl.com/easd-in-conversation. For more information, call 262-723-3160 ext. 1140. The Geneva Lake Conservancy has announced that through its 2021 Heritage Oak contest it has identified two oak trees in Walworth County that are older than the 350-year-old bur oak in the Kettle Moraine State Parks Southern Unit that won the 2021 contest. This is the first time that two oak trees have received awards in the Oldest Oak category. Both trees are estimated to be 370 years-old, Geneva Lake Conservancy announced in a press release on Tuesday, Jan. 4 The first tree is located in the yard of Marina and Jerry Konz in Williams Bay. The white oak can be viewed off Laurel Street just down from Bells Store. The second tree is a bur oak and is located on private property owned by Wendy Moon and Steve Clardy in Delavan. It is extraordinary to think that these trees began growing in 1651 when the Potawatomi tribe lived in this area, and more than 175 years before settlers came to what is now Walworth County, said Kiera Theys, Land Protection Manager. The tree in Delavan is rumored to be one that soldiers sought shade under as they traveled to fight in the Civil War. The Williams Bay tree is located between two driveways and has survived both development of the road and construction of nearby houses. The old oak trees of Walworth County are one of the most distinguishing features of our landscape and deserve to be protected, Theys said. While oak trees are valued for their beauty and their importance as habitat for 500 species, we only have recently begun to appreciate that they are the tree that sequesters the most carbon from the environment, helping to slow climate change. Both Wendy Moon and Steve Clardy, and Marina and Jerry Konz were presented their awards at the Geneva Lake Conservancys annual meeting in December. Kathy Leith of the Town of Linn Parks Committee accepted the award for the Most Beautiful Oak tree located in Linn Nature Park. Bill and Laurie Buss received the best story award on behalf of the Harvard Club. They submitted a photo of a white oak tree that has formed the setting for many gatherings of the Clubs members and guests over the last 100 years. The tree also survived the disastrous November 1963 fire that burned seven cottages to the ground. The age of the winning oak trees was determined using a comparison of two growth factor equations used by organizations, including the Morton Arboretum. Tree growth can vary due to conditions such as weather and canopy cover. The only way to determine the exact age of a tree is to take a core sample that can expose the tree to disease and pests or to cut it down and count its rings, so the ages are only estimates, according to Theys. The Geneva Lake Conservancys Heritage Oak Contest seeks to educate the public about the importance of oak trees to the ecological healthy and scenic beauty of Walworth County. In the three years since the contest began, the Conservancy has identified ten Heritage Oak trees in Walworth County, and each is marked with a plaque. For further information about a tour to see these Heritage Oak trees or how to enter an oak tree in the 2022 contest, email outreach@genevalakeconservancy.org, The Geneva Lake Conservancy is an accredited land trust that has protected almost 3,000 acres of open land in Walworth County. Formed in 1977, it offers five public nature preserves for hiking and other recreational activities as well as other programs and educational activities for children and adults, including its Conservation@Home program. For more information, go to genevalakeconservancy.org. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The GOP-controlled Legislature would have final say over how the governor spends federal funds allocated to Wisconsin under a constitutional amendment proposed this week by Senate Republicans. Another proposed resolution would require Wisconsin to adopt Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, for the states biennial budgeting process, rather than use current cash accounting practices. As constitutional amendments, the measures would need to pass the Senate and Assembly in two successive sessions before being decided by voters in a general election. The governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment. Currently, the governor has sole discretion over how federal funds are spent. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers office did not respond to a request for comment. There has been a growing push among legislative Republicans seeking more control over how the executive office doles out federal funds primarily in recent years as the federal government pumped billions in stimulus dollars into the state to help address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is not meant to pick on Gov. Evers at all. Obviously (former Republican Gov. Scott Walker) and previous governors also had federal funds and they also didnt include consultation with the Legislature and we dont know who the governor is going to be in 2022 and beyond, said Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, who has co-authored the resolutions. So this is not a personal attack on Gov. Evers ... its just good governance reform. The Legislature passed statutes in the 1930s to hand over control of federal funds to the governors office as federal dollars flowed into the state near the end of the Great Depression, according to a report provided to Kooyenga last month from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau. The proposal would prohibit any executive branch official or department from allocating any federal dollars without first securing approval from a legislative committee, which Kooyenga said would likely be the GOP-led budget committee. It doesnt slap down the governor, it slaps down the Legislature, Kooyenga said. It says, All right, Legislature, you need to do your job and you need to be involved in the process alongside the governor to help direct where this federal money should go. Evers vetoed legislation last February that would have provided the Legislatures budget committee veto power over the use of federal COVID-19 funds. Two months later, the governor vetoed a similar measure that would have given the Legislature control over how federal coronavirus stimulus dollars are spent. Its been unfortunate through this entire pandemic that the federal government has given so much spending power to one person in the state of Wisconsin and not those of us who are closest to our districts to try to find solutions on how to spend that money, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said Wednesday. Republicans have also introduced a number of failed bills seeking to direct the use of federal funds to matters ranging from broadband expansion to mental health programs in schools, while Evers has laid out his own plan for allocating those dollars. A new package proposed Tuesday, which also is likely to be vetoed by Evers, would allocate about $25 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to recruiting, training and retaining law enforcement officers. 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. GAAP accounting The Wisconsin Constitution requires state government to balance its budget. But it only must do so under so-called cash accounting practices a less-expansive view of the state budget that doesnt fully account for future expenses to which the state has committed. The state started to also use the GAAP system in the 1989-90 period. It takes into account commitments made in one budgeting cycle that wont be paid until a following cycle. The difference is how expenditures are accounted for in the two approaches. Using GAAP, commitments are incurred when they are made, while cash accounting does not identify those as expenditures until they are actually paid. Kooyenga said the proposed constitutional amendment would require GAAP practices to be cemented into the constitution. Requiring the use of GAAP accounting to balance the state budget is an idea that has been toyed with in the past, with Walker vowing to shift to the practice before taking office in 2011. While that never came to fruition, Evers, who is running for a second term this fall, said the idea of using GAAP accounting was something to work towards before taking office in early 2019. Kooyenga, along with Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, an accountant who has co-authored the latest proposal, broached a similar constitutional amendment back in 2012 that cleared the Assembly, but failed to advance in the Senate. It essentially takes the accounting tricks off the table and it requires you to use honest accounting, Kooyenga said of the latest proposal. Officials have said the states budget surplus would ease the transition from cash accounting to the formal use of GAAP. I think the only reason we can have this discussion right now is since we have made such great strides in Wisconsin over the last decade in responsible budgeting and not pushing off current obligations to make them future obligations, LeMahieu said. Kooyenga said if both proposals pass the Assembly and Senate in two sessions, they could come before voters by the 2024 presidential election. The humble pencil has quite a history that is far from humble. Today, there are hundreds of pencil collectors around the world. Phil Gruber is the news editor at Lancaster Farming. He can be reached at 717-721-4427 or pgruber@lancasterfarming.com. Follow him @PhilLancFarming on Twitter. Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed to vigorously pursue the investigation into the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, a potential warning to former President Trump that he could eventually wind up in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors. Even as he ticked off facts and figures about the probe, the nations top law enforcement official sought to reassure Americans that prosecutors are nowhere near done. Advertisement The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last, Garland said on Wednesday. The justice department remains committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy. Attorney General Merrick Garland (Carolyn Kaster/AP) The bespectacled Garland explained that federal prosecutors are required to act in a painstakingly cautious manner. Advertisement In the Jan. 6 probe, that means charging most clear-cut crimes first and working their way up the food chain to those who may have planned, funded or incited the attack that aimed to block Congress from certifying President Bidens election. We follow the physical evidence, we follow the digital evidence, we follow the money. But most importantly, we follow the fact, Garland said. Not an agenda, not an assumption, the facts tell us where to go. Garland, who did not mention Trump or anybody else by name, has recently faced criticism from some Democrats about what they call the slow pace of the probe and the apparent lack of will to target Trump himself or other leaders of the attack. Leaders of the Congressional panel investigating the attack have said they may refer Trump or others to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. But Garland would have the final word about any decision to seek charges. He acknowledged questions from an impatient public for more information. Our answer is ... as long as it takes and whatever it takes, Garland said. The former senior appeals court judge, who was famously denied a seat on the Supreme Court by Republicans, also surprised some by linking the need to prosecute violent domestic extremists with the push for new voting rights protections. Noting that the goal of the Jan. 6 attack was to block the counting of the electoral college votes, Garland said the nation needs new protections to ensure that all Americans, especially minority groups, have access to the ballot box and that their votes will be fairly counted. Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], January 5 (ANI/PNN): Hundreds of students from Gujarat's oldest university, the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Vadodara, have pledged to participate as "environmental fighters" in Surat's Greenman, Viral Desai's "Satyagraha against pollution" movement to protect the environment and address the state's climate change problem. Viral Desai, a textile businessman, and environmentalist was invited as the chief guest at the MSU Department of Geography's 'Bhoomi Fest.' Thousands of students from MSU's numerous departments participated in several exciting inter-university competitions. Also Read | World Day Of War Orphans 2022: Date, History, Significance And Facts About Children Orphaned in Wars and Other Conflicts. Desai addressed a large crowd of students at the MSU in Vadodara, urging them to join his 'Satyagraha against pollution' campaign and become 'environmental fighters.' His clarion call was favourably welcomed by the students, with hundreds of them stepping forward to join the effort. "The pupils were given in-depth information on how they may contribute their part to environmental conservation as individuals," Desai said. "I am optimistic that MS University students will carry the torch for my campaign and take concrete actions to protect the environment." Also Read | IPL 2022: Lucknow IPL Franchise Asks Fans to Select Name for the Team, Netizens Respond!. Head of the Department of Geography, MSU, Dr. Bindu Bhatt, ensured that the students of MSU will become the environmental fighters to protect the environment and work diligently towards the climate change issue. The students of MSU were made to take an oath for environmental protection and were made 'environmental fighters' and that trees were planted to commemorate the occasion. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chandigarh, January 5: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Wednesday blasted the Congress-led Government in Punjab for a major security lapse ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Ferozepur and said that both Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the state's Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu are acting on the instructions of Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-services Intelligence (ISI). Chugh squarely blamed Channi and Sidhu for joining hands with subversive and anti-national forces to foil the democratic right of the Prime Minister and the BJP to address public meetings. Chugh further held Channi and Sidhu responsible for causing security threats to the Prime Minister. Also Read | COVID-19 Surge in India: Over 6.3 Times Increase in Coronavirus Cases in Past 8 Days, Says Health Ministry. "Channi and Sidhu are dancing to the tunes of Pakistan ISI. Time has come for Punjab to wake up to nefarious designs of the two," said Chugh. He further said, "It is a matter of shame for the State government for not allowing the Prime Minister to address the public meeting." Also Read | Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's 21 Staff Members Test COVID-19 Positive. "It was the responsibility of the Congress Government to ensure law and order for the PM's visit but entire Punjab is hanging its head in shame today," he added. He further said that the Prime Minister had been always thinking of the welfare of farmers and it was with due respect to them that he decided to repeal the agriculture laws. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab's Ferozepur was called off citing "major security lapse". The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to the road being blocked by some protesters, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. The MHA has taken cognizance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. PM Modi was scheduled to visit Ferozepur on Wednesday to lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore. According to the statement the PM had landed at Bathinda this morning from where he was to go to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, the PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear. Observing no improvement in the weather conditions, the decision to visit the Memorial via road was taken after which PM Modi proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police. "Around 30 km away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM's convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM," said the statement by the MHA. "The PM's schedule and travel plan were communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed," further said the statement. The Prime Minister headed back to Bathinda airport after the security lapse. "The Ministry of Home Affairs taking cognizance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. The State Government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action," the statement said. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also announced from the stage at Ferozepur that PM Modi canceled his scheduled visit to Ferozepur to address a rally "due to some reasons". (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, Jan 5 (PTI) The Union health ministry on Wednesday said home isolation of COVID-19 patients will end after at least seven days from testing positive and no fever for three successive days, in revised guidelines for home isolation of mild or asymptomatic cases. Also, there is no need for re-testing after the home isolation period is over. Also Read | Mumbai: 123 Passengers on Cordelia Cruise Ship Test Positive for COVID-19 So Far, Says BMC. Earlier, the duration of home isolation ended after 10 days of onset of symptoms. It also advised people not to rush for self-medication, blood investigation or radiological imaging like chest X-ray or CT scan without consultation of treating medical officer. Also Read | Neil Nongkynrih Dies at 52: PM Narendra Modi Condoles Death of Shillong Chamber Choir Founder and Music Composer. Underlining that steroids are not indicated in mild disease and should not be self-administered, the ministry said overuse and inappropriate use of steroids may lead to additional complications. Treatment for every patient needs to be monitored individually as per the specific condition of the patient concerned and hence generic sharing of prescriptions should be avoided, the revised guidelines stated. According to the guidelines, patients under home isolation will stand discharged and end isolation after at least seven days from testing positive and no fever for three successive days, but they shall continue wearing masks. Asymptomatic contacts of infected individuals need not undergo Covid test and monitor health in home quarantine, the guidelines stated. "Information floating through social media mentioning non-authentic and non-evidence-based treatment protocols can harm patients. Misinformation, leading to the creation of panic and in turn undertaking tests and treatment that are not required, has to be avoided. "Do not rush for self-medication, blood investigation or radiological imaging like chest X ray or chest CT scan without consultation of your treating medical officer," the guidelines read. The revised guidelines also specified that the district administration under the overall supervision of the State Health Authority shall be responsible for monitoring patients under home isolation. Listing responsibilities of grass root level surveillance teams, the ministry said the teams (ANM, sanitary inspector, MPHW etc) shall be responsible for initial assessment of the patient and whether the requisite facilities are there for home isolation. The health worker should contact the patient daily, preferably in-person or over telephone/ mobile, and obtain the details of temperature, pulse, oxygen saturation, patient's overall wellness and worsening of signs/symptoms. The teams may also provide home isolation kits to the patient/caregiver as per the policy of the state government. The kit may contain masks, hand sanitisers, paracetamol along with a detailed leaflet to educate patients and family members in local language. The surveillance teams shall also undertake patient education on the disease, its symptoms, warning signs, COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and need for vaccination for all eligible members. Listing the responsibilities of district/sub-district control room, the guidelines stated that they will be made operational and their telephone numbers well publicised so that people under home-isolation may contact the control rooms for seamless transfer of patients through ambulance from home to the dedicated hospital. "These Control Rooms shall also make outbound calls to the patients under home isolation to monitor their status and the district administration should monitor all cases under home isolation on a daily basis," the guidelines stated. According to the guidelines, asymptomatic cases are laboratory-confirmed cases who are not experiencing any symptoms and have oxygen saturation at room air of more than 93 percent. Clinically assigned mild cases are patients with upper respiratory tract symptoms with or without fever, without shortness of breath and having oxygen saturation at room air of more than 93 percent. The patient should be clinically assigned as mild/ asymptomatic case by the treating Medical Officer to be eligible for home isolation. Further, a designated control room contact number at the district/sub district level shall be provided to the family to get suitable guidance for undertaking testing, clinical management related guidance, assignment of a hospital bed, if warranted. Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and for quarantining the family contacts, the guidelines said. Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung/liver/ kidney disease and cerebrovascular disease shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer, the guidelines said. Patients suffering from immune-compromised status (HIV, transplant recipients, cancer therapy) are not recommended for home isolation and shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer, they added. The guidelines said the patient should stay in a well-ventilated room with cross ventilation and windows should be kept open to allow fresh air to come in. A patient should at all times use a triple-layer medical mask and they should discard the mask after eight hours of use or earlier if the mask becomes wet or is visibly soiled. In the event of a caregiver entering the room, both caregiver and patient may preferably consider using N-95 mask and it should be discarded after cutting them to pieces and putting in a paper bag for a minimum of 72 hours, the guidelines said. The patients shall not share personal items including utensils with other people in the household. Self-monitoring of blood oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter for the patient is advised. The patient may self-monitor breathing rate/respiratory rate in sitting position, breathe normally and count the number of breaths taken in 1 full minute, the guideline said. The patient shall self-monitor his/her health with daily temperature monitoring (as given below) and report promptly if any deterioration of symptom is noticed. The status shall be shared with the treating Medical Officer as well as surveillance teams/Control room. The caregiver should wear a triple layer medical mask and N-95 mask may be considered when in the same room with the ill person and maintain hand hygiene among others. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 5 (ANI): Eight flights have been cancelled from Srinagar airport after poor visibility was reported due to light snow on Wednesday. "Poor visibility due to light snow prevails at our airport. Following flights have been cancelled till now:- Indigo 137 to Delhi, indigo 6738 to Jammu, Indigo 2015 to Delhi, Indigo 2364 to Delhi, GoFirst 358 to Delhi, GoFirst 193 to Delhi, GoFirst 267 to Delhi and Vistara 611 to Jammu," Srinagar Airport tweeted. Also Read | GMAT Solving Racket With Help of Russian Hackers Busted by Delhi Police, 6 Accused Arrested. "All other flights are also delayed due to poor visibility," Srinagar Airport Director told ANI. Earlier on Tuesday, continuous snowfall and poor visibility resulted in 42 cancellations across all airlines. Also Read | Third COVID-19 Wave Has Hit Delhi, 10,000 Cases Expected to Be Recorded on Wednesday, Says Satyendar Jain. According to India Meteorological Department, Srinagar will continue to witness moderate snow in the coming seven days. The minimum temperature recorded in the district on Wednesday is 0.8 degrees Celsius. (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, Jan 5 (PTI) Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta on Wednesday took charge as the General Officer Commanding of the Leh-based 14 Corps that is tasked with guarding the Line of Actual Control with China in the Ladakh region. The 14 Corps, popularly known as the Fire and Fury Corps, is also tasked with keeping a vigil along the border with Pakistan in the Siachen sector. Also Read | Neil Nongkynrih Dies at 52: PM Narendra Modi Condoles Death of Shillong Chamber Choir Founder and Music Composer. Lt Gen Sengupta succeeded Lt Gen PGK Menon who headed the Indian Army delegations at several rounds of military talks with China's People's Liberation Army on the eastern Ladakh standoff. Commissioned into the Punjab Regiment in June 1987, Lt General Sengupta is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Army War College and the National Defence College. Also Read | Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta Takes Command of Fire And Fury Corps From Lt Gen PGK Menon. In a military career spanning almost 34 years, he has had the distinction of serving in key commands and staff positions. Before taking over the reins of the Fire and Fury Corps, he was the director-general of strategic planning. He has been an instructor at the National Defence Academy and Directing Staff at DSSC, Wellington. Lt Gen Sengupta also served as an observer in Congo, brigade major of an infantry brigade, director of force structuring at strategic planning directorate among others. He has commanded an infantry regiment and an infantry brigade and an Infantry Brigade in the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). (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, Jan 5 (PTI) The postponement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Punjab's Ferozepur to address a rally on Wednesday led to a big political fight, with the Congress alleging that there were no crowds at the event organised by the BJP. Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said BJP president J P Nadda should stop indulging in the blame game and the saffron party should instead introspect its "anti-farmer" attitude. Also Read | COVID-19 Surge in India: Over 6.3 Times Increase in Coronavirus Cases in Past 8 Days, Says Health Ministry. His remarks came after BJP chief J P Nadda accused the Congress government in Punjab of trying all possible tricks to scuttle Modi's programmes in the state, fearing a resounding defeat at the hands of the electorate. Modi's Punjab visit was cut short on Wednesday after a "major security lapse" as he was stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes due to a blockade by protesters, prompting the Union Home Ministry to seek an immediate report from the state government and strict action against those responsible. Also Read | Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's 21 Staff Members Test COVID-19 Positive. Surjewala defended the Congress government in the state saying all arrangements were made in tandem with SPG and other agencies. "Dear Naddaji, Stop losing cool and all sense of propriety. Please remember - 10,000 security personnel were deployed for PM's Rally. All arrangements were made in tandem with SPG and other agencies," he said on Twitter. The senior Congress leader claimed that the route was carved even for all buses of BJP workers from Haryana and Rajasthan, and the prime minister decided to take a road journey to Hussainiwala. "It was not part of his original schedule to travel by road," he said. "Finally, the reason for cancelling the rally is that there were no crowds to listen to Modiji. Stop the blame game and introspect on BJP's anti-farmer attitude. Hold rallies but listen to farmers first!" Surjewala tweeted. He also said that the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has been protesting against the prime minister's visit and Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat has held two rounds of negotiation with them. "Do you know why KMSC and Farmers are protesting against PM Modi? Their demands are - Sack MOS Home, Ajay Misra Teni. Withdraw criminal cases against farmers in Haryana, Delhi and UP. Compensation for the kin of 700 Farmers who died. Committee on MSP and a quick decision," he said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 5 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed both Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress over the issue of alleged hate speeches delivered in 'dharma sansad' (religious council) in the states ruled by the two parties. "Dharma sansad held Uttarakhand discussed eliminating Muslims. Similarly, dharma sansad held in Raipur also talked about eliminating Muslims. In Uttarakhand, BJP is in power and Congress in Chhattisgarh, but no action is being taken by the two governments against anyone," said Owaisi. Also Read | Rajasthan Shocker: 32-Year-Old Woman Gang-Raped by Two Near LPG Godown in Dausa; Accused Absconding. "People say I give provocative speeches, I do not give provocative speeches, I just provide the proof of being alive. If saving the Constitution falls under inflammatory speech, so we will keep talking like this," he added. Owaisi made the comments on Tuesday while addressing a rally in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad. Also Read | Kalicharan Maharaj Arrested: Maharashtra Police Takes Custody of Godman in Hate Speech Case. This comes days after Chhattisgarh Police have arrested Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj for his alleged derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi and provocative statements against minorities at 'Dharam Sansad' held in Raipur on December 26. Meanwhile, a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case of alleged hate speech delivered during 'Dharma Sansad' held in Haridwar. Haridwar police have registered an FIR against Yeti Narasimhanand, Sagar Sindhuraj, Dharm Das, Annapurna and Wasim Rizvi aka Jitendra Tyagi in connection with the case. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) By Siddharth Sharma New Delhi [India], January 5 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a "personal visit" abroad ahead of assembly elections to five states, is likely to return to the country in the second week of January. Also Read | Neil Nongkynrih Dies at 52: PM Narendra Modi Condoles Death of Shillong Chamber Choir Founder and Music Composer. The Wayanad MP has gone abroad when electoral preparations in five poll-bound states are in full swing and Congress has a crucial test not only in terms of its ability to contain the BJP but also for the space as the main challenger to the ruling party at the Centre. Among the poll-bound states, Congress is seen to have better prospects in Punjab and Uttarakhand but the situation has been complicated over series of decisions over the past few weeks. Also Read | Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta Takes Command of Fire And Fury Corps From Lt Gen PGK Menon. Congress is witnessing infighting in both the states and Rahul Gandhi, who takes crucial decisions without a formal senior party position, is being seen as "missing from action". Political parties are holding meetings to decide their candidates for the polls and the Election Commission is also gearing up to declare the dates for elections.Congress sources said Rahul Gandhi is likely to return to the coutry in the second week of January after ringing in New Year abroad. They said the party leader is in touch with the important party functionaries.Rahul Gandhi flew abroad in the last week of December. Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala had earlier said that Rahul Gandhi is on "a brief personal visit". "Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its media friends should not spread rumours unnecessarily," he had added. Rahul Gandhi had also travelled abroad ahead of the winter session of Parliament and is learnt to have returned a day before the commencement of the session.He had taken crucial decision in the party in recent days including appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab Chief Minister and Capt Amarinder Singh resigned while conveying his unhappiness with the party leadership over the way it had handled the organisational affairs in the state. The crucial meetings concerning Punjab and Uttarakhand have been held at Rahul Gandhi's residence. While the party's Punjab unit is uneasy over apparent push by state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu that he be declared chief minsiterial candidate, there are tensions in the Uttarakhand unit as well. In Uttrakhand, a prominent party leader Kishore Upadhyay, who is apparently annoyed with party leader Harish Rawat, went to meet BJP leaders in Dehradun. Sidhu has also, at times, opened front against his own government and ministers on the social media. On Tuesday, a group of Punjab leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjindar Singh Randhawa and Transport Minister Raja Warring met party General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal to discuss the matters concering the state unit. Congress was seen to have bright prospects in Punjab to retain power some months back but is now facing a stiff challenge. Not only BJP, opposition leaders have also taken dig at Rahul Gandhi's "frequent trips abroad". Mamata Banerjee, whose party is keen to be emerge as the main challenger to BJP, had said taken a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said no one can do politics by staying abroad "half the time". AAP is seeking to emerge as a force in several states where Congress has been traditionally strong. (ANI) (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], January 5 (ANI): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday slammed previous governments over the issue of law and order while adding that Uttar Pradesh is now known as the best state in which every form of crime is curbed. "The state which was once prone to riots and used to give protection to criminals is now known as the best state in which every form of crime has been curbed," said Adityanath. Also Read | Cryptocurrency Bill: More Than 36% of Urban Indians Oppose the Upcoming Bill. The Chief Minister made the following comments after attending the convocation parade of female recruits in Lucknow Police. "Before 2017, questions were used to raise on the law and order situation and safety of women in the state. We decided that 20 per cent of police recruits should be women," he said. Also Read | Bharat Biotech Gets Approval to Conduct Phase III Trial of COVID-19 Intranasal Vaccine as Booster Dose. "The state which used to be 'Prashn Pradesh,'(question) today has become an 'Uttar Pradesh' (answer) for the whole country," he added. "We have fast-tracked the Police Recruitment Process. After 1947, today we have passed the maximum budget of the UP Police Force. We have given police forensic institutes to the state. It has been my belief from the beginning that the stronger the police force, the more positive the state will be. Due to the good law and order situation prevailing in the state right now, investments in the state have increased," said Adityanath. Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to the Assembly polls early this 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) President marks 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the nations President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky exchanged congratulations on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Tuesday, with both leaders vowing to promote bilateral ties. In his message to Zelensky, Xi hailed the sound and steady development of China-Ukraine relations in the past three decades, saying that the two countries have intensified political mutual trust, carried out fruitful cooperation in various fields and strengthened cultural and people-to-people exchanges, which have improved the well-being of the two peoples. He spoke of the mutual support between China and Ukraine in fighting COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, saying that their collaboration has demonstrated the profound friendship between the two peoples. Xi said he is ready to work with Zelensky to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to deliver more results in bilateral ties. In his message to Xi, Zelensky said that the development of Ukraine-China relations has maintained positive momentum, with close exchanges at all levels and fruitful practical cooperation between the two countries. Ukraine is fully confident of the broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, he said, and it is willing to continuously deepen the traditional friendship between the two peoples, strengthen cooperation in various areas and push forward the strategic partnership between the two countries. Also on Tuesday, Xi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon exchanged congratulatory messages on the 30th anniversary of China-Tajikistan ties. Xi said that the two countries' relations have reached their best level in history. They have taken the lead in building a community of development and security in recent years, setting an example of jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind, he said. Both countries have worked together to deepen strategic mutual trust and supported each other on issues related to their own core interests, Xi said, adding that bilateral cooperation in various fields has developed robustly and high-quality cooperation on joint building of the Belt and Road has delivered results. Xi said he is willing to work with Rahmon to move forward the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to achieve more results and build an even closer China-Tajikistan community with a shared future. Rahmon said in his message to Xi that the two countries have accumulated creative experience in developing a high-level comprehensive strategic partnership. The bilateral ties are a new type of state-to-state relations of high quality as they are based on mutual benefit, good neighborliness, mutual respect and mutual trust, the Tajik president said, adding that his country is satisfied with its relations with China and he is confident that bilateral ties will have a promising future. Thirty years ago, China and five Central Asian countriesKazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistanestablished diplomatic ties in January 1992. Speaking at a regular news conference on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hailed the development of relations between China and the Central Asian countries and said China is ready to upgrade ties with them by deepening mutual political trust and expanding all-around mutually beneficial cooperation. An 8-year-old girl was killed and eight other children were injured after a bouncy castle overturned at a Spanish fairground. All nine children were transported to the hospital after wind flipped the inflatable castle, toppling it over on Tuesday evening in Mislata, about three miles west of Valencia, The Guardian reports. Advertisement All of a sudden I saw it rise into the air, a witness told the media. I saw the kids that were in the air, I think they fell onto another inflatable structure. There was a young girl on the floor, unconscious. The Valencia fire department was on the scene of the inflatable incident. (Valencia Fire Dept.) The 8-year-old girl later died of her injuries, while a 4-year-old remains hospitalized Wednesday, city officials told the outlet. Advertisement There are no words of consolation, tweeted Mislata Mayor Carlos Fernandez Bielsa, according to a translation. A very sad day for Mislata. In offering condolences to the young girls family, Bielsa declared a period of official mourning until Friday for the victim and her relatives. Agents of the national police investigate the inflatable attraction where a minor has died, in the fair of Mislata, on January 5, 2022, in Mislata, Valencia, Spain. (Europa Press News/Europa Press via Getty Images) Thus, all the planned municipal events are suspended, including the Three Kings parade this afternoon, read a notice Bielsa tweeted, referring to the remaining Christmas celebrations previously planned for Wednesday. An investigation is underway into the tragedy, including whether the fair company has any responsibility. The incident comes on the heels of a similarly tragic incident in Australia that left six children dead last month. Hillcrest Primary School students were celebrating the end of school in an inflatable castle in Tasmania when winds also lifted that attraction into the air on Dec. 16. Two children were still hospitalized in critical condition days later. Washington [US], January 5 (ANI): Former US President Donald Trump has cancelled the planned news conference on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. In a statement, Trump blamed the House select committee charged with investigating the January 6 riot for the cancellation. He said he would instead touch on many of the themes he had planned to discuss at the news conference during a rally in Arizona set for January 15, reported The Hill. Also Read | US-Based Muslim Civil Liberties Organisation Urges Tesla to Close Showroom in Chinas Xinjiang. "In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am cancelling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona - It will be a big crowd!" he said. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the US Capitol Thursday to mark the anniversary of last year's riot, according to Fox News. Also Read | Omicron Could Become Dominant COVID-19 Strain in Singapore in Two Months, Says Expert. The president and vice president will deliver remarks during their appearance at the Capitol for the anniversary of January 6th. Trump was expected to use the Thursday news conference to reiterate his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud and to criticize the House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol as lawmakers met to certify President Biden's electoral win. His remarks were expected to serve as a split-screen to a solemn prayer service in Washington that will mark the worst attack on the US Capitol in centuries, reported The Hill. While Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP and its voters, his planned news conference stirred anxiety among some Republicans who feared that the party and its candidates could be forced to relitigate the 2020 election and the former president's false claim of fraud as the 2022 midterm elections near. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kathmandu, Jan 5 (PTI) Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit next week as part of his four-day visit to India. Prime Minister Modi is hosting the Summit from January 10 to 13 in Gujarat. Also Read | Teodora Genchovska, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, Tests COVID-19 Positive. Deuba is set to leave for India on January 9 to attend the global summit, according to sources at the Prime Minister's private secretariat. The prime minister's four-day trip to India has been finalised and preparations for the same are underway, the sources said. Also Read | US Strategic Interest Includes Ukraine's Acceptable Ties With Russia. However, an official announcement regarding details of the visit is yet to be made. This will be Deuba's first official visit to India after assuming power in July. This would be Prime Minister Deuba's second meeting with Modi. Earlier, the two leaders met briefly during the Glasgow Climate Summit in November. Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was conceptualised in 2003. It has now evolved into one of the most reputed global forums for business networking, knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships for inclusive socio-economic development. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Moscow, Jan 5 (AP) A Russian millionaire who U.S. authorities allege participated in a scheme to steal information on computer networks and use it to trade shares of companies, bringing in tens of millions of dollars illegally, was denied bail Wednesday. Vladislav Klyushin, 41, who works for an information technology company with ties to the Russian government, is one of five Russian nationals who played a role in the scheme that netted $82 million from 2018 through 2020, federal authorities said. The others remain at large. Also Read | Teodora Genchovska, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, Tests COVID-19 Positive. Klyushin's attorney argued for release with conditions, including $2.5 million bond, with home detention in a one-bedroom unit in Boston's Seaport District, and electronic monitoring. Prosecutors argued in court papers that given his wealth, the seriousness of the charges, and the potential of decades in prison, Klyushin is a high risk to flee. Also Read | US Strategic Interest Includes Ukraine's Acceptable Ties With Russia. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler in Boston agreed, saying as a sophisticated businessman and international traveler, Klyushin presents a substantial risk of flight." Klyushin, who appeared at Wednesday's hearing via video, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to obtain unauthorized access to computers, and to commit wire fraud and securities fraud; aiding and abetting wire fraud; aiding and abetting unauthorized access to computers; and aiding and abetting securities fraud. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London, Jan 5 (PTI) Britain's Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer has tested positive for Covid for a second time and is now isolating, a Labour Party spokesman said on Wednesday. The 59-year-old Labour Party leader will miss the year's first House of Commons showdown with Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) as the UK Parliament returns from its Christmas recess on Wednesday. Also Read | Teodora Genchovska, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, Tests COVID-19 Positive. This is the second time Starmer has missed a major Parliament session due to a positive COVID test, having missed out on the Budget session last October. "The Labour Leader has tested positive for coronavirus, a party spokesperson said. Also Read | US Strategic Interest Includes Ukraine's Acceptable Ties With Russia. Starmer is not believed to have any symptoms of the virus and the infection was detected as part of his regular testing routine. It marks his sixth period of isolation due to COVID, having isolated after coming in contact with someone who later tested positive in other instances. Keir's latest positive test comes after the UK reported its highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic, with 218,724 announced on Tuesday. It comes a day after he delivered a major party policy speech at an event in Birmingham setting out what he called his new "contract with the British people" and his vision for a future Labour government. After his speech, Starmer went on a tour of a green energy and decarbonisation research site in the Tyseley area of Birmingham. A small group of Birmingham Labour MPs, including British Sikh MP and shadow minister for international development Preet Kaur Gill, were with him during Tuesday's visit and may now have to isolate. The event was seen as Starmer's attempt at capitalising the Labour Party's lead over the ruling Conservatives in opinion polls after recent stories of alleged coronavirus rule-breaking in Downing Street at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Labour's Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner, will stand in for Starmer at PMQs, where the focus will be on the government's strategy to cope with the continued Omicron surge in the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised by Covid in spring 2020, spending three nights in intensive care. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hollywood star Chris Evans is in talks to step into the shoes of legendary actor Gene Kelly in a developing film project. The upcoming movie is produced by John Logan, variety.com has confirmed. According to a source close to the project, the untitled film is based on Evans' original idea in which a 12-year-old boy who works on the MGM Lot in the 1950s finds an imaginary friend in Kelly while working on his newest film. The Gray Man: Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans Paid $20 Million Each for Russo Bros Netflix Film. Kelly is best known today for his performances in films such as 'Cover Girl', 'Anchors Aweigh', for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor; 'On the Town', 'An American in Paris', 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Brigadoon' and 'It's Always Fair Weather'. Though a studio is not yet attached to the project, Evans is set to produce the film alongside Logan, who is also writing the script. Chris Evans Names his Favourite Superhero But Also Reveals Why He Won't Play Him On-Screen. Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman will produce through their company T-Street Productions, as will Mark Kassen. Evans, who is best known for playing Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has a stacked 2022 ahead of him. His current projects include the animated film 'Lightyear', in which he voices iconic 'Toy Story' character Buzz Lightyear. He is also starring in 'The Gray Man', the Russo Brothers' latest directorial effort about a former CIA agent-turned-fugitive (Ryan Gosling) who is hunted down by his former colleague (Evans). Ana de Armas, Dhanush, Michael Gandolfini, Rege-Jean Page and Billy Bob Thornton round out the film's cast. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2022 12:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, upon returning to the Bhatinda Airport after his cavalcade got stuck on a flyover in Punjab, reportedly told Bhatinda airport officials that they should convey thaks to their Chief Minister that he reached the Bhatinda airport alive. The Bhatinda airport officials told news agency ANI that PM said, "Apne CM ko thanks kehna, ki mein Bhatinda airport tak zinda laut paaya." PM Modi was slated to visit National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala. Due to rain and poor visibility, it was decided that he would travel by road instead of helicopter. He was stuck at the flyover for nearly 20 minutes. Tweet By ANI: Officials at Bhatinda Airport tell ANI that PM Modi on his return to Bhatinda airport told officials there,Apne CM ko thanks kehna, ki mein Bhatinda airport tak zinda laut paaya. pic.twitter.com/GLBAhBhgL6 ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2022 PM Modi's Cavalcade Blocked By Protesters: Security breach in PM Narendra Modi's convoy near Punjab's Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district. The PM's convoy was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. pic.twitter.com/xU8Jx3h26n ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2022 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) Brazil has temporarily suspended cruise ship activity along its shores until January 21 amid a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. In a statement released on Monday night, the Brazilian government said the decision came after a recommendation from the country's health regulator, which said it took into account the surge of COVID-19 cases on board ships in recent days. The health agency highlighted a sudden jump of cases starting December 26, with almost 800 cases detected on cruise ships in just nine days. It was 25 times the total seen over the previous 55 days, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The health agency noted that it is likely rooted in the spread of the omicron variant. The Brazilian office of the Cruise Lines International Association said in a statement that the suspension was a voluntary measure applied by companies as a way of coordinating with the federal government, the health regulator, states, and municipalities. Reuters reported that the Brazilian health agency is monitoring five cruise lines operating on Brazil's coast. READ NEXT: Brazil: Senate Committee Recommends to Criminally Charge Pres. Jair Bolsonaro Over COVID Response Cruise Ship Boarding in Brazil CLIA Brazil said the industry had experienced a series of incidents that directly affected the operation of their ships in the last few weeks, which made the continuity of the cruises unworkable at this time. CLIA added that the operational uncertainty caused huge inconvenience for the guests who were wishing to spend their vacations at sea under strict safety protocols, according to a Cruise Industry News report. No new guests will board cruise ships until January 21, while cruises currently taking place will continue to their final ports as planned. COVID-related cruise protocols currently in place in Brazil include mandatory COVID vaccination for guests and crew, preboarding testing, and reduced guest capacity. Masks are also mandatory for crew and guests. Cruise lines test 10 percent of the onboard population on a frequent basis. An MSC vessel underwent inspection early this week and was discovered to have more than two dozen passengers positive for COVID. Last week, the health regulator interrupted activities on another cruise ship located in Bahia's capital, Salvador. According to ABC News, health authorities found community transmission of COVID, and the ship was directed to Santos in Sao Paulo state. Omicron COVID Variant Spread in Brazil Brazil reported its first Omicron variant case on December 1. Authorities said the travelers were tested on November 25. The Omicron variant case in Brazil then increased to three, with two Brazilian missionaries to South Africa testing positive for the variant at the same airport. Sao Paolo state health officials said the patients had been fully vaccinated against COVID. However, it was not immediately clear when they had received their shots. A World Health Organization (WHO) official cautioned that parts of southern Africa could soon see infections rise with the growing number of Omicron cases in South Africa and Botswana, Associated Press reported. The WHO noted that blanket travel bans would not stop new variant's spread after countries worldwide placed travel restrictions. READ MORE: Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Says Only God Can Remove Him From Power Amid Rallies, Supreme Court Fight This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Passengers Speak out as Cruise Ships Report New COVID Outbreaks - From Good Morning America The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack is seeking information and cooperation from Fox News host Sean Hannity. Reps. Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, the chair and vice-chair of the committee, wrote in a letter to Hannity and asked for his "voluntary cooperation on a specific and narrow range of factual questions," according to Axios. They added that they would not ask for information regarding any of Hannity's broadcasts, political views, or commentary. Counsel to Hannity, Jay Sekulow, told Axios that any such request would raise serious constitutional issues including First Amendment concerns about freedom of the press. Hannity had a close relationship with former President Donald Trump and former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The committee wrote that Hannity had a conversation with Trump in the days after the Capitol attack. Through text messages, he also expressed his concerns to Meadows and MAGA supporter Rep. Jim Jordan about Trump's state of mind and possible actions he may do leading up to President Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20 last year, The Daily Beast reported. The select committee wanted Sean Hannity to appear as a "fact witness" in the investigation due to the nature of his text messages. READ NEXT: GOP Rep. Liz Cheney Says Donald Trump Is 'Clearly Unfit for Future Office,' Tells Republicans to Choose Between Trump and Constitution in Light of the Capitol Attack Sean Hannity's Text Messages About Capitol Attack On January 5, Sean Hannity texted Mark Meadows that he was "very worried about the next 48 hours," according to the Independent. He also wrote to Meadows that night saying, "(Mike) Pence pressure," as well as "WH counsel will leave." The committee has asked Hannity on what information he did have at the time to conclude that "White House Counsel would leave." The committee members also wanted to ask Hannity regarding any conversations he had with Meadows "or others about any effort to remove the President under the 25th Amendment." Hannity also sent a message to Meadows and Jordan in the days leading to Joe Biden's inauguration, saying that Donald Trump cannot mention the election again. The Fox News host also asked the two for ideas as he was not sure "what is left to do or say." Hannity also texted Meadows during the Capitol attack, referring to Trump and asking if the former president could make a statement and ask people to leave the Capitol. Sean Hannity has refrained from publicly blaming Donald Trump for inciting the insurrection, The Guardian reported. Last December, the Fox News host addressed the text messages on his show and said the text messages only said what he has said publicly. January 6 Capitol Attack Anniversary As the anniversary of the attack looms near, Donald Trump has canceled a press conference scheduled on January 6 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The former president has placed the blame on the "Fake News Media," as well as the "total bias and dishonesty," according to another Independent report. The Guardian earlier reported a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for January 6", which showed several recommendations for Trump to pursue to retain the presidency. Meadows turned over a version of the 38-pages long PowerPoint he received in an email. It also included three options for former Vice President Mike Pence to abuse his ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress on January 6. READ MORE: Donald Trump Campaign Paid Over $4.3 Million to Capitol Riot Organizers Before the January 6 Event: Report This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Jan. 6th House Committee Asks Fox's Sean Hannity to Testify; And Trump Cancels Press Conference - From CNBC Television Some Republican senators slammed Department of Homeland and Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for failing to deliver a report related to the thousands of Afghans flown to the U.S. According to New York Post, senators Jim Risch, Rob Portman, Charles Grassley, Richard Shelby, James Inhofe, and Shelley Moore Capito publicly accused the Biden administration of blowing a deadline to submit a report to Congress on the vetting of Afghans brought to the U.S. since August. "The report requested by Congress on the composition and vetting of the more than 78,000 #Afghans evacuated by US forces is more than a month delayed. We need answers, but more than anything, we need @DHSgov to fully cooperate," Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted on Monday. READ NEXT: Pentagon Says No Personnel Will Be Charged Over Afghanistan Drone Attack That Killed 10 Civilians Republicans Remind Alejandro Mayorkas About Afghans Report In a December 21 letter to Alejandro Mayorkas but made public on Monday, the Republican senators reminded the DHS secretary about the "statutorily mandated deadline" he was not able to meet. They said the delay was "unacceptable." "Congress required the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the head of any other applicable Federal agency, to provide a report on the composition and vetting of the more than 78,000 Afghan evacuees by November 30, 2021," the senators noted. They said the information they are requesting from Mayorkas is necessary for Congress to perform its constitutional oversight duties that "include an understanding of the composition of the Afghan evacuee population located in the United States and any potential national security concerns." DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Responds to Republicans According to a letter obtained by The Hill, Alejandro Mayorkas responded to each of the senators on December 28 and expressed agreement with their frustration. Mayorkas told them that he had directed the immediate finalization and submission of the said report to Congress. Other Republican senators also sought information regarding the records and backgrounds of Afghans that the Biden administration has brought to the U.S. after the U.S. pulled its troops out of Afghanistan five months ago. GOP senators Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, and Rick Scott also wrote a letter to Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on December 17 to inquire about information related to the Afghan evacuees. In the joint letter, the three senators requested information about how the agencies are "vetting/screening these individuals." The senators wanted this information to be made available to them by December 30. However, Johnson's office told Breitbart that they have yet to receive a response from the Biden administration as of Monday. A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that around 76,000 Afghan nationals have arrived in the U.S. as of January 4. The spokesperson noted that of this number, 53,000 Afghans have joined communities across the U.S., while around 22,000 remain in one of five U.S. military "safe havens." "All Afghans were vetted prior to arrival and underwent additional screening at the Port of Entry," the spokesperson said, adding that the Afghan evacuees were also required to "receive critical vaccinations as a condition of their humanitarian parole." READ MORE: State Department IG to Launch Series of Reviews on Afghanistan Operations Including Biden Admin's Withdrawal This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Joshua Summers WATCH: Afghan Evacuees Begin Resettlement in U.S. - From CBS News A female Argentinian judge has been caught on prison camera kissing a convicted cop killer, whom her court had previously sentenced to life imprisonment. According to Daily Mail, Mariel Suarez, a judge in southern Chubut province, was filmed kissing inmate Cristian "Mai" Bustos at the Penitentiary Institute in Trelew on December 29. The video footage leaked online. A week earlier, Suarez had sat on a panel of judges deliberating whether Bustos should be given life in jail for killing police officer Leandro "Tito" Roberts in 2009. Mariel Suarez was the only judge among the three to vote against the life sentence, requesting a lesser penalty be applied instead, despite Bustos being regarded as a "highly dangerous prisoner." Argentinian Judge Investigated for Kissing a Cop Killer On Tuesday, the Superior Court of Chubut confirmed that administrative proceedings had been opened against Mariel Suarez for inadequate behavior and is facing possible sanctions. In a statement, the Superior Court of Chubut said the investigation would seek to determine the circumstances of the meeting between Suarez and the cop killer and how long the meeting lasted. Cristian "Mai" Bustos was handed a life sentence that started last week. Judges Maria Laura Martini and Ximena Miranda Nastovich backed Bustos' life term behind bars. READ NEXT: Argentina Football Coach Shot During Third-Tier Match of Huracan Las Heras and Ferro De General Pico The Cop Killer Case in Argentina Cristian "Mai" Bustos had previously stood trial for the killing of Leandro Roberts that was fatally shot in Corcovado, Chubut, The Sun reported. A brother of Bustos also died in the gunfight as Roberts tried to arrest the convict for an earlier prison break. During the trial, Bustos admitted that he had pulled the trigger for the shot that killed the police officer. He was convicted of homicide and was given a life sentence. Bustos was already wanted for murdering his baby stepson. The nine-month-old infant was beaten to death in a crime that led to a separate murder conviction and a 20-year prison sentence. In the autopsy, it was found that the child's spine was fractured as if it had been split in the middle. In deciding the life sentence, the judges considered the extreme violence that resulted in the child's death. However, the November 2020 sentence was revised, and in June of last year, the life imprisonment was reduced to a sentence of 20 years. Bustos was referred to a local police station from which he ran away shortly after he was arrested. There were claims that a police officer may have helped Bustos to achieve his escape. He was on the run for two years and was believed to have been in Chile until news arrived in March 2009 that he would return to celebrate his mother's birthday at the family home. Meanwhile, Mariel Suarez told Argentinian news website Todo Noticias that there was no kissing during the prison visit, Daily Star reported. She noted that they were only talking and felt that they were being listened to. The judge said there were "secret talks," people walking nearby, and a camera; that's why they talked "close-up." Suarez said she does not have any sentimental relationship with Bustos. She noted that she was writing a book on him and that their relationship is a working relationship. "I believed the version of events he gave at his trial and that's why I voted for a lesser punishment than life imprisonment," the Argentinian judge added. READ MORE: Copa America in Brazil Raises COVID-19 Cases Among Players, Staff, Workers to More Than 50 This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Shocking Moment Female Judge Is Caught SNOGGING Cop Killing Prisoner She Tried to Hand Reduced Sentence - From World News A Brazilian man is facing federal charges after allegedly stealing a dead childs identity to apply for a U.S. passport. According to investigators, Ricardo Cesar Guedes, 49, stole the identity of William Ericson Ladd in 1998. Ladd, originally from Atlanta, was killed in a car crash in Washington state in August 1979 when he was 4 years old. Guedes allegedly used Ladds name to get a U.S. passport to get a job as a flight attendant with United Airlines. Advertisement United Airlines (Shutterstock/Shutterstock) According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Guedes renewed his passport multiple times with the falsified information, but was flagged by the State Department in December 2020. He was arrested at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston in September 2021 after investigators allegedly witnessed him using the phony identification to go through a flight crew checkpoint. Guedes is charged with making false statements in a passport application, false impersonation of a U.S. citizen, and entry by false pretenses to a secure area of an airport. Advertisement Debra Lynn Hays, Ladds mother, confirmed the boys death to special agents last July, according to the criminal complaint against Guedes. A spokesperson for United told NBC News that Guedes was no longer with the company. President Joe Biden has decided to increase the current order for Pfizer's COVID antiviral pill called Paxlovid. The American leader decided to do this after the medicine showed its efficiency in reducing severe symptoms and hospitalizations. The initial order for Paxlovid were only around 10 million units. But Biden decided to increase it to 20 million medicines, CNN reported. "Production is in full swing. The United States has more pills than any other country in the world and our supply is going to ramp up over the coming months, as more of these pills are manufactured," the president said during remarks at the White House on Tuesday. Joe Biden Doubles Pfizer's Paxlovid Order According to the U.S. News report, Joe Biden said people should be concerned about the rising COVID-19 cases in the United States. READ NEXT: In Rare Occurrence, California Twins Born 15 Minutes Apart but in Different Months and Years However, he noted that residents should not be alarmed since the government is doing its best to ease the problems in school closures and testing shortages, among others. Biden also urged the people to get vaccine shots, saying that there's still a chance to contract the viral disease. However, he noted that becoming seriously ill is unlikely to happen if vaccinated. Right now, the current administration is waiting for the arrival of 20 million Paxlovid pills. But the president said the nation might need more orders in the coming months. The first batch of Pfizer's antiviral pill was already shipped out last December 2021. The government is expecting the next batches to arrive this January. However, this would still depend on the shipment efficiency of Pfizer to deliver its Paxlovid pills. CDC Says 95% of New Infections in U.S. is Omicron Variant CBS News reported that the majority of the new cases in the United States are Omicron infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report saying that around 95 percent of the newly infected cases in the U.S. involve the new variant. As of the moment, various health agencies claim that the new COVID-19 variant is more infectious than the Delta variant. That means that it can rapidly spread than the other virus type. But other experts noted that infectivity of the new Omicron variant is still hard to pin down since medical researchers are still working on sequencing the variant's first outbreaks. Right now, experts suggest that the best thing the public can do is follow the suggestions of the CDC and other trusted agencies. READ MORE: Brazil Suspends Cruise Ship Activity Amid Omicron Variant Surge The parents of Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito and person of interest in her death, are trying to get back the notebook found near his body. The attorney for Laundrie's family, Steven Bertolino, told NewsNation Tuesday that this was part of the formal proceedings to control Laundrie's estate. He also confirmed that the notebook was part of the request. According to WGN9, the said notebook was taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after they found the item during their search at the Carlton Reserve in Florida. Bertolino said the notebook was still in the custody of FBI. After a month-long manhunt for Petito's fiance, the North Port police and FBI agents found Laundrie's remains at a swampy area in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20. The notebook and other items were found close to the skeletal remains. Bertolino said the notebook would be "returned to its owner" once the FBI closes the case. Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, filed a request in Sarasota County last December 8 to gain access to their son's estate as beneficiaries since he did not have a will. The elder Laundries are trying to gain access to the $20,000 in their son's Bank of America account. Records showed that Laundrie's parents submitted their son's death certificate in court together with the details about his bank accounts and property. READ NEXT: Brian Laundrie Manipulated Gabby Petito to Deposit Vlogging Revenue to His Bank Account? Questions Pop up on How He Got the $20K He Left Behind Gabby Petito's Mom Files Claim For Her Belongings at Brian Laundrie's Home As Brian Laundrie's parents asked for control of their son's estate, Gabby Petito's mom, Nichole Schmidt, filed a petition requesting to obtain all of her late daughter's possessions from Laundrie's home in North Port, Florida. Nichole's request comes as part of the elder Laundries' petition to collect access to their son's $20,000 estate following his suicide. Court records showed Petito's mom filed a statement in Sarasota County, Florida on December 28 regarding Laundrie's estate battle. However, it does not state any specific items of Petito's that she wanted to collect. "The basis for the claim is possession or control of personal property of Gabby Petito," Nichole's claim reads. It added that "the amount of the claim is unknown and is both now due and will become due on the release of personal property." The request stated that "the claim is contingent or unliquidated because it is unknown if the decedent's final photos, videos and words are contained in the property." On Tuesday, Bertolino told NewsNation that he and Rick Stafford, Petito's family attorney, were "trying to work this out cordially." Bertolino earlier said that the Laundrie family will not challenge Nichole's claim. He said Petito's belongings at Laundrie's home would be given to Petito's family "without contest." Gabby Petito lived at the Florida home with Brian Laundrie for two years before taking off on their cross-country road trip. Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito's Death 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: Gabby Petito Family to Celebrate First Christmas Without Her, Takes Action to Ensure No One Else Suffer the Same This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Joshua Summers WATCH: Brian Laundrie's Parents Ask FBI for Notebook Found Near Body - From NewsNation Now House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik on Monday said that anything is "on the table" once Republicans overtake the House, including impeaching President Joe Biden. Stefanik told JustTheNews that "anything is on the table when we are in the majority" after she was asked about the possibility of a GOP-controlled House impeaching Biden in 2023. However, she said she believes that the Republicans should focus on conducting oversight and making sure they pass legislation to secure the border "once and for all." Stefanik noted that the policies imposed during the administration of President Donald Trump "were working," The Daily Wire reported. The GOP lawmaker's remark came after Texas Senator Ted Cruz opened the door to the possibility of impeaching Biden. Cruz cited "multiple grounds to consider" on the matter, foremost the surge of migrants at the southern border. Cruz said that once the Republicans take the house, they will seriously consider launching investigations on the Biden administration. The Texas senator noted that he thinks there is a chance of that, adding that Democrats have already "weaponized impeachment" with Trump before. READ NEXT: 'F--k Joe Biden': NASCAR Fans Join Chanting Expletives Against Pres. Joe Biden President Joe Biden's Impeachment Ted Cruz said that Democrats used the impeachment for partisan purposes to go after Donald Trump because they disagreed with him, Texas Tribune reported. He noted that this is how impeachment meant to work now, adding that he thinks the Democrats crossed the line. Some of the grounds that they would consider for impeachment against Joe Biden was the president's refusal to enforce the border, with Cruz describing it as the strongest grounds right now. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the senator should work with the White House and congressional Democrats on immigration reform rather than making accusations, Washington Post reported. During a regular news briefing, Psaki noted that Cruz should take a more humane approach to the border rather than resorting to name-calling, accusation-calling, and making predictions of the future. Impeachments on Presidents Donald Trump has created history when it comes to impeachment, with the process against him has been conducted twice. In both times, he was saved by the Republican majority senate. The first impeachment was in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. He was accused of soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Trump was again impeached last January on charges of incitement of insurrection, which led a mob of his supporters to violently breach the Capitol after hearing his false claims of a stolen election. The Senate acquitted Trump, and no House Republicans voted for Trump's first impeachment. Ten Democrats joined the Republicans for the second impeachment. Last September, Rep. Bob Gibbs introduced three articles of impeachment against Biden on the grounds of the president's handling of Afghanistan, immigration, and the now-defunct federal eviction moratorium. Gibbs noted that Joe Biden is not capable of being commander-in-chief, adding that it was obvious by the president's actions since he took the presidency in January last year. READ MORE: Republican Lawmakers Led by Rep. Bob Gibbs File Impeachment Articles Against Pres. Joe Biden This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Biden Impeachment? White House Responds to Ted Cruz on the Border Crisis - From LiveNOW from FOX The Irish Second-level Students Union (ISSU) believes that announcing a full reopening of schools, with a two-day notice, is rushing school leaders to put in adequate risk-mitigation measures to ensure a safe return for students. Additionally, the department's announcement has not responded adequately to the shortages of school and teaching staff, and student absenteeism. The ISSU notes the high levels of disruption that schools and students have experienced in the last term, and that any return to in-person learning should be done on a phased approach, whilst prioritising exam year students and students with special educational needs. Courtney Chambers and Ben Campbell are two second level students in the Laois area and are the newly elected ISSU Regional Officers for the Laois Offaly Region. They were elected by second level students in the Laois offaly region, and represent over 14 000 students in the region. I am very disappointed with the decision to reopen schools later in the week, given the current number of covid cases. There is a lack of HEPA filters in schools and mixing hundreds of students in the corridors seems unwise at this moment in time, stated Courtney Chambers The lack of student voice in the making of this decision was unfair to the students of Ireland, and unfair to those who are vulnerable or live with vulnerable people themselves, added Ben Campbell. ISSU Uachtaran Emer Neville, after attending a briefing with the Department, said; Last nights briefing has left students in a position of major uncertainty, and schools will have little time to assess their absences and plan adequately for reopening schools safely. With the high levels of close contacts and COVID-19 infections currently affecting the country, many students will either be unable to return to school or will be welcomed back to school on Thursday by classes without a teacher or substitution. Disruptions will remain a major issue for teaching and learning, which leaves students, particularly those in exam years, at an acute disadvantage. Furthermore, ISSU Education Officer Jack McGinn, who was also in attendance said ; The ISSU has always engaged with the Department of Education positively and were disappointed that students were not consulted, but briefed, on this issue. We note that it is rash to reopen schools as planned and the lack of consultation with all stakeholders on this proposal demonstrates a lack of concern for the voice and safety of students, teachers, caretakers, secretaries and other members of the school community. The ISSU further notes students were not consulted on this announcement. This demonstrates a disregard for how important the voice of students is in this discussion, as an equal stakeholder in education. This approach to finalising the return to school without consultation comes as a surprise, considering a very productive and close relationship between a wider pool of stakeholders with the Department of Education in recent months, in response to the challenges that the pandemic has brought about. The ISSU is continuing to call for an open and solution-oriented discussion with all education stakeholders on how to minimise disruption of teaching and learning. The union is calling for: - A phased return to school, starting from Monday, January 10th, prioritising in-person tuition for exam year students and students with Special Education Needs (SEN). - The urgent sourcing of HEPA filters for all classrooms. - Additional adjustments to be made to the Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle exam papers for 2022. The ISSU is urging all stakeholders in school communities to adhere strictly to public health regulations in order to ensure the safety of schools for all students and staff. The union has noted that whilst Public Health Representatives have said there is no rationale to not re-open schools, the Department of Education have disregarded the disruption that this rushed reopening will cause to students. With high teacher absenteeism and substitution shortages, schools are under-resourced. The current plan that has been proposed allows the possibility of specific class groups in each individual school to be sent home from school if deemed necessary. This causes significant disruption and uncertainty for students, with the possibility of many students not knowing if they are going to be in school the next day. This also raises concerns about whether individual classes could miss out on in-person learning compared to other classes and what position that will leave students completing state examinations. The Irish Second-Level Students Union (ISSU), expresses major concern at the lack of consultation with students on the return to school. The representatives of students were not consulted at a meeting held on the reopening of schools on January 4th, as they believed they would be, instead, a briefing was held to inform the ISSU and other stakeholders of the decision that had already been made. Up to 8,000 teachers are expected to be absent when schools reopen on Thursday, a teaching union has said. John Boyle, General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said thousands of teaching staff will not be able to attend schools because of Covid-19. The Government confirmed on Tuesday that schools will reopen as planned on Thursday following public health advice. Public health chiefs gave assurances to school management and unions that it was safe to return to the classroom, despite the high case numbers. Statement following meeting between @NormaFoleyTD1 and education stakeholders today https://t.co/gtoM7QzM9r Department of Education (@Education_Ire) January 4, 2022 Mr Boyle said while he was more upbeat than before Christmas following Tuesdays meeting with the Department of Education, there were still serious concerns. There is a big caution around all of this, he told RTE radio. The message that is going to go to schools today is that this is going to be an extremely difficult term up to mid-term. There will be situations where there will be classes at home. Priority will have to be given to children who dont thrive in a remote situation. I am deeply concerned about finding enough teachers to keep the system running, he said. There isnt a hope we will have enough replacement teachers and that is me being honest and frank with you. He said schools would pull out all the stops to keep pupils in classrooms over the coming weeks, but that principals needed the support of public health teams and education officials. He appealed to the Department of Education to re-introduce full contact tracing in primary schools. Mr Boyle said gold standard contact tracing was necessary if we want gold standard education in primary for the next three months. Minister for Education, Norma Foley, said there will be challenges in the coming days and weeks. She ruled out derogation for school staff who were close contacts and fully vaccinated, saying it was not something she is pursuing. ASTI expresses dismay at lack of progress on school safety https://t.co/7AnWUkbUCl ASTI (@astiunion) January 4, 2022 Ms Foley added: I was very clear from the outset that we would take a child-and-student-centred approach in terms of the operation of our schools. I was very pleased that was echoed and supported by the Ombudsman for Children and the Special Rapporteur for children and indeed, by the education sector themselves. We have learned throughout the pandemic that children are best served when the maximum number of children are actually in school receiving the in-teaching and learning. That will not be without challenges in the coming days and, for that reason, there are a range of measures put in place in terms of teacher substitution. She said there is a potential to have 2,500 student teachers be made available. A helpline for principals, that is to operate seven days a week, is going live on Wednesday morning. Were asking for particular emphasis to be placed, if you like almost a hierarchy of priority on, for example, children with additional needs, especially special schools, the younger children who cannot engage with remote teaching and learning and certainly our exam students, she added. The reality is that every day, particularly for the next number of weeks, will bring challenges to school management and leadership. A part from a Russian rocket is plummeting back down to Earth in the next 24 hours, but its landing spot is unknown. The Angara-A5 was launched from Russia on Dec. 27, but, according to CNN, a large part of it is coming back unless it burns up upon re-entry into the Earths atmosphere. Advertisement Its safe to say that in the next 24 hours it will be down but where, nobody can say, because in the window of several hours it will do several revolutions around the globe, Holger Krag, the head of the European Space Agencys Space Debris Office, told the network. This photo taken on Dec. 14, 2020, and distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service shows, preparation to a test launch of a heavy-class carrier rocket Angara-A5 from the launch pad of site No. 35 of the State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation at Plesetsk launch facility in the Arkhangelsk Region of northwestern Russia. (AP) The rocket is expected to carry military payloads as well as be used in commercial satellite launches, according to Tech Times. It was supposed to reach 22,000 miles but failed to leave low-orbit. Advertisement The debris is expected to fall somewhere on Earth on Thursday, most likely in the Pacific Ocean. Officials should be able to update their estimations for landing spots as the rocket part gets closer to landing. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more than 15,000 pieces of space debris have been documented. While Russia, the U.S., China, France and India are all responsible for the space debris, most of it has been traced back to Russia with an estimated total of around 14,500 pieces. According to one Kildare Senator, schools and parents have not been listened to by Government. It follows after the General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), John Boyle, said that 15 per cent of teaching staff, around seven or eight thousand teachers, will be absent because of Covid-19 when schools resume tomorrow. Labour Senator Mark Wall told The Leinster Leader: "I believe Schools and parents have not been listened to by govt: it should have moved on HEPA filters long before the announcement of funding." "I believe this announcement should have included a fast track delivery to all schools overseen by the Department and not depending on already hard pressed school management to arrange." He continued: "Priority must be given to protecting our entire school communities, but the govt has been slow to do this. "We need to see the urgent roll out of free antigen tests to homes, it is now becoming impossible to purchase them in our shops." The Athy politician added that the Department of Education must provide contact tracing and antigen testing in schools from their re-opening tomorrow: "The public health advice is that we can open our schools. "However, the govt should have already had HEPA filters in place; it should have had antigen testing in place, along with contact tracing, and it should be prioritising our most vulnerable school children for vaccination. "Opening our schools is essential for our children but it must be done in the safest way possible," he concluded. 'Put the blame where it belongs': Senator Wall clearly doubled down on his stance by recently liking a tweet from his party colleague, Aodhan O Riordain TD, which read: "Govt are hoping school re-opening debate will be row between parents & school staff with unions in the middle... DONT FALL FOR IT." "Children need to be at school, and Teachers/SNAs need safe workplace. Both statements are true. (The) Late announcement today exposes govt failures." Govt are hoping school re-opening debate will be row between parents & school staff with unions in the middle. DONT FALL FOR IT. Children need to be at school Teachers/SNAs need safe workplace Both statements are true. Late announcement today exposes Govt failures: 1/3 Aodhan O Riordain (@AodhanORiordain) January 4, 2022 Mr O Riordain added in a follow up tweet: "Put the blame where it belongs." "Minister (for Education, Norma Foley) didnt respond to my request for meeting with all opposition education spokespersons when I wrote to her on Nov 16." The Dublin Bay North TD concluded: "Demand resources for your school Demand support from the Dept & HSE Demand Hybrid Leaving Cert for 2022." In related news, Senator Mark Wall recently called for clarity from the govt on how it plans address the rise of Covid-19 patients in hospitals. A three hour stand off on Carrick-on-Shannon's Main Street was not the best start to the month of July. Business people and residents stood in protest to a planned pedestrianisation of the county town's Main Street by the local authority. The protesters said the erection of bollards and closing off part of the street to traffic was unlawful. Gardai were called to the scene and eventually stood guard as contractors erected the bollards marking off the road to motorists. After negotiations between the parties the pedestrianisation proceeded for a trial run of four weekends. Protesters wore armbands reading RIP Retail during the three hour long protest on Main Street. The protestors and the Council eventually came to a trial agreement to open the street to pedestrians only, all celebrations arranged by the Council to mark the event were cancelled. Pictured from left: Ciaran Reynolds, Enda McHugh, Stephen Keegan, Brendan Kieran, Ray Gannon, Leo Marron, Alan Martin and James Campbell Picture: Gerry Faughnan The county celebrated a tentative link to the Tokyo Olympics with a Mohill born and bred horse, a 13-year-old mare was selected as a the number one on the Japanese Eventing team. In July we returned to indoor dining in pubs and restaurants, but for many businesses in Leitrim they felt ruled out as they made the decision to continue with outdoor dining. Some restaurants and cafes felt they could not turn away loyal customers who were unvaccinated and with many people under 20 still unvaccinated, while other establishments felt it was unfair to ask younger staff members to ask for certs while not vaccinated yet. Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the community and number of staff absences due to COVID-19 within the hospital, visiting at Sligo University Hospital has been significantly curtailed from today, Wednesday January 5. Visiting will be facilitated on compassionate grounds, on an exceptional basis only. To arrange a visit on compassionate grounds, please contact the ward manager in advance. The nominated support person/visitor must complete a COVID-19 screening checklist and follow the public health guidance, including wearing a FFP2 surgical face mask (when requested) or surgical face mask and performing good hand hygiene regularly. In line with national guidance on visiting, visitors will be asked to produce their EU Digital COVID Certificate or HSE COVID-19 Vaccination Record or other proof of immunity when they arrive. There are separate arrangements in place for access to the maternity department for nominated support partners. Nominated support partners can continue to attend for all scans, induction of labour and all deliveries and emergency presentations. Visiting the maternity ward by nominated support partners is curtailed to two hours per day between 6pm and 8pm. The limited visiting access will remain in place for one week and will be kept under review. AS Covid-19 cases continue to rise at record levels, a local teachers union representative has admitted she cannot see all schools reopening fully, this Thursday, as planned. Laura Quirke, the Irish National Teachers Organisation press officer for Limerick was speaking as the coalition leaders said schools will open after being told that public health advice remains that schools are safe. But Ms Quirke, a teacher at Le Cheile National School in Roxboro, said: Its almost impossible to get a PCR or an antigen test. I do worry we will not have enough staff to have schools open on Thursday. I am concerned to go back. I can see classes being sent home, parents being told, we dont have a teacher for the week, come back next week. This week chemists across Limerick have been inundated with demand for take-home antigen tests. Rory Keating, who runs three pharmacies locally, reported that over Christmas, on average more than 100 people a day contacted his branches in Roxboro, Newcastle West and Shannon seeking the swabs. We tried to predict it. We got what we thought was sufficient supply, but we sold out before New Years. Obviously then suppliers only re-opened today, so we only got stock back in then, the businessman told the Limerick Leader this Tuesday. Our three stores were inundated with calls, he added. We opened on Christmas Day in Newcastle West for two hours, and people came in for prescriptions. But if it wasnt prescriptions, it was for antigen tests. Demand was huge. Mr Keating also warned there is a difficulty striking a balance between delivering the booster vaccine as his pharmacies are doing and carrying out antigen tests. Meanwhile, school staffing levels, Ms Quirke pointed out, were at crisis point prior to Christmas. Its become impossible to get cover at the last minute. Its difficult to get qualified substitute teachers, said the teacher. I know a lot of colleagues have been self-isolating over Christmas. A lot have tested positive. A lot are close contacts, so are not permitted to return. Its a huge stress for school management at the moment. We need contingency measures put in place. All this comes as the boss of the HSE Paul Reid warned theres no indication Ireland is at the peak of the current wave of Covid-19 cases, as the number of people in hospital with coronavirus tops 900. In the Mid-West, more than one in every 10 healthcare workers are currently absent from work for reasons connected to the pandemic, a spokesperson confirmed this Tuesday. According to the spokesperson that amounts to 575 staff out of 4,974. (A total of 11.5% of staff) This includes staff from University Hospital Limerick, the University Maternity Hospital Limerick along with St John's Hospital, Croom hospital and the hospitals in Nenagh and Ennis. A LIMERICK school girl has written an open letter to the Taoiseach and Minister for Education following the decision to reopen schools this week. Sadhbh Ryan is a 5th year student in Ardscoil Mhuire Corbally who is hoping to become a vet and attend college in Poland. The 17 year old said in her honest letter that she needs to do well in her Leaving Cert in order to attend college however classroom conditions are affecting her schoolwork. Sadhbh said her school is fantastic and do everything they can for students however they are dealing with 'freezing' classrooms. The letter read: "My school is fantastic and do everything and anything for us to reach our potential. I love seeing my friends and learning new things. "I have loved walking in the doors of ASM as they welcome everyone with open arms and make you feel comfortable which is a hard thing to do for adolescent girls. "However, for the past year and a half, I have dreaded going into school with the unbearable temperatures of the classrooms I am forced to sit in for at most nine hours a day (I do after school study as well)." Sadhbh went on to say that the INTO have stated the minimum temperatures for classrooms should be 18 degrees for it to be considered working conditions. She continued: "The classrooms in my school and every other school in Ireland do not reach this, instead they fall far behind reaching at most 14 degrees celsius (we recorded this temperature for a double chemistry class I had) and even falls below at times. "It is freezing and I know in order to fix this is to layer up. I can see my school is trying their best by turning on the heating but that does nothing as heat rises and as it rises it goes out the window as they have to be kept open. "It's hard for my school and many others listening to 600 students complaining that they are too cold. Some students don't attend school for this very reason. "I can't feel my fingers as they are numb. I can't concentrate properly and I can't wait for 5:50 for the bell to ring so I can go home and warm up." The teen asked in her letter for HEPA filters to be installed in every classroom in Ireland so pupils can enjoy school and reach their full potential. Sadhbh's mother Tracie said that the school principal has since been in touch to say that HEPA filters are being installed in every classroom next week. The principal spent Christmas sourcing the correct filters which Tracie says should have been supplied by the Department of Education. Sadhbh finished off her honest correspondence by asking the Taoiseach and the Minister for help. She said: "It's hard listening to the Taoiseach and members of the Teachta Dala claiming repeatedly that classrooms are a safe environment when they haven't been in a freezing cold classroom themselves for nine hours a day. "It is unbearable and at this point I am begging you to please help. Of course our classrooms are well ventilated but what good is that when half of my classmates are out sick with the common cold or the flu. "Claiming school are a safe environment is one thing but not experiencing the cold is another thing. "We have missed so much these past two years because of covid, don't let our future be another thing we lose". A LIMERICK man who hasnt taken much heed of fashion since the pandemic began will receive a serious wardrobe shakeup on a hit RTE show. Hair, makeup and fresh new outfits were an experience out of the ordinary for Mike Shyne, who told the Limerick Leader that he contacted the show from a desire to get out of his comfort zone. Since Covid started, life has been a bit of a Groundhog Day, the Limerick city driving instructor admitted. The Style Counsellors, featuring Irish style and beauty star Suzanne Jackson as host, returned to RTE One for a third season, with the first episode airing on January 4, 2022. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RTE One (@rteone) The Castleconnell native will feature in episode three on January 18 and has hinted to expect his entire wardrobe to be gutted in order to make way for new trends. This season, Suzanne Jackson is joined by Eileen Smith, an 82-year-old fashion blogger, who has amassed a 55,000 Instagram following. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eileen Smith (@eileenstylequeen) Looking back on the filming, Mike said he felt at home with the entire cast and crew. I could just be relaxed enough to run with anything that came into my head, he added. He told of his brazen antics which has led to him still keeping in contact with them today. On one occasion, he was sent to the tanning booth for a spray tan and instructed to wash it off after four hours. That night, when the producer rang him, almost eight hours after receiving his spray tan, he told her that he completely forgot to wash it off. After that incident, she never knew whether to believe him. At this stage I'm excited for family friends to see the episode but I'm also nervous at the same time, Mike who previously featured in the Leader last month for a fundraising event said. Now, enlightened with a hot take on the latest fashion trends, the Graduate School of Motoring man has everything in his wardrobe from Declan Hannons socks from Sic Sock to hoodies from Aaron Gillanes online shop in his wardrobe. Although still finding his feet, he soon hopes to take to the streets of Limerick city in pursuit of some clean-cut suits. Next for me now is Irelands Fittest Family but I can't convince my granny to go on at the moment, so while I'm waiting for her, I'm practicing for the next Eurovision, he humoured. MAYOR Daniel Butler has called on everyone to play their part in the "fight against litter" after Limerick was criticised in a new report. Irish Business Against Litter (Ibal) published its final study for 2021 yesterday, and it highlighted that the city was considered "littered", with several parts of the centre deemed blackspots. However, there was better news on Limerick's southside, with the Galvone area praised for its improvement. It was this which Mayor Butler focused on, praising the efforts of the community, local businesses and council. While the Galvone area is classified as littered the report points out that huge improvements have been made in the area. This is due to the work of the council, which cleans up the area regularly, members of the community who are involved in Tidy Towns and other civic initiatives in the area who have given their time to help ensure their locality is clean, he said. Mayor Butler urged people to stop littering, in the hope that when An Taisce's Ibal-appointed inspectors visit again, the city is in better shape. "It is important that the work being done to improve our city is recognised and people stop littering. Having no bin around is no excuse. Bring your rubbish home with you, the mayor said. "This report once again highlights the importance of compliance. Everyone needs to play their part in the fight against litter. There is no excuse for just dumping your rubbish. Those who do it must be called out for this unacceptable behaviour. This culture cannot be tolerated and needs to be changed," Cllr Butler added. "We all have our part to play." THIRTEEN funds and asset management firms across are supporting almost 1,000 jobs across Limerick city. Thats according to the Irish Funds industry body which marked its 30th anniversary this year. Limerick is well known as being a centre for financial services, and one of the citys biggest employers in this field is Northern Trust. Catherine Duffy, its Limerick head, said: For over 20 years, Northern Trust is proud to have served Irish clients and supported the evolution of the funds industry in Ireland. We opened our Limerick office in 2007, our second office in Ireland. We place great importance on building lasting relationships and being part of the communities in which we operate. "In Limerick, this includes partnerships with the University of Limerick, supporting local charities and working with local representative bodies. The latest Irish Funds Indecon report underlines the continued importance of the funds industry to the Irish economy and the positive impact it has in supporting employment both in the capital and regionally. The chief executive of Irish Funds Pat Lardner added: The funds and asset management industry continues to play a pivotal role in showcasing what Ireland has to offer and delivering tangible economic benefits to local communities. As we emerge from the pandemic, Irish Funds will continue to support investment and drive sustainable growth across the island of Ireland. THE town of Charleville is reportedly in darkness this Wednesday evening due to a power outage. In the region of 1,650 customers are affected. ESB Networks are currently working to rectify the fault and restore power. "The whole town is in darkness - you could hardly see your hand," said one customer who contacted the Leader about the matter. "The whole main street is black and all the big shops like Aldi and Lidl are dark," he added. The fault was reported at 6.30pm and according to ESB Networks it is estimated that power will be restored to customers by 10.30pm this Wednesday night. "We apologise for the loss of supply. We are currently working to repair a fault affecting your premises and will restore power as quickly as possible," a notice on their website states in relation to the outage. The Government is not expecting health officials to recommend fresh restrictions, even as Ireland copes with record case numbers. Speaking before a meeting of the Cabinet today (January 5), senior ministers told reporters that they did not anticipate Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan or the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) calling for new restrictions to curb the surge in Covid-19 cases. Taoiseach Micheal Martin told reporters: Its been a long pandemic. We had Delta, early in autumn, followed by Omicron, and I think people have responded very well indeed. And I think that will be reflected when NPHET will meet on Thursday. He said that it was steady as she goes in terms of the pandemic and added that the Government wanted to ensure children remained in school. Outside Government Buildings in Dublin City Centre, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan indicated that he was optimistic fresh restrictions could be avoided. Deputy Ryan said health officials believed Ireland may be close to the peak of the current wave of the virus, which has been fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. It is a very large wave, but it wont be as long, he predicted. He indicated that the Government would support a quicker reopening of the economy as soon as it is safe to do so. Part of our public health is the ability to socialise, the ability to work, the ability to go to schools and colleges, he said. While he did not rule out the need for fresh restrictions, he said: At the moment, I think the measures we introduced before Christmas were the right ones. Under the rules introduced in Ireland before Christmas, nightclubs have been shuttered and large swathes of the hospitality industry ordered to close at 8pm. Mr Ryan also said that relaxing the rules on restriction of movement for fully vaccinated close contacts would make sense, given the pressures on various sectors. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, also spoke to reporters ahead of the Cabinet meeting. The Government has not had any indication that NPHET intend to bring forward additional restrictions on the economy or society, he said. He warned that Omicron was still rampant and the Government was monitoring the latest data to emerge from hospitals. There is no room for complacency and we are watching and monitoring the situation in hospitals very closely. And we recognise there are real pressures there, he said. The advice at this point is that were not quite at the peak. We are coming close to the peak, it could be in the coming days, it could be in the next week to 10 days, nobody knows for sure. Gov. Hochul delivers Wednesdays State of the State at a pivotal point for New Yorks democracy. Recently, after years of trailing other progressive states, lawmakers had been on track to make New York a national leader in expanding democracy. Since 2019 they had increased access to voting and created the nations most powerful response to the Supreme Courts decision in Citizens United: a small donor-match public campaign finance program to boost everyday voters voices in an age of mega-donors. But the November 2021 defeat of two pro-voter ballot questions halted this progress. It showed that New York is not immune from the anti-democratic forces that stormed the U.S. Capitol last Jan. 6. Heavy Stop the Steal-style ad spending turned out opposition, with virtually no response from proponents. As the Brennan Center, the National Action Network and a range of labor, racial justice and voting rights groups have urged, the governor and legislators must redouble their efforts this year to protect democracy for all. New Yorkers cannot afford for their leaders to take progress for granted. Advertisement The failed ballot proposals would have cleared the way for two common-sense, commonplace policies: no-excuse absentee voting and same-day voter registration. All voters should be able to cast a ballot by mail without having to meet one of a narrow set of excuses as required under current law. Thirty-four states are ahead of New York on no-excuse mail voting. And in a state that has seen some of the nations lowest voter turnout, same-day registration would enable people to join the rolls when they feel most interested in voting on Election Day, instead of nearly four weeks in advance as is currently required. Fidel Malena, right, with Democracy NYC, registers residents to vote at a registration event in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. (Mary Altaffer/AP) The proposals should have easily passed. Pre-election polls showed broad support, and two Legislatures had already approved them as part of the multi-year process to amend hurdles in the state Constitution. But false claims that the reforms would make elections less secure went unanswered and ultimately prevailed, and three out of four active voters did not answer the ballot questions. Advertisement Lawmakers must revive the effort. In the meantime, they should enact regular legislation immediately to move the 25-day registration deadline to the 10-day constitutional minimum, enabling one golden day of same-day registration during the states early voting period. Doing so will increase all New Yorkers opportunity to vote. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > And theres much more for Albany to do. Another priority must be to fix longstanding structural flaws at the state and local Boards of Elections. Right now, many election boards in New York lack accountability, hire without basic qualification requirements, and in poorer areas struggle for adequate resources. For years these issues have contributed to administrative failures that shake voters confidence in elections. Thats not just a local problem; Stop the Steal fearmongers use these blunders to undermine faith in democracy nationwide. Lessons from other major metropolitan election agencies show how New York can do much better. The governor and lawmakers must enact fundamental improvements to leadership, accountability, hiring, training and efficiency, to enable equitable, reliable access to the vote across the state. They must also stand up for all voters by enacting the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of New York. This bill would require localities to clear proposed changes to voting procedures with the state Attorney Generals Civil Rights Bureau, to avoid racially discriminatory impacts among other problems. Its an important backstop to ensure voter-roll purges, polling-place relocations, and other actions do not disenfranchise voters. And the governor and lawmakers must follow through on the states two boldest pro-voter measures in recent years, by fully funding the implementation of small-donor public financing and automatic voter registration. The voluntary public financing program will amplify the influence of everyday voters by matching their small contributions to candidates who opt in and are able to show enough public support to qualify. The policy increases diversity and participation among donors and encourages candidates to focus on constituents rather than megadonors. And automatic voter registration would modernize the states antiquated process by enrolling voters or updating their information during routine business with certain government agencies, unless they opt out. As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Congress weigh urgent federal measures in the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, its essential that New York step up in the fight to bolster democracy against deceptive efforts to undermine it. By building on recent progress and prioritizing voting and elections reform in 2022, Hochul and state lawmakers can protect and strengthen an inclusive and participatory democracy for all New Yorkers. Lee is the co-director of the elections and government program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. Perkinson is an executive at the National Action Network, as the crisis director and NYS Field Director for the past four years. LIMERICK City Community Radio (LCCR) says it has been informed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) that it has been granted another 100-day pilot sound broadcasting licence for 2022. LCCR is the city's first and only non-profit community station that is entirely community-run through volunteers. The new licence takes effect from January 15, next. "While the team is delighted with the announcement and looks forward to entertaining and informing the Limerick listeners once again in 2022, they will re-commence broadcasting on Saturday 15th January on 99.9FM," said a spokesperson. "As well as the weekend FM service, volunteers will also office an online-only service - at www.lccr.ie - on weekdays with live programmes between 8am to 6pm and repeats of weekend shows in the evenings. LCCR are looking for new volunteers. If you are interested please email volunteer@lccr.ie pic.twitter.com/DESCS7Sl4S Limerick City Community Radio (@LCCR1) January 2, 2022 The output of the station, which first began broadcasting in 2014, is mainly talk-based with an emphasis on local news and community affairs. The use of the 99.9FM frequency (in the greater Limerick city area) is with the support of Wired FM - the licenced student radio station for Limerick. Anyone wishing to get involved with LCCR can contact the station by emailing volunteer@lccr.ie or by phoning (061) 590999 during business hours. MUMBAI : Private equity investor Actis, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and I Squared Capital-backed roads operator Cube Highways are in the last lap of negotiations to buy Peak Infrastructure, a portfolio of operational road assets owned by Canadian investor Brookfield, three people aware of the development said. The portfolio of five road assets is expected to fetch an enterprise value of $1.2-1.5 billion, they added. Brookfield entered Indias highways sector in 2015, acquiring roads from Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd. Later, it also acquired road assets from Hyderabad-based KMC Constructions. There was a strong interest in the Brookfield-owned roads. Around 8-10 bidders had shown interest in the non-binding offer round. From these, CPPIB, Actis and Cube have been shortlisted," said one of the three people cited above, all of whom spoke under condition of anonymity. CPPIB is bidding for the portfolio through IndInfravit, an infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) backed by the Canadian pension fund, this person added. Brookfield and CPPIB declined to comment. Emails sent to Actis and Cube Highways remained unanswered till press time. The five road stretches comprise a 99.5-km section of the Mumbai-Nashik Expressway; a 183.6-km section on NH-5; a 188.8-km section of NH-18 in Andhra Pradesh; the 32.3-km Gorakhpur bypass in Uttar Pradesh; and a 10.6-km four-lane bridge over the river Kosi in Bihar. Indias infrastructure sector, and the roads sector, in particular, has witnessed major interest from foreign investors chasing higher yields when they are at historic lows in the developed markets, said the second person cited above. Global investors who want to write large cheques are finding Indias infrastructure sector a very promising opportunity and, thus, meaningful-sized portfolios such as these and others are seeing a lot of interest from investors. Toll and annuity roads fit perfectly into the requirements of yield investors. Traffic recovery after the initial restrictions during covid has also been very strong," the person said. Mint reported on 23 September that Cube Highways, the largest investor in road projects in India, is in talks with pension funds and sovereign wealth funds to raise as much as $1 billion through an infrastructure investment trust (InvIT), with Canadas British Columbia Investments among those that have shown interest. In November, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that CPPIB and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan would be the anchor investors of its first InvIT picking up 25% equity each. The NHAI InvIT raised a total of 6,000-crore through the offering. NHAI has also invited bids for three road packages under the so-called toll-operate-transfer scheme, which is aimed at monetizing its operational road projects. Last month, Ashoka Buildcon said its unit, Ashoka Concessions Ltd, has signed an agreement with KKR group entity Galaxy Investments II Pte. Ltd for selling its stake in five BOT (build-operate-transfer) assets for 1,337 crore. The West Bengal government will now allow flights from New Delhi and Mumbai, thrice a week starting today. From January 5, flights from the two metros will be allowed to come to the state on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a senior official said, PTI reported. Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, the West Bengal government announced multiple restrictions in the state, including limiting incoming flights from Delhi and Mumbai, which have been severely affected by the outbreak of the new Omicron variant. Initially, flights from the two cities were allowed to operate twice a week, but the decision was reviewed and in a fresh letter, the state government on Tuesday informed that the same has been changed to thrice a week. A communication from state Home Secretary BP Gopalika was sent to Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Rajiv Bansal on Tuesday, the official told PTI. "... this is to kindly inform that the matter was reviewed and that the state government is extremely sensitive towards the inconvenience that may be caused to the passengers but restrictions are absolutely essential for containment of COVID cases in the state," Gopalika wrote to Bansal. "However, the incoming domestic flights from Mumbai and Delhi will be allowed thrice a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with effect from January 5, 2022 and the same will be reviewed again shortly depending upon the COVID situation in the state," the letter read. West Bengal on Tuesday reported 9,073 fresh Covid-19 infections, an increase of over 49.27 per cent in a single day, with Kolkata accounting for over half of them, the state health department said in a bulletin. President Joe Biden urged concern but not alarm Tuesday as the U.S. set new records for daily reported COVID-19 cases and his administration struggled to ease concerns about testing shortages, school closures and other disruptions caused by the surging omicron variant. Speaking ahead of a meeting with his COVID-19 response team at the White House, Biden looked both to convey his administration's urgency toward addressing the new variant and to convince wary Americans that the current surge bears little resemblance to the onset of the pandemic or last year's deadly winter. The president emphasized that vaccines, booster shots and therapeutic drugs have mitigated the danger for the overwhelming majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated. You can still get COVID, but its highly unlikely, very unlikely, that youll become seriously ill," Biden said of vaccinated people. Theres no excuse, theres no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated," he added. "This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated." Compared to last year, more Americans are employed, most kids are in classrooms, and instances of death and serious illness are down precipitously so among the vaccinated. Still, over the past several weeks Americans have seen dire warnings about hospitals reaching capacity amid staffing shortages, thousands of holiday flight cancellations in part because crews were ill or in quarantine, and intermittent reports of school closures because of the more-transmissible variant. I believe schools should remain open," Biden said, adding that they have the funding needed for testing and other mitigation measures to stay open during the surge. On Tuesday, Biden was set to announce that the U.S. is doubling its order for an anti-viral pill produced by Pfizer that was recently authorized by the FDA to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19. That means 20 million doses, with the first 10 million pills to be delivered by June. A senior administration official said that combined with other therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma, 4 million treatments that are effective against the omicron variant would be available by the end of January. Theyre a game changer and have the potential to dramatically alter the impact of COVID-19, the impact its had on this country and our people," Biden said of the pills. Biden, though, is facing new pressure to ease a nationwide testing shortage, as people seek to determine if they or their family members have been infected with the variant. Long lines and chaotic scenes over the holidays marred the administration's image as having the pandemic in hand. On testing, I know this remains frustrating. Believe me it's frustrating to me, but we're making improvements," Biden said. In a reversal, the White House announced last month that it would make 500 million rapid antigen tests available free to requesting Americans, but it will be weeks, if not months, before those tests are widely available. The administration notes those tests are on top of existing supply of rapid tests and that even a small increase will help ease some of the shortages. Additionally, private insurers will be required to cover the cost of at-home tests starting later this month. Test manufacturers have until Tuesday night to respond to the government's contract request, and the first awards are expected to be made this week. Meanwhile, the administration is still developing a system for Americans to order the tests as well as a means to ship them to peoples' homes. Well set up a free and easy system, including a new website to get these tests out to Americans," COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said last week. Were actively working to finalize that distribution mechanism, which includes a website where people will be able to order tests for free. And well share more details in the weeks ahead -- days and weeks ahead." In a Monday letter, GOP Sens. Richard Burr and Roy Blunt, the top Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, pressed the Department of Health and Human Services for answers on how the administration was working to address nationwide testing shortages. With over $82.6 billion specifically appropriated for testing, and flexibility within the department to allocate additional funds from COVID-19 supplemental bills or annual appropriations if necessary, it is unclear to us why we are facing such dire circumstances now," they wrote. It does not appear to be because of lack of funding, but a more fundamental lack of strategy and a failure to anticipate future testing needs by the administration." White House officials have noted that the spike in testing demand is driven not just by omicron, but by people seeking to travel safely during the holidays and return to school after, and that the shortages are global in nature. Turns out, Omicron is driving a spike in demand for testing...everywhere," tweeted Ben Wakana, the deputy director of strategic communications & engagement for the White House's COVID-19 response team, highlighting similar shortages in the U.K., Canada and Australia. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. A man was recently arrested at a U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector checkpoint after agents discovered $2.3 million in meth and 1,100 rounds of assorted ammo, according to an arrest affidavit. Jose Correjudo Trinidad was charged with possess with intent to distribute meth and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute the meth. Edmund Burke. Russell Kirk. AndJesse Watters? One of the hosts of Foxs The Five, Watters said the quiet part out loud Monday evening, when discussing President Bidens agenda and pushback hes getting from progressives in his party. Advertisement [D]o I feel sorry for Joe Biden? No. I work at Fox. I wanna see disarray on the left. Its good for America. Its good for our ratings. In those eight seconds of television, Watters may have unknowingly articulated the entire philosophy of the new American right, adding to the canon of philosophical giants before him. I kid, of course. The leaders of the modern conservative movement, from Burke, to Kirk, F.A. Hayek to William F. Buckley, Ayn Rand to Ronald Reagan, likely wouldnt recognize todays American right wing. Advertisement Jesse Watters at Fox News Channel Studios on March 28, 2019 in New York City. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images) Co-opted entirely by Donald Trump in 2016, its now sufficiently aligned with whatever he just said, rather than the centuries of principles and philosophy that conservative thought leaders once espoused. Its led this arm of American politics, both in the Republican Party and in right-wing media, to forget about the things that used to animate it: things like fiscal responsibility, anti-protectionism, family values, lowering the debt and deficit, national security, law and order, and, you know, preserving democracy. Now, the American right is off wasting taxpayer dollars chasing phony election audits to soothe the fragile ego of a guy who lost everything for the Republican Party in four short years. It decries common-sense safety precautions like masks and vaccines during a global pandemic that just set a global daily record for the most confirmed cases in a single day in the U.S. as medical tyranny and an assault on freedom. It coddles and caters to conspiracy theorists, white nationalists, supremacists and xenophobes, empowering lunatics, bigots and fame-addicts to seek elected office. And it led one of the darkest days in modern American history, an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where Trump supporters tried to overturn a democratic election, in some cases criminally, violently and fatally. A year later, rather than being the slightest bit chastened, those responsible for that ignominy are now emboldened. Trump is getting ready to commemorate the riot with another media spectacle. This is the new American right, and in the rancid bouillabaisse of patriot porn thats regularly dished out by right-wing leaders and media, its all part of a cause, one thats righteous, justified, and most perversely, conservative. In this context, Watters comments make perfect sense. In fact, they spell out the Three Pillars of the New American Right: Advertisement 1. There are two Americas, not one. When Watters says, I wanna see disarray on the left. Its good for America, hes admitting that he doesnt consider the left to be part of America. Theres his America the one thats righteous and good and the other America, which must be excised. The United States as a concept is effectively dead in the new American right. No wonder there are some on the right openly aching for secession or civil war. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > 2. The cruelty is the point. The new American right is here for the pain, as Adam Serwer explained in The Atlantic in 2018. Its not here to change hearts and minds with a competition of ideas and arguments. It wants to see liberals in tears. Whether its Speaker Nancy Pelosi, AOC, Ilhan Omar, Joe Biden, its not enough to just disagree with their ideas a perfectly reasonable thing to do fairly often. No, you must Lock her up, Send her back, F--k Joe Biden even Hang Mike Pence. The pain Watters wants to see is the point. 3. Ratings, above all else. As journalism in right-wing media has fallen by the wayside, kooks, quacks, cranks and snake-oil salesmen have taken over, pushing lies and conspiracy theories to keep their audiences foaming at the mouths. Getting eyeballs has superseded things like public health and safety and truth and facts, as media stars have glorified willful ignorance. But its not just in media. Trump turned the right wing into an attention economy, where folks like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and the My Pillow Guy just want to be famous, not serious. Attention is the only thing that matters now. Advertisement These new pillars dont belong in conservative orthodoxy. They belong in movies like Idiocracy and Dont Look Up, which satirize the persistent celebration of willful ignorance in America. And yet, these are the only things that seem to consistently motivate the new American right: division, cruelty and ratings. Its a far cry from the things that once informed and animated the American experiment: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. secuppdailynews@gmail.com U.S. Customs and Border Protection On Dec. 30, a 20-year-old female U.S. citizen driver arrived at the Progreso International Bridge in Progreso, Texas and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer referred her for further inspection, according to a CBD press release. Upon said further inspection, Office of Field Operations officers and agricultural specialists at the bridge discovered four undeclared spider monkeys concealed in a duffle bag. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results The Government is not expecting health officials to recommend fresh restrictions, even as Ireland copes with record case numbers. Speaking before a meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, senior ministers told reporters that they did not anticipate Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan or the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) calling for new restrictions to curb the surge in Covid-19 cases. Taoiseach Micheal Martin told reporters: Its been a long pandemic. We had Delta, early in autumn, followed by Omicron, and I think people have responded very well indeed. And I think that will be reflected when Nphet will meet on Thursday. He said that it was steady as she goes in terms of the pandemic and added that the Government wanted to ensure children remained in school. Outside Government Buildings in Dublin city centre, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan indicated that he was optimistic fresh restrictions could be avoided. Mr Ryan said health officials believed Ireland may be close to the peak of the current wave of the virus, which has been fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. It is a very large wave, but it wont be as long, he predicted. He indicated that the Government would support a quicker reopening of the economy as soon as it is safe to do so. Part of our public health is the ability to socialise, the ability to work, the ability to go to schools and colleges, he said. While he did not rule out the need for fresh restrictions, he said: At the moment, I think the measures we introduced before Christmas were the right ones. Under the rules introduced in Ireland before Christmas, nightclubs have been shuttered and large swathes of the hospitality industry ordered to close at 8pm. Mr Ryan also said that relaxing the rules on restriction of movement for fully vaccinated close contacts would make sense, given the pressures on various sectors. Staffing concerns hit Longford businesses as Covid numbers increase Businesses across Longford are facing staffing shortages as more and more locals test positive for Covid-19 or are isolating due to being close contacts. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath also spoke to reporters ahead of the Cabinet meeting. The Government has not had any indication that Nphet intend to bring forward additional restrictions on the economy or society, he said. He warned that Omicron was still rampant and the Government was monitoring the latest data to emerge from hospitals. There is no room for complacency and we are watching and monitoring the situation in hospitals very closely. And we recognise there are real pressures there, he said. The advice at this point is that were not quite at the peak. We are coming close to the peak, it could be in the coming days, it could be in the next week to 10 days, nobody knows for sure. The majority of Irelands sickest Covid-19 patients have the Delta variant and not the highly contagious Omicron strain, hospital data shows. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that while the vast majority of daily cases are of the Omicron variant, most ICU patients have the Delta variant. Ireland is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. On Tuesday, Ireland recorded 21,302 daily infections. Here are today's walk-in #COVIDVaccine clinics. We're operating walk-in clinics for dose 1 and dose 2, and booster vaccine clinics for healthcare workers, people over 30 and some clinics for 16-29s. Keep an eye for updates on queueing times throughout the day. #ForUsAll pic.twitter.com/OJ9ilmiJDB HSE Ireland (@HSELive) January 5, 2022 Speaking at Government Buildings today (January 5) following a Cabinet meeting, Martin said: There is a broader range of pressures on hospitals this year, not just Covid, as there is far more activity out there. It still seems that the bulk of the ICU cases are Delta cases, complex, severe illness in many cases and that is the feedback from the HSE. The hospitals are under pressure, staff absences are contributing. The HSE has far more on its plate than 12 months ago with the rollout of the vaccination programmes, child vaccinations and the booster vaccination programmes. He said that HSE testing, including PCRs and antigen tests, has jumped to around 650,000 every week. Martin said the levels of infection are unprecedented and the next 10 days will provide further evidence on the severity of illness arising from Omicron. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is to meet tomorrow (January 6) to assess the epidemiological data. The government is to ask chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan to consider reviewing the rules for people who are identified as close contacts and are fully vaccinated. The Taoiseach said he does not anticipate any major changes in restrictions but said it was a matter for public health officials. The restrictions we have now are set to run until the end of January and the public have responded well to adjustment of behaviour and that is having an impact, he added. I dont want to pre-empt what NPHET will do in its decisions on Thursday, but it seems the overall picture right now is that the current set of restrictions that have been in place are effective. It remains to be seen whether public health wish to advise any further, but the indications are it will be steady as she goes. He said the HSE is also working to include booster vaccinations in Covid passes. It is clear to us that the benefits of the booster are very significant right now in preventing infection and severe illness, he added. Ireland has 94% of its population fully vaccinated, with hospital data showing that around 54% of people in ICU with Covid are not fully vaccinated. Thats a very high figure, Martin added. I spoke to some doctors over the Christmas period and one of the first questions they ask people is have you been vaccinated? If a person hasnt been, they ask do you regret it? Invariably the person will say I regret not getting that vaccine. All these issues around close contacts have to be kept under review, because the balance is you dont want to take decisions that accelerate further spread. 'Life will never be the same again': Tributes pour in for Longford road crash victim A devastated family of a young man killed in a single vehicle car crash in Co Longford on New Year's Day have said they have been left "broken" by the tragedy. The Omicron variant is set to peak in the next 10 days, according to modelling data. Meanwhile, Cabinet has agreed to purchase antiviral pills that can be used to threat people with severe symptoms of Covid-19. It is expected to be made available next month. Will you accept this post? Andi Dorfman might not be a bachelorette for long after ringing in the new year with a new beau. Advertisement The Bachelorette alum, 34, took to Instagram to debut her new boyfriend. Cheers to a year filled with love and sparkles. 2022 ... I have a feeling you might very well be the best one yet! Happy New Year , Dorfman captioned the sweet snap of the couple dolled up. Advertisement In this file photo, Andi Dorfman attends the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 08, 2018 in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/2018 Getty Images) And it looks like Dorfmans fans are rooting for her new relationship. So happy for you, one commented. You need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince!!! So happy for you!!!! now we need deets on the guy!!! wrote another. But fans wont have to wait much longer to learn more about Dorfmans new love, who also ended up on her masked-up Instagram Story late Wednesday morning as the two left Palm Beach, Florida. Though she didnt tag him in either post nor a November picture that shows the Dorfman and the man, whose face was covered, as they snuggled up his identity may have been revealed. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > Dorfman and Blaine Hart met each other years ago during college through a mutual friend, who went to school with Blaine in South Carolina, an insider told E! News Tuesday. They both happened to be in Italy at the same time this past summer and reconnected after 15 years, the source spilled. They have been together ever since! Tags or not, the source assured the outlet that this love is the fairy tale Andi always dreamt of and the reality veteran has never been happier before in her life. Advertisement Fans might be shocked to know that Hart did not watch her on The Bachelorette. Dorfman also gave fans a side glimpse of her new love on New Years Eve, with a post showing the couple getting ready to kiss. By far my favorite thing from 2021 , she captioned the cute picture. Dorfman dropped out of Juan Pablo Galavis Bachelor season in 2014 and became the titular season 10 Bachelorette later in the year, though she and winner Josh Murray split in early 2015. Having spent the last eight years in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois as Bishop, based in Longford, Most Reverend Francis Duffy will be installed as Archbishop of Tuam in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Tuam, on Sunday next, January 9, 2022, during the celebration of Mass at 2.30pm. He succeeds Archbishop Michael Neary who was appointed Archbishop of Tuam on January 17, 1995. This will be a joyous and historic occasion for the people of the Archdiocese of Tuam and for Archbishop Francis himself, a Cavan man, from Bawnboy in the parish of Templeport. Prior to becoming Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, the Archbishop elect spent over twenty years as a teacher and as a school principal in counties Cavan and Leitrim followed by some years as diocesan secretary in his native diocese of Kilmore and as assistant priest in the parish of Laragh. Last Sunday, January 2, 2022, Bishop Francis celebrated his final public mass in St Mel's Cathedral where he was joined by Bishop Emeritus Colm O'Reilly, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo and Fr James MacKiernan, Adm. While it was hoped to celebrate the Installation of Archbishop Francis with as many people as possible in attendance, and at the same time respecting the public health advice and the current official guidelines, this is now not possible due to the widespread circulation of the coronavirus in the community. Archbishop Francis has decided to reduce the risk of his Installation becoming a potential spreader event, and to show his support for and solidarity with all who provide care for those suffering from Covid-19, all healthcare workers, and all work on the frontline in any capacity, the number of invited guests will be reduced to a minimum. Therefore, Archbishop Francis respectfully asks those who have been invited not to attend in person but instead to watch the ceremony online, or to listen to the ceremony on Galway Bay FM or Midwest Radio. He regrets the need to take this decision, but he is confident that it will be received with appreciation and understanding. The congregation in the Cathedral will now be limited to members of Archbishop Francis immediate family and a number of close friends, His Excellency Jude Thaddeus Okolo, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Michael Neary and a small number of bishops including the bishops of dioceses in the Tuam Province (Achonry, Clonfert, Elphin, Galway and Killala), members of the Tuam Council of Priests representing the clergy of the diocese, and members of the College of Consultors to whom the Holy Fathers letter of appointment must be shown. 'Life will never be the same again': Tributes pour in for Longford road crash victim A devastated family of a young man killed in a single vehicle car crash in Co Longford on New Year's Day have said they have been left "broken" by the tragedy. The laity and religious living in the Archdiocese will be represented. Others assisting at the Liturgy will also be present. Those wishing to watch the livestream may do so by using this link: https://www.tuamparish.com/web-cam As many as 8,000 teachers could be absent due to Covid-19 when schools return on Thursday, according to a teacher's union. The General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) John Boyle said that 15% of teaching staff, around seven or eight thousand teachers will be absent because of Covid-19. Funeral arrangements announced for tragic Longford road crash victim A young Longford man tragically killed in a single vehicle car crash outside Granard on New Year's Day will be laid to rest tomorrow (Thursday). Staffing concerns hit Longford businesses as Covid numbers increase Businesses across Longford are facing staffing shortages as more and more locals test positive for Covid-19 or are isolating due to being close contacts. Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland earlier today, Mr Boyle said that the term ahead, up to mid-term, is going to be an extremely difficult one. He said there will be situations whereby children will have to have classes at home. He added that priority will be given to those children who "don't thrive in the remote learning scenario", particularly younger children and those with additional needs. "There isn't a hope" that there would be enough replacement teachers, Mr Boyle said, with concern about the challenges involved in keeping the system going. He called for the reintroduction of contact tracing, and noted that over 60,000 primary school children did contract the virus before Christmas. Much more had to be done about filtration in classrooms, Mr Boyle said. A spokesperson for the Department of Education described a meeting on Tuesday with the unions and health officials as productive. Education stakeholders were briefed by the minister and public health representatives on how the Covid-19 mitigation measures in place in schools have been reviewed by public health and will continue in place in the coming term, the spokesperson said. Public health remains of the view that these mitigation measures are effective and appropriate. Furthermore, public health officials advised that there is no public health rationale to delay the reopening of schools later this week," the education spokesperson said. Schools will operate in line with their Covid-19 response plans, which set out a range of mitigation measures for schools, including hand hygiene, mask-wearing, and social distancing. Health & Wellness By Chris Boyle Published: January 05 2022 This year, the CDC reported that in the United States, there were over 100,000 overdose related deaths and over 95,000 alcohol related deaths over a 12-month period, said Legislator Anker. Recently, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker and the members of the Suffolk County Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel, formally known as the Suffolk County Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel, announced the release of their 2021 final report, which includes a detailed outline of the panels actions and findings of the past year, beneficial Suffolk County resources and programs, links to other reports pertaining to the growing opioid and substance abuse epidemic, and goals for the new year. The Suffolk County Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel was created via resolution 704-2017, Establishing a Permanent Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel, sponsored by Legislator Sarah Anker, in an effort to address the rising number of opioid overdose related deaths in Suffolk County. As outlined by the resolution, the panel meets on a quarterly basis, conducts two public hearings and compiles a final report that is posted on the Suffolk County Legislatures website. This year, the CDC reported that in the United States, there were over 100,000 overdose related deaths and over 95,000 alcohol related deaths over a 12-month period, said Legislator Anker. During 2020, we saw a rise in overdose deaths in our own county for the first time since 2017. Providers and advocates have shared that they have seen an increase in anxiety, depression, and substance use amongst the residents they serve as a result of the uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Suffolk Countys Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel has worked collaboratively, combing their experience, resources and understanding to help address the growing opioid addiction epidemic during this unprecedented time. It is our hope that this final report detailing the work of the county and its partners will serve as a reference for those seeking resources and provide a foundation for other municipalities to continue their work in battling the epidemic as well. The goal of the panel is to utilize collective knowledge and expertise to provide ongoing guidance and input to the county with respect to combating the substance use and addiction epidemic through preventative education, enhancement of law enforcement efforts, and aiding in the treatment and rehabilitation of those affected by substance use disorders. The panel includes, elected officials, governmental departments, school representatives, medical professionals, mental health counselors, advocates and non-profit organizations, who work in collaboration to address the many substance use concerns that affect Suffolk County residents. I commend Suffolk Countys Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel members who have channeled their personal and professional experience to develop new, effective and innovative ways to combat the opioid and substance use epidemic in our county, said Legislator Anker. Whether it was through advocating for additional funding, increasing access to naloxone kits and training, creating Suffolk Countys resource website, advocating for increased prescriber education and standardized emergency room protocols, or developing programs that expanded education, treatment and substance use prevention, these important initiatives have helped provide much needed support and access to those struggling with opioid addiction and other substance use disorders. Despite these advancements and progress, addiction is an on-going issue that needs to be addressed continually on all fronts. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to create increased challenges for all governmental and community agencies throughout our county including overwhelmed hospitals fighting this pandemic on the frontline, addiction rates increasing with limited resources and economic uncertainty due to business disruption. Relapse has increased partly due to the interruption of in-person counseling, and limited teleconferencing access for those in need of treatment. Mental health related service providers from across the county have experienced firsthand the increased number of those seeking support as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put a traumatic strain on not only residents struggling with addiction, but all government departments, hospitals and not-for-profit support organizations that provide assistance. Since the establishment of the panel in 2017, Suffolk County has made great progress in combating the opioid epidemic through education, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, law enforcement, legislation and legal action. During the past year the panel advocated for the creation a more user friendly and comprehensive website for addiction and mental health resources in Suffolk County. The website, www.suffolkstopaddiction.org , was launched this year and will act as a comprehensive resource providing easy access to information regarding treatment options, where to go in an emergency and other pertinent information. Additionally, the panel also supported resolutions that pertain to the way funds will be disbursed from the settlement agreements reached in lawsuits, which prioritizes utilizing the funds to expand and support new and existing programs and organizations who provide education, prevention and/or treatment services related to combating the rise in substance use disorders and addiction, which generated the litigation. The panel also authored a letter to former Governor Andrew Cuomo to request that any settlement money that was awarded to New York State be used for addiction combative efforts, and not be used for general funding. Due to the panels concern regarding addiction related to prescribed medication, the panel authored a letter to former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health Howard Zuker requesting additional training and education in medical schools in the area of pain management, that will further provide a better understanding of the effects of pain management medications and how to safely prescribe them while monitoring for warning signs of addiction in their patients. Lastly, after much discussion, the name of the Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel was officially changed to the Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel through resolution 102-2021. The updated name reflects the panels desire to discuss and address all addictive substances, as well as the panels understanding that addiction and mental health are co-occurring disorders. Below are recommended priorities of the panel for the upcoming year: Prioritize childhood trauma intervention; Support Addiction Prevention Awareness Campaigns; Monitor the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on overdose rates; Increase prescriber education; Continue to advocate for the disbursement of settlement funds to education, prevention and treatment programs; Monitor the growing vaping epidemic; Support early education initiatives; Continue to monitor Marijuana Legislation and its effects; Commence meetings of the Youth Addiction Panel Monitor continuing effects of NYS Bail Reform and request a study of policy change outcomes; Support education to reduce the stigma of addiction and mental health; Develop and organize a campaign to encourage residents to exchange their expired naloxone kits for new kits; an Continue to advocate for increased naloxone availability accessible on public transportation. Activate your all-inclusive access for print subscribers: Link your losaltosonline.com account to your print subscription here. Your account number is your one-line street address as printed on your newspaper use normal capitalization. Example: 138 Main St. When your current subscription expires later this year, you will be able to renew at losaltosonline.com/users/admin/service/purchase. If you have any trouble accessing your account or linking your subscription, our Subscription FAQ may have the answer you need. Contact howardb@latc.com or call him at (650) 397-5213 with any questions or to learn more. Ensure you get a print copy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror delivered weekly to your home or business! Complete online access is included with all print subscriptions purchased online. Plus, up to four other members of your household can share online access through this subscription with their own, individual linked accounts at no additional charge. (Are you a current advertiser? Ask your sales rep for our special advertiser rate code!) (Alliance News) - Ace Liberty & Stone PLC announced on Wednesday it has acquired one property and sold three others in addition to increasing its debt facility. The London-based commercial property investment company said it had exchanged contracts for the acquisition of a property in Stafford for GBP1.3 million. The tenant is Iceland Foods Ltd with eight years remaining on the lease. The rental income from the property is GBP95,000 per year. Ace also announced it had sold its Bridge House property in Dudley for GBP5.1 million, its Hillcrest House property in Leeds for GBP2.3 million and its Willow & Holly Court property in Plymouth for GBP4.5 million. The sales resulted in profit of GBP2.8 million, the company explained, as well as enabled a reduction in the company's secured borrowing. Chief Executive Ismail Ghandour said: "These property sales yield a profit of nearly 35% on the prices originally paid in addition to the very substantial rents received over a long period. The cash from the sales enables a reduction in borrowing, which in turn strengthens the Company's position for future acquisitions and growth." Ace said it had also issued 130,555 shares of 25 pence in a settlement of convertible loan note interest and fees. Shares in Ace were flat at 84.5 pence on Wednesday afternoon. By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Meghan Markle will have to settle for a pound of flesh and 1 in damages. The Duchess of Sussex will get the piddling pound a buck and 35 cents on this side of the pond from British tabloid operator Associated Newspapers after winning her invasion of privacy lawsuit against the company. Advertisement Shell also get compensation for a separate copyright infringement case, but that payout wasnt specified, according to the Guardian. But Meghans not walking away empty-handed: Associated Newspapers already agreed to cover 90% of her legal fees reportedly over $1.8 million and published a front page apology to the duchess on Dec. 26. Advertisement Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex speaks at Global Citizen Live in Central Park on Sept. 25, 2021, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) 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 in Mail Online, the apology read in part. Meghan, 40, said throughout the case she wasnt really worried about the money. This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for whats right, she said in early December. 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. Associated Newspapers owns The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, and in 2018 the tabloid published large portions of a physical letter that Meghan wrote to her father, Thomas. Meghan sued for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement and embarked on a lengthy legal fight to prove she was in the right. From day one, I have treated this lawsuit as an important measure of right versus wrong, she said. In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation, and calculated attacks. Associated Newspapers finally dropped its appeals and admitted defeat in December, agreeing to the apology and the payments for damages. (Alliance News) - BlueRock Diamonds PLC has announced on Wednesday that Gus Simbanegavi, its chief operating officer and chief executive officer of subsidiary Kareevlei Mining Ltd, will leaving the board to "pursue other business interests" in March 2022. Meiring Burger will assume the role of CEO of Kareevlei, having worked alongside Simbanegavi since May 2021. Burger has previously held various senior positions at companies including African Mining Solutions Ltd and First Quantum Minerals Ltd, where he led efforts to turn around a copper mine in Zambia. BlueRock did not mention a replacement for the position of COO. Chair Mike Houston commented: "We are delighted to welcome Meiring to the team as CEO of Kareevlei, whose experience in mine and plant management will enhance the management of Kareevlei. He has the advantage of having a good understanding of Kareevlei and brings strong leadership qualities at a crucial time as the team faces the ongoing and uncertain challenges of Covid alongside the move to ramp up production at the new processing facility during the wet season." BlueRock shares were untraded on Wednesday, last closing at 29.50 pence per share in London on Tuesday. By Elizabeth Winter; elizabethwinter@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - AIM-listings Kazera Global PLC, Ironveld PLC and Eqtec PLC head a list of 'Conviction Buy' recommendations for 2022 published by Align Research Ltd on Wednesday. Yorkshire-based Align is a research house that invests in the stocks that it recommends to 'align' its commentary with its own purse, calling this "transparent, 'eat your own cooking' research". Align is the biggest shareholder in Kazera, an investor in diamond and tantalum mines in South Africa and Namibia. It has just under a 25% stake, according to Morningstar. Align said Kazera is being completely transformed under new management, with a focus on cash flow. Ironveld is developing an iron, vanadium and titanium project at the Bushveld complex in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Align said the recent agreement by Grosvenor Resources Pty Ltd to invest a total of GBP8.0 million "is set to do wonders for the fortunes of Ironveld". The company is now fully funded to begin mining and ore processing before the end of 2022. Align has a 7.1% stake in Ironveld. Meanwhile, the research house thinks Eqtec is set to benefit from the global push to reduce carbon emissions. Eqtec's gasification technology turns industrial waste into green energy. It is a research client of Align. Other top picks for Align in 2022 include Corcel PLC, a battery metals explorer, and Bluebird Merchant Ventures Ltd, which is bringing old gold mines in South Korea back into production. By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Jefferson, GA (30549) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. High 86F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Manchester, VT (05254) Today Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. High 53F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department and District Health Department #10 is raising awareness of the dangers posed by an invisible, odorless gas that seeps into homes from below. January is National Radon Action Month, and DHD#10 is giving away free radon testing kits. "In the month of January, anybody interested in getting a test can stop in at any of the District 10 offices to get a free radon testing kit," said Michael Kramer, environmental health manager for the district. Kramer said the kits usually cost around $10 and include a postage paid envelope to send the kit to the lab after testing. In Manistee, the kits can be picked up at the DHD#10 office at 385 Third St. in Manistee. People can also call 231-723-3595 for more information. The Benzie-Leelnau Health Department is giving out test kits in exchange for non-perishable food for Benzie Area Christian Neighbors, and is reminding community members that regular testing for radon (every two years) at home, in the office and at schools is an important way to safeguard health. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, behind smoking, according to a release from the Benzie-Leelnau Health Department. There are no physical signs that radon is present in a home. There is no discoloration or visible traces of radon on the foundation and it cannot be smelled or tasted. The only way to know radon is present is doing a test. Testing every two years is recommended as homes settle and slight cracks in the foundation of a home can result in changing radon levels. Eric Johnston, environmental health director for the Benzie Leelanau Health Department, said the testing kits offered by the health department should be placed in the lowest level of the house and left for two to three days before being mailed to a lab for testing. The kits have a envelope for mailing the tests. Long-term tests must usually be in place for a minimum of 90 days before being sent to the lab. Both kits can also be found at hardware stores. We recommend that people do the short-term testing at first, and if they have results near 4 picocuries (a measurement used for radon) they should do a long-term test to get more of a picture of what the radon levels are like," Johnston said. Elevated radon levels can be reduced by installing radon reduction systems to help reduce radon to acceptable levels. Typically, it would be recommended to seal any cracks in the basement where subsurface gasses can enter the home, Johnston said. Thats the easiest method. There is also passive measures, like a vent pipe that goes into the foundation and allows gasses to be vented through the pipe and out of the home. Radon is created by the natural degradation of rock and soil, which has naturally occurring uranium in it, according to Johnston. Be sure to test your home for radon this year and keep your family safe from unseen hazards, Johnston said. According to the Benzie-Leelanau Health Department, most homes contain some concentration of radon and should be tested. About 12% of homes in Michigan have unsafe levels of radon. In some counties, as many as 45% of homes are at risk. For additional information about radon, visit the Environmental Protection Agencys site at epa.gov/radon. Manistee is joining the region with a winter storm warning and heavy snowfall today through Thursday evening. The storm is dumping heavy snow in parts of Michigan Wednesday according to a National Weather Service forecast for most of the western Lower Peninsula. The warning, in effect until 7 a.m. Jan. 6, is for Allegan, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kent, Lake, Leelanau, Mason, Manistee, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa and Wexford counties. The snow tally so far in Manistee is calling for about 15 inches as of Wednesday morning's forecast. "Snow showers will couple with gusty winds for blustery conditions across West Michigan by mid morning," the National Weather Service states on its website. "Occasional whiteouts will occur today. Localized heavy lake effect snow and hazardous travel conditions will continue into Thursday and Thursday night along the lakeshore." Heavy snow can be expected with accumulations of 4 to 10 inches. Wind gusts could reach as high as 45 miles per hour mainly from Muskegon south, according to the NWS. In Manistee County, 6 inches of snow is expected to fall Wednesday, with 3 more inches overnight and another 4 inches possible Thursday. The winter weather could make travel difficult with blowing snow reducing visibility. The weather system will bring near blizzard conditions that will include occasional whiteouts. According to the NWS, visibility issues will greatly affect the evening commute. "Localized heavy lake effect snow and hazardous travel conditions will continue into Thursday and Thursday night for portions of western Lower Michigan," the NWS forecast states. Other areas closer to central parts of the state will also see the weather system. A winter weather advisory has been issued for Barry, Calhoun, Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola and Van Buren counties until 7 a.m. Thursday. Travel will be impacted with 2 to 4 inches of accumulating snow, icy road conditions and winds of up to 45 miles per hour. The east side of the state will see much less than the west and central parts, but will still experience effects of the storm. A wind advisory has been issued until 10 p.m. this evening for Bay, Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Midland, Monroe, Oakland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Tuscola, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Southwest winds from 20 to 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 miles per hour could blow around unsecured objects and may interrupt visibility as accumulating snow showers up to an inch may fall. Find the full updated forecast for the region online at weather.gov. The Reedy Creek Fire Department's Honor Guard has consistently performed at the International Association of Fire Fighters' Affiliate Leadership Training Summit in recent years, members said (photo courtesy of Jon Shirey). The president of the Reedy Creek Firefighters Association, which represents Walt Disney Worlds first responders, says members of its Honor Guard will have to perform without pay at an international convention in a retaliatory move for union members publicly speaking about their safety and staffing concerns at the Disney resort. Jon Shirey said department and district officials initially told him the Honor Guard would not be allowed to appear at the upcoming International Association of Fire Fighters Affiliate Leadership Training Summit, which will be held at Disneys Dolphin Resort Jan. 9-12. Advertisement After Shirey spoke with the Orlando Sentinel about the matter, he said Fire Chief Richard LePere told union vice president Paulette Montero that members could appear at the convention off-duty, on an unpaid basis. Previously, the district awarded Honor Guard members overtime for representing it at formal events, according to Shirey and current and former Honor Guard members. Advertisement Members also will not be able to take time off for Honor Guard duties if they were scheduled to work during the appearance, he said. In a Sentinel article published last month, Shirey and other union members said a staffing shortage at the Reedy Creek Fire Department has put Disney employees and visitors in danger because the agency does not have enough people to respond to emergencies at the resort. At the time, Disney spokesman Avery Maehrer wrote the unions claims about safety at Disney were simply not true. The safety of everyone who comes to Walt Disney World Resort has always been extremely important to us, and we are grateful to all the first responders who continue to keep our property safe, he said in a statement. The union is bargaining with Reedy Creek to add more first responders. Spokeswoman Eryka Washington said the Reedy Creek Improvement District fully supports the appearance of the Honor Guard at the summit and it is not current district practice to pay employees for non-district related events. We recognize the importance of what the Honor Guard represents to the community, she said in a statement. She did not respond to further questions about the allegations. The unions international leadership is aware of the safety and staffing allegations at the fire department and is watching the retaliation claim very closely, General President Edward Kelly said. Advertisement He said he and District Vice President Walter Dix plan to meet with Reedy Creek officials next week to discuss those concerns, focusing on the staffing claims. The [staffing] alarm that the Reedy Creek firefighters are sounding is not a false one, and its something that the administration of Reedy Creek needs to address in order to ensure not only those firefighters are safe, but the visitors to the Disney properties are safe, Kelly said. Honor guards traditionally perform at first responders funerals and other formal events. At this summit, Reedy Creeks Honor Guard usually does a flag presentation, Shirey said. Its team has appeared at the convention in 2016, 2018 and 2020, according to former commander Ben Whitley. Shirey said he was told in late December by Fire Chief LePere that District Administrator John Classe said the Honor Guard could absolutely not appear at any union-sponsored functions because of the newspaper article. Theyre gonna deny that its retaliation, but being that its the first time theyve ever denied our people the ability to do it, and it conveniently happened right after that article was published, it certainly has the appearance of such, said Shirey, a former Honor Guard member. Finding people to perform with the Honor Guard has been problematic during the pandemic partially due to the departments limited staffing, Whitley said. He said the concerns factored into him stepping down from leading the group on Dec. 18, before he learned of the summit issue. Advertisement Our job as the Honor Guard is to provide a service to Disney as our taxpayer, Whitley said. ... If it was requested, we went and did it. And so then to hear that this is the stance thats being taken, its kind of disheartening. The team has about 15 total members, but events like the IAFF convention typically require around six people, he said. The Honor Guard has both union and non-union members, Shirey said. We are one of the few honor guards in the area that are always paid by our department for the services that we provide them, said Whitley, who has been a member since 2013. Thats always been the districts stance for as long as Ive been on the team. David Bonta, current commander of the Honor Guard, said the group has not had an issue in the past with compensation or time off for events, but Reedy Creek is not obligated to give members time to participate. Bonta began his tenure as commander as this dispute was happening. He said he was not told that the district would withhold the Honor Guard from participating but confirmed it would not compensate members for performing. He said fire department leadership told him the change in pay policy was due to the current situation, but the unions actions were not specifically mentioned. Advertisement Bonta said he does not view the action as retaliation but as the fire department trying not to make waves. He appreciates Reedy Creek allowing the Honor Guards participation, he said, but their decision makes it difficult to recruit participants. Its a lot easier to get involvement whenever people are paid, Bonta said. krice@orlandosentinel.com and @katievrice on Twitter There is good news for Paris Saint-Germain, with Lionel Messi having finally returned to Paris. The forward tested positive for COVID-19 last week and had to remain in Rosario, where he was spending the Christmas break. That positive test was on December 28, but he has now come through the period of isolation and has presented a negative PCR test, meaning he has been able to fly back to France. The 34-year-old will now have other physical tests with the PSG doctors, to ensure he is fully fit and that the virus hasn't left any lingering effects. It'll be like a typical pre-season medical test. PSG are optimistic and not ruling Messi out of their next game, a Ligue 1 trip to face Lyon on Sunday night. With the Argentine having been unable to train for a week, that might be overly optimistic. McAlester, OK (74501) Today A widely scattered shower or thunderstorm is possible this morning. Then cloudy skies the remainder of the day. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 51F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. McAlester, OK (74501) Today Thunderstorms likely, especially this morning. A few storms may be severe. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 51F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Hospitals across the U.S. are feeling the wrath of the omicron variant and getting thrown into disarray that is different from earlier COVID-19 surges. This time, they are dealing with serious staff shortages because so many health care workers are getting sick with the fast-spreading variant. People are showing up at emergency rooms in large numbers in hopes of getting tested for COVID-19, putting more strain on the system. And a surprising share of patients two-thirds in some places are testing positive while in the hospital for other reasons. Advertisement At the same time, hospitals say the patients arent as sick as those who came in during the last surge. Intensive care units arent as full, and ventilators arent needed as much as they were before. The pressures are neverthless prompting hospitals to scale back non-emergency surgeries and close wards, while National Guard troops have been sent in in several states to help at medical centers and testing sites. Advertisement Nearly two years into the pandemic, frustration and exhaustion are running high among health care workers. This is getting very tiring, and Im being very polite in saying that, said Dr. Robert Glasgow of University of Utah Health, which has hundreds of workers out sick or in isolation. About 85,000 Americans are in the hospital with COVID-19, just short of the delta-surge peak of about 94,000 in early September, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The all-time high during the pandemic was about 125,000 in January of last year. But the hospitalization numbers do not tell the whole story. Some cases in the official count involve COVID-19 infections that werent what put the patients in the hospital in the first place. Dr. Fritz Francois, chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said about 65% of patients admitted to that system with COVID-19 recently were primarily hospitalized for something else and were incidentally found to have the virus. At two large Seattle hospitals over the past two weeks, three-quarters of the 64 patients testing positive for the coronavirus were admitted with a primary diagnosis other than COVID-19. Joanne Spetz, associate director of research at the Healthforce Center at the University of California, San Francisco, said the rising number of cases like that is both good and bad. The lack of symptoms shows vaccines, boosters and natural immunity from prior infections are working, she said. The bad news is that the numbers mean the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, and some percentage of those people will wind up needing hospitalization. Advertisement This week, 36% of California hospitals reported critical staffing shortages. And 40% are expecting such shortages. Some hospitals are reporting as much as one quarter of their staff out for virus-related reasons, said Kiyomi Burchill, the California Hospital Associations vice president for policy and leader on pandemic matters. In response, hospitals are turning to temporary staffing agencies or transferring patients out. University of Utah Health plans to keep more than 50 beds open because it doesnt have enough nurses. It is also rescheduling surgeries that arent urgent. In Florida, a hospital temporarily closed its maternity ward because of staff shortages. In Alabama, where most of the population is unvaccinated, UAB Health in Birmingham put out an urgent request for people to go elsewhere for COVID-19 tests or minor symptoms and stay home for all but true emergencies. Treatment rooms were so crowded that some patients had to be evaluated in hallways and closets. As of Monday, New York state had just over 10,000 people in the hospital with COVID-19, including 5,500 in New York City. Thats the most in either the city or state since the disastrous spring of 2020. Advertisement New York City hospital officials, though, reported that things havent become dire. Generally, the patients arent as sick as they were back then. Of the patients hospitalized in New York City, around 600 were in ICU beds. Were not even halfway to what we were in April 2020, said Dr. David Battinelli, the physician-in-chief for Northwell Health, New York states largest hospital system. Similarly, in Washington state, the number of COVID-19-infected people on ventilators increased over the past two weeks, but the share of patients needing such equipment dropped. In South Carolina, which is seeing unprecedented numbers of new cases and a sharp rise in hospitalizations, Gov. Henry McMaster took note of the seemingly less-serious variant and said: Theres no need to panic. Be calm. Be happy. Amid the omicron-triggered surge in demand for COVID-19 testing across the U.S., New York Citys Fire Department is asking people not to call for ambulance just because they are having trouble finding a test. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced new or expanded testing sites in nine cities to steer test-seekers away from ERs. About 300 National Guard members are being sent to help out at those centers. Advertisement In Connecticut, many ER patients are in beds in hallways, and nurses are often working double shifts because of staffing shortages, said Sherri Dayton, a nurse at the Backus Plainfield Emergency Care Center. Many emergency rooms have hours-long waiting times, she said. We are drowning. We are exhausted, Dayton said. Doctors and nurses are complaining about burnout and a sense their neighbors are no longer treating the pandemic as a crisis, despite day after day of record COVID-19 cases. In the past, we didnt have the vaccine, so it was us all hands together, all the support. But that support has kind of dwindled from the community, and people seem to be moving on without us, said Rachel Chamberlin, a nurse at New Hampshires Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Edward Merrens, chief clinical officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, said more than 85% of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated. The Health Report Weekly A weekly update on health news in Florida. > Several patients in the hospitals COVID-19 ICU unit were on ventilators, a breathing tube down their throats. In one room, staff members made preparations for what they feared would be the final family visit for a dying patient. Advertisement One of the unvaccinated was Fred Rutherford, a 55-year-old from Claremont, New Hampshire. His son carried him out of the house when he became sick and took him to the hospital, where he needed a breathing tube for a while and feared he might die. If he returns home, he said, he promises to get vaccinated and tell others to do so too. I probably thought I was immortal, that I was tough, Rutherford said, speaking from his hospital bed behind a window, his voice weak and shaky. But he added: I will do anything I can to be the voice of people that dont understand youve got to get vaccinated. Youve got to get it done to protect each other. ___ Casey reported from Boston and Thompson from Sacramento. Associated Press writers Terry Tang and Bobby Calvan in New York City contributed to this report. The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota fired 700 unvaccinated employees on Tuesday after they failed to get the shots by the Monday deadline, according to news reports. (TNS) Amid vaccine mandate challenges nationwide, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota fired 700 unvaccinated employees on Tuesday after they failed to get the shots by the Monday deadline, according to news reports. The firings represent about 1% of Mayos 73,000 workers, reported WCCO-TV, a CBS affiliate in Minnesota. Advertisement The employees were required to either receive at least the first protective shot against COVID-19 or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Mayo said it granted the majority of exemption requests, the Star Tribune reported. Advertisement If the fired employees later get vaccinated, they can return to the Rochester-based health system for future job openings. Mayo also operates hospitals and clinics in Arizona, Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin. While Mayo Clinic is saddened to lose valuable employees, we need to take all steps necessary to keep our patients, workforce, visitors and communities safe, the clinic said in a statement. Based on science and data, its clear that vaccination keeps people out of the hospital and saves lives. Thats true for everyone in our communities and its especially true for the many patients with serious or complex diseases who seek care at Mayo Clinic each day, the statement continued. Mayo joins employers across the country that are firing or otherwise punishing workers who refuse to take the vaccine. There are no federal laws preventing employers from requiring all employees physically entering workplace to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But Republican-led states, conservative organizations and businesses have been fighting workplace vaccine mandates. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hold a hastily scheduled special session to weigh challenges to two Biden administration policies covering vaccine requirements for millions of workers, policies that affect large employers and health care workers. Advertisement In a special session in Florida, legislators in November voted to approve a bill pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fine businesses with vaccine mandates for employees. The Health Report Weekly A weekly update on health news in Florida. > Many Republicans who debated the bill argued it was a way to push back against the vaccine requirement for businesses issued by President Joe Bidens administration through an executive order, the Sentinels Gray Rohrer reported. In late December, Floridas Department of Economic Opportunity moved forward with a rule that would allow government workers to be eligible for unemployment benefits if they are let go from jobs for refusing to comply with coronavirus vaccination mandates, News4Jax reported. The controversy is affecting the military as well. Over 97% of active-duty forces have received at least one shot. But about 30,000 active-duty service members remain unvaccinated, despite a Defense Department mandate issued in August and deadlines that have passed, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. In Texas, officials indicated Tuesday that thousands of National Guard members are refusing vaccines in the latest challenge. Advertisement Texas has over 20,000 National Guard members, the largest contingent of any state. About 40% of its Army National Guard are refusing vaccination for either religious accommodation needs or otherwise, according to the lawsuit filed in a federal court in East Texas. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Xian, Shaanxi proivnce, has drawn much attention. A young man, named Xu Kai, in an ambulance parking lot in Xian, recorded ambulances supporting Xian from all over the country. As of Dec 27 2021, Xu Kai organized a team of volunteers to cook free meals for staff members who controlled and prevented the epidemic spread, and some of the meals were delivered to more than 100 ambulance drivers who rushed to Xian. After delivering food late at night, he saw ambulances from all over the country in the parking lot. He was so shocked and moved that he recorded it on video. Xu Kai used the license plate numbers to find out which provinces the cars were from, including Anhui, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Sichuan and Heilongjiang. According to the intensified COVID-19 pandemic in Xian, it received supports from all parts of China. Tan Zunchao, an agricultural products e-commerce dealer in Anhui, concerned the warmth of front-line health care workers who fight against the COVID-19. Many anti-pandemic workers are working outdoors, so it must be very cold. I couldnt help them much, so I wanted to give them something to keep warm.Tan said. After discussing with his friend Liu Jiapei, he decided to donate heating equipment together. Then a truck carrying exothermic pads and heaters worth 468,000 yuan (around $73,429) set off from Hefei, traveled about 1,000 kilometers for 14 hours, and successfully arrived in Xi 'an. (By Li Ruichuan) Nearly one in three COVID-19 tests in Orange County has been positive over the past two weeks with the omicron variant igniting a new wave of the virus across the nation, Mayor Jerry Demings said Tuesday. Demings said he feared further spread could strain the workforce countywide. He urged employers to encourage sick employees to stay home, and to get tested. Advertisement If were not careful as the rate of transmission is obviously picking up, we could find ourselves adversely affecting the workforce here in Central Florida, he said. Demings said 254 county employees are out of work after testing positive for the virus. Among positive county employees are 59 corrections officers, 53 from the countys fire department and 49 in the utility department. Advertisement While at Orange County Public Schools, 434 staffers called out sick Tuesday, which marked the first day of school after Winter Break, Superintendent Barbara Jenkins said. Of those, 92 were bus drivers, about 14% of the districts drivers. I would encourage parents to have alternative plans, Jenkins said of getting children to school. We will get to students, its just in some instances that driver has to make one run to the school and then make a second run to go pick up other students, so its going to be delayed. She said the school system has automated calls to parents if buses are going to be delayed, but its not always in enough time to make adequate plans. OCPS enacted a mask mandate for its employees and encourages parents to consider masking their children with virus spread so prevalent, Jenkins said. Meanwhile Orlando is requiring employees to wear masks when entering a city building, in a common area and when social distancing isnt possible. Masks arent required at an employees workspace if they can be appropriately distanced. Visitors to City Hall, neighborhood centers and other city facilities are also required to wear face masks, according to an email distributed to employees. Demings required county employees to wear masks at work last week, and reiterated it will be in place for the foreseeable future. However, he said he didnt want to enact a toothless emergency order affecting the public, following changes in state law meant to curtail the ability of local officials to issue mandates. Testing remains in high demand across the state, including in Orange County where three testing sites feature hours-long lines. While lines close prior to their scheduled 5 p.m. time daily, Demings said site managers encourage people to line up by 7 a.m. to increase the chance they receive a test. Advertisement More than 90% of the people testing positive for the virus are unvaccinated, said Alvina Chu, epidemiology program manager for the state Health Department in Orange County. For instance, unvaccinated people accounted for 3,956 of the 4,100 new infections reported Monday in the county. Cases continue to be propelled by persons who are unvaccinated, she said. Orange County is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a community of high transmission, which the CDC defines as more than 100 cases per 100,000 people. Chu said the county has 1,823 cases per 100,000 people. A week ago, the rate was 788 cases per 100,000. Despite the soaring infection rate, the surge is not yet swamping hospital intensive care units or causing a spike in deaths. Advertisement The Health Report Weekly A weekly update on health news in Florida. > State data shows 35 people in Orange County died of COVID in November and December, including 14 last month. By comparison, 725 people in the county died of COVID in August and September during a summer surge blamed on the virus delta variant. Chu said she could not predict when the current surge will peak. We have to wait and see, she said. You never know when the peak is over until its over. The amount of virus circulating in the countys wastewater continues to explode, reaching 13.8 million parts per liter on Dec. 30, far exceeding the 8.2 million found three days prior. We have never recorded anything this high, said utilities director Ed Torres. Advertisement rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com, shudak@orlandosentinel.com As omicrons spread outpaces an overwhelming demand for COVID-19 tests, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has a solution that contradicts advice from myriad public health experts: test fewer people. In a Monday news briefing, the surgeon general took aim at mass testing and said the Florida Department of Health will soon recommend people forgo testing unless it will be what he labels high-value. Advertisement The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends people get tested if they have symptoms, have had close contact with someone with COVID-19, or if they are not fully vaccinated. Some federal vaccination mandates require weekly testing in lieu of vaccination. The coming guidelines will discourage tests for people at lower risk of severe outcomes, such as children and people without symptoms, but encourage tests for people more likely to need treatment for COVID-19, such as the elderly, he said. Advertisement My departments goal ... doesnt restrict access to testing, but reduces the use of low-value testing and prioritizes high-value testing. ... High-value testing is testing that is likely to change outcomes, Ladapo said during the news conference at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. We need to unwind this planning and living ones life around testing. Florida International University epidemiologist Mary Jo Trepka said Ladapo wrongly implies that the highest value gained from testing is determining whether someone needs to be treated for COVID-19, when in fact, perhaps more valuable is the ability of tests to tell someone whether they need to isolate, thus reducing community spread. Trepka pointed to recent evidence that Floridas go-to treatments, monoclonal antibodies, do not work as well against omicron as they have worked against past variants. One brand, GlaxoSmithKlines Sotrovimab, seems to work better than others but it is in short supply nationwide, she added. We dont really have an effective treatment for COVID-19 with the omicron variant. Theres really only one monoclonal antibody, she said. But I would argue that you can really prevent a lot of infections if you test widely because then those people who are asymptomatic or very mildly ill can find out if they have COVID-19 and then they can ... avoid spending time with highly vulnerable people. The CDC points to ample evidence that shows that though children are at lower risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, they can still spread the virus to others, as can asymptomatic people who may not know they have COVID-19. Elena Cyrus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Central Floridas College of Medicine, said community testing has guided public health responses for decades and helped control viruses alongside measures such as vaccination. In all epidemics from HIV to previous SARS, screening remains one of the most cost effective ways to help prevent and control the spread of a disease/virus, she wrote in an email. Accurate testing data guides decisions such as whether to reopen schools or initiate mandates. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings ended the countys state of emergency in October because its COVID-19 test positivity rate remained under 5% for two weeks, for instance. Advertisement Gov. Ron DeSantis in Mondays news briefing affirmed Ladapos decision and suggested that reduced testing would also help increase access to tests statewide for vulnerable populations such as the elderly. The Health Report Weekly A weekly update on health news in Florida. > What you are seeing is there are people going to the drug stores, buying all these tests. Theyll go multiple times per week to the sites and test, without symptoms. That is just going to contribute to some of the crunch that you are seeing, DeSantis said. Long lines and depleted resources have plagued testing sites in recent weeks. Demand was so extreme in Seminole County, for instance, that cars lined up for a test kit giveaway starting at 6 a.m. The line was closed shortly after the giveaway began at 10 a.m., with nearly 11,000 tests distributed in total, Seminole County officials said. There are ways to make testing more efficient without decreasing the number of people who get tested, however. Dr. Ethan Berke, chief public health officer for UnitedHealth Group in Minnesota, has helped organizations across the country design COVID-19 mitigation plans throughout the pandemic. One strategy involved testing multiple peoples samples with a single device at a school in Washington, D.C. that required students to have negative COVID-19 tests each week. Groups of eight to 14 students individual cotton swabs were put in a single test device. In the vast majority of groups, everyone was negative and no further testing was needed. As a result, the school saved tests and money, he said. Advertisement One way to increase capacity is to put more people on the bus, instead of everybody driving in their own car, Berke said. Thats a huge advantage, then, of being able to test frequently enough and not burn through resources that then they become unavailable ... So thats an example of how there are ways to get creative at that population level in looking at whats the prevalence in the community. ccatherman@orlandosentinel.com; @CECatherman on Twitter Mary C. (Hoff) Lee, 84, of Atlantic passed away Sunday, May 1, 2022, in her residence. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Loutzenhiser-Jordan Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 366-368 S. Main St., Greenville. Kapil Sharma is finally coming up with his Netflix special titled, Kapil Sharma - I Am Not Done Yet. The comedy special was announced in January 2021 and the release date along with the introduction video as well as the teaser has now been dropped online. The ace comedians social media stint is controversial, to say the least. Be it his Tweets addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his ugly fight with a journalist, Kapil has often made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Kapil Sharma Instagram When his controversial Tweets went viral, it was alleged that he was drunk at that time. Later, Kapil and other celebs present on his show even cracked sly jokes about it. However, for the first time, Kapil is opening up about the social media controversy and has stated that those were in fact drunk tweets from him. In the teaser that he dropped on Twitter with the caption, Dont tell Netflix that I have leaked the footage kapil sharma: I am not done yet! @NetflixIndia @beingu_studios #kapilsharmaonnetflix, Kapil can be seen addressing the controversy in his trademark humour. Dont tell Netflix that I have leaked the footage kapil sharma: I am not done yet! @NetflixIndia @beingu_studios #kapilsharmaonnetflix pic.twitter.com/WlcHru0rUP Kapil Sharma (@KapilSharmaK9) January 5, 2022 He reveals that after courting controversy with his Tweets, he flew to the Maldives and spent Rs 9 lakh in just a few days. He also made sure he stayed away from the internet. He further joked that he wants to sue Twitter for not mentioning Drunk Tweets below his tweets like they mentioned Manipulated below some politicians tweets. He also quipped that Kapil Sharma shouldnt be blamed for those tweets and instead the controversy is courtesy Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker. Kapil Sharma Instagram A few minutes before dropping the Netflix Special teaser, Kapil also posted a video where he announced the release date of his comedy special and revealed what all the audience will get to see in it. His tweet read, Lets meet on 28th January on your Netflix screen Television with my first stand up special Kapil sharma: I m not done yet! Lets meet on 28th January on your Netflix screen with my first stand up special Kapil sharma: I m not done yet! #kapilsharmaonnetflix @NetflixIndia @netflix @beingustudios @GoswamiAnukalp pic.twitter.com/e0EaUt5xnB Kapil Sharma (@KapilSharmaK9) January 5, 2022 Are you excited about Kapil Sharmas new comedy special? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who entered Bollywood after winning the Miss World title in 2000, is one of the most loved celebrities globally. She made her Bollywood debut with the 2003 film The Hero and went on to deliver hits like Fashion, Barfi, Krrish 3, Agneepath, Don, Bajirao Mastani among others. After proving her mettle in the Hindi film industry, PeeCee is now busy conquering Hollywood. Recently seen in The Matrix Resurrections with Keanu Reeves, the Kaminey star has welcomed New Year 2022 with a bang. Well, Priyanka has now become the most followed Bollywood celebrity on Instagram. She has beaten the likes of Katrina Kaif, Shraddha Kapoor, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone among other B-Town stars to bag the top spot with 72.4 million followers on the popular social media platform. Surprisingly, Shraddha Kapoor is the second most followed B-Town celeb on the photo-sharing app with 68.6 million followers. Deepika Padukone is on the third spot with 63.5 followers, followed by Katrina Kaif with 60.4 million followers. Talking about male stars, Akshay Kumar is the most followed Bollywood celebrity with around 58.3 followers. However, his follower count is much lesser than his Aitraaz co-star. While Salman is the second most followed male Bollywood star with 48.5 million followers. This is indeed a great achievement for Priyanka Chopra. On the career front, she will be seen in Citadel alongside Richard Madden and has also signed an Indian wedding comedy with Mindy Kaling. Telugu superstar Allu Arjun is currently riding high on the success of his latest release Pushpa. The movie is breaking records across the country and is riding high on earning moolah as well. Just like his brilliant choice of movies, his penchant for all things in life is grand. The actor, who was earlier living in a beautiful house called Blessing in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, moved to a super swanky, minimalistic, box-like house, which basically looks like something straight out of a sci-fi film! Aamir & Hameeda Associates The minimalist style house is unlike any celebrity home weve seen, even in pictures. Designed by architects Aamir and Hameeda Associates it is spread over 8,000 sq feet and built on a plot of land of around 2 acres. Aamir & Hameeda Associates Aamir & Hameeda Associates I mean, look at the view of the breakfast table with that jazzy open kitchen and an inviting swimming pool outside. Aamir & Hameeda Associates An open bathroom attached to your master bedroom? Yes please! Wed shower all day long here. Aamir & Hameeda Associates Aamir & Hameeda Associates The passage that connects the whole house, and the beautiful corners around the place are so posh and chic . Aamir & Hameeda Associates Aamir & Hameeda Associates The house is made on land on the outskirts of Hyderabad where only 20% of construction is possible. Honestly, this rectangular box-like majestic abode looks like its a house from a galaxy which mankind will discover in the future. Source: Houzz.in Javed Akhtar is no stranger to trolling and has often been criticized for his views concerning national issues. A while ago, he was in the headlines as he compared the Taliban and the Hindu right-wing that triggered controversy. This time, he has asked people to forgive the woman, who is the apparent mastermind behind the Bulli Bai app. For the unversed, an 18-year-old girl Shweta Singh and two young students have been arrested over the Bulli Bai app that shared objectionable pictures of Muslim women for an online auction. She is termed as the prime accused in the case, who was in constant touch with Vishal Kumar, an engineering student from Bengaluru who was arrested in connection with the same case on Monday. 18-year-old Shweta Singh has been taken into custody by Mumbai Police, in connection with the Bulli Bai app case. The procedure is underway for her transit remand at Rudrapur police station: Uttarakhand Police Headquarters, reported news agency ANI. 18-year-old Shweta Singh has been taken into custody by Mumbai Police, in connection with the 'Bulli Bai' app case. The procedure is underway for her transit remand at Rudrapur police station: Uttarakhand Police Headquarters ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2022 As per a report in India Today, she lost both her parents. She lost her father to Covid-19 last year and lost her mother to cancer before this. She has an elder sister who is a commerce graduate, while her younger sister and brother are school students. She was preparing for engineering entrance examinations. She was using a fake Twitter handle with the name JattKhalsa07. The handle was being used for uploading hate posts and objectionable photos and comments. Now, Javed requested people to show some compassion for her and forgive her as she did it for money. He wrote, If bully bai '' was really masterminded by an 18 year old girl who has recently lost her parents to cancer and Corona I think the women or some of them meet her and like kind elders make her understand why whatever she did was wrong. Show her compassion and forgive her. If bully bai was really masterminded by an 18 year old girl who has recently lost her parents to cancer n Corona I think the women or some of them meet her and like kind elders make her understand that why what ever she did was wrong . Show her compassion and forgive her . Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) January 5, 2022 People are not okay with Javed supporting her and are bashing him. One of the users wrote, While you are trying to be compassionate, the fact is, you should look at the crime they did and the trauma that the victims underwent. Neither is this person a lone wolf, they are a pack & there may be more out there, doing or will do in future, same or different. They need punishment. A few users dragged Kangana Ranaut too into the conversation and asked Akhtar to show the same compassion for her and take his defamation case back. Here are the reactions: Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter What do you have to say about this fiasco? Let us know in the comments section below. Meridian, MS (39302) Today Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 87F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. UPDATE: On Thursday, Orlando Fringe canceled all in-person performances at the Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest. The digital presentations, detailed at the end of this column, will be still be available to watch online. Whats new at this years Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest? Advertisement Well, the location for starters. This year, the four-day festival of theater, music, dance and more moves downtown to a few Church Street venues, including the Haos on Church restaurant, 123 W. Church St., and The Depot, at 78 W. Church. It runs Jan. 13-16. Thats followed by an online Mini-Digi fest. The way the in-person Mini-Fest works remains the same: First, buy a $3 button. Then, choose which shows you want to see and buy your tickets. The button fee pays for Fringes overhead; the ticket revenue goes straight to the artists youre watching. (You dont need to buy a button to watch shows in the online festival, but you do need to buy tickets; a $1 surcharge is added to the online ticket price.) Advertisement So what about the shows? This years Winter Mini-Fest runs the gamut from favorite and critically acclaimed shows returning for an encore Orlando engagement, to new shows from familiar Fringe artists, to work by artists who have never before performed in Central Florida. Then the Mini-Digi festival features additional shows. Heres a look at shows that intrigue across those four categories. "Rosegold" was written by and stars Donna Kay Yarborough. (Arnista Photography / Courtesy photo) ENCORES: Coffee and Cedar is a sentimental look at a grandfather-grandson bond, while Cross-Country: A Self-Help Concert Performance uses a live bands catchy music to explore relationships. ExperiMental features mind-bending magic, and La Davina offers insight into opera great Maria Callas (complete with live singing). Rosegold is an alcoholics riveting story of horror and the supernatural; The Sack: A Play on Superheroes is a fast-paced goof on superhero tropes. Blind to Happiness is a heartfelt examination of whether we can choose to be happier, and Always Now is an improvisational dance show in which the audience selects the music. Things to Do Weekly A look at entertainment and sporting events in Orlando and around Central Florida. > FAMILIAR FACES: The Barn Identity brings back festival favorite Erika Kate MacDonald with an introspective show featuring live music by Paul Strickland. In Sing Out Proud! Fringe vets including Natalie Doliner, Sarah-Lee Dobbs and Ned Wilkinson tell a story of pride and acceptance featuring the music of the Carpenters. And a three-generation love story comes to life in Bloodline, a new show from Paris Crayton III, the award-winning creator of 2019s Spare the Rod. Orlando Fringe veteran Erika Kate MacDonald stars in "The Barn Identity." (Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo) NEWCOMERS: Brown Eyed Girl examines history and prejudice. A Terrible Show for Terrible People is physical comedy in which one performer speaks only two words. In the comedy Becoming Grandma Kat, a man disguises himself as an elderly woman. Fool Muun Komming is absurdist physical comedy about loneliness and longing, while The Marvelous Mechanical Musical Maiden is a whimsical story of love and rebellion. In Hat, Hat, Chapeaux, Broadways Pamela Bob musically explores the highs and lows of love. In "Hat, Hat, Chapeaux" Broadway performer Pamela Bob sings songs of love by Ellen Mandel and Michael Lydon. (Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo) ONLINE: A comedy duo builds sketches around being Korean- and Korean-Black-American in 1.5 Korean. Take a musical ride through summer camp in Camp BFF4E. Journey to the Kingdom of Hypnos is a aural experience that must be experienced with headphones, and bring a deck of cards to participate in Magic on the Fringe. Jimmy Ichihana performs "Magic on the Fringe." (Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo) Neechie-Itas, is a comedy of Indigenous sisterhood, while Parallax examines fame and self-image. Planet of the Grapes is Peter Michael Marinos playful parody of the 1968 ape-filled sci-fi thriller, done in the Victorian-era style of toy theater. Recovery is a Zoom-powered interactive show from Phoenix Tears Productions in which audience members assist the recently deceased. Advertisement Peter Michael Marino created "Planet of the Grapes," a playful spoof of "Planet of the Apes" featuring table fruit. (Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo) In Shattered, Diana E. Varco takes 35 characters on a raw journey through dating, dysfunction and sexual devastation. The kNew Born is a story of a convicts attempts at redemption, and Something in the Water celebrates not being normal in a show inspired by performer S.E. Grummetts experience coming out as transgender. Get details on all the shows and the full schedule at OrlandoFringe.org. Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts, facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The city of Owensboro could receive up to $2 million from a class action lawsuit filed against opioid manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and various opioid distributors. In July, Johnson & Johnson, which owns Janssen Pharmaceutical, settled a lawsuit filed by states and cities against the company and three opioid distributors. Tuesday evening, Owensboro city commissioners approved a municipal order to execute documents related to receiving payments in the settlement, including documents to release the defendants from any existing or potential future claims. City Attorney Mark Pfieffer said Kentucky will receive 2.1% of a total $26 billion settlement, which would be paid over 18 years. The state, cities and counties will split the funds. If all of the settlement funds are paid, Owensboro and Daviess County could receive up to $4 million, Pfeiffer said. Ultimately, it cold bring the city as much as $2 million, Pfeiffer said. The city and county will have to determine how to split the payments. The first payment should be distributed in the summer, Pfeiffer said. The funds are designated to be used in specific ways, such as for opioid abuse treatment, supplying the opioid antidote Narcan to emergency responders, for services for inmates in jails and for education about opioid addiction. Mayor Tom Watson said he supports the city being part of the settlement because the fund will go toward combating opioid addiction. The settlement, city manager Nate Pagan said, is a good thing for the city. Unfortunately, its needed, he said. Daviess County Attorney Claud Porter said Fiscal Court has already submitted its documents to receive funds through the settlement. James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse COVID-19 cases have spiked as of Tuesday, according to data reported by the Green River District Health Department, with a record incidence rate recorded for Daviess County. GRDHD reported 1,495 new cases in the seven-county region between Dec. 28 and Jan. 3, the highest number of reported cases since mid-September, during the height of the delta surge. That number, however, represents a weeks worth of cases, as a report was not made Friday due to the New Years holiday. Reports are usually released twice a week. Regardless, Clay Horton, public health director, said numbers are high, with an alarming increase in incidence rates. Theyre very high, he said. Even though thats for a full week, if you recall the release last week was also for a full week and this numbers double more than double what it was. In Daviess County, the incidence rate is 108.22 newly reported cases per day for a population of 100,000, the highest reported yet. Previously, the highest incidence rate for the county was 81.76, reported Aug. 26. Incidence rates have risen, not only in Daviess County, but in the region, as the average number of new cases per day for all seven counties reached 214.4 as of Tuesday, according to GRDHD. The highest average reported for the region, since GRDHD started reporting it, was 230 on Sept. 16. I think we are seeing both the effects of omicron moving into the area and also just the after-effects of the many interactions from the holidays that weve had the past couple of weeks, Horton said. The number of reported cases, he said, are only a portion of how many COVID-19 cases there are in the region, as many cases go unreported and at-home tests become more widely used. Actual case numbers, he said, are likely to be much higher than reports show. With many people using at-home tests, the discrepancy between confirmed cases and actual cases in the community will be even greater, he said. Ive seen estimates that actual infections may be as much as 10 times higher than lab confirmed cases. Horton also said that rapid testing may not be picking up the omicron variant as well as other strains of COVID-19. There was some information put out by the FDA last week that talked about the rapid antigen tests are not quite as sensitive to omicron as they have been to previous variants, he said. Now, the antigen tests arent as sensitive as the PCR tests anyway, but it appears that the sensitivity may even be slightly reduced with omicron. Hortons suggestion is if anyone is sick, even if they receive negative test results, stay home. It is still very early in the omicron variant, and there is more to learn about how it affects people and how it reacts to vaccines and presents with testing efforts, he said. Horton said similar trends of infection rates are being seen around the rest of the state and nationally. This isnt a unique phenomenon that Owensboro or the Green River District area are experiencing; this is happening in a lot of places, he said. Its driven mainly by this exponential spread of omicron. Its a very, very contagious virus, and its taking off in the community right now. This week, he said, the estimate is that omicron will account for about 80% of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. Last week, that estimate was around 40-50%, he said. It may take several weeks to get more concrete data on how the variant is really affecting the community. While Horton could not say for certain that omicron has reached the GRDHD service area, he expects it has. Its always really difficult to pinpoint in real time because the sequencing to determine that takes a couple of weeks, he said. But I think just from what weve seen in other states where omicrons taken off, what our own incidence rates are doing over the last week and how rapidly theyve taken off, all the signs are pointing to were seeing omicron in the area. He said the risk of contracting COVID-19 is very high and everyone should take precautions against the virus. Horton also said that despite hearsay about the effectiveness of masking and how serious the omicron variant is, everyone should be concerned and take measures to protect themselves. Wearing a mask and getting vaccinated are the two most important precautionary steps you can take to protect yourselves and your families, he said. Theres no reason to write this off and think that its nothing to worry about. People really do need to protect themselves, and they can do that by getting vaccinated, wearing masks, just using common sense, but if we take this lightly, people are going to get seriously sick, and were going to have people die. Owensboro Health also reported an uptick in COVID-19 patients Monday evening with 60 patients in its three facilities in Owensboro, Greenville and Leitchfield. Of those, 53 were housed at OH Regional Hospital, 14 in critical care and nine intubated. The highest number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at OH facilities was reported on Sept. 21 at 85 patients. We start 2022 with an uptick in COVID-9 positive patients, OH said in a statement. Although you can still get COVID-19 if you are vaccinated, it is your best defense against severe illness or death form the virus. To schedule a vaccine appointment at OH, visit OwensboroHealth.org/Vaccine. Christie Netherton, cnetherton@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7360 Owensboro Middle School Principal Randy Bryant informed parents and guardians in an email Tuesday that an investigation into a mid-December TikTok threat to Owensboro Middle School has concluded the threat did not originate from within the school system. The social media threat was vague and called for violence at schools on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, according to Owensboro Public Schools spokesman Jared Revlett. It did not reference the school specifically, but a school with the initials OMS, he said. At that time, the school system and the Owensboro Police Department increased security at the school and began a thorough investigation. Bryant said in his email that the police department and school administration and TikTok security determined the threat to be a part of a national trend across the social media platform and at no time was the threat directly made to an OPS facility. It has been confirmed that no OMS or OPS student was responsible for sending, forwarding or making threats to OMS or any OPS facility. Revlett said oftentimes with threats like this the districts leadership and security team is able to know immediately if it applies directly to the school system or not. If its been seen elsewhere across the country or has appeared in multiple areas, were able to see that pretty quickly, and make a determination, he said. If were not able to immediately determine its origin, its mostly handled through the police department. He said the districts technology team also is able to monitor activity that takes place on school-issued devices or over the district Wi-Fi. However, OPD is always involved from the start, he said, and handles any subpoenas that need to go through social media companies and things of that nature. Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315 At its meeting Tuesday at City Hall, the Owensboro City Commission took the following actions: Held a swearing-in ceremony for new Owensboro Fire Department firefighters Todd Combs, Rachel Frederick, Curtis Johnson III, Aaron Pace, Austin Schuknecht and Zerrick Wells. Declared National Volunteer Blood Donor Month and Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Reappointed J.T. Fulkerson to the city Utility Commission. Reappointed Steven R. Englehardt to the Civil Service Commission. Reappointed Donnie Brey to the City Employees Pension Board (closed). Appointed Jason Gasser to the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission. Approved an ordinance to annex 1.167 acres at 3238 Kidron Way, at the request of Kidron Investment, LLC. Held first reading on an ordinance to annex 2.237 acres at 1937 Leitchfield Road, at the request of VAF 1937 Leitchfield Road, LLC. Approved an municipal order annexing 1/176 acres at 3238 Kidron Way, and providing Kidron Investments certain tax refund over a five-year period. Approved a municipal order approving the execution of settlement participation forms, to participate in settlement agreements with Janssen and various opioid distributors for amounts to be determined, agreeing to use any settlement funds for opioid remediation, and releasing any potential and existing claims for alleged harms caused by opioid misuse and abuse. Approved promoting Matthew S. Cissell as probationary, full-time, non-civil service lieutenant with the Fire Department. Approved hiring Brandon M. Mitchell as regular, full-time non-civil service clerk/typist with the Police Department. Regional students are back in classrooms this week, and officials from Hancock, McLean, Muhlenberg and Ohio county schools say theyre hopeful for this second half of the school year, but they are also weary with the threat of the omicron variant. All but Ohio County Schools have a universal masking policy, which district leaders say will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Seth Southard, Ohio County Schools superintendent, said the decision was made in October to go to a mask-optional policy because it is what the school community preferred. He distributed surveys to parents and staff at that time, which indicated a preference for the choice to wear a mask. He also said when that decision was made, there were manageable COVID-19 cases in schools. When we became mask optional we didnt really see any increase in our numbers, he said. At this time, there are 11 total students and staff who have positive COVID-19 cases, which Southard said makes the school system very fortunate. He attributes that good fortune to parents and other community members following protocols, such as distancing and staying home when sick. Southard, like other education leaders, knows that could change in a day. Ohio County Schools havent yet seen the post holiday surge that is expected, but they are monitoring cases on a daily basis and will make adjustments as needed, he said. Tuesday was the first day back for Muhlenberg County Schools students, and district public information officer Carla Embry said the school system wouldnt have a count on how many students are out due to the virus until later in the week. The tornado that came through the area on Dec. 10 gave everyone something else to focus on, Embry said, but she knows the virus is still ever-present and cause for concern in the community. She did say numbers are just raging in the community, and there are several students and staff members absent. Before winter break, the district struggled to have enough bus drivers to transport students, as well as cafeteria workers to feed students. Right at this moment we are all just holding our breath, she said. We all know what it was like last year when numbers started increasing. You just get this lump in your chest. Each month MCS officials monitor cases in the county and across the school system to see if it can change virus protocols, but at this time they are sticking with CDC guidelines, which recommend indoor masking for all individuals age 2 and older, Embry said. McLean County Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Burrough also said the district is abiding by CDC guidelines for dealing with the virus and its variants, which includes masking. The district handles positive cases and quarantines among students and staff on a case-by-case basis. Case rates have been constantly high in the community and within the school system, Burrough said. Once I see we are in a decline, then we can discuss other actions, but right now, as long as we are in school, we are going to stay our current course, he said. The district also has experienced staffing issues due to the virus, and employees being out for other reasons. There were even moments last semester when central office staff members were serving meals in schools because there werent enough cafeteria workers to provide service, he said. He said the district hasnt reached critical levels with teachers and bus drivers, but he didnt have a definite count of how many are absent at this time. Later this week there will be more information regarding absences, and he and other officials are watching numbers closely. Robby Asberry, Hancock County Schools superintendent, said the district hasnt changed its COVID-19 protocols since the start of this school year, and it doesnt have any immediate plans to do so. About 3.5% of staff and students are absent due to quarantines or positive test results. Cases are up in the county and the region, but Asberry also considers the district in a good position because it hasnt yet seen a spike in case load following the holiday break. We have been blessed to not have as bad a time as other districts, as far as positive COVID-19 cases go, he said. Like all other districts in the region, Hancock schools utilize a Test to Stay option, which is helpful for keeping students in classrooms as much as possible, he said. He also said the district has contingencies in place if it has to move to remote learning due to significant student or staff absences because of the virus. All other districts in the region also have such a plan in place, however, as of Dec. 31, the state changed the flexibility districts have with Non-Traditional Instruction days. Before, districts could move specific classes or schools impacted by the virus to remote instruction while the rest of students continued normally. Now districts are limited to 10 NTI days. If a specific school needs to shut down, that means the entire district has to also close for that period and utilize those NTI days, according to the Kentucky Department of Education. Most educators in the region are hopeful there will be some decisions made in regards to leniency to that plan now that the General Assembly is back in session and a new variant is hitting the world. Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315 Charles Barnes was arrested Tuesday by Sumter County Sheriff's Office and faces a charge of fraud. (Sumter County Jail) A fourth Villages resident was arrested Tuesday and suspected of voter fraud in the 2020 election, according to authorities. Charles Franklin Barnes, 64, was arrested and taken to Sumter County Jail; he faces a charge of fraud in casting more than one ballot during an election, according to the Sumter County Sheriffs Office. Advertisement Barnes is not affiliated with a political party in Florida. Voter records indicate Barnes registered in Florida in 2019. Before moving to The Villages, Barnes previously held an address in Connecticut, according to the SCSO arrest report. Last year, three other Villages residents were arrested for casting ballots in Florida and other states. Joan Halstead, Jay Ketcik and John Rider all face felony charges of casting more than one ballot in an election, arrest reports provided by the office of Ocala-based State Attorney Bill Gladson show. State voter records show Halstead, 71, and Ketcik, 63, are registered Republicans. Rider, 61, has no party affiliation. Advertisement Barnes was released from jail after paying a bond amount of $2,000. This is a developing story, check back here for updates. For refugees evacuating Afghanistan, leaving was not an easy feat. Many spent days hiding away as the Taliban took control of the country, looking for the right opportunity to get to the airport in Kabul. Many left behind entire lives and families within just days notice when the country fell to the Taliban in August. For the nearly 180 Afghan refugees and parolees that have arrived in Owensboro since October, most were individuals or immediate family members of individuals who worked to assist the U.S. military. Kanishka Safi was one such individual, having worked as an IT specialist on various projects for the U.S. Army since 2018. When the Taliban invaded Kabul Afghanistans capital and largest city in August, Stafi said he was in his office. Around 8 that morning, he said he began receiving a horde of phone calls asking where he was and telling him he should get home to avoid any danger. I left my car at the office too, because I was so surprised since the Taliban entered Afghanistan, especially in the capital, he said. Everything suddenly happened, so I just tried to get home. Stafi said he went into hiding for several days before finally receiving word that he would receive a Special Immigrant Visa to evacuate the country from the U.S. Embassy. He said many people who were working for international organizations and the U.S. military immediately sought to leave the country, but it was very difficult. There was no flights, theres no cars, everything was blocked, the border was blocked, he said. On Aug. 25, he said he was finally able to board a plane to Germany, where he stayed for 10 days before being transported to the U.S. Stafi said that after his evacuation, members of the Taliban went to his home looking for him, even visiting his familys home and asking for his whereabouts. The Taliban has come to my house, and they took my car, he said. They also broke in some of my doors. Its not happening to me, just; I have been receiving reports from Afghanistan from my colleagues, from my relatives. And the difficulties persist for those who remain in the country, he said. Ahmad Bilal Badaan, another refugee who has been able to receive housing in Owensboro with his wife and four children, worked at the airport with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) forces and U.S. military forces. If you work with the U.S. Army or NATO, your life is in danger in Afghanistan, he said. Badaan assisted with the evacuation process for refugees leaving Afghanistan. After days of trying to enter the airport in Kabul with his family, Badaan was finally able to evacuate. Bringing the family was a challenge to the airport because outside the airport, there were thousands of people at every gate trying to get to the airport, he said, through the assistance of a translator, Khaibar Shafaq. The family came many times to the airport, and they waited nights outside, but they couldnt get in. After several days, the family was finally able to arrange a vehicle to pick them up and take them inside the airport gates. Once inside, however, he said they waited another two nights before the attack on the Kabul airport on Aug. 26. The family was immediately evacuated, along with others, on Aug. 27. Once the family arrived in the U.S., Badaan said they stayed in a military base for two-and-a-half months in Wisconsin before finally making it to Owensboro, where they remained in a hotel for a month. The family received a more permanent housing arrangement just two weeks ago, he said, and are happy and safe, and that is all that matters right now. Muhammad Sabir came to the U.S by himself, leaving everyone and everything he knew. Sabir worked as an IT specialist for the Afghan Defense Ministry alongside American forces. Sabir said he went to the airport six days after the capital city collapsed, and he was informed he would be able to evacuate. Once through the first gate at the airport in Kabul, he said he and many others ran into difficulties, being stuck several days in the first gate, along with at least 2,000 others, many of whom did not have proper documentation to evacuate. When U.S. forces began the screening process to get people through the second gate, he said the crowd of people stormed towards the gate, trying to get through. But out of the 2,000 people that were there, only 13 of us were brought in, and the rest of the people were moved back, Sabir said through the assistance of Shafaq. Once he was finally able to evacuate, Sabir said he spent 76 days at a military base in Virginia before finally making it to Owensboro to begin a new life. Abdul Majid, who lives in the same residence as Sabir, was a newlywed when he evacuated Afghanistan. He had to leave his wife behind. Majid worked for the National Security of Afghanistan under the direction of the U.S. Marines. He worked to transport evacuees to the airport for more than a week following the collapse. For more than a week, we didnt sleep because it was 24 hours of operation, he said through the assistance of Shafaq. Majid was on the other side of the airport from the explosion on Aug. 26 and was evacuated on Aug. 27, leaving behind his wife. The only things I was able to bring were the clothes on my back. I was not able to bring my wife, my clothes, my brothers, my family they all remain in the country, he said through Shafaq. It was not easy to make this decision because, on one side, we were the soldiers, and we were on duty, so our first priority was duty at the time and securing people to move into the airport. I had to make this tough decision to be on duty or to secure my wife or to being her here. I chose to help the people. It was not easy for me, it was a tough decision, and now Im here with no family. Christie Netherton, cnetherton@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7360 When I was growing up, words like courage, integrity, honesty and public service meant something. After four years of President Trump, it appears that lying, cheating, stealing, cowardice and insurrection against the U.S. democracy have absolutely no consequence to being a Republican leader. We're sorry, but we're unable to locate the page you requested. The page may have been removed, renamed, or deleted. You can try searching for the topic using the search button in the right hand corner above. Orlando Sentinel Now afternoon update for Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. Listen as our reporters, editors and columnists discuss stories that are important to Central Florida: Apple podcasts , GooglePlay , Spotify or OrlandoSentinel.com/Conversations . interactive_content HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST, WATCH LIVE AND PARTICIPATE Listen to the podcast using the player above or subscribe to Orlando Sentinel Conversations to listen to all the daily updates using these providers: File photo BROWN TWP. -- The Arts and Culture Alliance of Manistee County will hold its annual icebreaker meeting this month. The event is slated for 5 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Brown Township Hall, located at 8233 Coates Hwy. in Manistee. All members and interested arts and culture enthusiasts are invited. There will be a soup buffet with breads and finger foods provided by the board. Those attending should ring their own table service and drink of choice other than water and coffee. University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced Wednesday this will be his final year in office, capping a tenure that saw the school break into the top tier of public universities and controversy over academic freedom. Fuchs, 67, said in a video released Wednesday he will stay on as president until a replacement is selected, which is expected by early 2023. Hes served in his role since 2015. Advertisement I am so grateful for the privilege I have had to serve UF, Fuchs said in the video. Fuchs privately informed UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini in August of his decision to transition from president to professor, according to a university announcement. Advertisement Fuchs will teach electrical and computer engineering, following a sabbatical. Under Fuchs leadership, UF boosted its reputation nationally, becoming a top 10 public university in the U.S. News Best Colleges annual rankings in 2017. In the latest rankings for 2022, UF was ranked at the No. 5 best public university. But Fuchs has faced controversy in recent months and accusations of political meddling in academics. His administration barred three professors from testifying in a voting rights case against the state. The administration said the testimony would put the state university at odds with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders, who championed a controversial elections law. Fuchs reversed course in November, allowing the professors to testify if they did so on their own time without university resources. The professors have filed a lawsuit against the university, seeking assurances that they wont be restricted in the future. This is a breaking story and will be updated. sswisher@orlandosentinel.com Growing up in Hollywood with a director/producer father (S. Sylvan Simon) who often worked with Lucille Ball, I had the pleasure of knowing herwhich was why I was absolutely stunned that Nicole Kidman was not only able to embody her exuberant physicality but also to capture the vocal nuances and tonal essence of the determined woman she was. During the stressful week that this behind-the-scenes story takes place, Lucille Ball (Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal revelations, a political smear, and CBSs concern over cultural taboos as theyre preparing a pivotal installment of I Love Lucy. Set in 1953 when Sen. Joe McCarthy terrorizes Hollywood with his Communist witch hunts. Lucy and Desi are into the second season of their groundbreaking sitcom when, unexpectedly, on his Sunday night radio broadcast, powerful columnist Walter Winchell suggests that Lucille Ball is a Communist. Utilizing flashbacks, writer/director Aaron Sorkin not only delves into Lucy and Desis romantic and professional relationship but also reveals their behind-closed-doors interaction with co-stars Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) and William Frawley (J.K. Simmons), who played neighbors Ethel and Fred Mertz. Im not funny, Lucy often claimed. But she was brave, and she certainly knew how to play funny. Married for 20 turbulent years, Americas favorite redhead and her philandering Cuban bandleader were far more fascinating than the fictional Ricardos, as Sorkin delves into the darker aspects of their lives. As years went by, their commitment to I Love Lucy was the only thing keeping them together. Many claim the last kiss they ever shared was the last kiss of the last episode of their last show. Shortly afterward, Lucy filed for divorce and bought out Desis shares of Desilu Productions. As studio executive, Lucy later launched hits like Star Trek and Mission Impossible. Admittedly, this film is minor Sorkin but Sorkin (West Wing, The Social Network) is cagey, droll and voraciously smart. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, Being the Ricardos is an intriguing 8 in theaters and streaming on Amazon Prime. Susan Granger has been an on-air television and radio commentator and entertainment critic for more than 25 years. Raised in Hollywood, Granger appeared as a child actress in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Lassie. She currently resides in Westport. Colleges across Connecticut have asked students and faculty to get boosted, and fast, while the pandemic surges just as they prepared to reopen after winter break. Many colleges and universities are requiring all students and staff to receive COVID-19 booster doses or request exemptions, such as Yale and Sacred Heart University. A few schools and systems have yet to introduce requirements, though the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities and some private schools are on that list. On Tuesday, the universities of New Haven and Hartford became the latest colleges to require all eligible students and employees to get the dose this month, per communications sent to students and employees. While we are hopeful we will be able to host an on-campus booster clinic at some point this spring, it is not guaranteed, said Anthony Santella, the COVID-19 coordinator at University of New Haven. Those who are eligible for the booster now should not wait. Students whose booster documentation has not been approved prior to arrival will have to take a COVID-19 test, Santella said. The University of Connecticut also told students they will be required to be boosted once eligible. On Tuesday, university spokesperson Stephanie Reitz confirmed discussions are still underway about mandating the doses for faculty and staff. UConn classes were moved online for at least the first two weeks of the semester, university officials announced on Thursday. The current move-in date for residential students is the weekend of Jan. 29. This is subject to further change based on the course of the pandemic, said Andrew Agwunobi, the interim president, in a letter to students and employees. The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, which includes the community colleges, Charter Oak State College and the Southern, Eastern, Western and Central Connecticut state universities, were taking a different approach as of mid-week. We recognize that boosters are essential in preventing severe illness and are strongly encouraging everyone who is eligible to get a booster, said system spokesperson Leigh Appleby. At this time we do not have a booster mandate for students or employees. Appleby added CSCU expects to have an announcement on beginning-of-semester plans this week, including if students will begin in-person classes as scheduled, and testing protocols. At the very least we will continue to require those who are not fully vaccinated to submit to weekly testing, he said. Fairfield University has not mandated the shots, though it recently hosted a vaccination booster clinic and is planning another one, according to Jennifer Anderson, the vice president of marketing and communications. At the end of last month, Fairfield also moved final exams for students to online or alternate formats. Nearby, the University of Bridgeport has taken a similar approach for now. University of Bridgeport is moving forward with no changes to its reopening plans, said spokesperson Jennifer Asaro, though officials strongly encouraged students and faculty to return to campus with boosters. The university will also hold an on-campus vaccine booster clinic on Wednesday. Trinity College, meanwhile, delayed its spring semester to Jan. 31 and is requiring vaccinated students and staff to submit proof of a booster shot within 30 days of becoming eligible, according to its website. The college is also requiring PCR COVID tests upon return, and increased testing frequency during the first month of the semester. Students and staff at Quinnipiac University are required to receive their booster by mid-February, with some exceptions, according to its website. Quinnipiac will also host booster clinics on campus, and previously implemented a negative COVID-19 test requirement to return from winter break. Connecticut College is also requiring booster doses, and students also received test kits to use before returning to campus, according to its website. Wesleyan University was among the first colleges to institute a booster requirement for students and staff in November. Proof of most updated vaccination cards is due in mid-January. Winter sessions went virtual, though at last communications, spring courses remained on track for in-person learning. Students are expected to get COVID tests before arriving, then again upon return to campus. Sacred Heart will also require booster shots for students and employees, and work with Hartford HealthCare to schedule booster clinics on campus, with dates expected to come soon, said spokesperson Deborah Noack. The university is also requiring a PCR test upon reentry and offering tests on site. Yale University will require students and staff to be boosted before returning to campus or as soon as they become eligible, Hearst Connecticut Media previously reported, with medical and religious vaccine exemptions still in place. The university also delayed the start of the semester for undergraduate students to January 25, when classes will be online. In-person teaching will resume on February 7. Students are required to test before and within 24 hours of arrival. Albertus Magnus College and Post University also have booster requirements, according to their websites. Gov. Ned Lamonts response to the coronavirus pandemic has won high praise in the state and across the nation, and his poll numbers and national media appearances reflect that. At the same time, he has committed a handful of gaffes. Theyre mostly the result of jumping out ahead of the facts such as his declaration on April 1 that a 6-week-old baby died of coronavirus, which may or may not be true; or his announcement that nonessential businesses must close, more than two days before the list was ready. By most accounts, the miscues have not significantly marred a performance by Lamont thats been steady since long before Connecticuts first confirmed case. He was one of the first governors in the country to shut down nursing homes visits, to discuss closing schools and to demand more testing capacity from the federal government. In daily briefings and interviews, his trademark conversational tone remains patient and calm, if occasionally stern, or somber. He tends to think out loud, and to share his opinion along with the facts. Its not exactly what I was in training for, Lamont said Friday in a phone interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, in which he reflected on the past six weeks. Few people anywhere have the background in crisis management that governors now need. And few leaders have had to step up in a sustained way as much as governors of stricken states - such as Connecticut - are called on to do in this crisis. And so Lamonts gaffes, almost entirely in how he has communicated his opinions and decisions, bear scrutiny including a couple that were not about overshooting the moment. One was an error, on March 16, when he said on MSNBC that 200 Danbury nurses were quarantined; that number was for the 7-hospital chain that includes Danbury. One was an omission that raised criticism this past week when the governor seated members of the task force on how and when to reopen the state. He named the eminent University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel, but didnt mention that Emanuel is a business partner of his wife, Annie Lamont, at a venture capital firm she co-founded. Critics, chiefly Republicans, have viewed the gaffes as a significant failing, while others including Lamont himself, in the interview Friday say theyre the result of a personality that isnt focused on minutiae, at a time when the state needs a big-picture voice of leadership. In short, those same traits that have made him so strong in a time of crisis his openness and accessibility, his willingness to listen occasionally work as an Achilles heel. If this was a cybersecurity hack, I come out of IT and telecom, and that probably would have been something Im a little more versed in, Lamont said, referring to his career running a cable TV and digital access business. The gaffes, all combined, have hardly come to dominate the crisis in Connecticut as Lamont directs state agencies in a very aggressive response. Few have occupied more than one news cycle. I suppose in this era where everybody is aware of every comment and things bang around on the social media, you can say, Boy you better be really careful and calibrated with everything you say, but thats sort of not my style, Lamont said. I do tend to tell you how I think about things, not just what Ive decided. Schools out for summer Ken Lachlan, a professor and department head for the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut, mostly praised Lamonts response to coronavirus. He called Lamonts communication style a double-edged sword. Lachlan, an expert in crisis and risk communications, said Lamonts team has taken the right approach in stepping up the governors accessibility in the crisis. Governor Lamonts communication style is very conversational and he comes across as being very approachable, Lachlan said. One of the double-edged parts of being very conversational and very approachable, is sometimes when youre very casual, sometimes people can interpret what youre saying as being a matter of fact or policy when in fact youre really just trying to establish rapport, and a sense of were trying to figure things out, and I wonder if on a few occasions that hasnt led to those sorts of missteps. That may have been what happened on March 24 when Lamont responded to a question on a New York City-based radio broadcast: Will Connecticut schools be closed until the fall? I really think thats the likelihood, Lamont said. It was the first time Lamont had made such a statement. There was no follow-up question in the 3 minute appearance on WCBS AM 880, so the unexplained details lingered. Did he mean schools would definitely be closed for the rest of the year? What does likely mean? Should parents start making arrangements now? Lamonts assertion wasnt necessarily inaccurate nor was it a particular shock but it did lack clarity. And he made a similar remark more recently, after the schools reopening was pushed back to May 20 at soonest. In reflecting on the issue Friday, Lamont said he understood the confusion but that he wouldnt handle it differently given the opportunity. Ive got to admit, I probably voiced that early, Lamont said. Obviously Pennsylvania and California and Illinois, theyve all shut down the school year, but theyre very clear. They shut it down when they shut it down, and Im still not clear. Im saying May 20th were going to have a lot more information, Ill give you some direction then. Gauging the gaffes A recent poll by Sacred Heart University and the Hartford Courant showed strong support for Lamont. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they approved of the way the governor is handling communication to the public and 65 percent were equally confident about his overall response and handling of the coronavirus crisis. Lamont is quick to credit the people around him, on and off the state payroll starting with Annie Lamont. Ive got the best people in the world advising me, he said. I know what I know and I know what I dont know, something I say with some frequency... Im coming into a medical situation where maybe having an open mind and not a lot of preconceived notions is not all bad, because most preconceived notions when it comes to COVID are probably wrong. One of his sharpest critics, Republican State Chairman J.R. Romano, sees strong negative effects from Lamonts missteps. His lack of preparedness has caused panic and confusion among the people of the state of Connecticut, said Romano, who cited the nearly three-day lag between Lamonts announcement that most businesses would be closed and issuing the actual guidance on how that order would be applied. Softening that position, Romano added, I appreciate that hes not gone as far as some governors around the country, and I dont think he has higher ambitions. Hes focused on being the governor of the state. Its true, said Rich Hanley, an associate professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University, that missteps can matter a lot. A single blunder can be enough to erode the publics confidence during a crisis, and stoke fear and confusion, he said. Clear and consistent communication is now more critical than ever as governors across the country are being called on to take the lead in responding to the crisis. But Hanley, a close watcher of the Connecticut political and media scene, joined UConns Lachlan in giving high marks to Lamont. Lamonts performance inevitably comes up against comparisons with his friend and crisis partner, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Many decisions theyve made have happened together. But Cuomo, who grew up in the governors mansion as a son of the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, and whose audience is, well, New Yorkers, has at times appeared stronger than Lamont, whose foray into public life is still in its infancy. Cuomo is really the model, Hanley said. They have two distinct approaches in terms of personality, and one plays better on television than the other that sort of look that he conveys of confidence and urgency plays well to an audience on television ... Governor Lamont is not unsteady by any stretch, but Cuomo is a a natural orator and that helps immensely in crisis like these. The infant with COVID Perhaps the most prominent example of the downside to Lamonts communication style came on April 1, as the death toll from the virus began to rise. Lamont grew solemn as he often does when hes about to disclose the death toll from the previous 24 hours. But this time was different. He took a deep breath and a wave of emotion washed over his face. Probably the youngest person ever to die of COVID has died here in Connecticut, Lamont said in announcing the death of a six-week old infant that had died at a Hartford hospital. Within an hour, the state medical examiner told reporters that, yes, the baby tested positive for COVID-19 after she died, but the cause of death remained unknown as is still the case three weeks later. That left Lamont open to intense criticism as some accused him of speaking too soon to exaggerate the severity of the crisis. The announcement infuriated people, especially mothers and new parents, who now feared for the lives of their young children. Some conservative pundits compared the announcement to shouting fire! in a crowded movie theater. Lamont, reflecting on the incident, said he wouldnt do anything differently. Heres what happens. Nobody dies of COVID, nobody dies of AIDS, people die of complications related to AIDS or COVID. So nobody is playing games. Thats the way it works, he said. Ive said people die of complications related to COVID and I think thats true. I dont think I would say it any differently. Overly eager to help? More than 350,000 people have filed for unemployment in Connecticut since Friday, March 13, prompting Lamont to assure temporarily jobless workers they will be taken care of. Early on, he said state and federal unemployment benefits would cover self-employed and freelancers, who have not been eligible until this crisis. A frequently-asked-questions page set up by the administration encouraged encouraged independent contractors and self-employed workers to apply. But the Department of Labor wasnt prepared for this. Its own COVID-19 unemployment FAQ on its website through which those thousands of people would apply said self-employed workers and independent contractors were unlikely to qualify for unemployment benefits. The federal bailout packages do allow for self-employed people to seek benefits, but that wont be ready until the end of April. And so, Lamonts promise early on may prove correct but at the time he made it, the state was wholly unprepared to deliver. The first crisis is the virus, and thats creating the second crisis, Hanley said, referring to the economic meltdown. In order for clarity, the governor needs to create distance between the two. Similarly, Lamont announced earlier this month that certain nursing homes would serve as hubs where residents with COVID-19 would transfer. That was a dramatic step reflecting intense negotiations behind the scenes but Lamont made it before the nursing homes agreed. It would be a full week before the nursing homes came on board, after significant financial sweetening by the state. Overall, considering Lamonts performance in the crisis, observers have given him strong marks. He may not have the oratorical skills of a Cuomo or of an Elizabeth Warren but hes still providing meaningful information and deferring to experts as required, Hanley said. The fact that he is visible is in and of itself a meaningful communication skill. Governors nationally will be remembered for how they responded to this. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt BAGHDAD (AP) Two rockets struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. embassy, causing property damage but no casualties, Iraq's military said early Sunday. One rocket was destroyed by the embassy's C-RAM defense system. Another fell near a national monument, causing damage to two civilian vehicles, the statement said. An investigation was launched by Iraqi security forces. Along with the U.S. embassy, the Green Zone houses other foreign diplomatic missions and Iraqi government buildings. The zone is a frequent target of rocket and drone attacks that American officials blame on Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups. Iran-aligned groups have vowed revenge on the U.S. for a 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. They have conditioned the end of attacks against the U.S. presence in Iraq on the exit of American troops from the country. The U.S.-led coalition formally ended it's combat mission supporting Iraqi forces in the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group this month. Some 2,500 troops will remain as the coalition shifts to an advisory mission to continue supporting Iraqi forces. The rocket attacks, once near-daily occurrences, have slowed in recent months. In November, an explosive-laden drone targeted the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in an assassination attempt. An Oviedo medical supply company will pay the government $600,000 to settle allegations that its owners submitted false claims in a scheme to defraud Medicare, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. The settlement arises from the Justice Departments intervention in a 2014 civil whistleblower lawsuit against Central Medical Systems LLC and its owner Alan Trent Harley over the submission of claims for wound care supplies, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida. Advertisement From 2011 through 2015, Harley submitted more than $870,000 in fraudulent claims to Medicare, prosecutors said. While Harleys employees gave him accurate data about the wound care supplies sold by Central Medical Systems, he would manipulate the companys billing software to receive inflated Medicare payments for products that were more expensive or never provided, the release said. Harley, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, was sentenced last year to 15 months in federal prison. Advertisement After the government intervened in the whistleblower lawsuit in 2018, Harley and his wife, Joan Harley, allegedly conspired with Arthur Wright and a Maitland medical company, Meddex Solutions, to fraudulently submit Central Medical Systems claims through the second company after Medicare suspended its payments, prosecutors said. Federal officials accused the Harleys and Wright of violating the False Claims Act in an amended lawsuit. Wright and Meddex Solutions agreed to pay the government more than $77,740 in June to resolve the allegations against them, prosecutors said. Part of the $600,000 settlement that will be paid by the Harleys will go to Jael Cancel, the former office manager at Central Medical Systems, the release said. She originally filed the lawsuit under a provision of the False Claims Act that allows private citizens to sue on behalf of the government and share the proceeds. Cancel will receive $144,000, according to prosecutors. This is another example of our offices commitment to prosecute those individual or corporate who seek to exploit Medicare for their personal gain, and at the expense to taxpayers, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg said in a statement. We will continue to use all available resources at our disposal to pursue those who defraud our nations federal healthcare programs. mcordeiro@orlandosentinel.com Editor's note: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit late Tuesday against President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the military service secretaries opposing a mandate that National Guard troops be vaccinated against COVID-19. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is digging in against COVID-19 vaccinations and related mandates, telling National Guardsmen in his state they can ignore Pentagon inoculation rules and will not face any retribution for not getting coronavirus vaccines. On Tuesday, the Republican governor, who is facing challenges from his political right in a reelection bid next year, threatened to file a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's authority to order troops to be inoculated against COVID-19. "Unless President Biden federalizes the Texas National Guard in accordance with Title 10 of the U.S. Code, he is not your commander-in-chief under our federal or state Constitutions," Abbott said in a letter for Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, the adjutant general of the Texas National Guard. "And as long as I am your commander-in-chief, I will not tolerate efforts to compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine." Read Next: 11 Days from Outbreak to Recovery: Milwaukee's Vaccinated Crew Back at Sea Abbott, along with at least six other Republican governors including Oklahoma, Wyoming, Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi and Nebraska, have asked the Pentagon to exempt their Guardsmen from coronavirus vaccine mandates, asserting their authority while troops serve under their command. Guardsmen have dueling obligations to both the governors of the state they serve and the president. During the bulk of their service, troops fall under either State Active Duty or Title 32 orders, meaning they are under the command of the governor. Guardsmen can also be activated under federal Title 10 orders, which are usually reserved for overseas missions that make up a significant portion of the Guard's mission portfolio. The fight sets up a power struggle between states and the Pentagon over who has default control of the Guard, something that has never been fully articulated in courts or military law. Abbott's letter did not take issue with the dozen-plus other vaccines Guardsmen and all other service members are ordered to receive, including vaccinations against hepatitis and smallpox and annual flu shots. He does concede Biden has the authority to require vaccines for Guardsmen on federal orders. "I cannot guarantee that the judiciary will grant the relief you deserve," Abbott added. "And if President Biden lawfully calls you into the actual service of the United States, then he could order you to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in his newfound role as your commander-in-chief." Abbott's threat, which does not include an actual lawsuit yet, comes a week after Judge Stephen Friot from the Western District of Oklahoma threw out Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's suit against the Biden administration challenging the vaccine mandate. "The court is required to decide this case on the basis of federal law, not common sense," Friot wrote in a ruling. "But, either way, the result would be the same." The judge's ruling spurred Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, the top officer of the Oklahoma Guard, to warn Air Guardsmen in his state that they cannot report to their monthly drill if they are unvaccinated, after previously telling them they would not face administrative punishment before the state's lawsuit. The Air National Guard's vaccine deadline was Dec. 2. Army Guardsmen have until June 30. "All you can do as a leader is make the right decisions, for the right reasons, then own them all," Mancino said in a statement the day after the judge's ruling. "I have decided to not allow unvaccinated Oklahoma Air National Guard Drill Status Guardsmen (DSGs), without a medical exemption or religious accommodation request, to participate in any future drill period, except for any Airmen wishing to be vaccinated. The Governor concurs with this decision." Abbott has deployed a massive number of Texas Guard troops in an unprecedented mission on the U.S.-Mexico border, which leads many of them to serve on Title 32 orders for up to a year at a time. That means those troops could potentially stay unvaccinated while responsible for working with an influx of migrants. Officials with the Texas National Guard have refused to disclose the exact number of troops the governor has activated, and it is unclear whether that number is disclosed to the Defense Department and National Guard Bureau. Abbott has said that 10,000 state law enforcement officers and Guardsmen in total have been sent to the border. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: The National Guard Is Stuck in the Middle of Political Infighting, and It's Getting Worse A federal judge has ordered the Navy and Defense Department to halt disciplinary procedures against 35 members of the service's special operations community for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine -- a move that could complicate the Pentagon's immunization mandate. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor, with the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth, ruled Monday that the DoD has violated the sailors' constitutional right to refuse the vaccine based on their religious beliefs. According to the order from Reed, "there is no military exclusion from our Constitution." Read Next: USS Abraham Lincoln Captain Becomes First Woman to Take a US Aircraft Carrier to Sea "The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment," O'Connor wrote in a 26-page order. The 35 sailors are not named in the lawsuit, citing privacy and a threat to national and operational security. They include 26 enlisted or chief warrant Navy Sea, Air and Land, or SEAL, members, five enlisted special warfare combatant craft crew members, three enlisted Navy divers and an enlisted explosive ordnance disposal technician. The plaintiffs objected to any vaccines that were developed from aborted fetal cell lines or that "modified" their bodies -- "an affront to the Creator," they wrote in their suit filed in November. While the vaccines were developed with cell lines descended from fetuses aborted in the 1970s and 1980s, they contain no aborted fetal tissue. The plaintiffs also argued they have received "direct, divine instruction not to receive the vaccine" and oppose "injecting trace amounts of animal cells into one's body." While the majority of the plaintiffs did not address the fact that the Pentagon requires service members to receive numerous vaccines, including the anthrax vaccine for special operators in some environments, one sailor said he experienced negative side effects from a previous vaccination and "came to regret" it, seeing vaccines as a "defilement of his body." "Through prayer and reflection, this plaintiff has determined that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine similarly would defile his body," according to the lawsuit. In the complaint, plaintiffs attorneys also cited a Military.com report on a rare side effect of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine -- heart inflammation known as myocarditis and pericarditis -- as a reason for their clients not wanting the vaccine. The complication also can occur as the result of a COVID-19 infection. While acknowledging that COVID-19 has killed more than 80 service members since the beginning of the pandemic, O'Connor said the court "does not make light of COVID-19's impact on the military." But, he said, the Navy's religious exemption process has been "theatre" to date, noting that no exemptions have been granted. "The facts overwhelmingly indicate that the Navy will deny the religious accommodations," O'Connor wrote. "The Navy has, to date, never granted a religious accommodation request for the COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, in the past seven years, the Navy has never granted a single religious exemption for any vaccine." The sailors, who hail from Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant Christian backgrounds, filed their lawsuit through the First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit that serves to defend religious freedom. Their attorney, Michael Berry, is a former Marine Corps judge advocate general who deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and continues to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve, according to the institute's website. "Forcing a service member to choose between their faith and serving their country is abhorrent to the Constitution and America's values," Berry said in a statement released Monday. "Punishing SEALs for simply asking for a religious accommodation is purely vindictive and punitive." No major religions oppose COVID-19 vaccinations, including the Roman Catholic Church, whose leader, Pope Francis, has called receiving it an "act of love" that is consistent with the faith. Leaders of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America said in September "there is no exemption in the Orthodox Church for Her faithful from any vaccination for religious reasons." And leaders in the Baptist faith, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., have said they support vaccination but oppose mandates. Danny Akin, president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, told the Baptist Press in September that he believes "getting vaccinated is in the best interest of national health." "However, an emergency mandate through regulatory action by the Department of Labor is the government trespassing on civil liberties," Akin said, referring to President Joe Biden's mandate for federal workers, contractors and private employers. The lawsuit is one of several filed that have been filed against Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and the Defense Department seeking to halt the vaccine mandate, which was ordered by Austin in August. More than 1.9 million U.S. service members, including members of the Reserve and National Guard, have received vaccines for COVID-19. At least 96% of the active-duty Navy, Army and Air Force were fully vaccinated by their services' respective deadlines. As of Dec. 22, 95% of active-duty Marines had received at least one dose. The services have processes for requesting medical and religious exemptions. To date, a few hundred have received medical exemptions, mainly with the recommendations of a physician, and no religious exemptions have been approved. The Air Force began discharging personnel after its Nov. 2 deadline passed, with 27 airmen dismissed the week of the deadline. The Marine Corps has separated 206 Marines for refusing the vaccine. There have been 261,504 cases of COVID-19 among U.S. service members since the beginning of the pandemic in February 2020 and 82 deaths. During a press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, spokesman John Kirby said he could not comment specifically on the order, given that it is part of ongoing litigation. "We are aware, of course, and we are reviewing it and discussing it with the Department of Justice to determine what options are available to us going forward," Kirby said. O'Connor was nominated to the federal bench in June 2007 by President George W. Bush. He has a history of rulings against Democratic policies and mandates, the most notable occurring in late 2018 when he declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. That ruling was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit but was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision, dissented only by Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime. Related: 2 Battalion Commanders Fired for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine, But 96% of Active Army Meet Deadline SEOUL, South Korea North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into its eastern waters on Wednesday, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, the first such launch in about two months amid long-dormant international diplomacy on the Norths nuclear program. The latest launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further boost his military capability at a high-profile ruling party conference last week. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Wednesday morning. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were trying to analyze more information about the launch. The Japanese Defense Ministry also detected the North Korean launch, saying the country likely fired a missile. We find it truly regrettable that North Korea has continued to fire missiles from last year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. Kishida said other details about the North Korean launch werent immediately available, including where the suspected missile landed and whether there had been any damage. He said he ordered officials to confirm the safety of ships and planes in the area where the suspected missile likely flew and fell. Wednesdays launch is the first such firing since North Korea tested a series of newly developed weapons between September and November including nuclear-capable missiles that place South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies in the region, within striking distance. Some experts said North Korea was applying more pressure on its rivals to accept it as a nuclear power state and to ease international sanctions on the country. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it is open to resuming nuclear diplomacy with North Korea anywhere and at any time without preconditions. The North has so far rebuffed such overtures, saying U.S. hostility remains unchanged. U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program collapsed in 2019 due to wrangling over how much sanctions relief should be given to the North in return for dismantling its main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step. Kim has since threatened to enlarge his nuclear and missile arsenals. During last weeks plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party, Kim repeated his vows to boost his countrys military capacity and ordered the production of more powerful, sophisticated weapons systems. State media dispatches on the meeting said North Korea set forth tactical directions for North Koreas external relations including with South Korea, but didnt elaborate. It made no mention of the United States. Last month, Kim marked 10 years in power. Since assuming control after his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Ils death in December 2011, Kim Jong Un has established absolute power at home and bolstered his nuclear and missile arsenals. But his countrys economy has been battered severely by the coronavirus pandemic, U.N. sanctions and mismanagement, though few experts question his grip on power. __ Associated Press Writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report. SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas military apologized Wednesday for causing public concern about its security readiness, days after it failed to stop a suspected North Korean defector who crossed the heavily fortified border to return to the North. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korean surveillance cameras detected the person scaling a barbed-wire fence at the border on Saturday, triggering alarms and prompting a team of six soldiers to move to the area. But the troops failed to find any trace of the person, Lt. Gen. Jeon Dong-jin, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers. He said officials checked the recorded video from the surveillance cameras but were unable to find the person immediately because the time in the video was incorrectly set. A thermal observation device later spotted the person again, but officers initially thought it was a North Korean trying to defect to South Korea, rather than one returning to the North. The officers later revised their assessment and again dispatched troops, who failed to catch the person before her or she entered North Korean territory, Jeon said. Jeon said the military will boost the readiness of front-line troops and upgrade surveillance systems along the border. "I am really sorry for causing concerns to the people because of this incident, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Won In-choul, told the lawmakers. I promise to make every effort so there is no recurrence of similar incidents. President Moon Jae-in called the incident a grave failure in surveillance that the military must not repeat. He ordered a special inspection of the militarys overall security posture, according to his spokesperson, Park Kyung-mee. The Defense Ministry said the person who crossed the border is likely a defector who had walked across the frontier in the other direction in late 2020 to settle in South Korea. Ministry officials said the appearance of the person in the security video matches that defector. After arriving in South Korea, the defector identified himself as a former gymnast and said he crawled over border fences before being found by South Korean troops, ministry officials said. Defecting via the 248-kilometer (155-mile) -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide border, known as the Demilitarized Zone, is rare since it is guarded by land mines, tank traps and combat troops on both sides in addition to barbed-wire fences. South Koreas military has come under massive public criticism whenever someone is able to cross the border undetected. The fate of the person who crossed into North Korea on Saturday is unknown. The Defense Ministry said North Korea hasnt responded to its request that the persons safety be assured. While in South Korea, the defector struggled to adjust to his new life, complained to people around him and told them about his desire to return to North Korea, said Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-scholar in Seoul. Ahn, citing unidentified friends of the man, said he worked for a small janitorial service but was bullied by colleagues and lived alone at a government-provided apartment in Seoul. He said the defector had fled to South Korea after suffering abuses from his stepfather in North Korea. About 34,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea in search of better lives since the late 1990s, and about 30 have returned home in the past 10 years, according to South Korean government records. Observers say the returnees likely suffered cultural shock and discrimination, had large debts or were blackmailed by North Korean agents who threatened to harm their loved ones if they didnt return. Fort Madison, IA (52627) Today Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 61F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low near 50F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill. Sudanese security forces fired tear gas Tuesday at anti-coup protesters in Khartoum chanting slogans against the military days after the resignation of the country's civilian premier, witnesses said. Protesters shouted "No, no to military rule" and called for the disbandment of Sudan's ruling council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led an October 25 coup that derailed a transition to civilian rule. Thousands of protesters gathered across Sudan, including in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman as well as the eastern city of Port Sudan and the South Darfur capital of Nyala. Demonstrators in east Khartoum "burnt car tyres and built rock barricades on the streets," witness Sawsan Salah said. Other protesters urged the military "to go back to the barracks." Streets leading to the presidential palace and army headquarters were sealed off amid a heavy presence of troops, riot police and paramilitary units, the witnesses said. Pro-democracy activists have stepped up calls for demonstrations since the October coup which saw then-prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and cabinet ministers detained. The coup has triggered mass demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that has left at least 57 people dead and hundreds wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee. At least 13 women have allegedly been raped during the unrest, according to the United Nations. On November 21, Burhan reinstated Hamdok in an agreement promising elections in mid-2023, but the protest movement slammed the deal as a "betrayal" and has kept up its protests. Late Sunday, Hamdok announced that he was stepping down, saying he had tried to prevent the country "from sliding toward disaster" but that it was now at a "dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival". 'Urgent action' Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Tuesday that he "respects" Hamdok's decision and called for "urgent action" to resolve the crisis. UN chief Antonio Guterres "regrets that a political understanding on the way forward is not in place despite the gravity of the situation in Sudan", UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. Sudan has been navigating a fragile transition towards full civilian rule since the April 2019 ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir following an unprecedented wave of youth-led protests. Activists online had urged demonstrators to head to the presidential palace in Khartoum "until victory is achieved", according to the Sudanese Professionals Association, an alliance of independent trade unions that was instrumental in the anti-Bashir protests. Last month, Burhan issued a decree allowing security forces to arrest individuals "over crimes related to the state of emergency", effectively banning street protests. Security forces are allowed to enter and search "any building or individual" and impose "surveillance of any property and facility". Since the coup, authorities have often disrupted internet services and communication lines to make it more difficult for activists to organise protests. Botswana leader Mokgweetsi Masisi has been replaced by his Vice President after testing positive for Covid. The country, which first identified the Omicron variant, has now vaccinated nearly half of its population. Masisi has no symptoms and tested positive in routine monitoring, according to a statement released Monday, which announced he would be replaced by Vice President Slumber Tsogwane until further notice. The Omicron variant of the virus was first identified by scientists in Botswana at the end of November, and sequencing done in South Africa confirmed the findings. Since then, like elsewhere in the world, new infections have risen sharply in the country, though health officials say this has not led to a spike in hospitalisations and deaths. Last week, neighbouring South Africa lifted a 21-month nightly curfew, saying that its latest Covid wave had peaked without a surge in deaths or hospitalisations. The government has been proactive in securing vaccine doses, and has managed to fully vaccinate 43 percent of its 2.4 million population. Boosters have recently been introduced for those fully vaccinated, and the age of vaccination has been lowered from 18 to 12 years old. Scientists hypothesize that Omicron could have developed in an immunosuppressed patient, possibly someone with HIV. Botswana has some of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, along with South Africa, eSwatini and Lesotho. (with wires) South African investigators on Tuesday handed over the first instalment of a long-awaited report into corruption at the heart of the state under former president Jacob Zuma. The fruit of four years' work, the report was handed to Zuma's successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has vowed to root out graft and financial sleaze. "This is what I would call a defining moment in our country's effort to definitively end the era of state capture and to restore the integrity... of our institutions and more importantly our government," Ramaphosa said. The findings, he hoped, would "mark a decisive break with the corrupt practices that our country has experienced in the past." Ramaphosa said he would brief parliament by the end of June on his response to the report, drawn up by a top-level commission which does not itself have powers of prosecution. Zuma, 79, became post-apartheid South Africa's fourth president in May 2009, succeeding Thabo Mbeki. But his presidency became stained by a reputation for corruption, with cronies influencing government appointments, contracts and state businesses. Billions looted The web-like process, known in South Africa as "state capture," led to losses that at the time were equivalent to nearly seven billion dollars, according to a past estimate by Pravin Gordhan, a former finance minister given responsibility for state companies. As the outcry mounted, Zuma was pressed into establishing an investigative commission under Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, before he was forced out of office in February 2018 by the ruling African National Congress (ANC). "It's been a gruelling four years," Zondo said on Tuesday as he physically handed the weighty volume to Ramaphosa at a ceremony in Pretoria. The second volume will be handed to Ramaphosa at the end of January, and the third and final tome at the end of February, according to the presidency. The first instalment deals with corruption at South African Airways, the New Age newspaper, the country's tax collector and the issue of public procurement, Zondo said. Over 34 months, his commission heard accounts of rampant misappropriation of funds from some of the 270 witnesses, who included business people, civil servants and intelligence officers. Zuma's jailing sparked violent protests that devolved into rioting and looting in his home region, KwaZulu-Natal. By GUILLEM SARTORIO AFP Much of the evidence to the commission related to a wealthy Indian immigrant family headed by three brothers -- Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta -- who are accused of having wielded undue influence over Zuma. Bags of cash claim The brothers are at the centre of claims they paid bribes to influence ministerial appointments and plunder state bodies. They fled South Africa shortly after the commission started its work, and their whereabouts are unknown. Paul Holden, an investigator who runs an NGO alongside a former ANC MP, told Zondo the estimated cost of the Guptas' illicit activities could have been as much as 50 billion rand ($3.12 billion, 2.76 billion euros). One witness described bags bulging with cash being delivered to ANC grandees during secret meetings in upmarket hotels in exchange for lucrative contracts for one private company. Several witnesses detailed an audit for a major asbestos roof removal project in central Free State province. The project was never completed, yet $10 million went missing. This led to the indictment and suspension of ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, the provincial premier at the time. Zuma snub The report follows a judicial inquiry into widespread graft during former president Jacob Zuma's time in office. By Guillem Sartorio AFP Zuma repeatedly refused to testify to the commission and in July was jailed for contempt of court. Despite the corrupt reputation of his presidency, Zuma remains popular among many grassroots ANC members. His imprisonment sparked violent protests that devolved into rioting and looting in his home region, KwaZulu-Natal, and spread to the financial hub Johannesburg. In a separate case, Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of military equipment from five European arms companies when he was deputy president. The report's handover comes as the political system reels from the fire which destroyed swathes of the parliament in Cape Town after it caught ablaze on Sunday, the day that Archbishop Desmond Tutu's funeral was held in the city. The fire has been contained and a man was due in court on Tuesday charged with arson. Twenty-eight years ago I wrote a book titled Reclaiming Our Democracy. Maybe that is why it was so hard to read that 52% of young Americans between 18 and 29 years old believe that our democracy is either in trouble or failing, according to the latest Harvard Youth Poll released in December. But the young are not alone in feeling despair over the state of our democracy. According to a PBS Newshour/NPR/Marist poll taken before July 4, 67% of all Americans, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents, believe American democracy is under threat. Advertisement Hardly good news for action on the climate emergency. Sam Daley-Harris is the founder of the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS and of Civic Courage. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (Courtesy photo) Harvard Institute of Politics Director Mark Gearan tried to soften the blow when he said, In the 2020 election young Americans proved with their record-shattering turnout that they are a formidable voting bloc and eager to make their voices heard. Advertisement That was encouraging, but not the whole story. The youth turnout was unprecedented, jumping from 39% in 2016 to 50% in 2020, according to Tufts Universitys Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. While that was an impressive increase in youth voting, 50% of youth still stayed home on election day as did 28.5% of those 35 years old and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Many of those who got to the polls might have thought that their work was done. But voting is not enough to renew our democracy or address climate change. We must find deeper ways to make our voices heard on issues we care about. For example, the Harvard Youth Poll found that, 56 percent of young Americans expect climate change to impact their future decisions and nearly half (45%) already see its local effects. In the lead-up to COP26 in Glasgow, climate activist and Drawdown editor Paul Hawken said, Its estimated that between 98 and 99% of humanity is disengaged. Your friends might be engaged, Hawken continued, but between 98 and 99% of humanity is disengaged. From the Earths point of view, theres no difference between a climate denier and somebody who understands the problem but actually doesnt do anything. Now theres a wake-up call. So how do we combat the powerlessness and cynicism that tempts us to throw in the towel? Johns Hopkins University Professor Hahrie Han provides a good place to start with her distinction between transactional advocacy (sign the petition, transaction complete) and transformational advocacy where volunteers thats us are trained and encouraged to succeed at deep, sustained, relational advocacy. That means meeting with members of Congress, pitching editorials, writing op-eds and letters to the editor, speaking and bringing new people in and, as a result, seeing ourselves as community leaders. Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. > But you cant engage in transformational advocacy by yourself. You need an organization to help you. Most nonprofits, however, are stuck in a 501c3, tax-deductible ditch that keeps them from encouraging their members in stronger forms of advocacy. Advertisement Its our job to find an organization thats committed to helping us climb out of that ditch. Groups like Citizens Climate Lobby, Foundation for Climate Restoration, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Catholic Relief Services, the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS, and American Promise fulfill that need. In a climate change conversation with John Kerry at Yale in 2017, former Vice-President Al Gore told the audience, I want to recruit you we can do this. People doubt we have the political will. Just remember that political will is itself a renewable resource. Go out and renew it. I know, that conversation was four years ago and not much seems to have changed. But thats all the more reason to finally answer the wake-up call and renew political will for addressing the climate. Make it your New Years resolution to build the political will to address climate change. Do it for yourself, for your children and grandchildren, and for our democracy. Sam Daley-Harris is the founder of the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS and of Civic Courage. The Invading Sea is the opinion arm of the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a collaborative of news organizations across the state focusing on the threats posed by the warming climate. 04.01.2022 LISTEN The New Patriotic Party (NPP) chapter in Germany has commended the government for reviving the Ayensu starch factory. The ruling government through its 1District 1Factory initiative successfully restored the factory in the Central Region last year to the excitement of residents of nearby communities. In a press release from NPP Germany dated January 3, 2022, it says it applauds the government for reviving the Ayensu starch factory. The release signed by Nana Osei Boateng who is Communications Director for the chapter notes that they are confident the factory will provide jobs for and bring development to Ayensu. The government of the day, the NPP government, led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done another great service to the people by reviving the Ayensu starch factory which had been left to rot under the erstwhile government. This amongst many things will give jobs, give farmers more money and give them a ready market. This is indeed a pathway to building a stronger economy and making the lives of the locals better than it used to be, part of the NPP Germany release reads. It concludes, God bless Akufo-Addo and his visionary leadership that is reviving hope in the youth and the population. His leadership is indeed walking the talk of making lives better. Read the full release below: Press Release Npp Germany 03.01.22 CASSAVA FARMERS IN LOVE WITH THE REVIVAL OF AYENSU STARCH FACTORY The Ayensu Starch factory has been revived under the governments industrialization agenda; 1District 1Factory initiative and this gives cassava farmers in and around the central region a reason to jubilate. The Cassava farmers have over the years produce for ready consumption and sometimes have their produce perish because they lack machinery and factories to process the raw produce into value added products like ethanol, beverages, industrial starch and so other much needed products on the market. The government of the day, the NPP government, led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done another great service to the people by reviving the Ayensu starch factory which had been left to rot under the erstwhile government. This amongst many things will give jobs, give farmers more money and give them a ready market. This is indeed a pathway to building a stronger economy and making the lives of the locals better than it used to be. God bless Akufo-Addo and his visionary leadership that is reviving hope in the youth and the population. His leadership is indeed walking the talk of making lives better. God bless our homeland Ghana. God bless Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Npp. ...Signed... Nana Osei Boateng Npp Germany Branch Communications Director. Furious Kenyans are calling for a boycott of the fast-food giant KFC after it announced Monday it had run out of potatoes. While spuds are the second-largest crop in Kenya, KFC uses imports to make its chips, hence the shortage. The news comes during Kenya's potato harvesting season. KFC said the shortage was the result of shipping delays caused by Covid, and instead offered buns, ugali maize porridge and other alternatives to make up for the lack of chips in its combo meals. Washira Kaguongo, CEO of the National Potato Council in Kenya, which works with local farmers, told RFI it was not sustainable for KFC to continue sourcing its potatoes from abroad. Because we are offering a market for their food, we expect that they should also offer a market for our farmers, he said. However KFC's East Africa boss, Jacques Theunissen, told local media that approval procedures could not be sidestepped to bring in local farmers on global quality standards. Potato haven Kenya grows 62 different varieties of potatoes. If the implication is that Kenya's potatoes aren't up to scratch, their track record in international produce speaks for itself. Kenya deals with international standards to supply European markets on a regular basis, as well as African chains, such as Chicken Inn. It's shocking that [US government development agency] USAID put a lot of investment to improve Irish potato production in Kenya, yet KFC can claim that farmers cannot meet the standards, says Timothy Njagi, develomment economist and research fellow at the Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development in Nairobi. A US export, KFC is popular on the African continent, operating in 25 countries. It has had franchises in Kenya since 2011. They've never got in touch in the 10 years they've been in business here, says Kaguongo. As soon as they set up in Kenya, they would have gone downstream to make sure that they introduce the varieties that they want in the country. Kaguongo said the National Potato Council had the necessary systems in place to support KFC if it reached out for help. "We work with everybody, and more importantly we like supporting private sector businesses, so they can support farmers, he said. Rivals take advantage KFC's competitors, such as Burger King and Chicken Inn have been taking advantage of the gaffe to promote their locally sourced chips. There have been widespread calls from Kenyans to support the country's 800,000 local farmers. When asked to respond, KFC Kenya told RFI there was an opportunity to source the potatoes from a local supplier. At KFC Kenya, we work with a number of local Kenyan suppliers to serve our customers locally sourced produce and ingredients in our restaurants," it said, listing poultry, fresh vegetables, bread buns, packaging,flour, and ice cream, to name a few. This apparent U-turn is encouraging news for the National Potato Council, which says the scandal playing out on the internet could result in a win-win situation. We have tried reaching KFC previously, without success. I think now we are likely to have a meeting, Kaguongo says. More than 28,300 migrants crossed the Channel from France to the UK in small boats last year. The PA news agency reported Tuesday that, based on its analysis of British government data, at least 28,395 people reached the UK in 2021. This is more than triple the figure for 2020, according to the figures from UK Home Office The peak came in November, during which at least 6,869 people reached the UK, spurred on by favourable weather conditions. On 11th November, a record-breaking 1,185 reached Britain in a single day. The higher numbers were partly due to the use of bigger boats, carrying an average of about 28 people and sometimes as many as 50. Deadly crossings Some crossings ended tragically for many with at least 27 migrants drowning off France on 24th November during an attempted crossing in a boat which French officials likened to a children's inflatable pool. The 27 victims were mostly men but also included seven women, a 16-year-old, and a seven-year-old child. They were mostly Iraqi Kurds but an Iranian Kurd, Afghans, Ethiopians, a Somali, and an Egyptian were also among the dead. The high number of migrants crossing to Britain from mainland Europe has become a political headache for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel. The flow of migrants has also soured Britain's relations with France, prompting an unseemly blame game even as both sides try to disrupt the people trafficking networks. The UK government's Nationality and Borders Bill is currently before parliament. It promises tougher action against people smugglers and, controversially, migrants themselves. If passed, the bill, opposed by rights groups, will allow the return of asylum seekers who have passed through so-called "safe third countries". (with wires) 04.01.2022 LISTEN The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has revealed that government has made plans to construct a 100km outer ring road for people in Ashanti Region. Speaking in an interview on Otec FM's morning show dubbed 'Nyansapo,' the Suame lawmaker told host Captain Koda that the move is to ease vehicular and human traffic in the inner parts of Kumasi and its environs. He said government has already made plans to construct about four new interchanges within the Kumasi inner ring roads however it has become necessary for another 100km outer ring road to be constructed. He noted that the said road will cover the boundaries of Greater Kumasi connecting Ejisu to other areas like Mamponten and Anwiankwanta. He however added that government has made plans to construct a four-lane carriageway to all entry and exiting points in the region. Five interchanges for Greater Kumasi Metro Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has disclosed that five interchanges will be constructed in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area. Delivering the 2022 budget in Parliament on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, he noted that the interchanges will be constructed at Suame, Santasi and Airport Roundabout. Throwing more light on the projects, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that there are going to be five major 4-tier interchanges in Kumasi. This includes Bakwai Roundabout interchange which is awarded on contract, Oforikrom Interchange of which feasibility studies completed with detailed designs and financing options are undertaken. Others are Suame interchange, Ahodwo roundabout interchange, and Santasi Roundabout Interchange. Completed asphalting overlay roads Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu reiterated that there has been some completed asphalting projects within the region. He mentioned a 26km asphalt overlay of selected roads in Suame and Tafo metro where 23.09km of the project has been completed. Also, asphalting overlay roads in Subin, Kwadaso, Bantama, Manhyia, Oforikrom, Agric Nzema are all underway with significant kilometres completed. Upgrading Projects According to him, there are several upgrading projects ongoing which includes Bakwai town roads, selected roads in Ashanti Bekwai, Donnyina town, Anwomaso Town, Domeabra town, Apromase, Essinimpong-Achina town roads and Central University Kumasi campus area roads. Critical roads programme The Suame lawmaker stressed that there are considerations for critical roads. The project, he intimated, includes rehabilitation of Kumasi-Sunyani Road (N6): Mankranso to Tepa junction, 40km, upgrading of Kwadaso-Trabuom road, 30k, Mampong-Kofi Ase Road. "I will not joke with Ashanti this time regarding their roads; where your treasure is there will be your heart also," the minister assures. A Circuit Court in Accra has ordered the Attorney General (AG) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to produce in court 12 persons nabbed over some disturbances in Bawku last Tuesday. According to the court presided over by Mr. Emmanuel Essandoh, the AG and IGP are to produce the 12 suspects tomorrow January 5, this year by noon. The court order came after the 12 suspects' lawyer, Mr Martin Kpebu had gone to court over non-appearance of his clients in court after they had been arrested in Bawku and transferred to Accra. The suspects had been charged with unlawful assembly. Mr Kpebu held that his clients have been in custody for the past eight days, a breach of the 48-hour rule which mandates security officers to produce suspects in court after they have been arrested. Defense Counsel held that there were no provisions in the law, which states that the AG must receive a motion for bail before a court grants bail to suspects. Mr. Kpebu said an application for bail had been filed at the court and the processes have since been served on the IGP who is an agent of the Attorney General. He explained that the bail processes have also been served on the AG. Mr Kpebu noted that the matter before the court was not about a criminal offence but it was about the liberty of individuals who have been incarcerated for the past eight days. Mr Frederick Adu-Gyamfi, an Assistant State Attorney (ASA) held that the state had been served with an order of the court dated January 1, this year and same has served on the IGP and a Police Commander. He said, however, the state was unable to produce the suspects before the court as a result of circumstances beyond their control. In the case of the AG, the ASA said the state has no knowledge of the receipt of the bail application. He recounted if a court lacked the jurisdiction over a matter, it also lacked the capacity to grant bail. The court, however, held that the IGP has not brought the suspects to court and the AG has also not given specific reasons for the accused non-appearance in court. It held that its orders are given in respect of producing the accused persons in court, still stands The 12 suspects were arrested by the Police and kept in detention for their alleged involvement in the Bawku Chieftaincy disturbances the broke out last Monday. The alleged disturbances led to the loss of lives and the destruction of property. There were reports of sporadic shootings in parts of Bawku Township prior to renewed clashes in an attempt to perform the final funeral rites of a chief who died about 41 years ago. The suspects are Issahaku Barkin, Samuel Abdul Rahman, Seidu Mohammed Saani, Richard Amevor, Nantogman Kwami, Iddrisu Shaibu, Namaw Osman Nabia, Inusah Belko, Abdulai Nangdong Dana, Naa Tampuri, and Dr. Samuel Bugri. GNA An Accra Circuit Court has adjourned to January 25, the case of Bishop Stephen Kwasi Appiah, also known as Jesus Ahoufe, the Founder of Newlife Kingdom Chapel. He is accused of prophesing that dancehall musician, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., also known as Shatta Wale, would be shot and killed on October 18, this year. He has denied the charge of causing fear and panic. The case was adjourned because the substantive judge, Mrs Ellen Ofei Ayeh is on leave. The accused had earlier been granted bail in the sum of GH100,000 bail with three sureties, all should be gainfully employed. The sureties are also to deposit their Ghana Cards at the Court Registry. Bishop Appiah is to report to the police twice a week Mondays and Thursdays. Prosecution has been led by Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey, while Martin Kpebu represented Bishop Appiah. The Bishop was arrested on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at the premises of Accra FM, three weeks after his prophecy of death over Shatta Wale. Shatta Wale, who was arrested for faking a shooting incident, said in a Facebook post that his action was necessitated by the prophecy. GNA Mr King Ali Awudu 05.01.2022 LISTEN The Volta Regional Chapter of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana has lent its backing to a decision taken by the national executives to dismiss the acting national president. The group said in a statement sighted by our reporter that anybody who deals with Mr King Ali Awudu in the capacity of an acting national president of CCTGH does so at their own peril. According to the group, the acting president has overstayed his legitimate tenure hence their support for his dismissal. "We stand in solidarity by the decision of members to sack our Acting president, King Ali Awudu due to his gross misconduct and putting the name of the union into disrepute," a statement signed by Ernest Selase Adzimah on behalf of the aggrieved members of the Volta Chapter of CCTGH has said. The group accuses the dismissed acting president of failing to address the concerns of members. "He has resorted to sacking and suspending members and officers on flimsy grounds of bringing the name of the Union into disrepute." The group also warned the Volta Regional Chairman of CCTGH to stay away from any other group within the coalition that is lending its support to the dismissed acting president. "We are by this press conference sending a strong caution to our Volta regional chairman who is alleged to have issued a disclaimer to the press conference held on the 22nd of December 2021 by members in Accra. "The regional chairman is therefore counselled to stay away from such act or face the wrath of the members of the region whose interest he must represent," the statement read. Read full statement below: PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE VOLTA REGIONAL CHAPTER OF THE COALITION OF CONCERNED TEACHERS- GHANA. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the media, we are grateful for your presence here today, though at a very short notice. We the members of the Volta regional chapter of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, are hereby declaring our total support for the dismissal of the acting president of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Mr. KING ALI AWUDU. We stand in solidarity by the DECISION of members to sack our Acting president, KING ALI AWUDU due to his gross misconduct and putting the name of the union into disrepute. Instead of addressing the concerns raised by the individuals in the union, he has resorted to sacking and suspending members and officers on the flimsy grounds of bringing the name of the Union into disrepute. Very ironic to act that way. When the suspended and sacked individuals requested for further particulars necessitating their suspension and sacking, no answer has been proffered to date yet. If clearly Ali and co think they have reasons for suspending and sacking officers and members who are not on his side, why not providing one to date since it has been almost three (3) months? I will like to ask: If somebody is to be blamed for bringing the name of the CCT GH into disrepute, will it be the one who wants to make sure that the right thing is done? The one who calls for transparency, probity and accountability? OR The one who is preventing transparency, probity and accountability? Or The one who wants to do things in his own way because he is the acting President of the Union? Or The one who sees himself as the chief interpreter of CCT GH constitution and will explain it to suit his course? Or The one who has confessed to being a killer of his former Headmaster? We observed for a very long time and have agreed completely with the issues stipulated in the earlier press conference that : King Ali Awudu has fallen short of the objectives of the union. He is not a unifier but rather a divisive, arrogant, disrespectful, and benevolent dictator. His divisive nature is spoiling the Union. King Ali Awudu does not have the welfare of the union at heart. He agrees to policies from GES and other stakeholders without consultation. His autocratic leadership can no longer work in CCT GH. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, with all these issues and other serious internal matters hanging on his shoulders, we are making it clear to all stakeholders and the public that we can no longer work with Mr King Ali Awudu as our acting president. Henceforth, he ceases to be the acting president of the union and no third party should deal with him directly or indirectly. Doing so will be at your own peril. We are by this press conference sending a strong caution to our Volta regional chairman who is alleged to have issued a disclaimer to the press conference held on the 22nd of December 2021 by members in Accra. The regional chairman is therefore counselled to stay away from such act or face the wrath of the members of the region whose interest he must represent. We thank you all for coming. Concern, resolute! Long live CCT GH Long live members Long live Ghana 0249695704 Christians and people around the world witnessed transition of the timelines from 2021 to 2022 on the night of December 31. Crossover services are a common place in Ghana. In this piece, Richard Nii Kotey takes a look at the crossover service at The Word In Action Church in the capital, Accra. The Word In Action Church, located at Bortianor, Ajasco Junction along the Bojo Beach-Kokrobite stretch witnessed a meal of word-saturated message from the Lord on New Years Eve. Scores of people thronged the vast arena housing the magnificent edifice in search of salvation for their souls and to utilise the available avenue to express gratitude to God for His watch over their lives. A blast of electrifying prophetic declarations accentuated the message of the night as Pastor Mark Mintah, Founder and Senior Pastor of the church mounted the podium. Ushered into an atmosphere that was already charged by the resident choir, The True Worshippers, the Man of God was full of gratitude for the goodness of the Lord, saying When we began the year, we were told there was a certain virus called Coronavirus and we didnt know we were going to make it even to the month of February but here we are today. It is due to the goodness of the Lord." Taking his reading from the book of Luke 5:1-8, Pastor Mark delivered the mind of God to the congregation and to the world, urging them to make their lives available for the Masters use. Recounting the hopeless situation of Peter, being frustrated by a whole night of fruitless toil but who encountered a net-breaking catch after availing his boat for Jesus use. The International Preacher indicated that Jesus was calling upon the congregation and humanity to yield their bodies as living sacrifices in service to Him. Today, it is no longer about boats but your lives. God wants you to yield your lives to Him. He wants you to trust His word rather than people, he indicated. Pastor Mark bemoaned the increasing state of people living their lives without embracing the word of the Lord, adding that, most Christians didnt even have Bibles of their own and wondered how they could know the mind of God for their lives without reading His word. He explained that Jesus is the word and like Peter, anyone who gave Him room in their lives would experience His goodness. He told the people that God wants to do something beautiful with their lives but it would require their availability and readiness to walk with Him. Bringing his sermon to a close, Pastor Mark told the congregation and viewers around the world that Jesus was their only hope, saying Man must serve God. He underscored how fleeting life is, citing the example of the lives of many great and powerful men and women who had departed the face of this earth. Bear in mind that people die. Make your decisions today he counselled. As the seconds counted, racing towards the 60th mark at 11:59pm, with a heightened sense of optimism, the people burst rapturously into the New Year, transiting the timelines from 2021 into 2022. There is no doubt that the just ended year, 2021, has been a difficult agriculture year. Data from the Statistics, Research, and Information directorate of the Ministry for Food and Agriculture shows that between January and October 2021, the prices of major food crops like maize, yam, cassava, tomatoes, rice, and yam increased by between 12 and 73%. What this means is that it was more difficult for people to buy the foods they need to stay satisfied and healthy. The contributory factors include poor management of the sector, and external shocks. Here, we are referring to poor management situations like delayed release of funds for major policy interventions like the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme, and external shocks like Covid-19 disruptions to the global agriculture supply chain and climate change. The challenges with poor management of the sector have always been with us. They did not start today. Fixing them will require clearly thought through policy initiatives, and enhanced commitment from various stakeholders to help develop the sector, particularly from government. In this statement, we offer 5 suggested measures government needs to take to help improve upon the agricultural sector which we are confident if taken seriously will make Ghana self-sufficient in food production. An improved agricultural sector will also help provide the teeming youth of the country with the necessary jobs that can help them live decent lives. First of all, we need to see a proper decentralization of the management of Ghanas agricultural sector. The decision by government to make the departments of agriculture across the country more accountable to local assemblies through the local government system instead of them being subsidiaries of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, is laudable. But that means nothing if conscious efforts are not made to channel resources directly from the central government to these district agricultural department offices to provide quality extension services to farmers, support them with mechanization services as well as subsidized inputs. The local assemblies should prioritise agricultural activities and make sure they provide adequate investments at their levels to support farmers in their enclaves. Money is needed to finance the transportation and logistical needs of extension officers so they can get research outputs and scientific and innovative techniques to the farmers. The local government system must support financially. Secondly, government needs to make use of its purchasing power to make life better for smallholder producers. It doesnt make sense that government funded initiatives like the School Feeding Programme sometimes rely on imported food products. The local agricultural economy must be propped up with local and national government funding. There must be a conscious effort by the state at the national and local level to create conducive environments for the marketing of farm produces for the benefit of Ghanaian farmers. Thirdly, it is about time we tackled head on the challenge of inadequate protection of farmlands in the country. In semi urban areas, estate developers have vigorously taken over agricultural lands, forcing smallholder producers out of work. And then in the rural areas, we are seeing a creeping culture of food crop farmlands being taken over aggressively by large scale plantation growers like rubber farming companies, which has the potential to negatively impact food production in some of these areas. Government must intervene and properly zone out farming lands that should be no go areas for physical infrastructural development. With the impact of climate change now upon us all, we will urge the government to speed up work on improving the countrys irrigation system and revive the abandoned projects of the failed One-village One-dam Policy. Lets face it, that policy is a failure. As farmers across the country have observed, the policy has created nonexistent and useless dams that havent made any difference in their lives. The concept of providing farmers with irrigation facilities is a good move that must necessarily be pursued to the very latter. But clearly, the One-village One-dam initiative was mismanaged in a way that prioritized special interest benefits over the interest of the farmers who feed the country. Now is the time for a more effective revitalisation of this initiative for the benefit of farmers. Finally, our development partners and agencies that support Ghanas agricultural sector need to improve the level of involvement of farmers in the planning and implementation of their projects. We need to properly develop systems for measuring the impact, sustainability, and quality of exit strategies for these projects, and properly integrate them in Ghanas home-grown agricultural policies and programmes. A lot of these agricultural projects have been running for years with little to show as evidence of success. We have so many agriculture focused NGOs operating up north which say they are working to create more agricultural jobs. But migration from there to the south continues to skyrocket. There must be a coordinated platform among the civil society organisations in the agricultural sector so they can work together for the benefit of farmers. Government needs to provide leadership on this front so we can get the best out of our development partners. These ideas as we have enumerated above are actually nothing new. They revolve around the same ideas we have been tossing around over the years as actions we need to take to improve upon the agricultural sector. But it is important to reiterate them for urgent action because the challenges with the hike in food prices we saw last year was a clear warning that unless drastic actions are taken, danger looms in 2022. Minus immediate bold interventions, 2022 is likely to come along with even more drastic increase in prices of food stuff, deepening inequalities among the farming population and an increase in Ghanas dependence on foreign foods, as well as loss of agricultural jobs. Immediate government action is needed now. Signed Richmond Frimpong (0268909020/0246509360) President, GARDJA Joseph Opoku Gakpo (0247714498) Deputy General Secretary, GARDJA About GARDJA The Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalists Association (GARDJA) is an association of about 300 journalists and communicators working to promote issues of environment, agriculture and rural development in the media space. GARDJA is an affiliate of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), the worlds largest association of agricultural communication practitioners with membership covering more than 50 countries. Former President John Dramani Mahama has expressed his appreciation to Ghanaians for the show of support and love extended to him and his family on the demise of his brother, Mr Emmanuel Adam Mahama. Mr Adam Mahama was buried in Bole in the Savanna Region on Sunday, 2 January 2022. He died on Friday, 31 December 2021 after a short illness. He was 61. In a show of appreciation, the former President, in a Facebook post, said he was particularly indebted to our senior comrade and Chairman of the NDC Council of Elders Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu for his presence and support. We also want to thank Madam Chief of Staff Frema Osei-Opare, the Chief of Air Staff and the Airforce for the support to airlift the remains of our brother on Sunday. Similarly, he thanked members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and all Ghanaians for their support and comforting words. ---Classfmonline.com The global impact of the Jan. 6 insurrection is still growing one year after the attack. Most Americans dont realize the shock felt by our foreign friends, and the glee of our adversaries, at watching mobs of MAGA vandals storm the Capitol of the worlds greatest democracy. Advertisement Even when European and Asian allies disagreed with American policies, they still looked to the United States as the leader of the community of democratic nations. Especially given the growing strength of China and the muscle-flexing of Russia. Trudy Rubin is an op-ed columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. (Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) The coup attempt on Jan. 6, along with its continuing reverberations, has shaken our allies faith in Americas future. Despite the Biden administrations success in strengthening alliances Trump rebuffed and building new ones in Asia foreign officials now worry about the stability of the United States. Advertisement They watch with astonishment as the former president continues to promote his Big Lie about election fraud in 2020 and as most GOP leaders support his falsehoods. They wonder whether Trump will try again to steal the election in 2024, and whether more of his supporters will use violence. No NATO ally could have conceived of such a scenario before Trump incited the coup attempt at the Capitol on Jan. 6. This is a year in which the crisis of American democracy has become incredibly visible to all, the noted British columnist Martin Wolf told a Financial Times podcast in late December. And that is a singularly disturbing fact for those of us who live in what we used to think of as the free world. European and Asian leaders wonder whether the partisan madness eating away at Americas democratic institutions will undercut any effective U.S. foreign policy. This is a time when our country needs to be united against Chinas advances and Russias aggression. Moreover, NATO allies know they cant handle these threats alone, and are looking for solid U.S. leadership in pushing back against Moscow and Beijing. Instead, foreigners watch with amazement (or glee in Beijing) as Trump, his congressional acolytes and pro-Trump media shatter the most sacred principle of democracy: the commitment to free and fair elections in which the candidate who gets the most votes wins and the loser steps aside. Never mind that audit after audit, court decision after court decision, debunks GOP claims that votes were altered, voting machines fixed, or absentee ballots misused. Never mind that a monthslong study by The Associated Press of every potential case of voter fraud in six key battleground states found fewer than 475 individual cases of potential fraud out of 25.5 million votes cast. Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. > Despite the clear facts, nearly two-thirds of self-declared Republicans say the 2020 election was stolen. And state GOP leaders are trying to pass laws that will enable state legislatures to override the popular vote and choose their own slates of electors. Advertisement In foreign capitals, they are already imagining the domestic U.S. political chaos if the GOP refuses to accept the results in the 2024 presidential ballot. They also worry about bitter U.S. domestic conflicts in the long run-up to 2024 elections, especially if the GOP wins a House majority in 2022 and makes clear its plans to upend 2024 results it dislikes. No wonder Americas friends wonder whether our country is on its way to destroying itself. No wonder our adversaries believe this to be the case. Trump has handed authoritarians such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping a huge gift: a United States divided, internally preoccupied, and contradicting its own democratic ideals, writes the noted Stanford political scientist Francis Fukuyama in Foreign Affairs. Indeed, Chinese state media, and political leaders, point to the chaos of Jan. 6 at the Capitol as proof their system of governance is superior to Americas. The divisiveness that paralyzes American politics increases their self-confidence in their authoritarian order, and their conviction that the United States is in decline. Trumps Big Lie, which keeps the legacy of Jan. 6 boiling, is the gift that keeps giving to Americas adversaries. So long as Republican leaders refuse to rebuff that lie in public, they are handing China and Russia a compelling advantage by helping rip up American democracy at its roots. Trudy Rubin is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UG-UTAG) has announced its intent to strike on January 10. Secretary to UG-UTAG, Prof Ransford Gyampo confirmed the expected industrial action. According to him, all stakeholders have been served with the notice for their intended strike except the National Labour Commission (NLC). The strike is to protest the National Executive Committees (NEC) decision to accept the governments Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) proposing, among others, the payment of $1,600 research allowance to members of UTAG. UG-UTAG said its NEC accepted the MoA despite disagreements from some chapters of UTAG. UG-UTAG wants the NEC to withdraw its communique suggesting that an agreement was reached by UTAG members to accept the research allowance. ---Classfmonline.com The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given an assurance to teachers in the country that all their concerns about the One Teacher One Laptop initiative will be addressed. The government through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service rolled out the initiative last year to help teachers in public schools to procure laptops. Following the commencement of the distribution of the laptops, some Teacher Unions expressed agitations over the quality of the laptops with some insisting that they are of inferior quality and never received approval from the Ghana Standards Authority. Delivering an address at the 6th Quadrennial and 53rd National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Kumasi on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said the concerns raised by the teachers will be addressed. He said he cherishes the relations between his government and GNAT and for that matter he will ensure it is not broken by the One Teacher One Laptop brouhaha. I am glad to hear how much you welcomed the supply of the laptops. I promise you that the other related matters of concern will be addressed. The relationship between GNAT and my government is a matter of concern to me, and I will do my very best to promote such a relationship, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said. The distribution of the laptops which started in September 2020 is expected to continue this year. The government is increasing the 4% salary increment for public sector workers from last year to 7%, this is according to the Minister in charge of Labour Relations Ignatius Baffuor Awuah. Last year, the government after a review settled on increasing the salary of all public workers by 4%. The decision was met with opposition and agitation with several labour unions including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) demanding an additional increase. After agitations over what some described as an inadequate and inconsiderate decision, government has decided to top up. Speaking at the 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers in Kumasi on Tuesday, January 4, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah disclosed that a new decision has been taken to raise the salary increment to 7%. We had to negotiate with the leadership of organised labour and in the process, we had to agree that we also had to be modest in our request on the national kitty. That is how we ended at the 4%. Mr. President, the beautiful thing is that we are moving on and we had agreed that coming into this current year the 4 per cent will no longer exist and that we are going to give lecturers a 7 per cent increment, the Labour Minister shared. This comes as a piece of good news for teachers in the country who continually complain over the poor conditions of service as well as entitlements. President Akufo-Addo has told the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) that he is happy that they were satisfied with the one teacher-one laptop programme and promised to address any lingering concerns regarding it. Im glad to hear how much you welcome the supply of laptops and promise you that the other related matters of concern of which the national president referred to in her speech, will be addressed, Mr Akufo-Addo said on Tuesday, 4 January 2022, when he delivered a speech at the 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi. A few weeks ago, some teacher unions hit the streets to demand a refund of money deducted from their accounts for the payment of their 30 per cent cost-share of the laptops, which have been distributed to teachers across the country. However, the President said: Good relations between GNAT and my government are a matter of importance to me and Ill do my very best to promote such relations. Also, President Akufo-Addo noted that GNAT is what it is today because of the work of its past and current membership and leadership, and he assured that under his administration, the work undertaken by the membership and leadership of the Association will not be in vain. The President, thus, used the opportunity to thank all teachers in the country for the work they did, and continue to do, in ensuring that the education of Ghanaian children, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been truncated. Continuous assessment, the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) have all been written by thousands and thousands of students, under your care and guidance, in conditions of safety and orderliness, and without incident. The nation is extremely appreciative of these acts of selflessness and patriotism, he said According to President Akufo-Addo, his vision of a modern, competitive, Ghanaian economy, spearheaded by indigenous entrepreneurs, with productive employment for the great majority of its citizens, requires skilled economic actors, and to get there, the nation needs an educated workforce. Through the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, we are ensuring that value is being added to the intellect of every Ghanaian child. This is our surest way of succeeding in adding value to the Ghanaian economy, thereby helping to create acceptable, well-paying jobs for the young people of our country, he said. The President continued, For us, in Ghana, also to make a success of our nation, we must pay attention to teachers. It is only a group of well trained and motivated teachers that can help deliver the educated and skilled workforce we require to transform our economy and nation. Outlining the many initiatives implemented by the government since 2017, he stated that his government has restored, since coming into office five years ago, and continues to pay, teacher trainee allowances, which were abolished by the previous administration. In addition to the yearly average increase in salaries over the last five years, my government is, for the first time in our nations history, paying a professional allowance to teachers. We have abolished the three months pay policy for teachers, we have cleared the arrears, and promotions due teachers have also been effected, he said. He stressed that to prevent undue delays in the promotion of qualified teachers, the government will, in 2022, improve on the conduct of the aptitude test instituted by the Ghana Education Service, leveraging on lessons learnt from the one conducted in 2021. Affordable Housing for Teachers Government is also committed to the development of affordable housing for teachers all across the nation. The current initiative will involve the provision of housing for both mortgage and rental. I am fully aware that one challenge facing teacher ownership of homes beyond finance is their inability to purchase homes where they intend to retire, he said. Through a subsidised loan programme, President Akufo-Addo indicated that teachers will be provided an opportunity to own houses in desired locations in various parts of the country, stating that the Ministry of Education is working with the National Service Scheme on this. In addition, the Ministry of Works and Housing is in discussion with teacher unions to provide more housing opportunities for teachers. Within the next two years, it is proposed that 10,000 housing units on affordable terms will be developed for teachers across the country. This, as we all know, is the tip of the iceberg, but it is a good beginning, he added. ---classfmonline.com President Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to jealously protect the peace in the country. This follows the country's recent performance in the 2021 Global Peace Index ranking. Ghana ranked first in West Africa, second in Africa, and 38th in the world. The only African country to have placed higher than Ghana is the East African country of Mauritius. President Nana Akufo- Addo has said teaching should not be seen as a stop-gap measure or a job of last resort. Rather, he said, it should be seen as a viable choice to enter a well-respected profession with positive long term career prospects and good benefits. He said these on Tuesday, 4th January 2022, when he participated and delivered remarks at the 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Kumasi. The event was also used to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Association. President Akufo-Addo said For us, in Ghana, also to make a success of our nation, we must pay attention to teachers. My government believes that teaching should not be seen as a stop-gap measure or a job of last resort, but as a viable choice to enter a well-respected profession with positive long term career prospects and good benefits. We have restored, since coming into office five years ago, and continue to pay, teacher trainee allowances , which were abolished by the previous administration. In addition to the yearly average increase in salaries over the last five (5) years, my government is, for the first time in our nations history, paying a professional allowance to teachers. We have abolished the three (3) months' pay policy for teachers, we have cleared the arrears, and promotions due teachers have also been effected. Government is also committed to the development of affordable housing for teachers all across the nation. The current initiative will involve the provision of housing for both mortgage and rental. Through a subsidised loan programme, teachers will be provided an opportunity to own houses in desired locations in various parts of the country. The Ministry of Education is working with the National Service Scheme on this. In addition, the Ministry of Works and Housing is in discussion with teacher unions to provide more housing opportunities for teachers. Within the next two years, it is proposed that ten thousand (10,000) housing units on affordable terms will be developed for teachers across the country. During the same event, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah, revealed that the government would this year, increase the 4% salary increment for public sector workers to 7 per cent. We had to negotiate with the leadership of organised labour and in the process we had to agree that we also had to be modest in our request on the national kitty. That is how we ended at the 4%. Mr President, the beautiful thing is that we are moving on and we had agreed that coming into this current year the 4 per cent will no longer exist and that we are going to give lecturers a 7 per cent increment, he said. The government had earlier last year, increased salary by 4 per cent, a decision that was heavily opposed by labour unions including GNAT. The unions were calling for a higher percentage increment. The President of GNAT, Ms Philipa Larsen, was reported to have said after the increment that We are calling on the President; otherwise, there would be no peace, and the country would become ungovernable, she warned. According to her, the current system of remuneration in the public sector is not fair; it favours some categories of office holders in the public service. ---3news.com The Ghana Police Service has responded to some self-styled prophets who expressed dissatisfaction with the Inspector General of Polices caution to them against creating fear and panic with their New Years Eve prophecies. Some pastors known for their 31st-night doomsday predictions like Rev Owusu Bempah, Nigel Gaisie, Badu Kobi, Elisha Salifu Amoako among others, described the IGPs caution as an attack on the church. They said the IGP needed to be educated on the work of prophets. Despite their anger, they largely complied with the caution as the usual doomsday prophecies were missing in their watch night services on 31 December 2021. Reacting to the anger expressed by some of the self-styled prophets, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Alexander Obeng, told Kofi Oppong Asamoah on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Wednesday, 5 January 2022 that the IGPs caution was not a directive but a reminder of existing laws. It wasnt a directive; it was a reminder that we have existing laws, he said, adding: And in any way, when Moses was giving these things to the Israelites, some were happy, some were not and that is it. He said: Ghanaians were pointed to the fact that we have laws that prevent people from violating their rights from fear. Dont let us belittle the position Ghanaians took, he pointed out, explaining: Fear can restrict and can conquer and defeat and the devil uses it. And, so if Ghanaians have realised it and said, no, it does not rest on any individual, timorous soul, as fallen as I am or he is, to use certain words; and give evidence, you cant give; youll say we should go to the spirit world. Who told you that? Thats why Ghanaians stated that you cannot, as a timorous soul in Ghana, utter words, statements, anything without giving evidence when it violates someones right; you cannot do that in Ghana, he added. ---Classfmonline.com The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic has so far killed 100 people in Ghana. The Director-General of GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, made the revelation in an interview with Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on Accra100.5FMs morning show Ghana Yensom on Wednesday, 5 January 2021. He said the Greater Accra Region is recording an average of 1,000 new Omicron cases daily. Prior to the entry of Omicron, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said Ghanas active caseload was a little below 1,000 cases. Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said it was the expectation of the Health Service that there was going to be a spike in the number of cases after the Christmas festivities. However, he noted that the spike preceded the Christmas festivities and has been rising since. Dr Kuma-Aboagye explained that this is a difficult time for the country, as far as the fight against the pandemic is concerned. He said the spike in the numbers can halt if Ghanaians continue to take the vaccines and observe the safety protocols. He assured the country that the COVID vaccines were safe. According to him, it is because of the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines that even though countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom continue to record more cases, fewer patients get to be admitted. Globally, he said more than four billion people have been vaccinated while about ten million people have taken the jab in Ghana. He cautioned anti-vaccine campaigners to stop demonizing the vaccine and rather help to save lives. In spite of the spike, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said Ghana is nowhere near another lockdown, especially if the citizens adhere to safety protocols and also get vaccinated. ---Classfmonline.com 05.01.2022 LISTEN In my first ever epistle on the contemporary prophetic ministry in Ghana dubbed "The godification of prophets in Ghana" on 2nd Jan 2019, I provided a vivid elucidation on Prophesy Vs Prediction premising on an earlier article by Dr. Kofi Bobi Barimah on 1st Jan 2019 where he touched on the prophecies by Rev Owusu Bempah on 31st December 2018. Myself and Dr Kofi Bobi Barimah both reiterated the fact that the African is notoriously and incurably religious citing Mbiti & Parrinder (1969). I keep on wondering why the God of most contemporary Ghanaian prophets only speaks to them on 31st December and as a result plethora of doom and death infested prophecies flood our airwaves during such periods. As a devoted Christian, this tendency is not biblical as Yahwe speaks to his ordained prophets everytime and anywhere when the need arises as seen in the scriptures. Thank God there is a new IGP in town who is unflinchingly aimed at sanitizing the religious space. His caution to the prophets led to a drastic reduction in the quantum of prophecies Ghanaians witnessed on 31st December 2021. So is it the case that the God of these prophets didn't speak again this 31st night or what actually happened? Ghana is a religiously plural country with Christians, Muslims, and to a lesser extent ATR practitioners, dominating the religious scene. Of course there are other minority religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and the Hare Krishna Movement. For the past few years since the escalation of neo-pentecostalist believers, prophets have been ubiquitous in Ghanas politico-socio-economic space giving countless prophecies, advertising their ability for healings and other miracles, as well as challenging one another with their so call spiritual and supernatural powers and other material possessions. Prophecies in Ghana in recent times are only aimed at evoking fear, and it is a means to gather gullible audience, get unnecessary attention, and create powerful networks and above all make money. Sadly, the ways in which even politicians align themselves with these prophets, especially during electioneering periods gives credence to the current popularity the prophetic industry is enjoying in the country. In Ghana, the most popular of the 5 fold ministries is the prophetic ministry and no wonder even renowned evangelists and apostles have suddenly transmogrified into prophets. The current IGP is the most viable antidote to rid the country of this needless Prophetization of our national life. Let us empower and support Dr. Akufo Dampare to deliver in this direction. Long live the church God Bless Our Homeland Ghana This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein whose grand jury proceedings in Florida - where he was treated with leniency - are still secret. (AP) For more than 15 years, troubling questions have lingered about why sex offender Jeffrey Epstein got off so easy when Florida officials handled the case. More than a dozen girls back then said they were abused. Only one was called to testify. And state and federal prosecutors in South Florida let Epstein avoid prosecution by pleading guilty to two crimes that meant he spent only 13 months in a jail so lax he was allowed to leave during the day. Advertisement It wasnt until a decade later that federal prosecutors in New York went after Epstein again, saying he had to account for a litany of crimes against minors. So what happened in Florida? How was a grand jury convinced Epstein deserved such lenient treatment in a case involving such heinous accusations? Advertisement You may never know. Nor may the victims. Thats because most of what grand juries hear and do is secret a centuries-old legal tradition that has outlived its usefulness. While most court proceedings are open to the public, prosecutors convene grand juries in secret, avoiding both transparency and accountability. Palm County Clerk of Court Joseph Abruzzo says he wants to change state law so the public can see what happened in the Epstein case. Thats a start. Really, though, this state and nation need to reform the entire process, because blanket secrecy is a bad idea with criminal justice. Weve seen that before in Central Florida. In 2010, a grand jury cleared Orange County deputies of wrongdoing after they fired 137 rounds at a suspected car thief, killing him and sending bullets ricocheting through a populated apartment complex. The cops claimed the suspect had tried to ram them with his car. Three years later, a federal judge offered a blisteringly different take, saying there was no evidence of the car threatening deputies and that the killing was more akin to an execution than an attempt to arrest an unarmed suspect. Advertisement How could a grand jury guided by a prosecutor reach such a different conclusion? Right now, the law says you have no right to know. [ 137 shots at unarmed man: Time for Justice Department to intervene - Commentary ] A few years earlier, when a grand jury was considering the police shooting of another Orange County man one whom cops had mistaken for a suspect the grand jury handed down a report that spent more time griping about media coverage of the case than addressing the mans death. As the Sentinels public editor at the time wrote: The grand jury had issued an indictment in the case not of [the officer] but of the news media. Jurors had nothing to say about the shooting, other than they found it to be a justifiable use of deadly force. That seemed odd. Media-grousing in general is fine. Heck, I grouse too at times. But in this case, a grand jury that was supposed to focus on whether a man was justifiably killed came out whining about the media much like the thin-skinned prosecutor at the time, Lawson Lamar, often did. Its been said that grand juries are often just extensions of prosecutors; that in a secret setting, an adept one can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Well, if thats true, so is the reverse that a prosecutor uninterested in pursuing a case could persuade a grand jury not to indict a ham sandwich. Or a shooter. Or child predator. Advertisement There are legitimate reasons to keep some information private while a case is ongoing including the identities of jurors or suspects who might flee if they learn they might soon be arrested. But those arent good reasons to keep most information secret long after a case has concluded. Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. > Additional concerns about revealing the identities of victims or witnesses (also valid) could be addressed by striking that information from the public reports with precision. The Palm Beach Post has aggressively investigated the secrecy around Epstein, the multimillionaire friend of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump who was found dead in his jail cell after New York authorities finally got aggressive. [ Palm Beach Post: Unlocking the secret buried in Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach County grand jury records ] The Post has wondered why prosecutors didnt follow the police recommendations to charge him with child molestation and why more victims werent called to testify. The paper has gone to court for records, saying: Access to the grand jury materials will allow the public to determine whether the grand jury process, and the secrecy that comes with it, was used to further justice or, instead, operated to shield Epstein and his co-conspirators from the consequences of their criminal activities. A judge recently conceded the Post made strong arguments but said he was bound by the laws that require grand jury secrecy. Thats why the laws need changing. Right now, most details about grand jury proceedings are secret except when exceptions are granted. It should be the other way around. Records should be presumed public when a case concludes except for details that would jeopardize a case, an individuals safety or a victims privacy. Advertisement Secrecy in government is generally a bad idea. Its bad when public officials gather to plot policy. Its bad when they want to hide the way theyre spending tax dollars. And its especially bad when there are questions about where justice was served. smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com The constitution of the democratic South Africa protects gay rights and legalises same-sex marriage, the only African country to do so. From where in our country and our value systems does this bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and intersex Ghanaians emanate? Story Highlights Human rights are important as we go forward in forging a just society. Whether these rights relate to religion, gender, tribe, age or sexual orientation, they are rights that should not be trampled on Sane Eteshi Matters Arising I have just been thinking about an article on tolerance I recently wrote. And then I also began to ponder that, before the dust settles on the anti-gay bill (if it ever will), the voice of sensible if contrary people must be heard in the homosexuality debate. I write because I pride myself as an advocate of equality, diversity and inclusion. I have spent my career of over 40 years in Britain fighting discrimination and for the rights of people of African heritage to be allowed to participate in and contribute to the economic, social and political life of Britain. So it galls me that, in a progressive country such as Ghana, we should be going through the trouble of advocating the passage of a repressive and regressive law (the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill) that will penalise minorities in our communities and deprive them of basic rights. The risk in numbers As someone has recently argued, the anti-gay bill is about what the majority wants. Ninety-six per cent of Ghanaians, we are told, are in support of this bill, and this is supposed to have been researched by a reputable and independent research organisation. That may be a fact, but for the majority to attempt to use statistics to trample on the rights of the minority is what astounds me. I do not know what the margin of error is or what level of confidence we have in the research, but wonder why I have not heard of any equality impact assessment on how the minority will be affected by this anti-gay bill. The argument that most people put forward is a red herring. If you were to poll people in Ghana about whether they should pay taxes, I am more than certain that 99% would be against the idea. But I am not sure whether any parliamentarian would try to use that argument as the basis for a private members bill. Indeed, judging from the popular riots in the early part of the 20th century against direct taxes, I am sure that most people you ask would say that although paying taxes is against our communal culture, we were forced by our colonial masters to pay tariffs. There is no clearer proof of this than the scenes of aggression in Parliament in the fight against the E-Levy. I am against the anti-gay bill. It is repugnant for MPs in a country that prides itself on being a deepening democracy to accept this bigotry of the highest order. It may just be fuelled by hypocritical fervor of a sort that has been the hallmark of our country a large bark, followed by a whimper of a prayer to God our Saviour and Redeemer and Ultimate Judge. I am against the anti-LGBTQI Bill because it is not Ghanaian at all; the science is suspect; the morals underpinning the new law are suspicious; and the argument about Ghanaian culture is spurious. This is a Ghana created out of diversity which continues to strive towards convergence, recognising that although we have diverse cultures, together we can forge with pride a Ghanaian culture of excellence. But first: the religious argument masquerading as an edict from God. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone! No priest, pastor, overseer or moderator has ever created a human being. No one is immortal. And the rationality that God accords them is meant to spread the word of God, not produce uneducated interpretations of the word. God created human beings in His own image, but the diversity is astounding. We are not cloned, so we have different motivations and lead different lifestyles, because we will make different choices. Period. That is life and that is the world. The science? Medicine continues to make advances for the prevention, treatment, cure and care of the physically infirm. There is still a great deal of research going on into what causes mental illness, how to prevent it and how to treat it. I am not sure how advanced our science is in Ghana and to what extent credible research has been conducted on the challenges of alternative sexual orientation and changing gender. So, let us not cut and paste statistics from dissimilar sources and try to apply these to our country. Many-splendoured thing Ghana is not a monoculture, so this assertion that our culture is about promoting proper sexual practices grates on my sensibilities. It has created the impression that our countrys rich culture has been reduced to sex and sexual practices sad, but also very unfair. The question I ask is: in what way is this proposed anti-gay law Ghanaian at all? It certainly is being steered by a very articulate parliamentarian who thinks that all the bases have been covered. What is unfortunate, however, is that it has driven us all into a herd mentality, like limpets being led down a path where we must all unite. I wish I could hear saner voices in this country, at all levels, and that people would come out to challenge this bill, which will serve merely to divide the country and ride roughshod over the views of the minority. Why is sexual behaviour suddenly a cultural thing? Who in this world can determine what proper sexual relations should be and go to the extent of deciding that people of a different sexual persuasion should be audited and reprogrammed, in this day and age? The accusation that gay rights are being forced on us in Africa by the West is a patent lie. Not so long ago Britain, too, had a law on its statute books against same-sex sexual intercourse. But there was one brave MP David Steel, from the minority Liberal Party who, not being able to identify much or any research into the subject, and there not being any strong arguments about the culture of God, realised how unfair the law was to a minority of people in his country. He brought a private members bill and the law was changed. I state this to underline the perversity of a private members bill to criminalise the existing minority further. When in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher brought in Clause 28 against the promotion of homosexuality, she had supporters, of course. But there was also such a huge backlash against it that it was eventually repealed. Human rights are important as we go forward in forging a just society. Whether these rights relate to religion, gender, tribe, age or sexual orientation, they are rights that should not be trampled on. Where is the voice of reason and tolerance in the government? Where are the saner voices? Do they not realise that we are being tarnished as a country that is not serious about giving freedom to its peoples? And must sex or sexual orientation also be politicised in our country? December 2021, England Ade Sawyerr Owula Ade Sawyerr is a writer, social activist and founder partner of Equinox Consulting, which works to develop inner-city and minority communities in Britain. He comments on economic, political and social affairs and is a past chairman of the UK branch of the Convention Peoples Party. www.equinoxconsulting.net [email protected] #AsaaseRadio #TheVoiceofOurLand Ghana's Mission to the United Nations (UN) has taken a seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Ghana, Gabon, the United Arab Emirates, Albania and Brazil, were elected in June 2021 to serve as nonpermanent members on the UNSC for a two-year mandate beginning January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Mr Harold Agyeman, Ghana's Ambassador to the United Nations, speaking at the flag installation ceremony in New York, stated: "As Ghana formally takes her seat on the Council, 15 years after we last served on this important UN Organ, we are expectedly excited by the opportunity to make a bigger contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security. And honoured by the confidence that Member States of the UN have reposed in us. In this regard, let me convey on behalf of my Head of State, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as well as my Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana's deep appreciation once again to all Member States (of the UN). Mr Agyeman said Ghana had joined the Council with a burden and expectation of the estimated two billion people who lived in fragile contexts and conflict areas around the world and the more than 20 per cent of the population of Africa who continued to endure the ravaging effects of conflicts. We are under no illusions of the challenges we face in resolving the prevailing conflicts or the enduring nature of the emerging threats to international peace and security such as violent extremism, the proliferation of terrorism, insurgencies, enhanced activities of transnational criminal organisations, and the impact of climate change to the security situation in some part of our world, he stated. However, when we look back to 15 years ago, there were parts of the agenda of the Council that today has been resolved such as those in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Cote d'Ivoire. We are, therefore, hopeful that working together with all the members of the council, we can successfully resolve the many issues that continue to linger on the agenda and redeem for the people of the world the promise, the charter for a peaceful and secure world. During Ghana's tenure on the Council, therefore, the nation hoped to be able to obtain the cooperation of other members to look at enhanced approaches and instruments in dealing with some of these conflict situations. It would be leveraging the flexibility of the Charter's expectations for cooperation of regional arrangement as contained in chapter eight of the Charter of the UN. Mr Agyeman congratulated all the other members of the Council and offered Ghana's open arms of cooperation in working together. He acknowledged the contributions over the past two years of the five outgone members of the council Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam, particularly their contributions towards the maintenance of international peace and security. Madam Mona Juul of Norway and President of the UNSC for January, in welcoming Ghana and the others, expressed her delegation's determination to ensure progress on global peace and security in 2022. She said the Security Council would address threats against women peacebuilders and explore ways to better protect civilians from conflicts in urban settings. We leave behind the quite troublesome 2021 and we need to remain optimistic, she said. GNA 05.01.2022 LISTEN We have just celebrated Christmas, a joyous occasion for millions of people. It is one of the most celebrated events worldwide. However, the news about the birth of Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, did not bring joy to the people in Jerusalem. The wise men followed the star from the east and went to Jerusalem searching for the new born King, but When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:3 NIV). King Herod of Judea and the powers that be felt threatened. After the king learned from the priests and teachers of the law that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem in Judea, he sent the wise men there, saying, Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him (Matthew 2:8 NIV). In fact, the king lied about wanting to worship Jesus; he actually wanted to kill him. The wise men found Jesus in Bethlehem and worshipped him, but God intervened in the kings evil plan and warned them not to go back to the king (see Matthew 2:12-13 NIV). Long before his birth, Jesus had been described by the Prophet Isaiah as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6 NIV). And so it was not possible for King Herod or anyone else to kill him before he had accomplished his divine purpose on earth and had willingly offered himself as a sacrifice for the redemption of the world. Many people are not as evil as Herod was, but all of us need to be truthful to the Mighty God and Everlasting Father about our worship of Him. As Jesus said to the woman she met at the well in Samaria, God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24 NIV). One form of worship for many people usually takes place in the Church. Some people go to Church ostensibly to worship, but in reality, worship may be at the bottom of their list, if at all. They may go through the rituals of singing, clapping, dancing, praying, and listening to Bible readings and sermons, but their minds and hearts could be on something or somewhere else. Some have turned the Church into a social platform where people go to build relationships other than with Jesus, establish networks for business, and socialize. Of course, Christians go to Church to fellowship - with the Lord and with one another. It is important for believers to share life experiences on our Christian journey and to lift each other up in the Lord. However, we should keep things in the right perspective. Others are miracle-seekers in search of miracle-workers. They go to Church because they have a specific problem that they believe a particular powerful pastor can miraculously solve for them. As a result, some regular Church services have been turned into healing and delivery sessions to heal the sick and deliver people from demons and witches. In the process, some people have been subjected to indignity. There may be nothing wrong with deriving some incidental benefits from our worship of Jesus in the Church or elsewhere. The problem arises when we make them our focus or top priority under the pretense of worship. As we start the new year, let us put first things first. Let us remember another good advice Jesus gave that we should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to us as well (Matthew 6:33). That means, for starters, taking Jesus Christ as Lord and personal savior and worshipping God in spirit and in truth. Like King Herold, some people today are terrified, disturbed, and lying about worshipping Jesus. They are terrified by seemingly incurable diseases, failures, hardships, fear of the unknown, fear of the future, and death. Instead of focusing on the Prince of Peace and establishing a long-lasting, personal relationship with the Wonderful Counselor to guide them, they are putting their faith, trust, and hope in some pastors, gods, fetishes, rivers etc. and covering it up with worship in the Church. There is a better way. Wise men and women of today are genuinely searching, finding, and worshipping Jesus in truth and in spirit. You are welcome to join and benefit from the freedom and joy that only the Lord Jesus Christ can provide. Prayer is the key. May God grant us the grace to seek Him daily through our prayers. Dr. Daniel Gyebi, Attorney-at-Law, Texas, U.S.A., and Founder, PrayerHouse Ministry, Kumasi, Ghana. PrayerHouse Ministry is dedicated to providing a quiet facility for Christians to pray individually by themselves without any intermediary priest, pastor or any other person. This is a free service. No money is demanded or accepted. One facility is located at Kyerekrom / Fumesua, near Building and Road Research Institute Offices, one mile off the Kumasi-Accra Road and next to a house called Grace Castle. If you are interested, please contact Agnes at 054-7498653. Another is located at Kantinkyiren, at the junction of Kantinkyiren and Konkori, off the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, branching left at Trede junction. Contact Kwadwo at 020-8768461 / 0246-989413. Tunisian former justice minister Noureddine Bhiri, who has been refusing food or medication since his arrest last week, has agreed to treatment, doctors said Wednesday, after his supporters expressed alarm over his health. The 63-year-old, who was arrested by plainclothes officers on Friday and later accused of possible "terrorism" offences, suffers from several pre-existing health conditions and was hospitalised on Sunday. The Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, of which he is deputy chairman, played a central role in Tunisian politics until a power grab by President Kais Saied last year. "Saying he is stable would be saying a lot," medics from the hospital in the northern town of Bizerte told Mosaique Radio on Wednesday. Bhiri's blood pressure was still high and "his kidneys are beginning to struggle" due to dehydration, they said. "His family spoke with him and he accepted being put on a drip" for rehydration and treatment, "in the hope that he will agree to eat", the medics added. Bhiri had been on a hunger strike since his arrest and had been refusing to take his regular medication. Earlier Wednesday, Ennahdha lawmaker Samir Dilou, citing medical sources, had told reporters that Bhiri was "between life and death" and that his wife and children were on standby. "Those who ordered his kidnapping must assume their responsibilities," he added, referring to Saied and his interior minister, Taoufik Charfeddine, who ordered Bhiri's arrest. A previous alarm sounded by Ennahdha about Bhiri's health had been discounted by Tunisia's independent national body for the prevention of torture (INPT) after it visited him late on Sunday. 'Arbitrary' The INPT said it had dispatched a medical team on Wednesday. "They have just arrived and are carrying out their examinations, but we haven't yet received their report," the INPT's Lotfi Ezzedine told AFP mid-afternoon. Saied on July 25 sacked the Ennahdha-supported government and suspended parliament, presenting himself as the ultimate interpreter of the constitution. He later took steps to rule by decree, and in early December vowed to press on with reforms to the political system. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) said Wednesday that Bhiri's detention was "not only arbitrary but also illegal", decrying that he was "arrested without a warrant" and that his location was "kept secret" until his hospitalisation. Bhiri's defence committee on Wednesday rejected the interior minister's "terrorism" accusations against him as "totally false". The public prosecutor's office said Tuesday that an investigation had been opened after it received a report "from services combating terrorism and organised crime". It said a Syrian couple had allegedly been assigned false identity documents and nationality certificates while Bhiri was head of the justice ministry. Tunisia was the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring revolts of a decade ago, but civil society groups and Saied's opponents have expressed fear of a slide back to authoritarianism after the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Human Rights Watch warned late last month that Tunisian authorities were using "repressive" dictatorship-era laws to snuff out criticism of the president. The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has expressed its unhappiness on the removal of the 50 per cent of benchmark value on some items by the Ghana Revenue Authority. The implementation of the reversal policy for the items which are categorized under home 'delivery value of vehicles, goods on which benchmark values are applied and all other goods' took effect from the morning of Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at all ports of entry in Ghana. Mr Samson Awingobit Asaki, Executive Secretary of the IEAG in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tema said the association was displeased and shocked at the ongoing process of clearance. He indicated that importers and clearing agencies whose Bill of Entry (BOE) were entered and duly accepted by the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) in the last working days of 2021, had been denied access to clear their cargoes from the ports. Such importers and clearing agents are regrettably being asked to re-enter their various BOEs for new values to be charged on their cargos, he stated. Mr. Asaki noted that the ICUMS platform had been shut to all importers including clearing agents whose process had already been completed in the last year of 2021 and waiting to clear their cargoes from the ports. He stressed that The IEAG would want to state categorically that the position taken by the government and by extension the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on this matter would be detrimental to the business community if it is not reversed immediately. According to him, it would lead to many businesses losing their cargoes since importers would have to pay more outside their budgets even at this crucial time at the beginning of a New Year. He added that in the likely event that such importers were not able to raise the additional funds to clear their goods on time, issues of Uncleared Cargo Lists (UCL) would pop up and huge losses to demurrage would set in. The Association, therefore, called on the government and the GRA to withdraw the directive with immediate effect and also demanded that such importers be given at least 14 working days to clear their already cleared cargoes from the port without the new 50 per cent benchmark values. According to him, the IEAG would want to state that it would not hesitate to commence moves with its allies in the business community to register its displeasure about this directive should government fails to heed to our demands within 24 hours. GNA Suspect Ahlie Koffie, a 21-year old farmer arrested by the Anloga Police for unlawful possession of locally manufactured gun and dried leaves suspected to be narcotics has been granted bail. He was arrested on the night of Monday, January 03 during a gathering of young ones to celebrate the New Year holidays at Agortoe. Assembly member for Agortoe, Mr Gideon Amaglo in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the suspect was seen roaming around among the gathering with his bag strapped to his back. He said after questioning him, the revellers sought the help of a resident who is a Police officer stationed in Accra to take his (suspect) bag from him and the matter was later reported to him (the Assembly member). The suspect told us he was coming from Dzogborve in the South Tongu District and that he heard of the celebration going on at our place and he had come to join in. We asked about the gun and he said it belongs to his grandfather and he (suspect) only uses it to protect his kraal. To us, for carrying a gun without license and roaming around with it among holiday makers and also possessing dried leaves, we felt it was not right and so, we called the Anloga Police who came for him, Mr Amaglo said. DSP Thomas Yao Agbanyo, Anloga District Police Commander told the GNA that his outfit moved in to arrest the suspect who was in unlawful possession of a single barrel gun and quantities of dried leaves suspected to be narcotics. He disclosed that he was on Tuesday granted bail with two substantial sureties to appear before court. GNA The Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA), has expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the reversal of 50 percent benchmark value on imports. The reversal, which was announced by the Ghana Revenue Authority, (GRA) on Sunday, January 2, 2022, and took effect on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, will affect 43 selected items including rice, poultry, sugar, palm oil, toilet paper, mosquito coils, machetes, and vehicles. The President of GUTA, Joseph Obeng on Eyewitness News, argued that the reversal was ill-timed. He said GUTA is seeking to actively engage the government on the reversal, given the adverse effects it will have on the Association and other unions. The government has assured that they will have stakeholders engagement, but that has not happened yet. We are still seeking dialogue with the government. The benchmark value did not come out of emptiness. It came out of a problem, so if you say you are reversing the benchmark policy, are you [the government] reversing us to that problem? Mr. Obeng asked. Despite GUTAs opposition to the reversal, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), has thrown its weight behind the governments move. The President-elect of the AGI, Humphrey Darkey, said the reversal is vital in reviving Ghanas economy. He thus asked the government to remain resolute in its decision. Our position from the very day this policy was introduced has been consistent. We stated and demonstrated by scientific research that the policy was a misalignment to the economic paradigm of the country. Benchmark came and brought about dislocation in the economic model. We think it is welcoming news [that the benchmark value has been reversed], and we urge the government to be bold to complete with its agenda of economic transformation. We ask the government not to budge on its decision. The government introduced the benchmark policy in 2019 in accordance with the World Customs Organization's policy of regular review of valuation databases. Under this policy, certain commodities are benchmarked to the prevailing world prices as a risk management tool, to reflect the true market dynamics of these commodities. It also takes into consideration factors such as protection of health, the environment, and security, as well as protection of local industries. ---citinewsroom China voiced its opposition to unilateral sanctions on Eritrea during a visit Wednesday by its foreign minister to the Horn of Africa nation. The United States slapped sanctions on Eritrea last year over the brutal conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia, a move Asmara branded "illicit and immoral." Eritrean and Ethiopian forces have been accused of carrying out rape and massacres in the war-hit northern region of Tigray, and Washington has repeatedly urged Asmara to withdraw its troops. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with President Isaias Afwerki and Foreign Minister Osman Saleh on Wednesday on the first leg of a three-nation African tour. "Both sides agreed to uphold the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, and oppose hegemonic interferences in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of democracy and human rights," said a joint statement by the two foreign ministers. "The Chinese side stands against any unilateral sanctions on Eritrea," it said, adding: "The Eritrean side reaffirms adherence to the one-China principle." Wang's trip to Eritrea, one of the world's most closed-off countries, will be followed by visits to Kenya and the Comoros. The mini-tour comes on the heels of a trip to Africa by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in November that was in part aimed at countering China's growing influence on the continent. To the dismay of the West, China has ramped up its involvement in Africa in its search for resources and has embarked on an infrastructure-building blitz under the so-called Belt and Road investment strategy. China is the continent's largest trading partner with direct trade worth over $200 billion in 2019, according to official Chinese figures. But Beijing is often accused of using its creditor status to extract diplomatic and commercial concessions, with concerns that it is driving many African countries to take on unmanageable levels of debt. Eritrea in November joined several dozen other African nations in signing up to the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said last month that Wang's regional trip aimed to deepen cooperation with the African countries and support them "in defeating the pandemic and bringing about economic recovery at an early date." At an Africa-China summit in Senegal in November, Beijing pledged to offer one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to Africa and help African countries overcome pandemic-related economic woes "without imposing its will". The Axim Government Hospital's decision to allow some scenes of a movie to be shot at the health facility has led to the closure of the female and maternity wards for over four months. According to sources, management of the health facility entered into an agreement with movie producers believed to be from Hollywood to use the facilities from August to October 2021. However, after the agreement was signed no production has taken place neither has the wards been re-opened to the public. The situation has lead to congestion at the health facility as the hospital management has to improvise to accommodate the patients within the available space. What they have done is to move the female patients to the male ward and converted the emergency ward into a male ward. For the pregnant women, they are using a small room in the hospital's building under construction which cannot contain more than two women at the same time as the maternity ward, said Solomon Elvis Eshun, President of the Axim Youth Alliance, a group pushing for the reopening of the wards. Municipal Chief Executive for Nzema East, Dorcas Armoah (Middle) after receiving the petition The youth alliance said several attempts to persuade the administrators of the hospital to revert the unpopular decision due to the huge inconveniences patients are subjected to have yielded no results. In a petition to the government through the District Assembly, the group demanded the hospital management to as a matter of urgency cancel the agreement with the movie officials and resume the use of the affected facilities. They closed the Female Ward and Maternity Block in August, 2021. We were told the closure was for the production of a movie but since then, the contract has ended, and yet the production of the movie has not even started, Mr. Eshun stated. He recounted how pregnant women in labour are made to sit on plastic chairs to wait for their turn to deliver because of limited space. The leader who could not fathom why patients, particularly, women are being subjected to such treatment quizzed, Why should this be happening when there is a big facility sitting there idle? He said the hospital's action clearly shows it has chosen a priority of movie making over the lives of its patients. The timing of such a decision in these trying times of the Covid-19 pandemic, where patients need to be placed in sufficiently spaced wards to allow for effective observance of the Covid-19 protocol is unfortunate, Mr. Eshun said. The Municipal Chief Executive for Nzema East, Dorcas Armoah received the petition from the group and assured them that she will address the issue. Thank you for the patience you people have had with the authorities. With what you have said, I think that is respect and a step in the right direction. I work with speed and accuracy and now that you have given me this document, I assure you that this issue will be addressed as soon as possible, she stated. The Administrator of the Axim Government Hospital, Mr. Wahaab also acknowledged the concerns of the group and indicated his readiness to resolve the issue. ---DGN online Some residents in the Western Region have expressed frustrations over the long queues and delays at the SIM card reregistration centres, making them wonder if they could meet the March 2022 deadline. The Telecos, through an order from the National Communication Authority and the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication, gave their customers up to March 4, 2022 to have their SIM cards registered but the rush in January at many centers the GNA visited was overwhelming. Most of the centres had long queues which saw the young and the old struggling to be attended to amidst misunderstandings over who came first and who was receiving protocol treatment. Investigations revealed that some people had even travelled from the hinterlands to be in Takoradi for the process. Mr Stephen Essien Blay, A resident from Tikobo No.1, in the Jomoro District, told the GNA how he had to travel at dawn to be in Takoradi to register his SIM cards. "I have been to Half Assini office, they told me they were not operating, Tikobo too the same, I had to come to Takoradi because my son will be sending money on it," he said. Mr Blay, therefore, entreated the Government to impress on the Telescos to open up the registration centres to cover the remotest parts of the country for everyone to register within the stipulated time. Maame Adjoa Maanan, a government employee, prayed that the Telecos created desks at the various government departments and agencies to enable workers to register without having to use working hours to queue for the exercise. Mr Kofi Nyarko, an IT specialist, said: "Why do we have to move to the offices of service providers even after online registration on our phone, what is then the use of the Ghana Card, which has our biometric details?" He said registering with the Ghana Card was enough to avoid the stress Ghanaians had to endure, adding: "We should begin being very innovative in our quest for growth". Nana Kofi Fiamo, an economist, described the process as a "waste of productive man hours, adding that the convergence by people at one place, most of whom were without masks, could derail the gains made in the COVID-19 prevention and control. GNA The Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the US, Dec 4, 2019. [Xinhua] China dismissed on Tuesday the United States' claims that it was dramatically expanding its nuclear capabilities, saying that was untrue. Fu Cong, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Arms Control, said at a news briefing that China has adopted a no-first-use nuclear policy and maintained its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national defense. "We do not deny that China has taken measures to modernize our nuclear arsenal, not for other reasons, but for reliability and safety reasons," he said. It is the US that should be blamed, Fu said, as some of its actions changed the security dynamics. These included withdrawal from international agreements, in particular in the area of arms control, as well as spending trillions of dollars to upgrade its nuclear arsenal. In response to the US moves, China needed to assess the sufficiency of nuclear forces according to the changing security environment, and take measures to make sure its nuclear deterrent forces were viable and capable of performing their assigned tasks, he said. The news briefing was held after the five nuclear weapon statesChina, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, which are also permanent members of the United Nations Security Councilfor the first time issued a joint statement on nuclear weapons on Monday, aiming at preventing nuclear war and avoiding an arms race. The statement was issued after the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was postponed from Tuesday to later in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As an initiator of the joint statement and a contributor to its content, China has made a great contribution to the statement, Fu said, adding that the statement reflected the largest convergence yet of the five nuclear weapon states' nuclear policies. Noting that the US and Russia still possessed over 90 percent of all existing nuclear weapons, Fu said that if the two nuclear powers continued to reduce nuclear stockpiles to China's level, China would be happy to join the two countries for nuclear negotiations. China does not shy away from its obligations and has shown great restraint in its development of nuclear weapons, he added. "They must reduce their nuclear arsenal in an irreversible and legally binding manner," Fu said. Gov. Ron DeSantis listens to remarks during a press conference at NeoCity center in Kissimmee, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. DeSantis joined state and business leaders to announce a $9.7 million award to Osceola County and Valencia College to help build out the county's emerging semiconductor industry. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) (Joe Burbank/AP) KISSIMMEE Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday awarded $9.7 million to Osceola County and Valencia College to help build out the countys emerging semiconductor industry and again defended his approach to the surging COVID-19 pandemic. The money from the governors Job Growth Fund includes $6 million to build a road that will connect south Osceola County to the NeoCity district, DeSantis said at a news conference in Kissimmee, which he added would create 500 jobs. Advertisement In addition, $3.7 million was awarded to Valencia to set up technical training for students to work in the computer chip industry. NeoCity is Osceola Countys technology-driven development seeking to generate higher-paying jobs in the largely tourism-dependent county. County leaders recently signed a deal for a $1 billion town center for the community, according to GrowthSpotter. Advertisement Answering questions from reporters, the governor stood firm on his strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected 4.36 million Floridians and killed 62,541 as of Tuesday. The notion of imposing mandates is insane, he said, adding that timely treatment of those infected is paramount. We live in a free state. Asked about vaccines, the governor said that with the highly contagious omicron variant vaccines are not stopping the spread. ... fortunately, [symptoms] has been mild. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many other infectious disease experts say although COVID vaccines dont guarantee total protection from getting sick, they do make it much less likely that recipients will be hospitalized or die. Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. > The governor has not held a vaccine-specific public event since April. Democrats have accused him of downplaying vaccines to avoid criticism from anti-vaxxers. The governor, who was vaccinated last spring but hasnt revealed if hes had a booster shot, says the shots have been available for free for months and that its a personal choice whether to get what he sometimes calls the jab. Meanwhile, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat who is running for governor this year, repeated her allegation from last week that DeSantis is holding back what she said could be 1 million COVID tests that are expected to expire soon. Spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said Tuesday the governors office does not control the tests and referred reporters to the Department of Health, an agency controlled by the governor but where officials have yet to comment. DeSantis on Monday blamed the Biden administration for the shortage of tests, which has led to hours-long waits and early closings of testing centers in Central Florida and other parts of the state. Advertisement The news conference was the governors second in two days after not holding any public appearances in the final two weeks of 2021. It came a day after Jacksonville civil rights leader Ben Frazier was arrested and charged with trespassing for refusing to leave a press conference in Duval County, Frazier said he wanted to question the governor about what he called his lack of response to the pandemic, but the governors staff said the event was not open to the public. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office took him into custody after he refused to leave several times, and the conference was delayed. There were no protester disruptions at the Kissimmee event. The Executive Committee of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) CRIB PROJECT has urged the public to cooperate with health authorities and the various Assemblies to ensure persons who die of Covid-19 are safely buried. It said most cultural practices, regarding the handling of bodies of deceased persons, required that they were bathed, dressed, touched and laid in a state to give them befitting burials. The Covid-19 Response and Institutional Capacity Building (CRIB) Project is a two-year project by the CHAG funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and UKAID. Dr Eric Gyamfi, a Public Health Physician Specialist, on behalf of the Committee, in a report on the Covid-19 pandemic in the Kpando Municipality copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), disclosed that the cultural practices were found to promote the spread of the virus. The report noted that the health professionals quest to prevent the spread of the virus as against community members' need to provide befitting burial to the deceased had created deep tension, especially between families of persons who died of the disease. It noted that health authorities and Municipal and District Assemblies were mandated by law to ensure that all persons who died of the disease were safely buried by a trained burial team headed by an Environmental Health Officer. The report said the adherence to the protocols on the burial of casualties was an important way of preventing the spread of the virus and protecting community members from the pandemic. It said there was the need for community members to be assured that the burial team had been trained to ensure a safe and dignified burial. The report called on health authorities and Assemblies to ensure that the burial team was well-resourced and motivated to perform the duty. It underscored the importance for the burial team to engage families of deceased Covid-19 patients to address any concerns that families might have regarding the burial of their deceased family member before the burial. It said the guideline on the burial of Covid-19 deaths by professionally trained health workers was based on the fact that the bodies of persons who died of the disease were considered infectious. This means that the virus remains active even after an infected person dies and can continue to spread if the bodies of those who die of Covid-19 are not properly handled. The report further urged all citizens to get vaccinated since there were Covid-19 vaccines available to the general population. CHAG is represented in the Kpando Municipality by the Margret Marquart Catholic Hospital, working with the Kpando Municipal Health Directorate and the Municipal Assembly to achieve set targets. GNA Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Eric Edem Agbana, has vehemently opposed a plea from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to collaborate with the opposition NDC. Ghanaians would recall how late last year Gabby Otchere Darko, a nephew of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, nicodemously went to former President John Dramani Mahama to plead so the former President could grant audience to his uncle, the President, to find solutions to pressing issues that overwhelmed the government of the day. But, the NDC Edem Agbana is shocked upon hearing the moves by Gabby. He asserted the NPP government led by Nana Akufo-Addo is not fit enough to sit with former President John Dramani Mahama and the leadership of the NDC in that the President and his appointees stink of dishonesty, corruption and insensitivity. If you are coming to negotiating table with a high level of dishonesty, we will not partner with you. I will give an example, prior to the 2020 elections, the NPP told us and the National Peace Council, Christian Council and the rest came together and said we should sign a pact to do away with the vigilante groups. Have the NPP done away with vigilante groups? No. The Deputy Youth leader of the NDC fires these salvos in an interview with thecrystallens.org recently, after his appearance on a newspaper review segment of TV3 on Newday. Mr Agbana explains his argument that Im saying that our position is clear on collaboration. We are ready to support the government to succeed, if only whatever policy or decision they are taking is in the interest of the people of Ghana. The eloquent and vociferous youth leader, who appears to be suspicious of the governing style of President Akufo-Addo, says, so far, 5 years in government, the President is yet to show transparency, honesty, and condour in dealing with Ghanaians, hence the NDC unwillingness to sit with the NPP for any discourse. He, however, gives a caveat that But, when they continue to do things to destroy this country, they should not expect us to collaborate with them. For example, the E-levy clearly is an attempt to impose hardship on the people, who are already suffering. They are nation wreckers. ---thecrystallens.org Europe has again become the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, accounting for a third of cases worldwide as it battles a surge in Omicron infections. The region, which spans 52 countries and territories from the Atlantic coast to Azerbaijan and Russia, has surpassed 100 million cases since the virus outbreak began nearly two years ago. Nearly 5 million infections were confirmed during a seven-day period over the New Year holidays, French news agency AFP reported. More than one million of those were in France. Sixty-five per cent of Europeans are partially vaccinated, while 61 percent are fully vaccinated, the Our World in Data website showed. While infection numbers are rising sharply, Covid-related deaths are also decreasing in Europe. Most countries are managing the outbreak with a measured approach that involves tightening quarantine rules while keeping schools open. France worst hit After weeks of record-breaking figures, France now has Europe's highest number of confirmed daily cases, with more than 20,000 people in hospital. Covid patients most of whom are not vaccinated are now taking up some 72 percent of intensive care beds, putting France's healthcare system under renewed strain. Meanwhile, the French government is having problems pushing its vaccine pass bill through parliament, with President Emmanuel Macron bluntly announcing that his Covid strategy was to piss off unvaccinated people. About 77 percent of the French population has had at least two vaccine shots. Read also: Community Miners and Youth of Akyem Abomosu in the Atiwa West District of the Eastern region are crying for help over accusation that some National Security Operatives are looting their gold. Addressing the media at a press conference, Nana Ayim Duodu the convener of the community miners noted that they are constantly being terrorised by Kwadwo Bamba, a former leader of vigilante group Delta Force who is now a national security operative. He said from time to time, Bamba and some officials troop to their mining sites with heavy arms to forcefully take their gold away. We started Community mining here not too long ago. But Kwadwo Bamba and his men of about 25 who claim to be Operatives of National Security have been invading our sites with AK47 rifles, pistols and ammunition to take away our gold and motorbikes. They come with Pick-Up hard bodies and Tundra. Fully armed. Kwadwo Bamba himself has been holding AK47 with side arms. They say some government officials sent them but we believe this is false Nana Ayim Duodu told the media at the press conference. Insisting that they are tired of the robbery and terrorisation, the Community Miners and Youth of Akyem Abomosu are calling on state security apparatus to deal with Bamba and his goons. Meanwhile, Kwadwo Bamba has denied the allegations with the argument that he only led a team to Akyem Abomosu to drive away illegal miners in gold mining concessions in the community. Tigrayans and other detainees who were deported from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia should never have been sent back, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The NGO says that that the prisoners, who were already tortured and abused in Saudi Arabia, faced the same treatment when they were repatriated. Tigrayan migrants who have experienced horrific abuse in Saudi custody are being locked up in detention facilities upon returning to Ethiopia, said Nadia Hardman, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. Saudi Arabia should offer protection to Tigrayans at risk, while Ethiopia should release all arbitrarily detained Tigrayan deportees, she added. Human Rights Watch documented the mistreatment and forced disappearances over 10 months, speaking to more than 20 Ethiopians who had been subjected to abuse. Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia The repatriation of Ethiopians accelerated after the government announced a year ago that it would cooperate with the return of 40,000 of their nationals from Saudi Arabia. An investigation by the UK newspaper The Independent in 2020 showed that Ethiopians and others were forcibly detained in slave-like conditions in the Kingdom, and regularly beaten. Tigrayans made up 40 percent of those returnees over an eight-month period in late 2020 until June 2021. While those who returned home were initially overjoyed to escape daily mistreatment in detention centers throughout Saudi Arabia, they were not aware of the additional horrors that awaited them. Profiling Tigrayans In November 2020, the Ethiopian federal government declared war on the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), launching an attack in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray. The surge in repatriations last year, coupled with the ongoing war in Ethiopia made Tigrayans even more vulnerable than they already were, the research reads. It notes that Tigrayan forcible disappearances, profiling, and arbitrary detentions by Ethiopian authorities in Addis Ababa increased after the Federal Forces withdrew from the Tigray region and the war continued. Many returnees are held in government detention centers throughout the country. Berhe, a 34-year-old Tigrayan who returned to Ethiopia in July, said that he had spent two days in Addis at a detention center and then tried to travel to Tigray. Police stopped the bus at a checkpoint in the Afar region and took their documents and mobile phones. We stayed at the checkpoint for three days and three nights on the bus for all that time, he said, noting that the place was far outside town. We had no food or water. On the fourth day we were taken to Awash [Afar region]. We didn't know where we were going and we couldn't contact our families, he added. He was finally taken to a detention facility where he has spent the past five months. Another Tigrayan, Trhas, 33, told the NGO that she was stopped at a checkpoint, put in a military camp with 700 other deportees, and then sent to a detention facility. They spent a day on the bus without food or water. We asked the federal police for food and water and the toilet, but we were beaten if we left our seats. They told us: 'Bandits don't need food,' she said. When the bus stopped at various points so soldiers could buy food and drink for themselves, the male detainees tried to get off the bus, she said. The police beat them using something like a wire in their hands, she added. No response On the back of its findings, HRW sent queries to Saudi government officials,the Ethiopian National Disaster Risk Management Commission, and the Federal Police Commission asking them about the conditions and treatment of the detainees. They have not received a response to date. Now, HRW has called on both the Saudis and international community to do more to help the Tigrayans. Saudi Arabia should stop holding Tigrayans in abhorrent conditions and deporting them to Ethiopia, and instead help the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide them with international protection, the report adds. Scientists in France have discovered another Covid-19 variant a few months after South African Scientists discovered the Omicron variant. The discovery of the new variant, named B.1.640.2, was announced in a paper posted on medRxiv. Called IHU, as of now, the strain was discovered by academics based at the IHU Mediterranee Infection on 10 December. Researchers say that it contains 46 mutations even more than Omicron which makes it more resistant to vaccines and infectious. Cases The reports said some 12 cases have been spotted so far near Marseille, with the first linked to travel to the African country Cameroon. Tests also show the strain carries the N501Y mutation first seen on the Alpha variant that experts believe can make it more transmissible. According to the scientists, it carries the E484K mutation, which could mean that the IHU variant will be more resistant to vaccines. It is yet to be spotted in other countries or labelled a variant under investigation by the World Health Organization. Omicron dominant variant Currently, Omicron is the dominant coronavirus variant in France, joining other European countries like the United Kingdom and Portugal with surging case numbers over the past few days. France's public health agency had recently said that 62.4 percent of tests showed a profile compatible with the Omicron variant. The Omicron variant of coronavirus has stoked average daily confirmed cases to more than 160,000 per day over the past week, with peaks above 200,000. A nurse who is being for allegedly conducting illegal abortions at his residence at Adenta New Site has been granted bail. Samuel Owusu was granted bail in the sum of GHC600,000 with three sureties, one to be justified. The Adenta Circuit Court ordered the accused person to deposit his passport at the court's registry. On December 31, last year, the Court remanded into Police custody, Samuel Owusu, who was said to have charged clients GHC 500 per an abortion. Owusu believed to be in his mid fifties, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him. He is being held on the charges of practicing medicine without authority, receiving payment for the practice of medicine without authority, attempting to commit crime namely committing illegal abortion and operating an unlicensed health facility. The Court, presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah, adjourned the matter to January 31. Narrating the facts earlier, Superintendent of Police Patience Mario, said the complainant was Administrative Manager of Investigations Department of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council. The prosecution said the accused person claimed to be a nurse residing at Adenta. It said the complainant, name withheld, had information that the accused person was practicing medicine and performing illegal abortions at his residence at Adenta New Site. The prosecution said the matter was reported to the Police and a team was dispatched to escort the complainant under the pretext of performing an abortion on a female who worked with the Ghana Medical and Dental Council. It said the accused person charged and received GHC500.00 from the complainant and entered his name in his record book. The prosecution said when the accused person pulled out a syringe to inject the lady for the abortion, he was arrested. It said during a search at the accused person's premises, some medical apparatus allegedly used for the illegal activities, were retrieved. GNA The Central government on Wednesday released revised guidelines for home isolation of mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. As per the revised guidelines, issued by the ministry of health & family welfare, a patient under home isolation will stand discharged after seven days from testing positive. Patient under home isolation will stand discharged and end isolation after at least 7 days have passed from testing positive and no fever for 3 successive days and they shall continue wearing masks. There is no need for re-testing after the home isolation period is over, said the guidelines. Asymptomatic contacts of infected individuals need not undergo Covid test & monitor health in home quarantine, the guidelines said. The new guidelines, which come amid the sharp surge in COVID cases over the last few days, also added Over the past two years, it has been seen globally as well as in India that majority of cases of Covid-19 are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms. Such cases usually recover with minimal interventions and accordingly may be managed at home under proper medical guidance and monitoring. The guidelines have defined the asymptomatic cases as laboratory confirmed cases who are not experiencing any symptoms and have oxygen saturation at room air of more than 93%. While there has been a sharp surge in cases across countries, hospitalizations have remained relatively lower as compared to earlier surges. - @MoHFW_INDIA #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/4UXuwd5rWa PIB India (@PIB_India) January 5, 2022 Clinically assigned mild cases are defined as patients with upper respiratory tract symptoms with or without fever, without shortness of breath and having oxygen saturation at room air of more than 93%. As per the new guidelines, the patient assigned as 'mild/ asymptomatic case' by the treating Medical Officer, will be 'eligible' for home isolation. The patient should be clinically assigned as mild/ asymptomatic case by the treating Medical Officer. Further a designated control room contact number at the district /sub district level shall be provided to the family to get suitable guidance for undertaking testing, clinical management related guidance, assignment of a hospital bed, if warranted, said the guidelines. As per the new guidelines, patients are required to maintain a self-health monitoring chart which should included details like date and time; temperature; heart rate (from pulse oximeter); SpO2% (from pulse oximeter); feeling: (better/same/worse); and breathing (better/same/worse). According to the guidelines, the district administration should monitor all cases under home isolation on a daily basis. According to the revised guidelines, elderly patients who are over 60 years and those with co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease, among others, should only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by a doctor. Patients suffering from immune compromised status such as HIV, transplant recipients and cancer therapy are not recommended for home isolation, unless cleared by a doctor, the health ministry said. According to the health ministry, India reported 58,097 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, taking the country's active caseload to 2,14,004. A woman, who is allegedly the mastermind behind the notorious "Bulli Bai" app, was held by a Mumbai Police team from Uttarakhand. The action comes a day after a Mumbai Police held a 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru, in connection with the controversy, which cropped on January 1, where the photos of a number of women of a particular religion including of journalists, social workers, students and famous personalities were posted as "available for booking". According to the information, the woman will be produced before the local court where Mumbai Police will seek her transit remand to take her to Mumbai. An official said that both the woman and the engineering student, who was one of the follower of the controversial app, will be confronted with each other. The latest controversy came six months after the "Sulli Deals" issue. Both names are derogatory terms for women of the particular religion. Github had provided space to Sulli Deals and this time too, the offending app was created on the platform. After the controversy, Github had removed the user from its hosting platform. But by then, Bulli Bai had sparked a nationwide controversy. The app was also being promoted by a Twitter handle with the name @bullibai, with the display picture was of a Khalistani supporter. This twitter handle was endorsing the Bulli Bai app saying the women can be booked from the app. This handle was also promoting Khalistani content at the same time. Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Mumbai Police after which the case was lodged. A case in this connection was also lodged by Delhi Police. When Sulli Deal controversy came up appeared, two FIRs were lodged against unknown persons, but the culprits behind it were never traced or arrested. Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article. MISSOULA The pandemic has caused shortages in almost every area of life including technology, lumber, and blood. But theres one shortage we havent talked about, and thats breast milk. The Mothers Milk bank of Montana serves Montana and four other states, but right now, the need for breast milk is outweighing their supply. Taylor Pfaff works at the milk bank, but she knows the importance of donor milk from personal experience. "I had a really traumatic labor and delivery and my son ended up being in the NICU for like five days, Pfaff said. She was recovering from a C-section, and wasnt producing milk when her son needed it, so they offered to give him donor milk. Pfaffs mom played a role in getting the milk bank open, so she knew all about it and jumped on the offer. "It took a little bit of pressure of me to know that like, he was still getting all the nutrients from another mama's breast milk and I could take that time and breath a little bit, get everything under control, and give my body some time, she said. Breast milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs to grow and provides antibodies to help fight off viruses and infections, and families may need to use sonar milk for a variety of reasons. Executive Director of the bank, and Pfaffs mom, Linsey Rude, said theyre struggling to meet the demand. "We pasteurized about 5,000 ounces less this year than we did the prior year and yet we gave triple the amount. So, usually we give away somewhere around $12,000 in milk, we gave away $60,000 this year, Rude said. Rude added more moms were donating during the pandemic because everyone was at home, so they were able to meet needs they didnt even know existed. "It doesn't take very much, to change a mom and a baby's path, so it's really important and it's so easy. If you have extra in your freezer taking up space, we'd love to take it off your hands at any point, Pfaff said. If you're interested in donating, you can call the bank at (406) 531-6789 or learn more on their website Right now, the need is the same but the donations are less. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 32,425 migrants were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya in 2021 by the Libyan coast guard, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced, saying the number doubles the 2020 figure when 11,891 migrants were rescued Odessa College is imposing both a vaccine mandate and mask mandate on unvaccinated employees citing the federal vaccine mandate being imposed through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The federal mandates, which have come at the direction of President Joe Biden, have all faced severe scrutiny in federal courts. However, after the OSHA mandate was stayed by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, it was recently reinstated by another federal circuit court. This has prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to set a hearing for January 7, taking up challenges to both the OSHA vaccine mandate for businesses with over 100 employees and another mandate imposed on healthcare workers through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). According to an Odessa College directive sent out to all school staff, employees must show proof of vaccination by Jan. 10, and those who fail to show proof will not be allowed to return to work. A more detailed policy indicates that the mandate does not apply to employees who work from home, or outdoors. The policy also details employees may seek an exemption based on several exceptions, including medical reasons and sincerely held religious beliefs. Employees who obtain a vaccine exemption, however, will be subject to a mask mandate. Read the complete article at the Odessa Headlines site. Construction continues on the first pod of The Fields Edge project in southwest Midland. John-Mark Echols told the Reporter-Telegram this week that hes hoping for an April opening for Midlands first housing community for the homeless. He said that the first pod will consist of nine, single-occupancy (200 square-foot) homes, missional home for Echols and his family, a community center and the bath-kitchen-water facility. Eventually, nine more pods will be built, Echols said of The Fields Edge plan. Echols said in 2021 fashion there have been supply chain issues on steel and HVAC items, but that construction has started on houses and the project is ready for volunteers wanting to help. The community is located near the intersection of Loop 250 W and Interstate 20. Included in part 1 of the project was the building of Cholla Road, which leads up to the community, and 2 miles of water line. The additional infrastructure costs pushed the cost of the first pod to $4.5 million, Echols said. We want to get our feet underneath it and prove the concept to funders before going back (for more funding), Echols said. The demand for houses will be there. Echols said the homeless count in January 2020 in Midland was around 227. That included men and women in shelters and in the elements (88, which Echols expected was a low number). He said that the next snapshot will take place later this year. We know (the homeless population) has increased, Echols said. We just dont know how much yet. The application process for potential community members opens later this month, Echols said. The Fields Edge will work with groups like the Salvation Army and Permian Care, where there are case workers, to determine good candidates. He did say that a potential client has to be chronically homeless and have lived on the streets in Midland County in the last year. Each home is for a single occupant (no spouse or no kids), and occupants must be older than 18. The process of finishing out the first pod is similar to the build-out of a Habitat community, Echols said. Interested volunteers will help with installing siding and dry wall and performing tasks like painting and landscaping. The concrete is poured, and the walls framed up, he said. Those wanting to volunteer can go to thefieldsedge.org. There is also contact information at the website for those with questions or those who know potential occupants. Sun Valley, ID (83353) Today Rain developing this afternoon. High around 50F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Rain and snow this evening turning to all snow overnight. Low 34F. Winds light and variable. Chance of precip 100%. About one inch of snow expected. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Mike McCleary/AP A federal judge has sided with law enforcement in a case brought by Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrators alleging excessive use of force by police at a protest site in North Dakota in 2016. The Bismarck Tribune reported that temperatures dropped below freezing the night of Nov. 20 as police and protesters faced off on a highway just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Officers sprayed protesters with water during the incident. So much has been written about education in the time of COVID-19, and it has been chiefly an indictment of the system. Our observations come with data and much self-flagellation. Still, as we enter into 2022, we might consider that there has been some good along with the bad, and it will certainly help shape the future of education. First, the bad. There has been an erosion of faith in our public school systems, evidenced by the significant drop in enrollment. Massachusetts, for example, reported a 4% drop in their 2021 student base. NPR, in its investigation of 600 districts across the country, reported a similar loss. If that trend continues, it will have funding implications. The thinking of families who opted out of public schools is complex but at its core reflects uncertainty about the curriculum and doubt about the educational product being delivered. Considerations about remote learning and hybrid models factored negatively into many parents thinking, and private and homeschooling alternatives flourished. Now that more schools have returned on-premise, there is some enrollment bounce back, but no one is predicting a return to what was. COVID-19 has also been charged with creating a widening education disparity that impacts our most vulnerable communities. New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut has remarked that, This is not a new problem. We shouldnt let the education system off the hook. COVID has simply exacerbated an existing problem and pointed out the need for new instructional models geared for minority and economically disadvantaged. As students returned on-premise this fall, it was clear how difficult the adjustment was for many. Everything from modest brawls to escalated violence has been the result. The National Association of School Resource Officers reports that from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1 this year, there were 97 reported gun-related incidents in schools. During the same span in 2019, there were 29. It has been difficult for educators to retain control, though the challenge of re-acclimation is expected to dissipate. Students will adjust to the higher level of discipline required at school, but it will take time. Perhaps most daunting is the anxiety and depression that have affected many children. In the first six months of COVID-19, emergency department visits for mental health were up 31% for children ages 12 to 17. Educators have been tasked with keeping a watchful eye on their students well-being while also meeting educational objectives. Yet despite the many negative consequences of COVID-19 on K-12 education, it has had some long-term positive effects that will shape the systems future. For one thing, parental involvement is much greater. Its very simple, says Edelblut. Where you have engaged parents, you get better educational outcomes. The National Coalition for Parental Involvement has shown that no matter a familys income or background, students with involved parents are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, and adapt well to school. Parental engagement is most educators dream, even if there is a bit of a shock in the process. Said another way, Shira Deener, head of Bostons Jewish Community Day School, offers, Our parents have always been involved partners in the enterprise of their childrens education, but the pandemic has brought parents inside in a way they had not been before. Getting proximate has increased our parents appreciation of what it takes and everyone benefits. Beyond parental engagement, another significant benefit rendered by COVID-19 has been a renewed commitment to expanding the options for how and what education is delivered. As Edelblut explains, We built a factory model that assumed homogeneous learning. Kids are not homogeneous, and what has become evident is that we need to personalize institutions. We need to meet the kids where they are. For example, while most students do better on-premise both educationally and socially, Edelblut reports that 15% of New Hampshire students do better through remote learning because they have more agency. Different needs will mean different systems and continued adaptation. What education looks like going forward is anyones guess, but there are some smart bets we can place. There will be continued parental involvement. Schools will test out a range of options that aim to meet kids where they are. Mental health and social well-being will remain a focus. New technologies will emerge that will aid in everyones effort to provide the education we can be proud of. It will be a brave new world, and COVID-19 will have helped. The pastiche of new state laws taking effect for the new year underscores how different we are at least in the eyes of legislators on matters small and large. In New York State, for example, Styrofoam containers for takeout food are now prohibited by law, as are those pesky Styrofoam peanuts. But 46 other states have no such statewide prohibition, at least not yet. In California, its now illegal to distribute tiny ketchup packets unless they are specifically requested, while in Rhode Island single-use straws are similarly restricted. Twenty-one states are raising minimum wage, but differences are dramatic. Virginia implemented one of the largest increases, $1.50 an hour, bringing the states rate to $11. Michigan, on the other hand, gave minimum-wage earners a minuscule 22-cent increase to $9.87 an hour. Not surprising in light of the nations political climate are new laws about voting. California and Nevada have made voting by mail a permanent option for all registered voters. Arkansas, however, has a new law prohibiting the distribution of absentee ballots unless specifically requested. Another trend that follows national headlines involves police behavior. Louisiana has a new law prohibiting chokeholds, except in cases where great bodily harm in threatened. In Connecticut, an officers deliberate failure to activate a body camera can now be cited at trial in cases involving excessive force. A new law in California limits the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by police during protest demonstrations. There are new laws affecting kids and animals. Georgia tightened protections for foster children, adding new safeguards against sexual and emotional abuse. Illinois enacted a law requiring restaurants to serve water, milk or juice as the default beverage with kids meals, rather than soda. Illinois now forbids people from possessing animals if they have been convicted twice of animal abuse. In New Hampshire its now against the law to remove a tracking collar or microchip from someone elses dog. California veterinarians may now operate community animal blood banks. Virginia becomes the fourth state to ban the testing of cosmetics on animals. Oklahomans named the rescue animal the official state pet. Also this month: Iowa establishes speed limits for e-bikes. Oklahoma caps the price of prescription insulin at one dollar per dose. Indiana legalizes electronic prescriptions to avoid problems with doctors poor handwriting. Hawaii allows private citizens to carry Tasers in public. Oregon makes it a crime to intimidate anyone by displaying a noose. Rhode Islands governor can now authorize anyone over 18 to perform a wedding. Were a nation of laws. Comforting as that might be, the regulations sometimes seem to go in 50 different directions. Sacramento, CA Talk radio host Larry Elder was the top Republican vote-getter during the recall attempt of Governor Gavin Newsom last year, but he will not seek a rematch. Elder says he will sit out the 2022 Governor election and instead focus on raising money for House and Senate candidates through his Elder for America Pac. It will allow him to remain visible and politically active in national races. He did not rule out a future run for public office. 61-percent voted against recalling Governor Newsom during the election on September 14. Of those who voted yes, nearly 49-percent picked Elder as the top replacement candidate. Second place was Democrat Kevin Paffrath with 9.6-percent. It is a quick turnaround to the 2022 election, and it remains unclear if any high-profile challengers will run against Newsom as he seeks a second term. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. In recent years, NPR has taken pride in its efforts to diversify its ranks of on-air hosts, with the hiring of many Black and Latino journalists to lead its signature news programs, including voices such as Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Noel King, Michele Norris and Audie Cornish. But now the public-radio giant is contending with an exodus of the very same talent. On Tuesday, it was Cornish, the co-host since 2012 of NPR's daily newsmagazine, "All Things Considered," who announced she would be leaving at the end of the week, destination unspecified. "I have never considered the host chair a tenured position," she said, though many of her predecessors have enjoyed decades-long runs in the job. "It's time for me to try my hand at new journalism projects and embark on new adventures." Other prominent on-air personalities of color to depart NPR's airwaves recently include "Weekend All Things Considered" host Garcia-Navarro, who left in September to host a New York Times podcast; "Morning Edition" host King, who left in November for Vox Media; and former "1A" host Joshua Johnson, who joined MSNBC. In addition, NPR has in recent months lost the stars of two weekly programs and podcasts - Maddie Sofia (who hosted the science program "Short Wave") and Shereen Marisol Meraji of "Code Switch," which discusses race in America. Some see a pattern - and a problem. Cornish's announcement, in particular, unleashed a public airing of grievances from within NPR about its treatment of minority journalists. "If NPR doesn't see this as a crisis, I don't know what it'll take," tweeted Ari Shapiro, Cornish's "All Things Considered" co-host. He wrote that the organization was "hemorrhaging hosts from marginalized backgrounds." Shapiro quoted a tweet from September by another NPR program host, Sam Sanders, who name-checked recently departed staffers and commented, "Look at all the incredibly talented hosts from marginalized backgrounds who've left @npr recently ... I believe in the mission of public radio; this trend is antithetical to that mission." Garcia-Navarro tweeted, "I'm sad to see this happening but it is not unexpected." She and Sanders declined further comment, as did Cornish. NPR's chief spokesperson, Isabel Lara, said Tuesday the Washington, D.C.-based organization regrets losing familiar journalists, although she pointed to other journalists of color who are filling the ranks of the departed. Among them, she cited Scott Tong, the co-host of NPR and WBUR's daily "Here and Now" program, and "Morning Edition" co-hosts A Martinez and Leila Fadel. Martinez was appointed in May, and Tong was named in June. Fadel, a former Washington Post reporter, was named last week. Lara contended that many of those who've left were scooped up by deep-pocketed companies that are building podcasting businesses in direct competition with NPR. "It used to be that hosting a news magazine at NPR was the pinnacle" of radio journalism, she said. "Now there are so many opportunities," from Apple, Audible, Netflix, the New York Times and others creating audio-news and nonfiction programming divisions. "It's a very competitive landscape." But Garcia-Navarro pointedly disputed this in her tweet. "People leave jobs for other opportunities if they are unhappy with the opportunities they have and the way they have been treated," she wrote. Despite giving unprecedented opportunities to women since its founding in 1970, NPR has struggled for many years to diversify its audience and provide alternative perspectives. It hired its first African American host of "All Things Considered," Michele Norris, in 2002 (Norris is now a columnist for The Post). It launched but quickly canceled programs aimed at minority audiences, such as "News and Notes," and "Tell Me More," the latter hosted by Michel Martin, who went on to become the weekend host of "All Things Considered." People of color make up 42% of NPR's podcast listening audience, and 21% of its radio audience, according to data compiled by ratings firm Nielsen for NPR and shared last year with The Post. NPR has grown its podcasting arm in recent years, which executives have said helps fulfill the organization's goal to reach younger, more diverse audiences. But people familiar with NPR say its management hasn't done enough to provide opportunities to minority journalists, especially women. Podcast company co-founder Jenna Weiss-Berman has poached several people from public broadcasting, and "every single time, what they tell me is, 'I have no creative freedom, I feel disrespected,' " she said. Some have big names in the industry but work on short-term contracts; others complain they've been denied the opportunity to develop new programs or podcast even when they devote their free time to it. "They're just told 'no' so much when it comes to anything creative," said Weiss-Berman, who worked in public radio for 10 years and at BuzzFeed's audio division before starting her company, Pineapple Street Studios. "When you're told 'no' a lot, and you see another opportunity where you might be told 'yes' a little more, you're going to take it." Public-media executives often assume she's paying significantly more to hire away their employees. She says that's not the case. Celeste Headlee, who has hosted several public radio programs and written extensively about race in the industry, said she couldn't speak to the specific reasons individual hosts have left but called the departures concerning. "It's so common for companies to put resources into recruiting people of color and then put no resources into really retaining them or supporting them in the roles they have so that they will continue with the organization." She said she regularly hears from public-radio staffers of color who say they deal with daily slights and resistance to their ideas, despite a sense they got their jobs to help expand the audience. But Headlee - who founded a nonprofit for minority public-radio employees - credited John Lansing, NPR's president and chief executive, for being "dead serious about solving these issues." She added: "If there ever was a chance for our industry to move forward, now is the time." NPR employees raised questions about the exodus of women of color during an all-staff meeting last month headed by Lansing, who is generally well-regarded within the organization. But he received a cool reception when he told employees that turnover was common in the news media and that NPR couldn't stand in the way of staffers seeking greater opportunities elsewhere, according to one participant. "There seemed to be a lack of acknowledgment that when people leave it's because they're not getting something they need in-house and they don't see a path," said this staffer, who was not authorized to speak to the news media. Referring to Cornish, the staffer said, "there's a lot of confusion that again we're seeing another talented host walking out the door ... for unspecified opportunities. There's concern that this is not treated or viewed by leadership as the crisis that it is." Lara declined to characterize the issue as a crisis or problem but acknowledged that it was "important" to maintain a diverse workplace. NPR's internal statistics show that its workforce is 62% White, 15% Black/African American, 12% Asian American, 7% Latino or Hispanic. Upscale nights of conversation and cocktails are coming to the far Northside of San Antonio, when Conversa, the city's new elevated bar experience debuts. Owners are eyeing a March opening. The two-story bar at 20327 West I-10, near the Dominion, is slated to open during St. Patrick's Day weekend (March 17-22). Once open, the elevated bar will adhere to a dress code: "smart casual" on the first level (no shorts, sandals, jerseys, or ball caps) and cocktail and business casual on the top floor. Courtesy, Conversa The upcoming Conversa promises to "change the way San Antonio views nightlife." The nearly 7,000-square-foot space will feature VIP areas, chef-selected bites, specialty drinks, mocktails, an extensive wine list, and a private wine-tasting room. "With two levels to this establishment, enjoy the party on the first floor, but come dressed to impress to enter the exclusive second level," a representative for the bar tells MySA. "Everyone will be able to experience elevation and keep the conversation going all throughout the night." Courtesy, Conversa Renderings provided by the bar reveal a bit of how Conversa will host its guests. There are intimate drinking areas, exposed brick walls, and mid-century modern aesthetics throughout. The new bar will have The Rim and Dominion as bookends. It will be part of the new Heron mixed-use development at Cresta Bella, which touts its prime location in a "prestigious" area of the city with "high-incomes." It's unclear what other Heron tenants will neighbor Conversa. Establishments like Bar 301, Fralo's and the recently opened Redland's Grill are a short drive away from Conversa. Conversa is also hiring bartenders and other staff positions. Those interested in applying are invited to submit a resume via email to management@conversaelevated.com. More information on the bar's official opening will be shared on Instagram and Facebook. Newly released body-camera footage shows the high-speed moments before a Houston cop drove his police cruiser onto a sidewalk Dec. 4 and killed 62-year-old Michael Wayne Jackson, who was walking to his barber. Prosecutors have yet to present the case to a grand jury, Harris County district attorney's office spokesperson Dane Schiller said Monday. On Dec. 30, the Houston Police Department released two video clips from bodycams worn by driving officer Orlando Hernandez and his partner officer Anthony Aranda. Both officers are 25 years old with fewer than five years on the force and currently are listed as active duty, according to an HPD spokesperson. Hernandez at times drove the 6,300-pound Ford Police Intercepter between 80 and 100 mph down Reed Road, according to the cruiser's speedometer shown in a five-minute clip from his bodycam. Traffic on Reed Road is limited to 40 mph. The cops were driving with lights and siren activated to help another officer apprehend five individuals allegedly involved in a carjacking who reportedly fled on foot after a short pursuit. Reed Road was wet from a recent rain shower that Saturday afternoon, according to a crash report filed by HPD. Video shows the cruiser's windshield wipers were activated as Hernandez maneuvered the police SUV through traffic, appearing on multiple occasions to be using only one hand to steer the speeding vehicle over slick residential roads. As Hernandez approached a red light at Cullen Boulevard, he slowed down to check for cross traffic before continuing west toward Scott Street. Houston Police Department Jackson was walking west on the sidewalk in the 4100 block of Reed Road near Scott Street as Hernandez's cruiser approached from the east around 5:40 p.m. Several cars were stopped at a red light at the Reed Road and Scott Street intersection, police said. As Hernandez sped toward the intersection, video shows the officer turn the steering wheel nearly 180 degrees to avoid colliding with other cars. Hernandez's cruiser slid slightly right, jumping the sidewalk and hitting Jackson before slamming into a Dumpster bin in a nearby parking lot. Body-cam video indicates that Hernandez hit Jackson about 34 seconds after passing through the intersection at Cullen Boulevard, a distance of 3,755 feet, according to information compiled from Google Maps and a diagram from HPD's crash report. This distance would suggest Hernandez traveled at an average speed of 75 mph before he drove onto the sidewalk. In a frame before Hernandez attempted to turn the wheel, the cruiser's speedometer showed 60 mph. Houston police have not released any other findings from their investigation, including any telemetry data from the cruiser's computer regarding the cruiser's actual speed and if/when Hernandez applied the brakes. Crash investigators with HPD's vehicular crimes division noted in a crash report that Hernandez was "traveling at an unsafe speed" and "performed a faulty evasive action." In the moments after the crash, video shows Hernandez and Aranda ran to Jackson as witnesses screamed and music played from a nearby restaurant. The video also captured sirens from nearby HPD officers who also rushing to assist in the manhunt. "I need HFD here," Hernandez radioed to dispatch. "I just got wrecked out, uh, Scott and Reed. One male patient is going to be knocked unconscious, not breathing, uh, bleeding from the head." "Sir, sir, sir," Hernandez said as he shook Jackson's lifeless body. "Wake up, sir." Another officer who arrived seconds after the collision ordered Hernandez to start chest compressions, at which point the released video ends. Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department arrived minutes later and pronounced Jackson dead. In the days after the crash, the victim's brother speculated that the officer behind the wheel was ill-trained. "It looks like to me, maybe the guys couldn't drive that well," Timothy Jackson said. "They just weren't ready. Their skill level in pursuits maybe wasn't that good, because they came out of the street onto the sidewalk. They put anybody that's on the sidewalk in danger." Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, called the collision a "tragic accident." "Officers were responding to an assist while chasing robbery suspects," Griffith said in a text message. "It's my belief that the officers left the road to avoid a collision and never saw the citizen. Truly sad for all involved." Houston police have yet to close the case, and it is unclear if prosecutors will pursue charges against Hernandez. For both officers, a preliminary 3-day placement on administrative duties has already tolled. Welcome to Wednesday, San Antonio. CPS Energy's old downtown headquarters will become a hotel that could be prime spot to stay during Fiesta. Here's what you need to know. CPS Energy has sold its old headquarters at 145 Navarro Street to Blueprint Hospitality, which has plans to turn the space into a hotel, the Express-News reports. The developer, with offices in Houston and Chicago, purchased the 10-story building as well as the city-owned Tower Life building parking garage last month for $19 million. Blueprint Hospitality managing partner and CEO Kunal Mody told the Express-News that the company specializes in converting older buildings into hotels. Courtesy of Gensler and MP Studio The hotel is across the street from CPS Energy's old parking garage at 146 Navarro Street, which is one of the main entrances to NIOSA during Fiesta. There are plans to renovate the garage and breezeway. Here's some other news you may have missed. FBI dive team joins search for Lina Khil Two weeks after the young girl went missing, an FBI dive team from Washington D.C. has joined the search for 3-year-old Lina Khil. Read more here. Fake COVID-19 testing sites popping up As coronavirus numbers are starting to rise across San Antonio, reports of fake testing sites are popping up. Here's what you can do if you encounter one. Read more here. Ancient rock art at Big Bend vandalized Ancient rock art at Big Bend National Park was vandalized over the Christmas weekend. Read more here. Billboard honors life of Betty White If you drove down Loop 410 West recently then you probably saw a billboard paying tribute to actor Betty White with a Golden Girls nod. Read more here. Sujata Jana / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Houston's chief of police has called for an internal investigation into the emergency response time to the shooting of George Floyd's 4-year-old niece. Chief Troy Finner released a statement Tuesday, January 4, saying he is aware of concerns over the "delayed" response time to the New Year's Day shooting of Arianna Delane and has opened an internal affairs investigation. "I ask the city to continue to pray for the childs full recovery and assist in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects responsible," Finner says in the statement. An FBI dive team out of Washington, D.C., has been brought in to search for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil. San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said the dive team is following up on a lead, but declined to go into further detail at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. The team is currently searching a creek area off the south corner of the intersection at Babcock and Huebner roads. The area is about 10 minutes west of 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road where Lina went missing. "I wish I could be more uplifting," McManus said. "All we're doing here is following up on leads. We don't want to leave anything to chance." McManus added that so far none of the leads have led law enforcement getting closer to finding the 3-year-old. McManus said the dive team has special technology to help in these types of underwater searches. Police and FBI have searched that area before but McManus said they haven't searched the water. Lina's family is aware of the underwater search. Courtesy of SAPD Lina Khil went missing from the playground at her family's apartment complex on December 20. Over the past two weeks SAPD has been joined by the FBI in the search to find her. Lina's family believe she was abducted, and although McManus said last week that the department was looking into some people of interest, there has been no updates on those leads. Her disappearance is still being treated as a missing persons case. "I wish there was more uplifting information I could give you to at least provide some hope," McManus said. SAPD On Sunday, January 2, a volunteer group from local nonprofit Eagles Flight Advocacy & Outreach searched the green belt area behind St. George Maronite Catholic Church. SAPD did not say why volunteers were searching that area. Lina was last seen wearing a red dress, black jacket and black shoes. The Islamic Center of San Antonio is offering a reward of $100,000 and Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that will help law enforcement find Lina. People with tips or information that will lead to finding Lina should call 210-207-7660. Sam Owens, Staff Photographer / San Antonio Express-News San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg is part of a national meeting of leaders from cities across the country urging Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Nirenberg joined a letter addressed to senators Charles E. Schumer and Mitch McConnell in support of the two bills, which were passed by the House but are held up in the Senate. Eric Johnson and Sylvester Turner, mayors of Dallas and Houston, respectively, also joined the non-partisan Conference of Mayors in urging the approval of the voting rights legislation. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz predicted Republicans will impeach President Joe Biden as political payback if they win back the U.S. House this year in the midterm elections. Yeah, I do think theres a chance of that, whether its justified or not, he said on the latest episode of his podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz. Democrats weaponized impeachment, he said, referring to House Democrats twice voting to impeach former President Donald Trump. They used it for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him. And one of the real disadvantages of doing that is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know, whats good for the goose is good for the gander. Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice, but the Senate lacked the votes needed to convict him in both cases. In 2019, the House impeached Trump over his phone call with the leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. A record of the call released by the White House detailed how Trump implored Zelensky to investigate Biden, who beat Trump in 2020, and his son, Hunter Biden. Last year, the House impeached Trump during his final days in office, charging him with incitement of insurrection for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. On Tuesday, Cruz said that impeachment shouldnt be used as a political tool. Thats not how impeachment is meant to work, he said. But the junior Texas senator also said there were multiple grounds to consider for impeachment against Biden. Probably the most compelling is the utter lawlessness of President Bidens refusal to enforce the border. His decision to just defy federal immigration laws and allow 2 million people to come here unimpeded in direct contravention of his obligation under Article 2 of the Constitution to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, he said. That is probably the strongest grounds right now for impeachment, but there may be others. Cruz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Texas Republicans have blamed Biden's less stringent immigration stance for a sharp increase in migrants coming to the border seeking entry into the U.S. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Yves here. Im normally leery of economists attempting to model non-economic questions, but this looks to be a well-defined study examining the effects of childhood respiratory infections. And mind you, the diseases in question are just respiratory ailments, as in they do not afflict other organs the way Covid does. The conclusions are worrying in and of themselves as well as in terms of their implications for Covid, given that Omicron in particular is producing a much higher level of serious cases, including hospitalization, among children up to nine years old, than earlier variants. This study found infants were two to three times as likely to be hospitalized as older children, and that their hospitalization damaged their educational and job prospects without producing greater resistance to later childhood respiratory infection. By N. Meltem Daysal, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Copenhagen, Hui Ding, PhD student in Economics, Stanford University, Maya Rossin-Slater, Associate Professor of Health Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine and Hannes Schwandt, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, School of Education and Social Policy (SESP). Originally published at VoxEU Pandemics have a major impact on households and the economy. But how common endemic viruses affect long-term population human capital and economic outcomes is not well understood. This column uses data from Denmark to explore the mechanisms and consequences of a childs exposure to respiratory disease in early life. Younger siblings have two to three-times higher rates of hospitalisation for respiratory conditions during their first year of life compared to older siblings. The family unit plays a central role in virus transmission and birth order can influence childrens longer-term outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited interest in understanding the societal costs of infectious diseases, which are often measured in terms of their direct and immediate impact on public health and economic activity (Adda 2016). While a large body of research focuses on the effects of pandemics on households and the economy (e.g. Janke et al. 2020, Moroni et al. 2020, Alon et al. 2020, Conti 2020, Baldwin 2020), the parallel question of how common endemic viruses impact society remains less understood. In addition, even less attention is paid to the potential long-term consequences of these viruses on population human capital and economic outcomes. Respiratory Disease: The Role of Birth Order and the Long-Run Impacts In our paper (Daysal et al. 2021), we use Danish population-level administrative data on 35 birth cohorts to comprehensively analyse both the mechanisms through which infants become infected by respiratory viruses as well as the consequences of early-life respiratory disease exposure for their later outcomes. We begin by documenting a striking disparity in the likelihood of severe respiratory disease in early childhood by birth order. Using data on all first- and second-born siblings born in Denmark between 1980 and 2015, we find that younger siblings have two-to-three-times higher rates of hospitalisation for respiratory conditions during their first year of life compared to the older siblings at the same age. This gap is particularly large when hospitalisations are measured in the first three months of life. The hospitalisation disparity is larger if the younger sibling is born in the autumn or winter, when respiratory viruses circulate more frequently. The gap is also larger for siblings with shorter birth spacing, who may be more prone to close contact that facilitates virus transmission. These patterns highlight the centrality of the family unit in virus transmission and the hitherto under-studied mechanism by which birth order might influence childrens longer-term outcomes: older children bring home common viruses (e.g. from group childcare environments), putting their younger siblings at heightened risk of severe respiratory illness in the first few months of life. Causal Long-Term Effects To identify the long-term causal impacts of early-life respiratory disease exposure, we combine the birth order variation in the likelihood of severe respiratory infection with variation in local disease prevalence. Local respiratory disease prevalence among children is largely driven by highly infectious conditions, such as the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which spread across locations in irregular waves (Pitzer et al. 2015). We construct a municipality-level index to capture respiratory disease exposure during each childs first year of life from slightly older children in the community. Specifically, we calculate the number of hospitalisations for respiratory conditions per 100 children aged 13 to 71 months in each municipality (excluding siblings), and then assign to each child the cumulative child hospitalisation rate in their municipality over their first 12 months of life. We then use our sample of siblings to estimate the differential effect of the respiratory disease index for younger compared to older siblings. Our regression models control for time-invariant differences across municipalities that might drive differences in disease exposure and aggregate and seasonal trends in respiratory illness, as well as a large set of observable individual and family characteristics. We show that the local respiratory disease index strongly predicts the likelihood that a child is hospitalised for a respiratory illness during the first year of life. This impact is much larger for younger relative to older siblings. Moving from the 25th to the 75th percentile in the disease index distribution is associated with a 0.021 differential increase in the number of respiratory illness hospitalisations in the first year of life for younger relative to older children, representing an additional 30.9 % increase at the sample mean. This effect is in part driven by a differential increase in hospitalisations for RSV, which is a mild illness in most older children but can be serious among infants. In the long run, the increased exposure to severe respiratory illness during infancy among second-born children translates into worse educational and labour market outcomes for them. We find that, for the younger siblings, moving from the 25th to the 75th percentile in the disease index distribution is associated with a 0.4 percentage point (0.5%) differential decline in the likelihood of high school graduation and a 1.3% additional reduction in earnings at age 30. We also examine the impact of respiratory illness exposure in the first year of life on hospitalisations for respiratory conditions in later childhood. We find that higher respiratory disease exposure before age one is associated with a lower likelihood of hospitalisation for all respiratory conditions at ages three to four, consistent with the hypothesis of immunity formation. We do not, however, observe a protective effect of first-year-of-life RSV exposure on the likelihood of RSV hospitalisation during later childhood. This result is consistent with RSV not being an immunising disease that is, an RSV infection does not provide immunity against future illness. This lack of immunity formation, combined with the fact that RSV accounts for a large share of all respiratory hospitalisations during infancy (30% among second-born children), suggests that RSV might play a particularly important role in driving adverse long-term impacts on educational and economic outcomes. Filling an Important Gap in the Existing Literature Ample empirical evidence links adverse conditions, including health shocks, during early childhood to worse socioeconomic outcomes in the long run (Barker 1990, Currie 2008, Almond and Currie 2011, Almond et al. 2018). Consistent with this extensive literature, the current research on the effects of infectious viruses indicates long-lasting negative effects on health and economic outcomes. However, these studies are primarily based on severe infectious diseases, such as malaria and polio (e.g. Bleakley 2010, Barreca 2010, Venkataramani 2012, Gensowski 2019, Fink et al. 2021), or on pandemic influenza outbreaks, including the 1918 Spanish Flu and the 1957 Asian Flu (e.g. Almond 2006, Almond and Mazumder 2005, Lin and Liu 2014, Kelly 2011). Severe infectious diseases like malaria and polio continue to plague the developing world but they have been largely eradicated in high-income countries. Moreover, the evidence from pandemics may not apply to understanding the long-term impacts of endemic viruses to which individuals may be exposed many times during their lives. Studies from evolutionary biology highlight the importance of physiological adaptation (Bateson et al. 2014, Gluckman and Hanson 2006) and identify a high rate of immune-system learning in the first year of life (Holt and Jones 2000, MRabet et al. 2008, Cote et al. 2010). Thus, exposure to an infectious disease in infancy may increase immunity for an individual if they are exposed to the same virus at older ages, suggesting a potentially non-linear relationship between early-life exposure and long-term outcomes (Fink et al. 2021). Emerging evidence on the long-term impacts of endemic influenza, on the other hand, has focused on the in utero period (Schwandt 2018). Our study contributes to this literature on endemic disease by focusing on the first year of life and analysing transmission mechanisms. COVID-19 and the Road Ahead Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no clear end in sight. While children have largely not been considered to be a high-risk group in terms of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (Schwandt 2020), the pandemic may have lasting and dynamic impacts on children through its effects on other infectious diseases. Policies implemented during the pandemic including travel restrictions and school closures have reduced the spread of other respiratory viruses, including RSV (Leung et al. 2020, Cowling et al, 2020). Epidemiological models predict that pandemic periods with muted spread of common infectious diseases are followed by stronger outbreaks (Baker et al. 2020). Since the risk of severe cases of childhood disease is particularly high during the first year of life, the pandemic might have the severest long-term impact on infants who are born at the end of the pandemic and who are then exposed to stronger childhood disease outbreaks when the pandemic is over. Overall, our study highlights the importance of the family unit in disease transmission during infancy and offers novel information that can inform cost-benefit evaluations of policies designed to curb the transmission of endemic viruses, including vaccination mandates, drug distribution programmes, and sick pay regulations (Bhalotra and Venkataramani 2015, White 2019, Pichler and Ziebarth 2020, Butikofer and Salvanes 2020, Marie and Castello 2020). See original post for references Science/Medicine New corona variant identified in France DW. GM has been onto this since it was sighted in Cameroon ~6 weeks ago. "Scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health wrote that they found the SARS-CoV-2 virus present in autopsies in multiple sites across the body for up to 230 days after patients first reported symptoms" https://t.co/HyKYE0BUCa https://t.co/hfYuVpq4At pic.twitter.com/SS2pwGRhSl Nationwide study finds no significant link between in-person schooling and COVID infection rates MedicalXPress (Robert M(. Pre Delta and pre-vaccines. Here in Alabama last fall, we had many school districts shuttering shortly after opening due to infection spikes. This sort of containment response could skew results. The hyper-transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant exhibits significant antigenic change, vaccine escape and a switch in cell entry mechanism University of Glasgow Center for Virus Research. Pre-print. UK/Europe Note these are hospitalizations, not cases. Contrast with UK vaccination rate: 70.6% fully vaccinated, 77.1% at least one shot, 50.9% boosted: people have been reported as testing positive in the 7 days since 27th December. This DOES NOT include re-infections. All should currently be self-isolating.. "living with" these levels of infections even for only a few weeks is incredibly disruptive for all industries and downright dangerous in ones like healthcare. You cannot legislate for people to not feel ill and nor can you legislate away how long they are infectious for. https://t.co/ztG6IvEpqY Prof. Christina Pagel (@chrischirp) January 2, 2022 My Nashville Post role has evolved since 2000 when I joined the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister publication in 2008 (when I began doing some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have been managing editor of the Post since late 2011. Follow William Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today (Natural News) Just in time for Christmas, the Austrian government surprised its citizens with an extended lockdown for the unvaccinated. For another 10 days, Austrians who have not gotten injected with an Operation Warp Speed needle will be required to stay at home, or else. The news came just days before the countrys new jab requirements come into effect in 2022. Up until New Years Eve, unvaccinated Austrians will be limited from shopping and forced to stay home from work without a negative Fauci Flu test result. The unvaccinated in Austria are also being restricted from attending certain indoor events as additional punishment for refusing to get injected. Previously, the entire country of Austria was punished by Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, the fully vaccinated included, with a nationwide lockdown. Now, as we near the new year, Schallenberg is tightening the noose once again, this time specifically against the unvaccinated. While under the measure, unvaccinated Austrians are generally not allowed to leave their homes or meet more than one person at a time from another household, reported The Epoch Times. The measure doesnt apply to children under the age of 12 because they cannot yet officially get vaccinated. Covid was the vehicle to drive the entire world into fascism From December 24-26, unvaccinated Austrians were granted an exemption from Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein, who waved his invisible scepter and allowed them see their family members just so long as the gatherings were capped at no more than 10 people. Now that the 26th has passed, however, the unvaccinated in Austria have once again been plunged back into tyranny. Christmas should show us once again how important contact with our loves ones is and how precious time together is, Mueckstein announced, dangling the carrot of full freedom in 2022 to the unvaccinated if they will just agree to roll up their sleeves. The fully vaccinated, along with those who recently recovered from a Fauci Flu infection, were told that they could have the privilege of gathering in groups of up to 25 people over the holidays. It turns out that Austria is ground zero for covid tyranny. The central European country currently has some of the most fascist policies in place to punish the non-compliant. These policies from the likes of Schallenberg and Mueckstein are drawing weekly protests across Austria, where tens of thousands of people from all political persuasions are joining together to just say no to the tyranny. Schallenberg, meanwhile, announced earlier in the month that he will be stepping down from his post. Keep in mind that he just took office several months ago. It would appear that Schallenbergs popularity is nonexistent and that the people of Austria do not approve of his authoritarianism. Its our job as the government of Austria to protect the people, Schallenberg publicly stated in defense of his fascism. Starting February 1, a full-fledged jab mandate will come into effect in Austria that requires all persons 14 years of age and older with a place of residence in the country to get jabbed and boosted or else face hefty quarterly fines of well over $4,000. According to reports, Austria is the first European country to introduce a full-scale mandate like this. Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe: roughly 69 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated, the Times further reported. According to a recent report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Austria is considered a country of moderate concern in the EU. You will find more of the latest news about Fauci Flu injection mandates and the push towards a global Great Reset at Fascism.news. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Stockholm-based startup Epicenter has successfully tested a rice-sized implantable microchip that is now being used to track peoples Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination status. For years, many mocked this concept as just another wild conspiracy theory. Now it has become a reality, and will likely soon be expanded outside the borders of Sweden to the entire world. In the not-too-distant future, governments around the world will mark their citizens with these injections, which are also capable of storing financial information meaning they will be required in order to buy and sell. Right now, its very convenient to have a covid passport always accessible on your implant, says Hannes Sjoblad, head of DSruptive, one of Epicenters technology development partners. For many years, Epicenter has been trying to produce what it dubs as human-compatible tech. The goal has always been to trans-humanized the global population with scannable microchips that contain everything about them. Those who comply with the governments edicts will be granted high social credit scores on their microchips, allowing them to participate in the new normal. Those who disobey and refuse to get a microchip at all will be disbarred from society. Sweden now requiring citizens to show proof of vaccination for all gatherings over 100 people It turns out that Sweden is not exactly the safe haven from plandemic tyranny that many believed it to be. Just recently, the Swedish government imposed a new fascist policy requiring citizens to procure proof of injection on demand at any gathering attended by more than 100 people. This includes concerts, theater events and even churches that are attended by more than 100 people. The governments announcement about this prompted many Swedes to rush out and get Epicenters tracking microchips implanted into their skin. The latest figures suggest that at least 6,000 Swedes are now marked and ready to participate in the new normal. The demonstration video below about how the technology works is nothing short of eerie and dystopian. Watch as a simple smartphone is used to scan the persons wrist and identify the microchip, confirming vaccination compliance: A Swedish company has come up with a microchip that can be inserted under the skin so that users can carry their Covid passports in their arm. pic.twitter.com/Vkl82q7dGR AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 21, 2021 The 6,000 Swedes who let their wrists get marked will now be allowed to go to restaurants, work out at the health club and participate in other social activities where proof of injection is required. For example, if I go to the movies or go to a shopping center, then people will be able to check my status, even if I dont have my phone, Sjoblad, a self-described biohacker, explains in the video, using his own implanted chip as a demonstration. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has already indicated strong interest in adopting the same technology. The video below from the South China Morning Post explains more: Beep boop beep: Your vaccination record has been verified ? pic.twitter.com/dpAkSCudxf South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) December 17, 2021 Just like the Swedish microchip from Epicenter, Chinas version relies on radio-frequency identification, or RFID communication, which uses electromagnetic fields to transmit signals verifying or confirming stored information. Its already widely used for things like mobile payments and in many contactless credit cards something which increased in use after the start of the pandemic, given much of the publics aversion to touching things in public as they go about their daily lives, reported Zero Hedge. Theoretically, such a chips data storage could eventually be expanded to hold a huge range of identifying information, which brings up age-old questions of privacy and ease of surveillance by outside parties or hostile entities. As you may recall from back in 2017 right after Donald Trump took the White House, a Wisconsin-based technology company called Three Square Market unveiled its own implantable microchip technology that was given to employees, allowing them to pay for food and drinks in the break room. More related news coverage about covid vaccines and implantable microchip technologies can be found at Prophecy.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com After a marginal decline in early trade primarily due to profit booking, Indian equity market traded in the green later in the day and settled higher on Wednesday. Accordingly, Sensex and Nifty settled at 60,223 points and 17,925 points, up 0.6 per cent and 0.7 per cent, respectively, from their previous close. On Wednesday, banking, financial services, oil and gas, and realty stocks rose the most. Among the stocks, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Kotak Mahindra Bank, JSW Steel, Grasim rallied the most, rising 5.0 per cent, 4.4 per cent, 3.5 per cent, 3.4 per cent, 3.1 per cent, respectively, data showed. Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Divi's Labs, and Wipro were some of the stocks that declined during the session. During the session, shares of news channel NDTV hit the 10 per cent upper circuit. According to Rohit Singre, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities: "Now the index has reached near its good hurdle zone of 18,000-18,100 where one can look for trimming their long position. Also, if it manages to sustain the above said resistance, we may see fresh breakout and then we may inch towards previous swing high. "On the other hand, good support zone is formed near 17,800-17,700, and any dip near the mentioned support zone will be again fresh buying opportunity." The banking sector outshone other sectoral indices as few private lenders reported double-digit business growth during the third quarter, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. "US and Asian markets traded weak ahead of the release of the US Fed meeting minutes while European indexes held ground," Nair said. (Natural News) What if social media existed in the Dark Ages? Users posting a quote by an Enlightenment era figure, and getting censored for it, might have just gotten some idea of what that would be like. (Article by Didi Rankovic republished from ReclaimTheNet.org) Facebooks dumb algorithms are most likely (or at least, hopefully) behind the decision to fact check and censor none other than a quote by Thomas Paine, an 18th century Anglo-American figure whose work was instrumental in inspiring the declaration of independence of the United States. Even in the current climate of out of control online censorship, it would be a bitter pill to swallow if it turned out there was a human behind this particular decision. Whatever the case, multiple Facebook and Instagram users were saying on Twitter on Monday and Tuesday that their posts were either removed or that they had their accounts temporarily blocked for uploading a picture of Paine and his quote, reading, He who dares not offend cannot be honest, that comes from Paines writings in the Pennsylvania Journal, 24 April, 1776. According to Facebooks censorship machine, that is false information, worthy of bans and deletions. The irony of yet another instance of suppression of speech is particularly painful here (no pun intended) given Paines own pro-freedom, individual liberty and human rights, as well as anti-slavery stances, that made him a prominent Enlightenment figure. Well, those quoting him today on social media, like evolutionary biologist Colin Wright are discovering that they live in a different era where Instagram informs them that their stories containing the image and the quote had been removed for false information that goes against the giants community guidelines. Even by Instagrams standards this is the social platform thats been known to fact-check memes for accuracy of information it boggles the mind that posts featuring Paine and his quote are getting removed for being against (Instagram) guidelines on vaccines misinformation. Others have received notifications of 24-hour suspensions on posting or commenting because they previously posted something that was not in line with Facebooks community standards and also against their standards on vaccine misinformation. Quite how vaccines fit into any of this is currently unclear. But Facebook explains that Paine nevertheless uncannily makes vaccine advocates feel unsafe: We have these standards because misinformation about vaccines can make some people feel unsafe on Facebook. Read more at: ReclaimTheNet.org (Natural News) The Ministry of Health in Japan has stressed that getting COVID-19 vaccines are not mandatory, as it shifts its focus on giving informed consent on vaccine-related injuries and adverse effects. In addition, the country has also recently labeled its vaccines with risk warnings for myocarditis to ensure that people are informed of what is being injected into their bodies. In a statement, the ministry said: Although we encourage all citizens to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, it is not compulsory or mandatory. Vaccination will be given only with the consent of the person to be vaccinated after the information provided. The health ministry also noted that citizens can get vaccinated at will, with an understanding of the effectiveness of preventing infectious diseases and the risks of side effects involved. They also emphasized that workplaces cannot force their employees or colleagues to get vaccinated and that they are not allowed to discriminate against anyone who has an unvaccinated status. The Japanese government also added a link to a human rights advice page that allows citizens to direct their complaints if they face vaccine discrimination at work. This balanced and ethical approach could do well in other countries as well, and would greatly benefit them if they follow the nations lead. Japans policy places the responsibility of healthcare to the individual or their families, which is in contrast with the vaccine mandate approach adopted by many other western nations. The U.S., for instance, provides a case study in the anatomy of medical coercion, which is exercised by a faceless bureaucratic network: This leads to frustration that can go around in bureaucratic circles as they try to troubleshoot problems or rectify unfair practices. Bureaucracy in vaccination mandates In nations with coercive vaccine mandates for instance, the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes vaccine recommendations, but the ethical distinction between a recommendation and a mandate will immediately collapse when a government agency or an employer or any institution will require its people to be vaccinated based on such recommendation. (Related: Japan chooses path of sanity and rejects mandatory COVID shots, discrimination against unvaccinated.) When contesting these mandates in court, the mandating institution can point back to the CDC recommendation for their rational basis for the mandate, and the court will defer to the CDCs authority on public health. However, this would mean that the business or institution can disclaim responsibility for their decisions to take the mandate into effect. Similarly, the CDC can disclaim responsibility by pointing out that they dont make the policies, they simply make the recommendations for which can be the basis of those policies. In all this, the vaccine manufacturer remains immune and indemnified from liability or harm under federal law, and there is no use going to them if their product can harm individuals. From vaccine hesitancy to vaccine champions Japans Constitution, for practical purposes, has not deployed lockdowns or compulsory mask rules in its approach to fighting the pandemic, leaving people to decide on their own whether or not they would get the vaccine. They provided citizens with full information regarding the possible adverse effects of these vaccines and printed warnings as necessary. Without pushing the vaccine agenda on its citizens, Japan has a relatively good record in pandemic containment with 14.5 deaths per million, as opposed to the 230 per 100,000 in the U.S. Watch the video below to see how Japan is handling the pandemic effectively. The video above is from First Brick, which is available for streaming on Brighteon.TV. Read more at Pandemic.news. Sources include: NewsPunch.com BBC.com (Natural News) Getting injected with too many vaccines from Operation Warp Speed could destroy your immune system, leaving it defenseless against the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). The New York Times actually warned about this in a new report concerning Israels introduction of a fourth Fauci Flu vaccine. People who roll up their sleeves for yet another booster could suffer a form of immune system fatigue that makes them more prone to infection. Israel is considering whether to approve a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose for vulnerable people to contain the fast-spreading Omicron variant, despite debate among scientists and a lack of evidence either for or against another booster, the Times reported. The panel of experts advising the Israeli government on the pandemic recognized that uncertainty, but on Tuesday it recommended giving a fourth dose, concluding that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. It pointed to signs of waning immunity a few months after the third shot, and said that any delay in additional doses might prove too late to protect those most at risk. Too many shots, though, could compromise the bodys ability to fight off any form of coronavirus, including the new Omicron (Moronic) variant, also known as a common seasonal cold. Only a handful of government officials are even talking about this. And when they do, the conversation usually centers around the elderly meaning young people might still be encouraged to take a fourth (and later a fifth) injection of Donald father of the vaccine Trumps miracle serums. Naftali Bennett wants a fourth booster shot regardless Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is fully on board with the fourth shot plan, even though it will likely lead to yet another wave of illnesses and deaths among the fully vaccinated. The price will be higher if we dont vaccinate, added Dr. Boaz Lev, a member of Bennetts government advisory panel. We dont have a lot of time to make decisions. The plan is one of do the injecting now, and quickly, and ask questions later. As Lev says, there is no time to waste so get those jabs into your arms at warp speed already. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meanwhile, is quietly warning that the bulk of Moronic variant cases are now occurring in fully vaccinated people. The unvaccinated are mostly protected. This runs contrary to claims recently made by Trump to Candace Owens about how his Trump Vaccines are perfectly safe and effective always. The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that dont take the vaccine, Trump told Owens after she mentioned how hospitals are now being overloaded with fully vaccinated sick patients. And if you take the vaccine, Trump added, youre protected. Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, its a very minor form. People arent dying when they take the vaccine. If only Trump could tell that to the hundreds of thousands of people in America who have already died from his injections. Even if he took the time to give his spiel to their gravesites, they still would not be able to hear him though millions of his still-alive former supporters are hearing him loudly and clearly. Trump was playing us and pretending to be against the booster and saying kids shouldnt take it and all that, pointed out one commenter at National File. It wasnt the first betrayal, not the first time he strung along his base with lip service (lies) and then tried to screw US in order to service other constituencies or short-term interests rather than do the right thing. The latest news about Fauci Flu death injections can be found at Genocide.news. Sources for this article include: NationalFile.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) NASHVILLE Mr. Shawn Kuhn was a 21-year-old college student we wrote about a couple months ago. He received his second Pfizer mRNA injection sometime in May 2021. Mr. Kuhn was hospitalized with a condition mainstream media called COVID-19 pneumonia by late August. He was in-and-out of Georgia hospitals for the next six weeks before being intubated in an intensive care unit. He died on October 11. (Article republished from TheCOVIDBlog.com) Mainstream media headlines read, Vaccinated student died of COVID-19. The University of Georgia student newspaper headline read, UGA student dies of COVID-19 complications. At the time, breakthrough COVID-19 case was the mainstream media propaganda term most often used for these types of deaths. That term is apparently obsolete now. The COVID pneumonia thing is out of the same playbook they used to create so-called Omicron. Mainstream media are now relying solely on what Belgian professor of clinical psychology, Dr. Mattias Desmet, calls mass formation psychosis among the global populace. Mainstream media and government can literally get away with any and all COVID-19 propaganda in 2022 no matter how ridiculous and contrary to reality it may be. Death of Dr. Dimitri Ndina ABC-affiliate WKRN in Nashville published a story on Thursday entitled, COVID-19 takes life of longtime Nashville doctor, family says. Dr. Dimitri Ndina was a pharmacist at Tennessee Oncology. He received his first dose of Pfizer mRNA sometime in the first week of December, his 19-year-old daughter, Alexa Ndina, told WKRN. Dr. Ndina, 57, fell extremely ill a few days after the shot. He was admitted to Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown on December 7. Alexis told WKRN reporter Allie Lynch that her father started to clot in his lower regionfrom his legs and started to work up. She almost verbatim described a thromboembolism, a common adverse/deadly reaction from the mRNA injections. But reporter Lynch failed to follow-up on this information and allowed the fallacious death by COVID-19 narrative to continue unabated. Alexis is unwilling or psychologically incapable of connecting the very obvious dots between the Pfizer injection and her fathers death. Dr. Ndina spent the last two weeks of his life in a hospital before passing away on December 20, less than three weeks after the Pfizer injection. Granted everyone grieves differently. But the video version of the story shows an eerily jovial (and masked) Alexis as she describes the death of her father. Alexis final message about her father is perhaps the most obtuse, tone deaf statement weve ever written on this blog. To continue his legacy I want everyone to stay proactive in being healthy because thats what he would have wanted. There is a GoFundMe page collecting funds for the Ndina family. However we wont be linking it here. Dr. Ndina is also survived by his wife and one other adult child. Mass formation psychosis Warning the following is not a joke. Israel diagnosed its first case of flurona. Zionist media described it as a simultaneous coronavirus and influenza virus infection. Coincidentally or otherwise, Maryland-based Novovax began testing its flurona vaccine this past September. In other words, big pharma creates the drugs, mainstream media create the narrative, and the sheep obsequiously graze in the matrix. Ever since the so-called pandemic commenced, this blogger has been trying to figure out how and why the masses are so inert, so acquiescent when the facts and truth are right in front of them. A Twitter user named Rickard emailed us several videos of the aforementioned Dr. Mattias Desmet. The term mass formation psychosis is trending on Twitter in the United States as this article is being written. Thats because Dr. Robert Malone, one of the pioneers in mRNA technology, spoke about it on a recent Joe Rogan podcast. He was speaking about the work of Ghent Universitys Dr. Desmet. You need the mass media to create a mass phenomenon at that scale, Dr. Desmet said in reference to Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union. The following is an excellent conversation between attorney Reiner Fuellmich, Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg and Dr. Desmet, breaking down how seemingly intelligent people are falling for all this COVID/vaccine propaganda. As Dr. Desmet said, facts no longer matter to the masses. Mainstream media said unequivocally that Dr. Ndina got sick days after the Pfizer injection and died two weeks later. Yet said media still pushed the he died from COVID narrative and the masses ate it up. Thats what were dealing with. Dr. Ndinas own family is allowing him to die in vain, and hoping to score big on GoFundMe. But as a journalist, this blogger blames WKRN reporter Allie Lynch for her spineless, Pfizer-sponsored reporting of this particular incident. As we enter 2022, its now a waste of time and energy trying to communicate with vaxx zealots. They are far too indoctrinated, beyond reasoning. Its every man, every woman, every family for themselves. Stay vigilant and protect your friends and loved ones. Read more at: TheCOVIDBlog.com (Natural News) A very misleading meta-analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is being used as propaganda to spread even more fear and hysteria. The study is titled, Global Percentage of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among the Tested Population and Individuals with Confirmed COVID-19 Diagnosis. The meta-analysis looked at ninety-five studies involving nearly 30 million individuals who took a covid-19 PCR test. The authors of the study found that a certain percentage of people tested positive for covid-19 even though they were healthy and showed no signs of sickness. Instead of discussing the problems with the PCR test and its propensity to give out false positives, the authors of the study claimed that a high percentage of asymptomatic infections from this study highlights the potential transmission risk of asymptomatic infections in communities. This false narrative of asymptomatic carriers is used by the corporate media to call for more fraudulent testing, more needless isolation and more contact tracing of healthy individuals. These measures do not address immune system health or alter the course of any infection; these measures only perpetuate a cycle of insanity and medical tyranny. The PCR scam is being rebranded to terrorize populations The Chinese meta-analysis does not mention that the PCR test was NEVER intended to diagnose a specific disease, nor was it designed to be used with specificity at such scale. The PCR test is not capable of consistently distinguishing specific genetic sequences, like other diagnostic models do, such as Sanger Sequencing. The PCR test cannot differentiate between non-infectious viral debris from a previous infection nor can it make an accurate judgment of an active infection and trace its transmission. The PCR test is unable to determine viral load, which is a more important issue as far as viral transmission is concerned. Over the past two years, these covid-19 PCR tests were calibrated at such a high cycle threshold (CT), the most meaningless viral debris was amplified into a positive covid-19 result. Because of high cycle thresholds, practically any positive test result could be contested. Since laboratories often use PCR tests with CT cycles greater than 17, there is a considerable number of false positives across all the studies in this meta-analysis. The positive covid cases could simply be individuals who already have immunity to various respiratory viruses, and they pose no threat of viral transmission. Furthermore, detection of viral RNA does not guarantee the presence of infectious virus or that SARS-C0V-2 is the causative agent for any clinical symptoms. This false-positive PCR scam has given rise to a false narrative known as asymptomatic transmission of covid-19. In other words, every article that fear-mongers about healthy people spreading asymptomatic infections is really just proving that the PCR test is a scam and the pandemic is nonexistent. Healthy people cannot spread infectious diseases they do not have. Despite these serious issues with the PCR test, the study claims that asymptomatic infections are potential sources of transmission for COVID-19. The authors of the study do not provide any epidemiological evidence to show how a healthy individual can transmit infectious virus material without any symptoms of infection. The authors do not trace a single infection back to a healthy person. A positive covid-19 test is a correlation, not a causation. How can a positive PCR test confirm a specific infection, let alone transmission, when there is no viral load to measure? Corporate media uses PCR scam to target healthy, unvaccinated individuals Even though it is biological common sense that healthy people cannot transmit viruses (regardless of a phony test result), the Chinese study authors claimed: The high percentage of asymptomatic infections highlights the potential transmission risk of asymptomatic infections in communities. Study author Min Liu of Peking University wrote this. He claims that asymptomatic individuals (false positives) should be treated like confirmed infections, including isolating and contact tracing them. Not surprisingly, the corporate media is promoting this propaganda to terrorize the population further. Studyfinds.org used the meta-analysis to mislead the population to believe that healthy people can transmit a virus that they are not infected with. Four in 10 COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic carriers of the virus responsible for over 800,000 deaths in the United States, Studyfinds.org claims. Silent cases of the virus are twice as prevalent than previous estimates feared, the propaganda continues. Undoubtedly, this hysterical conclusion will be used to socially ostracize healthy unvaccinated people, paving the way for mass discrimination and segregation against them. If anything, this study proves that 40 percent of covid cases arent even real. Studyfinds.org is pushing FEAR in the name of science. Future studies and investigative journalism should also look into the causative agents behind mild and severe covid cases to see if the PCR test results are also equally fraudulent in sick, elderly populations. Future studies should also investigate the covid-19 death totals to better understand the causative agents, the immunosuppression and the severity of iatrogenic error behind the deaths. Sources include: JAMANetwork.com NaturalNews.com Brownstone.org FDA.gov StudyFinds.org (Natural News) The Gateway Pundit alternative news online website is extraordinary at getting the inside scoop on everything from political issues to whistleblowers about Covid. That is why the tech giants are censoring the links to all of The Gateway Pundit articles from all T-Mobile smart devices in several states across the union. This is some Soviet Russia style censorship and rewriting of history as it happens, as the Left is currently and quietly blocking some of the most vital truth news on the planet from being communicated across smart phone lines. Are you on T-Mobiles Stalin network? T-Mobile customer service supervisors instructed to blame Google or you for inability to send TGP links From 1929 to 1953, Joseph Stalin ruled Soviet Russia (USSR) using terror tactics and censorship of his enemies. He changed history by cropping people out of important photographs, pretending afterwards that they never even existed. Currently, the Democrats in Washington DC are controlling not just most of the mass media, but are now actively censoring alternative news from being read, shared and sent among people through smart devices. It is very important for the Democrats to hide all of their evil ways, including information about scandals, Covid, deception, money laundering, vaccine-induced deaths, trans-perversions and child trafficking. T-Mobile has joined the Stalin-style censorship of truth news now. They are all in for blocking the most important news from being communicated news that reveals the new Communism rule in America that wants complete tyrannical control and depopulation schemes in full effect. That is why not ONE single supervisor at T-Mobile has offered to lift the block of TGP texted links. They just blame anything else and act dumbfounded. Have you tried turning your phone off and back on again sir/maam? Gateway Pundit garners nearly one billion views in 2021, now T-Mobile bans their links from being sent by TEXT, are all private emails next? TGP is actively a top 250 website in the country for news, and they are being banned by T-Mobile secretly so everyone wont know. It looks like you sent the link to someone, but they never get it. Meanwhile MSM publishes lies right and left (pardon the pun) and gets away with it every day, all day, no censorship there. T-Mobile is changing history daily, right now, and will continue to do so until enough of their customers switch to a different service provider. Imagine if CNNs links were disappeared by Verizon, and none of their customers could send news posts to each other. Imagine the uproar from the Left. All of MSM news would be broadcasting headlines phrased racist network and Russia Collusion and everyone knows how that goes. Only this is not staged, its real, and its happening now. The Gateway Pundit has published countless T-Mobile customer screenshots proving their news links are being blocked, erased, and not-to-be-spoken-about. Customer service at T-Mobile cant fix it, they say. They wont. The ban is coming from the top. There are lots of cases of this happening in Virginia and Pennsylvania right now. Its also frequent when T-Mobile users send TGP links via TEXT to people with Apple devices on the Verizon network. Next, expect multiple carriers to block more truth news website links and then all private emails containing those links. Double check right now. Click on some TGP news links and try to text them to friends and relatives, then ask them if they came through and were usable. Check to see if Natural News links will work also. Then check your emails for those links. We must stay aware of the massive censorship Blitzkrieg thats taking place this winter. Stay tuned and stay frosty. Tune your internet to Censored.news for huge swaths of truth news thats being censored from the rest of media as you read this. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com TheGatewayPundit.com Censored.news Wednesday, January 05, 2022 by: News Editors Tags: CCP , China , communism , dictatorships , government , Liberty , Taiwan This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author (Natural News) All dictatorships are illegitimate, because all dictatorships deny and crush the most essential traits of human beings: free will, creativity, and love. (Article by republished from CreativeDestructionMedia.com) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as is typical of all dictatorships, excels at the destruction of the human soul and freedom. The CCP has done its best to make the world afraid of its power, but one tiny country is saying no. Kudos to Lithuania for recognizing Taiwan and standing up to the Chinese Communist Party. Lithuania is confronting a bully at great risk to its prosperity and well-being, while much larger countries slink away. Accommodating totalitarians never works. Thugs and criminals who murdered tens of millions of innocent civilians have no conscience and will not change their behavior unless they are forced to do so by a stronger opponent. Communist China demands that the world acknowledge that the real China is Communist China and that Taiwan has no validity as a separate country. They rattle their sabers and snarl threats to anyone who dares to question their narrative about Taiwan. Companies and individuals who want to profit from trade with Mainland China meekly apologize and move on, kicking Taiwan to the curb. To those who make millions of dollars from the Communist Chinese while abandoning Taiwan, one might suggest that they remember the words of Jesus in Mark 8:36: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? But lets consider for a moment the moral status of Taiwan compared to the CCP. And I say CCPnot Mainland Chinabecause the communists in China are a minority of fascists who have enslaved their citizens and do not represent the hearts and minds of their people. Slavery is the dividing line. The CCP might say that they dont practice slavery, but enslaving an entire society under a totalitarian system of oppression fits the bill. Its not just China, of course. North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Venezuela, and every other repressive regime in the world can be succinctly labeled as a country of illegitimate slavers. Someone might point to the long history of conquest in the world and excuse the CCP as the military victor in an internal conflict. Mao Zedong won the war and to the victor go the spoils. Hasnt that happened everywhere in the world, throughout history? Look at Britain: the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes occupied England and became the rightful rulers, and then the Normans conquered the Anglo-Saxons. Such is life, and such is history. And slavery? It has existed almost everywhere, throughout antiquity. It was just normal. But its not normal anymore, or at least it shouldnt be. In the 1800s, Judeo-Christian abolitionists in Britain and America publicly spoke in defense of all humans as sacred creations of God and initiated an enormous change in the world with their victorious battle against slavery. Very few people in the world today, either from the Left, the Right, or anywhere else, will publicly defend slaverythe owning of another human being. Criminals engage in it, and certain countries like Mauritania surreptitiously allow it, but its not publicly supported. It has become a gray area, however, when one examines the quality of freedom versus slavery in a citizens relationship to government. In China, slaves are not triumphantly paraded in chains past the doors of the palaces, as was common in the Roman empire. No, in China, the entire populace is enslaved. Citizens are monitored constantly, and they are not free to conduct their affairs as they wish. Some will quibble and state that Chinese citizens can run their businesses and make millions, ignoring the fact that if those millionaires speak out against the CCP, theyll be disappeared. Thus, totalitarian governments that oppress their citizens become slavers by default. Life in North Korea, a society that might be closest to the horrors of the novel 1984, is simply not free at all. Their example should give pause to Western citizens who have already begun to lose their freedoms in the last two years of the China-initiated Covid pandemic. The 1.4 billion citizens of Communist China are enslaved by a minority cadre of power-hungry, well-fed slavers who look at their citizens with contempt. From famous actresses like Zhao Wei, who disappear, to the mass imprisonment of Muslim Uyghurs, the CCP rules with implacable tyranny. Their military buildup, fueled by Western trade dollars and the theft of Western technology, threatens the world and threatens Taiwan in the short term. If Mao Zedong had created a free and democratic society after he came to power, China might have the moral standing to declare that its the real China. If democracy had flourished, Taiwan might never have been established. All would be well in China, at least relatively speaking. But today, in the twenty-first century, when slavery is almost universally condemned, slavery by government still exists, and mainland China is its largest purveyor. Oppression of populations marks the difference between dictatorships and the free countries of the world. Even though most countries of the world have problematic histories of conquest, the countries that supported the growth of freedom gained a new ethical credibility and the moral right to exist that China does not share. Taiwan has held the line and has demonstrated that the Chinese people are better than the CCP and do indeed value democracy and freedom. Taiwan has firmly established that its small island nation is the Real China. The mainland Communist Chinese are Illegitimate Slavers who, if left unchecked, will continue to enslave their unfortunate population and will do their utmost to enslave Taiwan and as much of the world as they possibly can. The CCP has no moral standing. Their 1.4 billion citizens deserve to be free. Read more at: CreativeDestructionMedia.com (Natural News) A video put out by La Quinta Columna reveals that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines contain nano-octopus and other microparticles that have the ability to self-assemble once injected into the body. The Wireless Nano-Sensors Network (WNSN) that is generated through this process is laid out in further detail in a paper published in the Journal of Communications. WNSN is the network interconnecting microdevices and nano-nodes or nano-sensors. Nano-nodes, which are devices with a nanometric size, are composed of nano-processor, nano-memory, nano-batteries, nano-transceiver, nano-antenna and nano-sensors, which operate at nano-scale level, explains the Daily Expose. La Quinta Columnas Ricardo Delgado further writes that the nanotechnology used in these injections is a recreation of communications technology that is already in use, except in this case it gets inserted into the body. Were talking about nano-communications, Delgado says. All of them are nanotechnology for nano-communications. By all of them, Delgado is referring to every single one of the currently available covid injections. These include the mRNA (messenger RNA) shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, as well as the viral vector jabs from AstraZeneca and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Covid jabs, Elon Musk and the push to turn human bodies into a transhuman borg Mik Andersen explains that nano-arrays centered on the human body require the use of special nano-antennas that operate in the terahertz band. These just so happen to be the same type as those found in covid injection samples. The explicit mention of the type of antenna and the technology of intra-body nano-networks would confirm that vaccines are, among other things, vectors for the installation of nanotechnology, or nanodevices in the human body, says Dr. Pablo Campra, who compiled images collected from covid vaccine samples. However, beyond pure coincidence, the authors make explicit the use of graphene and carbon nanotubes, as necessary elements for this network model. It turns out that billionaire narcissist Elon Musk is part of this operation, which aims to convert human bodies into transhumanist machines controlled by tiny intra-body nano-networks. And covid jabs are the delivery vehicle for their components. A 24-slide presentation explains how the process works using simple diagrams and easily digestible bullet points. You can either view online or download that presentation at the link above. In essence, these so-called vaccines for the Fauci Flu connect human bodies to the Internet of Things. They essentially lay the groundwork for human anatomy to both function through and be controlled by an IoT Network. Injected bodies will no longer be autonomous, but will instead function within the cloud of trans-humanity. 5G technology is part of the equation, too, as it will power and connect the IoT network and everyone who exists within it. Another term being thrown around to describe this new emerging virtual reality is the metaverse. It is possible that only the vaccinated will be equipped to participate in the metaverse and once fully there, the vaccinated will never be allowed to leave. The idea, over time, is to connect all the vaxxed to a hive mind,' is how one commenter at the Daily Expose puts it. Klaus Schwab (founder of the World Economic Forum) explains it here in his book / manifesto (free PDF version), see Shift 1: Implantable Technologies, p. 110-111, etc., wrote another, linking to Schwabs The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Another pointed out that the graphene oxide particles contained in the injections appear to act as electrical conduits, which would serve the purpose of powering the transhuman bodies that have been injected with it as part of the vaccination and booster process. The latest news coverage about covid injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: DailyExpose.uk Orwell.city Orwell.city NaturalNews.com (Natural News) One of the most insightful dialogues of 2021 was Joe Rogans interview of Dr. Robert Malone (#1757). Dr. Malone invented the mRNA technology that is being used in the experimental covid vaccines. Dr. Malone has developed medical products, drugs and clinical trials. He has worked directly with Dr. Anthony Fauci and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control. However, at this critical moment in history, he refuses to follow along with their vax-all agenda that has quashed medical ethics and destroyed the principles of medical privacy and informed consent. For not complying, Dr. Malone was banned from Twitter. He was also de-platformed and then re-instated from LinkedIn, for stating the simple fact that the head of Reuters is on the board of Pfizer. (Reuters is used as the end-all, know-all fact checker for Twitter and other social media sites.) Robert Malone vows to continue telling the truth even as the drug companies try to censor his voice. Here are some major takeaways from the Rogan/Malone interview: The gain-of-function research behind the development of the bioweapon spike protein ultimately paved the way for the development of a similar, but different spike protein which is currently being used as mRNA instructions in the covid vaccine. The drug companies have an ethical obligation to prove that the spike protein in their vaccine is not toxic, said Malone. Many people are not acutely injured by the vaccines and some show no adverse effects at all. Rogan asked why. Malone explained that the response curve is due to variances in the individual immune system, including phenotypic/genetic differences. Malone spoke about the term anti-vaxxer which is used to falsely shame people who do not take orders from public health officials. Its similarly used to socially ostracize anyone who dissents to drug company propaganda. Malone discussed the BBCs Trusted New Initiative which charges individuals for spreading misinformation if they speak out against Tedros, Fauci, or other vaccine propagandists. Dr. Malone emphasized the trauma that is being imparted in childrens minds, and the subsequent dehumanization, de-socialization and abuse that is being used against children with forced masks and isolation. When Rogan asked why hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were smeared by the media and blocked by the regulatory establishment, Malone said two people were key in this decision. One of them was vaccine promoter Rick Bright, who runs the Pandemic Prevention Institute at The Rockefeller Foundation. Rick Bright used his position as Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to discredit chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, two drugs that displayed a history of safety and effectiveness against SARS-CoV-1. The other figure who blocked treatments for covid-19 was Janet Woodcock. After she took the helm at the Food and Drug Administration on January 20, 2021, she used the agency to mock ivermectin and contort its proper use in humans with its veterinary applications. Senator Ron Johnson wrote to Woodcock, Fauci and other public health officials, detailing their concern that efficacious treatments were being withheld to push out dangerous vaccines, for which informed consent has not properly been applied. Dr. Malone did not speculate on Woodcock and Brights intentions, but said they were wrong in their assertions. Both hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin are on the essential drugs list provided by the World Health Organization. Billions of doses have been safely administered. These drugs ease symptoms and shorten the duration of illness, preventing severe disease and death. Malone also said that Mercks repeated attacks on both drugs is bizarre, to say the least especially since high ivermectin use in Uttar Pradesh was associated with lower mortality rates. Joe Rogan asked Malone about the financial incentive to diagnose covid-19 in the hospital setting. Malone said hospitals are reimbursed around $3,000 for every covid-19 diagnosis. Treatment protocols are withheld because the hospitals are further incentivized to use remdesivir and ventilators, which are linked to renal failure, lung damage, and deadly nosocomial infection. It doesnt matter why the individual was initially hospitalized, whether they were suffering from underlying conditions, mediation errors, delayed surgeries, etc. If the hospital suspects covid-19 or can get a positive reading on a high cycle threshold PCR test, the hospital can fraudulently declare a covid-19 diagnosis and be reimbursed for their medical fraud and malpractice. When questioned on the waning efficacy of the vaccines, Malone concurred that the vaccines are leading to negative efficacy, like in the Denmark studies. As doses are increased, individuals become more prone to infection. In Israel, the citizens are being coerced to take a fourth dose, and the data shows enhanced disease in the vaccinated. Their B and T memory cells are being trained to attack a spike protein that has long since mutated, setting the vaccinated up for antibody dependent enhancement, autoimmune issues and cancer. Rogan and Malone discussed natural immunity and the studies that prove the superiority of innate immunity over half-baked, vaccine-augmented immune responses. Malone points to disturbing trends in myocarditis in young boys, post vaccination. He spoke about the infertility risk due to the effect of lipid nano-particles on womens ovaries. He warned about the spike protein and its propensity to cause blood clots. They discussed the censorship of Maddie de Garay, the young girl who was acutely injured in the Pfizer trial. Malone said that financial incentives and expected outcomes are used to hide data on vaccine injuries, while promoting contrived end points that make the vaccine look good. Malone warned: Our government is out of control on this. They are lawless, they completely disregard bioethics and these mandates of an experimental vaccine are explicitly illegal, they are explicitly inconsistent with the Nuremberg Code. Watch the entire interview: Sources include: Brighteon.com RWMaloneMD.substack.com Threadreaderapp.com Nature.com NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov RonJohnson.Senate.gov Lifesitenews.com ImmuneSystem.news NewsTarget.com (Natural News) Mandatory masks, quarantines and covid-19 vaccines are becoming a pariah in Denmark, as the fully vaccinated make up over 90% of the current omicron covid-19 caseload. The Omicron hospitalization rate in Denmark is beginning to exceed the Delta hospitalization rate, as vaccine damage becomes ubiquitous in the population. As the fully vaccinated make up the vast majority of these new omicron cases, there is growing concern that the they are experiencing antibody dependent enhancement and immune depletion, as they rapidly spread new variants. The fully vaccinated and the boosted make up the vast majority of covid cases now The government of Denmark has become a medical police state, implementing constraints on the unvaccinated to coerce as many people as possible to take part in an ongoing medical experiment. Consequentially, almost every citizen over the age of 50 is now marked as fully vaccinated. The young have been coerced to give up their body to this genetic experiment as well. Despite being at negligible risk to a potential covid infection, the vaccination rate for 1560-year olds is approximately 80 percent. This level of vaccine uptake is unprecedented, historic in its proportions. However, the vaccination rate of the population is not synonymous with true immunization. If the experimental vaccine program worked, then herd immunity would be fully realized by now, with the infectious disease rate rapidly plummeting. However, the opposite is happening, as new surges of covid continue to plague the fully vaccinated. In fact, over 90 percent of the omicron cases are in the vaccinated cohort! Out of the entire population in Denmark, only 17 percent remain untouched by this genetic experiment, mainly because the government has not yet forced parents to give up their young children to the vaccine program. Remarkably, the unvaccinated make up only 8.5 percent of the new omicron covid cases. Even though the fully vaccinated are spreading this variant all over Denmark and the rest of the world, the unvaccinated seem to be the protected class. According to official infection statistics in the State Serum Institutes Report on the omikron variant for December 18th, the vaccines are negatively impacting infection rates, and the unvaccinated are now the more protected class of people. By not vaccinating, people are 50 percent protected from the latest strain of covid. Natural immunity is obviously working, while the vaccines are interfering with immune responses, damaging herd immunity and causing new public health issues. Seventy-nine percent of these omicron cases (13,946) are occurring in the fully vaccinated. Even those who took a booster shot are succumbing in greater numbers than the unvaccinated. The patients who took a booster shot make up 10.8 percent (1,851) of the new cases, while the singly vaccinated group accounts for 1.8 percent (304) of the cases and the unvaccinated group make up 8.5 percent (1,454) of the new cases. Delta and omicron are plaguing Denmarks fully vaccinated as immune depletion from the vaccines becomes obvious Omicron isnt the only strain that is being sequenced in the fully vaccinated, either. Among Denmarks heavily vaccinated population, there has been an additional 4,000 cases of delta reported each day since November 22nd. That number has risen to well over 6,000 cases per day in December. During the week of December 10-17, 2021, the Delta hospitalization rate for Denmark was an average of 1.55%, and the Omicron hospitalization rate was an average of 3.71%. The covid vaccines are not useful at all, but even worse, they seem to be making covid infections more pervasive in the population, whether it be delta or omicron. If the fully vaccinated continue to contract these new strains and spread them among the population, then the vaccine program has proven to weaken the immune system, turning people into covid super spreaders a reality that everyone feared a year and half ago. The vaccine program doesnt even offer neutral results, like a saline placebo. More people in the fully vaccinated cohort are coming down with these new covid infections, proving that the vaccine causes some form of immune depletion or antibody dependent enhancement (ADE). The latest variants have already found a way to evade the innate immune response, an issue that scientists have warned about for over a year. The antibodies generated by the vaccine are non-neutralizing and allow the latest strains to bypass the first lines of defense in the mucous membranes, causing greater viral load and more serious immune challenges over time. This medical malpractice must be stopped. Sources include: IGorchudov.substack.com SSI.dk [PDF] IsraelNationalNews.com Scribd.com In a major security breach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cancelled his visit to Ferozepur town in Punjab, where he was scheduled to lay the foundation stones of Rs 42,750 crore projects, at the last minute. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced from the venue that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not be able to address the rally "due to some reasons". Mandaviya was here for the foundation stone of three medical infrastructures, including the 100 bedded PGI Satellite Centre in Ferozepur to be built at a cost of more than Rs 490 crore. Earlier, the Prime Minister landed at Bhaisiana Air Force station in Bathinda town from where he was supposed to travel to Ferozepur by road. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs' statement on the PM Modi's Punjab visit, "Today morning PM landed at Bathinda from where he was to go to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out. "When the weather didn't improve, it was decided that he would visit the National Martyrs Memorial via road, which would take more than 2 hours. He proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police. "Around 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM's convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protesters. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM. "The PM's schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, the Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which was clearly not deployed. "After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport." The Ministry of Home Affairs took cognisance of the serious security lapse and has sought a detailed report from the state government. This was Modi's first visit to the state after the repeal of three contentious farm laws. Earlier in the day, state Finance Minister Manpreet Badal welcomed Modi at the airport in Bathinda. Chief Minister Charanjit Channi was to address the programmes virtually. "Welcoming Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji, on behalf of the Punjab Government for his official visit to Punjab," Manpreet Badal tweeted. Just hours ahead of his visit, Modi tweeted, "I look forward to being among my sisters and brothers of Punjab today. At a programme in Ferozepur, the foundation stone of development works worth Rs 42,750 crore would be laid, which will improve the quality of life for the people." Modi was to lay the foundation stone of development projects of Rs 42,750 crore comprising two mega road corridors to enhance accessibility to prominent religious centres and three health institutions in this town bordering Pakistan. One of the road corridors will halve the travel time from 12 hours from the national capital to religious sites in Punjab, comprising Amritsar and Sultanpur Lodhi, and to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra. After paying obeisance to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at the memorial in Hussainiwala, about 260 km from the state capital Chandigarh, the Prime Minister was to lay the stones and address a public meeting. Modi last visited Hussainiwala in March 2015, where the last rites of the three freedom fighters were held after they were hanged in Lahore on March 23, 1931. For clarifications/queries, please contact IANS NEWS DESK at BRAMPTON BRYAN, ENGLAND - JULY 05: A young brown trout is pictured as staff from the Environment Agency attempt to rescue trapped fish from small ponds and pools along the dried up river bed of the River Teme, which is at unseasonably low levels due to the ongoing heatwave near Brampton Bryan on July 5, 2018 in Herefordshire, England. The recovered fish, mainly young salmon and trout, will be released back into the River Teme further downstream. (Photo : Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) After a storm hit across the border in Arkansas and Texas, people in Texarkana were surprised with what they seen. A rare phenomenon where hundreds of small fishes littering the streets as it fell from the sky which could seem unbelievable. The City of Texarkana explained on Wednesday that this 'animal rain' is indeed real and the reason behind it are waterspouts. It can seem like it's raining fishes and frogs, but to make an actual sense to it, these small marine life including snakes and crabs are picked up by waterspouts from lakes and ocean, sweeping them up into the sky and dropping them below. The advisory described the waterspouts as "drafts that occur on the surface of the Earth" and added that the animals are later "rained down at the same time" as the raindrops. A 'fishy' phenomenon Fish rain could somewhat be normal in Texas during strong storms, however, the National Weather Service meteorologists reported that there were no evidence of waterspouts or severe flooding in Texarkana that could explain what happened on Wednesday. Brandon Thorne, a meteorologist for NWS Shreveport, confirmed the occurrence of a line of thunderstorms moving through Texarkana on the afternoon that day, but added that no warnings were issued in connection to the storms. In addition, no data evidenced a waterspout in the area. "As we looked at the storm and went back and looked at the data, we really didn't find anything would indicate that there was any kind of waterspout." Thorne said. "We're kind of confused as to how it happened as well, to be honest." The weather service was not notified of any injuries in connection to people who were struck by fish falling from the sky, Thorne said. Also read: Massive Flood in Brazil Leaves 18 People Dead and 280 Injured "Whatever goes up, must come down" Residents are still confused as to where the fishes could have come from considering that Texarkana is "landlocked". One meteorologist suggested the "tornadic winds" could have carried them from as far away as Lake Texoma in Oklahoma - about a three-hour drive from the city. "[The fish] are picked up with the wind and come down like any debris does. They could have been picked up somewhere like Lake Texoma. They could have come from anywhere. And whatever goes up, must come down," Gary Chatelain, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana, told The Texarkana Gazette. Bregan Brown, a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist, said that one or two animals falling from the sky are not uncommon, as birds sometimes prey on them and drop their kill. However, instances where a school of fish falls from the sky are quite rare and could be the first time that the event was recorded in the state. "When you get a lot of animals falling from the sky amidst a weather event it can seem pretty scary, but it's not really anything to be concerned about," Brown said. "2021 is pulling out all the tricks.." Texarkana city officials posted on Facebook. Also read: Migrants Crossing US-Mexico Border at Risk of Deadly Dehydration Due to Severe Heat According to experts, global warming contributes to the deteriorating symptoms of one of America's most frequent allergies, hay fever. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you're probably familiar with the itching, sneezing, and watery eyes that goes along with them. Studies Involving Climate Change and Seasonal Allergies Pollen and dust mites, two common springtime allergies, may cause these cold-like symptoms, but a new research reveals that global warming is extending the hay fever season, according to Martha Stewart. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the lengthening of the allergy season is being caused by global warming. The National Allergy Bureau's measurements of airborne pollen and mold in the United States and Canada from 1990 to 2018 were used by the researchers to arrive at their conclusions. Between those years, employees at 60 locations throughout both nations manually tallied the readings. Over the course of 28 years, pollen levels throughout the country rose by 21 percent, according to the new research. Texas and the Midwest had the most significant rises. Study author Dr. William Anderegg of the University of Utah said in a statement that the significant correlation between warmer weather and pollen seasons gives a crystal obvious illustration of how climate change is already harming people's health. Also Read: Increase In Pollen Grains Due To Climate Change Leads To Longer Allergy Seasons How Climate Change Influence Plants' Internal Clockwork Experiments on greenhouse gases have demonstrated that a rise in temperature and CO2 in the atmosphere may lead to an increase in the production of pollen. According to the new research, pollen season now lasts from March through September, roughly 20 days sooner than it did in 1990, when it lasted from mid-June to mid-July. Warmer temperatures influence plants' internal clockwork to start generating pollen earlier in the year, which scientists think is the result of climate change. More than two dozen climate models have revealed that the prolongation of the hay fever season is at least partially due to global warming. Climate Change is Responsible for Extended Pollen Season According to the research, climate change is to blame for the longer and more pollen-filled pollen seasons that have occurred since 1990. The research revealed that pollen seasons have increased by 20 days since 1990, and pollen concentrations have risen by 21%. Human-caused climate change was shown to be responsible for half of the extended pollen seasons and 8% of the overall rise in pollen concentrations. Aaron Bernstein, interim director of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE), claimed in a February 17, 2021 Verywell Health article that allergy medicines may help many people with pollen allergies. However, Bernstein, who was not involved in the research, pointed out that increased pollen exposure, when coupled with other climate change-related issues, may be a major concern for those who are unable to get medications or who have severe asthma. While the longer growing season means more pollen, it may also lead to heat waves and worsened air pollution, both of which can have a negative impact on human health. Asthma and pollen allergies may be exacerbated by a rise in insect-borne illnesses, as well as an increase in bug populations that can decimate forests and spark wildfires. Related Article: Your Baby's First Poop May Give Insight on His Allergies For more news, updates about climate change and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! South New Castle needs a council for its president Greg Szklinski is taking over as president of South New Castle Borough Council. In addition to council members, South New Castle Borough continues to seek someone to fill the position of a part-time, seasonal public works employee. The person would help maintain and improve roads (including plowing after snowfalls), storm sewers and other borough-owned facilities. At its December meeting, Szklinski said the borough received two applications for the job, One said he had other things that werent going to allow him to help us after I described to him what hed have to do, Szklinski said. The other, he works during the day, and thats what we need to cover the day. Story continues below video No CDL is needed for the job, he said. You just need a drivers license and a pre-employment physical exam that the borough will reimburse you for. Council also moved to advertise its intention to repeal the ordinance that established its occupational privilege task, a move Councilwoman Shirley Nocera had been championing for months prior to submitting her resignation in December. The tax requires each borough resident to pay $10, and has been depicted by Nocera as a nuisance effort that does not generate a critical amount of money. Secretary Albert Burick III explained that the advertisement is a requirement before council can vote to repeal the ordinance, which he said could be done at its February meeting. BEIJING, Jan.5 -- To implement the mobilization order of the Central Military Commission (CMC) for the military training in 2022, the PLA Army organized a mobilization ceremony for the new training session in 2022 with the main venue set at the training ground of an army aviation brigade under the 81st Group Army on January 4. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, signed Tuesday a mobilization order for the military training of the armed forces in 2022. The order declared the start of military training for the year. At the site of the mobilization ceremony, officers and soldiers in new Type-21 winter combat uniforms were fully armed with high morale. Upon receiving the starting command, more than 30 military aircrafts soared into the sky and successively performed preemptive fire strikes, UAV reconnaissance, and troops airlanding from helicopters for ground combats. Troops with new combat capabilities of special operations, long-distance fire strike, intelligence reconnaissance, electronic countermeasures and air assault staged an on-site demonstration of joint training. Meanwhile, the training mobilizations held in different troop units of the PLA Army were synchronously displayed on the large digital screen at the main venue in Beijing,. With the PLA Army's continuous upgrading of transformation and construction in recent years, troops with new combat capabilities have become increasingly prominent as the main combat forces. The special operations force, long-range firepower strike force and army aviation force have seen growth in several times, the improvement of long-distance striking capacity, and the utilization of more drones, helicopters and long-range firepower strike force all bring the PLA Army closer to the strategic requirements of being able to perform mobile operations and multi-dimensional offense and defense. The investigation into the six-month-old Sulli deal case is still on while the recent 'Bulli Bai' case has now been transferred to the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Special Cell, a senior Delhi Police official said on Wednesday. The derogatory "Sulli Deals" mobile app had surfaced in July last year where photos of Muslim women were displayed without their consent to 'auction' them on the app. Six months after this, a similar incident of harassing the women members of the minority community on social media once again came to light after a Delhi-based woman journalist lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police stating that she was being targeted by some unidentified group of people on a mobile application, this named as 'Bulli Bai', yet again created on US-based GitHub platform. "Investigation in the 'Sulli deals' is still going on," informed Additional Commissioner of Police, Chinmoy Biswal when IANS asked about the progress in the case. Delhi Police a day ago got an approval from the government for Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to seek details from US-based firm GitHub about the user who uploaded the app, Sulli deal, on their platform. "Bulli Bai", which popped up on January 1, had a number of pictures of women including journalists, social workers, students and famous personalities, accompanied by derogatory content. The victim journalist in her complaint had stated that she found out on January 1 morning that a website portal called bullibai.github.io (since deleted) had a doctored picture of her in an improper, unacceptable and clearly lewd context. "The term Bulli Bai itself seems disrespectful and the content of this website/portal is clearly aimed at insulting Muslim women as the derogatory term 'Bulli' is used exclusively for Muslim women," read the complaint. "Bulli Bai" was also being promoted by a Twitter handle with the name @bullibai, with its display picture of a "Khalistan supporter", and saying women can be booked from the app. This handle was at the same time promoting Khalistan content as well. According to sources, Delhi Police on Monday had also written a letter to social media giant Twitter seeking information about the account that first tweeted about the 'Bulli Bai' app and further asked it to remove the offensive content. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police which also lodged an FIR into the case on Sunday has so far arrested three people including a woman who is said to be the mastermind of the whole conspiracy. The three accused have been identified as Vishal Kumar Jha, Shweta Singh (key conspirator) and Mayank Rawal. Moorhead, Minn., Police Chief Shannon Monroe, left, and acting Fire Chief Jeff Wallin appear at a news conference Dec. 22 to talk about the deaths of seven residents who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Monroe and Wallin said a carbon monoxide detector in the garage had been removed and replaced with a smoke-only detector. Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. 4 1 of 4 H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 4 H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 4 H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 4 of 4 DANBURY The victim of last weeks shooting on Rowan Street is expected to soon be released from the hospital, police said. I understand that the victim is being released from the hospital soon within a day or so, Detective Lt. Mark Williams said Tuesday morning. Hartford Police / Contributed HARTFORD A man was treated at the hospital Sunday night for a gunshot wound after a shooting in the city, according to police officials. Lt. Aaron Boisvert said officers responded to the 600 block of Broad Street for a report of a person shot around 10:25 p.m. Moments after Prime Minister Narendra Modis first rally in poll-bound Punjab was cancelled on Wednesday, the Centre said this was on account of a major breach in his security. Calling it the "single biggest lapse in the security of any Indian Prime Minister in recent years", the ruling BJP accused the Congress of trying to harm the PM. The Congress, however, questioned how the PM's security allowed the last-minute route change. The Prime Minister landed in Bathinda earlier today for a visit to a National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala. He was to be flown by helicopter but due to rain and poor visibility, he waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear up. When it didn't, he decided to go by road to the spot two hours away. "He proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police," the Home Ministry said. When the PM's convoy reached a flyover, the road was blocked by protestors. Around 30 km from the memorial, when the PM's convoy reached a flyover, the road was blocked by protestors. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda accused the Congress government in Punjab of using all tricks to scuttle PM Modis programmes, including the Ferozepur rally. Fearing a resounding defeat at the hands of the electorate, the Congress Government in Punjab tried all possible tricks to scuttle the PM @narendramodi Jis programmes in the state. Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 5, 2022 "The PM's schedule and travel plan were communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which was clearly not deployed. After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport," said the Home Ministry. Champaign, IL (61820) Today A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Rain likely. Low 56F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. In 1997, cosmologists Stephen Hawking, Kip Thorne and John Preskill made a famous bet as to whether information that enters a black hole ceases to exist. Hawking and Thorne bet that information that enters a black hole is destroyed, while Preskill took the opposite view. Hawkings research suggested that the particles have no effect whatsoever. But his theory violated the laws of quantum mechanics and created a contradiction known as the information paradox. New research by physicists from the Department of Physics at the Ohio State University attempts to resolve the debate over Hawkings information paradox. What we found from string theory is that all the mass of a black hole is not getting sucked in to the center, said Ohio State Universitys Professor Samir Mathur, lead author of a paper published in the Turkish Journal of Physics. The black hole tries to squeeze things to a point, but then the particles get stretched into these strings, and the strings start to stretch and expand and it becomes this fuzzball that expands to fill up the entirety of the black hole. We found that string theory almost certainly holds the answer to Hawkings paradox, as they had originally believed. We proved theorems to show that the fuzzball theory remains the most likely solution for Hawkings information paradox. In 2004, Professor Mathur and colleagues theorized that black holes were similar to very large, very messy balls of yarn fuzzballs that become larger and messier as new objects get sucked in. The bigger the black hole, the more energy that goes in, and the bigger the fuzzball becomes, Professor Mathur said. The physicsts found that string theory could be the solution to Hawkings paradox. With this fuzzball structure, the hole radiates like any normal body, and there is no puzzle. After the study and other works, many people thought the problem was solved, Professor Mathur said. But in fact, a section of people in the string theory community itself thought they would look for a different solution to Hawkings information paradox. They were bothered that, in physical terms, the whole structure of the black hole had changed. Studies in recent years attempted to reconcile Hawkings conclusions with the old picture of the hole, where one can think of the black hole as being empty space with all its mass in the center. One theory, the wormhole paradigm, suggested that black holes might be one end of a bridge in the space-time continuum, meaning anything that entered a black hole might appear on the other end of the bridge the other end of the wormhole in a different place in space and time. In order for the wormhole picture to work, though, some low-energy radiation would have to escape from the black hole at its edges. The new study proved a theorem the effective small corrections theorem to show that if that were to happen, black holes would not appear to radiate in the way that they do. The authors also examined physical properties from black holes, including topology change in quantum gravity, to determine whether the wormhole paradigm would work. In each of the versions that have been proposed for the wormhole approach, we found that the physics was not consistent, Professor Mathur said. The wormhole paradigm tries to argue that, in some way, you could still think of the black hole as being effectively empty with all the mass in the center. And the theorems we prove show that such a picture of the hole is not a possibility. _____ Bin Guo et al. 2021. Contrasting the fuzzball and wormhole paradigms for black holes. Turk J Phys 45: 281-365; doi: 10.3906/2111-13 The rapid outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has devasted lives and livelihoods worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Japan are vaccinated against contagious diseases, such as measles, rubella, chickenpox, mumps, and hepatitis B, but some are deemed as low responders or those that do not produce sufficient antibodies after vaccination. Japanese HCWs have also been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. A new study, published on the medRxiv* preprint server, investigated the changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels among HCWs after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The study also assessed whether low responders produced sufficient SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and neutralizing antibodies. Study: Can individuals with low antibody responses to vaccines against other viruses acquire adequate SARS-CoV-2 antibody after vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine? Image Credit: NIAID Background SARS-CoV-2 comprises four major viral structural proteins, namely, the nucleocapsid, spike, envelope, and membrane proteins. The spike protein guides viral entry into host cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. Therefore, this is the best target for mRNA vaccines, such as the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (PfizerBioNTech). BNT162b2 is highly effective at preventing severe COVID-19, reducing the incidence of asymptomatic infection, and preventing the spread of the disease. HCWs are at a high risk of infection with contagious viruses and, therefore, in order to prevent nosocomial infections, they are vaccinated against these viruses. Low responders are those individuals who do not develop adequate antibody titers against contagious viruses post-vaccination. Unfortunately, there is not much evidence to document the antibody production of low responders to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The current study aims to fill this gap in research by analyzing whether low responders acquire sufficient antibody activity after vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine. A New Study Scientists carried out a prospective cohort study of 50 HCWs at Kyorin University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan. HCWs received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, 3 weeks apart. The HCWs whose antibody levels were below the normal values for preventing infection against measles, rubella, chickenpox, mumps, or hepatitis B viruses, were considered low responders. SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibodies were measured 11 times between the first BNT162b2 vaccination and five months after the second dose. The neutralizing antibody activity was measured twice in low responders, 1 week to 1 month and 5 months after administering the second dose of the vaccine. Main Findings Four individuals were found to be low responders, while others were normal responders. The low responders also developed protective levels of neutralizing antibodies post-vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine. This result is in line with previous studies that have documented that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provides sufficient humoral immunity within the first month after receiving the second dose. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody activity responses after the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine in participants with low-level responses to previous antiviral vaccines Scientists observed that the antibody titer was significantly lower among normal responders at 5 months after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine, compared to 1 week after the second dose. However, the decrease in antibody titers in the low responders was not statistically significant. It is known that antibody levels produced after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination tend to decline almost 15 years after the first dose. The SARS-CoV-2 antibody level is known to peak and then decrease within months after the second dose. Therefore, scientists stated that the third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is required both for low and normal responders. Concerning SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody production, smoking has been seen to result in low SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers after vaccination. Antibody levels are also significantly lower values in patients with hematological malignancies. The low responders in the current study were healthy and did not have risk factors such as an organ transplant or immunosuppression. It should be further investigated why these individuals failed to produce sufficient antibodies against other diseases but produced adequate antibodies after vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine. Concluding Remarks A notable limitation of this study is the small sample size and the fact all HCWs were vaccinated at a single hospital. Therefore, multicenter studies with a larger sample size are extremely important. Further, future research should clarify the mechanism by which humoral immunity is acquired after mRNA vaccination in individuals with low antibody responses to other viral vaccines. In summary, researchers observed that both low and normal responders developed adequate levels of antibodies after two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. However, lower SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody levels in the fifth month imply that the third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine should be administered to all individuals. *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. Empire Discovery Institute (EDI) entered into a five-year collaborative research partnership with global pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S to launch LeapRx, a new initiative where EDI and Novo Nordisk will co-invest, incubate and accelerate innovative drug discovery and development projects from its academic partners. Through this initiative, EDI will work closely with the recently formed Novo Nordisk Bio Innovation Hub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. LeapRx will focus on areas of mutual interest to EDI and Novo Nordisk, specifically therapies for diabetes (type 1, type 2), obesity, cardiovascular disease, NASH, chronic kidney disease and rare blood disorders. LeapRx will provide financial support and pharmaceutical industry expertise to aid researchers affiliated with EDI's core academic research labs at the University of Rochester, the University at Buffalo, and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in maturing innovative ideas towards future medicines. Premier academic research institutions not affiliated with EDI's core labs are also welcome to apply to LeapRx through their technology transfer offices. Each organization brings together a unique set of complimentary expertise, experience and capabilities. EDI's early-stage drug discovery and development expertise along with Novo Nordisk's scientific, regulatory, clinical, commercial and marketing capabilities will help advance the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative, break-through medicines. We look forward to working with our R&D collaboration partners at Novo Nordisk. By bringing together scientific innovation, pharmaceutical industry expertise and funding, our mission is to facilitate the efficient translation of fundamental scientific discoveries into important new medicines for commercialization." Martin Graham, CEO, Empire Discovery Institute For Novo Nordisk, this partnership represents a continuation of its dedication to support the vibrant life science ecosystems in the Northeast U.S. "The intersection between fundamental academic research and pharmaceutical R&D is where we believe we can uncover the innovation that will lead to medicines of the future. We are excited to see what early-stage research projects we can support the development of through our collaboration with EDI and participating academic institutions," said Uli Stilz, Vice President of Novo Nordisk Bio Innovation Hub. By looking at the exposure to the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides/suum in Nothern Europe (Norway, Denmark and Estonia), the study finds that younger men exposed to Ascaris had a striking reduction in lung function and nearly five times higher odds of having asthma compared to the non-exposed. These effects were independent of smoking and other exposures such as house dust mites. The paper Ascaris exposure associated with lung function, asthma and DNA-methylation in Northern-Europe was just published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The study is a collaboration between the University of Bergen, Tartu University Hospital Lung Clinic, University of Aarhus, the University of Birmingham and the University of Cape Town. Differences in gender A curious finding in the study was that among women, lung function was not significantly lower in the Ascaris seropositive. In fact, the seropositive appeared to have even less asthma than the rest. This is the first research of its kind to show substantial gender differences in terms of helminth (parasitic worms) exposures and subsequent outcomes in humans. The researchers also found that Ascaris infection in Europe might be an overlooked risk factor for asthma and respiratory health. May result in lung damage It has previously been assumed that infections of roundworms have not been of significance in Europe, but the new findings indicate that exposure could potentially be a lot more common than assumed. For persons affected, this may result in serious lung damage with the risk of having a long-term impairment of lung function Parasitic worm-infections are normally considered to be a problem only in low and middle-income countries. These findings present them as being of much greater importance in Europe. This is also the first study to report a connection between reduced lung function and Ascaris exposure, according to the researchers. Nearly half of people in a large U.S. study reported misusing prescription drugs between ages 18-50, which made them more likely to develop substance use disorder symptoms as adults--especially those whose misuse peaked later in life. The new study from University of Michigan School of Nursing researchers recommends screening for prescription drug misuse and substance use disorder from adolescence through middle adulthood. Currently, the recommendation is to screen adults for unhealthy drug use in some instances, but not adolescents. The findings of the current study add to growing evidence that prescription drug misuse at any age, including adolescence, is a strong signal for substance-related problems, and that screening during adolescence can identify high-risk individuals before they develop more severe substance-related problems. Sean Esteban McCabe, professor and director, Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, U-M School of Nursing The study is the first known to examine prescription drug misuse over a 32-year period, McCabe said. It focuses on opioids, stimulants and sedatives/tranquilizers, which are among the most misused prescription drugs. Theyre most often misused during young adulthood but in recent years, prescription drug misuse has increased among older adults. Its important to look at prescription drug misuse trajectories because there is wide variation and many reasons and patterns associated with this behavior over time. Studies that examine this behavior at one point in time do not adequately detect these variations, McCabe said. For example, some people experiment with prescription drugs and never use them again, he said. Some misuse prescription drugs more frequently and develop problems and stop due to their consequences. Others misuse prescription drugs and develop consequences that last for decades. Researchers identified unique prescription drug misuse trajectories associated with each drug class, and found that the risk for developing substance use disorder symptoms (cannabis, alcohol, opioids, stimulants, or other drugs) between ages 35-50, varied considerably across these trajectories. For example, we found that almost every individual (94%) in the group that misused prescription drugs frequently for a sustained period, and 70% of those in the trajectories that peaked in middle adulthood, had two or more substance use disorder symptoms between ages 35-50, McCabe said. This is a very important finding. Clinicians and researchers are very interested in identifying subgroups of individuals with increased risk of developing substance-related problems. By contrast, only 26% of people in the trajectory that didnt misuse prescription drugs frequently had two or more substance use disorder symptoms between ages 35-50. Binge drinking, cigarette smoking and marijuana use were all associated with increased odds of belonging to a prescription drug misuse trajectory group. Black (non-Hispanic) adolescents and adults had lower risk of belonging to a trajectory group than white adolescents. Researchers used data from 11 groups (26,575) of adolescents ages 18-50 who participated in the Monitoring the Future study. The study, Trajectories of prescription drug misuse among U.S. adults from ages 18 to 50, appears in JAMA Network Open. The Prime Minister today updated the public on the government's ongoing actions to tackle COVID-19 and prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed, including implementing Plan B measures, standing up local Nightingales to create extra capacity, buying more antivirals per person than anywhere else in Europe, significantly increasing testing capacity and rolling out the vital booster program. The Prime Minister thanked vaccinators for their enormous dedication over the festive period as well as everyone who came forward for a jab. He welcomed the success of the Get Boosted Now campaign in delivering 10 million extra boosters across the UK and doubling the rate of vaccination from 450,000 doses a day to a peak of more than 900,000. Outlining the significant protection offered by the booster jab, the Prime Minister reiterated his call for every eligible person to get their booster - with 2 million appointments available this week alone. In his statement the Prime Minister also acknowledged the disruption to the workforce caused by the spread of Omicron and set out further measures the government is taking to address this. He announced the Government will provide 100,000 critical workers in England with free lateral flow tests to help keep essential services and supply chains running. Critical workers will be able to take a test on every working day and the provision of precautionary testing will be for an initial five weeks. This will help to isolate asymptomatic cases and limit the risk of outbreaks in workplaces, reducing transmission while covid cases remain high. These critical workers are those who work in essential services, cannot work from home and are at risk of infecting each other - for example, due to working together in an enclosed space. People covered by the scheme will include those who work in critical national infrastructure, national security, transport, and food distribution and processing. This includes vital roles in Border Force, Police and Fire and Rescue Services control rooms, electricity generation, test kit warehouses and test surge labs. The full range of critical workers have been identified by the relevant departments and Government will contact these organizations directly on the logistics of the scheme this week. Roll out will start from Monday 10th January. Tests will be separate from public sectors who already have a testing allocation with UKHSA, such as adult social care or education, and separate to those delivered to pharmacies and homes, so those channels will not be impacted by the new scheme. We are now distributing around 600,000 packs of 7 tests on gov.uk directly to homes every day (more than 50% higher than last week). Mammalian offspring inherit two versions, or alleles, of each gene with one allele from each biological parent. However, gene expression is tightly regulated and certain genes undergo the phenomenon of "genomic imprinting", which is where only the allele received by the male or the female parent is expressed. Imprinted genes play diverse roles in development and disruption of their mono-allelic expression can cause diseases, thus understanding the mechanisms behind their regulation is critical. In a recent article published in Communications Biology, a team led by researchers at the University of Tsukuba examined genomic imprinting of a specific genetic locus in mice. Their experiments helped reveal the molecular details of how this mechanism governs expression levels of these genes. The team focused on the H19 gene locus, which was previously shown to be controlled by the H19 imprinted control region (ICR) via genomic imprinting. The paternal H19 ICR is modified via DNA methylation while the maternal H19 ICR allele isn't methylated. Methylation of the H19 ICR is in part responsible for repressing the expression of H19. However, H19 itself can also be methylated, and the effects of this had yet to be clarified. While the general imprinting mechanism for the mouse H19 locus is well established, it is less clear how expression of H19 is affected by its own methylation status. Our previous finding suggested that the methylation state of the H19 ICR is transferred directionally downstream to H19 in the fertilized embryo post-implantation which makes it difficult to study the two in isolation." Hitomi Matsuzaki, Assistant Professor, lead author of the study Then, the team hypothesized that by inverting the H19 ICR, thus reversing its direction, they could reduce H19 methylation and they created mutant mice to test this. Interestingly, with paternally inherited inverted ICR, H19 had decreased levels of methylation and as a result was derepressed. However, when the same experiments were conducted for the maternally inherited inverted ICR, H19 expression levels were lower compared with the un-inverted ICR allele, despite having low methylation. "Our findings involving the maternally inherited allele were quite unexpected, especially given the paternal data," describes Assistant Professor Matsuzaki. "We did observe slightly more ICR methylation in the inverted allele compared with the wild type one." Further work did not provide evidence that ICR methylation status was responsible for the differential H19 expression in the maternally inherited alleles. Collectively, these data suggest that, for maternal inheritance, H19 expression is in fact affected by the ICR orientation, but it is independent of DNA methylation. Overall, Assistant Professor Matsuzaki and colleagues provided compelling insights into the complex nature of genomic imprinting in mice. The methylation status and direction of certain DNA sequences can affect genes found at the locus in different manners, and the effects also vary based on which parent the allele was inherited from. These results shed new light on the current knowledge and raise intriguing questions to be addressed by further studies. The discovery of antibiotics more than 80 years ago has led to considerable improvements in human and animal health. Although antibiotic resistance in bacteria is ancient, resistance in human pathogens is thought to be a modern phenomenon that is driven by the clinical use of antibiotics. A new study shows that particular lineages of Staphylococcus aureus developed resistance to the antibiotic methicillin around 200 years ago. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, causing approximately 171,000 invasive infections each year in Europe alone. MRSA was first identified in 1960 shortly after the introduction of methicillin as a treatment option against penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones, but was possibly selected for by the clinical use of penicillin over the previous 20 years. Methicillin resistance has subsequently emerged in many Staphylococcus aureus clones around the world, both in hospital and community settings as well as in livestock such as pigs and cattle. This has serious implications for the treatment of severe infections and the World Health Organization now considers MRSA to be an important threat to human health. Hedgehog surveys from Denmark and Sweden previously demonstrated a surprisingly high prevalence of mecC-MRSA MRSA carrying mecA, a gene that confers methicillin resistance by producing a protein called penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) raising the possibility that the evolution of these bacteria was driven by natural selection in wildlife, as opposed to clinical use of antibiotics, said Dr. Jesper Larsen from the Statens Serum Institut and colleagues. Historically, mecC-MRSA was first discovered in dairy cows and subsequently in humans, suggesting that the use of antibiotics in livestock was providing a selective advantage and that human infections were the result of zoonotic transmission. In the new research, the authors examined the distribution of mecC-MRSA and other types of Staphylococcus aureus in hedgehogs in ten European countries and New Zealand. We analyzed 828 samples from the nasal area, skin and feet of 276 hedgehogs originating from 16 wildlife rescue centers in ten European countries and two wildlife rescue centers in New Zealand, they said. mecC-MRSA was present in 101 of the 172 hedgehogs (222 out of 516 samples) from England and Wales (66%, 81 out of 123), Czech Republic (50%, 6 out of 12), Denmark (50%, 11 out of 22), Portugal (29%, 2 out of 7) and New Zealand (6%, 1 out of 17), therefore extending the known geographical distribution of mecC-MRSA in hedgehogs. By contrast, all 104 hedgehogs (312 samples) from Greece, Romania, Italy, France and Spain tested negative for mecC-MRSA. The researchers believe that antibiotic resistance evolved in Staphylococcus aureus as an adaptation to having to exist side-by-side on the skin of hedgehogs with the fungus Trichophyton erinacei, which produces its own antibiotics. The discovery of this centuries-old antibiotic resistance predates antibiotic use in medical and agricultural settings. Using sequencing technology we have traced the genes that give mecC-MRSA its antibiotic resistance all the way back to their first appearance, and found they were around in the nineteenth century, said Dr. Ewan Harrison, a researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge. Our study suggests that it wasnt the use of penicillin that drove the initial emergence of MRSA, it was a natural biological process. We think MRSA evolved in a battle for survival on the skin of hedgehogs, and subsequently spread to livestock and humans through direct contact. This study is a stark warning that when we use antibiotics, we have to use them with care, said Professor Mark Holmes, a researcher at the University of Cambridge. Theres a very big wildlife reservoir where antibiotic-resistant bacteria can survive and from there its a short step for them to be picked up by livestock, and then to infect humans. The findings were published in the journal Nature. _____ J. Larsen et al. Emergence of methicillin resistance predates the clinical use of antibiotics. Nature, published online January 5, 2022; doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04265-w Pregnant people who contract COVID-19 have an increased risk of disease severity and death, yet only 31% of pregnant people in the United States had received vaccines as of September 2021. One barrier to vaccine acceptance is the concern that vaccination might disrupt pregnancy. A Yale co-led study, which looked at more than 40,000 pregnant individuals, adds new evidence supporting the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. The study found COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was not associated with preterm birth or small-for-gestational-age (SGA) when comparing vaccinated with unvaccinated pregnant people. The trimester when the vaccination was received and the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses received were also not associated with increased risk of preterm birth or SGA, the researchers found. The findings were reported Jan. 4 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Preterm birth (in which babies are delivered earlier than 37 weeks) and SGA (in which babies are delivered smaller in size than normal for the gestational age) have been associated with a higher risk for infant death and disability. For the new study, the authors used data from eight health care organizations participating in Vaccine Safety Datalink -; a project established by the CDC to monitor vaccine safety -; to investigate the risk for preterm birth or SGA among vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant women aged 16 to 49 years. Among those included in the study, 10,064 individuals, or nearly 22%, received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose during pregnancy, researchers said. Most (98.3%) received vaccination during their second or third trimester; the rest (1.7%) received it during their first trimester of pregnancy. Almost 96% of those vaccinated received an mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. To date, a few studies have described outcomes among live births following COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, the researchers say. The new findings add to the evidence that COVID-19 vaccination is safe during pregnancy. Research into the drivers behind low vaccine acceptance among pregnant people has found that the most common concerns have been a lack of information about COVID-19 vaccine safety in pregnant people and potential harm to the fetus. The results of this study speak to both, said Heather Lipkind, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is important for preventing severe illness in pregnant people. With the increasing rates of COVID-19 in our community we are encouraging pregnant people to get vaccinated." Heather Lipkind, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, Yale School of Medicine Pregnant individuals, in addition to seeing an increased risk of severe disease and death compared with non-pregnant people, are more likely to require admission into the intensive care unit, invasive ventilation, and machine-assisted blood oxygenation. The CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future. Thought Leaders Professor Brian J. Willett Viral Immunologist University of Glasgow In this interview, we speak to Professor Brian J. Willett from the University of Glasgow about his latest research into COVID-19 and whether the delta variant can evade vaccine-induced immunity. Please could you introduce yourself and tell us what inspired your latest research into COVID-19? I am Brian Willett, Professor of Viral Immunology at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. Our laboratory focuses on the interaction between viruses and the immune system of the host; the immune response to infection, defining the correlates of immunity and developing assays with which the immune response to infection can be measured. How do viral mutations of COVID-19 occur? Do new viral mutations affect the capabilities of the virus? One of the key stages in the replication of viruses within a host is copying the genetic material of the virus (the viral genome). This process of genome copying is error-prone, the number of errors varying dependent on the type of virus and the host cells in which the virus grows. The viral genome carries the coding sequences (genes) for the viral proteins, hence, whenever a mistake is made in the genome copying process this may translate through to an alteration in the sequence of the viral proteins. This in turn may affect the ability of the virus to grow, for example by enabling the virus to bind more tightly to the receptor ACE2, the protein to which the virus binds to enter cells. Similarly, alterations in the sequence of the surface (Spike) protein may reduce the recognition of the Spike protein by the antibodies made by the host following vaccination or prior infection. Image Credit: Carl DMaster/Shutterstock.com COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be effective in decreasing hospitalization and deaths from infection but new emerging variants could threaten this. Why is it therefore so important to investigate new viral variants of COVID-19? By measuring the efficiency of the antibody response at reducing infection with the virus (a process known as neutralization), we can estimate the likelihood of existing vaccines providing immunity to either re-infection or disease development. Using neutralization assays, we can monitor the duration of the immune response (how it wanes over time) and the ability of existing antibodies to cross-neutralize emerging variants of the virus. Can you describe how you carried out your latest research into the COVID-19 delta variant? What did you discover? In this study, we developed assays with which the level of neutralizing antibodies in serum samples from vaccinated individuals could be measured in our laboratory. By comparing viruses expressing the Spike proteins from several variants of SARS-CoV-2, we found that the Delta variant was less susceptible to neutralization by antibodies from people who have been vaccinated. While antibodies are less powerful against this variant, we know from other studies that the vaccines are largely effective at preventing severe illness and death. However, these findings tell us that the virus is capable of gradually escaping from our immune response over time and are a warning signal that new variants may emerge in the future that could require us to update our vaccines (as we do for influenza every year). The positive news is that all of the variants tested were neutralized by the sera from the vaccinated individuals, so we would predict that immunity elicited by vaccination with two doses of the existing vaccines would extend to the variants, however, it may not be as effective as it was against the viruses circulating previously (ie the virus of the first wave or the subsequent Alpha variant). Similarly, as antibody responses to coronaviruses wane over time, the duration of immunity be shortened, hence this is why boosters are now being offered in the UK after a 3-month gap rather than the initial, advised 6-month gap. Should there be ongoing monitoring surrounding the impact viral variants are having on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness? Do you believe new vaccines will help to tackle new variants of the virus? By studying the relative levels of neutralization against each of the variants, we can predict how effective vaccination will be at preventing disease. Studies such as this allow us to estimate the relative effectiveness of vaccines against each of the variants and the likely duration of immunity. Continuous monitoring of the efficiency of neutralization will provide valuable insight into the future trajectory of the pandemic and aid in the development of strategies for selecting the composition of future vaccines. Image Credit: Murray Robertson Do you believe that further research needs to be conducted to fully understand the impact viral variants have on COVID-19 immunity? What benefits will this have for virus surveillance? Of course, continued monitoring of the efficiency of antibodies elicited by vaccination at preventing infection with emerging variants is a key weapon in our armory against COVID-19. The study we have described uses a safe, sensitive, and rapid testing system based on viral pseudotypes. One of the key benefits of this approach is that we can substitute the Spike protein of emerging variants into the assay system with ease, enabling us to compare side-by-side the antibody response to the vaccine strain with each emerging variant, tracking the magnitude of the reduction in neutralization efficiency and duration of immunity. This enables us to predict when boosting may be required, how efficient boosting is at generating a cross-protective immune response, and whether novel vaccine formulations are likely to be required. What are the next steps for you and your research? Using the system we have described, we are now investigating the ability of sera from vaccinated or recovered (convalescent) individuals to neutralize merging variants of SARS-CoV-2, the effect of boosting, the degree of cross-neutralization of each variant, and the duration of immunity. Where can readers find more information? For further details of the work of researchers at the MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, visit www.cvr.ac.uk. The experiments described in this study are available to view at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1010022. About Professor Brian J. Willett I am a viral immunologist studying molecular, cellular, and immunological techniques for diagnosing and monitoring viral infections. A graduate of the University of Strathclyde, where I studied Biochemistry and Pharmacology followed by a Ph.D. in Immunology, I joined the Glasgow Veterinary School in 1989, working with Profs. Oswald Jarrett, James Neil and Margaret Hosie on retroviral diseases of cats. A major focus of the group at the time was feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) as an animal model for AIDS and we made significant advances in retroviral pathogenesis, diagnosis, vaccine development, and viral receptor usage. In our laboratory, we have studied immune responses to diverse viral pathogens of animals and humans, from rabies viruses to feline calicivirus, Rift Valley fever virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, SARS-CoV-2, and morbilliviruses such as measles virus and canine distemper virus. Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, we have established a serology hub at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, where we are able to monitor antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses using high throughput assay systems, including ELISAs, multiplex chemiluminescence, and viral pseudotype-based neutralization. A team of scientists from France has recently demonstrated the efficacy of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma therapy in improving the survival rate among patients with B-cell lymphoid malignancy and COVID-19. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server. Study: Convalescent plasma improves overall survival in patients with B-cell lymphoid malignancies and COVID-19: a longitudinal cohort and propensity score analysis. Image Credit: Cryptographer/Shutterstock Background Immunocompromised patients, including those with hematological malignancies, exhibit a significantly higher risk of death due to COVID-19, a novel disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A suppressed functionality of the immune system due to the disease and associated treatment leads to delayed viral clearance and a higher risk of severe COVID-19. The risk is particularly higher for patients with B-cell lymphoid malignancies. In France, COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy has been approved to treat in-hospital immunocompromised COVID-19 patients, including hematological malignancy patients. Although therapeutic benefits of plasma therapy have not been fully established in most clinical trials, there is evidence suggesting that COVID-19 patients with B cell depletion might benefit from such therapy. In the current study, the scientists have explored whether COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy can reduce the mortality rate in COVID-19 patients with hematological malignancies, especially B-cell lymphoid malignancies. Study design The study included a total of 112 hematological malignancy patients with COVID-19 who were treated with convalescent plasma therapy. Of them, 83 had B-cell lymphoid malignancies, 10 had myeloid malignancies, and 19 had multiple myeloma. About 72% of the patients had received anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy an average of 42 days before the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. A separate set of analyses was conducted on B-cell lymphoid malignancy patients treated (n=81) or not treated (n=120) with plasma therapy. The overall survival rate and risk factors of COVID-19 mortality were assessed among study participants. The survival rates of plasma-treated B-cell lymphoid malignancy patients were compared to those without treatment. In addition, the safety profile and kinetics of inflammatory parameters upon plasma therapy were investigated. Important observations Adverse events related to the transfusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy were observed in a small fraction of patients. Specifically, minor allergy was observed in two patients, and severe allergy was observed in one patient. In addition, a transient increase in oxygen requirement was observed in two patients. Regarding therapeutic benefits, a significant reduction in body temperature, C-reactive protein, ferritin, fibrinogen, and viral load was observed in patients after plasma therapy. The highest survival rate of 77% was observed in plasma-treated B-cell lymphoid malignancy patients. Considering all patients, the overall survival rate was 65% after treatment. All deaths reported during the study period were associated with COVID-19. A significant association was observed between overall survival and older age (above 70 years), type of malignancies, high blood pressure, prior exposure to anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy, COVID-19 severity, and time of plasma therapy administration. Specifically, older age, high blood pressure, and COVID-19 severity were identified as potent risk factors for disease-related death. In contrast, a strong correlation was observed between prior exposure to anti-CD20 therapy and improved overall survival. In B-cell lymphoid malignancy patients with a history of anti-CD20 treatment, the administration of plasma therapy caused a 63% reduction in the risk of COVID-19 related mortality. Study significance The study highlights the benefits of COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy in reducing mortality among patients with hematological malignancies and COVID-19. The highest benefit has been observed for B-cell lymphoid malignancy patients, especially those previously treated with anti-CD20 monoclonal therapy. As mentioned by the scientists, the administration of anti-spike monoclonal antibody therapy in hematological malignancy patients can act as a positive selection pressure for the development of escape mutations. Thus, in these patients, COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy could be an alternative and effective intervention for better disease prognosis. *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. In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* pre-print server, a team of researchers developed a genetic assay to evaluate several clade 2 and clade 3 receptor-binding domains (RBD) of spike (S) protein sequences of genus sarbecovirus. They determined which viruses from these clades used human or Rhinolophus angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) proteins to infect human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells. Study: Expanded ACE2 dependencies of diverse SARS-like coronavirus receptor binding domains. Image Credit: Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spillover from animal reservoirs has triggered one of the largest public health crises and crippled the world economy. Therefore, it is crucial to know which other viruses may be primed for transmission into humans by developing an in-depth understanding of the molecular-level determinants of zoonotic transmission. As molecular compatibility during viral entry is a key determinant of viral tropism and host switching, this understanding would help timely surveillance and the mitigation of pandemics like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the future. SARS-CoV-2 binds to host cell surface receptor ACE2 using RBD, a 233-residue folded domain within its S protein. The sarbecovirus subgenus has several viral clades; while clade 1 sarbecoviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, are known to utilize ACE2, the receptors for clade 2 and clade 3 viruses are unknown. About the study The researchers of the present study used a duplex pseudotyped virus infection assay to characterize the extent of ACE2 dependence across several sarbecovirus clades. They utilized a single-copy HEK 293T genome modification platform to strongly overexpress multiple cell surface proteins proposed to serve as receptors for SARS-CoV-2, alongside the well-established receptor, ACE2. Sarbecoviruses have been detected in the samples collected from several Rhinolophus bat species; therefore, the researchers synthesized and expressed nine different ACE2 orthologs from R. ferrumequinum, R. affinis, R. alyone, R. landeri, R. pearsonii, and various ACE2 alleles observed in R. sinicus. They also used a matrix of 108 pairwise combinations for pseudovirus infection, with 12 different S RBD sequences. The researchers divided these RBDs into three major clades, of which clade 1 virus RBDs used human ACE2 for entry, while the receptor dependencies of clade 2 and clade 3 viruses were relatively unknown. Results The results demonstrated that clade 3 sarbecoviruses consistently used various subsets of ACE2 alleles from a panel of horseshoe bats, while at least two were also capable of using human ACE2. Of the clade 2 and clade 3 RBDs, only BtKY72 and Khosta-2 used human ACE2 for entry, while BtKY72 and Khosta-1 exhibited widespread use of diverse rhinolophid ACE2s. A lysine residue at ACE2 position 31 primarily determined the inability of these RBDs to use specific ACE2 sequences. The ACE2 protein from R. alcyone engaged all known clade 3 and clade 1 receptor binding domains. The BtKY72 chimeric virus exhibited slightly increased infection in the presence of transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2). Furthermore, upon the alignment of the BtKY72 RBD with the SARS-CoV-2 RBDs, several highly conserved positions at the alleged ACE2 interface, such as residues Y488 and T499. Although not sufficient, compatible interactions between viral and host receptor proteins are necessary for zoonosis. Due to multifactorial in vivo replication and additional incompatibilities in immune antagonism, these incompatible interactions might not allow entry and replication of BtKY72 and Khosta-2 within humans, averting the possibility of a zoonotic event. While BtKY72 and Khosta-2 RBDs utilized human ACE2, the extent of pseudovirus infection conferred by their RBDs was far too less than that by SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and WIV1 RBDs. WIV1 is a bat virus closely related to SARS-CoV, likely its precursor, capable of using human ACE2 for entry and isolated following the initial SARS-CoV outbreak of 2002. There was no clear evidence of the use of Rhinolophus ACE2 orthologs by the clade 2 sarbecoviruses, including various alleles from R. sinicus and R. pearsonii, raising the possibility of another unknown receptor. Further, the study results suggested that clade 3 sarbecoviruses from Africa and Europe used Rhinolophus ACE2 for entry, and their S proteins appeared primed for zoonosis under the right conditions. Conclusions The study findings highlighted that all currently sequenced sarbecoviruses have two types of RBDs based on their ACE2-dependence or independence. The ACE2-dependent viruses have further segregated into subgroups that differentially utilize host ACE2 protein sequences during viral entry. Although the sequences within the ACE2-dependent RBDs can be highly divergent, a grouping of pairwise interactions determines the patterns of ortholog-specific compatibilities enabling successful entry during potential zoonotic events. The study provided a new genetic roadmap for characterizing receptor utilization during viral entry and demonstrated that clade 3 sarbecoviruses likely utilize ACE2 as a cell-entry receptor during infection. Since the study results demonstrated that there are sarbecoviruses partially primed to jump into humans, efforts must be made to identify them in other continents outside of Asia, including Africa and Eastern Europe. As more Rhinolophus ACE2 sequences will be sequenced and tested using similar or more advanced functional assays, the precise molecular determinants of sarbecovirus RBD and ACE2 compatibility will become clear. The drastic differences in observed compatibilities also highlight the importance of knowing the genotypes of both the virus and host. Based on their RBD-ACE2 compatibilities, the geographical locations of their host species serving as in vivo reservoirs may be found, which may also be overlapping. Future studies simultaneously sequencing both the viral genome and host ACE2 sequences from a single sample would help uncover complex relationships between viruses and their natural hosts. Most importantly, the study highlighted how molecular barriers normally prevent zoonosis, especially amid eroding ecological and societal factors. Therefore, now the focus should be on preventing future pandemics due to other viruses, such as Merbecoviruses, Henipaviruses, or Filoviruses, by preventing their zoonotic transmission. *Important notice bioRxiv 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. More than a year after voters approved legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Montana, anyone older than 21 can now enter a dispensary and buy cannabis. That has medical marijuana user Joylynn Mane Wright worried. Wright lives in Prairie County, the state's fifth-least-populated county, with nearly 1,100 people. She already drives about 35 minutes to get to the marijuana dispensary nearest her home, which is 2 hours northeast of Billings. And now she wonders how much more difficult it will be to get the cannabis she uses to relieve the chronic pain she developed after a 2017 spinal surgery. "I'm really worried about supplies and what it's going to cost," she said. For Wright and the approximately 55,000 other Montanans who hold medical marijuana cards and use cannabis for cancer, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, central nervous system disorders and other ailments, the question is how will recreational marijuana affect their ability to access their medicine. Other states have had shortages soon after their recreational marijuana markets opened. In January 2020, when recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois, some dispensaries had to close their doors or impose limits on purchases. The same thing happened in Colorado and Washington when the recreational market opened in those states. Pepper Petersen president and CEO of the Montana Cannabis Guild and a medical marijuana provider in Helena, said he's been telling his patients to stock up because he thinks the state's dispensaries will run out of pot in the short term. "We are going to have cannabis shortages. Access will be a problem until supply can catch up with demand," Petersen said. "How can we produce enough product for thousands of new users in January? The answer is we can't." In Wright's case, stocking up isn't an option because of her fixed income, she said. She wonders how high the price of a pre-rolled joint, which now costs nearly $8, will rise and whether she'll have to drive even farther to get her medicine. Jared Moffat, a campaign manager for the Marijuana Policy Project, said a state's market usually takes six to 12 months to stabilize after recreational cannabis becomes legal. One reason marijuana markets are unstable is that possessing and distributing the drug remain illegal under federal law, so moving products across state lines is not an option for dealing with a shortage. Everything that is sold in a state must be grown in that state. Adding to the potential supply-chain problem is that Montana has restricted who can sell cannabis, at least initially. The legislation that set up the framework for Montana's recreational marijuana market gave existing dispensaries an 18-month head start on new producers, meaning newly licensed sellers can't get into the market until July 2023. That leaves medical marijuana customers to compete with recreational users for a limited supply of cannabis. About 80 dispensaries just 18% of Montana's 451 licensed dispensaries plan to exclusively serve holders of medical marijuana cards, according to Czelsi Gomez, spokesperson for the Montana Department of Revenue, which oversees the state's marijuana programs. The rest plan to cater to both recreational and medical users or to only recreational users. Some states that have legalized recreational cannabis including New Jersey and Illinois have required dispensaries to maintain enough stock to ensure that medical users can get what they need. Montana has not instituted such a rule. But Gomez said the 80 dispensaries that will serve only medical marijuana users will protect patients. "We believe the medical-only establishments are the safeguard for ensuring medical marijuana is available to registered cardholders," Gomez said. Some dispensary owners said they will reserve some of their supplies to ensure medical customers don't run out. But others said they don't plan on holding back, arguing that would be bad for business. Barbie Turner, a co-owner of Alternative ReLeaf, a dispensary with locations in Missoula, Polson and Libby, said she is worried about where medical users will get their cannabis. She said that if serving medical customers requires her to stop selling cannabis to recreational users, she will. "Not only do our medical patients have a need, they're the ones who built up these businesses. They're the ones who built this industry," she said. "So I think we have an ethical responsibility to take care of them, just like they have taken care of us." How big the recreational marijuana market will be is unclear. A University of Montana study cited survey results from 2017 and 2018 that found about 14% of Montana adults said they used cannabis in the previous month, compared with 9% of adults nationally. Petersen and others said more people might become recreational users once cannabis products that can be smoked or eaten become easier to buy. Turner said that she and her employees have been working for months to make sure they have enough marijuana but that she's still worried about the supply. There are limits, both legally and financially, on how much a provider can grow, she said. Shops will get some help, she said, with the state's wholesale market opening in January, meaning that dispensaries will be able to sell to one another in bulk. Although many dispensaries especially in college towns such as Missoula and Bozeman are bracing for shortages this month, Erin Bolster said she thinks the real test of marijuana supplies will come in the summer, when millions of tourists visit Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. Bolster owns Tamarack Cannabis in the Flathead Valley, a popular tourist destination not far from Glacier National Park. In summer 2020, long before dispensaries could sell recreational cannabis, Bolster said, she would get one or two walk-ins and two or three calls a day from tourists who had heard Montana had legalized adult-use marijuana and wanted to see if they could buy. Come summer, she thinks, the number of customers will skyrocket. That could mean even more competition for Montana's medical marijuana there and in other popular destinations. "We've been able to expand production," Bolster said. "But the question is 'Did we expand enough?'" An interesting preprint research paper describes structural changes resulting from the multiple mutations found in the recent Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent behind the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, the research describes the consequent effects of these changes on Omicrons infectivity and immune evasion capabilities. Study: Structural basis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron immune evasion and receptor engagement. Image Credit: NIAID Background The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of infections. The attempts to stop the spread of the virus by national and regional lockdowns have caused severe financial stress and economic hardship, affecting almost every area of daily life. Despite the rollout of vaccines and the development of monoclonal antibodies against the virus, the emergence of new variants with immune escape characteristics presents a formidable challenge to the goal of freeing the world of this plague. The Omicron variant of concern (VOC) of SARS-CoV-2 not only has the most significant number of mutations seen so far among all the variants but is spreading with unprecedented speed and escapes humoral immunity much more effectively than any other variant so far. This is thought to be due to a large number of spike mutations with this VOC. The current paper, available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes the results of examining the mutated structure of the Omicron antigens using a combination of techniques, including cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography. In addition, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies were used to assess the binding affinity of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) in use at present for Omicron RBD. This revealed the reason for the increased infectivity of the Omicron variant, in the presence of electrostatic shifts in the interactions between the spike and the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The study also shows how spike-receptor binding, involving the engagement of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike to the host receptor, as well as to the mAbs, is impaired by the change in structure due to the numerous spike mutations. This was done by examining the complexes formed by virus RBD binding to the broadly neutralizing sarbecovirus S309 (the parent mAb of sotrovimab). The Omicron VOC spike protein has 37 mutations compared to the wildtype virus, compared to the 19 in the Alpha and Delta VOCs, the earlier variants that similarly swept the world. There are 15 and 11 mutations in the Omicron RBD and N-terminal domain (NTD), respectively, linked to marked impairment of neutralization by antibodies elicited by natural infection or prior vaccination when re-exposed to the virus. The 15 spike RBD mutations of Omicron do not affect ACE2 binding in humans but do confer mouse ACE2 recognition capacity. This antigenic shift, as it is called, also caused most currently available mAbs to lose neutralizing activity against Omicron, with the notable exception of S309 and the cocktail of COV2-2196/COV2-2130 (cilgavimab/tixagevimab parent). While the former lost potency by 2-3-fold, the latter showed 12-200-fold lower potency against the pseudovirus or authentic virus in neutralizing assays. To further understand this threat to pandemic control, the investigators examined the prefusion stabilized Omicron spike ectodomain trimer in complex with S309 and S2L20, which binds the RBD and NTD respectively. The antibody-binding fragments (Fab) in complex with the RBD and ACE2 were specifically subjected to cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography, respectively. What Did the Study Show? The Omicron VOC has many mutations found in earlier variants, both in the RBD and the NTD. The presence of 8 additional mutations outside the RBD, NTD and furin cleavage site of the spike protein makes the Omicron a far more complex subject of study than the earlier VOCs. Four of these eight mutations result in new electrostatic interactions between the core helices of the S2 subunit of the spike and the S1 subunit. CryoEM structure of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron S reveals remodeling of the NTD antigenic supersite. (A) Surface rendering in two orthogonal orientations of the Omicron S trimer with one open RBD bound to the S309 (grey) and S2L20 (green) Fabs shown as ribbons. (B) Ribbon diagrams in two orthogonal orientations of the S trimer with one open RBD with residues mutated relative to Wuhan-Hu-1 shown as red spheres (except D614G which is not shown). In panels A-B, the three S protomers are colored light blue, pink or gold. (C) The S2L20-bound Omicron NTD with mutated, deleted or inserted residues rendered or indicated as red spheres. Segments with notable structural changes are shown in orange and labeled. (D) Zoomed-in view of the Omicron NTD antigenic supersite highlighting incompatibility with recognition by the S2X333 mAb (15) (used here as an example of prototypical NTD neutralizing mAb). N-linked glycans are shown as dark blue surfaces. Another mutation, L981F, enhances the hydrophobic packing of the residues. These mutations occur in regions adjacent to the prefusion stabilizing 2P mutations used in all the currently approved three vaccines available in the USA. The Omicron mutations may produce more interactions between the two spike subunits and a change in the way the S1/S1 cleavage site is processed in the presence of the N679K and P681H mutations. This might account for the increased effector function of antibodies elicited by natural infection or vaccination, or mAbs with Fc-mediated effector function, by reducing the shedding of the S1 subunit that precedes viral entry into the host cell. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron S fusion machinery mutations. A cross section through the core of the spike glycoprotein is shown (the location of this slice on the spike glycoprotein is shown on the left). Mutations T547K, H655Y, N764K, N856K, Q954H, N969K, and L981F are shown as red spheres; residues these mutations interact with are shown as spheres colored as the protomer they belong to. Black asterisks show the position of residues involved in the prefusion-stabilizing 2P mutations (K986P and V987P) used in all three vaccines deployed in the US. The RBD is the immunodominant antigen, with several distinct antigenic sites to which neutralizing antibodies are directed with diverse potencies and breadth of neutralization. The scientists found that electrostatic interactions were lost in the presence of mutations such as K417N, E484A and Q493R, with steric hindrance with REGN10933 being introduced. Conversely, G446S caused a steric clash with REGN10987, completely inhibiting Omicron RBD binding to this mAb. Several such clashes were observed to dampen antibody-mediated neutralization of the Omicron RBD by COV2-2196 and COV2-2130, compared to the wild-type virus. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron RBD mutations promote escape from a panel of clinical mAbs. A, Ribbon diagram of the RBD with residue mutated relative to the Wuhan-Hu-1 RBD shown as red spheres. The N343 glycan is rendered as blue spheres. B-I, Zoomed-in view of the Omicron RBD superimposed to structures of the RBD bound to REGN10933 (B), REGN10987 (C), COV2-2196 (D), COV2-2130 (E), LY-CoV555 (F), LY-CoV16 (G), CT-P59 (H) or S309 (I). Binding of the Wuhan-Hu-1 (gray line) or Omicron (red line) RBD to the corresponding mAb was evaluated using surface plasmon resonance (single-cycle kinetics) and is shown at the bottom. The black line is a fit to a kinetic model. The decrease in affinity between Wuhan-Hu-1 and Omicron binding is indicated in red. With LY-CoV555, the E484A mutation inhibited hydrogen bonding between the RBD and the heavy and light chains of the mAb, while Q493R prevents binding via steric clashes, again. The heavy chain of LY-CoV16 cannot bind the Omicron RBD because of the loss of multiple electrostatic interactions between these molecules with the introduction of K417N. The triplet of K417N E484A and Q493R mutations also abolish binding with the CT-P59 mAb by steric hindrance and the loss of electrostatic contacts. Interestingly, the results obtained using these techniques agree with those from deep mutational scanning that predicted the effects of mutations at each of the residues of the RBD. Why does S309 retain its activity? The Omicron G339D and N440K mutations occur very near or within the S309 epitope on antigenic site IV, but both introduce side chains that cause moderate disruption binding with the mAb, with a corresponding 2-3-fold fall in neutralizing potency of the VOC. The N501Y mutation found in the Alpha and Beta VOCs did not cause efficient binding of the mouse ACE2 receptor, but this effect is found in the Omicron variant. This could be due to the presence of the Q493R mutation that has electrostatic interactions with the mouse ACE2, and which becomes fixed in serial mouse passages. The result is a mouse-adapted virus SARS-CoV-2 MA10. What Are the Implications? This work defines the molecular basis for the broad evasion of humoral immunity exhibited by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and underscores the SARS-CoV-2 S mutational plasticity and the importance of targeting conserved epitopes for vaccine and therapeutics and design. The loss of neutralizing activity with clinical mAbs and mAb cocktails when confronted with Omicron RBD, except for S309, is a significant challenge to COVID-19 mitigation and treatment. Approximately one in ten isolates of Omicron have the R346K substitution that is linked to evasion of the C135 mAb, in combination with the N440K mutation present in all isolates. However, R346K does not impair S309 binding. S309 was obtained from a recovered SARS-CoV patient (infected in 2003), but C135 from a recovered SARS-CoV-2 patient. The former thus presented an excellent opportunity to find broadly neutralizing sarbecovirus antibodies that target epitopes that are highly conserved in this family. The mutational constraints on such sites prevent the ready emergency of immune-evading variants. Meanwhile, the identification of such antibodies offers hope for the development of broadly neutralizing sarbecovirus vaccines. These efforts offer hope that the same strategies that contribute to solving the current pandemic will prepare us for future putative sarbecovirus pandemics. *Important notice bioRxiv 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. In a recent prospective cohort study, a team of researchers compared the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in patients infected after the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant with those patients who were infected during the Delta variant outbreak, and posted their findings to the medRxiv* preprint server. Study: Comparison of outcomes from COVID infection in pediatric and adult patients before and after the emergence of Omicron. Image Credit: Naeblys/Shutterstock The United States (US) is witnessing a rapid surge in COVID-19 infections due to the new SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, with an increase in prevalence to 58.6% between 19 and 25 December 2021 from 22.5% between 12 and 19 December 2021. Early reports from several countries suggest that although the Omicron variant is more contagious than the Delta variant, Omicron infections lead to lower rates of hospitalizations when compared to those caused by the Delta variant. The Study In the present study, researchers classified the COVID-19-infected patients into three cohorts: 1) the emergent Omicron cohort which comprised of about 14,054 patients who were infected between 15 and 24 December 2021; 2) the Delta cohort with over half a million patients who were first infected with SARS-CoV-2 between 1 September 2021 and 15 November 2021; and 3) the Delta-2 cohort with 77,692 cases recorded between 16 and 30 November 2021 before the detection of the first Omicron cases in the US. The authors were able to source all the COVID-19-related patient data based on their electronic health records (EHR), and none of the study population had reported previous SARS-CoV-2 infection as documented in their EHRs. The researchers investigated whether patients in the emergent Omicron cohort showed any severe outcome within three days of infection when compared to those of the Delta cohort. They examined four clinical outcomes following a COVID-19 infection like the requirement of emergency services (ED visits), hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mechanical ventilation within the first three days of a positive test result. The propensity score of both the emergent Omicron and Delta cohorts were matched for demographics, adverse socioeconomic determinants (which include employment, housing, education, and economic circumstances), comorbidities (hypertension, dementia, renal and cardiac disorders, etc.), behavioral factors, COVID-19-related medications (remdesivir, dexamethasone, etc.) and vaccination (including booster dose). Similar analyses were done between the two Delta cohorts. Results The study found that patients in the Omicron and Delta cohort were similar in age but differed racially and ethnically. Fewer patients were vaccinated in the Omicron cohort compared to those in the Delta cohort, and COVID-19-related outcomes within the first three days were less pronounced in the Omicron cohort than the Delta cohort. The findings further report that 4.55% of patients in the Omicron cohort required ED visits while 15.22% in the Delta cohort needed emergency services. Hospitalization in Omicron and Delta cohorts was observed in 1.75% and 3.95% cases, respectively. ICU admissions were noted for 0.26% (Omicron cohort) and 0.75% (Delta cohort) cases. Mechanical ventilation was required in 0.07% and 0.43% cases in the Omicron and Delta cohorts, respectively. The study observed no significant differences between the two Delta cohorts. The results showed that only 3.89% of children under five years in the Omicron cohort received emergency services while more than 20% in the Delta cohort required ED visits. Hospitalization too was lower for kids in the Omicron cohort (0.96% against 2.62% in the Delta cohort). Lower hospitalization rates and ED visits were observed in other pediatric groups (5-11, 12-17 years), and similar to earlier observations, no marked changes were seen between the two Delta cohorts. Conclusions The findings of this study demonstrated that in the US, the COVID-19 cases arising after the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant showed reduced severity of infection than in the cases recorded in previous time points (during the Delta variant outbreak). These findings, consistent with other studies conducted in England, Scotland, and South Africa, suggest that Omicron infections may cause milder disease with less pronounced symptoms when compared to Delta infections. Although this reduced disease severity could be attributed to higher rates of vaccination were observed in November and December, the researchers believe that a substantially higher proportion of vaccination was needed to account for the significant differences observed in ED visits, hospitalization, ICU, and ventilation in this study. Moreover, no significant reduction was seen in cases immediately before the emergence of the Omicron variant, which suggests that the increased prevalence of the Omicron variant might be the likely reason for the reduced severity of COVID-19 cases. The study did not report mortality risks due to COVID-19 as only a small number of patients reported death within the first three days, and to correctly ascertain the mortality risk, a longer follow-up time is needed. To conclude, the observations made in this study indicate that the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is associated with a less severe disease prognosis. * 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. Researchers from the University of Adelaide and elsewhere have sequenced and analyzed mitochondrial DNA from fossils of cave lions (Panthera spp.) and brown bears (Ursus arctos), two megafaunal carnivorans that dispersed from Eurasia into North America during the Pleistocene, to better understand the timing and drivers of their past movement between the continents across the Bering Land Bridge. Their results reveal striking synchronicity in the population dynamics of Beringian lions and brown bears, with multiple waves of dispersal across the Bering Land Bridge. The evolutionary histories of these two megafaunal animals underline the crucial biogeographical role of the Bering Land Bridge in the distribution, turnover and maintenance of megafaunal populations in North America. The shared patterns of dispersal between lions and bears correspond with the presence of the Bering Land Bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska during ice ages, said Dr. Alexander Salis, a researcher with the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide. The Bridge was periodically exposed and inundated by changing sea levels during the last few Ice Ages, allowing intermittent dispersal of animals and people between continents and changing the faunal composition. While many might think that species arrive in a region and stay put, we show that the past was much more dynamic, involving multiple waves of dispersal and local extinctions in this case. Theres a common perception that outside of mass extinctions or direct human interference, ecosystems tend to remain stable over thousands or even millions of years, added Dr. Kieren Mitchell, also from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide. As illustrated by our study of the fossil record, thats not necessarily the case. Previous research has shown that brown bears disappeared from some parts of North America for thousands of years prior to the latest Ice Age. They later reappeared, walking from Siberia to Alaska across the Bering Land Bridge possibly at the same time as people moved across the Bridge into North America too. But no-one knows exactly why they disappeared in the first place, which is why studying this event is important. Among the teams key findings is that cave lions from the same area became extinct more than once before their final extinction they also disappeared and reappeared thousands of years later, around the same time as bears. There is no evidence that people caused these temporary disappearances, and cold Ice Age conditions were not to blame. Instead, it looks like a smoking gun pointing to some kind of change in their ecosystem, Dr. Mitchell said. The timing of lions and bear extinction from parts of North America specifically Alaska and the Yukon Territory coincides with evidence of widespread vegetation change in the region. The study suggests that warm temperatures before the Ice Age may have caused a change in the abundance of different kinds of plants, which had knock-on effects on herbivores and then their predators (like bears and lions). Colder temperatures leading up to the Ice Age might have reversed this change and made the area more hospitable for herbivores, and in turn their predators. Overall, these findings demonstrate just how changeable past ecosystems have been, and also how the abundance of different species can be very sensitive to changes in climate, Dr. Mitchell said. The study appears in the journal Molecular Ecology. _____ Alexander T. Salis et al. Lions and brown bears colonized North America in multiple synchronous waves of dispersal across the Bering Land Bridge. Molecular Ecology, published online November 8, 2021; doi: 10.1111/mec.16267 The house at 1430 N. Tucker Road is depicted above in a photo from around 1910-1915. The southern regional director for Indiana Landmarks, Greg Sekula, said the homeowner, Melvin Jensen, who died on Sunday, had the photo and allowed Sekula to take his own picture of it. Sisters Gray and Andrea Koesters honored the life of their father, Willi Hans Koesters, by creating an exhibit of his work at the Bourne-Schweitzer Gallery in New Albany. (Newser) US authorities have taken custody of a main suspect in the killing of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, and he is scheduled to appear Tuesday in federal court in Miami. Mario Antonio Palacios was arrested in Jamaica in October and was scheduled to fly to his native Colombia on Monday. However, Interpol notified Palacios during a stopover in Panama that the US government was extraditing him, said Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas, director of Colombias police. He said that Colombia, Jamaica, and the US were in touch to coordinate the deportation and extradition of Palacios to the US. Interpol had issued a red alert for Palacios on charges including attempted murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy based on a request from the Haitian government, the AP reports. Marlene Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the US Attorneys Office in South Florida, told the AP that Palacios was in US custody and would appear in federal court. She did not respond to additional questions including what charges he might face. Meanwhile, the office of Haitis prime minister issued a brief statement, saying only that it wanted justice to prevail in the July 7 assassination of Moise at his private residence. The office did not reply to additional questions including whether the government was still seeking to charge Palacios or extradite him to Haiti. Former Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph said the US taking custody of Palacios was a step in the right direction, but he urged local authorities to work with the US to extradite him so he can face justice in Haiti. Palacios was one of more than a dozen former Colombian soldiers accused in the slaying of Moise. The Colombian government has said that the majority of the ex-soldiers were duped and thought they were on a legitimate mission to provide protection and that only a few knew it was a criminal mission. Also of note: Haiti welcomed the new year with violence as Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled the northern city of Gonaives following a shootout between his security forces and an armed group that had warned the leader not to set foot in the city, per the AP. Local media reported that one person died and two were injured in the gunfire that forced Henry and others to duck and seek shelter as they walked out of a cathedral Saturday after attending a mass to celebrate Haitis independence from France. The prime minister's office said Monday that bandits and terrorists made an attempt on Henry's life and accused the group of hiding behind walls to attack the convoy and of threatening the bishop by surrounding the church. (Read more Haiti stories.) On December 10th, Orange County Register Top Workplaces named Smart Circle a Top Workplaces 2021 Winner. Fifteen culture drivers critical to the success of any organization are assessed through an anonymous survey. Among the cultural influences are alignment, execution, and connection, among many others. Energage LLC, a technology partner for employee engagement, compiles a list solely based on employee feedback. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that Smart Circle International, the world's leading broker of outsourced sales and marketing, has been named to this list. So, how many businesses can say that their company culture has remained this consistent and elevated throughout the tumult of the last several years? The seed for Smart Circle was planted in 1981. Its leaders have always guided the business with a people-first mentality. That mentality entwined with rapid growth, a focused vision, deep-rooted core values, and some handsome perks makes Smart Circle the perfect environment to offer an enhanced employee experience and a consistent one too. Who Are Smart Circle Employees? Face-to-face marketing is an industry in which Smart Circle has extensive knowledge and practical experience, producing effective and lucrative campaigns that are as innovative as they are successful. Smart Circle employees are innovators, educators, and experts in the face-to-face marketing and sales industry. Smart Circle's Continued Growth and Development The seeds for today's Smart Circle were planted when its founder started in the face-to-face industry, specifically with door-to-door canvassing. Today, forty years later, Smart Circle has grown to almost 1200 full-time employees and is a leading broker of outsourced sales in the US and Canada. Smart Circle is headquartered in Newport Beach, CA but has employees throughout the United States. An engaged and connected team of savvy marketing professionals, business development experts, finance and accounting gurus, legal and IT teams, operations, HR, and campaign management professionals keeps Smart Circle on top and out in front of their competitors in the direct marketing industry. Mission, Vision, and Core Values Oh My! Mission Statement Smart Circle International's mission is to provide meaningful growth opportunities for our clients by designing customized marketing campaigns and providing access to a broad network of independent sales companies that provide face-to-face marketing and in-person sales services. ------------------- Smart Circle has developed a deeply rooted people-first mentality, and it permeates not only throughout the service that it provides for its clients but also internally. The people-first mentality can also be seen through how the company helps its employees grow, no matter their current position on the team. Smart Circle consistently boasts and demonstrates that its greatest assets are its people. The idea of leadership also underpins the progressive, employee-first culture put in place within the Smart Circle team. The executive team and the founders of the marketing and sales brand work diligently to inspire leadership qualities in every employee at every stage of their career. To assist Smart Circle leadership in providing and inspiring this type of stewardship in their employees, the executive team lives by four core values that embody and signify the spirit and mindset of the Smart Circle employee. Their four core values are: Teamwork - Collaborating with respect, transparency, and honesty with all fellow employees. Integrity - To always do the right thing and hold themselves and their colleagues to the highest standards of excellence. Entrepreneurial Spirit - Smart Circle was founded by entrepreneurs who challenged themselves to be bold and courageous, inciting others to ignite their entrepreneurial passion. Citizenship - Positively impacting the communities in which every employee lives and works. These core values work as the foundation on which all employees can confidently carry out the duties and the actions necessary to fulfill the mission statement, which maintains that employees should provide meaningful growth opportunities to all clients. The business challenges its employees to live up to this mission. With all these tools in place, Smart Circle employees can conquer the goals set forth for each client and, in turn, accomplish the entire task of the marketing and sales company's mission. The Benefits of Having a Career With Smart Circle Here is a quick list to keep in your mind: Paid Vacation Paid Sick Leave Comprehensive Health Plans 401K with a company match Learning and Development Opportunities Sponsored Volunteer Possibilities These incentives are just the tip of the iceberg regarding the perks and benefits of employment at Smart Circle International. Beyond these incentives, Smart Circle makes another promise to its employees through its commitment, goal, and approach. The Smart Circle Commitment We are committed to creating an environment that fosters growth opportunities for all team members. The Smart Circle Goal Wherever practical, Smart Circle wants team members in the position that best suits their unique abilities, interests, and skills, as well as our business needs. The Smart Circle Approach We strongly believe that bringing our team members' diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives together is the best way to serve our clients. To learn more about the career opportunities awaiting you when you apply for and earn a Smart Circle Job, visit their website at https://smartcircle.com/. (Newser) Update: A Wisconsin judge sentenced a 24-year-old man to life in prison without the possibility of parole Thursday for killing his parents and dismembering their bodies. Chandler Halderson also was given the maximum penalties allowed on related charges, WMTV reports. At sentencing, prosecutors said Halderson had supportive parents, adding that, if anything, his mother had doted on him too much. Halderson said Thursday that he plans to appeal, the first time he's spoken in court. "It's not that I do not have feelings, it's that that I was warned not to show them due to the scrutiny of this case," he said. Our original story from January follows: A 23-year-old Wisconsin man charged with killing and dismembering his parents committed the crimes after his lies unraveled about having a job, going to school, and having a better job waiting for him in Florida, prosecutors said Tuesday. Chandler Halderson shot his father in the back on July 1 shortly after his father discovered his deceit and then killed his mother when she returned home a few hours later, Dane County Deputy District Attorney William Brown said in his opening statement at Halderson's trial. Halderson's attorney Catherine Dorl countered that her client is just a normal kid who liked to play video games and did not kill his parents, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Halderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating and hiding a corpse, and giving false information to authorities in the deaths of Bart Halderson, 50, and Krista Halderson, 53, the AP reports. Chandler Halderson reported his parents missing on July 7, telling investigators that they never returned home to Dane County from a Fourth of July weekend trip to their cabin in northern Wisconsin. Bart Haldersons remains were found in rural Dane County on July 8, the day Chandler Halderson was arrested. Authorities said he was shot once before his body was dismembered. Six days later, investigators found Krista Haldersons remains along the Wisconsin River in Sauk County, according to the complaint. Brown said Halderson presented himself to the world as a soon-to-be graduate of a renewable resources engineering program at Madison Area Technical College, with a job at American Family Insurance and a better one waiting for him at Elon Musks SpaceX. Halderson fabricated dozens if not hundreds of emails between himself and MATC and American Family to back his story, but Bart Halderson was starting to ask questions about why he never seemed to have any money, Brown said. The prosecutor said Bart Halderson was shot after a conversation with an MATC official uncovered his son's lies. (Read more Wisconsin stories.) (Newser) Four months ago, a mother died in childbirth while delivering her fifth child. On Friday, all five children were orphaned when their father died in Des Moines, Iowa, amid an ice storm. Bazirake Kariya, 30, was driving to his job at a pork processing plant when his vehicle ran into a creek. Freezing rain had hit the area, and numerous other motorists had to be rescued, the Des Moines Register reports. Kariya died shortly after rescuers pulled him from his car, WHO 13 reports. His children, ranging in age from 4 months to 10 years old, are now in the care of their grandparents, but Kariya had been supporting them as wellboth are sick and neither has food, a job, or a place to live, KCCI reports. "They will need a lot of things," says the pastor who set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign for the family. "They will need a car. They will go to school. They need to eat. They don't have anyone who is working for them. By raising this money, it will help them for (the) long-term." Initially, the fundraiser was meant to cover funeral expenses, but it has now expanded to cover the children's living expenses for some time as well. The family are refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and moved to the US from the war-torn part of Africa three years ago. "Its very, very hard to the kids," the pastor says. "They've been crying all the time." (Read more Iowa stories.) (Newser) French President Emmanuel Macron's COVID-19 strategy? Make those who are not yet vaccinated against the coronavirus really angry. "The unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off. And so, we're going to continue doing so, until the end. That's the strategy," Macron said in an interview with Le Parisien cited by Reuters. Macron's language has been translated a few different ways, with the BBC quoting him as saying he wants to "hassle" the unvaccinated rather than "piss them off" and the AP going with "bug" or "rile." The French word he used was "emmerder," which comes from "merde" ("crap" or "s---"), and however you translate it, it's considered vulgar, per the AP. Macron's rivals were quick to pounce on the language, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen calling him "unworthy of his office," and some also criticized the idea he was conveying. Since last year, people in France need either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test to get into many venues, and the government is considering turning that into a vaccine passport program that would essentially bar the unvaccinated from much of public life. "I won't send (the unvaccinated) to prison, I won't vaccinate by force," Macron continued. "So we need to tell them, from Jan. 15, you won't be able to go to the restaurant anymore, you won't be able to down one, won't be able to have a coffee, go to the theatre, the cinema." So far, however, the bill has been delayed by opponents. Elections will be held in four months, and Macron said in the interview he'd like to run, but stopped short of formally announcing a re-election bid. (Read more Emmanuel Macron stories.) (Newser) Another name familiar to NPR listeners is leaving, and a colleague suggests a "crisis" is brewing at the outlet. Audie Cornish, the co-host of All Things Considered, announced on Twitter that she is joining the pandemic's "Great Resignation" and is "ready to stretch my wings and try something new." The 42-year-old did not provide specifics beyond "new journalism projects," and she had only positive things to say about NPR in her tweets and in a memo to staffers. "I have never considered the host chair a tenured position and there is still much to learn," she wrote in the memo, reports the Hill. However, co-host Ari Shapiro struck a different tone in his tweeted homage to Cornish. "This one stings," he wrote. Shapiro implored NPR to investigate why it's "hemorrhaging hosts from marginalized backgrounds," adding, "If NPR doesnt see this as a crisis, I dont know what itll take." Cornish's departureher last day is Fridaycomes on the heels of Lulu Garcia-Navarro leaving in October after 17 years. Noel King and Joshua Johnson are among those who left before her. As Fox News notes, Garcia-Navarro hinted at workplace issues after she left. "People leave jobs for other opportunities if they are unhappy with the opportunities they have and the way they have been treated," she wrote. "I'm sad to see this happening but it is not unexpected." A statement from NPR execs Sarah Gilbert and Nancy Barnes praised the "incisive" voice of Cornish, who first joined the outlet in 2005, per the Boston Globe. Whether in the field reporting on natural disasters, following presidential candidates and historic moments in our democracy, or landing illuminating high-profile interviews, Audie has brought listeners a rich array of topics, voices, and perspectives from across the spectrum of American life," says the statement. She has co-hosted All Things Considered since 2012. (Read more NPR stories.) (Newser) "I write this email knowing that many of you will think I'm crazy after reading it." That's how Utah tech entrepreneur and GOP fundraiser Dave Bateman started off his message to state leaders and members of the tech industry on Tuesday, suggesting he had at least some inkling of how his message would be receivedi.e., not well. By the end of the day, the founder of software company Entrata had stepped down from its board over his email, which was rife with antisemitism and COVID conspiracy theories, per the Deseret News. More on the story: Antisemitic rant: In his email, Bateman wrote that it was "undeniable" regarding the coronavirus vaccine that "there is a sadistic effort underway to euthanize the American people," claiming: "I believe the Jews are behind this." He added: "I believe the pandemic and systematic extermination of billions of people will lead to an effort to consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule." In his email, Bateman wrote that it was "undeniable" regarding the coronavirus vaccine that "there is a sadistic effort underway to euthanize the American people," claiming: "I believe the Jews are behind this." He added: "I believe the pandemic and systematic extermination of billions of people will lead to an effort to consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule." More antisemitism: Bateman also wrote that Jews "have been trying to infiltrate the Catholic Church" for hundreds of years and put a Jewish leader in place, and that they'd secretly accomplished this mission in 2013 with Pope Francis. Bateman also wrote that Jews "have been trying to infiltrate the Catholic Church" for hundreds of years and put a Jewish leader in place, and that they'd secretly accomplished this mission in 2013 with Pope Francis. Debunked COVID information: Bateman's email also included misinformation about COVID, including that PCR tests contain cancer-causing substances, as well as that the coronavirus vaccine attacks women's reproductive systems, per the Salt Lake Tribune. Bateman's email also included misinformation about COVID, including that PCR tests contain cancer-causing substances, as well as that the coronavirus vaccine attacks women's reproductive systems, per the Salt Lake Tribune. Aftermath: Late Tuesday afternoon, Entrata CEO Adam Edmunds put out a statement decrying Bateman's remarks, calling them "highly offensive." About an hour later came a follow-up statement from Edmunds noting that the Entrata board had asked Bateman to step down and relinquish his position as chairman, and that "Dave agreed and is no longer a member of the Entrata board, effective immediately." Late Tuesday afternoon, Entrata CEO Adam Edmunds put out a statement decrying Bateman's remarks, calling them "highly offensive." About an hour later came a follow-up statement from Edmunds noting that the Entrata board had asked Bateman to step down and relinquish his position as chairman, and that "Dave agreed and is no longer a member of the Entrata board, effective immediately." Further fallout: In its own statement, per ABC4, the United Jewish Federation of Utah called Bateman's email "vile and hyperbolic," adding that "we believe such statements by influential people in our community contribute to the rising hate crimes and violent attacks against Jews here and abroad." In its own statement, per ABC4, the United Jewish Federation of Utah called Bateman's email "vile and hyperbolic," adding that "we believe such statements by influential people in our community contribute to the rising hate crimes and violent attacks against Jews here and abroad." From the governor: GOP Gov. Spencer Cox also addressed the controversy on Tuesday evening, writing: "These irresponsible comments are hurtfully anti-Semitic, blatantly false, and we completely reject them." (Read more anti-Semitism stories.) (Newser) The Capuchin Catacombs in Sicily, Italy, are famous for their nearly 1,300 mummified corpses on display to the public. Now researchers plan to conduct the first-ever study devoted to a subset of those mummiesthe children. Specifically, researchers from Staffordshire University in the UK will examine 41 mummified children, placed there between 1787 and 1880, in what's known as the "child chapel," reports the Guardian. Using X-ray images, the researchers hope to better understand how these children died, which might in turn shed light on life in Sicily at the time. "We have a fairly good idea that they were from the upper ranks of society but we dont know much more about juvenile health, development, or identity during this period," says lead researcher Kristy Squires, per SciTechDaily. Her two-year study begins this month. Some of the remains are skeletal, while others are better preserved, likely because of chemicals used in the process. "Some really look like sleeping children," says researcher Dario Piombino-Mascali. "They are darkened by the time but some of them have got even fake eyes so they seem to be looking at you. They look like tiny little dolls." The first to be mummified at the catacombs were 16th-century monks of the Capuchin order, and their preservation took place inadvertently, likely through natural dehydration. The catacombs began accepting members of the public in the 18th century and continued the practice through the early 20th century. In all about 160 children are preserved there, which Piombino-Mascali says lends a poignant overtone to the study. "It is very upsetting when you deal with children in anthropology. (Read more mummies stories.) (Newser) Bring on the Lassie comparisons: A Vermont man credits his dog for coming to his rescue, and officials are praising the dog as well. Tinsley, a 1-year-old Shiloh Shepherd, was seen running loose on I-89's Veterans Memorial Bridge at the Vermont-New Hampshire line on Monday, say New Hampshire State Police in a Facebook post. After being alerted to the dog's presence, a state trooper and officers from the Lebanon Police Department tried to capture it, but as they got "close to the canine, it continued to run northbound on Interstate 89, crossing into Vermont." As CNN reports, the dog would run and then stop and stare, as if it was trying to get their attention. "The dog stood at the top of the embankment and looked down," said Lt. Daniel Baldassarre of New Hampshire State Police. They then spotted a guardrail that had been damaged, as well as an overturned pickup and two ejected occupants who were "hypothermic and seriously injured," per NHSP. The dog "almost alert[ed] them to what was off the roadway," Baldassarre said, per WPTZ. Tinsley's owner, Cam Laundry, was one of the men who'd been ejected. He and the other man were treated at an area hospital. Laundry had nothing but praise for the dog, who he says is due some venison burger and back scratches as thanks. "Of course, she never leaves my side, so we're always together in that truck that got wrecked," he said. "She's always my co-pilot, she's always with me." The head of the Hartford Fire Department echoed that, noting, "The whole time we were starting our patient care it sat there nice and calm right next to its owner." (Read more uplifting news stories.) (Newser) A Long Island high school science teacher accused of administering a COVID vaccine to a teen in her home is in trouble with her school district and the law. The Washington Post reports that Laura Russo, a 54-year-old biology teacher for Herricks Public Schools, was arrested for unauthorized practice of a profession; she is not a medical professional. Per a statement from the Nassau County Police Department, the arrest happened on New Year's Eve in Russo's home in Sea Cliff, after she allegedly gave an un-IDed 17-year-old boy a COVID shot there. The statement states the teen went home after the DIY vaccination and told his mother what had happened, and she promptly called police. Russo was then arrested without incident, authorities say. NBC New York links to purported video of the vaccination. It shows a young man with a blurred-out face sitting at a table and getting his arm cleaned prior to a middle-aged woman seen in the frame apparently giving him the shot. "There you go, at-home vaccine," a young man's voice can be heard saying in the clip. Authorities tell the news outlet that Russo had a vial of approved vaccine in her home, though it's not clear where she got it from, and that the teen who received the vax was a friend of her son's who wanted to get vaccinated but whose own mom wouldn't allow it. NBC also notes that the vaccine that was administered seemed to be the Johnson & Johnson one-dose version, which so far has only been approved in the US for adults 18 and over. "Besides being illegal, it's just not a smart thing to do," says Dr. Aaron Glatt of the Mount Sinai South Nassau health system. "An authorized, licensed professional should be providing vaccines to know how to give them properly to make sure if there's a complication that [it] can be dealt with immediately and very efficiently." As for the district, superintendent Fino Celano says in a statement that "the individual in question is a district employee who has been removed from the classroom and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation." Supporters of Russo, meanwhile, says she's a well-respected teacher, with one local deli owner telling CBS New York that "it's too quick to rush to judgment." Russo is set to appear in court on Jan. 21. She could see up to four years in prison if convicted. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.) (Newser) Two Illinois police officers responded to a report of dogs barking in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Comfort Inn in Bradley. It was a call that left Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic begging for her life before being killed with her own gun, say prosecutors, who are asking federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for the pair suspected of killing her. NBC News has the grim story in the town about an hour south of Chicago. On Dec. 29, Rittmanic and Officer Tyler Bailey went to the hotel room where they believed the vehicle's owners were staying and spoke to them through the door. Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe says Darius Sullivan, 25, emerged from the room, shot Bailey in the head, and then shot Rittmanic as she tried to flee. The AP reports Rittmanic's body camera captured what transpired. In Rowe's telling, Sullivan ran after her and pinned her against a door as he tried to both unjam his gun and take hers. Rowe alleges Xandria Harris, who'd also been in the hotel room, helped him obtain her weapon. The two then allegedly stood over Rittmanic as she lay on the ground begging them to spare her. "Sgt. Rittmanic was pleading with them to 'just leave, you don't have to do this, please just go, please don't, please don't,'" Rowe said. "She was desperately pleading for her life," he added. Sullivan allegedly then fired two shots into Rittmanic's neck area, then fled. Harris, 26, is said to have returned to the room and collected two children who were there, as well as personal items, before leaving. Bailey, 27, is hospitalized and "fighting for his life." Sullivan was apprehended Friday in Indiana and has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm. Harris turned herself in that same day and faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. While the state will seek life sentences, Rowe has asked the DOJ to take a look at the case with the aim of pursuing federal death-penalty charges. Illinois isn't a death penalty state, but Rowe cited "recent precedent" for pursuing the federal death penalty in the case of a cop's murder and in a "non-death penalty state." (Read more police officer stories.) (Newser) At least 13 people are dead, seven of them children, in a Philadelphia house fire that Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy described as among the worst he has witnessed. "It was terrible," said Murphy, per CNN. "I've been around for 30, 35 years now, and this is probably one of the worst fires I've ever been to." A resident of N. 23rd Street in Philadelphia's Fairmount section says that "about a quarter of 7, I heard a woman yelling, 'Oh my God, oh my God.'" He tells the Philadelphia Inquirer he peered out the window and saw nothing. Then, five minutes later, the firetrucks arrived to tackle a blaze that ended up killing multiple people. The New York Times reports it took the Philadelphia Fire Department 50 minutes to get the "heavy fire" under control. A rep for the Philadelphia Police Department says the house where the fire occurred had been legally converted into two apartments decades ago. It was owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority and had no violations, says a rep for the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. CNN reports no cause has yet been determined. Murphy said at a news conference that the home contained four smoke detectors equipped with "10-year lithium batteries," but that none were operational. Two others who were seriously injured have been hospitalized. Murphy said 26 people lived in the three-story row house. The Inquirer quotes a "choked up" Mayor Jim Kenney as saying "this is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city's history." (Read more fire stories.) Page Content This years National Day of Prayer will take place on January 9th with the theme Almighty God Let Your Culture of Divine Unity Rule. The Government of Sint Maarten in collaboration with the St. Maarten Christian Council, St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation and the Seventh Day Adventist Church hosts the National Day of Prayer every year on the second Sunday in January. Every year, the entire community on Sint Maarten are invited to pray and worship at the National Day of Prayer at the Government Administration Building. The National Day of Prayer was decreed in 2005 by the Executive Council of the Island Territory of Sint Maarten and serves as an ecumenical service for persons of all faiths and religions to pray for a prosperous and healthy new year for the nation For persons who chose to or are unable to attend, the Government of Sint Maarten is encouraging you to view and tune in to the live coverage of the National Day of Prayer which begins at 4:30 pm via the following media outlets SXMGOV Radio 107.9 FM, Facebook/SXMGOV and TelTV Channel 15. (Newser) Treasure hunters who believe they located a huge cache of fabled Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania are now on the prowl for something as elusive as the buried booty itself: government records of the FBI's excavation. Finders Keepers filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its failure to produce documents on the FBIs search for the legendary gold, which took place nearly four years ago at a remote woodland site in northwestern Pennsylvania. The FBI has since dragged its feet on the treasure hunters' Freedom of Information Act request for records, their lawyer said Wednesday. The suit asks a judge to order the FBI to immediately turn over the records, reports the AP. Finders Keepers' owners, the father-son duo of Dennis and Kem Parada, had spent years looking for what, according to legend, was an 1863 shipment of Union gold that was lost or stolen on its way to the US Mint in Philadelphia. The duo focused on a spot where they say their instruments detected a large metallic mass. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. The contractor detected an underground mass that weighed up to nine tons and had the density of gold, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed last year at the request of news organizations. The Paradas accompanied the FBI to the site in Dents Run, about 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, but say they were confined to their car while the FBI excavated. The FBI has long insisted the March 2018 dig came up empty, but the agency has consistently stymied the Paradas' efforts to obtain information. The FBI ultimately revealed it has 2,400 pages of records and 17 video files that it could potentially turn overbut that it would take years to do so. The Justice Department denied Finders Keepers' request for expedited processing, and, as of last month, the DOJ had yet to assign the FOIA request to a staffer for processing, according to the lawsuit. (Read more treasure hunters stories.) The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrains commitment to supporting and developing the industrial sector to enhance its role in the national economy. HRH noted that the sector has a skilled workforce whose efforts contribute to the realisation of Bahrains comprehensive development plan, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. This came as HRH Prince Salman yesterday received the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa, and the Chief Executive Officer, Ali Al Baqali, at Riffa Palace. The meeting marked the 50th anniversary of Albas establishment. Shaikh Daij presented a souvenir to His Royal Highness to celebrate the occasion. HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister praised the companys achievements throughout the past 50 years, which have strengthened Bahrains position in the global aluminium and manufacturing industries. He also praised the efforts of Shaikh Daij, the board of directors, and Albas employees for the companys success. His Royal Highness wished the company success in its future endeavours. Job opportunities HRH Prince Salman affirmed the Kingdoms commitment to developing its industrial infrastructure due to the sectors important role in providing job opportunities for the people of Bahrain. He noted that Bahrain will continue to nurture promising sectors in line with the Economic Recovery Plan to benefit the Kingdoms competitiveness and attract further investment. Shaikh Daij expressed his thanks to HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for his support to Alba, and his commitment to developing and championing Bahrains industrial sector. Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club High Committee Chairman His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa also attended the meeting. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com University of Bahrain (UoB) President Dr Jawaher bint Shaheen Al Mudhahki has welcomed the cooperation and coordination with the Executive Office of the Bahrainouna, the national plan to promote the spirit of belonging to the nation and reinforce the values of patriotism. It also aims to continuously spread the values of patriotism and enhance belonging among university students. Dr Al Mudhahki added that the values of patriotism are an essential component in many academic curricula and student activities of a national nature that tend to inspire authentic Bahraini values, pass them on from generation to generation and consolidate the spirit of belonging to the homeland, its leadership and people. The students of our national university have proven over the years and in all areas that they always get the first ranks, he said. The UoBs Council was briefed in its recent meeting the latest development, initiatives and milestones of Bahrainouna, which was presented by the Director of the Executive Office of Bahrainouna, Hala Sulaiman, and in the presence of the Director-General of Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA), Dr Raed Mohammed bin Shams. The presentation comes as part of a series of meetings that took place between the University of Bahrain and the Executive Office of Bahrainouna to enhance partnership and benefit from the research and academic capabilities of the university, as well as encourage the participation of youth in various national initiatives. Dr Bin Shams said that BIPA is an active stakeholder in Bahrainounas initiatives through several initiatives and research projects, noting that the University of Bahrain is a fertile field for these lofty and noble values among all its affiliates. Bahrainouna was launched in March 2019 with more than 100 initiatives being executed by 27 government organizations, through 5 main tracks centred on belonging programs, public relations campaigns, and media initiatives. In addition to curricula and courses development initiatives, and legislative and regulations initiatives. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Commercial car rental operators in the Kingdom are urging the authorities to put an end to illegal car rental businesses, mainly run by expatriates, which according to them is now thriving. They said, if uncontrolled, the trend would eventually put a full stop to the car rental business in Bahrain. Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Abdul Rahman Abdul Waheed, Branch Manager of We Rent A Car, a leading car rental firm, said: We are running the business by strictly adhering to rules and protocols set by the Traffic Directorate and the Transport Department. We have to regularly pay fees to different departments apart from insurance expenses and such a trend would destroy this segment. There are many open advertisements across social media platforms posted by illegal car rental service providers. Many are entering the scene as they stand to gain huge money without adhering to any regulations. All of them are renting out their cars only after obtaining third party insurance, which is nothing but putting passengers and drivers at the brink of financial risk. Legal car rental companies will have to abide by many norms, including selling their cars after using them for five years. But no rule applies to these illegal guys. Waheed asked how such an illegal business could thrive when a driver giving a lift to strangers constitutes a legal violation. Speaking on the same tone, Rajesh Kumar, Front Desk Staff at Prestige Rent A Car, another major car rental firm, said the trend is flourishing at the cost of legal car rental businesses. The authorities should probe why an individual making BD250 or BD350 a month is buying five or six cars. They are destroying the entire business segment, he said. We, as a company, obtain CR before starting the business. Then pay fees to many government departments as part of legal adherences. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Zain Bahrain, a telecommunications industry innovator in the Kingdom, has selected Tecnotree, a global provider of Business Support Systems (BSS) for Digital Service Providers, for the delivery of its Digital BSS transformation. Tecnotrees partnership with Zain is intended to strengthen the companys focus on delivering an exceptional customer experience while improving time-to-market. Through an advanced digital architecture, the project will transform Zains BSS infrastructure into an open ecosystem capable of supporting Zains vision. Commenting on the partnership, Ali Al-Yaham, Director, Technology at Zain Bahrain, said, Choosing Tecnotree as a strategic partner for transforming our legacy BSS infrastructure is a significant milestone in our vision of building a digital future. Innovation is in Zains DNA and combined with Tecnotrees innovation, will form a key pillar of our digital transformation journey. This multi-year engagement between Zain Bahrain and Tecnotree covers the entire journey of deployment and the management of the Digital BSS 5.0 products, which includes commissioning, integration as well as support. Tecnotree will deploy its 5G-ready Digital BSS Suite 5 which recently earned a Platinum Badge from TM Forum for Open API Conformance and was recognized in Gartners Market-Guide for Revenue Management & Monetization. With industry-recognized products from the Tecnotree stack such as Customer Lifecycle Manager, Catalog Manager, Convergent Billing System, as well as Tecnotree Surge Digital Accelerator Platform, Zain will provide its customers with a superior omnichannel experience, enabling new business models to drive evolution into a new-age service provider. We are excited about our award-winning Digital BSS Suite being selected by Zain to support their digital transformation journey and are confident that this strategic partnership will deliver an enhanced first in market customer experience, shares Tecnotree CEO, Padma Ravichander. Belgian special event The Belgian IARU society UBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. To celebrate this event, 64 different special event stations will be active from January 1st through February 28th, 2022. Each special event station will be using the prefix ON75 followed by a three letter suffix. The stations participating in the event are: ON75AAA, ON75ACC, ON75ALT, ON75ARA, ON75AST, ON75ATH, ON75ATO, ON75BDX, ON75BTS, ON75BXE, ON75CDZ, ON75CLR, ON75CRD, ON75DST, ON75EKO, ON75GBN, ON75GBX, ON75GDV, ON75GNT, ON75GTM, ON75HCC, ON75IPR, ON75KSD, ON75KTK, ON75LGE, ON75LIR, ON75LLV, ON75LUS, ON75LVN, ON75MCL, ON75MLB, ON75MWV, ON75NBT, ON75NNV, ON75NOK, ON75NOL, ON75ODE, ON75ONZ, ON75ORA, ON75OSA, ON75OSB, ON75OST, ON75PHI, ON75RAF, ON75RAM, ON75RAT, ON75RCA, ON75RCN, ON75REM, ON75RST, ON75RSX, ON75SNW, ON75TLS, ON75TRA, ON75TRC, ON75TWS, ON75WLD, ON75WRA, ON75WRC, ON75WTO and ON75ZTM. Also mentioned are: ON75DIG = UBA Award Friends DIG station ON75UBA = National UBA station ON75YLC = Club Station YL UBA Awards for working both a specific number of different ON75 stations and/or working ON75 stations in various band/mode slots are available via this link: (link will be published at the start of the event). Paper QSL cards will only be sent exclusively using OQRS (Online QSL request) via Clublog, either via Bureau or direct. For more details and updates, see: https://www.qrz.com/db/ON75LGE https://www.qrz.com/db/ON75RAT NEW MILFORD Police said they are looking for a man suspected of robbing a bank Wednesday afternoon before fleeing on a bicycle. The robbery took place at the Webster Bank on Main Street around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to security photos provided by police. Instadose Pharma Corp delivers 2.125 Metric Tons of Medicinal Cannabis from South Africa to North Macedonia in a historic international delivery, this record-breaking shipment represents the largest Cannabis shipment globally to date. CHESAPEAKE, Va., Jan. 5, 2022 /CNW/ - (OTC PINK: INSD) Instadose Pharma Corp (the "company" or "Instadose") Establishing the world largest continual supply of Medicinal Cannabis. Instadose Pharma Corp is extremely proud to announce the delivery of a record-breaking shipment of high-quality Medicinal Cannabis Flower. The delivery of 2.125 Metric Tons was completed on December 25, 2021, from Johannesburg, South Africa to Skopje, North Macedonia. With this successful delivery it establishes Instadose Pharma Corp as a world leader in the international supply of high quality outdoor grown medicinal cannabis and agricultural pharmaceutical ingredients. The product has been sold and is destined for licenced pharmaceutical clients in the European Union. "This is a historic shipment and represents just the beginning of Instadose Pharma's potential. This delivery validates our business model and Instadose Pharma Corp as global leader in this industry. This has always been my vision and I am very excited about what this delivery means and what is on the horizon." Grant F. Sanders, Founder and Chairman Instadose specializes in top grade medicinal cannabis flower that contains high levels of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) which is unique to Instadose Pharma. High levels of THC are in continual demand from pharmaceutical customers and Instadose Pharma will continue to grow and supply quality product to meet the market demand. About INSTADOSE PHARMA CORP Instadose Pharma Corp is establishing a large commercial outdoor growing, cultivation, production and global distribution platform for medicinal cannabis and cannabinoid oil (the "Global Distribution Platform"). Instadose Canada endeavors to utilize the Global Distribution Platform to open the commercial gateway to a new wholesale marketplace capable of providing pharmaceutical industry companies with large, sustainable, consistent, diverse, and low-cost supplies of high-quality medicinal cannabis and cannabinoid oil for use in bulk as an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Instadose Pharma Corp's Global Distribution Platform spans five (5) world continents to date, including Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. Within each continent, Instadose Pharma Corp is establishing operational subsidiaries and joint venture partnerships to secure access to government-issued licenses and permits in countries including The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of India, Colombia, Mexico, and Canada, each seeking to increase their level of participation within the global medicinal cannabis industry. Instadose Pharma's relationships with international partners are based on sustainable, long term agreements that were initially designed to give back to people and protect the natural environment. Instadose Pharma's projects aim to increase the quality of life, provide jobs, fresh water, education, food security and capital. Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company's plans and other aspects of our anticipated future opportunities. Forward-looking information typically uses words such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "trend", "sustain", "project", "expect", "forecast", "budget", "goal", "guidance", "plan", "objective", "strategy", "target", "intend", "estimate", "potential", or similar words suggesting future outcomes, statements that actions, events or conditions "may", "would", "could" or "will" be taken or occur in the future, including statements about our plans, focus, objectives, priorities and position. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this press release contains forward-looking information with respect to our upcoming shipments of Medical Cannabis. The forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by our Board and Management. Although we believe that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, by its very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Our actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking information and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that we will derive therefrom. Management has included the above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking information provided in this press release in order to provide security holders with a more complete perspective on our future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and we disclaim any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE Instadose Pharma Corporation For further information: [email protected] For Press and Media inquiries: David Curry, [email protected] Ham Radio on the Moon Japan's OMOTENASHI, the world's smallest moon lander, will have an X-band and UHF communication system, although it will not carry an amateur band transponder. OMOTENASHI is a 6 Unit sized CubeSat set for launch via a NASA SLS rocket as early as February 2022. It will have a mission period of 4 to 5 days. The name is an acronym for Outstanding Moon Exploration Technologies demonstrated by Nano Semi-Hard Impactor. Wataru Torii of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Ham Radio Club, JQ1ZVI, said radio amateurs can play a role in gathering data from the spacecraft. The spacecraft is made up of two separable components, both having independent communication systems, an orbiting module and a surface probe. The orbiting module will take the surface probe to the moon. It will transmit beacon or digital telemetry data on 437.31 MHz. The moon lander surface probe will transmit digital telemetry or three-axis acceleration analog-wave with FM modulation on 437.41 MHz. Transmitter power is 1 Watt, enough to be picked up with a high gain yagi. According to Torii, JQ1ZVI, if they succeed in receiving the UHF signal from the surface probe, one could know the acceleration data of the impact on the moon and the success of the landing sequence. They already have a station for the uplink and downlink at Wakayama in Japan, normally used as an EME station. However, when the moon and satellite is not visible from Japan, help with the receiption of the downlink signal will be needed from ham radio stations worldwide. The orbiting module beacon will transmit on 437.31 MHz using PSK31. The surface probe beacon will transmit on 22.41 MHz using FM, PSK31, and PCM-PSK. IRTS PsyBio Therapeutics Expands Upon Previously Established Research Collaboration with Miami University OXFORD, Ohio and COCONUT CREEK, Fla., Jan. 5, 2022 /CNW/ - PsyBio Therapeutics Corp. (TSXV: PSYB) (OTCQB: PSYBF) ("PsyBio" or the "Company"), an intellectual property driven biotechnology company developing new, bespoke, psycho-targeted therapeutics to potentially improve mental and neurological health, today announced that it has expanded its ongoing relationship with Miami University in Oxford, Ohio ("Miami University") by leasing dedicated research and development ("R&D") laboratory space. The laboratory space at Miami University is expected to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art research environment in which PsyBio's ever-expanding portfolio of compounds can be more readily and rapidly developed. This continued collaboration with Miami University is anticipated to expedite progress toward PsyBio filing an Investigational New Drug ("IND") application with the United States Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"). "Establishing this R&D laboratory is a critically important development for PsyBio, which is expected to allow pre-manufacturing and production process optimization," stated Michael Spigarelli, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, PsyBio's Chief Medical Officer. "The laboratory will allow us to expedite the Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) development processes as part of PsyBio's Quality by Design (QbD) strategy to produce psycho-targeted therapeutics intended to improve mental and neurological health." PsyBio acquired the global, exclusive, and perpetual right to license the platform technology developed at Miami University enabling rapid generation of tryptamines and related compounds through a biosynthetic process using genetically modified bacteria. The Company announced that it had successfully demonstrated commercial scale manufacturing feasibility for one of its first promising compounds in October 2021. "We are pleased that PsyBio has chosen to establish R&D laboratory space here at Miami University and further its collaboration with our renowned faculty and amazing students," said Gregory Crawford, President of Miami University. "Having PsyBio on campus will provide additional research opportunities for our faculty and students, while also shortening the bench-to-bedside timeline of therapeutics that could potentially improve mental health." Intended to foster university and industry partnerships, the laboratory space is expected to be used to transition the intellectual property and findings from basic research to the commercialization stage. PsyBio currently funds research of J. Andrew Jones in Miami University's department of chemical, paper and biomedical engineering, and Matthew McMurray in the department of psychology. "We are fortunate to have secured this state-of-the-art research facility to further demonstrate our commitment to produce a variety of psycho-targeted therapeutic candidates as one of the only biotechnology companies in the psychoactive therapeutic industry developing their own compounds," stated Evan Levine, PsyBio's Chief Executive Officer. "We anticipate that the establishment of this laboratory will allow PsyBio to continue to develop its licensed technology. The laboratory is an extension of our ongoing support and collaboration with Miami University." About PsyBio Therapeutics Corp. PsyBio Therapeutics is an intellectual property driven biotechnology company developing new, bespoke, psycho-targeted therapeutics to potentially improve mental and neurological health. The team has extensive experience in drug discovery based on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering as well as clinical and regulatory expertise progressing drugs through human studies and regulatory protocols. Research and development is currently ongoing for naturally occurring psychoactive tryptamines originally discovered in different varieties of hallucinogenic mushrooms, other tryptamines and phenethylamines and combinations thereof. The Company utilizes a bio-medicinal chemistry approach to therapeutic development, in which psychoactive compounds can be utilized as a template upon which to develop precursors and analogs, both naturally and non-naturally occurring. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ("forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward looking-statements in this press release include statements regarding: the ability of PsyBio to establish a dedicated R&D laboratory at Miami University; the anticipated benefits of the laboratory on PsyBio's R&D activities; the ability of PsyBio to successfully file an IND application with the FDA; the ability of PsyBio to develop novel formulations to potentially treat neurologic and psychologic conditions and other disorders; the ability of PsyBio to launch clinical trials; the ability of PsyBio to build its intellectual property portfolio of novel drug candidates; the ability of PsyBio to move target candidates into scaled commercial manufacturing and regulatory application; the ability to achieve cost competitive synthesis with reduced environmental impact over current production methods; and the ability of PsyBio to move target candidates into scaled commercial manufacturing and regulatory application. In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions, including that: PsyBio will be successful in protecting its intellectual property; PsyBio will be successful in discovering new valuable target molecules; PsyBio will be successful in filing IND applications and will be able to obtain all necessary approvals for clinical trials; PsyBio will be successful in launching clinical trials; the results of preclinical safety and efficacy testing will be favourable; PsyBio's technology will be safe and effective; a confirmed signal will be identified in PsyBio's selected indications; and that drug development involves long lead times, is very expensive and involves many variables of uncertainty. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: compliance with extensive government regulations; domestic and foreign laws and regulations adversely affecting PsyBio's business and results of operations; decreases in the prevailing process for psilocybin and nutraceutical products in the markets in which PsyBio operates; the impact of COVID-19; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise. PsyBio makes no medical, treatment or health benefit claims about PsyBio's proposed products. The FDA or other similar regulatory authorities have not evaluated claims regarding psilocybin and other next generation psychoactive compounds. The efficacy of such products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. There is no assurance that the use of psilocybin and other psychoactive compounds can diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Vigorous scientific research and clinical trials are needed. PsyBio has not conducted clinical trials for the use of its intellectual property. Any references to quality, consistency, efficacy and safety of potential products do not imply that PsyBio verified such in clinical trials or that PsyBio will complete such trials. If PsyBio cannot obtain the approvals or research necessary to commercialize its business, it may have a material adverse effect on the PsyBio's performance and operations. The TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE PsyBio Therapeutics Corp. For further information: Evan Levine, CEO, PsyBio Therapeutics Corp., t: 513.449.9585, e: [email protected]; Investor Enquiries: Valter Pinto or Tim Regan, KCSA Strategic Communications, t: 212.896.1254, e: [email protected] According to sources, The tri-services inquiry team has also made some recommendations for revising the standard operating procedures while operating choppers carrying senior officials of the defence forces. The tri-services inquiry team headed by an Indian Air Force officer is scheduled to make a detailed presentation to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the reasons behind the Mi-17 chopper crash that took place on December 8 which led to the death of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 other military personnel. A senior Indian Navy chopper pilot was part of the investigation into the crash and played an important role in the probe. An Army officer was also part of the inquiry team, government sources said here. The inquiry team along with the Indian Air Force top brass is scheduled to make the detailed presentation in the crash and its reasons to the Defence Minister along with other senior functionaries of the ministry on Wednesday, defence sources told ANI. The tri-services inquiry team has also made some recommendations for revising the standard operating procedures while operating choppers carrying senior officials of the defence forces, the sources said. On the crash details, the sources said the Mi-17V5 was flying following a railway line in the hills when they entered a thick cloud cover that emerged suddenly. The chopper was flying at a low altitude and knowing the terrain, it is emerging that the crew decided to fly out of the cloud cover rather than landing and hit a cliff in the process, the sources said. The sources suggested that since the entire crew was master green category, it seems they were confident that they would be able to wriggle out of the situation as there was no distress call made to the ground stations to suggest an emergency. Sources added that the Master green category is given to the best of pilots in the transport aircraft and helicopter fleets of the three forces as they are the ones who can land or take off in low visibility as well. Further, it said that one of the recommendations which is learnt to have been made by the inquiry committee is that in future, the crew should be a mix of master green and other category pilots so that if required, they can seek help from the ground stations. A number of other recommendations are also learnt to have been made by the inquiry committee headed by Air Marshal M Singh, General Rawat and the 13 others were killed in a Mi-17V5, crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. In the last several days, at least 8-10 ministers and over 20 MLAs in the state have tested positive for the virus. After multiple cabinet ministers have tested positive for Covid in the previous several days, the weekly state cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been rescheduled till next week. Eknath Shinde, the minister of urban development, was the most recent to test positive. Ministers began testing positive during the state legislatures just ended winter sessions. In the last several days, at least 8-10 ministers and over 20 MLAs in the state have tested positive for the virus. Varsha Gaikwad, the minister of school education, KC Padvi, the minister of tribal development, and Yashomati Thakur, the minister of women and child development, are among the ministers who have tested positive in the previous week. Apart from Shinde, three other Sena netas MPs Arvind Sawant and Rajan Vichare, as well as MLA Pratap Sarnaik stated they had tested positive on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra surpassed 65,000 on Tuesday, with the state recording 18,466 infections, bringing the total to 66,308. While 20 deaths brought the total death toll to 1,41,573, 4,558 people were rescued in the previous 24 hours. With 75 new infections 40 of them from Mumbai alone the Omicron tally now stands at 653, with 259 of them having been discharged. As per the Ministry, 2,135 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in India, of which 828 have recovered. Maharashtra and Delhi are among the worst-hit states. As per the Union Health Ministry, 2,135 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in India, of which 828 have recovered. Maharashtra and Delhi are among the worst-hit states with the highest number of recorded Omicron cases at 653 and 464 respectively. On Tuesday, the total Omicron count in the country was logged at 1,892 cases. Therefore, 243 new Omicron cases have been reported across the country in the last 24 hours. India has logged 58,097 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, and the daily positivity rate is at 4.18 per cent the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday. The active caseload of COVID cases in the country now stands at 2,14,004. As many as 4,82,551 recoveries and 534 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours were also reported by the Ministry. While the cumulative recoveries from the virus stand at 3,43,21,803, the total COVID deaths were reported to be 4,82,551. Further, the Ministry informed that over 147.72 crore COVID vaccine doses have been administered across the nation so far. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to the road being blocked by some protesters, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. According to ANI, PM Modi upon his return to Bhatinda airport, told airport officials, "Thank your CM for I could make it back alive to Bhatinda airport." Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Punjabs Ferozepur was called off citing major security lapse. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to the road being blocked by some protesters, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. According to ANI, PM Modi upon his return to Bhatinda airport, told airport officials, Thank your CM for I could make it back alive to Bhatinda airport. Former Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh blamed Punjabs Chief Minister and Home Minister for the security lapse and called for their resignations. He tweeted, Complete failure of law and order in Punjab, CM and HM Punjab, in particular. When you cannot provide smooth passage to the Prime Minister of the country and that too just 10km from the Pakistan border, you have no right to stay in office and should quit! The MHA has taken cognisance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. PM Modi was scheduled to visit Ferozepur on Wednesday to lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore. According to the statement the PM had landed at Bathinda this morning from where he was to go to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, the PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear. Observing no improvement in the weather conditions, the decision to visit the Memorial via road was taken after which PM Modi proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police. Around 30 km away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PMs convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM, said the statement by the MHA. The PMs schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed, further said the statement. The Prime Minister headed back to Bathinda airport after the security lapse. The Ministry of Home Affairs taking cognisance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. The State Government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action, the statement said. Raivavae Island DXpedition A team of seven experienced DXpedition / contest operators will activate Raivavae (Austral Islands) OC-114, French Polynesia as TX5N from April 16th to April 28th, 2022. Team members are: Rob/N7QT, Walt/N6XG, Heye/DJ9RR, Gene/K5GS, Steve/W1SRD, Melanie/N7BX and Doris/K0BEE. Current plans call for Elecraft K3 / amplifier equipped stations. Beach mounted verticals and one hexbeam round out the antenna plan. They will operate 10 - 160m, CW, SSB and Digital. The QSL manager will be Tim M0URX. The team will meet in Papeete, Tahiti, on April 12th and fly to Raivavaeon April 15th. As with all international travel, Covid restrictions may require us to reschedule or cancel. This self-funded project welcomes your donations through the website. Donations will be used to off-set the equipment shipping expenses. Website: https://tx5n.net Please direct questions to: support@tx5n.net 73, Team TX5N Happy New Year GS K5GS NEW HAVEN A city employee who has focused on the underlying causes of violence and social problems will oversee the new city Department of Community Resilience, which will coordinate those efforts, Mayor Justin Elicker announced Wednesday. Carlos Sosa-Lombardo, who has served as special projects director in the Community Services Administration, will become acting director of the department, which will focus on homelessness, prison reentry, mental health issues and substance abuse, Elicker said at a press conference outside City Hall. Elicker said New Haven has gone beyond other cities, investing in areas that are based in the roots of the violence that we see and the challenge that our community is facing around peoples access to housing and a solid place to live, peoples challenges in particular the reentry population gaining access to jobs, mental health, substance use disorder and many issues that are the underlying issues associated with lot of the violence that we see in the city. Among the projects Sosa-Lombardo has led have been the Reentry Welcome Center, the Mobile Addiction Treatment Team and planning for the New Haven Crisis Response Team, Elicker said. Dr. Mehul Dalal, community services administrator, called Sosa-Lombardo a fierce champion and advocate for communities and individuals that have been made vulnerable in the New Haven community. He acutely recognizes that whether through bad luck or circumstances or unjust systems, too many people have been pushed down, pushed aside, and those people are rarely given the right opportunities to be lifted up and included. He said Sosa-Lombardo approaches people with compassion, respect and understanding and fighting so their voices are heard. His relationships with community leaders, including faith leaders, have helped in the citys work to raise up those in need, Dalal said. Sosa-Lombardo, 33, who immigrated from Paraguay at 14, said he identifies with those whom he will serve. I grew up, lived and worked in vulnerable communities and developed a commitment and passion for social justice and for racial equity from a very young age, he said. He said he has had friends and relatives in the criminal justice system, including a close relative who died from an overdose shortly after being released from prison. Many times I saw and still see firsthand how communities of color are unfairly disadvantaged when it comes to access to opportunities, access to services, access to good education and employment and living conditions, among other things. Dalal said new staff members will be hired to coordinate violence prevention, mental health initiatives and data management. Sosa-Lombardo, who lives in Hamden, must relocate to New Haven in order to become permanent department head. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 NEW HAVEN After Gov. Ned Lamont announced his decision to make in-person education mandatory to count toward the 180-day school year requirement amid a surge in COVID-19 infections that has led to the highest positivity rate since widespread testing began, the onus has been on individual school districts to ensure they have safety protocols to prevent further transmission. In New Haven a school district with roughly 20,000 students, 2,000 staff and 44 schools administrators, tutors and educational specialists have stepped in to lead classrooms as those teachers recover from the virus or quarantine while awaiting test results following potential exposure. We absolutely encourage folks to be cautious about COVID and not to come to school if they know they have tested positive, said New Haven Public Schools spokesman Justin Harmon. We have guidance from the city health department we have published any number of times that makes it clear we are working hard to play it safe for the sake of students and staff. At least one community organizer, however, said the protocols are not working well enough. Catherine John, lead organizer for the group Black and Brown United In Action, said in a letter to district and city letters that a teacher positive for the virus had entered a school on Tuesday and interacted with staff and students despite testing positive for COVID-19. The Register was unable to confirm the claim; Harmon said teachers have a right to medical privacy. At a Wednesday evening protest, representatives of Black and Brown United in Action and activist group Unidad Latina en Accion called for the schools to be closed, accusing government leaders of keeping schools open to satisfy some voters instead of prioritizing public health. John read a statement she said was from the teacher who had tested positive, saying he unknowingly had put students and colleagues at risk. He said that he tested positive while at work, after meeting with two classes. He said he had no symptoms and had received a negative test only a few days prior. Teachers are doing our best to stay the course and educate our students, but increasingly unstable and unsafe conditions are making that close to impossible, the teacher said in the statement. As a teacher and a parent, I know that remote learning isnt an ideal solution, but we cannot continue sending students and staff to schools in unsafe conditions. With at-home tests becoming more widespread, it is possible that it will be more prevalent for more Connecticut residents to receive a positive test result before they show symptoms. Harmon said teachers, parents and students are familiar with what to do before entering a school building if they do have symptoms. We do have a checklist that all employees and all families are supposed to run through every day to make sure they are safe to go to school. It goes to primarily checking for symptoms. Anybody who experiences symptoms should not come to school, Harmon said. If they test positive, even if they are asymptomatic, they are supposed to be quarantining. It does depend on an honor system, and people need to be straightforward if theyre ill, he said. John alleged the district does not have an adequate screening process or appropriate protocols. She said the states decision that days when education is done remotely could not count toward the 180-day requirement does not represent a contingency plan or emergency plan. Why are we putting people at risk? she said. All of this is a result of greed and agenda, John said. Our children are not budget line items, they are not election tokens and all roads lead right back to the governors office. City Health Director Maritza Bond said there definitely are protocols in place in schools and referred any further requests for comment to Harmon. Harmon said keeping the schools going is a balancing act amid the current wave of infections. Were managing to cover all the classrooms and havent had to close any classes or schools or any of the rest of it, but is this surge going to ease in the near term and how long can we keep going with current levels of absenteeism? he said. Were treading water right now and people are pitching in and working hard but none of us has a crystal ball. As a result of a bus driver shortage because of COVID positivity and quarantine, city high schools are dismissing students earlier this week. The school day will end between 1:05 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. at nine high schools through Friday. New Haven schools will be closed Thursday in recognition of Three Kings Day. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com WEST HAVEN The color purple makes Susan Brown smile. Now, she hopes it also will play a big role in helping to fight hunger around the region. Brown has used the eye-catching color for a series of outdoor wooden food pantries to store nonperishable and shelf-stable items in public spaces. The Purple Pantry Boxes project was launched in Milford about two years ago, with boxes built by Chris Grejtak. On Tuesday, the organizations 12th pantry box debuted in downtown West Haven on the site of the First Congregational Church. Maintenance of the box will be overseen by volunteers affiliated with the church, who reached out to Brown to request a box. Additionally, My understanding is West Haven would like a few more, Brown said. Brown began the pantry project as a way of addressing a need she saw in her former line of work as a public defender. There were so many people who walked into the courthouse who were in need of help and support, Brown said at the time the Milford boxes began. I thought it would be a really good idea to do something to help people. That was the goal. After establishing Purple Pantry Boxes as a 501(c)(3) and learning about municipal approval processes, Brown has expanded her operations. Whereas 100 percent of financial donations to the nonprofit once went to food, she said it now is closer to 98 percent the project has grown so large that she pays a small amount in rent for warehousing after moving the food out of her home. Exactly what foods will be in the box will depend on what people take from it, Brown said. Volunteers will observe which items move quickest and therefore represent those in highest demand, she said. And while Brown said the organization prefers donations be made at either Beachside Nutrition or Seaside Nutrition in Milford, it is possible for community members to donate food items of their own to the box for others to pick up. Brown said that volunteers are trained to ensure that any contributions made to the boxes are factory-sealed; homemade items such as sandwiches and muffins are disposed of, as volunteers are unable to verify that they are safe for consumption. The Rev. E. Carl Howard of First Congregational Church said he believes the box will be a valuable and much-needed resource. Im excited we can participate in helping a community in need, he said. Nicole Randolph, who attends the church, is a trained volunteer who has helped to stock pantry boxes in Milford but will focus on stocking the box outside First Congregational Church. West Haven also has a need for these boxes, she said. Right now, Brown said, the organization goes through 124 cans of tuna and 60 jars of peanut butter weekly. According to officials who work in addressing hunger, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the issue of hunger more severe. Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, said the negative economic effects of the pandemic naturally was detrimental to peoples ability to buy food. The good news is the number of people in Connecticut who are food insecure is 428,000, and that is lower than it was a year ago at the peak of the pandemic, but we are still not back to where we were pre-pandemic, he said. Jakubowski said the nature of food pantry operations had to change abruptly because of the pandemic, as social distancing became imperative and communal meals no longer were advisable. Thats not how food banks and pantries were set up or how we were intended to be run, he said. It absolutely changed our entire world overnight. However, Jakubowski said the pantry, which is affiliated with Feeding America, currently has 700 statewide pantry partners. Paul Bronson, outreach coordinator for Vertical Church, said West Haven pantry operations also work in partnership. We are going to anticipate a bigger demand as the spike goes up, because things are closing again, Bronson said of the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the state. Like the senior centers in New Haven are closed back down. The seniors will become our biggest concern right now. Bronson said that, despite spiking infections, pantry operators have the advantage of knowing more about the coronavirus and its transmission now than they did two years ago. Were confident we are equipped to respond quickly, he said. West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi helped to stock the citys new pantry box for the first time Tuesday. Theres such a need. Hopefully there might be a case where someones luck turns around and they can donate themselves, she said. Brown said she already has received phone calls from contributors in Milford sharing that that exact scenario already had happened there. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo WEST HAVEN Will public accessibility to City Hall be limited amid soaring statewide COVID-19 positivity rates? The mayor said she hopes not. Im not looking to close down City Hall, Mayor Nancy Rossi said. Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has condemned in strong terms, the sudden withdrawal of men of the Nigerian Army from the Correc... Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has condemned in strong terms, the sudden withdrawal of men of the Nigerian Army from the Correctional Centers across the state. Akeredolu, who raised the alarm on Wednesday, was said to have received a full briefing of the situation from the Commissioner of Police, Oyediran Oyeyemi, as he expressed worries that the action could encourage jail break. In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde, Akeredolu wondered why soldiers will be withdrawn from correctional centers which belong to the Federal Government. Last night, Governor Akeredolu received reports from the Commissioner of Police in the state that soldiers attached to the correctional centers in the state have all been withdrawn. This development came as a surprise, considering the fact that both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Correctional Centers belong to the Federal Government. The Governor was more bothered about the overflow effect of the soldiers withdrawal on the security situation in the state. More so that such action could easily encourage jail breaks across the state. It is, however, pertinent to alert members of the public and the Federal Government of this unwholesome situation. Findings into the remote cause of this action has only revealed that it was an order from above without corresponding details. The situation, notwithstanding, proactive efforts have been made to secure these centers so as not to allow premeditated jail breaks as whoever gave order to withdraw those soldiers was in the process of encouraging such. the statement added. Governor Akeredolu has met with other security heads in the state, particularly the Police and charged them to take over their responsibility of internal security in the state. While we believe that the Federal Government has a duty to protect the prisons, we are more concerned about the security of our people across the state. A jail break will not only threaten the peaceful atmosphere we are enjoying in the state, it will pose serious danger to our people. Governor Akeredolu has met with the security heads and the Police has since last night taken up their responsibility of internal security by deploying armed Police officers to these correctional centers. Similarly, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) whose main assignment is to secure Federal Government facilities, has also deployed armed officers to the correctional facilities. Governor Akeredolu has also directed the deployment of men of the State Security Network (Amotekun) to complement the Police and the NSCDC. This is to ensure that any premeditated action is tamed and resisted with commensurate force, the statement added. Liverpools Carabao Cup semi-final, first-leg fixture with Arsenal on Thursday has been postponed. Liverpools submission to have the fixt... Liverpools Carabao Cup semi-final, first-leg fixture with Arsenal on Thursday has been postponed. Liverpools submission to have the fixture rescheduled has been approved by the EFL due to the increasing number of suspected positive COVID-19 cases among the Reds players and staff. Jurgen Klopps side confirmed this in a statement via their website on Wednesday afternoon. The latest round of testing on Tuesday returned a significant number of positives, including Pepijn Lijnders, who was due to take charge of Liverpool at Emirates Stadium. The outbreak has left Liverpool without a sufficient number of players and staff to fulfill the contest as originally scheduled. As a result, the first leg of the last-four encounter will now be played at Anfield on Thursday January 13, kick-off 7.45pm GMT. The return will take place at Emirates Stadium on Thursday January 20, also getting under way at 7.45pm. The State chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Hon. John Iwuala, has described lawmakers who defected from the party, as ... The State chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Hon. John Iwuala, has described lawmakers who defected from the party, as prodigal sons, warning them to be ready to face the court. Iwuala, who stated this while speaking to journalists at the Partys secretariat in Owerri, said the party had prepared a new year package for the defected lawmakers. According to him, APGA, in the last elections produced five members of the House of Assembly, who later left the party for the ruling APC. It is most disheartening to note that APGA has produced the high and mighty in previous and present governments. It might interest you to know that the former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, was a product of APGA. Senator Chris Anyanwu, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, Barr. Uche Onyeagocha and so many others were produced by our party. But the irony is that these people, for one selfish reason or the other, left our party after winning elections. I want to sound it as a note of warning to intending members that APGA is not a dumping ground or a rehabilitation center where people are nurtured and given victory only for them to abandon the party. The new APGA under my leadership will not condone such. You can agree with me that out of the five House members APGA produced in the last election, two had been made speakers; Rt. Hon. Chiji Collins and Rt. Hon. Paul Emeziem, and that should have been to the credit of our great party. We wont let all the defected lawmakers go unpunished because they did not follow the normal process of defection. We are going to start by setting up a strong and formidable legal framework because we know that the only time a member of a party is allowed to leave the party is when it is in deep internal crisis but our party has been peaceful. We shall go as long as making them refund all the money, salary and emoluments collected after their defection after which their seats shall be declared vacant, he said. He outlined over twelve measures adopted by the party for the 2022, which include strict compliance to the partys constitution, sustaining the routine engagements with all Imo indigenes who are the true owners of power and the party, engaging positive reforms with the national leadership of the party and other relevant stakeholders to put an end to irregularities associated with the selection and election of party candidates through party primaries, to partner with the electoral umpire to educate Imo electorates on the ongoing continuous voters registration and the need to participate among other measures. He however promised that the era when persons with conflicting political ideologies, zero percent history of party loyalty, will stampede the party in desperate search for emergency membership and benefits are admitted into the party, is over. Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has described Imo West Senator, Rochas Okorocha as his younger brother. Uzodinma made the remark... Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has described Imo West Senator, Rochas Okorocha as his younger brother. Uzodinma made the remark while noting that he has nothing against Okorocha, who is a former governor of the State. Since assuming office, the relationship between Okorocha and Uzodinma has been frosty. On several occasions, Okorocha had accused Uzodinma of witch-hunting his family. In December 2021, some police officers had in a gestapo manner, arrested Okorochas son-in-law, Uche Nwosu in Imo State. Reacting, Okorocha had accused the Uzodinma-led government of being behind the arrest. However, Uzodinma said he has nothing against the Senator and former governor of the state. Uzodinma spoke at a stakeholders meeting held at the States Government House in Owerri, the State capital. According to Uzodinma: I have said it times without number I have no personal grouse with anybody. All of you who know me well in Imo state, I tried one time or the other to contest election. In some cases, I won. In some cases, I did not win. And when I didnt win, I left back for my businesses. When I won, I served the people with all my heart. Okorocha is a younger brother to me. Im older than him, if not for anything, traditionally I deserve to be respected by him. I dont want to join issues with him. Let him just know that he is not the Governor and for the short period I will be here God-willing, he should allow me to be Governor. China's economy totaled $15.92 trillion in 2020, and market research firm IHS Markit estimates that it reached $18 trillion last year on export manufacturing growth and capital for new projects. The U.S. economy reached about $23 trillion last year, the market research firm said. Reducing factory output in China, foreign multinationals have been expanding outside China, targeting places such as Vietnam to avoid rising wages and environmental compliance costs. By offshoring in multiple countries they hope to head off any repeat of China's early 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns that shut down factories. Chinese leaders have pushed over the past decade to rely more on value-added services over traditional factory exports, state media have said. The Sino-U.S. trade dispute and early 2020 workplace closures due to COVID-19 have added pressure on manufacturing. China's GDP should grow 5.7 percent per year through 2025 and then 4.7 percent annually until 2030, British consultancy Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) forecasts. Its forecast says that China, now the world's second-largest economy, would overtake the No. 1-ranked U.S. economy by 2030. Credit insurance firm Euler Hermes made a similar forecast. China's economy will increasingly rely on state investment, high-tech development and domestic consumption -- with less input from its past staple of export manufacturing -- as it stands to overtake the United States in the coming decade, analysts predict. State Investment The country that's already known for fast economic growth over the past 20 years would see the state take more control over key sectors after intervening in several, including the internet, in 2021, economists expect. "Beijing has the funds and the unfettered domestic political power to use China's large public treasury to make strategic investments in the service of the leadership's national and global objectives," said Denny Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center think tank in Honolulu. China scored 2.98 in 2018, up from 2.45 eight years earlier and approaching about three times the world average, on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development policy forum's Direct Control Over Enterprises index. That means the government's direct control over enterprises "well exceeded the open economy average" and "reflects China's increasing emphasis on the role of the state in the economy under Xi Jinping," the think tank Atlantic Council says in its October report China Pathfinder: Annual Scorecard . Growth in Tech Hardware Chinese leaders will probably prioritize tech, especially hardware that does not require constant innovation, as a growth engine, economists say. State intervention in the internet sector won't hobble expansion in semiconductors and infrastructure software, said Zennon Kapron, founder and director of the Shanghai-based financial industry research firm Kapronasia. "If the country does become self-sufficient in terms of technology and then is able to sell and export those products and services that are based on the technology, then that would be a huge bump to its economy, because [that] is a key driver certainly of the U.S. GDP now," Kapron said. The U.S. economy will keep growing but without spurts through 2030, Kapron predicts. China has a "huge base of engineers," albeit less creativity than it needs to foster the "zany ideas" that drive development of new technology, said Douglas McWilliams, founder and executive deputy chairman of CEBR. Consumer Spending Domestic spending has driven most of China's economic growth before 2021 as the country reduced its exposure to the world in view of the Sino-U.S. trade dispute, McKinsey & Co. says in its China consumer report 2021. Supply chains have "matured and localized, and its innovation capabilities were enhanced" in turn, McKinsey & Co says. That trend is likely to continue despite hits to income under lockdowns during the first year of COVID-19, analysts say. China's population exceeds that of the United States by 3.5 times, though American consumers are wealthier on average. "In the past five years, domestic consumption has... become a more significant growth driver as China's domestic consumer market has grown dramatically in size," said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist with IHS Markit. Beijing's leadership "aims to create more than 11 million new urban jobs and expand domestic demand and effective investment," the official Xinhua News Agency said in mid-2021. Those measures, it said, "are expected to put the economy firmly back to pre-pandemic vibrancy." What If China Overtakes U.S. Economy? Status as the world's largest economy does not confer any automatic advantages over others, economists said, but countries dependent on the Chinese economy would take note. "There is no gold medal or anything like that," CEBR's McWilliams told VOA. "But when you've got more money to spend, you do have the ability to influence things, and China will have that ability to influence things." China would be better placed, he said, to advance its Belt and Road Initiative, a 9-year-old effort aimed at building land and sea trade routes through Asia, Europe and Africa in the form of infrastructure projects and investments. Officials in Beijing are already leveraging their economy in disputes with other countries, said Roy of the East-West Center. China vies with four Southeast Asian governments over maritime sovereignty, contests a group of islets with Japan and has gotten into territorial standoffs with India since 2017. "The result of that expectation (China surpassing the United States economically) has been a bolder PRC (People's Republic of China) foreign policy that seeks to settle regional disputes in China's favor and to de-legitimize U.S. regional and global leadership under the assumption that China is destined to set the new rules of international relations," Roy said. Add swim diapers to the list of issues that can get turned into a federal case. A Boynton Beach family is suing their condo board over what they say is a rule barring children from using the community pool while wearing swim diapers. Advertisement Swim diapers are a snug-fitting lightweight alternative to disposable or cloth diapers, which become heavy like anchors when wet. According to the website SwimOutlet.com, swim diapers are meant to be used only in the pool or ocean to make sure that your little ones bum is covered and contained. Advertisement But if banning them in a community pool prevents a child from using that pool, swim diapers can also become a symbol of the fight against discrimination. [ RELATED: State panel rescinds support for fired company presidents antisemitism claim ] A federal lawsuit filed Monday in West Palm Beach names as plaintiffs grandparents Jack Yeager and Simone Yeager, owners of a home in Hunters Run Country Club, their son David Yeager and his wife Nicole Fisher. The suit describes the following series of events: David and Nicole were visiting the grandparents in December 2018 when they brought their then-19-month-old daughter to the main clubhouse swimming pool. Supervised by her parents and wearing a swim diaper, the child placed her feet in the clubhouse pool. A Hunters Run employee approached the parents and demanded that the child be removed from the clubhouse pool. Children in swim diapers, the employee said, are only allowed to use the kiddie pool. A Hunters Run board member confirmed that children wearing swim diapers had been removed from the pool previously, the suit states. The suit claims that Hunters Run violated anti-discrimination ordinances in Palm Beach County as well as the federal Fair Housing Act, which bars discrimination against families with children under 18. Advertisement [ RELATED: Deaf ex-employee wins $775,000 in discrimination case against Costco in Pompano Beach ] Hunters Runs rules pertaining to the clubhouse pool have a disparate and unreasonable impact on children, the suit claims. Banning children in swim diapers from using the clubhouse pool is also unreasonable and not motivated by legitimate concerns for health and safety reasons, it adds. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, attorneys costs, a finding that a discriminatory practice occurred, and an order barring Hunters Run from enforcing the ban in the future. It stems from a complaint filed with the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity. Pamela Guerrier, director of the office, said she could not discuss pending litigation. The Yeagers attorney also declined to discuss the case, and the general manager of Hunters Run did not return a phone call to his office on Tuesday. Typically, discrimination lawsuits move forward after a local, state or federal civil rights investigative agency determines that a court is likely to agree that discrimination occurred. [ RELATED: Convicted felon says hes fighting unfair housing. Landlords say hes in it for the money. ] Discrimination based on familial or family status is a legal landmine that multifamily housing developments often struggle to avoid, said attorneys for the firm Becker & Poliakoff, which specializes in issues involving community associations. Advertisement Its common for us to tell clients about this sort of issue, said David Muller, who practices community association law in the firms Sarasota office. A lot of times they say, I really have to be concerned about this? And we say, Its very real. His colleague JoAnn Burnett, who specializes in fair housing issues at the firms Fort Lauderdale office, said associations and landlords need to tailor their rules to find the least restrictive means to accomplish whatever they are seeking to accomplish. She added, If the goal is to have a swimming pool thats free of feces or urine, the least restrictive way to do that is to require someone who is incontinent or not trained, to wear waterproof undergarments or swim diapers. Other examples of potential familial discrimination would include barring child under 12 from using a community pool, prohibiting children under 16 from using an exercise room, or setting an occupancy limit that would be breached when a mother gives birth, she said. But there is one way that children can be barred from using any community facility, she said, with or without swim diapers and regardless of age: Build a 55-and-older community. Theyre permitted to exclude everyone else. Advertisement Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com. The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on Tuesday averted what could have resulted into a bloody et... The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on Tuesday averted what could have resulted into a bloody ethnic showdown between Hausa and Yoruba at the popular Mandate Market in Ilorin, the state capital. It was gathered that there was palpable tension when an Hausa man allegedly stabbed a Yoruba man in the head and mouth as the two argued over sales of sugarcane. According to a statement signed by the spokesman of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in the State Babawale Zaid Afolabi, it took the timely arrival of the NSCDC operatives and other security personnel to prevent what could have resulted into a bloody ethnic clash. Security has also been beefed up around the market premises to prevent any reprisal and possible breakdown of law and order. Spokesman of the defence corps, said We got a distress call on Tuesday that there was a clash between Yoruba and Hausa at Mandate market and we quickly mobilized our men to the scene in order to prevent total breakdown of law and other. Reports said trouble started when a Yoruba man reportedly bought a sugarcane worth N50 naira from one Hausa seller but found out that the sugarcane was not sweet. The Yoruba mans request to change the sugarcane did not go down well with the Hausa man. The Hausa man allegedly stabbed the Yoruba man and this resulted in a free-for-all between Hausa and Yoruba inside the market. The Yoruba man who sustained minor knife injury was taken to the cottage hospital where he is responding to treatment. There is currently a large presence of security personnel in and around the market premises to prevent any form of reprisal or further breakdown of law and order. The NSCDC Commandant in the state ,Iskilu Ayinla Makinde, has ordered 24 hours surveillance and presence of our armed plain cloth personnel around the market premises and all the flash points have also been identified and necessary actions have been taken, the spokesman added. A new Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, has emerged after a 27-year battle to fill the vacant stoo... A new Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, has emerged after a 27-year battle to fill the vacant stool. It was learnt that the last Orimolusi, Oba Sani Adetayo, died in May 1994 and since then, the stool had been without an occupant due to disputes over who would succeed him. The protracted crisis was between the nine contestants from the same Ojuronmi Ruling House, whose turn it was to produce the next king. However, respite came on Tuesday when the kingmakers of the community elected Prince Lawrence Jayeola Adebajo, as the Orimolusi-elect. It was gathered that Adebajo polled six votes to defeat his closest rival, Prince Soliu Sadiku, who had four votes. The State government on Wednesday said an Oba-elect for the stool of the Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo had emerged. The State government said the emergence followed the voting of 10 out of the 11 warrant chiefs it appointed to elect candidates for the vacant stool. The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Afolabi Afuape, made this known while fielding questions from journalists shortly after presenting certificate and staff of office to the Alale of Moriwi, Oba Olusegun Taiwo, in Imeko/Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State. Afuape said that, an Oba-elect has emerged as Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo, but added that he has not got details of the process that led to the emergence. He said, The information that got to me yesterday (Tuesday) is that, at the election, the chiefs voted and I think an Oba-elect actually emerged. When I get to the Office, I will get you more details. But for now, there is an Ob-elect. Zamfara State police command says its joint tactical operatives have rescued 97 kidnapped victims, including pregnant women and some childre... Zamfara State police command says its joint tactical operatives have rescued 97 kidnapped victims, including pregnant women and some children. Addressing newsmen at the State Police command in Gusau, the State capital, the commissioner of police, Mr. Ayuba Elkanah said it was as a result of an extensive pressure mounted in an ongoing military operation around the camp of a notorious bandits kingpin, known as Bello Turji that covers Shinkafi, Zurmi and Birnin Magaji Local Government Areas. According to him, Police Tactical operatives deployed at Shinkafi axis received an intelligence report that some kidnapped victims were seen stranded in the bush. He said that the Police operatives, in collaboration with genuine repentant bandits and vigilante, swung into action and rescued sixty-eight victims from the forest. The victims were in captivity for over three months and they include 33 male adult, 7 male children, 3 female children and 25 women including pregnant/nursing mothers respectively. The victims are from Magarya, Maradun, Gusau of Zamfara State and Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, he said. Continuing, the commissioner explained that Police Tactical operatives deployed to Tsafe axis acted on intelligence report and stormed Kunchin Kalgo forest in Tsafe Local Government Area and rescued twenty-nine kidnapped victims, unconditionally. Mr. Elkanah further stated that the victims were abducted for over 60 days from three villages, namely: Adarawa, Gana and Bayawuri in Rijiya district of Gusau Local Government Area, stressing that they include 25 female, among whom are pregnant, nursing mothers and four male children, which he said were abducted by a bandits kingpin, Ado Aleru. All the rescued victims are currently receiving medical treatment from the joint medical teams of the State Government and the Police. They will be debriefed, handed over to the State Government before being reunited with their families, he stated. Fort Lauderdale Imagine a beach without butts cigarette butts, that is. It could happen, depending on state legislators. Advertisement Under current Florida law, only legislators can ban smoking in public places. But that might change if a new bill gets signed into law that lets cities make the call on whether they want to ban smoking at the beach or public parks. Officials in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and other coastal cities have griped for years about not being able to ban smoking at their own beaches. Advertisement On Wednesday night, Fort Lauderdale commissioners are expected to approve a resolution urging all state legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis to support the bill. Joe Gruters, a senator from Sarasota, has been trying to get the bill passed for years now. A companion bill will come before the Florida House of Representatives. The bill has died before, Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Heather Moraitis said. Hopefully it gets traction this year. Thousands of people flock to Fort Lauderdale's beach on Saturday to celebrate New Year's Day. A proposed bill coming before the state Legislature this year would let cities ban smoking at the beach. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel) Critics complain about cigarette butts winding up in the ocean, blown by the wind. Many more get left behind in the sand. And then theres the smell. To nonsmokers, it all adds up to an unwelcome assault on the senses. Fort Lauderdale resident Paula Yukna says she heads the other way whenever she gets a whiff of the stuff on her daily beach walks. One lifeguard gets there before me and hes shown me all the cigarette butts, she said. Me, I would ban it all over the world. Im anti-smoke. Ban it. Fort Lauderdales resolution ticks off stats explaining why a smoking ban might be a good idea: About 34 million adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, exposing an estimated 58 million nonsmokers to secondhand smoke. Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths a year. That includes 41,000 people whose deaths were caused by their exposure to secondhand smoke. [ RELATED: Fear of lawsuit snuffs out Hollywood's proposed smoking ban at beach, parks ] Hollywood: Would-be rebels Dick Blattner pushed for a beach-wide smoking ban in Hollywood five years ago when he was on the city commission. In the end, his colleagues squashed the idea, saying they were worried about running afoul of state law. Advertisement The city attorney advised us not to go against the state, Blattner said. We should have said were going to do it anyway. If we did it and the state slapped our hands, we would have been no worse for doing it. The ban would have made Hollywood the first city in South Florida to snuff out cigarettes, cigars and tobacco pipes at the beach, Hollywood officials said at the time. Under the proposed ban, people caught smoking at the beach would have faced fines from $50 to $200. Smokers who lit up at a city park or playground would have faced even steeper fines starting at $500. A crowd at Fort Lauderdale beach on New Year's Day, some with cigarettes in hand. Smoking ban advocates say butts litter the sand and smoke damages the oceanside experience. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel) Smoke in your face Deerfield Beach is also no stranger to the topic of a smoking ban. Its come up many times, Deerfield Beach Mayor Bill Ganz said. Its been a hot topic for a lot of residents over the years. The cigarette butts in the sand are just absolutely terrible and it makes it hard to enjoy the beach when you have people right next to you smoking. When it does come up, Ganz says he lets residents know the city is hamstrung. Advertisement The ruling on that is really out of our hands, Ganz said. Its in the states hands. But if that ever changes, Ganz predicts Deerfield Beach might be one of the cities lining up to prohibit smoking at the beach. [ RELATED: 'No smoking' signs in Hollywood 'not working,' beachgoers say ] Theres just one possible problem with a ban. Enforcement is going to be tricky, Ganz said. Its great to have it on the books but it makes things tough if you cant enforce it. Im sure theres a way we can come up with something that makes sense. I know there would be a lot of residents happy to hear this coming down the pipeline. Bobby Lieberman, an anti-smoking advocate who left Hollywood for Fort Lauderdale in 2015, has been urging both cities to pass a ban for years. There wouldnt be any butts if people stopped smoking, he said. If the cities banned smoking on the beach, it would be the best thing. It would be wonderful. Advertisement Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan Watertown, NY (13601) Today Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 62F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. The Louisiana State Police detective who claimed that agency brass blocked his efforts to seek criminal charges against at least one trooper in the fatal May 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene has put in for retirement. Sgt. Albert Paxton, who recently testified before a legislative committee seeking answers over the State Police response to Greene's brutal beating and death, confirmed that he'd submitted his retirement papers on Monday, but declined to comment further. Paxton's retirement, slated to begin Feb. 3, was first reported Tuesday by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. It comes as federal prosecutors are poised to ask a federal grand jury to bring charges against one or more troopers who were involved in Greene's arrest on a Union Parish roadway after a high-speed chase, sources say. Greene's mother, Mona Hardin, has said that the state agency told family members that Greene, who was unarmed, died from the impact of the crash. Body-cam video later revealed a violent encounter with troopers who tased, beat and forced the Black motorist prone on his belly. A 13-year State Police veteran, Paxton, 46, claimed in a report that Lt. John Clary, the ranking officer at the scene of Greene's arrest, withheld his body camera footage from the investigator. In leaked notes, Paxton claimed that State Police leaders stymied his push to arrest Master Trooper Christopher Hollingsworth over his actions during the deadly encounter, which appeared to include turning off his body-worn and dashboard cameras. Hollingsworth was one of first two troopers to reach Greene after a high-speed chase and crash. Hollingsworth, who allegedly beat and repeatedly tased an unarmed Greene, died last year in a single-vehicle wreck after learning he would be fired over his actions that night. In his notes, Paxton claimed that former State Police Superintendent Kevin Reeves, who later retired, waved off the idea of charging Hollingsworth, describing Greene's violent arrest as "awful but lawful." Paxton himself was brought up for disciplinary investigation on Aug. 12 for "dissemination of information to an unauthorized source without proper authority." At a hearing last month before the Senate Select Committee on State Police Oversight, Paxton said he was faulted specifically for having his wife, an attorney, proofread his reports. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "I'm being investigated because I won't participate in a coverup and I won't lie," he testified. Greene's death became another flashpoint in a national reckoning over police violence against Black people after body-cam footage showed him screaming "I'm sorry" and "I'm scared" after troopers opened the door of his car and tased him before he exited. Federal authorities have launched a series of criminal civil rights investigations into several beatings of Black motorists by troopers working out of Troop F in the northeast corner of the state. Allegations of a coverup over the circumstances of Greene's death have left the state's premier law enforcement agency, now led by Col. Lamar Davis, mired in scandal. Meanwhile, Trooper Carl Cavalier who leaked Paxton's notes and publicly decried racism within State Police during several media interviews last year, faces termination for his actions. He received a letter dated Oct. 8 that informed him of the decision, listing several policy violations, including seeking publicity, dissemination of information and public statements. But he remains on paid administrative leave pending receipt of an official termination letter. Critics bemoan discipline for Black trooper who leaked Ronald Greene files, ripped State Police When protests erupted following the 2016 fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana State Police Trooper Carl Cavalier In addition to the interviews, Cavalier wrote a fictional book based on his experiences as a Black Louisiana state trooper and leaked internal agency records, including notes Paxton kept about the Ronald Greene case. He was previously issued a five-week unpaid suspension for publishing the book. In the midst of his discipline cases, Cavalier sued the department in September claiming racial discrimination, which he said began in 2018 after he issued a ticket to a narcotics officer with the Houma Police Department. He met with Davis, the Black agency superintendent, in February 2021 about the alleged ongoing discrimination, Cavalier wrote in his complaint. He said Davis promised to investigate the claims and gave him a book recommendation, saying it could help Cavalier "deal with the ongoing racism," the complaint says. The book he recommended was "Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great" by Joshua Medcalf, which is about a boy becoming a samurai warrior. IDEA Oscar Dunn charter school, which opened in New Orleans less than three years ago, will close at the end of the 2021-2022 school year in May amid declining student enrollment citywide, according to an announcement from the NOLA Public Schools district. The school is the second NOLA Public Schools district charter school this week that officials have said will close due to low enrollment. On Monday, FirstLine Schools announced it would close Live Oak Academy. Both announcements come weeks after a study showed the citys schools enroll about 47,000 students but have roughly 3,000 open seats. Schools are funded on a per-pupil basis and empty seats can strain school budgets. The IDEA charter network is a national group that operates in several cities. The group opened its first school in New Orleans in fall 2019 meaning Oscar Dunn, located on Hayne Boulevard, has operated through three pandemic-affected school years. As COVID-19 cases were detected in the state in the spring of 2020, Gov. John Bel Edwards shuttered schools statewide and students ended the school year learning from home. Because of that shift, state testing was canceled and no state performance scores were issued. That fall, students resumed in-person schooling part way into the fall semester. Students took state standardized tests last spring but the state school board declined to issue official performance scores, arguing the pandemic had a substantial impact on learning. State officials did issue what they called simulated school performance scores, rather than formal letter grades. Under the statewide scale, however, Dunns score would have earned the school an F. The K-8 schools website says enrollment is 522 students, but state data from an enrollment count taken in October shows just 342 students. Live Oak had a similar enrollment shortfall. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Dunn is located in the old Frances Gaudet school on Hayne Boulevard in New Orleans East. The building was previously occupied by Lake Forest Elementary Charter School which moved into a new school building. Ken Campbell, executive director of the IDEA charter networks Southeast Louisiana group, said low enrollment and the buildings age both factored into the decision to close. Our entire team was compelled by the data that New Schools for New Orleans and district released publicly in early December that talked about the overcapacity challenges we have in New Orleans public schools. It certainly doesnt seem to be getting any better, Campbell said. Campbell said the school will work with families to help find new schools for their students. New Orleans charter schools expanded rapidly over the past 15 years as the city recovered from Hurricane Katrina, and in particular over the last decade, when officials expected a much larger population increase than what materialized. The expansion included the opening of dozens of new charter schools. Now, officials say, many schools are under enrolled. NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said closures and consolidations or reductions in grade sizes may be necessary to ensure the all-charter districts schools can continue operating sustainably and with extracurricular activities. We know these decisions were not easy to reach, and I greatly appreciate First Line and IDEA for their commitment to putting students first and foremost, Lewis said in a statement released Tuesday. The Louisiana Childrens Museum's longtime executive director, Julia Bland, has been placed on leave amid an investigation into a wide-ranging complaint alleging mistreatment of employees, particularly those of color, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. The nonprofit museum has hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations, which reached several museum board members a few weeks ago in a letter from a former employee who recently left the museum. Among the allegations, two of the sources said, are that a member of Blands executive staff asked about the immigration status of workers with Empire, the museums garbage contractor; and that concerns about patrons touching museum gallery attendants in a sexual manner fell on deaf ears. Those allegations, among several lodged by the former employee, are from 2021. The investigation also is addressing complaints from 2020 that set off an eruption among staff members at the museum. Several former employees said Bland failed to address a host of complaints alleging racial bias in the hiring, promotion and treatment of employees. Former staff members described tensions boiling over as protests roiled the country in the wake of George Floyds death under a police officers knee in Minneapolis. Many staffers viewed Bland and the museum as too slow in issuing a public statement against racial injustice, and slower still to implement other changes sought by employees. "It was definitely a delay longer than staff felt comfortable," said one former staff member. "The statement was kind of the minimum they could have done. They didn't really take any actions that were visible to staff beyond that statement." +16 Louisiana Childrens Museum reopens with beloved exhibits, outdoor space and safety rules The Boggs sisters had a busy Sunday afternoon. Standing on step stools for a boost in height, Scarlett, 4, and Harley, 5, tapped cash register Former staff members said Bland repeatedly pushed off their call for a meeting to air their grievances. When the meeting happened, in June 2020, Bland and then-board president Scott Zander were presented with testimonials alleging mistreatment or racial bias, along with a litany of demands. Bland stalled over making changes, several former employees said, before the museum soon laid off nearly its entire staff in a response to the pandemic. Museum officials declined to confirm an investigation or Blands job status, but they acknowledged that Lauren Clay, the museums chief operating officer, is serving as its interim CEO. Bland remains listed as CEO on the museums Web site. In an email, the boards president, Colleen Levy, declined to answer questions about Bland or the allegations, citing a longstanding policy of not discussing personnel matters in a public forum. Bland, 70, has led the museum for more than two decades, guiding its move in 2019 to a new, $46 million campus in City Park after 30 years on Julia Street in the Central Business District. Reached by phone this week, Bland declined to discuss her job status, saying, Im not able to answer that question before she hung up on a reporter. She did not respond to a subsequent message. Zander was among several museum board members who declined to comment. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The museum took in nearly $14 million in revenue in 2019, according to its latest available tax filing. Most of it $9 million came from government grants. Blands pay was listed at $100,000 in the tax records. Employees of Acorn, a Dickie Brennan cafe in the museum, also have been contacted as part of the investigation, sources said. Among three dozen board members listed on the museums website are at-large City Councilman-elect JP Morrell and Walt Leger III, the former state representative who is slated to lead New Orleans & Co., the citys tourism and marketing agency. Morrell declined to comment. Leger referred questions to Levy. Bland was placed on leave soon after board members received the former employees complaint, which catalogued a variety of alleged racism at the museum. Several former museum staff members, each of whom spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity out of fear of losing their current jobs or work prospects, said few on the museum staff of about 30 were people of color. The museums small contingent of Black employees shrank further with the 2019 move to City Park. Levy, the board president, declined to detail diversity on the museums staff, saying that too was considered a personnel matter. Museum workers claimed in 2020 that Black workers were disparaged and received harsher punishment for menial mistakes than White employees. Racial tensions came to a head at the museum after employees pressed for Bland to issue a strong endorsement of the Black Lives Matter movement on social media, among other demands. A large number of staff members expressed they did not feel comfortable returning to work given the museums silence, said one former employee. They just wanted to have a meeting with the CEO to express staff concerns. After the meeting, the museum posted a message on its Web site that described intentional, institutional racism and declared that the museum must be a much stronger part of the solution. It added: Black lives matter. But Bland failed to act on a list of demands signed by 17 museum employees, former museum workers said. They wanted a moderated open forum for staff to air their concerns and for the museum to hire an independent human resources person, launch racial equality training and form a diversity committee. It was just pushback after pushback, said another former employee. Little happened before the museum laid off nearly everyone in August 2020. Some were rehired beginning in early 2021. Former employees blamed leadership, along with low pay, for high staff turnover. One former employee described a consistent disregard for peoples mental health and general well-being that went beyond race. Shes a hero to people, a martyr to people, said one former employee of Bland. Why does this happy place make everybody feel completely oppressed who works there? The Louisiana Children's Museum in New Orleans is once again requiring masks for everyone 2 and older, including those who are vaccinated against COVID. The change in masking policy comes amid an uptick in COVID cases in Louisiana that officials are saying is from the delta variant and low vaccination rates in the state. Masks are required for staff members and visitors to the relatively new museum in New Orleans City Park. "Our team made this important decision after consulting with infectious disease pediatricians and physicians, who are tracking the data for increased cases due to the delta variant," the museum said in a statement. Masks are optional at the museum's outdoor exhibits, according a press release from officials. The museum has been closed for most of the pandemic. It reopened at the end of May, with additional safety protocols in place. Everyone, including members, must reserve timed-entry tickets in advance to enter the museum. Read more about the museum's health policies. The Archdiocese of New Orleans has dropped a mask mandate for its Catholic schools in Orleans Parish, prompting questions and anger from some parents and health experts about whether it made sense to change the rule during the current surge in coronavirus cases. In a letter sent to parents Monday, Superintendent RaeNell Houston said that the quarantine and isolation policies in New Orleans Catholic schools for children and staff exposed to COVID-19 meet new city criteria that would allow the schools to end mask rules. She noted that children could still wear masks and that individual schools could also establish mandates "based on the number of infections and exposures." The change comes as childrens hospitals have seen a rise in COVID-19 admissions while the highly-infectious omicron variant surges across the state. The number of people in hospitals currently is still much lower than earlier in the pandemic. But with daily case counts rising to the highest levels yet, health experts have warned that omicron could strain Louisiana's health care system even if it ends up being milder that other variants, as some studies have indicated. The number of new cases during Louisiana's fifth wave are rising at an unprecedented rate, with 22 times as many infections reported over the last week as one month ago. Another 120 patients were hospitalized with COVID on Monday, according the data from the Louisiana Department of Health, bringing the total to 1,226. Hospitalizations have more than doubled over the last week. Christine Manalla thought there had been a mistake when she got the email from her sixth grade son's school Monday morning. "I really did, for a second, think, 'This school has been hacked,'" said Manalla, whose son attends Holy Name of Jesus School. In contrast, her daughter's New Orleans public school sent out a letter that suggested students should try to find higher-quality masks, such as an N95. "Everywhere else is not only wear a mask, but wear better masks," said Manalla. "It just was shocking, that all of a sudden, you don't have to wear a mask with no real justification." Archdiocese spokesperson Sarah McDonald said the change came after the city updated its website to say that schools can drop the mask mandate if they follow quarantine and isolation rules. That put the city in step with the Louisiana Department of Healths current policy. +2 Louisiana COVID cases reach new multi-day record in wake of Christmas, New Year's holidays Louisiana health officials on Monday reported the largest multiday increase in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, as the highl Though the city tweaked its stated rules, city health officials said the archdioceses interpretation of the new requirements goes against recent recommendations from the state health department. Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department, pointed out that NOLA-Public Schools have not dropped its mask mandate in fact, the public school system added an outdoor mask mandate and has required vaccination for students ages five and up. Unfortunately, the Catholic schools and some of the private schools have taken this carte blanche to lift their mask mandate, said Avegno. They're choosing to interpret this to the least restrictive level possible, which is also the least safe. The city changed its guidance to be aligned with the LDH, which enacted a similar policy in October. Health news in your inbox Reporter Emily Woodruff shares weekly updates and insights on local health news, including COVID coverage and medical research. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up On Dec. 30, the state recommended universal masking indoors and outdoors when social distancing is not possible in schools, citing the rise in cases due to omicron. The state also recommended suspending extracurricular activities and getting kids vaccinated, boosted and tested before returning to school. Mask policies have become a lightning rod in many school districts, including in Louisiana. Studies have shown that wearing a face covering is an effective way to slow the spread of the virus when people gather. But some groups are protesting the rules, and in some cases have threatened local officials for keeping them in place. St. Tammany, Jefferson and other suburban parishes do not have mask requirements in their public schools. The isolation and quarantine requirements in New Orleans' Roman Catholic schools call for infected people to stay home for five days and wear a mask for another five days, according to McDonald. Those who were exposed to someone with COVID-19 must do the same if unvaccinated. Vaccinated students and staff exposed to an infected person do not have to quarantine but must wear a mask for 10 days and take a test on day five. The state health department says a child who was exposed does not need to quarantine if masks were used consistently in the school setting. The department recommends a 10-day quarantine in settings where masks are not used. A letter from St. Mary's Dominican High School sent to parents on Tuesday said school officials are still encouraging their students to wear masks, noting that many continued to do so. The school will reevaluate the situation weekly, according to the letter. Ali Bustamante, parent to a 5- and 8-year-old at Holy Name of Jesus School, took his sons out of school for the week after reading the letter. He and his wife, who works at the school, are taking the next week to explore other options. "Were just extremely concerned," said Bustamante, who added that one of his sons has a kidney condition and he worried for other kids and parents who are immunocompromised. "Were seeing the highest infection rates ever." The lifting of the mandate comes as admissions to Childrens Hospitals for COVID-19 are increasing. As of Monday, 14 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 at Childrens Hospital New Orleans. Before the omicron surge, the number was typically between zero and two, according to staff. Three of those children all under the age of two are in the ICU. Health care workers who have seen emergency rooms inundated and COVID-19 admissions spike over the last week said it is a bad time to drop the mask mandate. Not only as a pediatrician but also as a parent, that makes me really nervous, said Dr. John Schieffelin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Childrens Hospital New Orleans. Right now were just seeing so many cases. Childrens Hospital had over 170 of its own employees out for quarantine at the start of this week. Staff and students without masks may cause similar shortages and absences. By dropping that mask mandate, were really setting ourselves up for more disease, more kids missing school and teachers not being able to work, said Schieffelin. New Orleans police Sgt. Anthony Edenfield won his job back Tuesday, a year after being fired for "racially insensitive" social media posts in the wake of George Floyd's murder. The Civil Service Commission downgraded Edenfield's firing to an 80-day suspension. Commissioners found that "the penalty of termination is not commensurate with the infraction." Superintendent Shaun Ferguson is "disappointed" by the ruling. The City Attorney is reviewing the case regarding an appeal of this decision, according to the NOPD. Commissioners reviewed the homicide division supervisor's Facebook posts from May and June 2020, during nationwide protests against police brutality after the Minneapolis police murder of Floyd. One post called the daughter of Bill de Blasio, New York City's mayor at the time, this trash bi---, after she was arrested at a protest in Manhattan. Another comment, on an article aggregating a news story about a man who was run over and killed by a FedEx truck during a night of protests in St. Louis, read in part, these idiots want to act like animals ... I am running them over and shooting if lethal force were my only way out. The asshole under the truck got what he deserved." Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up A 20-year New Orleans police veteran, Edenfield argued that his social media pages weren't linked to his occupation. He said he made the posts under duress, because his 11-year-old daughter was worried about him given recent attacks on police officers. He cited a meme he'd shared reading "There's only one race" and his comment "I don't care what you look like..." as evidence of his lack of racial bias. Ferguson said he did not consider any mitigating factors, which included Edenfield's "20-year work history with no discipline, his emotional state at the time and earlier posts supportive of racial harmony," Civil Service commissioners stated. They concluded these factors led Ferguson to "improperly aggravate the penalty from an 80-day suspension to a termination." Edenfield will be reinstated with back wages. New Orleans police received word of a bomb threat at Xavier University around 3 p.m. Tuesday. According to the NOPD, a suspect called Xavier University Police Department and said he was planting bombs on campus. He also threatened to shoot up the campus. NOPD and Xavier Police Department evacuated the university. A search yielded no signs of bombs, NOPD said. The university was one of at least seven bomb threats reported Tuesday at historically black colleges and universities around the country, according to reporting by the Associated Press. A Xavier representative said officials were not at liberty to discuss the bomb scare. No other information was immediately available. DELRAY BEACH A boat of unknown origin washed ashore on Delray Beach on Tuesday near a popular bar. Within 24 hours, it became a small-scale attraction for locals and tourists, a selfie photo backdrop. Advertisement The green boat draped with a green tarp has the name Los MA etched into it. The small vessel is dug into the sand as it leans to one side on the beach just north of Atlantic Avenue. Advertisement A boat came ashore Tuesday in Delray Beach and became a source of curiosity for locals and tourists. The boat is located on the beach near Sandbar, the popular bar/restaurant located on State Road A1A. (Joe Cavaretta) Its not far from a well-known Delray Beach bar, Sandbar, located on State Road A1A. Talk about Valet your boat, said Tom Judge, a retired Delray Beach police officer who was walking the beach with his daughter Wednesday. Officials were still investigating the circumstances of the boats grounding; it was discovered at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday at 800 S. Ocean Boulevard. A possible migrant boat came ashore Tuesday in Delray Beach, not far from Sandbar, the popular bar/restaurant located on State Road A1A. The boat has lured beach walkers for photos for about 24 hours. (Joe Cavaretta) A group of 29 Haitian migrants came ashore in Delray Beach in May in a suspected smuggling operation. The 45-foot fishing boat they used for the journey was left on the beach. The suspected smugglers werent found. As of Wednesday afternoon, Delray Beach police werent sure whether the boat was used by illegal immigrants, was part of a smuggling operation or something else. The case was handled by the U.S. Coast Guard and National Response Team. A Belle Chasse man accused of being drunk and high when he slammed into the back of a minivan, killing 9-year-old Abby Douglas, has pleaded not guilty in the case. The Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office formally charged Wendell Lachney, 58, with vehicular homicide, first-degree negligent injuring, reckless operation of a vehicle, possession of marijuana, possession of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle and driving without a seat belt, according to Jefferson Parish court records. Lachney was arraigned Dec. 29 in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court. He remains jailed at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on a $1 million bond. Abby was riding on the third row of the minivan headed south on Belle Chasse Highway in unincorporated Gretna on the night of Oct. 22. Sarah Douglas, Abby's mother and the van's driver, was stopped at the intersection of Lapalco Boulevard when Lachney rear-ended the vehicle, according to State Police. He was traveling between 60 and 75 mph when he hit the van, crushing the back of the vehicle, authorities said. Lachney's blood alcohol content was 0.22%, more than double the 0.08%-legal limit after hours of drinking Jack Daniels whiskey, according to prosecutors. And Lachney also admitted smoking marijuana on the day of the crash, authorities said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Abby was taken to the hospital, but she died of her injuries two days later. Her organs were donated to save the lives of others. Lachney was arrested on the night of the crash and booked with negligent injuring and other traffic charges. But he was released the next day on a $50,000 bond, a fact that frustrated and angered Abby's relatives and friends. After Abby's death, State Police obtained a vehicular homicide warrant for Lachney. Authorities took him into custody Nov. 1 at an Abita Springs medical facility that provides substance abuse treatment, according to court records and the business's website. +2 In shooting death of 7-year-old Dillan Burton, Crimestoppers increases reward for information Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans has increased the reward for information in the shooting death of 7-year-old Dillan Burton to $5,000. Prosecutors successfully asked the court to increase Lachney's bond to $1 million, arguing that he was a danger to the community with at least two previous DUI convictions in St. John the Baptist Parish and Washington state. If convicted of vehicular homicide, the most serious charge Lachney faces, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison. Lachney returns to court Feb. 23 for a status hearing. A car crash in St. Bernard Parish early Wednesday morning claimed the life of a New Orleans motorist and left his passenger hospitalized with critical injuries, State Police said. Johnathan M. Franklin, 35, was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-vehicle wreck, which occurred about 3:30 a.m. on West Judge Perez Drive near Center Street in Arabi, authorities said. The fatal crash in Arabi was one of two in the New Orleans area Wednesday. A man was killed in a wreck Wednesday morning near Interstate 610 in the St. Roch area, New Orleans police said. His name has not been released. Vehicle crashes kill drivers in Algiers, Braithwaite, Louisiana State Police say State Police are investigating separate crashes that left two drivers dead and another in critical condition on Monday. Franklin was speeding while driving west in a 2012 Volkswagen Passat west in the right lane of the thoroughfare, State Police said. Franklin hit a tree in the median after losing control of the vehicle. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Neither Franklin nor his passenger were wearing seat belts, State Police said. The passenger was taken to the hospital. Toxicology testing will be conducted. In the New Orleans crash, the wreck was reported to police at 7:11 a.m. at Benefit and Allen streets (map), near where North Broad Street splits by the interstate. A man was driving north on Benefit Street in a Dodge pickup truck when police said he left the roadway near the I-610 on-ramp for unknown reasons. The truck went several feet before crashing into a pole and then flipping. The truck ended up under the elevated portion of the highway. Anyone with information is asked to call NOPD traffic fatality investigator Edgar Edwards at 504-658-6208. An effort to rename a Covington neighborhood "Uptown" has been put on hold. Covington City Council member Peter Lewis, who represents the council's District A, which includes the historic and predominantly Black West 30s area, sought the new name as a way to "rebrand" the area. Noting that the West 30s carries a negative connotation to some people, Lewis authored a resolution last year seeking to name the area "Uptown." Lewis said that there's still an "invisible line" between the West 30s neighborhood and the rest of Covington. "It's an attempt to bring positive rebranding to District A, positive growth both public and private," Lewis, who is Black, said at a community meeting Monday evening. "When I'm trying to sell my community -- whether its affordable homes, business, education, on the job training -- the minute I say West 30s the door closes." The West 30s area for years has struggled with inadequate housing and crime and many residents live near or below the poverty line. The city has taken steps over the years to rehabilitate the area, said Covington Mayor Mark Johnson, including increasing litter cleanups and cracking down on illegal dumping, building more affordable and safe housing and increasing police presence. But a possible name change drew some concern. In a letter emailed to City Council members, former Council member Frances Dunn said she worried a name change would undermine the work that organizations, including the West 30s Redemption Company, have done. Dunn, a District A resident for over 73 years, wrote that she has seen the area called a number of names over the years, including the derogatory "Negro Quarters" and "Other Side of the Tracks." But, she told council members, changing the neighborhood is most important. "What difference will a new name make ... if we don't do more to help change the mindset of the people of the neighborhood?" she wrote. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up At its meeting in December, Lewis told the City Council that he had held community meetings and worked with the local chapter of the NAACP to come up with a name that referenced the area's geographic relation to downtown Covington. The resolution asked the city government to refer to the area as Uptown, rather than West 30s. Is this infringing upon free speech in any shape or form if were telling somebody you have to call it this or you have to call it that? asked council member John Botsford. Other council members asked Lewis to hold another community meeting so they could hear residents' thoughts about the potential name change. But no residents showed up to that meeting Monday at the council's chambers. Instead, council members discussed the name change and in the end agreed to call the area by its official name, District A. But they would not adopt a resolution to bar use of the term West 30s. Lewis planned to ask Johnson's administration to also call it District A. Lewis said he sees the name change as a first step in rebranding his district. He also plans to hold job and resource fairs for residents and bring back a community center, among other things. Johnson said he worried that residents of District A would think his administration viewed the name change as a solution to all the problems the city faces. Lewis said in an interview on Tuesday that his initiative was "never an attempt to take away the things that they did under the name West 30s." "This is not an attempt to erase history," he said. "My point is to bring attention to the greater problems we have in Covington. It's deeper than just put more cops out there -- we need to think outside the box." New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has fired a senior administration official who crashed his pickup truck while allegedly driving drunk in the French Quarter and telling police they would regret arresting him. Peter Bowen, a deputy chief administrative officer overseeing short-term rentals, was dismissed from his post Tuesday, City Hall spokesperson Beau Tidwell said. He had been suspended without pay since his December arrest. In firing Bowen, a former general manager at Sonder Holdings Inc., one of the city's largest short-term rental operators, Cantrell ended the City Hall tenure of one of her most controversial hires. Affordable-housing advocates and other activists had railed against his appointment in 2020 as head of the Office of Business and External Affairs, arguing that Sonder's rapid expansion into the city under Bowen had contributed to New Orleans's soaring housing costs. Last year, financial disclosures showed that Bowen continued to own a stake in Sonder worth between $50,000 and $99,999 despite regulating the industry. The administration said it had put a Bowen subordinate in charge of dealings with the company. On the night of Dec. 16, Bowen allegedly crashed his Ford F-150 into two parked cars and the poles supporting balconies at the corner of Dumaine and Chartres streets. Officers saw Bowen asleep in the drivers seat of his truck with the engine running, and he slurred, had alcohol on his breath and couldnt stand up on his own when a sergeant woke him up, police alleged in a report. Bowen at one point allegedly dug through his glove box and when the sergeant asked what he was doing said, Looking for my badge. Officers said they then took Bowen to the New Orleans Police Departments DWI testing facility on Tchoupitoulas Street, where he declined to take either a field sobriety test or what is commonly known as a Breathalyzer, instead repeatedly telling police to call Superintendent Shaun Ferguson. Investigators alleged that Bowen even threatened retribution. Youre going to regret doing this, Bowen is accused of saying. Youre going to be suspended for a year. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Allegedly, while ignoring officers orders to sit down in a chair, Bowen said he could bench-press 405 pounds, a remark that officers interpreted as a taunt that they would not be strong enough to get him to comply, according to the police report. In the report, police allege that Bowen repeatedly said he was a deputy CAO at City Hall and warned at least one officer that he would not fare well if he didnt stop the arrest. Officers booked Bowen with DWI, criminal property damage, driving without insurance and other traffic offenses. He allegedly refused to sign the citation that officers gave to him, which ordered him to appear at New Orleans Traffic Court on March 17. +2 During DWI arrest, New Orleans official allegedly warned cop: 'You're going to regret doing this' After he crashed his pickup truck in the French Quarter and New Orleans police stopped him on suspicion of drunk driving late Thursday, a seni Bowen couldnt immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. He was the second member of Cantrells senior staff to be arrested on allegations of DWI over the last year and the third high-profile DWI arrest across city government since 2020. The city's emergency preparedness director, Collin Arnold, was arrested last January after police allegedly found him asleep in his city-owned vehicle after crashing into a parked car. He returned to his job after a 60-day unpaid suspension. Arnold has pleaded not guilty to the DWI case. District D City Council member Jared Brossett was arrested on suspicion of DWI in October, in the middle of his unsuccessful campaign for an at-large seat on the council. It was Brossett's third arrest for drunk driving. The case is pending. Another year is expected to pass before the Regional Transit Authority reopens the six-year-old Rampart-St. Claude streetcar line, which has been shuttered since the 2019 Hard Rock Hotel collapse damaged the nearby street and streetcar infrastructure. During a City Council committee meeting Wednesday, RTA deputy CEO Lona Edwards Hankins shared a presentation that said a return of service was now expected by December, roughly a year later than an estimate RTA officials gave in April. The RTA said that before providing that earlier estimate, engineers hadn't been allowed full access to the site because of debris and the building's long-delayed demolition. When they were able to do a full assessment last year, they discovered that several poles supporting the streetcar line's overhead power lines would need to be replaced. The RTA also blamed "staffing shortages, supply-chain delays and impacts from Hurricane Ida." Hankins told council members during the virtual meeting that service could return sooner than December, depending on the extent of underground damage found during "underground forensic work." The catastrophic Hard Rock collapse killed three workers and forced the city to wall off a busy downtown intersection at Canal and Rampart street. Officials have said that damage to public property was in the millions of dollars, though the total amount is under litigation. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up A state grand jury is considering criminal charges against former city building inspectors. Dismantling the building's remains and clearing the site took more than a year. The Canal-Rampart intersection fully reopened in October, two years after the collapse. The Canal Street streetcar line, which had also been down since the collapse, reopened last month. Based on the estimated re-opening time, the Rampart line, which opened in 2016, could be out of service for around half of its existence. The line was the second in a pair of streetcar expansion projects stretching from the downtown Union Passenger Terminal to Elysian Fields Avenue building during the administration of Mayor Mitch Landrieu. The two projects cost $75 million and tied the Central Business District to Treme, St. Roch, Marigny and the French Quarter. Landrieu hailed the development as a full circle return to streetcar service along the Rampart-St. Claude corridor, where buses had been the primary public transportation mode since the mid-20th century. But some rider advocates argued buses are more efficient, especially for commuting to work. The Riverfront Streetcar, meanwhile, is set to return this month after undergoing track repairs, RTA officials said Wednesday. The Oklahoma House has given final approval to a Texas-style abortion ban that prohibits abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. The bill passed Thursday by the GOP-led House now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt. He's expected to sign it within days. The bill was immediately challenged in court by abortion rights advocates. The measure prohibits abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo. Experts say thats typically about six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. Like Texas, the bill allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion for up to $10,000. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed a similar law in Texas to stand. Instant unlimited access to all of our content on www.northcoastcitizen.com. The North Coast Citizen E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement. The surprising threat of sea-level rise to inland neighborhoods is the focus of a bill introduced by two South Florida members of the state Legislature. The bill would require state-funded infrastructure projects such as roads to take sea-level rise into account even if the work is being done far from the coast, since some inland areas are vulnerable to the rising ocean. Advertisement Western Broward and Miami-Dade counties, for example, face a higher flood risk from rain because their flood-control systems depend on a downhill flow of water to the ocean, a system thats disrupted when the ocean gets too high. The higher ocean also can affect inland areas through groundwater. Current law requires sea-level rise to be considered only for coastal projects, Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, said Tuesday. Advertisement [ RELATED: Sea-level rise becoming a hazard for suburban South Florida neighborhoods far from ocean ] The focus has always been on doing these studies if its a coastal building, she said. Its ignoring the impact of sea-level rise in the more inland communities. So thats what this is trying to address. Sponsoring the bill in the Senate is Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral. Sea-level rise has made it more difficult for South Floridas drainage system to function, affecting communities running all the way to the Everglades. The canals that drain water to the ocean depend partly on gravity. When water managers raise canal gates, the water flows east to the ocean. But when the ocean rises so high that the water level is the same on both sides of the gate, the drainage system cant function. That happened in 2020 in Tropical Storm Eta, when floodwater remained in southwest Broward for days, partly because the elevated ocean blocked canals. David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sunsentinel.com and 954-356-4535. Prosecutors appear to be targeting prominent Republican and Democratic operatives in Florida for potential criminal charges stemming from a 2020 Miami-Dade election scheme marked by sham candidates, court records reveal. Those targets: Alex Alvarado, a Republican consultant; Dan Newman, a prominent Democratic fundraiser; Richard Alexander, the chairman of the dark-money group Grow United; and Lets Preserve the American Dream, a Tallahassee-based nonprofit run by Ryan Tyson, a top GOP pollster in Florida. Advertisement Each has been sent what is known by prosecutors as a prior to letter, which generally precedes criminal charges in a case. Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Warren County supervisors will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for this redistricting proposal. HIGHLAND The town's first tattoo studio will start inking customers this year. Veteran Tina Brenda, an Army National Guard member who became a tattoo artist, persuaded town officials to make an exception to a 20-year-old ordinance that required tattoo artists to be medical doctors, effectively banning tattooing within town limits. She got a zoning variance after gathering 2,300 signatures on a petition and pleading her case to the Town Council. She plans to open Nephilim Studios downtown this year. Brenda currently works at A Darker Path Tattoo Studio, which was the first tattoo studio to open in Schererville after a restrictive ordinance long prohibited tattoo parlors there. "The place I'm working at had to do the same thing in Schererville," Brenda said. "In Highland, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to start my company. When I first approached the secretary last year she just told me Highland would never allow that. But they just approved amending the ordinance." The town council recently voted 4-0-1 to approve a use variance to allow the tattoo parlor after the Advisory Board of Zoning Appeals initially gave an unfavorable recommendation. "I would say that tattooing has become more mainstream and adding this tattoo shop to downtown Highland adds to the diversity of businesses located there," Highland Town Council President Roger Sheeman said. Longtime downtown Highland business owner Jim Roumbos of Miles Books said it would be a welcome addition. "It adds to the uniqueness of downtown," he said. "It's becoming gentrified. It's a unique downtown with a mix of businesses: coffee shops, bookstores, vintage resale shops and wonderful restaurants." She hopes to open Nephilim Studios at 2716 Condit St. in late spring or early summer. It will offer private tattooing and also piercing. "At first it was a little daunting," Brenda said of the process to get approval for the business. "But it was a gratifying experience to be able to change people's minds on the stigma of tattooing. Some people are closed-minded about tattoos even though they're super-accepted nowadays." She is taking over a storefront that was just being used for storage in downtown Highland. "The downtown is super quaint," she said. "They're trying to make it more like an arts district. There are murals painted on a lot of walls, and they're looking for art businesses and small businesses to go up. This is a good fit." Brenda has been tattooing for six years. She previously served in the Indiana Army National Guard, where she worked in human resources in Gary. "I was always into art, and I was in the Army when the light bulb went off," she said. After helping design tattoos, she went into tattooing as a vocation after leaving the service. "It's permanent art that gives people the chance to express themselves," she said. "I like working in this type of medium." She describes her work as eclectic. "I dabble in everything," she said. "I'm inspired by florals and animals and like to work in black and gray." Nephilim Studios will start out with just Brenda tattooing clients by appointment. She may take on more tattoo artists in the future if they mesh well with her. "I want to create a space for all creatives," she said. "I want to make it just like an art collective and have a photo studio for my photography friend." The business' name refers to fallen angels. "It's ironic," she said. "It started out as a joke. Every now and then I've been pitted against extremely close-minded religious people and I've heard them refer to people with tattoos as demons and devil worshipers." She hopes to create a more accepting space. "It's going to be a welcoming environment, high-end and welcoming," she said. She expects it will be a destination that will draw people into town. "I started out in LaPorte and have regulars who have been following me," she said. "I've had Army friends come from Seattle and Reno just to get tattooed by me. It's a huge relief it was allowed. I was screaming. I'm just super happy about that." Nephilim Studios will be open by appointment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit tinabrenda@nephilimstudios.org. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CROWN POINT Lake Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott won the race to be first in line Monday to file for election. The Hammond Democrat said she arrived at the Lake County Government Center shortly after 7 a.m. to get a slot on the May 3 ballot for the Democratic Party primary election. McDermott is seeking a second six-year term as Circuit Court judge. Others at the front of the line to file candidate papers included: Lake County Clerk Lorenzo Arredondo, a Crown Point Democrat, who is running for a second four-year term as the record keeper for state and local courts. Arredondo served as circuit court judge for three decades prior to McDermott's election. Lake County Councilman Christian Jorgensen, a St. John Republican, who is seeking a second four-year term representing south Lake County suburban and rural areas on the countys fiscal body. Randy Niemeyer, a Cedar Lake Republican, who is challenging Jorgensen for the 7th District County Council seat. Niemeyer has served a dozen years on the Cedar Lake Town Council, 10 of them as council president. Peter Katic, a Hammond Democrat, who is running for a new term on the North Township Board. He previously has served as Hammond city judge and a Lake County commissioner. They and others braved icy winds and blowing snow to get a head start on their election campaigns in a political year in which voters will nominate candidates for federal and state legislative races, county, township and municipal offices. Democratic party voters also choose their next precinct committee members. Being first to sign up as candidate doesnt win anyone extra votes, but there can be political advantages. Lake County Councilman Charlie Brown, a Gary Democrat, said it heartens a candidates supporters and discourages potential opponents. I want people to know Im running, he said. There is no presidential election to rev up voter interest, but Niemeyer pointed out the local government officials to be elected this year have more impact on local residents' lives, overseeing local roads, taxes and criminal justice. The Lake County offices to be filled include: Circuit Court judge, county assessor, auditor, clerk, prosecutor, sheriff and treasurer. Voters in Gary, Griffith, Merrillville, Hobart, New Chicago, Lake Station and part of Crown Point will nominate the next first district Lake County Commissioner one of county governments three top executives. Voters across Lake County must choose all seven members of the Lake County Council, the fiscal body that sets annual spending limits for county officials, as well as passes countywide legislation. Many current officials will seek voter approval for new terms. These incumbents have a combined 125 years of experience in offices they already serve in, not to mention decades of prior public service as local government employees and in other elective offices. Incumbents include Sheriff Oscar Martinez, Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter, Commissioner Kyle Allen, Assessor LaTonya Spearman, Clerk Lorenzo Arredondo, County Council members Dave Hamm, Ted Bilski, Charlie Brown, Christine Cid, Christian Jorgensen and Alfredo Menchaca. County Councilman Dan Dernulc will bow out of the council this year after serving three four-year terms there to run for a seat in the Indiana Senate. Schererville Republican Tony Ferraro filed his candidacy Wednesday afternoon for the GOP nomination to replace Dernulc on the 4th District council seat. Ferraro is a business owner and has served as regional director for U.S. Sen. Mike Braun. State term limits require County Auditor John Petalas and County Treasurer Peggy Katona to exit their current offices. But they would like to continue overseeing the finances of county government, so Petalas will run for the county treasurers office that Katona is vacating, while Katona will run for county auditor. The two successfully pulled off the same switcheroo eight years ago. Voters must nominate 11 trustees to administer township services, as well as 33 township board members to set township budgets. They also must nominate five township assessors. County Councilman Ted Bilski, a Hobart Democrat, said this years election will be a little challenging for him and other incumbents seeking reelection. The state has redrawn district boundaries to account for a decade of population migration away from Lakes big cities to its suburbs. Bilski said he is losing some of his old constituents and having to run in neighborhoods where he previously didnt have an impact as a public official. Ill be meeting new people, he said. Candidates have until noon Feb. 4 to file their papers to get on the ballot. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CALUMET TOWNSHIP A resident found dead after a house fire early Sunday was identified as a 55-year-old man, the Lake County coroner's office said. Duane Trosper died after going back inside his burning home in the 1500 block of East Elm Street in Calumet Township, according to a coroner's release and fire officials. Lake Ridge firefighters were dispatched to the home about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Fire Chief Mike Redd said. Police officers, who were already on scene, told firefighters a husband and wife had made it out of the home safely, but the husband went back inside to retrieve a dog and his keys, Redd said. The husband never came back out of the house, and firefighters found a man's body in the basement after extinguishing the flames, he said. The two-story home collapsed during the fire and was demolished after the fire, Redd said. The blaze also melted siding on a nearby garage and neighboring home. No firefighters were injured, Redd said. The Indiana state fire marshal's office is assisting in the investigation. Lake Ridge firefighters were assisted by the Griffith, Highland, Merrillville, Lake Hills and Gary fire departments. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Police are urging motorists not to try to chase away a wild turkey venturing into the middle of a busy LaPorte County intersection. The latest sighting of a turkey at Michigan Boulevard and Johnson Road was about 7 a.m. on Tuesday in Trail Creek. According to police, the caller reported trying to get the turkey to move. It didn't budge. Trail Creek Town Marshal Steve Dick said numerous complaints about a turkey in the road have been taken since about a week before Christmas. He said a number of drivers have stopped in the road before veering around the turkey. In some cases, drivers and their passengers have climbed out of vehicles in the travel lanes to try to shoo the adult-sized bird from the roadway. By doing so, though, drivers and their passengers are placing themselves and other motorists in danger, Dick said. Human life is certainly more valuable than the life of that turkey. Although we dont want to minimize that turkeys life, we certainly dont want to see somebody get hit, he said. The intersection is in Michigan City just outside the boundaries of Trail Creek, a community of about 2,000 people. Dick said officers with both departments have responded to sightings and encounters with the bird. According to police reports, at least one person approaching the bird felt threatened by the turkey, which has also attacked or tried to attack several vehicles. Dick said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources was contacted last week to address the situation. DNR spokesman Tyler Brock said a conservation officer has been out there at least once but was not able to spot the turkey anywhere in the surrounding area. In any situation like this, Brock said, the plan could be anything from trapping the turkey to relocate it or having it medically examined for a possible stay in a wildlife rehabilitation center. Brock said euthanizing a turkey is also not out of the question, depending on the extent of the threat posed to public safety. Theres a variety of options, he said. Brock said its not uncommon for a male turkey to show up at the same spot, even in the middle of a busy intersection, during the spring mating season. He said male turkeys mark their territory and drive away other male turkeys from the area to reduce competition for mates. Brock said vehicle attacks might be from a turkey seeing what appears to be another male turkey in his own reflection in the metal or glass. It's not mating season, so Brock wouldnt speculate on the reason for this turkeys behavior. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. What doctors are telling us about Omicron Were getting more data on Omicrons effects on patients, this time from inside U.S. hospitals. From medical centers across the country, doctors are telling our reporters the same thing: This Covid wave seems different from the last one. In Omicron hot spots from New York to Florida to Texas, a smaller share of patients are landing in the intensive care units or requiring mechanical ventilation, my colleagues Azeen Ghorayshi and Emily Anthes report. They tend to stay in the hospital for fewer days and many patients show up at the hospital for other ailments and incidentally test positive for the coronavirus. We are seeing an increase in the number of hospitalizations, said Rahul Sharma, emergency physician-in-chief for NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. But the severity of the disease looks different this time, he said. Most of our patients that are coming to the emergency department that do test positive are actually being discharged. The shift in hospitals fits with emerging data that Omicron may be a variant with inherently milder effects than those that have come before. But another explanation for the less severe cases is that Omicron is infecting more people who have some prior immunity, whether through vaccination or prior infection. Doctors said that a vast majority of Omicron patients in I.C.U.s are unvaccinated or have severely compromised immune systems. California fire investigators on Tuesday pinned the blame for the Dixie Fire the second-largest blaze in the states history on equipment owned by Pacific Gas & Electric and referred the case to prosecutors. The Dixie Fire burned more than 963,000 acres in the Northern California areas of Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama Counties in July, destroying 1,329 buildings and damaging 95 others. The cause, investigators determined, was a tree that came into contact with PG&Es power lines near the Cresta Dam about 100 miles north of Sacramento. Investigators at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, referred their findings to the Butte County district attorney, who previously brought charges against PG&E for the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed scores of people and destroyed the town of Paradise. In that case, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of illegally setting a fire. The utility also agreed to pay $3.5 million in fines as part of the criminal plea. OpenSea, one of the most talked-about blockchain start-ups in Silicon Valley, said on Tuesday that it had raised $300 million in new venture capital, making it the latest company to cash in on a rush to fund cryptocurrency start-ups. The new round of funding, led by the investment firms Paradigm and Coatue Management, brings the start-ups valuation to a staggering $13.3 billion just four years after it was founded. OpenSea previously raised more than $100 million from a host of investors, including the investment firm Andreessen Horowitz and the actor Ashton Kutcher, according to data provided by the company. Founded in 2017, OpenSea was created as a marketplace for people to buy and sell so-called NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, which are unique pieces of digital code backed by blockchain technology. NFT items can vary, but the most popular tokens are pieces of digital art created by artists who list their pieces for auction on the OpenSea site, similar to listing on eBay. Winning bids can sometimes reach hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Ether, a popular cryptocurrency and blockchain technology connected to most kinds of NFTs. Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted last week of conspiring to recruit and groom teenage girls to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein, plans to request a new trial after a juror in her case revealed he was a victim of sexual abuse, her defense lawyers said Wednesday. The lawyers said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan that based on undisputed, publicly available information, the Court can and should order a new trial without any evidentiary hearing. Advertisement The judge late Wednesday set a schedule for the defense to ask for a new trial, saying it should make the request by Jan. 19, with prosecutors replying by Feb. 2. [ RELATED: Ghislaine Maxwell convicted in Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case ] She asked them to address whether an inquiry of some kind is permitted or required. Nathan also said she will offer a court-appointed lawyer for the juror. Advertisement The judges order came after defense lawyers said Maxwell intends to request a new trial with a submission that will include all known undisputed remarks of the juror, along with recorded statements and the questionnaire all jurors filled out. It is clear to Ms. Maxwell that based on this record alone a new trial is required, they said, urging that all trial jurors be examined to evaluate their conduct if a hearing occurs. In interviews published Tuesday and Wednesday by The Independent and the Daily Mail, one juror described a moment during the deliberations when he told fellow jurors in Maxwells trial that, like some of the victims of the late financier Epstein, he had been sexually abused as a child. And he said he convinced other jurors that a victims imperfect memory of sex abuse doesnt mean it didnt happen. I know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the color of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video, he said he told the jury, according to The Independent. But I cant remember all the details, there are some things that run together. In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell, center, sits in the courtroom during a discussion about a note from the jury, during her sex trafficking trial, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams, File) (Elizabeth Williams/AP) The judge denied a request by another defense lawyer who wrote a separate letter asking her to suspend all other post-trial motions in the case. In their own letter to Nathan, even prosecutors said those reports merit attention by the Court. The juror was identified only by his first and middle name in the articles. Prosecutors suggested in their letter that Nathan schedule a hearing in about one month, along with a schedule for lawyers to file briefs regarding the applicable law and the scope of the hearing. The Government respectfully submits that any juror investigation should be conducted exclusively under the supervision of the Court, prosecutors wrote. Advertisement [ RELATED: Court official seeks to release sealed Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents by changing Florida law ] Potential jurors in Maxwells case were asked to fill out a questionnaire asking: Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault? Quoting from the press reports, prosecutors said the juror asserted that he flew through the questionnaire and didnt recall being asked if hed been a victim of sex abuse. Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Palm Beach County in July 2008. He admitted he hired local underage girls to provide sex and erotic massages at his home. His sentence has been referred to as a sweetheart deal that allowed him lenient work release while he served about 13 months of an 18-month sentence, followed by a year of house arrest. An investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement focused on former Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischers decision not to aggressively prosecute sex abuse allegations against Epstein over a decade ago; Epsteins generous work release privileges in jail; and allegations that Epstein had sex with young women while under the jails supervision. The investigation found Epstein received differential treatment in jail, but no evidence was uncovered that suggests county officials broke any laws. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial. No sentencing date has been set after the conviction of Maxwell, 60, and she is still facing trial on perjury charges. In hospitals around the country, doctors are taking notice: This wave of Covid seems different from the last one. Once again, as they face the highly contagious Omicron variant, medical personnel are exhausted and are contracting the virus themselves. And the numbers of patients entering hospitals with the variant are surging to staggering levels, filling up badly needed beds, delaying nonemergency procedures and increasing the risk that vulnerable uninfected patients will catch the virus. But in Omicron hot spots from New York to Florida to Texas, a smaller proportion of those patients are landing in intensive care units or requiring mechanical ventilation, doctors said. And many roughly 50 to 65 percent of admissions in some New York hospitals show up at the hospital for other ailments and then test positive for the virus. We are seeing an increase in the number of hospitalizations, said Dr. Rahul Sharma, emergency physician in chief for NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. But the severity of the disease looks different from previous waves, he said. Were not sending as many patients to the I.C.U., were not intubating as many patients, and actually, most of our patients that are coming to the emergency department that do test positive are actually being discharged. Please also note that while a good interviewer is curious, be careful to be respectful, too dont ask questions that might be taken as rudely invasive. 6. Afterward, reflect together on your experience: What was it like to be an interviewer? What were the challenges of writing and asking questions? What was fun? Which questions elicited one-word answers, like yes or no? Which questions revealed deeper thoughts and feelings? Did you stick to your list of prepared questions or did you ask spontaneous follow-ups? How did you balance your inquisitiveness with your respect for the other persons privacy? What was it like to be an interviewee? What kinds of questions made you really think or feel? What kinds of questions allowed you to open up and share your thoughts and experiences? What did the interviewer do, if anything, to put you at ease or to build your trust? What lessons might you take from this experience into the interview youll do with the subject of your profile? Activity 2: Research your subject. When you know who the subject of your piece will be, start doing some preparation to find out as much about the person as you can. Do an internet search and look at your subjects social media profiles. Talk to people who can tell you the basics about the persons background. Why do all this before the interview rather than in the interview itself? Years ago, The New York Times Learning Network published a resource for student journalists called Campus Weblines. That advice still holds: Do your homework. There is very little more embarrassing than arriving for an interview and not knowing what has already been written about your subject. A question on the order of, Well, Mr. Jones, have you been teaching here long? almost guarantees a poor interview. Mr. Jones almost immediately begins to look at his watch to try to figure out a way to get out of this. A far better question, in the same area, may be, Can we talk about the changes that have occurred during your eight years here at Central? Or: You were at East High for a number of years before coming here. Why did you move? Are glad you did? Or, What are the major differences between East High, where you taught before coming here, and our school? But avoiding seeming amateurish or rude isnt the only reason to do your research it also makes for a much richer interview. A Columbia Journalism Review article called The Art of the Interview quotes the Times journalist Jodi Kantor, who has written a book on the Obamas; helped ignite the #MeToo movement with reporting on Harvey Weinstein; and also interviews noncelebrities, like janitors working during the pandemic. To ask a really high-yielding question, you need to have done your homework, she says. The article gives an example: This is especially true when youre talking to people who are used to being interviewed. Kantor described an interview she did with the President and First Lady: I had come to understand that equality was a serious issue in the Obama marriage, and that in the White House, the president and first lady are not treated in the same way at all. So I summoned up my nerve and asked them, How do you have an equal marriage when one person is president? Their replies were much more illuminating than if Kantor had asked something more generic like, What are your thoughts on gender equality? Activity 3: Think about your angle. A profile isnt a biography it focuses on one aspect of its subjects personal or professional life. Though you should know enough about the persons life to include biographical details, the focus, or angle, you choose will dictate what background information youll use. You might go into your interview already knowing what you think the angle will be. After all, you probably had a focus in mind when you chose your subject. But the interview is a process of discovery, and new themes may emerge as you talk. For example, say you want to interview your local barber because hes had a shop in your neighborhood for 30 years and you imagine hell have a lot to say about neighborhood history. But as you talk to him, you may learn that he is an accomplished artist on the side, or that he had a particularly harrowing pandemic experience, or that he has a long history of triumphing in spite of steep odds. The focus of your final piece may shift to one of those themes instead. But to move on to Activity 4, select an angle so that you can write related questions. Later in this guide youll find advice about shifting your focus if you want to. As New York State all but ran out of its share of a federal pandemic rent relief program in the fall, state officials asked the federal government for $1 billion more money they said was necessary to keep tens of thousands of struggling residents out of debt and in their homes. But the state has now received some sobering news: it stands to receive about $27 million, less than 3 percent of what it requested. The gap between the need outlined by the state and the money it is getting is yet another stark illustration of just how severe the economic crisis has been in New York and elsewhere. State and federal officials said the need was high in places all around the country and there is only a limited pot of funds overall. But without more aid, tens of thousands of renters who lost their jobs in the pandemic will not be able to cover their debts and could be at greater risk of eviction when a moratorium expires in less than two weeks. Landlords also will not be able to make up the lost rental income. New Yorks prison system unjustly penalized more than 1,600 incarcerated people based on faulty drug tests, putting them in solitary confinement, delaying their parole hearings and denying them family visits, the New York State inspector general said in a damning report released on Tuesday. The arbitrary penalties were meted out across the state over an eight-month period in 2019, while the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision relied on improperly administered drug tests made by the company Microgenics, the report found. The tests led to rampant false positive results for buprenorphine, an opioid used to treat addiction, as well as synthetic cannabinoids. This stands as a heartbreaking example of how the absence of transparency can undermine due process and basic human rights, Lucy Lang, the inspector general, said at a news conference on Tuesday. The department started using the tests in January 2019, the report found. The manufacturers directions specified that a positive result should be confirmed with a second, more sensitive test, but officials neglected to do so as a matter of policy. Instead, they simply carried out the same test a second time to confirm the results. If the majority of G.O.P. lawmakers continue to bow to the most politically pernicious alternative fact that the 2020 election was a fraud that justifies empowering Republican legislatures to override the will of voters and remove Republican and Democratic election supervisors who helped save our democracy last time by calling the election fairly then America isnt just in trouble. It is headed for what scientists call an extinction-level event. Only it wont be a comet hurtling past the Webb telescope from deep space that destroys our democracy, as in the new movie Dont Look Up. No, no it will be an unraveling from the ground up, as our country, for the first time, is unable to carry out a peaceful transfer of power to a legitimately elected president. Because if Donald Trump and his flock are able in 2024 to execute a procedural coup like they attempted on Jan. 6, 2021, Democrats will not just say, Ah shucks, well try harder next time. They will take to the streets. Right now, though, too many Republicans are telling themselves and the rest of us: Dont look up! Dont pay attention to what is unfolding in plain sight with Trump & Company. Trump wont be the G.O.P.s candidate in 2024. Who will save us? God bless Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the two Republican House members participating on the Jan. 6 investigation committee. But they are not enough. Kinzinger is retiring and the G.O.P. leadership, on Trumps orders, is trying to launch Cheney into deep space. I think our last best hope is the leadership of the U.S. business community, specifically the Business Roundtable, led by General Motors C.E.O. Mary Barra, and the Business Council, led by Microsoft C.E.O. Satya Nadella. Together those two groups represent the roughly 200 most powerful companies in America, with 20 million employees. Although formally nonpartisan, they lean center-right but the old center-right, the one that believed in the rule of law, free markets, majority rule, science and the sanctity of our elections and constitutional processes. Collectively, they are the only responsible force left with real leverage on Trump and the Republican lawmakers doing his bidding. They need to persuade their members now not to donate a penny more to any local, state or national candidate who has voted to dismantle the police or dismantle the Constitution. WASHINGTON The United States government doubled its order for Pfizers Covid pills on Tuesday, a move that will modestly increase the nations very limited supply of the treatment in the short term amid a record-setting surge in coronavirus cases. The new order will eventually provide enough pills for an additional 10 million Americans, bringing the governments total order of the drug to 20 million treatment courses. But they will not all be available right away. Only 35,000 of the additional courses will be delivered this month, and 50,000 more in February, supplementing 350,000 treatment courses that were already expected over the next two months, according to a senior administration official. The order underscored how urgently health providers need alternatives to vaccines, as roughly 35 million adults remain without a shot and more vulnerable to severe outcomes from Covid-19. Tens of millions more have been vaccinated but have risk factors that also make them especially vulnerable. The new order also suggests that the federal pandemic response will increasingly rely on oral treatments, which are scarce and facing intense demand. CHICAGO Public school officials in Chicago canceled classes for Wednesday amid a clash with the teachers union, whose members had threatened to stay home in a bid to force instruction online during a coronavirus surge. Union members had criticized the districts response to the Omicron variant, which has pushed cases in the city to record levels, and said conditions in classrooms were unsafe. They voted on Tuesday to refuse to report to school buildings, just two days after returning from winter break. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot said reverting to online schooling was unacceptable and unnecessary, and her administration decided to call off class altogether keeping the buildings open for emergency child care rather than return to virtual instruction. Nobody signs up for being a home-schooler at the last minute, Ms. Lightfoot said. We cant forget about how disruptive that remote process is to individual parents who have to work, who cant afford the luxury of staying home. As leftist revolution and U.S.-backed counter-insurgencies spread through El Salvador and Guatemala in the early 1980s, Central America became awash in bloodshed, sending refugees fleeing to the United States border in hopes of a new life. When they got there, a combative immigration lawyer named Lisa Brodyaga, who had only recently passed the Texas bar exam, was waiting. She was running Proyecto Libertad, a pro bono legal initiative in Texas representing asylum seekers, and by the decades end she had helped defend thousands in court. She went on to earn a reputation as a litigious thorn in the side of federal border enforcement agencies for the next 40 years. Lisa was a leader in a whole movement of lawyers who decided to approach the representation of immigrants with a civil rights consciousness, said Susan Gzesh, an immigrant rights expert who teaches at the University of Chicago. She helped firmly establish that undocumented asylum seekers have rights under our Bill of Rights. She taught immigration lawyers to not be afraid to go into federal courts. One day in January The breach didnt last long. And burying the memory of what happened on Jan. 6 which Pence downplayed recently as one day in January has become a necessity to maintaining power and relevance in todays G.O.P. One year after that day in January, polls show that most Republicans see little need to re-examine or even acknowledge what happened. Around three-quarters of them still view Trump favorably, or roughly the same as when Fabrizio conducted his poll shortly after Jan. 6. And there is no surer sign that the Republican Party remains the party of Trump than the fact that there remains no obvious or able challenger to him in sight. McCarthy was among the first to change tack, visiting Trumps Palm Beach estate in late January. After the two men posed for a photo, a Trump spokesperson released a statement announcing that the two men had agreed to work together to reclaim the House majority. President Trumps popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time, the statement noted. McCarthy has since tried to derail the congressional commission investigating the attacks. No remorse No one seems more intent on proving how damaging it is politically for a Republican to question Trumps revisionist accounts of what happened in the 2020 election and on Jan. 6 than Trump himself. In an interview at Mar-a-Lago a few weeks after the attack, he suggested that Pence had jeopardized his political future by not heeding his demand to interfere with the counting of the Electoral College votes in Congress that day. There was no downside, Trump said. So Mike could have done that. And I wish he did. I think it would have been much better for the country. I also think it would have been better for Mike. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally protesting the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden as President in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. After claiming for months that the election had been stolen, Trump urged his followers to march on the Capitol, promising he would be there with them. He then watched the chaos on television from the White House. (Evan Vucci/AP) One year ago, on Jan. 6, 2021, a mob of American citizens, incited and inflamed by President Donald Trump, viciously assaulted the police protecting our Capitol and invaded the building, intending to block Congress from certifying his defeat and stopping the legitimate election of Joe Biden. Had they succeeded, the worlds oldest democracy would be its newest dictatorship. The danger persists. The failure of the bloody insurrection did not end the existential peril manifested by Trumps unprecedented refusal to accept losing a free and honest election. A year later, this is the situation: Advertisement Despite more than 725 arrests and 165 guilty pleas so far, no one has been charged with sedition or insurrection, the most serious potential charges. The instigators should not be spared while only those they exploited are punished. More than two-thirds of Republicans believe Trumps Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, polls show, and 52% are at least somewhat favorable to splitting the nation in two, a prospect not seriously proposed since the Civil War. More than one-third of Americans polled by The Washington Post said violence against the government is sometimes justified, including 40% of Republicans, 41% of independents and 23% of Democrats. In a new CBS News-You Gov poll, 62% overall said they expect violence from losers of future presidential elections. Trumps attempted coup exposed a grave vulnerability in the Constitution. The Electoral College, invented to help unite our nation, has contributed to dividing it and is a clear and present threat to destroy it. The testimony of Mark Meadows, Steve Bannon and other former Trump aides is critical to understanding what Trump did to cause the insurrection and why he did nothing for hours to stop it. But they are stonewalling the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Attorney General Merrick Garland should accelerate their prosecutions for open contempt of Congress. The Republican Party that saved the nation in the 1860s is today beyond useless. Only a few of its officeholders dare to stand up to Trump, and he viciously tries to purge them with no outcry from others. It bears comparison to the fascism that nearly destroyed Europe. The riot demonstrated the ugly power of Trumps racist dog whistles. A cover story in The Atlantic, Trumps next coup has already begun, reports a study showing that other things being equal, insurgents were much more likely to come from a county where the white share of the population was in decline. The mob was the violent face of a deeper conspiracy to subvert our democracy. The House select committee unearthed talk of seizing voting machines and declaring an emergency to keep Trump in power. As the committee prepares hearings, it must fully expose the breadth of this conspiracy, and citizens should brace themselves for more deeply disturbing revelations. The survival of the democratic republic depends on two things. First, the Senate must find a way to neutralize the filibuster when constitutional rights are at stake. Two House-passed bills, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, would thwart voter suppression conspiracies. Get rid of Electoral College Secondly, the Electoral College must be abolished. Five times now, including Trumps 2016 election, it has produced a president who lost the popular vote. Every scheme to inaugurate a Trump dictatorship depended on manipulating it. Advertisement Despite Biden winning by more than 7 million votes, a net shift of merely 21,461 votes in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin would have produced a 269-269 tie in the Electoral College and caused the election to be given to Trump by the House of Representatives a disaster for democracy. Replacing the Electoral College outright appears impossible because of the odds against a constitutional amendment being proposed by Congress and ratified by 38 states. Fortunately, a promising alternative exists: The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Already enacted in 15 states and in the District of Columbia, it requires their electors to vote for whomever wins the popular vote nationwide. But the compact takes effect only when enough states have joined to represent 270 electoral votes. The count stands at 195. Floridas 30 would be a major advance, but the Republican-controlled Legislature refuses to consider it. The people our lawmakers misrepresent can and should adopt the compact by the petition-initiative process for amending the Florida Constitution. Granted, our autocratic Legislature has made that harder and costlier, but for the nations sake, it must be attempted. Baseless claims of election fraud would have much more trouble getting traction against a decisive nationwide count. The Electoral College was not a problem until states switched to a winner-take-all format, says Barry Richard, the Florida attorney who represented George W. Bush in the decisive legal showdown over Floridas votes in 2000. As late as 1824, six states still allowed their legislators to choose the electors and six others awarded them by district. Now, all but Nebraska and Maine, which award by districts, use winner take all. In 2022, voters who love our country have scores to settle. The insurrectionists had barely been swept from the desecrated Capitol when seven Republican Party senators, including Floridas Rick Scott, and 138, or nearly two-thirds of GOP House members, rewarded them by voting to reject at least one Biden electoral slate. Only 10 Republican House members had the courage to vote to impeach Trump, and only seven GOP senators voted to convict. Even former Vice President Mike Pence, a fleeting hero in those frightful hours when a howling mob would have lynched him, now dismisses it abjectly as one tragic day in January. Advertisement Hardly. It was an omen of a tragic future, and without reforms, its a future that stands a good chance of coming to pass. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com. And although politicians, including Mayor Eric Adams of New York and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, promised to keep schools open, there were growing fears from parents and educators that more districts would soon turn to remote learning even though in-school transmission of Covid has been limited. Those decisions could radiate through the country, affecting child care, employment and any confidence that the pandemics viselike grip was loosening. Some families were given just a few days or even hours of notice about school closures, leading to the all-too-familiar pandemic scramble to adjust child-care arrangements and work schedules. Atlanta Public Schools, for instance, announced on Saturday that classes would be online for the first week of January, just days after saying that classes would be held in person. In Philadelphia, the school district emphasized its commitment to in-person learning throughout the day on Monday, as the local teachers union urged a seven-day pause on reopening, citing hundreds of positive cases among its 13,000 members. But at 7:30 p.m., the district announced that 77 schools, roughly a third of district-operated schools, would shift to virtual learning at least through Friday due to Covid-related staffing challenges. At 11:30 p.m., the district added four more schools to the list. We spent all of the day and over the weekend, looking at the data coming in of teachers or staff, who were either waiting on test results or waiting to get tested, Monica M. Lewis, a spokeswoman for the district, said on Tuesday, adding, and it was just pretty clear that staff were either positive, or exposed and needed to be isolated and things of that nature, where we just did not have the sufficient staffing on hand at some of these schools, to have students come in person today. On Thursday, the Norths official Korean Central News Agency said the weapon tested a day earlier was a hypersonic missile. The North conducted its first test of the new missile in September. In the test on Wednesday, the missile hit a target about 435 miles away, the news agency said. Following the launch, the office of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea repeated its call for dialogue with the North, noting that the latest missile test took place when the region could hardly afford instability. China is set to host the Winter Olympics in February, and South Korea will hold its presidential election on March 9. North Korea launched its missile hours before Mr. Moon attended a groundbreaking ceremony on the east coast, where engineers started work on Wednesday to extend the Souths rail line by 69 miles to the inter-Korean border. During their summit meetings in 2018, Mr. Moon and Mr. Kim agreed in principle to link their countries rail lines to help boost inter-Korean exchanges. South Korea has long dreamed of transporting its exports by train through North Korea to China, Russia and Europe. But that dream has been on hold as tensions over the Norths nuclear weapons program has stymied the railroad agreement. In one of his last diplomatic initiatives before leaving office,Mr. Moon has also urged the United States and North Korea to join his government in declaring an end to the Korean War, which halted in a truce in 1953. He proposed the declaration as an incentive for North Korea to reduce tension and to denuclearize. But the North has called his proposal premature as long as Washington maintained its hostile policy. MOSCOW The president of Kazakhstan declared a two-week state of emergency in two regions of the Central Asian country early Wednesday after nationwide protests erupted over rising fuel prices. In Almaty, the countrys largest city, police fired tear gas and stun grenades at crowds of thousands of people who had refused to disperse, as protesters set police cars alight, according to wire services. The protests, which began on Sunday, represent a rare manifestation of dissent in Kazakhstan, an oil-rich authoritarian country in Central Asia. Dear compatriots, I urge you to show prudence and not succumb to provocations from within and from without, to the euphoria of rallies and permissiveness, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a video address Tuesday evening. Calls to attack civilian and military offices are completely illegal. This is a crime that comes with a punishment. You come from a family with strong interests in the supernatural and interplanetary. Your grandfather was a transcendentalist who wrote about his experiences of communicating with the deceased and held seances for the family, and your father was also an author who published books on U.F.O.s. How did they influence you? Yes, I come from a family of authors on that side. My father wrote books, many of them for children, on science and history and astronomy as well as poltergeists and ghosts and U.F.O.s. He had books about psychic phenomena and mediums and the history of U.F.O.s in his library, as well as classical texts. On Easter or Thanksgiving, we would have seances in which we would use the Ouija board. Paranormal was normal for us. Youre also part of a family, so to speak, of artists who were known as mediums or mystics for instance, the Swedish pioneer of early-20th-century abstraction Hilma af Klint. When did you first encounter her work, and how did it affect you? The show was called The Spiritual in Art, in 1987 in Chicago, and it just blew my mind. I very much relate to af Klint. I love that she didnt want her work seen for years she felt ahead of her time and she was aware of the time it would take for people to even be able to comprehend her work. Her art strikes a very deep chord with me, and I think it does in most people that have seen it. Obviously theres a hunger out there for that kind of mystical work. People want something more than what they can see or understand. So are there any upsides to Omicron, a variant that is milder but spreads faster? Framing it as a possible benefit is not really the right way to think about it. I mean, its better to be dealing with a variant that causes less severe disease. But if its much more transmissible, then youre going to have a lot more seriously ill people in hospitals. So you cant just look at one side of Omicron and ignore the other side. A lot of people, especially unvaccinated people, are going to get seriously sick from Omicron. And after the surge is done, there could be a lot of immunity to Omicron and perhaps to other variants. But its a very high price to pay for that. We should be trying to keep infections down. We should be protecting the most vulnerable among us. We should be thinking in those terms, not just asking, Oh, whats the upside of this? How are you personally feeling about the state of the pandemic in the U.S.? Its striking that we are not better able to deal with a new surge two years into the pandemic. Scientists have been warning that this virus, like all viruses, would mutate, so we needed to be ready for change. We had Alpha and then we had Delta, so weve been through this before. And yet, in the U.S., were in this latest surge without a strong testing capacity to deal with it, without a system to get people good masks, which we know can help. And so theres just chaos. The Biden administration is now saying its going to give out 500 million tests. Those tests arent going to be coming in for at least a couple of more weeks deep into this surge. And its not enough. Its basically like waiting until half the house is burned down before you send in the firefighters and you send one small fire engine. What do you see for the U.S.? We are going to go through a big surge. Were going to go through a surge of cases over the next month, maybe more. We dont know how much hospitalization thats going to lead to, but its going to be a lot. And then its going to go down just like its gone down in the past. And so the question then is, whats it like for the rest of 2022? Epidemiologists I talked to say it is possible that we may not have to deal with another giant surge later in the year just because therell be so much immunity once we get through this. But a lot of people are going to die. Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people are going to die in the surge. Should the fact that Omicron is milder change our behavior? I havent had Omicron myself, but I certainly know some people who have. Fortunately, none of them ended up in the hospital, but theyve had a range of symptoms. Some of them have felt like theyve just had a stuffy nose and others have been in bed for a few days. If youre vaccinated, you could still be looking at being physically knocked out for a few days. The details of the Omicron variant are becoming clearer, and they are encouraging. Theyre not entirely encouraging, and I will get into some detail about one of the biggest problems the stress on hospitals, which are facing huge numbers of moderately ill Covid-19 patients. But regular readers of this newsletter know that I try to avoid the bad-news bias that often infects journalism. (We journalists tend to be comfortable delivering bad news straight up but uncomfortable reporting good news without extensive caveats.) So I want to be clear: The latest evidence about Covid is largely positive. A few weeks ago, many experts and journalists were warning that the initial evidence from South Africa suggesting that Omicron was milder than other variants might turn out to be a mirage. It has turned out to be real. In hospitals around the country, doctors are taking notice, my colleagues Emily Anthes and Azeen Ghorayshi write. This wave of Covid seems different from the last one. There are at least three main ways that Omicron looks substantially milder than other versions of the virus: 1. Less hospitalization Somebody infected with Omicron is less likely to need hospital treatment than somebody infected with an earlier version of Covid. In her guest essay The Best Defense Against Another Jan. 6, Cynthia Miller-Idriss writes: For many Americans, the events of Jan. 6 brought the issue of domestic violent extremism to the fore. Through livestreamed images, they watched as attackers equipped with zip ties and bear spray wielded flagpoles and fire extinguishers, pushed through barricades, smashed windows and called for the deaths of elected officials while gallivanting through the halls of Congress. Gallows were constructed outside. Pipe bombs were planted near the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees. At least seven people died. More catastrophic violence was narrowly averted. Until that day, violent attacks targeting powerful symbols of America were generally seen as a threat emanating from beyond the countrys borders, like the Sept. 11 attacks. Americas elected leaders vowed in 2001 to never again let such violence reach its soil. Within just 14 months of the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress authorized an entire new agency devoted to homeland security. The United States would come to commit trillions of dollars to post-9/11 war spending, including over $1 trillion for federal efforts to prevent and respond to terrorism. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies were given seemingly infinite resources to refine their abilities to surveil, monitor and neutralize terrorism suspects and terrorist groups. Aimed at foreign extremist groups on the fringe of society, like ISIS and Al Qaeda, conventional terrorism tools worked to a great extent: Since Sept. 11, no terrorist group outside the United States has successfully executed a major, lethal attack inside the United States. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11. Today, however, the most urgent threat to Americans safety and security comes not from foreign terrorists, but from the countrys own citizens. And the threat is aimed at the future of democracy itself. What makes the threat especially pernicious is that it is not from the fringe, but from the mainstream according to one study, a majority of the arrested Jan. 6 attackers were employed, some of them teachers, chief executives, veterans, doctors and lawyers. They had an average age of around 40. So its easy to see why the U.S. governments traditional counterterrorism infrastructure, built to focus on fringe extremists, is falling short, having foiled only 21 of the 110 known domestic terrorist attacks and plots in 2020, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and failing to prevent the violence and chaos of Jan. 6. Its not a stretch to imagine that another Jan. 6 could happen: Amid rampant electoral disinformation, Americans are increasingly prepared to support political violence. Broad swaths of the population refuse to accept the results of a national election, with around only a third of Republicans saying they will trust the results of the 2024 election if their candidate loses. American democratic norms are visibly deteriorating, landing the United States on a global list of backsliding democracies in November. In Every Day Is Jan. 6 Now, the Times editorial board argues that the threat to the country didnt end with the rampaging of the Capitol: This is where looking forward comes in. Over the past year, Republican lawmakers in 41 states have been trying to advance the goals of the Jan. 6 rioters not by breaking laws but by making them. Hundreds of bills have been proposed and nearly three dozen laws have been passed that empower state legislatures to sabotage their own elections and overturn the will of their voters, according to a running tally by a nonpartisan consortium of pro-democracy organizations. Some bills would change the rules to make it easier for lawmakers to reject the votes of their citizens if they dont like the outcome. Others replace professional election officials with partisan actors who have a vested interest in seeing their preferred candidate win. Yet more attempt to criminalize human errors by election officials, in some cases even threatening prison. Many of these laws are being proposed and passed in crucial battleground states like Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, the Trump campaign targeted voting results in all these states, suing for recounts or trying to intimidate officials into finding missing votes. The effort failed, thanks primarily to the professionalism and integrity of election officials. Many of those officials have since been stripped of their power or pushed out of office and replaced by people who openly say the last election was fraudulent. Thus the Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court. The editorial concludes: Whatever happens in Washington, in the months and years to come, Americans of all stripes who value their self-government must mobilize at every level not simply once every four years but today and tomorrow and the next day to win elections and help protect the basic functions of democracy. If people who believe in conspiracy theories can win, so can those who live in the reality-based world. Above all, we should stop underestimating the threat facing the country. Countless times over the past six years, up to and including the events of Jan. 6, Mr. Trump and his allies openly projected their intent to do something outrageous or illegal or destructive. Every time, the common response was that they werent serious or that they would never succeed. How many times will we have to be proved wrong before we take it seriously? The sooner we do, the sooner we might hope to salvage a democracy that is in grave danger. Students, read both Opinion pieces, then tell us: How significant was Jan. 6, 2021? What lessons can we learn from that day? Was it a turning point in American history? How will history books remember these events in 50 or 100 years? Ms. Miller-Idriss writes, Today, however, the most urgent threat to Americans safety and security comes not from foreign terrorists, but from the countrys own citizens. Do you think last years attack on the U.S. Capitol represents a grave danger to American democracy, like Ms. Miller-Idriss argues, in the way that Sept. 11 did? Why, or why not? The Times editorial board argues that perhaps the biggest danger to American democracy comes not from another violent attack at the Capitol, but instead from new laws in battleground states like Wisconsin and Georgia that empower state legislatures to sabotage their own elections and overturn the will of their voters. Do you worry that the fairness of the next presidential election might be in jeopardy? Why, or why not? In the year since the assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, more than 700 people have been arrested. However, there is still little public indication from the Justice Department of how high the investigation might reach. Who do you think should be held responsible for the attack? Should it be only the people who stormed the building? The people who organized and planned the event? The leaders and government officials, including Mr. Trump, who spread misinformation and promoted conspiracy theories that led to the events on Jan. 6? Adrienne Adams had to overcome several obstacles on her way to being voted in on Wednesday as the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the New York City Council, the second-most-powerful position in city government. She had a competitive race to retain her City Council seat representing southeast Queens, including a primary challenge from her predecessor, and entered the contest for speaker relatively late. Mayor Eric Adams did what he had said he would not do and tried, unsuccessfully, to tip the scales in favor of one of Ms. Adamss rivals. Ms. Adams, 61, a moderate Democrat, prevailed and will now lead the City Council, as New York grapples once again with being a center of the coronavirus pandemic while facing a difficult financial future. The new City Council, which is more diverse than ever and has its first-ever female majority, also looks to be more ideologically divided than in recent memory. And in spite of public efforts to show they are on the same page, Ms. Adams already faces potential battles with the mayor on everything from the use of solitary confinement in the citys jails to new legislation that would grant more than 800,000 legal residents who are not citizens the right to vote in municipal elections. Over time, Coney Islands appeal faded. Luna Park closed in 1946, although the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel still stood. In the 1950s, as television became more popular, the crowds melted away further. In the mid-1960s, Fred Trump, the former presidents father, took control of Steeplechase Park with plans to build luxury apartments. He staged a funeral where bikini-clad women passed out stones and invited mourners to hurl them at the parks pavilion. The decline continued in the years that followed. It was rough, it was burned out, a shell of what it used to be 20 to 30 years prior, said Adam Rinn, who grew up in the area and is Mr. Ziguns designated successor. (He declined to comment on the conflict between Mr. Zigun and the Coney Island USA board.) Still, some of the old allure remained, calling out to people like Mr. Rinn. He said he saw his first Coney Island show at 15. It featured Otis Jordan, The Worlds Only Human Cigarette Factory, who rolled, lit and smoked a cigarette using only his lips. It was such a surreal experience, said Mr. Rinn, 50, who went to learn how to swallow swords, eat and spit fire, walk on glass, lie on a bed of nails and hammer nails into his face. (I guess Id be considered a quick learner, he said.) Mr. Zigun links his own Coney Island infatuation in part to his roots in Barnums hometown, Bridgeport, Conn. Arriving in New York after earning a fine arts degree from Yale Drama School, he decided to look for something on the fringe. When I finished my fancy education, instead of aspiring to Broadway or a place like La MaMa in the East Village, I had this wacky idea of starting my own theater in Coney Island, he said. Im happy to hear that Eric Adams is using this phrase, emotional intelligence, said Maria Haberfeld, a professor of police science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. This is what we need to have better police officers. Others say the approach falls short, and that calls for more training often create a cycle that boosts police budgets but does not produce results. It really doesnt translate even to the short-term safety of my community, even if it may feel that way to communities outside of mine, said Monifa Bandele, who works with the Communities United for Police Reform Action Fund, an advocacy group. We want Eric Adams to do what we demanded when we took to the streets back in June here and across the country, she said. We want to reimagine public safety. The specter of the past also lingers for some who bore the brunt of previous enforcement, including David Ourlicht, one of the plaintiffs in the landmark class-action lawsuit that led a judge to declare the Police Departments stop-and-frisk tactics unconstitutional in 2013. The strategy was heavily relied on under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and officials credited the practice in which officers stopped, questioned and often searched people on the street with reducing violence across the city. But in some years, Black and Latino New Yorkers were nine times more likely to be stopped than white residents, and several studies later disputed the tactics effectiveness. Other research has shown people who were stopped by the police often were more likely to face negative mental health consequences, including trauma and anxiety. Mr. Ourlicht, who recently settled a separate case against the city for $10,000 after he successfully argued he was again wrongly frisked, said he was frightened by the current discussions around policing and feared a return of aggressive encounters with officers. Background In August 2021, President George Manneh Weah set up a 25-member Special Bicentennial Steering Committee to organize and implement appropriate programs for the countrys bicentennial anniversary. The main marker for the bicentennial is pegged to January 7, 1822, when the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color of the United States (aka the American Colonization Society (ACS)) resettled the first group of freed black American slaves on Providence Island in modern-day Monrovia. The government has declared a one-year celebratory period from December 2021 to December 2022 for the bicentennial in a bid to engender broader participation in bicentennial activities by Diaspora Liberians, persons of Liberian descent, friends of Liberia, and Liberians at home. The theme for the bicentennial is Liberia: The Land of Return Commemorating 200 Years of Freedom and Pan-African Leadership, which is meant to signify the countrys many historical milestones in intra-Africa and world affairs. The Providence Island resettlement scheme in 1822 has always generated corresponding historical arguments about the 1821 land purchase by ACS agents Dr. Eli Ayers and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert Stockton from Dei, Bassa, Vai, and Gola chiefs of the former Grain Coast, now the Republic of Liberia. The key arguments have always been that in the 1820s in Africa and the agrarian world private ownership of land was improbable because land was generally for communal use and not for sales to individuals and organizations. Then there was the argument that Stockton secured Providence Island and adjacent Cape Mesurado from the African chiefs in 1821 through coercion by pointing a gun to the head of one of the chiefs to sign the land purchase agreement. But Liberian Historian Carl Patrick Burrowes disputes that any of this information is true. I seek in this article, therefore, to reconcile Burrowes accounts against other historical accounts regarding the sales of land in prehistoric Liberia and the general circumstances of the 1821 land purchase agreement between the ACS and the African chiefs. I will also look at the general state of relations between descendants of the freed slaves and those of the African chiefs in light of President William R. Tolberts 1972 sesquicentennial speech. I will discuss the significance of the bicentennial as well as attempt to disabuse young and old Liberians alike of the idea that identifying, calling, and referring to a fellow Liberian as Americo-Liberian is an act of attempted alienation and divisiveness. Burrowes Archival Find and Implications Historian Carl Patrick Burrowes discloses during interviews with various media outlets in late 2021 that while searching through the microfilm archives of the Bushrod Washington Collection at Chicago History Museum in Illinois, USA in August 2021, he found the original 1821 land purchase agreement between ACS agents and African chiefs in the files of ACS secretary Elias B. Caldwell. He told the Washington Post that the archival find at the Chicago History Museum was The most significant discovery of his career, insofar as the document helps debunk several prevailing myths about the acquisition of territory that became[Liberias] capital (Cavanaugh). These included Myth 1: Local West African rulers rejected the contract because their societies prohibited the buying and selling of land; Myth 2: The local rulers were unable to comprehend the content of the contract because they did not understand English; and Myth 3: The land was purchased at gunpoint (Cavanaugh). The Daily Observer also saw the Burrowes find as seeking to both establish a new perspective from which the nations history could be told and help clarify and correct long-held beliefs that may have fueled division among peoples (Staff Editor). The two newspapers appeared more optimistic about the impact of Burrowes find on contemporary Liberian history and Liberian society at large than Burrowes himself. In an interview with Octavius Obey published on YouTube in December 2021, Burrowes acknowledged that The document [he found] in and of itself doesnt speak to the issue, but when we look at the arguments surrounding it and other findings related to it. for example, the transcripts of the negotiations kept by Ayers (Obey), then one may conclude otherwise. But, if Burrowes truly believes that the historic purchase agreement he found does not speak to the issue, then how might it be possible to glean from that very purchase document information on settling the myths alluded to by the Washington Post, or the upbeat rendition proffered by the Daily Observer about the document helping to clarify and correct long-held beliefs that may have fueled division among peoples for more than a century, let alone the possibility of garnering a new perspective from which the nations history could be told? Yet, Burrowes insists that the sales of land to private individuals was a routine business activity during the time of the ACS land purchase and argues that the African chiefs understood every term of the 1821 purchase agreement in that the local rulers understood Western contracts because they had been involved in business arrangements with Westerners, including pre-purchase agreements, for centuries (Staff Editor). In myth #3 Burrowes deduces that Stockton was only fond of playing with guns, but that he really did not threaten anyone with a gun during negotiations with African chiefs. Indeed, as a historian and researcher, Burrowes is within his scholarly rights to extrapolate, predict, and give new meaning and new life to the document he found than what the document itself actually stands for and deserves. But these individual interpretations of historical documents like the 1821 purchase agreement cannot be presented as absolute and uncontestable historical facts, especially where the object of analysis has no intrinsic values beyond the subjective opinions of the historian or researcher. The issue of proof is also complicated by the lack of specificity about the methods Burrowes used to confirm that the purchase agreement he found at the Chicago History Museum was an authentic copy of the original agreement. Then, there are unanswered questions about how and why Ayers came to draft the original land purchase agreement in his handwriting rather than in someone elses handwriting or typed it? Who set the price for the land sale at USD300? Who identified the items for the barter exchange in lieu of cash payment? How it became possible that Eli Ayers and John Mills signed the agreement with their full names and signatures, but the traditional leaders only signed unto the agreement individually with an X mark under such names as King Long Peter, King George, King Governor, King Jimmy, and so on as if the chiefs forgot their own names or lacked full names altogether. And why the traditional leaders signed with X mark instead of their thumbs or actual signatures, if they were so familiar with western contracts? Amidst these vexing questions, Burrowes answer to the question, Any document could be a forgery. How do you know this one is the original? was less direct and more conjectural or rhetorical: First of all, the document is in the handwriting of Eli Ayres, the American who signed it on behalf of the ACS. Second, the paper is aged, not modern. Third, its location inspires further confidence in its authenticity. (Staff Editor). But can a century-old purchase agreement really be authenticated by handwriting sample, storage location, and archaeological dating method? Maybe so, but not necessarily in this case. Other Historical Accounts on 1821 Land Purchase Story The purchase document Burrowes found does not cast any new light on contemporary Liberian history, especially the role and place of the indigenous chiefs and their descendants in the founding of Liberia. It also does not explain why the founding date of Liberia is often associated with January 7, 1822, when the ACS resettled the first group of the freed slaves on Providence Island and not on February 20, 1824, when the ACS established the Colony of Liberia, or December 15, 1821, when the ACS and the chiefs signed the purchase agreement. Interestingly, I can remember as a Bassa youth growing up in Liberia that it was not uncommon to hear across Liberian society that the Bassa people sold their land for smoked fish. That assertion puzzled me a lot, and I always wanted to know which land the Bassa people sold, to whom, and for what purpose? I had no ready answers to these questions until in adulthood when I found out that the whole assertion was nothing but a farce, a historical misrepresentation of the 1821 land transaction between agents of the American Colonization Society (ACS) and Dei, Bassa, Vai, and Gola, chiefs of what is today the Republic of Liberia. In particular, in 1821 the ACS sent Dr. Eli Ayers and navy lieutenant Robert Stockton on the second reconnaissance mission to West Africa (the first mission was in 1818 by Samuel J. Mills and Ebenezer Burgess leading to the Sherbro debacle) to secure suitable land on which to resettle a group of freed slaves. Ayers and Stockton entered a series of negotiations with the local chiefs in 1821 for a piece of land on which to resettle the freed slaves. The net result of those negotiations was the grant of Providence Island, Cape Mesurado, and adjacent areas in current Montserrado County. However, relying on his recent archival find at the Chicago History Museum, Burrowes believes that sales of land was regular business in prehistoric Liberia and that it is inaccurate that one of the ACS negotiators used a gun during the land negotiations to compel compliance. Many historical accounts stand in contrast to Burrowes claims, especially that of American naturalist, historian, and freelancer Michael Harwood. In a 1972 Heritage Magazine article, Harwood provides extensive details on the founding, management, and challenges of the ACS, including the ill-fated Sherbro Island voyage, and the search of fertile land several miles off south of the coast of then British Sierra Leone. Harwood explains that the initial arrangements between ACS agents and the local African chiefs called for an annual rent of three hundred dollars in exchange for the use of forty square miles of land on the coast south of Sierra Leone (i.e., Cape Mesurado). However, the management team of the ACS back in the USA refused to accept the agreement, considering the sum an unjustified tribute to the heathen king who controlled the land, Harwood says. The African chiefs in return refused to sell Cape Mesurado or any indigenous land to the ACS. And the first attempt by Ayres and Stockton to purchase land from the local chiefs through King Peter also failed. Hence, Ayres and Stockton, After days of waiting for King Peter to palaver again, they [Ayres and Stockton] marched inland to his village and at pistol point forced him to sell. The price for Cape Mesurado was less than three hundred dollars in clothes, guns, powder, rum, tobacco, and trinkets. This purchase from an unwilling seller the American Colonization Society named Liberia'free landand the first settlement there, Monrovia (Harwood). Similarly, in Reluctant Imperialists: The U.S. Navy and Liberia, 1819-1845 Eugene Van Sickle recalls that on December 15, 1821, after a deadlock of several days during the negotiations between ACS representatives Stockton and Ayers and King Peter of Cape Mesurado, Stockton responded to Peters resistance to American settlement by aiming his pistol at the kings head, threatening to kill him if he did not sell land to the ACS (267). A third account contrasting Burrowes claims can be found on the website of the U.S. Library of Congress, which is a much larger information source than the Chicago History Museum from which Burrowes found the purchase agreement. Hence, quoting the fourth annual report of the ACS, the Library narrates under the Liberian historical timeline for 1821 that Stockton took charge of the negotiations with leaders of the Dey and Bassa peoples who lived in the area of Cape Mesurado. At first, the local leaders were reluctant to surrender their peoples' land to the strangers but were forcefully persuadedto part with a 36 mile long and 3-mile wide strip of coastal land for trade goods, supplies, weapons, and rum worth approximately $300 (LOC). Several other historical accounts speak not only to the persistent grab of indigenous land, but also to the marginalization and exclusion of the African chiefs and their upsprings in the formation and governance of the new nation-state of Liberia. In fact, back in 1825 and 1826, Jehudi Ashmun who succeeded Ayres as ACS governing agent was fond of using excessive force and related aggressive tactics to grab indigenous land to extend the colony of Liberia. Basically, as already established through the historical records quoted above, it was clear that Stockton used a gun to extract land from the chiefs and that Cape Mesurado was sold under duress. President Tolberts Sesquicentennial Speech and the 2022 Bicentennial Liberia is today a multiethnic, multicultural, and multireligious society, with each group having its own identity tags and core values. Historically, though, all Liberians fall under two dominant demographic groups: 1) Native-Liberian (also called Native people, country people, aborigines, or Bassa, Kpelle, Grebo, or Lorma people, etc. by ethnic affiliation) and 2) Americo-Liberian (also called settlers, pioneers, Congau people, newcomers, Kwee people, or ex-slaves or freed slaves). Yet, since the early 2000s concerted efforts have been mounted in certain quarters of Liberian society to make the term Americo-Liberian a hate speech punishable by law. Hence, when the Daily Observer asked Historian Carl Patrick Burrows, How do you refer to those who came from America to live in Liberia? Some call them Americo-Liberians and ex-slaves, he not only gives his preference for the word repatriates, but he also infers that To label people whose families have lived here for six generations as Americo-Liberians is similar to calling all Manlike-speakers Malian-Liberians (Staff Editor). Well, the word Americo-Liberian is not a label in any negative sense, but an identity tag created and used by the freed slaves themselves since the 1800s and 1900s. Americo-Liberians were and remained a powerful political and social group in Liberia. At least Over 5000 Recaptives - mostly from the Congo region - were also settled [in Liberia], particularly between 1844 and 1863, initially in the care of the Americo-Liberians - as the New World African settlers and their descendants were collectively designated (Akpan 250). The Americo-Liberian group and their Native-Liberian compatriots have coexisted on the same landmass prior to Liberias independence in 1847. And, according to the 2009 Final Report of Liberia Truth and Reconciliation (TRC), As Liberia began to establish itself as a new nation, a small number of Americo-Liberian families and their patronage networks dominated all aspects of government, economy, the security sector, commerce, and social advancement (4). Yet, quite, unfortunately, The Americo-Liberians replicated many of the exclusions and social differentiations that had so limited their own lives in the United States (Meisler). Regarding Burrowes's analogy about Malinke speakers and Americo-Liberians, it is an open secret that all Malinke speakers are not confined to Mali, nor do all Malinke speakers originate from Mali. Besides, every Liberian who has visited or lived in the United States will know that calling an American citizen African American, Chinese American, or Irish American is not an act of alienation, segregation, and discrimination as Burrowes wants to suggest, but intrinsically a social or demographic marker that has nothing to do with the number of generations a particular demographic group has coexisted with others on American soil. What these accounts show, however, is that Americo-Liberian has been a legitimate politico-cultural and demographic group in Liberia prior to the independence of Liberia and will continue to be until the end of time. Hence, references to Americo-Liberian can never, and should never, be considered hate speech in Liberia, especially that we now live in a new world of hybridity and globalization, as certain assimilation tactics may no longer work effectively. Each of us will now have to appreciate our identities as persons of specific cultural and linguistic backgrounds even as we coexist peacefully as persons of a common patrimony. President William R. Tolbert, Jr. was aware of these creeping identity crises and related socio-cultural and political skirmishes when his government celebrated Liberias Sesquicentennial anniversary in 1972. During the 1972 sesquicentennial or 150th anniversary celebrations, President Tolbert made a passionate plea to all Liberians to unite and to recognize and cherish one another for the immense sacrifices made over the years for sustenance of Liberia as an independent nation-state. The President found Itbefitting that we [Liberians] of this generation pay homage not only to that small band of hardy settlers who returned to our fatherland, but even more so, that we offer equal tribute to the vast and overwhelming majority of our indigenous brothers and sisters who have labored together in the past with perseverance. To some Liberians, President Tolbert was conciliatory to a great fault by the very references to that small band of hardy settlers and the vast and overwhelming majority of our indigenous brothers and sisters (MICAT). But to other Liberians, the President was right on point, but if the President had any fault at all regarding his statement, then it was a good fault, a fault of unity. It is now fifty years since 1972 when President Tolbert made those conciliatory statements. Liberia has evolved from a one-party, autocratic state to a multiparty democratic society after a military coup in 1980 and a series of gruesome civil wars in the 1990s and early 2000s. Yet, the past is the past, and Liberians should no longer think or dream of instability and a sesquicentennial but peaceful coexistence and a bicentennial. Like President Tolbert in 1972, President George Manneh Weah is expected to grace the bicentennial celebrations in February 2022 with his own conciliatory message. Yet, the bicentennial provides the time and opportunity not just for festive activities and elaborate celebrations across Liberia, but also time and opportunity for critical evaluation of the historical past and personal introspection of where we have been, where we are, and where we are going as a nation and people. The bicentennial should never be the time to sugarcoat history, to shift responsibility, and to downgrade the role of one group or the other in the founding of Liberia. There are hardly any pure Americo-Liberian or pure Native Liberian in Liberian society today due to intermarriages and other social cleavages, but we are all not just Liberians. For whether we like it or not, we are neither less a Liberian nor diehard confusionists, segregationists, or troublemakers by belonging to particular counties, religious and academic institutions, political parties, demographic groups, and civil society organizations in Liberia. American Journalist Stanley Meisler did claim in a 1973 article in the Atlantic Monthly that the appointment of Harry A. Greaves as Bong County Superintendent was a good example of how confusing it sometimes is these days to differentiate an Americo-Liberian from a tribal man [Native-Liberian]. Meisler says Greaves was so much a part of the Americo-Liberian Establishment, and Though culturally an Americo-Liberian, Greaves likes to describe himselfas a tribal man trying to encourage economic development in the Bong County of his tribal peoples (10). But, as Meisler explains, Greaves was both a ward of the Greaves Family and the biological son of his father Zachpah, so he could legitimately claim both identities. The 1973 Harry A. Greaves (Sr.) example is true for many persons of Liberian origin in and out of Liberia today. Basically, all of us have multiple identities and those identities are what make us unique, so they need to be respected and accepted. We all do not have to look the same way, walk the same way, talk the same way, and dress the same way to appreciate one another and coexist peacefully on the land the omnipotent God has bequeathed unto our forebears and us. Conclusion Finally, January 7, 2022, will mark the 200th anniversary or bicentennial of the arrival of the first group of freed black American slaves on the landmass known today as the Republic of Liberia. The not-too-cozy relations between the new arrivals and the indigenous African peoples inhabiting the land prior have been the source of much public debate and controversy among descendants of the two groups. But whatever the sources of controversies and disagreements might have been nearly two centuries ago, the need for descendants of the two groups to coexist peacefully as peoples of a common patrimony remains paramount. But, as President Tolbert indicated fifty years ago in 1972, we in Liberia cannot seriously celebrate and pay homageto that small band of hardy settlers who returned to our fatherland and forget to offer equal tribute to the vast and overwhelming majority of our indigenous brothers and sisters who we met on our fatherland. Serious cultural differences do exist between Americo-Liberians and Native-Liberians. And, as Akpan has correctly observed: The Americo-Liberians practised an essentially western culture in their life style, political institutions, through the use of the English language, individual ownership and perpetual alienation of land, and their adherence to Christianity and monogamy. The indigenous Africans were Traditionalists or Muslims, spoke their own languages, and held land communally. Their villages were governed by chiefs and elders assisted by age-grade or socio-political organizations like the poro (for men) and sande (for women) (250-252). Politically, state power shifted involuntarily in the nineteenth century from the mulatto ex-slaves to the black ex-slaves, but in 1973 The system seems geared now to allow power to pass first to the Americo-Liberians with some tribal blood, then to the tribalists, such as Greaves, who have been assimilated into Americo-Liberian culture, and finally to the real tribal people (Meisler). In the view of Meisler back in 1973, The selection of [James E.] Green as Vice President [to President Tolbert] shows that the pure Americo-Liberians are resisting change. But [that] it [change] is inevitable. And the 1980 coup has come to signify the inevitable change Meisler so accurately predicted. Indeed, as Liberia begins its bicentennial celebrations from December 2021 to December 2022, many diverse perspectives on lingering historical questions about the founding of Liberia are bound to arise, but the code for everyone should be unity rather than division or bigotry. Liberia is what it is today because of the sweat and blood and talents of all Liberians, whether of Americo-Liberian or Native-Liberian stock. Hence, the celebrations need to be inclusive in all of its programs and activities, although the celebrations are pegged to the date of the arrival of the first group of repatriates, I will say, in order to begin the unity and reconciliation drives with Historian Burrowes. About the Author Nat Galarea Gbessagee is a former director of public affairs in the Liberian Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism. He is an educator and social commentator on contemporary Liberian issues. He holds a Ph.D. in rhetoric and technical communication. He can be reached at ngg06@yahoo.com. Works Cited Akpan, M. B. Liberia and Ethiopia, 1880-1914: the survival of two African states. General History of Africa VII, Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935, edited by A. Aduboahen. UNESCO, 1985, pp. 250-252. Cavanaugh, Ray. Two hundred years later, a long-lost document sheds light on the purchase of Liberia. The Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/11/20/liberia-purchase-agreement-1821-burrowes. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021. Harwood, Michael. Better For Us To Be Separated. The American Heritage Magazine. December 1972, Volume 24, Issue 1 https://www.americanheritage.com/better-us-be-separated. Accessed 2 Jan. 2022. LOC. History of Liberia: A Timeline. 1820-1847. U.S. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/collections/maps-of-liberia-1830-to-1870/articles-and-essays/history-of-liberia/1820-to-1847. Accessed 1 Jan. 2022. Meisler, Stanley. Liberia. The Atlantic Monthly, March 1973. https://www.stanleymeisler.com/article/liberia. Accessed 2 Jan. 2022. MICAT. Presidential Papers. Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism. July 1972, pp. 346-347. Obey, Octavius. Liberian History MID 1800's: Interview with C. Patrick Burrowes. 12 Dec. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0FI12xz3Ho&t=1544s. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021. TRC. Final Report of Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Liberia Truth and Reconciliation (TRC). 2009, p. 4. Staff Editor. New Historical Find Reveals Much about Liberias Early Beginnings. The Daily Observer, 30 Nov. 2021, https://www.liberianobserver.com/new-historical-find-reveals-much-about-liberias-early-beginnings. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021. Van Sickle, Eugene. Reluctant Imperialists: The U.S. Navy and Liberia, 1819-1845. Journal of the Early Republic 31, no. 1 (2011): 107-134. doi: 10.1353/jer.2011.0007. A plan to add tens of thousands of affordable homes Ms. Hochul said the state would pursue a $25 billion plan to build or preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes that would include services for people at risk of homelessness. Ms. Hochul also wants to allow bigger apartment buildings and more density around transit lines like the Long Island Rail Road. That could be significant in many New York City suburbs, which have long been seen as having some of the most onerous restrictions on development in the nation. Her plan calls for legalizing many basement and garage homes, replacing a popular tax incentive that encourages developers to build affordable housing with one that targets lower-income residents, making it easier to convert hotels and offices to housing and preventing landlords from rejecting tenants because of their criminal background. The plans met with mixed reaction. Gov. Hochuls vision is a great first step in fighting our housing crisis, said Rachel Fee, executive director of the New York Housing Conference, a nonprofit group. But Cea Weaver, campaign coordinator for Housing Justice for All, called the plan an unconscionable abdication of responsibility, in part because it did not include stronger barriers to eviction and eliminate tax breaks for developers. Ms. Hochul announced several measures to help people who cycle in and out of homelessness. She promised 7,000 new units of supportive housing, which includes services for people with mental illness and addiction, and the preservation of 3,000 others, expanding a Cuomo-era plan. Its going to make a real impact on homelessness, said Laura Mascuch, executive director of the Supportive Housing Network of New York. The governor plans to beef up outreach to people living in streets and subways. But homeless people and their advocates say that outreach cannot succeed unless people are offered alternatives to widely reviled homeless shelters. There has to be a place for people to go, said Shelly Nortz, deputy executive director for policy with the Coalition for the Homeless. By Andy Newman and Mihir Zaveri Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked the judge who oversaw Ghislaine Maxwells sex-trafficking trial to investigate the process by which one of the jurors was chosen, after he told news outlets he was a sexual abuse victim and had discussed his experience during deliberations. The prosecutors request, in a letter filed with the court, raised the possibility of additional inquiry into how jurors who voted to convict Ms. Maxwell had been selected and the prospect of Ms. Maxwells lawyers moving to have a mistrial declared in the closely watched case. Later on Wednesday, Ms. Maxwells lawyers indicated they planned to do just that, saying in two letters to the judge that their client would seek a new trial and that the judge can and should order one without holding a hearing, as the government had requested. Ms. Maxwells lawyers said Ms. Maxwell planned to make her request under a federal rule that grants a judge the power to grant a new trial when the interest of justice so requires. The American model has been decaying for some time. Since the mid-1990s, the countrys politics have become increasingly polarized and subject to continuing gridlock, which has prevented it from performing basic government functions like passing budgets. There were clear problems with American institutions the influence of money in politics, the effects of a voting system increasingly unaligned with democratic choice yet the country seemed to be unable to reform itself. Earlier periods of crisis like the Civil War and the Great Depression produced farsighted, institution-building leaders; not so in the first decades of the 21st century, which saw American policymakers presiding over two catastrophes the Iraq war and the subprime financial crisis and then witnessed the emergence of a shortsighted demagogue egging on an angry populist movement. Up until Jan. 6, one might have seen these developments through the lens of ordinary American politics, with its disagreements on issues like trade, immigration and abortion. But the uprising marked the moment when a significant minority of Americans showed themselves willing to turn against American democracy itself and to use violence to achieve their ends. What has made Jan. 6 a particularly alarming stain (and strain) on U.S. democracy is the fact that the Republican Party, far from repudiating those who initiated and participated in the uprising, has sought to normalize it and purge from its own ranks those who were willing to tell the truth about the 2020 election as it looks ahead to 2024, when Mr. Trump might seek a restoration. The impact of this event is still playing out on the global stage. Over the years, authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin of Russia and Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus have sought to manipulate election results and deny popular will. Conversely, losing candidates in elections in new democracies have often charged voter fraud in the face of largely free and fair elections. This happened last year in Peru, when Keiko Fujimori contested her loss to Pedro Castillo in the second round of the countrys presidential election. Brazils president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been laying the grounds for contesting this years presidential election by attacking the functioning of Brazils voting system, just as Mr. Trump spent the lead-up to the 2020 election undermining confidence in mail-in ballots. Before Jan. 6, these kinds of antics would have been seen as the behavior of young and incompletely consolidated democracies, and the United States would have wagged its finger in condemnation. But it has now happened in the United States itself. Americas credibility in upholding a model of good democratic practice has been shredded. This precedent is bad enough, but there are potentially even more dangerous consequences of Jan. 6. The global rollback of democracy has been led by two rising authoritarian countries, Russia and China. Both powers have irredentist claims on other peoples territory. President Putin has stated openly that he does not believe Ukraine to be a legitimately independent country but rather part of a much larger Russia. He has massed troops on Ukraines borders and has been testing Western responses to potential aggression. President Xi of China has asserted that Taiwan must eventually return to China, and Chinese leaders have not excluded the use of military force, if necessary. A key factor in any future military aggression by either country will be the potential role of the United States, which has not extended clear security guarantees to either Ukraine or Taiwan but has been supportive militarily and ideologically aligned with those countries efforts to become real democracies. If momentum had built in the Republican Party to renounce the events of Jan. 6 the way it ultimately abandoned Richard Nixon in 1974, we might have hoped that the country might move on from the Trump era. But this has not happened, and foreign adversaries like Russia and China are watching this situation with unconstrained glee. If issues like vaccinations and mask-wearing have become politicized and divisive, consider how a future decision to extend military support or to deny such support to either Ukraine or Taiwan would be greeted. Mr. Trump undermined the bipartisan consensus that existed since the late 1940s over Americas strong support for a liberal international role, and President Biden has not yet been able to re-establish it. I have some good news and some bad news, and theyre both the same. Seven independent lab studies have found that while Omicrons mutations make it exceptionally good at causing breakthrough cases even in people who have been vaccinated or previously infected, they also render it less able to effectively infect the lower lungs, a step associated with more serious illness. Plus, in country after country where Omicron has spread, epidemiological data shows that vaccines are still helping prevent severe disease or worse. Why isnt that unalloyed good news? Because its just luck that this highly transmissible variant appears to be less dangerous than other variants to those with prior immunity. If it had been more deadly as Delta has been the U.S. governments haphazard and disorganized response would have put the whole country much more at risk. Even with this more moderate threat, the highest-ranking public health officials are making statements that seem more aimed at covering up or making excuses for ongoing failures, rather than leveling with the public. Nowhere are these issues more apparent than on the confusing and zigzag messaging around rapid antigen tests and N95 masks, both of which are important weapons in our arsenal. With a barrage of cases threatening vital services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Dec. 29 that people could return to work, masked, five days after they first learned they were infected, arguing that many people are infectious for only a short period. People could return to work even while still sick, as long as their symptoms were abating. The tiny, spiny and adorable hedgehog is helping to upend conventional wisdom about the origins of drug-resistant bacterial infections that kill thousands of people each year. In a study published Wednesday in Nature, a group of international scientists found that the bacteria that cause a tough-to-treat infection existed in nature long before modern antibiotics began to be mass produced in the 1940s. The drugs have saved countless lives, but the wide distribution of antibiotics in the decades since then has also spurred an evolutionary arms race with the pathogens they target, leading to the emergence of dreaded superbugs that have evaded our efforts to vanquish them with pharmaceuticals. The key to the scientists paradigm-altering theory? Danish roadkill. When researchers examined hundreds of dead hedgehogs from Denmark and other countries in Western Europe, they found MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, living on the skin of the vast majority of the animals. That was surprising, given that the animals had not been exposed to penicillin, though MRSA does colonize many mammals, including humans, where they can live harmlessly inside the nose or on the skin. The danger arises when these bacteria enter the bloodstream through a wound or intravenous tube, with potentially deadly consequences for those with weakened immune systems. The scientists were also intrigued by another pathogen they found on many of those same hedgehogs: a skin fungus that produces a penicillin-like substance which inhibits the growth of staphylococcus aureus. Like modern antimicrobials, this naturally occurring antibiotic is in constant battle with the staph bacteria that compete for nutrients on the hedgehogs skin. Over time, some of those bacteria developed an ability to outsmart their fungal rivals and thrive on their hedgehog hosts, the study showed. In August 1986, a doctor in Washington, D.C., manipulating a microscope, examined a tissue sample from a breast-cancer patient and correctly diagnosed that her tumor had spread. What was unusual about the diagnosis was that the tissue sample and the microscope were half a country away, in El Paso. It was a demonstration of a technology, now known as telepathology, which enables specialists to render diagnoses and other medical opinions from afar using telecommunications technologies. At the time, the internet was in its early stages, fiber optics were not widely available and the high-definition screens now common were unknown. So for a doctor to remotely control a microscope and see a clear enough image to render a conclusion was a significant breakthrough. The demonstration had been arranged by the founder of Corabi Telemetrics, Dr. Ronald Weinstein, who at the time was also chairman of the pathology department at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Lukes Medical Center in Chicago and had led the team that perfected the technology. (In fact, he is credited with coining the term telepathology.) He spent the rest of his career furthering telemedicine of various kinds, first in Chicago and then, starting in 1990, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, where he was a founder of the widely admired Arizona Telemedicine Program. Dr. Weinstein saw early on the potential for telepathology to broaden medical access. The limited availability of pathologists in some rural locations and areas serviced by federal medical centers is a bottleneck in the United States health care delivery system, he wrote in the journal Human Pathology in May 1986, a few months before his groundbreaking demonstration. Nowadays, Cobar pipes in its water from the Burrendong Dam, about 233 miles east, and the tank, whose silver finish long ago succumbed to rust and graffiti, is empty of water. It has, however, been filled with something new music. On April 2, after two decades of work, it will be officially reborn as the Cobar Sound Chapel, an audacious sound-art collaboration between Georges Lentz, one of Australias leading contemporary composers, and Glenn Murcutt, an Australian Pritzker Prize- and Praemium Imperiale award-winning architect. For his reimagining of the roofless tank, Murcutt installed an approximately 16-foot cube within its cylindrical space, in which Lentzs String Quartet(s) (2000-21), a 24-hour-long classical-meets-electronica work, will play on loop via a quadraphonic sound system. Inside the chamber is a concrete bench that seats up to four, from which one can look out through the ceilings gold-rimmed oculus. Morning, noon and night, then, the otherworldly sonic stream will reverberate throughout the concrete booth and spill out into the sky that inspired it. The artists hope is that their work will prompt visitors to meditate on our place in the universe. There is a mysterious element to our existence that we ignore at our own peril, says Lentz, 56. By turning to something higher than ourselves, we realize we are just this tiny thing in this vast scheme. The year that just ended was a difficult one for people who make theater, as they faced economic, aesthetic and medical challenges. In a smaller way it was therefore a strange year for those of us who write about and review their work. Not until late summer 2020 and then more fully in the fall did we see live plays and musicals, and enjoy the pleasures that come with doing so: not just the communal experience in the theater but also the shared reflection afterward. For us Jesse Green, the chief theater critic, and Maya Phillips, a critic at large that shared reflection often included the gift of disagreement. And so, on the last day of 2021, we met, in cyberspace, to talk about what each of us liked most over the last several months, what we disliked most and how a bit of (respectful!) head-butting can expand our understanding of both. Below, edited excerpts from the conversation. JESSE GREEN The return of live theater, however precarious, was a great thing for both of us as critics, of course, but also as lovers of plays and musicals. There was a lot to see, and a lot we liked. MAYA PHILLIPS It was strange, though, to return to crowded theaters after being holed up in our apartments for so long. And it felt overwhelming in a good way, but still overwhelming to dive right back into a full fall season. But, yes, it was great to be back. What stood out to you? A $2.7 billion plan to give the Boy Scouts of America a pathway out of bankruptcy while compensating tens of thousands of sex abuse victims was at risk of failing on Wednesday, with more than one-quarter of claimants voting to reject the plan in a preliminary tally of votes. The Boy Scouts have been seeking support from 75 percent of victims to help the youth organization win final approval from a bankruptcy judge, but the preliminary tally showed that 73 percent of victims supported the agreement. The Boy Scouts said in a statement that they were continuing to engage in discussions to supplement the agreement and potentially win further support. We are encouraged by these preliminary results, the organization said. About 54,000 people cast votes out of some 82,000 victims who came forward with sex abuse claims during the bankruptcy proceedings. The $2.7 billion settlement plan for victims was the product of months of high-stakes negotiations, with much of the money coming from insurance companies along with more than $800 million contributed by the Boy Scouts and their wide network of local councils. The Boy Scouts are expected to put in cash, property and other assets, including a prized collection of Norman Rockwell paintings. A woman in Georgia who fraudulently obtained more than $6 million in Covid relief money was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Tuesday, the Justice Department said. The case is the latest example of Americans misusing the Paycheck Protection Program, a part of the $2.2 billion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act that Congress passed in March 2020. In the latest case, the Georgia woman, Hunter VanPelt, pleaded guilty to bank fraud in August after submitting six loan applications for a total of more than $7.9 million on behalf of companies that she owned or controlled, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say that Ms. VanPelt, 49, whose legal name was Ellen Corkrum until 2016, lied about payroll expenses and the number of people her companies employed. She also submitted fraudulent tax records, payroll reports and bank statements, they said. Her lawyer could not be immediately contacted for comment overnight. Note: Special one-year subscription at a reduced price for first-time subscribers or for subscriptions that have been expired for at least one year those living in Jackson County and the Cherokee Indian Reservation (28719) addresses qualify. Offer good through Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover; we do not accept AMEX. Descendants of Homer Plessy like to say that he was a civil rights activist before most people in Louisiana were familiar with such a term. In 1892, Plessy, a racially mixed shoemaker, boarded a whites-only train car in New Orleans, well aware that he was breaking the law and would most likely be arrested. He was indeed charged with violating the states Separate Car Act, beginning a legal battle that ascended all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. On Wednesday nearly a century after Plessys death Gov. John Bel Edwards pardoned him for the offense, scrubbing his record of a crime that came with a $25 fine. As he signed the pardon, Mr. Edwards said he also had a much more ambitious aim: confronting a painful and shameful history that Plessys case came to represent. The Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson, resulted in a decision that paved the way for the separate but equal doctrine and gave legal backing to the Jim Crow laws that segregated and disenfranchised African Americans in the South for decades. It left a stain on the fabric of our country and on this state and on this city, Mr. Edwards said before he signed the pardon, speaking at the station in New Orleans where Plessy boarded the train where he was arrested. And, quite frankly, those consequences are still felt today. Mary Alice Thatch, a crusading third-generation newspaper publisher in North Carolina who led the fight to exonerate 10 civil rights activists wrongly convicted of arson in the 1970s, died on Dec. 28 at a hospital in Durham, N.C. She was 78. Her daughter Johanna Thatch-Briggs confirmed the death but did not provide a cause. Ms. Thatch had already had a long career in education when she took over the reins of The Wilmington Journal from her father, Thomas C. Jervay. Like him, she saw the Black-owned newspaper as a vital source of information for the citys Black population and a force that spoke truth to power, white or otherwise. She was particularly committed to making sure that news that often is not represented in the mainstream media was always represented in The Wilmington Journal, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, a civil rights leader, said in a phone interview. Ms. Thatchs reporters uncovered corruption and took on unchecked gentrification, while The Journals editorials pushed for voting rights and education reform. But her greatest achievement came in the early 2010s, when she took up the cause of the so-called Wilmington 10. Alex Cherniss, the superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, where about 10,000 students in coastal Los Angeles County returned to classrooms this week, told me on Tuesday that school attendance dropped by about 10 percent on Monday as testing of students and staff detected about 170 coronavirus infections. About 70 were among children who had already come back to campus, he said, and each had secondary contacts who also had to be sent home. Earlier in the academic year, he said, perhaps 3 percent of students would have returned from a break with an infection. A county health official, he said, told him to assume that a tenth of his student body had the virus roughly 1,000 children. As Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, put it in a New Years Eve tweet: Be super careful its raining Covid. And yet in an interview this week, Wachter also was bullish on Californias prospects. Heres some of our chat, edited and condensed: Are things as bad as they look? Weve got a pretty terrible period ahead of us. The question is how long it lasts, and how bad it gets. We now have pretty good evidence that Omicron is a substantially less severe virus than Delta, particularly in people whove been vaccinated. And were seeing a disconnect between the number of cases, which are enormous, and the numbers of hospitalizations and people in intensive care units who are really sick. So theres hope? I think February and March are going to be OK, and maybe even very good. The way Omicron is acting, the levels of immunity, the fact that many unvaccinated people are going to get their immunity the hard way, through infection theres much that is hopeful over the next four to six weeks. Should schools be open? If we take all the precautions ventilation, opening windows, testing, people upping their mask game and the kids are vaccinated, theres a reasonable chance we can operate the schools safely. But its probably not going to work where all that is not happening. Theres this narrative that closing the schools was the biggest mistake of 2020, which I think kind of hardens everybodys position. Closing presents real hardships to kids and their parents. We also are looking at a really very large threat in terms of infection that probably will be gone by February. Theres so much infection around now that theres a good chance someone will have Covid in a classroom of 20 kids. The events of Jan. 6 did expose critical departmental failures and deficiencies with operational planning, intelligence, staffing, training and equipment. Im pleased to report that we have addressed a significant portion of the many recommendations issued to the department. In fact, of the more than 100 recommendations issued by the inspector general, we have implemented and are addressing over 90 of them. Today, Im confident that the U.S. Capitol Police Department has made significant progress addressing the deficiencies that impacted the departments response on Jan. 6. And while more work remains to be done, the men and women of the Capitol Police stand ready to fulfill their mission each and every day. Any officer that would be deployed as a C.D.U. officer now would have all their equipment. It might, might, might not be new equipment, but they will they will not come out there without everything they need. We are sharing information better. We are assigning responsibilities. People know what their responsibilities are and we have backups to each one of the different commanders. So the blueprint that has been created has weve used it many times since the 6th, and were very confident that it gives us everything we need to ensure that the planning that we do, the sharing of information and that everybody on the department understands what their responsibilities are. We intend to hire over 280 police officers in this fiscal year. In a normal year, we would hire less than half of that. But because we want to get ahead of attrition, attrition that has increased over the last year, were going to hire 280 officers this year. Our intent is to hire 280 police officers for the next three years. That will get us head of attrition, and my hope is that will get us to where we need to be in terms of staffing. Shorter-term strategies are to look at hiring to re-employ annuitants, hiring or allowing for lateral transfers, lateral hires from other agencies and then also looking at contract security officers that can assist at particular locations where we dont really need an armed Capitol Police officer. As of this week, more than 225 people have been accused of attacking or interfering with the police that day. About 275 have been charged with what the government describes as the chief political crime on Jan. 6: obstructing Congresss duty to certify the 2020 presidential vote count. A little over 300 people have been charged with petty crimes alone, mostly trespassing and disorderly conduct. But a big question hangs over the prosecutions: Will the Justice Department move beyond charging the rioters themselves? So far, the department has provided no public indication of the degree to which it might be pursuing a case against former President Donald J. Trump and the circle of his allies who helped inspire the chaos with their baseless claims of election fraud. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland is scheduled to give a speech on Wednesday, one day before the anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, but is not expected to provide any signals about the direction of the departments investigation. A spokeswoman said he would not address any specific cases or individuals. On Capitol Hill, the House select committee on Jan. 6 is interviewing witnesses and has issued subpoenas to a number of high-profile figures allied with Mr. Trump. And with Mr. Garland and the Justice Department remaining mum about their intentions, members of the committee have signaled a willingness to exert pressure on the department, saying they would consider making criminal referrals if their investigation turns up evidence that could support a prosecution against Mr. Trump or others. Even the prosecutions of those who rioted at the Capitol have presented an array of moral and legal challenges that have bedeviled judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers. Mr. Garland reiterated that the department would not share details about its findings even as investigators have issued 5,000 subpoenas and search warrants, inspected over 20,000 hours of video footage and sifted through an estimated 15 terabytes of data. I understand that this may not be the answer some are looking for, he said. But we will and we must speak through our work. Anything else jeopardizes the viability of our investigations and the civil liberties of our citizens. While the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack has signaled an openness to making a criminal referral to the department if it comes across evidence that Mr. Trump or others broke the law, Mr. Garland did not mention Mr. Trump or any specific investigation the department might be pursuing. Mr. Garland has never given any substantive public indication of whether or how aggressively the department might be building a case against Mr. Trump or his advisers, and it is not clear what charges they could be subject to. Some Democrats have openly pushed Mr. Garland to make clear that he intends to act. Last month, former Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, said Mr. Garland would either rise to the occasion or go down in infamy as one of the worst attorney generals in this countrys history if he did not prosecute Mr. Trump for actions he took before and during the attack. Department officials have pointed out that the agencys Jan. 6 inquiry, among the largest investigations in its history, has already produced results. It has led to more than 700 arrests, and more than 275 people have been charged with obstructing Congresss duty to certify the election results. The F.B.I. asked the public on Wednesday for help in identifying hundreds of additional suspects, and the government estimates that as many as 2,500 people could face federal charges. Under the circumstances, Mr. Upton is showing clear signs of fatigue. Youve got metal detectors now going on the House floor. We get really nasty threats at home. The tone gets, you know, tougher and tougher, and its a pretty toxic place, he said last month on CNN. Ive never seen anything like this before. None of the 10 have fallen so far in the Republican firmament as Ms. Cheney, nor risen so high in the esteem of many in both parties who fear and loathe Mr. Trump. The daughter of a former vice president who was once the embodiment of confrontational conservatism, for better or worse, Ms. Cheney started 2021 as the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, a political knife fighter believed by many to be destined for the speakership. Her vote to impeach, and her outspoken denunciations of the lie pushed by Mr. Trump and embraced by many of her colleagues that the 2020 election was stolen, cost her dearly. She was ousted from her leadership post, ejected from the Wyoming Republican Party and targeted repeatedly by the former president, who has tried to unite Wyoming voters around the primary opponent he has endorsed, Harriet Hageman. Ms. Cheney has soldiered on, becoming the vice chairwoman of the House select committee investigating the riot, the face of Republican resistance to Trumpism and a one-woman wrecking crew for Mr. McCarthys ambitions to become speaker next year if the party retakes control of the House. Looking back, Ms. Cheney said in an interview that her fall from Republican leadership was inevitable as long as she had to share the stage with Mr. McCarthy, whose brief denunciation of Mr. Trump after Jan. 6 quickly gave way to a resumption of fealty. It was increasingly clear that staying as conference chair was going to require me to perpetuate the lie about the election, Ms. Cheney said. I was simply not willing to look the other way and accept what he did. Mr. McCarthy, by contrast, visited Mr. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla, near the end of January, making it pretty clear the path that he had chosen, Ms. Cheney added. It was one that was not faithful to the Constitution. Oregon is legalizing mushrooms. Ketamine can be delivered to your home. People are microdosing LSD to treat pandemic-related anxiety and Wall Street is pouring billions into companies that sell mind-altering drugs. It seems like psychedelics though mostly still illegal are everywhere. While the federal government does not recognize a medical use for most of these drugs and says they have potential for abuse, some of the most prominent universities in the world are studying four substances in particular: psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA and LSD. The bulk of available research suggests that these substances hold promise as part of larger treatment plans. There is also growing evidence that psychedelic drugs operate differently in the brain than addictive drugs, and advocates have been consistently calling for legalization. But psychedelics remain expensive and difficult to gain access to legally, unless you are part of a research study for mental health purposes. These drugs are not all the same and do come with risks. One quality they share is the ability to create an altered state of consciousness, commonly referred to as a trip. That effect can either provide a sense of perspective or be downright terrifying. Youre not likely to overdose on them, but you can have life-changing negative experiences, Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy researcher at Rice University in Texas, said. To avoid these experiences, while receiving the benefits these drugs can offer, people have started microdosing smaller amounts at regular intervals but they are often doing so without professional guidance, and some remain uninformed about significant downsides with very little evidence of benefits. Heres what researchers are learning about the psychedelic drugs most prominently involved in mental health research. Psilocybin As the active chemical in magic mushrooms, or shrooms, psilocybin is the most studied of the psychedelic chemicals found in plants and fungi, and its the most likely to become an accepted mental health therapy soon. After last years legalization in Oregon, entrepreneurs began investing tens of millions in psilocybin research there, and other cities and states are following suit. Potential mental health uses: Research conducted in the last decade suggests that psilocybin, typically taken in pill form, has the potential to treat substance use disorders, including alcoholism and nicotine addiction, as well as depression. That research isnt conclusive yet, said Paul Hutson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies psilocybin and leads the schools center for psychedelics research. But he anticipates there will soon be enough evidence for the Food and Drug Administration to approve psilocybin capsules to treat at least some of these disorders most likely in the next five years or so. In the meantime, clinical trials of psilocybin for a variety of conditions are taking place across the country, though they can be difficult to find or have long waiting lists. Still, its safer, Dr. Hutson said, to try psilocybin as part of a study than on your own or in one of the treatment clinics that have popped up. In these trials, patients attend appointments to prepare for and process their psychedelic trip with a professional in an environment where any side effects can be managed. What it does: According to users who have participated in trials, a mushroom trip may induce euphoria and an increased awareness of parts of their environment. For instance, solid objects might seem to breathe in and out. A trip can last more than six hours, and some people describe a positive afterglow lasting for months. Risks: Psilocybin can cause distressing hallucinations or feelings of panic and anxiety in some patients, especially at high doses. You cant be guaranteed safety standards having a trained professional who can reassure you, protect you and even administer drugs during a bad trip in therapy outside of a research trial, Dr. Harris said. One use of psilocybin, which should not be confused with standard treatment described above, is microdosing. By taking small doses perhaps 10 percent of a standard dose every few days, some people might experience mental health benefits without the high. But microdosing psilocybin can be harmful, and there is some evidence that it can damage the heart over time. Recent research also suggests that the positive impacts of microdosing in humans may be largely caused by the placebo effect. Ketamine First synthesized in 1956, ketamine, sometimes called Special K, is used today as an anesthetic by veterinarians and in emergency or combat medicine. Because it is the one psychedelic thats never been illegal, researchers have been able to explore ketamines potential as a mental health treatment and build a case for its use in humans. Potential mental health uses: Many brain disorders like schizophrenia, depression and anxiety are characterized by atrophy in the prefrontal cortex. The evidence is strong, though not yet conclusive, that ketamine helps people with psychiatric disorders by promoting regrowth over time in neurons in this area. That could help explain the near-immediate feelings of relief that users report, which is one of the reasons it has been used in the treatment of suicidal patients. Esketamine, a form of ketamine, showed such promise for treating major depression, often faster than other drugs, that the F.D.A. approved its limited use in early 2019. What it does: Ketamine can create euphoria and provide a sense of detachment from reality. Users taking a low dose might feel as though theyre floating or that their body is numb. Higher doses can temporarily make people clumsy and forget where they are or even who they are. Blurred vision or hallucinations are common. Ketamine works differently from other psychedelics. Most psychedelics like LSD, MDMA and those derived from plants operate by affecting serotonin receptors, which alter mood and happiness. Ketamine affects a different class of brain receptors that are important for learning and memory. Both kinds of receptors are found in the brains prefrontal cortex, which might explain why ketamine and the other psychedelics seem to have similar impacts on mental health. The prefrontal cortex is a brain region thats really critical, said David Olson, a chemistry professor at University of California, Davis, who studies chemicals that affect brain function. It talks to a whole bunch of brain regions that regulate things like mood, emotion, fear, reward. Risks: Ketamine is also known for a specific and scary side effect nicknamed the k-hole. Its rare in clinical settings, but users may feel disassociated from themselves and their surroundings and panic or feel paranoid. LSD Turn on, tune in, drop out. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Silicon Valley microdosing. Suffice it to say, LSD, also known as acid, has a storied place in American popular culture. Potential mental health uses: Its shown promise for treating alcohol addiction and has been studied for other conditions like depression. As with psilocybin, some new LSD adherents microdose to achieve mental health benefits without the trip. What it does: LSD users have reported feelings of bliss during their trip, being able to see sound and having mystical experiences as well as a sense of closeness with others. Risks: Some people experience lasting psychological trauma caused by a bad trip, especially when they take higher doses or use LSD often. Microdosing LSD may have physical risks, too. In a study on rats, microdosing LSD had the opposite effect of a trip; it made the rats display signs of psychiatric illness, like aggression and poor grooming. Similar to microdosing psilocybin, it may also strain the heart by overworking the neurons around the organ. If youre constantly stimulating these neurons, even with a small dose of these compounds, the neurons just cant take it, Dr. Olson said. MDMA A well-known club drug, also known as ecstasy or molly, MDMA has been researched on and off for decades for potential mental health benefits. While the drug remains illegal, the F.D.A. allows its use in research and treatment for life-threatening illness. Potential mental health uses: In 2010, results from a study on treatment-resistant PTSD renewed interest in MDMA research. Since then, it has also been explored as a treatment for other conditions like substance use disorder or social anxiety in autistic adults, although it has more potential to cause damage than some other psychedelics. What it does: MDMA is often known by its street name ecstasy from the feeling of euphoria and connectedness it promotes in users. Risks: MDMA can cause lasting kidney and organ damage as well as heart arrhythmias during a trip, especially in patients with related pre-existing conditions. *** Psychedelic drugs arent simple substances. More time and research will provide answers about their effects on the brain and whether its possible to use them for medical treatments. For now, Dr. Hutson cautioned that evidence supports psychedelic treatments only in cases where other forms of treatment havent worked. Theyre not a panacea that everybody is going to respond to, he said. Kat Eschner is a science and business journalist based in Toronto. She is a contributing editor for Popular Science and a contributor to Fortune magazine. Hong Kong announced a series of strict pandemic control measures on Wednesday, including suspending flights from the United States and seven other countries, as it scrambled to contain an incipient coronavirus outbreak. The new measures came as the authorities held thousands of passengers of a cruise ship under mandatory quarantine to trace a Covid case. The flight bans will deepen the citys isolation from the outside world and mark a return to the tough restrictions the city imposed in the early days of the pandemic. Hong Kong has largely brought the coronavirus under control, but the arrival of the highly transmissible Omicron variant threatens to set off the citys fifth wave of the pandemic. Given the very dire situation of the pandemic, we have to grasp this critical moment, Carrie Lam, Hong Kongs chief executive, said at a news conference. NEW DELHI When the Omicron coronavirus variant spread through India late in December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the nation to be vigilant and follow medical guidelines. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of the capital region of Delhi, swiftly introduced night curfews, shut down movie theaters, and slashed restaurants and public transport to half capacity. Then, both men hit the campaign trail, often appearing without masks in packed rallies of thousands. When it is our bread and butter at stake, they force restrictions and lockdowns, said Ajay Tiwari, a 41-year-old taxi driver in New Delhi. There are much bigger crowds at political rallies, but they dont impose any lockdown in those areas. It really pains us deep in the heart. Protests in Kazakhstan incited by anger over surging fuel prices have intensified into something more combustible and bloody: clashes over the future direction of the country that have prompted a Russia-led military intervention and the killing of dozens of antigovernment demonstrators. Hundreds more have been injured. The government said on Friday that order had been mainly restored after thousands of angry protesters took to the streets of Kazakhstan, creating the biggest crisis to shake the autocratic Central Asian country since it gained independence in 1991. City Hall in Almaty, the countrys largest city, was set ablaze. An angry mob took over the airport. Protesters set fire to police vehicles and to the regional branch of the ruling Nur Otan party. The police, in turn, accused demonstrators of being responsible for the deaths of 13 officers and for leaving 353 injured. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has authorized the nations security forces to fire without warning. The harsh response is a reflection of the stark challenges he faces less than three years into his rule, and seems to portend a protracted crackdown on all forms of dissent, including antigovernment activists, human rights advocates and independent journalists. The World Health Organization says that it is monitoring a coronavirus variant detected in a small number of patients in France, but that, for now, there is little reason to worry about its spread. The B.1.640.2 variant was first identified in October and uploaded to Gisaid, a database for disease variants, on Nov. 4. Only about 20 samples have been sequenced so far, experts said this week, and only one since early December. Abdi Mahmud, a Covid incident manager with the W.H.O., told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the variant had been on the agencys radar since November, but added that it did not appear to have spread widely over the past two months. It recognizes the extraordinary scale of injustice done to so many people over a long period of time, and offers, as far as possible, restitution, said Paul Johnson, a professor of social sciences at the University of Leeds, who said the change could cover thousands of people. It draws a line under five centuries of state-sanctioned persecution of gay people and says: never again. Image An undated photo of Mr. Stewart. But the change and framing the result as a pardon does not go far enough in addressing the injustice of the past, Mr. Stewart said. He said it was an insult that the government would not proactively reach out to him to clear his conviction. Most of the men it affects, its much too late for them to pursue the careers that they want to be pursuing, said Katy Watts, a lawyer for Liberty, a human rights organization that has represented clients like Mr. Stewart. Its deeply frustrating that its taken so long. Mr. Stewart said, I dont feel its enough, when you consider the impact its had and the loss to me in my life and my career, adding he had appealed his conviction to several home secretaries over the years. I dont want a pardon either, he added, because a pardon is an admission of guilt on my part. Mr. Stewart said he was profiled as gay by two police officers and charged in 1981 after he went into a public restroom to wash his hands on a weekday morning. Youre talking about a young man with very blonde hair tied in pigtails, he said. That would have been pretty conspicuous. He was convicted of importuning a year later. According to a 2000 Home Office report, broad definitions against importuning and gross indecency became a way to regulate consensual behavior between homosexual men. Soliciting, for example, could involve a smile, wink, gesture or some other physical signal. MOSCOW A Russian-led military alliance said late Wednesday that it would send peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan at the invitation of the countrys president to help put down a growing protest movement there. The current chairman of the alliance, the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, said in a statement that the troops would be stationed there only for a limited time period, until order could be restored. He did not elaborate on how many soldiers could be mobilized or how long they might stay. Russia is notorious for sending in troops under the guise of peacekeeping missions that go on to establish a permanent presence in the host countries. The Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, issued the invitation earlier in the evening. Calling the demonstrators a band of international terrorists, he said he was turning to Russias version of NATO, called the Collective Security Treaty Organization, to help Kazakhstan overcome this terrorist threat. PARIS Faced with a surge in coronavirus cases driven by the Omicron variant, President Emmanuel Macron of France said Wednesday that he wanted to piss off millions of his citizens who refuse to get vaccinated by squeezing them out of the countrys public spaces. By shocking the nation with a vulgarity three months before presidential elections, Mr. Macron was relaying not only a public health message, but also a political one. He appeared to be calculating that tapping into the growing public anger against the unvaccinated held more potential electoral rewards than the risk of angering an anti-vaccination minority whose support he has little hope of ever getting. Using his harshest language yet to urge the recalcitrant to get their shots, Mr. Macron said he would not throw them in prison or vaccinate them by force. But he made it clear he meant to make their lives harder. In doing so, Mr. Macron, an inveterate political gambler who became the nations youngest elected leader five years ago, effectively kicked off his campaign for re-election Wednesday, drawing clear lines between his supporters and opponents. He also moved the focus of debate away from themes like immigration and Islam that have dominated the political race so far and that are advantageous to his strongest rivals, on the right and far right. Rising nationalism has contributed, too, increasing appetites for stories portraying ones country as righteous and pure. Polands nationalist government, in 2018, passed legislation making it a crime to suggest that Poland bore any responsibility for Nazi atrocities on its soil. The law was framed not as suppressing memories but as protecting an identity of unblemished national heroism whose accuracy was almost beside the point. Social polarization has deepened those appetites even further. As more people feel that their in-group is locked in a battle for racial or partisan dominance, they grow more receptive to versions of history that say they should and will prevail. These revisions, Dr. Little said, often look more like reframing history than rewriting it. In the Netherlands, for example, the Dutch far right has risen by repositioning Dutch history as a great conflict between Christianity and Islam. Though few historians would accept this portrayal, it has been a factor in those parties growth. Even Chinas ruling party, with all its power to manufacture facts, puts growing emphasis on matters of interpretation playing up the unbroken heroism of its leaders to real effect. In 2019 alone, red museums and memorials, aggrandizing Communist Party history, drew 1.4 billion visits, making them among the most popular destinations in the world. For all the warnings from 20th century writers like George Orwell that history would be forcibly stamped out, the graver threat may that people, offered a choice, turn their backs on it voluntarily. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U. patients). Tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U.s and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization and I.C.U. data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U. patients). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Figures for Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s are the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 who are hospitalized or in an intensive care unit on that day. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Statewide data often updates more frequently than county-level data, and may not equal the sum of county-level figures. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. New Jersey typically releases new data each day. Weekend counts may be lower because fewer sources report to the state. About the data In data for New Jersey, The Times primarily relies on reports from the state. New Jersey typically releases new data each day. Weekend counts may be lower because fewer sources report to the state. The state reports cases and deaths based on a persons permanent or usual residence. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes March 16, 2022: New Jersey added a backlog of about 1,200 cases from testing that occurred in December 2021 and January 2022. New Jersey added a backlog of about 1,200 cases from testing that occurred in December 2021 and January 2022. May 5, 2021: New Jersey added more than 2,600 cases from previous months. New Jersey added more than 2,600 cases from previous months. April 26, 2021: New Jersey removed more than 10,000 duplicate cases. New Jersey removed more than 10,000 duplicate cases. Jan. 4, 2021: New Jersey began reporting probable cases identified through antigen testing. New Jersey began reporting probable cases identified through antigen testing. July 22, 2020: New Jersey removed duplicate or erroneous death reports, causing a decrease in the total number of deaths. New Jersey removed duplicate or erroneous death reports, causing a decrease in the total number of deaths. June 25, 2020: New Jersey began reporting probable deaths, including those from earlier in the pandemic, causing a jump in the number of total deaths. In early May 2021, New Jersey removed many historical cases as part of a process to remove errors. This resulted in a steep decline in newly reported cases. The tallies on this page include probable and confirmed cases and deaths. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U. patients). Tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U.s and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization and I.C.U. data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U. patients). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Figures for Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s are the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 who are hospitalized or in an intensive care unit on that day. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Statewide data often updates more frequently than county-level data, and may not equal the sum of county-level figures. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Puerto Rico typically releases new data each day. Weekend counts may be lower because fewer sources report to the territory. About the data In data for Puerto Rico, The Times primarily relies on reports from the territory. Puerto Rico typically releases new data each day. Weekend counts may be lower because fewer sources report to the territory. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes Jan. 1, 2022: Puerto Rico did not announce new cases and deaths on New Year's Day. Puerto Rico did not announce new cases and deaths on New Year's Day. March 30, 2021: The daily testing count includes many older tests. The daily testing count includes many older tests. March 7, 2021: Puerto Rico changed the format of its data, resulting in one-day adjustments of cases and deaths in some municipalities. Puerto Rico changed the format of its data, resulting in one-day adjustments of cases and deaths in some municipalities. Oct. 23, 2020: Puerto Rico added a backlog of test results from unspecified days. Puerto Rico added a backlog of test results from unspecified days. April 21, 2020: Puerto Rico revised the number of cases downward after resolving an issue with duplicates. Puerto Rico revised the number of cases downward after resolving an issue with duplicates. April 12, 2020: Puerto Rico started including some probable Covid-19-related deaths. From April 19 to April 22, the territory stopped reporting probable deaths, and then continued again on April 23. The territorial health department acknowledged in late April that it had been double-counting some patients. That issue had been resolved by early May, officials said. Muncipality-level weekly cases per capita are shown starting in early May, when The Times began gathering the data. On Nov. 7, Puerto Rico updated its case definitions and recategorized thousands of previously announced cases identified through antibody testing as suspected cases. Officials had previously included these cases as probable cases. The Times data includes cases identified through antibody testing announced before Nov. 7, but includes only cases identified through P.C.R. or antigen testing after this date. The tallies on this page include probable and confirmed cases and deaths. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U. patients). Tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U.s and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization and I.C.U. data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations, I.C.U. patients). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Figures for Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s are the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 who are hospitalized or in an intensive care unit on that day. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. State and county figures may be inconsistent because of reporting delays or revisions by officials. ! State and county figures may be inconsistent because of reporting delays or revisions by officials. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Statewide data often updates more frequently than county-level data, and may not equal the sum of county-level figures. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Rhode Island typically releases new data on weekdays. Counts on Mondays or Tuesdays may include totals from the weekend. About the data In data for Rhode Island, The Times primarily relies on reports from the state. Rhode Island typically releases new data on weekdays. Counts on Mondays or Tuesdays may include totals from the weekend. The state reports cases and deaths based on persons permanent or usual residence. The state also includes nonresidents diagnosed in the state. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes May 1, 2022: State and county figures may be inconsistent because of reporting delays or revisions by officials. State and county figures may be inconsistent because of reporting delays or revisions by officials. March 28, 2022: Rhode Island added 83 deaths after reviewing records. Rhode Island added 83 deaths after reviewing records. Dec. 31, 2021 to Jan. 3, 2022: Rhode Island did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. Rhode Island did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. Dec. 24, 2021: Rhode Island did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. Rhode Island did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. Nov. 25, 2021: Rhode Island did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. Rhode Island did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. Nov. 11, 2021: Rhode Island did not announce new data because of the Veterans Day holiday. Rhode Island did not announce new data because of the Veterans Day holiday. Oct. 11, 2021: Rhode Island did not release new data because of the holiday. Rhode Island did not release new data because of the holiday. Sept. 6, 2021: The daily count could be artificially low because many jurisdictions did not announce new data on Labor Day. The daily count could be artificially low because many jurisdictions did not announce new data on Labor Day. Aug. 9, 2021: Rhode Island did not release data because of Victory Day, a state holiday. Rhode Island did not release data because of Victory Day, a state holiday. May 19, 2021: Rhode Island did not report new county cases and deaths. Rhode Island did not report new county cases and deaths. May 13, 2021: Rhode Island removed 170 previously announced cases. Rhode Island removed 170 previously announced cases. Feb. 22, 2021: Rhode Island added 80 deaths from recent months after reconciling records. Rhode Island added 80 deaths from recent months after reconciling records. Nov. 27, 2020: Rhode Island reported data for Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 after reporting no data on Thanksgiving. Rhode Island reported data for Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 after reporting no data on Thanksgiving. Sept. 25, 2020: Rhode Island revised its case count downward by about 250 cases after removing duplicate records. Rhode Island does not regularly publish the number of cases and deaths per county. In June, Rhode Island stopped publishing updates on weekends. The tallies on this page include cases that have been identified by public health officials as probable coronavirus patients through antigen testing. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. An Indonesian man loves his workplace so much that he has named his son after it. His 5-month-old boys name is Statistical Information Communication Office Even before he got married, Samet Wahyudi knew that if he ever had a son, he wanted to name him after the department he worked in as a civil servant. He made that very clear to his fiance before they got married, and she accepted his condition. Their first child was a girl, so Samet agreed on a more conventional name for her, but when his wife, Linda, gave birth to their second child, a boy, in December of last year, he knew exactly what his name would be Statistical Information Communication Office. Indonesian media reported on the childs unusual name earlier this month, after checking the countrys name registration database. Samet Wahyudi told reporters that he got a job as a civil servant in the city of Brebes in 2003, and he has been working Statistical Information Communication Office ever since. This place has become like a second home for him, so he wanted it connected to his son somehow. Born on December 23, 2020, Statistical Information Communication Office will probably have a tough time introducing himself with his full name, which is why his parents have already chosen a nickname for him, Dinko. Asked if he has given any thought to how his son will feel about his name when he grows up, the Indonesian civil servant said that he is sure the boy will get used to it eventually. Samets wife, Linda, accepted the bizarre name right away, but her parents had some objections that they eventually dropped, after hearing about the deal the parents had even before they were married. Hopefully, Statistical Information Communication Office doesnt end up taking his parents to court for ruining his childhood with this weird name. Mo moved to Britain in July, where he claimed political asylum over concerns that his political beliefs and involvement in protests could result in arrest. He told VOA he wasnt surprised that Citizen News had followed in the footsteps of Stand News. "There may be more independent or small online news channels or independent journalists [that decide] not to publish," he said. But media critics who spoke with VOA say the climate for journalism is changing. Hong Kong media is confused over what is allowed to be published, said Michael Mo, a former district councilor in Hong Kong and columnist for Citizen News. "No one knows which story will make someone in power unhappy and... harass journalists through other charges or to crush the entire media outlet." Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Law, however, rejected criticism that the national security law and the sedition investigation at Stand News are a sign that press freedom faces "extinction." At a weekly news conference on Tuesday, Lam said those arrested are falling afoul of laws and endangering national security. "We have the complete dismantling initiative by the government. Not just of the free press, independent press but the entire civil society," Lokman Tsui, a digital rights researcher and former assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's journalism school, told VOA. Hong Kong's use of sedition and national security laws have been condemned by international bodies including the United Nations, which said last week it was alarmed by the "crackdown on civic space." At least 100 people, including protesters and dissidents, have been arrested under the guise of the security law and at least 50 civil society groups have disbanded in the past 18 months. The pro-democracy news website Stand News ceased publishing after more than 200 police officers raided its newsroom on Dec. 29. The raid was part of a sedition investigation, police said last week. The closure of three news outlets within days of each other highlights the rapid decline of Hong Kong's independent media, analysts say. In announcing their closures Tuesday, the news websites Citizen News and Mad Dog Daily both cited concerns for the safety of staff after raids and arrests at other outlets. Critics And Troublemakers Beware For the independent Citizen News, which was founded in 2017, "the trigger point was the fate of Stand News," the outlet's chief writer Chris Yeung told reporters on Monday. "The implications are clear that the overall media is facing an increasingly tough environment, and for those who are being seen as critical or troublemakers -- they are more vulnerable," Yeung said. "We could not rule out that we might be exposed to some risks." Chief Editor Daisy Li added, "We haven't changed, the climate of Hong Kong has. We can't be sure if our words will break the laws -- and we need to be responsible to our journalists." Former opposition politician Raymond Wong, owner of Mad Dog Daily, said the website's reputation for critical coverage could put staff at risk. Wong, who is in Taiwan, cited concerns for staff, saying on YouTube, "I am in a safer place and criticize [the Hong Kong government] on a daily basis, but they have to worry about their lives every day." At least four news outlets have closed since the national security law came into force in June 2020, prohibiting acts deemed as subversion, secession and foreign collusion. Sedition is not among the offenses listed under the security law but authorities have turned to colonial-era ordinances to target those who are allegedly guilty of seditious acts. The first to close was pro-democracy news website Apple Daily, which shuttered after several executives were charged under the national security law and authorities froze the company's assets. Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, who has been in jail on a range of charges since December 2020, now faces three outstanding charges under the security law and could be facing life in prison. Authorities filed an additional sedition charge against Lai and his staff the same week as the dawn raids on Stand News. The wide application of laws has added to the sense of caution. Five members of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists were arrested last year for allegedly "conspiring to publish seditious materials." Authorities claimed that sheep characters featured in children's books were inciting hatred toward the government. "These tiny things can trigger the government already, and they have powerful tools at their disposal to lash out, including freezing assets of the news organizations, arresting the editors, journalists and the owners," researcher Tsui said. Tsui, who is now based in the Netherlands, said the press is supposed to be a "watchdog" but that the government is trying to create its own narrative. "If your job is to say black is black and white is white, but the government is keen on saying black is white and white is black... then you're at risk for being seditious, for threatening national security and so on," he said. As well as the closures, journalism groups have criticized changes at the city's only public broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), which they say is damaging its editorial independence. Tsui believes Hong Kong's media environment is becoming closer to that of Chinas, where outlets are tightly controlled by the state. It is a move that is "scary not just for Hong Kong but for the entire world," said Tsui. "China has been a black box... Now this tiny glimpse, this peek in the window, is closing down now. Hong Kong is slowly turning into a black box." Ben Smith New York Times media columnist Ben Smith is exiting the paper to serve as editor-in-chief for a news organization being started by Justin Smith, who is leaving his position as chief executive of Bloomberg Media. In a tweet, Justin Smith said that the proposed platform would be a new kind of global news media company that serves unbiased journalism to a truly global audience. Before coming to the Times in 2020, Ben Smith was editor-in-chief at Buzzfeed News and he previously wrote for Politico. Justin Smith joined Bloomberg in 2013 after serving as president of Atlantic Consumer Media. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the venture, with the working title Project Coda, is expected to feature platforms including digital publishing, email newsletters, podcasts and digital video. John Lee NBC Universal launches NBCUnified, a first-party identity platform that it says will let advertisers track and monitor consumer relationships without cookies or device IDs. The platform will combine data from streaming viewership, newsletter subscriptions, theme park visits and ecommerce purchases to create person-level IDs and household IDs. That information can then be matched up with first-party data from marketers and third-party data from licensed providers. The demand for advanced audiences to be utilized is growing at an incredible pace, so we are trying to stay ahead of that, NBCUniversal Adversiting & Partnerships chief data officer John Lee told Television News Daily. Matt Abramovitz New England Public Media hires Matt Abramovitz as president, effective Feb. 1. Abramovitz is currently vice president of programming for New York classical music station WQXR, a part of New York Public Radio. He helped launch WQXR as a public station in 2009 and has served as its program director and interim general manager. Previously, he worked at WNYC, Blue Note Records and Sirius XM Radio. At NEPM, Abramovitz will be responsible for leading its efforts across radio, television, and digital media platforms. He is committed to the mission and goals of public media and the role that it plays in creating and supporting a strong, vibrant, local community, said Robert Feldman, chair of the NEPM presidential search committee. Abramovitz succeeds Martin Miller, who announced his decision to retire as president of New England Public Media last year. Many motorists who frequently use the M7 motorway might not be aware that the new time-based speed detection cameras installed last year are still not functional. The camera system, which although not yet operational, has already had a major impact on speeding on the busy motorway and Gardai want the system to move into it's next phase of active service. The system, which is in place south of Nenagh between junctions 26 and 27, was installed in March 2021 and remains in the testing phase and facing delays. Chief Superintendent of the Tipperary Garda Division, Derek Smart, wants the system to go live as soon as possible and told a meeting of the Joint Policing Committee it's already yielding results. That system is still in the testing phase - but I have been speaking with our national officer of road policing with regard to getting that system into service, the Chief Super explained. A lot of people don't realise that what we have there at the moment between those two yellow concourses is still testing. That needs to come live as soon as possible, because at the start when that system went in it showed people were responding and slowing down on the particular stretch of road we were aiming to try and get people to slow down on - particularly when there is inclement weather, Chief Superintendent Smart said. The system is designed to detect motorists who break the speed limit but avoid getting caught by slowing down as they pass single-point speed cameras. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Gardai jointly announced the system for part of the M7 in March 2021. The section of the M7 between junctions 26 and 27 is a known speeding blackspot according to the Garda and road authorities. TII said the delay in passing the testing phase is the need to calibrate and provide certification for the accuracy of the system. Because the camera system is not yet authorised the possibility of a legal challenge to any evidence they capture is open to challenge in court. TII said this week they expect the first prosecutions arising from the average speed detection system would begin to be seen in the first quarter of 2022. In 2020, there were a total of 357 speeding detection made in the vicinity of Junction 26 and Junction 27, which is a known speeding blackspot. TII said speeding on the motorway is very reckless, particularly during heavy rain or hail showers, which increase the potential of serious accidents. Junction 26 to 27 are in an area noted for sudden and severe showers of hail. TII said it had analysed speed data on the M7 corridor since 2017 and identified speeding as a significant issue with some 40 per cent of drivers exceeding the 120km/h speed limit on certain sections. As many as 8,000 teachers could be absent due to Covid-19 when schools return on Thursday, according to a teacher's union. The General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) John Boyle said that 15% of teaching staff, around seven or eight thousand teachers will be absent because of Covid-19 Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland earlier today, Mr Boyle said that the term ahead, up to mid-term, is going to be an extremely difficult one. He said there will be situations whereby children will have to have classes at home. He added that priority will be given to those children who "don't thrive in the remote learning scenario", particularly younger children and those with additional needs. "There isn't a hope" that there would be enough replacement teachers, Mr Boyle said, with concern about the challenges involved in keeping the system going. He called for the reintroduction of contact tracing, and noted that over 60,000 primary school children did contract the virus before Christmas. Much more had to be done about filtration in classrooms, Mr Boyle said. A spokesperson for the Department of Education described a meeting on Tuesday with the unions and health officials as productive. Education stakeholders were briefed by the minister and public health representatives on how the Covid-19 mitigation measures in place in schools have been reviewed by public health and will continue in place in the coming term, the spokesperson said. Public health remains of the view that these mitigation measures are effective and appropriate. Furthermore, public health officials advised that there is no public health rationale to delay the reopening of schools later this week," the education spokesperson said. Schools will operate in line with their Covid-19 response plans, which set out a range of mitigation measures for schools, including hand hygiene, mask-wearing, and social distancing. Each year, Euro NCAP tests dozens of cars to give buyers the best picture of which ones are the safest. While the crash testing is the most eye-catching aspect, as vehicles are launched into walls to see how well they protect occupants, the tests are actually a lot more complex than that. Cars are given a five-star rating, which takes the crash test performance as well as ratings for various different areas such as their safety assistance technology and how collisions affect vulnerable road users. Of the 33 cars tested last year, 22 were given the full five stars but now Euro NCAP has brought in the new year by highlighting the safest cars from the past 12 months. The award in the Large-Off Road category goes to Skodas first allelectric SUV, the #enyaqiv. The TOYOTA Yaris Cross took the top spot in the Small MPV category and the SKODA Fabia was the best Small Family Car @SKODAUK @SKODAUK_Media @skodaweb @ToyotaUK @toyota_europe pic.twitter.com/R60wpRjlkD Euro NCAP (@EuroNCAP) January 4, 2022 One of the top scorers was the Mercedes-EQ EQS, which won in both the electric vehicle and executive vehicle segments. The German firms flagship EV got excellent scores of 96 per cent and 91 per cent in adult occupants and child occupant segments, as well as 80 per cent for safety assist. An honourable mention should also go to the Polestar 2, which achieved the runner-up position in both these segments. Two more electric vehicles topped the large off-road vehicle group, with the Skoda Enyaq iV beating the BMW iX. This feat is made all the more impressive by the fact the Skoda costs considerably less. The Toyota Yaris Cross beat the Volkswagen Caddy to the small MPV title, while the Nissan Qashqai beat the Volkswagen ID.4 to the small off-road vehicle win. Finally, the Skoda Fabia won small family car, with no runner-up announced. Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, said: 2021 was a tough year for the car industry: a shortage of parts, semiconductors in particular, was the sting in the tail of the Covid crisis, affecting development timelines, production and sales. Still, we saw quite a number of new car models coming to the market, many of them electric or hybrid, and many of them achieving five-star ratings despite the demanding requirements. Well done to the winners as well as to the runners-up, some of which were very close contenders for the top slot in their respective categories. Cagdas Gokbel is a Turkish journalist and writer living in direct provision in Tullamore. Cagdas and his wife Emine left Turkey because of their political beliefs. Here, Cagdas writes about his family history and finds parallels with Ireland's independence struggle. IN 1908 Senior Captain Ahmed Niyazi Bey from Resne (now Resen, North Macedonia), an officer of the Rumelian army, rebelled against the Sultan and went to the mountains with 200 soldiers under his command. In the years before the First World War, a nation that no longer wanted to be imprisoned in the darkness of history was rising up again in the Balkans. They were tired of oppression, poverty and ignorance. According to legend, one day Niyazi and his men, who were by then starving in the forest, encountered a female deer. As his men took aim with their guns to kill the animal, Niyazi gave an order that shocked everyone - the deer would not be killed. Hungry men could be fed without killing a deer. He explained his decision to his men as follows: We came to the mountains and occupied her homeland, so we never had the right to kill her. Today this saying contains a great lesson for people who ruthlessly exploit nature and its resources. The deer stayed with Resneli Niyazi and his men after that day and became the symbol of those who rose against the tyranny of the Sultan. When the Sultan transferred his powers and the constitutional order was declared (July 23, 1908), Resneli Niyazi, his men, and the deer of liberty entered Istanbul (see picture below). In those years Niyazi's name and the deer of liberty were etched on society's heart. The deer is still the symbol of Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and is represented by a large monument in Shhiye Square. The Deer of Liberty is the name of what's left of revolutionary Turkey. In time, Anatolia was occupied again. Only poets could describe the famine and suffering of the war years. Nazm Hikmet Ran, who is as well known as William Shakespeare in Anatolia (or by those who see the world only on their own axis and not known by Westerners who only recognise their own existence because of arrogance), tells the tragic story of a soldier who looks for oats in horsedung in order not to die of hunger in his book 'Memleketimden Insan Manzaralar' (Human Landscapes from My Hometown). In 1903 my grandfather Aleaaddin Gokbel was born in a place which had been suffering from wars and famine. He went to the mountains to follow the Kuva-yi Milliye militia to escape the cruelty of the enemy army in the occupied lands. Just like Resneli Niyazi and his men. My grandfather fought with rifles specially produced for children and did not accept captivity. His commander was Hikmet Kvlcml, head of the Koycegiz Kuva-yi Milliye (Koycegiz National Forces). To make this more understandable for Irish readers, it is best to compare the great men of the Turkish revolution to the heroes who fought for the independence of Ireland. We can liken the first president of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal to Michael Collins with his military genius and tactical talent; and Hikmet Kvlcml to James Connolly in the way of his literary, philosophical and theoretical skills. Unfortunately Hikmet Kvlcml and his ideas are not well known internationally and if that is the case, it is our fault. Today, all these historical facts are known by a few Turkish. They are spending more time tweeting or social media, just like other people. As my grandfather used to say, creating an educated and fine person is a difficult process that requires intense effort. On the contrary, spreading ignorance happens very quickly and easily, like an epidemic. After the war ended and the country was liberated, two important needs emerged: one was bread and the other was books. It was not just enough to feed people: poor Anatolian children also needed to acquaint themselves with Oscar Wilde, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. That's why my grandfather's books and library occupy a great place in my childhood memories. Among those books my grandfather would tell me about Ireland and Irish War of Independence. The struggle of Anatolian society for independence and the struggle of the Irsh were similar. Of course he knew those men the Turkish faced at Gallipoli but my grandfather and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk never saw those men they met in Canakkale as enemies. While criticising the Ottoman dynasty, Mustafa Kemal did not start off the easy way. He would criticise the period of rise rather than the period of fall. Due to the ambitions of Sultan Mehmet and Kanuni Sultan Suleyman, poor Anatolian people were fighting in lands they had never known. Therefore, my grandfather developed empathy instead of hostility with the soldiers who were sent by the British administration, and that empathy made him interested in the history of countries such as Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. My grandfather did not take part in the Dardanelles War but during the Turkish War of Independence he heard terrible stories from his friends and relatives on the mountain about it. Those who visit Gallipoli are astonished at the close distance between the trenches and how geographically challenging the Anzac landing sites were. Unfortunately, the trenches' originality could not be preserved due to landslides and other reasons but nevertheless, Gallipoli (see below, commemorative stamp published by the Irish postal service in 2015) is a must-see place for those who do not see Turkey as consisting of just sea, sand and sun. According to some historians, up to 4,000 Irish died in those battles. Mustafa Kemal was one of the commanders of the bloodiest front line. For years, he remembered the war with great pain. A humane relationship and communication was established between the soldiers in the trenches. One of the most important things I learned from my grandfather is to never be an enemy of a nation. All those poor people who came to Gallipoli and invaded our country are not criminals. Their governments are responsible. This is why we have never hate a poor English, Irish or Australian soldier. Mustafa Kemal wrote a letter to the mothers of the soldiers, including the Irish. In this letter, he wrote: Wipe your tears your sons are now sleeping in our warm lands and in peace they died in this land, they became our sons. My grandfather used to say that the resistance of Ireland during its war of independence inspired the Anatolian people and the dream of being an independent republic was common for both societies. He wanted to be able to come to these lands and visit historical places such as the General Post Office. Unfortunately, that never happened. When I looked at the world map as a child, I was amazed that my grandfather was able to establish an intellectual intimacy with the people of a country that was geographically so far away. The Soviet Union was geographically closer to us, and we received weapons and gold aid in the struggle for independence. Not only gold, but special memories were transported from the Soviet Union too. The war was won with those precious aids, not with the tales made up by ignorant people. Before my grandfather passed away, he left a Soviet made Serkisov pocket watch (pictured below) to be given to me. I always carry that precious gift with me. I told its story to Tullamore Presbyterian church pastor William Hayes, who listened with interest. When we went for a walk we noticed the symbolic structures in Tullamore. We were looking over each structure with interest, including the iron axe on the courthouse's hedge that represents justice and was inherited from the French Revolution. People abandoned the oral tradition after they discovered writing. We writers dream, and we record history for humanity thanks to those men described above. I am sure these lines I have written will attract the attention of my Irish writer friend Liam Cahill, a native of Waterford who lives in Co Meath. It is a good feeling to write under the same free sky as Liam. Now, I intently observe every inch of Offaly. I am often asked a question: Why Ireland? I can never say that I made an unconscious choice. I think I try to reverse the darkness into which my country is dragged today, by looking at the world from the shoulders of my grandfather and precious men like him. Once you force history back you lead the society, the country, to disaster. Today, Afghanistan is trapped inside such a black hole. It is difficult to predict what interval of history they are in. Turkey is faced with the same dark future and we must struggle to avoid it. It was a great loss that he did not have the ability to write all these memories. When a writer died, he was sad as if all humanity had died. He used to say: Just as Resneli Niyazi made efforts to prevent the deer from being killed, we are the action men who need to protect these men who produce and spread good ideas to humanity. Hrant Dink, executive editor of Agos, an Armenian-Turkish weekly newspaper, described himself as a timid pigeon in the article he wrote before he was killed. The timid pigeon was brutally murdered in front of his newspaper in Istanbul. What remained of Dink was the image of his body lying on the ground and his shoes torn, an image which will never be erased from memory. Now, as a journalist and writer, I see myself as a deer of liberty in Ireland. I always give the same answer to my Irish friends as a writer and journalist whose asylum application process has been slow: Nothing has changed, I'm still waiting for Godot. As I wander the streets of Tullamore, I look at people and my surroundings carefully. An author must be a good observer. I have a plan to write a novel about this place and I will not change the names of good people I know. I see myself as a deer of liberty wandering through the endless green nature of Ireland, an animal I know the Irish would never kill. This is why I continue to live, write and struggle in Ireland. This is what my motivation is. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. The royal has been sued by one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims for sexual abuse. Sports Illustrated 26 Apr 2022 Djokovic recently had to drop out of the Australian Open due to his vaccine status but will now be able to defend his Wimbledon.. Cornish volunteers are tackling the UK's food waste problem by rescuing abandoned crops and delivering them to food banks, in a revival of the ancient practice of "gleaning". Local news sources have said that demonstrators stormed the building with clubs and shields. Almaty is under an official state of emergency over widespread protests against rising fuel prices. Kazakhstan declared emergencies in the capital, main city and provinces on Wednesday after demonstrators stormed and torched public buildings, the worst unrest for more than a decade in a tightly controlled country that promotes an image of stability. IndiaTimes 07 Jan 2022 It seems, it is free for all in the Punjab Congress. The infighting and instability in the state unit of the party which started in.. President Tokayev has taken control of the security council from his powerful predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev. Almaty is under a state of emergency as protests against rising fuel prices turn deadly. MBABANE South Africas Tongaat Hulett has reported a financial performance which is notably skewed by the disposal of the Namibian and Eswatini operations, which contribute to the comparative to results for the group. This is as per the recently released reviewed condensed consolidated interim financial results for the six months ended September 30, 2021. Back in June 2020, Tongaat Hulett, which was seeking to reduce its debt by R8.1bn by March 2021, said it had agreed to sell an agribusiness here in Eswatini for E375 million. The sale of Tambankulu Estates included two agricultural estates astride the Black Umbuluzi River in northeastern Eswatini, and has 3 767 hectares under cultivation. The purchaser was Eswatinis Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF). Tongaat Hulett had acquired Tambankulu in 1998, and the transaction was concluded on December 1, 2020. In the latest interim results for the period ending September 2021, Tongaat Hulett highlighted about the partial contribution from the disposed of starch and glucose, Namibia and Eswatini operations in the comparative period. In considering the comparative financial results, it should be noted that Tongaat Hulett disposed of its starch and glucose, Namibian packaging, and Eswatini agricultural operations during the 2021 financial year. The starch operation was classified as a discontinued operation in the 2020 financial results. Results The Namibian and Eswatini operations did not represent a separate major business segment and consequently remained classified as continuing operations. The results for the six months ended September 30, 2020 include financial contributions from the starch and glucose operation and the Eswatini operation for the full six months, and from the Namibian operation for a period of three months. Financial performance in the current period is notably skewed by the disposal of the Namibian and Eswatini operations, which contribute to the comparative results, as well as restatements of certain prior-year numbers, highlighted the report. Revenue is said to have grown by five per cent to E8.5 billion (September 2020: E8.1 billion, restated). Higher revenue in the Zimbabwe and Mozambique sugar operations was offset by the loss of revenue following the disposal of the Namibia and Eswatini operations. Revenue excluding the disposals increased by 10 per cent. The gross profit margin of 33 per cent was below the prior period of 35 per cent, shared the sugar producer. Operating profit decreased by 23 per cent to E1.3 billion (September 2020: E1.7 billion, restated). This movement mainly reflects the impact of lower sugar production in the South African operation, increased expenses in Zimbabwe and the E183 million benefit from the profit on disposal of the Namibian packaging operation in the prior period. Revenue (excluding disposals) increased by 10 per cent to E8.4 billion. Sugar production volumes declined by 87 700 tonnes (10 per cent) to 782 400 tonnes due to lower sugarcane yields, the disruption caused by the civil riots and various production-related challenges at the mills. When the Eswatini and Namibian operations were disposed of last year (2020), they did not represent a separate major business segment and were not classified as discontinued operations. Consequently, the comparative period includes revenue of R402 million, operating profit ofe million and an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) of E99 million contribution from these operations, stressed the report. Australia and Japan will sign a treaty on Thursday to increase defense and security cooperation in a move that has been hailed as historic but which might anger San Francisco (AFP) Jan 4, 2022 Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was once vaunted as the next Steve Jobs, but her Silicon Valley startup crashed under claims of deception and she was convicted on Monday of defrauding investors. Holmes's startup vowed to revolutionize diagnostics with self-service machines that could run an array of tests on just drops of blood, but her empire collapsed after it was revealed the testing ma An army physio is believed to have become the first woman of colour to trek solo across Antarctica in what the Prime Minister hailed as an extraordinary achievement. NYTimes.com 10 Jan 2022 New evidence suggests the man who took over from Haitis murdered president had close links to a prime suspect in the.. Brisbane Times 04 Apr 2022 State and territory leaders are weighing up when to stop close contact isolation rules after the AHPPC advised national cabinet.. MANZINI - Police have launched an investigation after the community police member who allegedly raped a minor girl was assaulted. The attack is believed to have been fuelled by the fact that the accused was granted bail after appearing in court. This is the elderly community police member (72) who allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl of Mgungundlovu, KuGucuka on the outskirts of Siphofaneni. The minor then died after alleged complications on December 27, 2021. It was said the childs mother reported the matter to the police, who arrested the elderly man and he was later released on bail by the court. Attacked According to an impeccable source, about three family members from the minors family went to the elderly mans homestead and allegedly attacked him with fists and various weapons, all over his body. This was said to have happened after the childs death. The source said the accused was beaten in a revenge attack such that he could not walk properly. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said after the matter was reported to the police, the community police member was out on bail. What happened is that the family of the victim went to attack the accused. Currently, they have a case of assault and they are wanted in connection to it, the police spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini said as much as it was the right of an accused perpetrator to be released on bail, it was saddening because the survivor was exposed to danger, as such as there could be threats and possibly, the survivors be killed. Painful To us as an organisation, it is truly painful. We dont own the justice system and we use the available laws, but this is another setback because it is beyond our control, the director said. Nonetheless, Dlamini said the organisation could help support the survivors family emotionally and through the court process. She said they needed to understand that it was part of the healing process because to a person whose child was violated, they were devastated when they saw the alleged perpetrator outside jail. She noted that getting out of jail did not mean that the accused was crime-free. However, she said their responsibility was to ensure that the cases were followed through because some people were released on bail and they were allegedly never recalled to account for their crimes. Dlamini said this was a thorny issue to the organisation. She expressed her hope to get contacts of the affected family to ensure that their case was seen to the end. LANSING Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, this week, highlighted the seriousness of making threats against schools. In recent weeks, threats of violence have been reported at schools across Michigan, Nessel said. Local law enforcement agencies have reported threats on social media that number in the hundreds within their own communities." "As a result, kids in our state have missed valuable days of instruction as school administrators are forced to close buildings to keep kids safe," she added. "Whether these are real threats made by those intent on doing harm or pranks made by kids trying to get a day off, they are real crimes with real consequences. Nessel explained the potential charges one could face if they make a threat of violence, which include: Communicating a threat of terrorism, 20-year felony. Calling in a bomb threat, a four-year felony. Malicious us of a telecommunications device, a six-month misdemeanor. Threatening violence against school employee or student, a one-year misdemeanor. Threatening the lives of students and staff, whether with intent to harm or simply to disrupt, is an outrage, particularly in the wake of the tragedy in Oxford, State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said. Our students and staff should feel safe in our schools, and anyone that threatens that safety should be subject to swift and significant consequences. If you receive a threat or know of a threat of violence against your community, contact your local law enforcement. You can also leave a tip with the states OK2SAY hotline by calling 8-555-OK2SAY (855-565-2729) or texting 652729 (OK2SAY). The hotline operates 24/7 and protects the confidentiality of the reporters identity. OK2SAY, which is housed within the Michigan State Police, provides for confidential reports of potential self-harm, harm to others, or criminal acts including, but not limited to, sexual abuse, assault, or rape, directed at students, school employees, or schools in this state. MANISTEE About 30% of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees typically happen this month. That is why the National Fire Protection Association is reminding residents to keep the festive memories and remove the hazards by disposing of Christmas trees promptly after the holiday season. As much as we all enjoy the look and feel of Christmas trees in our homes, theyre large, combustible items that have the potential to result in serious fires, said Lorraine Carli, NFPAs vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. The longer Christmas trees remain in homes, the longer they present a risk. Carli said cut Christmas trees continue to dry out and become more flammable over time. Fresh cut trees are involved in a much larger share of reported Christmas tree fires than artificial trees, she said in a news release. According to the latest data from the associations winter holiday fire data, 160 home structure fires began with Christmas trees, resulting in two civilian deaths, 12 civilian injuries and $10 million in direct property damage, on average each year between 2015 and 2019. The City of Manistee picks up Christmas trees at the curb through the end of January. Residents are encouraged to place the trees at the curb with the trunk end facing the street. Director of Content and Operations Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations. In his spare time, Spencer loves to hike, rock climb, and trail run. He's on a mission to summit all 58 of Colorado's fourteeners and has already climbed more than half. Drought-strapped Lake Powell has received a major, if potentially temporary, reprieve with two emergency agreements that will provide 1 million acre-feet of Colorado River water this year to boost lake levels and protect hydropower production [...] Paducah, KY (42003) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. MBABANE Teachers have gone beyond their call of duty to assist learners attain good results. This was evident yesterday as some schools resumed lessons earlier than expected, to prepare pupils for their examinations, despite that schools will officially open next week Tuesday. Pupils enrolled in external classes at Somnjalose and St Marks High School returned to their respective classrooms yesterday to catch-up on the syllabus. The Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) has already issued timetables for external exams which begin mid-February. Worth noting is that some schools also delayed closing for the festive holidays to cover some material in the syllabus. In an interview with St Marks High School Deputy Head teacher, Busisiwe Mkhonta, she said over 80 per cent of the learners had returned to school for revision purposes. Mkhonta said pupils were attending school for purposes of practising the oral examinations which were due to begin soon. According to Mkhonta, the oral examinations will begin on January 25, 2021 to February 18, 2021. Syllabus She mentioned that they had managed to cover most of the syllabus in some of the key subjects and the pupils were revising. Mkhonta noted that the online learning greatly assisted them, although they now preferred face-to-face learning due to the fact that lately, the learners were no longer participating online. Meanwhile, the reopening of some schools ahead of the official date was also witnessed around Manzini, where the pupils were also being assisted in readiness for the upcoming external examinations. The rationale was for pupils to use the available limited time to acquire as much knowledge as possible, to know and apply themselves in the external examinations which will begin in February. A visit to a few schools situated in town found learners in school premises and in uniform. They had already resumed lessons since the schools closed last year. Manzini Infant Practising School Deputy Head teacher Bongekile Mkhonta, said the motivation behind opening a week earlier was that a lot of time had been lost while schools were closed and they wanted to catch-up. We wanted to avoid pupils having a long break since the exams are near. All in all, we are preparing for the exams and that is the only thing that is pushing us, she said. Meanwhile, Salesian High School pupils took the initiative to request for learning resumption a week prior to schools official reopening. Head teacher Petros Horton confirmed this by stating that he was approached by Form V pupils, who asked him to use the school for studying, with the guidance of some teachers. So, my main obligation is to welcome the requests of learners who are willing to use the school, especially because it is intrinsically motivated, Horton said. Beneficial He went on to state that it was imperative to know who the school served in whatever action that they did. He mentioned that in this case, it was the learners, who aspired to pursue something that was beneficial to them. The school administrator highlighted that the Form V pupils were greatly affected because they literally did not do their Form IV. As it were, he said the nature of learners was to first adjust and acquire most for the external class (Form V). Horton said what happened to all learners in the country was unfortunate but no one could be blamed and it was beyond their control. He further said he marvelled when he saw children taking such initiatives to request to learn. Linda Mbuli and Salebona Gadlela, Form V pupils at the school, shared with this publication that they were quite ecstatic to have returned to school. They expressed that they were hoping to catch-up on the syllabus and finally complete school with flying colours. Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary (PS) Bheki Gama said although he did not have a comment on this as it was something that always happened in the past, he personally commended teachers who wanted to go the extra mile to assist pupils who had lagged behind on their academic work. He commended schools that had reopened early to assist pupils to complete the syllabus. Gama stated that the teachers were doing a great job as it would assist in improving the exam results. He said he did not consider schools that were already teaching to be on the wrong, although officially they were closed knowing how much time had been lost. I really commend the action taken by the teachers in schools that decided to reopen early to assist pupils to catch-up on the syllabus, the PS said. He said although he was not officially aware of such, it was a move he could not disapprove of. Gama said learners were not forced to go to school but did it out of choice. When questioned how he thought learners would perform, the PS said he trusted the teachers. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - A government official in Eastern Gadarif state has complained that the heavy presence of refugees in his state has now negatively impacted the local communities, with regional and international organizations failing to intervene to correct the situation Photo: (Photo : RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) California mom Fatima Madrigal and her husband Robert Trujillo welcomed two bundles of joy on New Year's Eve, but they will have to figure out how they will celebrate the birth of their twins born in different years. Fraternal twins Alfredo Antonio Trujillo and Aylin Yolanda Trujillo came out of their mother's womb about 15 minutes apart. According to People, Alfredo was born first at 11:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, and then his sister, Aylin, was born at the stroke of midnight on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. Madrigal said that she was both surprised and happy about having twins with different birthdays. Dr. Ana Abril Arias of the Natividad Medical Center, who delivered the babies, also said this has been "one of the most memorable deliveries" in her long career. Read Also: Former Conjoined Twin Grows up To Become an Influencer Who 'Channels' Her Sister An Amazing Start to 2022 In the hospital's press release, Arias also stated that the twins' monumental births were an amazing start to 2022. Alfredo weighed slightly heavier than his sister at 6 lbs., 1 oz. Aylin is smaller at 5 lbs., 14 oz. The twins are the fourth and fifth children in the family as Madrigal and Trujillo already have two daughters and one son. Their eldest boy is more than excited to meet Alfredo. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 120,000 twin births happen every year in the U.S., but twins born in different years occur in one in two million pairs. While an interval of long minutes between twin births is not unusual, those births straddled in the cusp of midnight gain the most notoriety because the twins do end up being born on different days. In 2000 in Massachusetts, a pair of twins were born eight minutes apart but in different millennia. Aaron Hegenberger was born at 11:53 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, while his brother, Luke, was born at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2001. According to their parents, the babies were not due until February 2001, but mom Debra Hegenberger went into early labor that Sunday morning. The mom said they plan to stay up every New Year's Eve to celebrate their sons' birthdays. Issues with Twins Born in Different Years Twins born in different years may encounter some issues like their eligibility in the various programs or incentives from the government, such as the tax deductions. However, everything will still be up to the parents. The mom and dad could advocate having their twins included or eligible by following the birth year of the first twin, or they may choose to delay until both twins are technically eligible. In some cases, their birthdays may also affect their immunization schedules, even if they are born just minutes apart. Though common sense usually dictates the situation, there have been instances where cut-off dates based on the birthday or birth year are strictly observed, and the parents may have to petition for an exception. Related Article: Nebraska Mom with Rare Double Uterus Gave Birth to Twins at 22 Weeks These days you can assume that someone who buys a desktop monitor will also, at some point, need a camera for video conferencing. Thats the idea behind Lenovos latest ThinkVision monitors, revealed today at CES 2022. Instead of leaving it to separate accessories, the 27-inch monitors are designed with modular add-ons: a camera, a soundbar, or both at once. Its a sleek solution, especially if youre buying for an office full of users. The ThinkVision P27h-30 and P27q-30 are mostly identical, boasting lightweight designs, 27-inch QHD (25601440) panels, and ergonomically adjustable stands. The premium Q variant gets some extra connection prowess, as its designed to be plugged into a USB-C laptop with a single cable delivering up to 100 watts of power, on top of a USB hub, DisplayPort multi-monitor linking, and an integrated KVM switch. It even includes a hard Ethernet port. Lenovo But the big news here are the add-ons. Both screens come with a VOIP module connection on the rear, a dedicated USB port that perfectly fits one or more of the modules designed for it. Customers can choose between the MS30 soundbar (dual 2-watt speakers), MS60 webcam (full HD video, autofocus, dual microphones, and a choice of 65-, 78-, or 90-degree views), or plug them both in at the same time with an adapter. Lenovo The system is undeniably sleek, but I cant see too many IT managers rushing to get orders in if they stay compatible with only one set of monitors. Perhaps if Lenovo starts adding in a modular dock to all its screens, theyll get popular as an easy, cable-free solution. The new ThinkVision P27h-30 and P27q-30 monitors go on sale in July for $500 and $700, respectively, with the MS30 soundbar going for $40 and the MS60 webcam at a pricey $130. Kwasi Poku-Boansi, a former member of the Asante Kotoko youth squad, has been appointed Vice Dean, School of Graduate Studies, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). On August 1, 2021, Poku-Boansi was elevated to the status of Full Professor at KNUSTs Department of Planning. This makes him the universitys youngest full professor. Prof Michael Poku Boansis promotion was announced on Friday, March 19, 2021. After the Governing Council of KNUST confirmed the recommendations of the University Appointments and Promotions Committee and the Academic Board in regard to his application for promotion to full Professor in the Planning Department, he was elevated to the rank of Full Professor. Poku Boansis most recent position at KNUST is Vice Dean, School of Graduate Studies. His most recent position began on January 1, 2022. In the early 2000s, Boansi was a member of the Kotoko Youth Team, where he played alongside Francis Akwaffo and Gabriel Opoku-Ware, among others. Meanwhile, Asante Kotokos young team will have a new look starting next year, according to the clubs Chief Executive Nana Yaw Amponsah Source: Gbcghanaonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The government has started rolling out a scheme to grant teachers subsidized loans for them to purchase homes at locations of their choice across the country. As part of the scheme, the Ministry of Education is collaborating with the Ministry of Works and Housing and the National Service Scheme, which will provide personnel for the construction work, to deliver houses for teachers. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced this in Kumasi yesterday when he launched the sixth quadrennial and 53rd national delegates conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT). The January 3-8, 2022 conference, which also marks the 90th anniversary of the union, is on the theme: "Surviving as a reliable teacher union in the 21st century". Target, modalities President Akufo-Addo said within the next two years, the government wanted to build about 10,000 affordable houses for teachers for a start. The teachers would have the opportunity to own the facilities, either through a mortgage scheme or other preferred means such as rent-to-own, he said. The decision, according to him, was hinged on the fact that many years ago, teachers were well respected and earned decent salaries which could help them put up their own houses, but same could not be said of them today. "This is not good enough; and the government remains committed to improving the circumstances of the teacher," President Akufo-Addo said. "Teaching should not be seen as a stop-gap measure or a job of last resort. It must be considered as one of the most viable and respected professions," he added. Applause President Akufo-Addo applauded teachers for playing a crucial role during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that the educational curriculum was not truncated. He said the current global economic workforce required skilled human capital and the free SHS policy was to help nurture the intellectual capacity of every Ghanaian child. "This is the surest way of succeeding by adding value to the Ghanaian economy, thereby helping to create acceptable paying jobs, he said. Reforms The President said the government was pursuing several reforms, including pre-tertiary and tertiary curriculum reforms at all levels. That, he said, formed part of its vision to transform education to produce a skilled and confident workforce to drive Ghana's agenda towards industrialisation. He urged Ghanaians to pay attention to teachers because, according to him, "it is only a well-trained and motivated teacher who can help develop the educated and skilled workforce required to transform the economy. Salary adjustment The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, said public sector workers would enjoy a seven per cent salary increment this year, up from the four per cent received last year. Stopgap measures The President of GNAT, Ms Philippa Larsen, said while waiting for the government's housing policy to take off, teachers needed some stopgap measures to house those suffering and improve on their working conditions. The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, urged GNAT to constantly renew its commitment to the values that had seen the union through the last 90 years. That, according to him, included the protection of the interest of teachers and the strengthening of TUC-GNAT ties to provide a solid foundation for the future. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video "Umuofia" has trended on Ghana's social media landscape since last Friday, December 31, 2021, when it was used extensively in prophetic ministration by Nigel Gaisie of the Prophetic Hill Chapel. Originally known to be a town in Nigeria, one popularized by Chinua Achebe in his acclaimed classical novel 'Things Fall Apart,' Gaisie's use of the town in prophesying has made the town largely the butt of jokes. From people posting purported flags and passport covers of the said town, which Gaisie described as a country, to others promising to vacation in Umuofia while for others, the country is synonymous to Ghana. It is largely believed that the prophet opted for 'coded' prophesying because of a December 27, 2021, Police statement that cautioned against prophecies that could create 'fear and panic.' When the regional Public Relations boss of the Ghana Police Service appeared on Adom FM's Dwaso Nsem programme on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, he was asked about Umuofia. Supt. Alexander Obeng replied: "Please what is it? Here in Ghana, I kmow towns like Kunkumbonge, Bandare, Tsaatse, Bole, we have others like Sogakope, Bawakuraa. These are towns that I happen to know. But (Umuofia) in Ghana here, I don't know about that," he stressed. When asked about Nigel Gaisie's prophecy, the top cop instead explained the work done by himself and Inspector-General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare by way of extensive patrols from New Year's Eve into the year 2022. After listing several locations, he said: "The town you mentioned is not among the areas we covered is not in Ghana, or is that not so, so if someone does something outside Ghana, I can't tell. "I dont know but what is important is that all the prophets complied with the law. I am also happy that among faith-based organizations, groups advised one another, it was most important, Supt. Obeng stated. The Ghana Police Service on December 27 issued a statement, prompting prophets on the need not to make prophecies that cause fear and panic. 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 statement added. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has presented food items to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and security agencies in his constituency in the Ashanti Region. The security agencies which benefited from the package were the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB). Items presented to them were bags of rice, cooking oil, canned fish among others. Commendation Dr Adutwum used the occasion to commend the security agencies for their dedication and commitment towards ensuring that Ghanaians lived in peace to undertake their daily businesses. He was particularly happy with the peaceful way this year's Christmas and New Year festivities took place which showed the hard work of the security agencies and other stakeholders in the country. Dr Adutwum, who is also the Minister of Education, commended Ghanaians for the peaceful way the nation celebrated the Yuletide. Assurance He assured all Ghanaians of the government's preparedness to support operations of the security agencies to ensure that they could operate effectively for the good of citizens. The Bosomtwe District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Eric Akwaboah, on behalf of the beneficiaries, commended the MP for the support as it would go a long way to boost the morale of the personnel in their operations. He appealed to Ghanaians, especially the youth, to strive to be law-abiding to ensure that peace prevailed at all times in the country. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Four new fighter vessels have been acquired for the Ghana Navy to enhance their capacity to protect the countrys maritime domain, including offshore oil and gas installations. Known as Flex-fighter Boats, the security vessels, which are expected to arrive in the country on Saturday, will boost efforts at making Ghanas maritime space safer and unattractive to pirates and other illegal activities. The vessels, which will be manned by Naval captains with international ratings, are equipped with the needed logistics to protect national installations and deter and make the countrys adjoining coast safer. The Chief Executive of the Petroleum Commission, Mr Egbert Faibille, who announced this during the commission's interaction with the Western Regional House of Chiefs in Sekondi, explained that the acquisition of the vessels was part of the agenda of the government to equip the Ghana Navy to provide security for offshore petroleum installations and other national assets. Interaction The meeting, which is an annual affair, was used to update members of the house on happenings in the petroleum industry. Mr Faibille briefed the chiefs on Ghanas upstream sector, offshore petroleum security issues, community relations and social investment, health, safety and environment, as well as the governments skills development programmes being facilitated by the commission. The chiefs were also sensitised to the review of relevant laws and the development of new ones to deal with emerging challenges, among other matters. As part of efforts at ensuring improved social harmony and also managing perceptions and expectations of communities with the resources, Mr Faibille said the commission was collaborating with the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) to embark on sensitisation programmes at selected landing beaches in the four coastal regions of the country. He said the commission would consider feedbacks from the fishing communities, including their concerns pertaining to fishing, vis-a-vis the oil and gas industry. Commendation The Western Regional House of Chiefs commended the commission for holding oil industry players to account to ensure that the Ghana derived maximum benefit from upstream oil and gas activities. The Paramount Chief of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, urged the commission to ensure industrial harmony through regular engagement with stakeholders. According to him, local content remained the most important part of oil and gas activities in the country and emphasised the need for more local workers and companies in the sector. Background Oil companies have been hiring private boats to provide security for their offshore oil and gas installations. A source at the Ministry of Defence, however, told the Daily Graphic that henceforth, Ghana Navy ships would be the only vessels allowed to protect offshore oil and gas activities in the country. The source described the current arrangement where oil companies hired civilian commercial boats flying their countries flags with state armed guards as unfortunate and said the practice would now be a thing of the past. There have been growing piracy and other criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea in recent times. As a deterrent measure, the Navy has been carrying out maritime exercises to demonstrate its resolve to deal with issues of piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other criminal activities in Ghanas territorial waters. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Forestry Commission (FC) facilitated the export of 279,532 wild animals and 2,114,184 m the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites) listed wild plants of Fauna and Flora in the last five years, valued at $185 million. As of September 2021, the commission had also facilitated the export of wildlife valued at $2 million. The specimen mostly traded in were live animals and CITES-listed plant species. The animal species included reptiles, pythons, other snakes, tortoises, lizards, as well as amphibians (mostly frogs), aves (birds), insects, a few mammals and other species. The plant species exported included Pterocarpus erinaceous, cedrella odorata, euphorbia trigona and euphorbia poisonii. Wood export The Chief Executive Officer of the FC, Mr John Allotey, who disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf at a meeting with the media in Accra, added that the commission had facilitated trade for five companies and eight research Institutions. The commission had also facilitated, as of the end of September 2021, the export of a total wood volume of 224,599m3, which resulted in a value of 103 million, showing a significant increment, compared with the same period last year, he said. He said the Wildlife Bill, meant to regulate the wild life industry, had received Cabinet approval and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had prepared a memo which had been forwarded to Parliament for its consideration. Identification of wood species Mr Allotey indicated that the FC, in collaboration with the Malaysia Artificial Intelligence Company, had developed a mobile application to facilitate the identification of various wood species in Ghana. He said the application, code-named Xylorix Pocket Wood App, had currently been used to identify about 105 wood species. It is worth noting that this mobile application is the first of its kind in the whole of Africa, he said. Regulating timber trade Mr Allotey said in a bid to regulate and enforce legal timber trade across the northern frontiers of Ghana, the commission, through its Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), had constructed three border offices at Hamile and Naamo and Zebila in the Upper West and the Upper East regions, respectively. Dwelling on climate change and related activities, he said the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP), which was developed by the FC and the United Nations Development Programme, in collaboration with Global Shea Alliance, had received approval from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The programme, he said, was a component of the Ghana REDD+ strategy. It has a total budget of $54.5 million, with a $30.1-million GCF grant funding and a $24.4-million co-financing from the Government of Ghana and the private sector. The project seeks to promote sustainable approaches to land use and forest conservation and enhance community-based resource management to stem the ongoing forest degradation and deforestation from illegal logging, charcoal production, agricultural expansion and illegal mining that threaten the forests and shea production system, he said. Corporate strategic plan The CEO added that the FC would soon issue FLEGT licences, with timber leases and permits making their way to the Cabinet as part of the final step towards conversion into timber utilisation contracts. We are confident that Ghana will soon be ready to issue FLEGT licensed timber into the European Union, as well as legally sourced timber with sustainable qualities to the other markets, he said. A FLEGT licence is a document that confirms that a shipment of timber or timber products has been legally produced in accordance with the relevant laws of the country of export He added that in 2022, the FC planned to launch the 2021-2025 corporate strategic plan, as well as strengthen institutional and regulatory frameworks for sustainable forest and wildlife resources management. The plan, he explained, would also enhance law enforcement within forest reserves and wildlife protected areas.of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) plants in the last five years, valued at $185 million. As of September 2021, the commission had also facilitated the export of wildlife valued at $2 million. The specimen mostly traded in were live animals and CITES-listed plant species. The animal species included reptiles, pythons, other snakes, tortoises, lizards, as well as amphibians (mostly frogs), aves (birds), insects, a few mammals and other species. The plant species exported included Pterocarpus erinaceous, cedrella odorata, euphorbia trigona and euphorbia poisonii. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video MBABANE The arson attack at the Central Transport Administration (CTA) in Mbabane, which took place on Monday, has come at a cost of over E3.8 million to the taxpayer. It is believed that the cars and other property that were torched on Monday morning at the CTA premises were valued at over E3.8 million. When the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Thulani Mkhaliphi, was asked about this figure, he said the value of the destroyed vehicles was around that margin. He said there was a team that was working on gathering the exact figure, which would be shared at a later stage with the public. The value is around that margin but the exact figure cannot be confirmed at the moment, said Mkhaliphi in an interview yesterday. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said they did not have the value of the burnt property at CTA as yet. Comment When she was asked if they had any leads regarding the arson case, Vilakati preferred not to comment as yet as investigations were still ongoing. A local economist, Sanele Sibiya, said what worried him about such incidents was that the cost of such was enormous for the country which was fast becoming a radicalised nation. He said such behaviour was uncommon in Eswatini but now every other day, there was a structure that had been burnt down. There is something radical that happens a lot these days and that will have a significant impact on the economy. We are becoming an unstable economy, he said. Sibiya went on to state that in order for Eswatini to attract any investment, the country would now have to foot a heavy security premium. The companies that would have otherwise avoided some of our neighbouring countries, such as South Africa because of protests in that country, may now have no reason to invest in Eswatini due to the arsons, he said. Sibiya further highlighted that the one thing that Eswatini had going for herself was that it was known as a peaceful and secure country, however, it had since lost that status. The cost is far bigger than we see before us, which is why it is quite critical for us as a country to get the situation under control. This is also why there is a lot riding on the dialogue, he added. The economist further highlighted that if the dialogue did not go well, the country would be at risk of remaining a radical country that was not moving beyond the minor things needed to start working towards retaining the status of a kingdom that it was known to be before. He said in terms of getting the funds to rehabilitate and replace the property that was damaged during the arson attacks, these would have to be collected from taxes such as pay-as-you-earn (PAYE), licence disks, as well as other ways in which government gets funds from its citizens. Unfortunately, government is not insured, so it will most likely be the taxpayer who pays the cost, Sibiya said. He added that when it came to private properties, people needed to have some sort of insurance against such risks, including arson attacks. When you analyse it further, such an addition to insurance also increases the cost of doing business. If an environment is not conducive for doing business, you find yourself needing insurance that you did not need previously, added Sibiya. Situation He said the situation was taking the economy 10 steps backwards in terms of growth and the development that the country had achieved. Thembinkosi Dube, who is also an economist, also shared similar sentiments as Sibiya. He said governments normally had an account which worked as an insurer to support the country in such situations. Large organisations normally have a Public Finance Management (PFM) Act which regulates the management of finances in national and provincial government. The Act aims to secure transparency, accountability and sound financial management in government and public institutions, said Dube. He said this was to ensure that the organisation set aside a certain amount of funds for unplanned situations. The only question would be if the Eswatini Government was saving those funds. Governments are too big for insurance and it would cost them too much to have such, said Dube. The economist highlighted that several organisations such as those in the railway industry also at times used the PFM Act as in some situations you found that the product was too risky to insure and some insurers did not have that interest to take up such a risk. This is when a provisional account is set up where money is put aside every year to back the organisation. It is not so different from self insurance, he added. He said what would be unfortunate was if government was no longer saving that money or it had not been implemented and ended up as a plan on paper. If government has been effectively using the PFM Act approach, especially for the CTA, then it is time to take the money and use it for the current situation, he said. According to Dube, it was impossible to separate the economy from politics. He said arson attacks were a terrible thing that simply delayed any countrys progress. There were cars at CTA but now they have been burnt to ashes, which means that they now need to be replaced with money that could be doing something else, he added. Problem He said what would help the country now would be to identify where the problem was. He said people normally did such things like arson attacks because there was something that was agitating them. Nobody will insure government because it is a huge risk. We need to get down to what the real problem is, he said. Dube added that the situation in the country was widespread and it was unlike dealing with just one political party. Everyone is reacting in their community and in their own way. It is, therefore, difficult for the authorities to know who to accuse, he added. You cannot solve a runny tummy by stitching the backside. We need to find the root cause of the runny tummy and deal with it, he said. He further highlighted that because Eswatini was an import dependant country, inflation had not yet hit the country hard. Ghanas maiden National Media Capacity Enhancement Program opens in Kumasi on Monday 10th January 2022. The program designed to provide schorlaship for some 250 journalists to be trained annually is expected to contribute to deepening media professionalism nationwide. The program forms part of collaborative efforts by stakeholders in the media industry to support the sector which has been challenged in recent times. Needs assessment, curriculum and faculty were agreed upon by an independent working group of experts led by Prof. Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. Faculty have been invited by the group from some of the nations leading communications schools and media houses. The Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is expected to perform an opening ceremony at Manhyia Palace after which the training program will begin. The ceremony will be televised live on Ghana Television and other private media platforms across the nation as well as the Ministry of Information's social media handles. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ambassador Edward Boateng, former Ghanaian Ambassador to China, in partnership with Ghana Association of Chinese Societies and Ghana Chinese Chamber of Commerce have donated 30-wheel chairs, 30 armpit clutches, 30 elbow clutches and 20 walking sticks to the Disabled Association of Ashanti Region. The donation aims at celebrating New Year with the less privileged while indulging all Ghanaians to look beyond their immediate environment, families and comfort zones. Presenting the items to the association, Ambassador Boateng said: For the second year running, I have chosen to celebrate the New Year with the Physically Challenged Association of Ashanti Region. As part of this year's celebration, I have partnered with the Ghana Association of Chinese Societies and the Ghana Chinese Chamber of Commerce to put smiles on the faces of the members of this community. Ambassador Boateng said as the 2022 journey starts, members of the association should continue to hold steadfast to the Ghanaian societys ideals of love, respect, honour and trust. These are the ideas with which we can attain the development we all yearn for. It is never too late to aim for such and I admonish each and every one of us, to open themselves up to these ideals and together, build a Ghana Beyond Aid. The President of the Ghana Association of Chinese Societies & Ghana Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Tang Hong said, The physically challenged in society should not only be the charge of Government but also that of all well-meaning members of society. After all, anyone of us could find ourselves in this state one day. I am therefore riding on these words to charge and challenge other individuals, organizations and associations to join us in this noble task of celebrating the new year with the physically challenged and less privileged in our society. Receiving the items, the President of the Disabled Association of the Ashanti Region expressed his gratitude saying, We thank you for coming aboard this noble charge. We hope in subsequent years, we shall do it even bigger than we have done today. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Parliamentarians have been advised to rise above their partisan political interests and put the nation first in discussions and decisions on national issues to promote social cohesion and peace in the country. Also, they must endeavour to work towards setting good examples for their followers and the youth, instead of the impression created that Parliament was all about protecting ones party interest or stance. In a New Year message shared with the Daily Graphic, the General Overseer of Living Streams International, Rev. Dr Ebenezer Markwei, said the picture the current Parliament was painting in the minds of the youth, who saw MPs engaged in clashes, was not a good example, as it seemed to suggest that the best way to resolve issues was to fight, instead of negotiating. "I am very worried about our interpretation of democracy; I am worried about fights in Parliament and I am worried about some of the things going on in this nation," he said. Peace on earth, goodwill to men Rev. Dr Markwei said the pillars of the Christmas message were peace on earth and goodwill to men, noting that that was a charge given to people and so it was important that it was preserved. When the angels appeared to the shepherds, the message they brought was peace on earth, goodwill to men. That means we have to strive to live at peace with one another and also show goodwill towards one another. "It is the intention of God for goodwill towards men, peace on earth, peace in Ghana and goodwill towards every Ghanaian. We have to strive to maintain the peace on earth, and that must start from leadership. But what we have been seeing does not promote peace and goodwill, he stressed. Bastion Rev. Dr Markwei stressed that Parliament was the country's bastion for legislation, and that that was where the nation must be put first, adding: "So I find it very troubling that we will go to Parliament and see legislators fighting." He wondered whether the fight by MPs was a sign of things to come during future elections, adding that there was the need for MPs to change their political thoughts and dialect to think about the peace of the nation. He said there should be no justification for the exchanges in Parliament, stressing that the fact that such incidents might have happened elsewhere did not make them right. Two wrongs do not make a right, and the fact that it happened in other jurisdictions does not mean it should happen in our country. It is not right and MPs must set good examples for all to follow. "Indeed, the oil that runs from the head is what touches the body ... and so if MPs are engaged in physical exchanges or anything that is contrary to peace and harmony, then I think it is very worrying and all Ghanaians must pray and decry what went on, since it is very dangerous," he emphasised. Rev. Dr Markwei said Ghana belonged to every Ghanaian and not certain groups of persons or political parties and so it was incumbent on all to work towards upholding the peace. For him, the fight exhibited by MPs was a foreboding of war, hence the need to work for the good of the country and the welfare of the people who had the power to vote for MPs. Goodwill Taking a retrospective look at 2021, Rev. Dr Markwei said it had been the hope of all that that year would bring humanity some reprieve after the ravaging impact of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2020, but things became even more difficult. The General Overseer of Living Streams International said the pandemic had affected the lives of people in various ways, bringing about heartbreaks and hardships and forcing many to make adjustments, adding, however, that despite 2021 being a difficult year, in all things God proved Himself faithful by giving us grace that preserved us. "We will take consolation in the Scripture that says all things work together for good; if for nothing at all, we have the gift of life," he said. Challenging year Rev. Dr Markwei predicted that 2022 would be another challenging year, given that the pandemic was far from over and the fact that there was going to be the introduction of new taxes that would no doubt have an impact on the cost of living. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tamara Dus, director of University Health Network Safety Services, administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Toronto on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. A year after COVID-19 vaccines first arrived in Canada, employers and workers in the country's most populous province are getting a clearer picture of when and what kind of immunization mandates can be enforced in the workplace, legal experts said following recent rulings on the issue. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn A Sunwing Airlines jet prepares to take off at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport, Friday, March 20, 2020. Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says he has asked Transport Canada to investigate reports of "unacceptable" behaviour on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight to Cancun, Mexico.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has announced the successful completion of a blockchain-based test with Onyx by JP Morgans JPM Coin System. This is a first of its kind test of JPM Coin System in the region. The test enabled Bank ABC to initiate real-time payments for Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) to benefit Alba's counterparties in the US, leveraging JPM Coin System, a permissioned system that serves as a payment rail and deposit account ledger, enabling participating entities to transfer US Dollars held on deposit with JP Morgan. The promising outcome of the test, overseen by the Central Bank of Bahrain, signifies the kingdom's commitment to a significant uplift of its financial technology apparatus in the endeavour to deliver the highest quality of services and the best customer experience to continue leading the Financial Technology transformational journey in the region. On this occasion, the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, Rasheed Al Maraj, said: We at the Central Bank of Bahrain are extremely pleased to announce the success of this test which aligns with our vision and strategy to continually develop and enrich the capabilities extended to the stakeholders within our financial services sector in the kingdom using advanced and leading emerging technologies. Through our work with Alba, Bank ABC and Onyx by JP Morgan, we aspire to address and eliminate the inefficiencies and pain-points which exist today in the traditional cross-border payments arena. The CEO of Alba, Ali Al-Baqali said: We at Alba are very happy to have participated in and contributed towards a successful test of this cutting-edge technology, which we're certain will optimise our cash management activities. Alba has been at the forefront of leveraging new innovative, secure and reliable financial solutions that bring speed, seamless efficiencies into our financial operations. We're also proud to be part of such a flagship initiative in the Kingdom of Bahrain and work with close and strong banking partners under the sponsorship of the Central Bank of Bahrain. Sael Al Waary, Deputy Group CEO of Bank ABC commented: We are very excited to have achieved this landmark milestone in collaboration with the CBB, Alba and Onyx by JP Morgan. As part of our mission to create the bank of the future, we have been able to leverage the digital banking capabilities of Bank ABC, to facilitate seamless cross-border payments using our APIs together with JP Morgans blockchain network. The pilot was tested using US dollars, and this technology will allow us to scale-up our existing offering and introduce more currencies in the future. We envisage major changes across the world with digital currencies, which will play a critical role in enabling future digital economies. We remain steadfast in our role as a key contributor in supporting Bahrains ambition to lead innovation within the financial technology arena in the region. Ali Moosa, Vice Chairman and Senior Country Officer, JP Morgan Bahrain added saying Onyx by JP Morgan is committed to leading the buildout of next generation clearing and settlement infrastructures and we are delighted to work with a leading central bank like CBB and an innovation-focused institution in Bank ABC to lead this project in the region. The completed test with Alba and Bank ABC will help inform further development of JPM Coin Systems for future use by our correspondent banking partners.-- TradeArabia News Service The emergency room entrance is shown at the Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg, Ontario on Tuesday Sept. 21, 2021. Hospitals in Ontario are being forced to cancel surgeries and redeploy their staff to provide care for the surging numbers of COVID-19 patients. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives In 2021 the death penalty faded further in Ohio, U.S. David Paul Myers, 79, of Valparaiso, Indiana, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. He was born March 21, 1943 in Gary, Indiana, to Sarah Myers. David graduated from Logansport High School in 1961, and then proudly served in the United States Army, where he was stationed Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.10 per week for 10 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. Written by Catherine Hawkins and Colin J. McMechan Jan 5, 2022 Waterfalls are to the eastern half of Tennessee what red sandstone cliffs and arches are to the southern half of Utah. The first one you see is amazing, but then there is another and another. Tennessee has them in abundancewide, skinny, tall, short, cascading in stages or in a series, and perhaps most memorable, thundering down in one frothy column. Ozone Falls in Cumberland County | Photo Copyright: Colin J. McMechan Several of our picks for best waterfalls are so magnificent, they lend their name to state parks: Cummins Falls, Burgess Falls, and Fall Creek Falls. Look at a map of state parks, and you'll notice that these three are stacked up in the central region, within a two-hour drive from Nashville. All three, plus Ozone Falls State Natural Area, can easily be visited in one day from the state capital. Another cluster of falls is concentrated in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including four on our list: Abrams Falls, Rainbow Falls, Cataract Falls, and Laurel Falls. Even on a cloudy day, the state's waterfalls have that extra edge that thrills the eyes and ears of the beholder. Find those that dazzle and sparkle, with our list of the best waterfalls in Tennessee. Note: Some businesses may be temporarily closed due to recent global health and safety issues. Rudolph Finally Gets His Hands on a Super MILLION$ Title January 05, 2022 Matthew Pitt Editor Christian Rudolph can finally call himself a GGPoker Super MILLION$ champion. Rudolph's 68 attempt in a Super MILLON$ event ended with him walking away with the $485,234 top prize and the title of champion. Rudolph sat down at the nine-handed final table second in chips, and everyone in the online poker world knows that Rudolph is a dangerous foe whenever he has a big stack in front of this. This proved to be the case in this tournament as he left eight talented opponents in his wake. Super MILLION$ Season 2 Episode 25 Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Christian Rudolph Austria $485,234 2 Pascal Hartmann Austria $374,167 3 spaise411 Russia $288,522 4 Jason Koon Canada $222,481 5 Mark Radoja Canada $171,556 6 Jakob "lechayim" Miegel Austria $132,288 7 Samuel Vousden Finland $102,008 8 Roland "Gwriden" Rokita Austria $78,659 9 Markku Kopilmaa Estonia $60,654 Estonia's Markku Kopilmaa finished fifth in the Super MILLION$ on November 28, 2021, but was the first star shot out of the sky at this final table. With blinds of 35,000/70,000/8,500a, "spaise411" opened to 140,000 from under the gun with pocket queens. The raised folded out everyone until the action was on Kopilmaa in the small blind holding pocket jacks. Kopilmaa jammed for 1,612,941, folding out Jason Koon in the big blind, holding ace-jack, but spaise411 called. The queens held, and Kopilmaa busted in ninth-place for $60,654. 2021 Was a Year of Milestones For GGPoker and Its Players Eighth-place was decided during the same level, and was strikingly similar to the first bust out hand. Start-of-the-day chip leader Pascal Hartmann min-raised to 140,000 from the cutoff with pocket queens, before calling the 982,961 three-bet shove from Roland "Gwriden" Rokita in the small blind, which he made with a pair of jacks in the hole. Again, the queens ran true, resigning Rokita to the $78,659 eighth-place prize. Samuel Vousden's tournament ended in a seventh-place finish during the same level the other two finalists crashed out in. Rudolph made it 140,000 to go, only for Vousden to three-bet all-in for 686,276 with ace-ten from the next seat across. With the action back on him, Rudolph snap-called with pocket aces. Vousden flopped a ten but the rest of the board failed to come to his rescue. Vousden collected $102,008, the first six-figure haul of the final table. Bad Beat Jackpot Pays Out More Than $1M in 24-Hours at GGPoker The blinds were at 70,000/140,000/17,500a by the time the next players dusted off their stack, after the flurry of early eliminations. Jakob "lechayim" Miegel open-shoved from under the gun for 1,562,942 with the powerhouse hand that is pocket kings, and Hartmann called from the small blind with pocket nines. A nine on the flop propelled Hartmann into the lead, and he stayed there on the turn and river. Miegel busted with $132,288 in tow, while Hartmann's stack climbed towards 14.3 million, with his nearest rival holding just 3.6 million chips. The final five became four when Mark Radoja's comeback was ended. Radoja was the second-shortest stack going into the final table yet managed to ladder his way up the payouts. His tournament ended a few hands after Miegel crashed out. Radoja moved all-in for 1,106,172 with ace-try of spades, and Koon re-shoved for approximately 200,000 more with king-queen in the small blind. Koon's call was rewarded with a king on the turn. Radoja headed into the night with $171,556 to show for his efforts. Jason Koon came unstuck in fourth place Koon did not put Radoja's stack to good use because he fell by the wayside before Radoja's seat went cold. Hartmann made a play for the blinds and antes by min-raising to 320,000 on the button with jack-trey, and Koon defended his big blind with king-nine. Hartmann flopped a jack, and Koon a nine, but both players checked. A deuce on the turn paired the board, and Koon check-called a 560,000 bet from his opponent. A ten on river saw Koon check again. Hartmann bet 1,600,000 into the 1,920,000 pot, just enough to put Koon to the test for his remaining stack. Koon went into the tank before emerging with a call. Koon's fourth-place finish came with a $222,481 payday. The tournament progressed to the heads-up stage when spaise411 crashed out at the hands of Rudolph. From the small blind, Rudolph raised to 1,300,000 with the big blind at 200,000. spaise411 called of the 912,820 he had after paying the big blind, and the cards were flipped onto their backs. Rudolph showed ace-trey, and spaise411 the queen-nine. spaise411 flopped a nine, but Rudolph caught an ace. The flop was all hearts, too, and Rudolph held the try of hearts, leaving spaise411 drawing even thinner. Rudolph's hand held, and spaise411 busted with $288,522 reasons to be happy. Rudolph trailed Hartmann by 5,002,961 to 18,997,039 chips, but an early double with ace-trey against pocket sevens leveled the stacks. The pair of Goliaths butted heads for more than 40 minutes with neither managing to pull ahead of the other. The tournament needed a cooler hand to crown its champion, and it got exactly that. Massive Wins Set Rudolph Up For Christmas Rudolph limped for 350,000 with ace-seven of diamonds, Hartmann made it 1,225,000 to go with six-five of diamonds, and Rudolph called. The ten-jack-deuce flop came with two diamonds; you can guess what is going to happen now, can you not? Hartman led for 838,200, Rudolph raised to 2,579,612, and Hartmann called. The queen of diamonds completed both players' flush, but both players checked. A nine on the river saw Hartmann shove for 8,892,044, which Rudolph snap-called. That hand gave Rudolph a colossal 22,516,688 to 1,483,312 lead with blinds at 175,000/350,000/45,000a. Hartmann open-shoved with queen-try on the very next hand, and Rudolph looked him up with pocket jacks. Hartmann flopped trips treys but Rudolph turned a full house when the jack of diamonds landed. A seven on the river busted Hartmann in second place, a finish good for $374,167, leaving Rudolph to bank the $485,234 top prize. RGPS Thunder Valley Main Event Features $200k GTD This Weekend January 05, 2022 Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) is in Northern California at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, and is set to host a $575 buy-in no-limit hold'em Main Event starting January 7. PokerNews will be in attendance live reporting the $200,000 guaranteed poker tournament. The series began January 4 with a $135 buy-in RunGood Ambassador Bomb Pot Bounty tournament, along with a Main Event satellite. On Wednesday, the mid-stakes series will host a $255 NLH event with $55,000 guaranteed. And then on Thursday, pot-limit Omaha fans can take a shot at the $300 RunGood PLO tournament starting at noon. Later that night, poker commentator and comedian Joe Stapleton highlights a comedy night at Illusions Lounge inside the Thunder Valley casino. Main Event Details Stapes will provide the laughter Thursday night, and then again unintentionally the following day while he competes in the Main Event. Day 1a kicks off at 11 a.m. January 7, followed by session 1b at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Day 1c begins at 11 a.m. and then all remaining players will return to the poker room Sunday at 11 a.m. for the second and final day of the tournament. Each player can re-enter one time per Day 1 flight. Those with a re-entry option remaining can opt to forfeit their stack at the conclusion of Level 8 and start over for another $575. Players start with 25,000 chips and the blinds will increase every 30 minutes on Day 1, 40 minutes on Day 2. Thunder Valley has become a regular home for the RunGood Poker Series. Back in September 2021, Sasha Sabbaghian shipped the RGPS Thunder Valley Main Event for $40,485, beating out 565 entrants. PokerNews is proud to announce we will live report the Main Event from start to finish this coming weekend. Stay tuned for regular updates and a tournament recap of the action. Following the conclusion of the Main Event in Northern California, RGPS has three additional series planned for early 2022 starting with a trip to Jamul Casino in San Diego from February 1-6. Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa is up next February 15-20, followed by a trip to the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi from March 1-6. Sharelines Find out details on the upcoming @RGPokerSeries Main Event at @TVPokerRoom. A total of 62 countries will be represented on the exhibition floor of the 2022 edition of Arab Health, the Mena regions leading exhibition for the healthcare industry, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from January 24 27. The 2022 edition of the show, which returns as a co-located event for the healthcare and laboratory industries, has attracted more than 3,590 exhibitors from countries around the world. They include the UAE, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and a host of European countries such as the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, and Belgium. Russia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, the US and Canada will also have several exhibitors showcasing the latest technology and innovation through a range of healthcare products. Ross Williams, Exhibition Director for Informa Markets, said: The global healthcare industry has shown its resilience throughout the pandemic and continues to be the driving force for global recovery. Despite the ongoing challenges of Covid-19, we have seen the commitment from healthcare exhibitors and experts from around the world to meet live and in-person at Arab Health to discuss the latest healthcare solutions. Continuing with the international theme, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan have all confirmed hosting international pavilions. Each pavilion will host between 16 and 33 healthcare-related companies. In addition, the European Innovation Council Pavilion will host 20 selected companies from across the healthcare landscape. Appropriately, the theme for Arab Health 2022 is 'United by business, forging ahead with new technology and innovation taking the stage with a host of exhibitors showcasing their latest products and services. Canon, Draeger, Naffco, Philips and NEOM will again be exhibiting this year. At the same time, GE Healthcare, Karl Storz, Siemens Healthineers and a host of other leading names in the healthcare sector will return following a one-year hiatus due to Covid-19. In addition to having the opportunity to explore thousands of products on display, conveniently split into eight sectors across 16 halls of the Dubai World Trade Centre, other features at Arab Health this year include the return of the Innov8 Talks as part of the Healthcare Transformation Zone. The popular start-up competition will feature 24 companies in various stages of maturity, with each showcasing unique and innovative solutions in prevention, management, operations, diagnostics, amongst others. Four medical conferences and hands-on workshops will also return to the exhibition, bringing together 200 globally recognised medical expert speakers and over 1500 delegates from across the GCC. Popular returning tracks include Obs & Gyn, Total Radiology, Orthopaedics and Surgery. Following a hybrid model last year, Arab Health will also host a virtual event running in conjunction with the live event from 5 January 28 February. With over 200 educational sessions and more than 250international experts, the online event will provide a range of thought leadership and medical updates to over 3000 delegates. "This will be a vital addition to our offering and will be instrumental in reaching a wider audience. Not every industry professional from around the world can attend in-person every year; therefore, the online facility provides opportunities to maintain partnerships and do business, added Williams. Arab Health, co-located with Medlab Middle East 2022, is the largest healthcare exhibition and congress in the Mena region. The event will attract global healthcare professionals and feature a range of scientific lectures, industry briefings, product demonstrations and networking opportunities. As part of Informa's commitment to providing the highest hygiene and safety levels, the event will again occur under the protocols introduced via the company's Informa All Secure health and safety mandate. The enhanced measures include 35 guidelines covering all aspects of cleaning and hygiene, social distancing measures, and the use of PPE, screening, and a track and trace in conjunction with local authorities. TradeArabia News Service Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson will ping-pong across South Carolinas 2nd Congressional District on Friday, making stops to discuss his 2022 priorities. The congressman will be in Aiken at 10:30 a.m. and North Augusta at 11:30 a.m., according to a schedule published by his office. He will also visit West Columbia and Barnwell. The annual affair offers a glimpse at what the South Carolina Republican hopes to accomplish in the new year. In 2021, Wilsons look-ahead included reforming elections, championing the Savannah River Site, maintaining a nine member U.S. Supreme Court, and working with Israel and Gulf countries for peaceful stability. This years agenda focuses on creating jobs and economic growth by protecting Right to Work laws in South Carolina and advocating for current and future missions at the Savannah River Site, Wilson said in a statement at the time. This year more than ever before it is important to promote conservative, limited government solutions. The congressmans 2020 agenda was similar, focusing on jobs, foreign affairs and veteran well-being. The 2nd Congressional District includes all of Aiken, Barnwell and Lexington counties, as well as parts of Richland and Orangeburg counties. Wilson was first elected to Congress in 2001. He is up for reelection this year. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low around 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. The site of a shuttered restaurant in West Ashley soon will see a new culinary offering while a new eatery is planned for the Charleston peninsula and a breakfast cafe will offer giveaways next week as part of its makeover debut. Ye Ole Fashioned Cafe & Ice Cream Parlor plans to move into the outparcel space formerly occupied by Famous Toastery at 1319 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in Ashley Landing Shopping Center. Rolando Ravelo, who said this will be his first location as a co-owner after working in two other Ye Ole Fashioned sites for a few years, hopes to open by March or April. It will be the restaurant's second location in West Ashley. The current site is at 474 Savannah Highway. Ye Ole Fashioned also operates two restaurants in Summerville and one each in Goose Creek, Mount Pleasant and North Charleston. Famous Toastery closed last year after opening in 2018. On the peninsula Sandwich, breakfast and frose eatery Co-op is planning a new location in downtown Charleston at 81 Cannon St. The cafe currently operates on the Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island as well as next to Edmunds Oast Brewery on Charleston's upper peninsula. The new location is currently under construction. Look for an opening in late spring or early summer, according to Colin Keenan of Co-op. New look Another Broken Egg Cafe will unveil its redesign on Jan. 10 at its downtown Charleston location. The restaurant at 99 Market St. is the company's latest to adopt the brand's "New South" design, featuring a full bar with extra seating, patio bar access for diners and a brighter image. The cafe offers an array of breakfast and brunch items along with its signature cocktails. To celebrate the makeover, the restaurant will offer a full week of daily giveaways through Jan. 14. Rearranging A West Ashley home furnishing retailer is now in a new location. Charleston Amish Furniture moved Jan. 3 from 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in the Publix-anchored Ashley Landing Shopping Center to a standalone, refurbished building at 1750 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. Matt Troyer, who co-owns the furniture business with wife Beth, bought the 35,000-square-foot former Heilig-Meyers furniture store near S.C. Highway 61 for $4.2 million in November 2020, according to Charleston County land records. The Troyers wanted to own instead of rent. Renovations began on the new site last spring. The business opened in 2017 in Ashley Landing, where the company plans to maintain a furniture line through May because it had to renew its lease last spring because of construction delays at the new site. A grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 12. The store will make a $10,000 donation to The Navigation Center, a nonprofit with a multi-faceted approach to helping Charlestons homeless or at-risk of homelessness population. The donation represents about 3 percent of the business's sales in December. Getting fit A new Chicago-based fitness franchise will host the grand opening of its first South Carolina location this week. Franchisee John Youngblood will officially launch Spenga in a 4,000-square-foot space at 996 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. in the Publix-anchored Queensborough Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant at 7 a.m. on Jan. 8. From 5-7 p.m. on Jan. 6, the site will host a grand opening party for guests to tour the studio and meet the staff. Local vendors will be on hand as well as food and drinks. On Jan. 8, the new fitness center will host its first full day of business with refreshments served after each session. Spenga, combining spin, strength training and yoga and also forming the brand name, is located in three of the four spaces in the new building where Maple Street Biscuit Co. opened in late 2020. Spenga will offer sessions 5 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m.-noon weekends. A North Carolina bank that expanded to the Charleston region several years ago has moved its charter to the Holy City. First Capital Bank announced on Jan. 5 that it has relocated its headquarters to 304 Meeting St. near Marion Square, where its parent company has been based since 2018. The community lender now operates three branches in the Charleston area. It expanded its brick-and-mortar footprint to Summerville in 2019 and recently opened a full-service Mount Pleasant office on U.S Highway 17 near Six Mile Road. "The majority of our growth and assets are in South Carolina, and the Charleston area specifically," CEO and chairman Harvey Glick said in a written statement. "We believe converting to a South Carolina-chartered bank and moving the ... headquarters to Charleston will enable us to best serve our customers and shareholders." He added that First Capital remains "committed to our North Carolina markets, and will continue to serve them through our branch in Laurinburg and loan production office in Pinehurst." Customers will see no impact from the charter switch. First Capital took an unorthodox route when it joined the local banking market. After operating for nearly two decades along the South Carolina-North Carolina border near Bennettsville and Laurinburg, it was looking for a way to expand into a higher-growth area and set up a succession plan for its then-CEO and co-founder, who was approaching retirement. A group of investors that included former executives of the former CresCom Bank franchise raised $30 million, reconstituted the board of directors and moved the holding company to Charleston in 2018. Under its new charter, First Capital Bank is now regulated by the S.C. Office of the Commissioner of Banking and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Its privately held parent company, which recently raised $7 million to help grow the business, continues to be overseen by the Federal Reserve. First Capital's loans and other assets totaled about $387 million as of Dec. 31. Its net income totaled $553 million for the first nine months of 2021, down 7 percent from the same period of 2020, when the company collected more fees for processing emergency business loans under the federal government's Payroll Protection Program. First Capital joins the Bank of South Carolina and Beacon Community Bank as the only federally insured lenders headquartered in Charleston. According to the FDIC, it's the 47th lender chartered in the Palmetto State and is the 25th largest based on total assets. COLUMBIA Masks will continue to be required in Richland County into March. Richland County Council voted Jan. 4 to extend an emergency requirement through the first week of March that those 11 and older must wear masks in most businesses in unincorporated areas of the county, including restaurants and grocery stores. Business owners must also require employees to wear masks when interacting with the public. Masks are also required inside schools for those 2 and older. County policymakers adopted an updated mask rule in September to account for an S.C. Supreme Court ruling upholding a state budget provision aimed at preventing such mask requirements. The State lawmakers mandated that money in the state's budget should not be used in announcing or enforcing mask rules. As part of the county requirement, school district officials or school employees aren't involved in publicizing or enforcing the mask requirement. Richland County extended the mask requirement in November as the Delta variant of COVID-19 was prominent and the holidays approaching. The spread of the Omicron variant is setting new case records nationwide. Violators face civil fines of $25 for individuals or $100 for businesses whose employees don't comply. County Administrator Leonardo Brown told council members he didn't immediately know the number of mask citations the county has issued under its current emergency requirement. The city of Columbia repealed its mask requirement in November, officials citing encouraging coronavirus case numbers while pleading for people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said Jan. 4 just after he was sworn in that he doesn't believe the city will consider reimplementing a mask requirement amid the rise of the omicron variant in the state. If the city acts, it will be with regional cooperation, he said. "I think the general public is doing what they need to do," Rickenmann said. "They are wearing masks when they have the opportunity to, people are lining up to get boosters, people are getting tested. I think we're headed on the right track." Marjabelle Young Stewart wouldnt recognize this country today. The late etiquette expert, who crowned Charleston the nations Most Mannerly City 12 years running (before we retired from competition), would no doubt be horrified by the decided absence of common courtesy on display these past few years. For some people, every inconvenience is perceived as an insult or slight, scowls and growls are regular discourse and, of course, political disagreements are perpetually dialed up to nuclear. In a timely business story published Sunday, The New York Times documented the growing frequency with which grown adults throw temper tantrums in stores, on airplanes and even on the phone with customer service. Yes, the wait times on calls to the airlines are getting ridiculously long, and sometimes the stores dont have everything we want. In some restaurants, service is slower than it used to be. Thats all on this pandemic; it is virtually never the fault of those folks who end up getting screamed at. For instance, Times reporter Sarah Lyall recounted the tale of a hardware store employee called lazy and incompetent by a customer simply because she pointed out that, to help him find the window shades he needed, she needed the size of the windows. Which is a crucial detail the customer didnt know. Yeah, thats where we are. Much of this is pandemic fatigue, but a fair amount of the outrage is fueled by partisan propaganda, the echo chamber of social media and a growing lack of patience in the age of instant gratification. A lot of grifters are getting rich telling folks what they want to hear, and have appealed to some peoples inner jerk. Thats not just here, its everywhere. And like all those other places, some of Charlestons anger problems are directed at elected officials. One of the most public displays of this abhorrent behavior came at an August City Council meeting, where the mob cursed at council members and health care workers and even spit on one woman. Another guy went viral locally for screaming at council members to bring it. Then there were the folks protesting mask mandates at schools around the county, including Cario Middle School in Mount Pleasant, who had to be escorted off campus. Those incidents echoed the protest at the Charleston County School Board last spring to try to force the district to drop its mask requirement. All this is by way of saying that anyone whos upset the Charleston County School District has resurrected its mask mandate for the next month should spare us the drama on Monday. Sign up for our new opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! Thats when the School Board next meets, and no doubt some folks who call themselves patriots are probably already misspelling words of protest on cardboard signs. The school district announced last month that future mask rules would be tied to state Department of Health and Environmental Control ratings for Charleston. Right now, the percentage of positive tests and the rate of infection in Charleston County is high enough to warrant precaution. In fact, the daily number of new cases nationwide recently topped the numbers from last January, when COVID-19 was previously running most rampant. Which means precaution is in order, no matter what the self-educated epidemiologists on Facebook say. Those people would do well to remember that one of their own, who filed suit against the school district over mask mandates, unfortunately succumbed to COVID-19 less than two months later. So, not a hoax. This is serious. If there is one thing everyone can agree on these days, its that we are all sick and tired of this pandemic. But in many cases, the ones griping loudest, and taking out their frustrations on others, are the ones doing the least to stop it. Dodging masks and vaccinations is a big part of whats led to all these variants, exacerbated supply chain shortages and forced some businesses to close or operate with reduced staff. So, skip the screaming at the school board. We dont need to hear it, and the board members dont need to hear it. Theyve got enough to keep them busy avoiding questions about why they forced the superintendent out. In fact, perhaps this former Most Mannerly City should consider starting a new trend. Instead of going all Frankly, my dear, I dont give a damn, we should personify the other part of Rhett Butlers quote at the end of Gone With the Wind. He said, Im going to Charleston, back where I belong I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isnt something left in life of charm and grace. Thats a sentiment worth living up to. It would make the world a little more tolerable, and it would make Marjabelle proud. GEORGETOWN Carol Jayroe and three Republican men made history Monday as she was sworn in as mayor and the men as members of Georgetown City Council on Jan. 3. Jayroe is the first woman to be mayor in the history of Georgetown. Along with her, Jonathan Angner, Jimmy Morris and Jim Clements mark the first time that Republicans have a majority on the seven-member City Council. The three men were sworn in to office first, individually, with their families standing with them. Following Jayroes oath of office as mayor, she delivered brief remarks to a crowd of around 100 people. They were gathered in front of the Georgetown Police Department on Highmarket Street. This is a historic swearing in. And I am so proud to be Georgetown's first woman mayor, Jayroe said in brief remarks. But I'm even more proud to be a part of this team that is so ready to work for this entire city to lead us forward to a positive future. Just as George Bush said he believed that there should be no child left behind, we believe that there should be no neighborhood left behind. And there will be no neighborhood left behind in the City of Georgetown. We invite you. We invite you and we encourage you. We encourage every citizen to get involved and know that we are working for you, Jayroe said. And we will bring our city back to a thriving and financially sound city. The decisions of this council will be made thoughtfully and openly. And we look forward to the next four years as we all work together. God bless you and God bless the City of Georgetown. Eileen Sullivan Johnson stood with Jayroe and her family as the new mayor took her oath of office. Johnson held two photos during the brief ceremony. She told the Georgetown Times afterwards that I brought Daddy with me. He was the first Republican elected, in 1962, to the City Council. One photo was from the Sept. 27, 1962, issue of the Georgetown Times, showing former President Dwight Eisenhower congratulating Sullivan. The two men shook hands at a meeting in Columbia the previous Saturday. The other picture was a group photo that included the late Sen. Strom Thurmond and both of her parents. She laughed and said her momma would be upset if I left her out for the Monday swearing-in ceremony. And I thought, Well, Daddy, they finally made it. Johnson showed Jayroe the two photos, as well. Unbelievable! Jayroe said. She chuckled and was pleased with being a part of history after 60 years. Eisenhower had served as Allied commander during World War II and was president for two terms in the 1950s. Thurmond was a former Democratic governor of South Carolina and U.S. Senator until 1964. He switched to the Republican Party that year. Jayroe will preside as mayor over the Jan. 20 meeting of City Council. Some of the participants at the Forum Over 2,000 decision-makers from more than 100 countries and 150-plus top global investors, as well as some 100 international speakers will take part in the first-ever Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. The global event, taking place from January 11 to 13, 2022 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre in Riyadh, features an extensive repertoire of subjects, opportunities and challenges confronting the worlds mining industry. Saudi ministers and representatives of the regional and international mining industry and allied sectors will join and thought leaders at the Forum. The invitation-only, closed-door Ministerial Mining Roundtable Special Session will headline the Forum's programme on January 11. The session will feature presentations and discussions on topics that are critical to the future of the mining industry. The "Mining in a Day" workshop will be held in tandem, alongside other workshops and panel discussions that will turn the spotlight on weighty issues, including the attraction of investments, the role of technology in mining, and environment, social and governance (ESG) issues. The General Forum will begin on January 12 with a plenary session and a keynote address by Bandar Bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources. The session on Reimagining Mining and Maximising its Contribution to Society will commence the day's programme schedule. It will be followed by a Smart-Mining session, "Showcasing Technology & InnovationSupporting Mining of the Future." Two additional sessions Highlighting Mining's Critical Role in a Low-Carbon Economy and Supporting the Region's Growth and Development and Country Briefings will complement exhibition and networking opportunities. January 13 will see the region from Congo to Kyrgyzstan highlighted as the Land of Opportunity A Regional Powerhouse. Also in the spotlight will be a prime-time session on Global Investment Opportunities an Accessing Capital. Deep-dive sessions, keynote fireside chats and other animated inter- and intra-ministry discussions will also follow. Many more Saudi Ministers and dignitaries will attend the Forum, including: Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy; Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Yassir Bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund; Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment; Abdulrahman Al Fadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture; Khalid Al Mudaifer, Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs. In addition to the dozens of confirmed speakers from the mining industry, leaders from multilateral global organisations such as the World Bank, International Council on Mining and Metals, and World Gold Council will also share their knowledge and insights with the Forum attendees. The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, is the host and convener of the Future Minerals Forum, held under the patronage of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.-- TradeArabia News Service GEORGETOWN With COVID-19 cases rising across the state, some area hospitals plan to combat the surge with help from the National Guard. South Carolina passed the one million mark of reported coronavirus cases over 22 months on Jan. 4. Citing a record number of cases statewide, the Omicron variant, a rising number of hospitalizations and a shortage of available caregivers, Tidelands Health announced on Jan. 5 that it has requested federal help. Four National Guard medics have arrived in Georgetown County to assist Tidelands Health in the emergency departments at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital in Murrells Inlet and Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital. In the past, Tidelands Health has used the National Guard to assist in the ERs, testing locations and regional vaccination sites. The professional and skilled National Guard medics have come through for us and our community once again as we weather this latest COVID-19 surge, said Ashley Capps, vice president of nursing and operations at Tidelands Health. They always jump right in and work well with our team to help us. ... We expect COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations to continue rising in the coming days and weeks, so we welcome the extra hands of these skilled medics. In Horry County, Grand Strand Health said that it has made a request for National Guard assistance and is on a list awaiting help. Conway Medical Center said that it has not requested help with the surge of cases but in a statement said, Our leadership team continues to meet daily and monitor the situation and will reach out to the Guard if necessary. Summerville, SC (29483) Today Mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 66F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. SUMMERVILLE Dorchester School District 2 officials announced they will hold a nationwide search for the district's next superintendent. The DD2 school board is still finalizing steps for its search, but on Jan. 4 members called an executive session to move forward with organizing contracts with the South Carolina School Boards Association for a new superintendent. The association routinely helps boards with all phases of a superintendent search. The support ranges from advertising to organizing focus groups and surveys. After the recent meeting, Chairwoman Gail Hughes confirmed the board will be entering unprecedented territory by searching across the country for its next superintendent, in addition to looking at candidates within the district and statewide. "None of us have ever really been through this," Hughes said. DD2's current superintendent, Joseph Pye, has been in the position for over 20 years. He was hired internally after serving as an educator and principal at Flowertown Elementary School. The act of going through a national search for the position will be different. Hughes said part of the challenge will be navigating an area board members are unfamiliar with. Hughes said they are also looking for the next "Mr. Pye." Board members are pushing for a candidate who can relate to children, is transparent and is community service-oriented. "We want someone that is going to fit into the community," Hughes said. Pye announced his retirement during a Nov. 22 school board meeting. He pointed to the pandemic and wanting to spend time with family as his main motivators for the decision. With the pandemic, Pye said he feels drained and that his passion has waned. It's time to pass the torch to someone with a little more passion, he said. "I feel in my heart I have given it my very best," he said. He was joined by his assistant superintendents Julie Kornahrens and Glenn Huggins, who also later announced their retirements. Hughes said the board expects to finalize the contracts with SCSBA by the next meeting on Jan. 10. "Things will start happening immediately after that," she said. In the coming weeks, officials expect to disclose more information on the next steps in filling the superintendent slot. COLUMBIA Gov. Henry McMaster announced the states new class of Chef Ambassadors at a Jan. 5 press conference, with the members coming from across South Carolina. For 2022, Chef Ambassadors John Ondo, Haydn Shaak and Chris Williams will spend the year hosting events and media missions around the state and nationally promoting South Carolina's culinary industry and the producers who make it happen. "The chefs ambassadors will be able to open the door to the curiosity, interest and satisfaction and appreciation of a lot of people," McMaster said during the press conference at the Statehouse . "It makes South Carolina again take one more good step toward making us a better place to live, work and raise a family," he said. The three chefs, who represent different regions in the state, will continue to use their talent, knowledge and connections to build the Certified South Carolina Grown program that supports local farms and farmers. The ambassadors specialize in preparing dishes using Certified S.C. produce, meats and seafood, highlighting the states food traditions. Shaak, executive chef of Restaurant 17 at Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest, will represent the Upstate, while Williams has made a name for himself with the house-cured bacon and barbecue he serves at Roy's Grille, located inside an Exxon station in Lexington. John Ondo, executive chef of The Atlantic Room and Ryder Cup Bar at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, brings 20 years of experience to the Chef Ambassadors post. In addition to his work on Kiawah Island, Ondo has served as an adjunct professor of Mediterranean cuisine at the Culinary Institute of Charleston and developed the menu at Kairos, a local fast casual Greek restaurant. "This is a huge honor to be able to represent my home state and all the hard-working farmers and fishermen and shrimpers and just producers of Carolina products," Ondo said. Brandon Velie of Juniper in Ridge Spring came up with the idea for the states Chef Ambassadors program. Former Gov. Nikki Haley, the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and the S.C. Department of Agriculture helped turn it into reality in 2015 when they launched the program and named him the honorary initial inductee. In its eighth year, the program continues to connect the ambassadors with farmers throughout the state, helping them share more about the Souths local produce with the public at specialty events. This isnt just a mission statement; the chefs truly have made an effort to educate in recent years. At an Oct. 15 dinner hosted by now-former ambassador Kevin Mitchell, Nat Bradford of Bradford Family Farm told a table of attendees about a rare turnip top he was currently experimenting with at his Sumter farm. Months later, the winter green was on the menu at FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston. Chosen each year by the governor, the three new ambassadors will serve an annual term before helping suggest fellow South Carolina chefs for the following year. The 2020 roster featuring Mitchell (chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of Charleston), Raffaele DallErta (executive chef of Hamptons in Sumter), Jamie Daskalis (executive chef of Johnny Ds Waffles and Benedicts in Myrtle Beach) and Jason Tufts (executive chef at Malias in Aiken) was extended to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. There have been 25 ambassadors who have participated in the program, not including the ones announced Jan. 5. The 2022 slate of events has not been announced, but previous Chef Ambassadors have participated in Charleston festivals like the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition and the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, which are both set to return in February and March, respectively. Nationally, the chefs have previously cooked at the James Beard House, and one ambassador was featured on the "Rachael Ray Show." SOUTH BOSTON, Va. North Charleston authorities charged a man with murder in connection with a December homicide after he was arrested in a small Virginia town. South Boston Police Department officers arrested three men, including Tymel Thomas Jones, on Jan. 4 in the armed robbery of a grocery store. Jones, 19, of North Charleston, also is wanted in a Dec. 9 homicide on Flora Street, near Rivers Avenue and Interstate 526, said Harve Jacobs, a spokesman for the North Charleston Police Department. Jones and the two other men Khameer DMaury Simmons and Sencere Christopher Hill, both from South Boston are accused of brandishing a handgun after walking into the Jiffy Food Store just before 9 p.m. Jan. 4. They assaulted a man inside the store and took an unknown amount of money from the cash register, according to a news release from South Boston police. Virginia authorities located Jones and the others at a nearby home, the release states. Each man faces two armed robbery-related charges in connection with the shooting. Following his arrest in South Boston, police in North Charleston announced Jones was charged with murder relating to a Dec. 9 homicide. Officers were dispatched around 9:15 p.m. to a Flora street residence, where they found Dezron Washington, 20, fatally shot. The mans family members informed officers Washington ran inside the home from the back door, telling them hed been shot, according to an incident report. Officers identified Jones as a suspect in the homicide, Jacobs said. In addition to the murder charge, Jones is also charged with possessing a deadly weapon during a crime. He was booked into the Halifax County jail in Virginia on the robbery-related charges, where he will await extradition to North Charleston for the homicide-related charges. Jacobs did not know when Jones was expected to arrive in South Carolina. North Charleston police officers would be in communication with the South Boston authorities, Jacobs said. I would like to see the new Charleston County School District superintendent impose some new learning objectives for all students in grades 2-12. Teach the students cursive writing. There is an entire generation that cant sign their own names or write a simple sentence. So much emphasis has been placed on math and science that cursive writing has disappeared in all curriculums. Going forward, I will be teaching my children cursive with a simple book from Amazon. The next initiative would be to teach every student Spanish from grade one through 12. French is romantic and sounds nice, and German is a strong sounding language, but if you want to communicate with a growing number of citizens, you need the ability to speak Spanish. The ability to speak a different language can enhance a students ability to master English. All European and most Asian countries teach their children English. If we can communicate with our geographical neighbors more easily, perhaps we can solve some of our persistent disagreements. KEVIN HILDRETH Mount Pleasant Selfish end to 2021 About 3:30 p.m. on New Years Eve, nearby neighbors started shooting off fireworks and firecrackers in their driveway. It continued until nearly 11 p.m., more than 7 hours later. There is no doubt that these neighbors knew that this uproar was unwelcome, unsafe and uncalled for in a residential neighborhood. So, this morning I was again contemplating this situation and concluded that it was an apt ending to a remarkably selfish year. What a perfect metaphor for 2021. Think of all the unusual things that were unwelcome, unsafe and uncalled for in this past year. It was a doozy, wasnt it? What are possible ways to help make this year better? Any and all acts of kindness, consideration and empathy could add to our sense of community, safety and peace in 2022. PAM TISDALE Mount Pleasant Dont teach CRT Im responding to a news article indicating that professors at the University of South Carolina oppose efforts by lawmakers to prohibit the teaching of critical race theory. This is not surprising. Critical race theory is a Trojan horse for socialism. Surveys over the years have consistently shown that college professors are overwhelmingly liberal. A liberal professor is unlikely to favor capitalism or point out the disastrous results of socialism experienced historically across the globe. Marxism was based on conflict between the rich and poor, defined as oppressor and oppressed. Critical race theory uses race to replace economic division. It divides Americans into racial categories of oppressor and oppressed. Imbedded in critical race theory is the concept of equity, which is the opposite of equality and equal opportunity. Equity means equal outcomes through some form of government intervention and is, potentially, a rationale for tyranny. Clearly, the concept of equal outcomes is anti-merit, socialistic and perilous. Like Marxists, critical race theory activists believe in the dismantling of existing norms. Among those targeted are the police, rule of law and free-market capitalism. In short, a revolution that solves the racial problem. This theory is dangerous. At a minimum, it will drive the nation into racial retrograde. Americans should oppose it, including any attempt to teach it. Some USC professors believe that banning its teaching would constitute a gag order. However, there are many harmful subjects that colleges do not teach. Critical race theory should be one of them. BILL BISSETTE Charleston Proud of USC As a University of South Carolina graduate and season ticket holder, I am, of course, glad that our team won the 2021 Dukes Mayo Bowl against the University of North Carolina. But my lasting impression will be the family atmosphere that existed throughout the stadium. There were a lot of families with their young children, who were as cute they could be. I did not see a single incident of hostility or intoxication. Nor did I hear a single foul word. It was what a college contest should be: good clean fun. I am proud of our team and our garnet-clad fans as well as the fans in blue. It was well worth driving home in a downpour to attend. JOHN VON LEHE Mount Pleasant Flooded with studies Youve got to be kidding me. The city of Charleston has been studying flooding problems for at least the past 40 years and has done study after study. In the proposed 2022 budget, Charleston officials have set aside $500,000 of the citys federal pandemic relief funds to commission a Comprehensive Water Plan. I believe that money would be better spent on doing something, anything, with bricks and mortar than conducting yet another study. PAT KILROY Goose Creek (Left) Dorchester County districts prior to the redistricting process. On the right are the new lines that have been drawn and adopted. Gov. Henry McMaster wants to beef up a pair of watchdogs that investigate government misconduct, make the Palmetto States scandal-scarred sheriffs attend ethics training, and shine more light on special interests that secretly influence city and county councils. The Columbia Republican will package those proposals into his soon-to-be-unveiled executive budget, calling on lawmakers to spend some $3.4 million more per year on measures meant to repair South Carolinians faith in their government. The governor's agenda would tackle some of the problems exposed over the past year by Uncovered, a project in which The Post and Courier has teamed up with 17 other newspapers across the state to investigate public corruption and expose the systems of oversight that fail to hold politicians accountable. More than 120 S.C. public officials have been arrested on criminal charges related to their government work over the past seven years, the investigation found. The states sheriffs keep getting arrested for breaking the laws they swore to uphold more than a dozen have been charged with crimes while in office since 2010. But as newspapers and other watchdogs have declined, many other officials in small-town South Carolina have evaded scrutiny. The governors proposals come ahead of a budget cycle where lawmakers will have a mountain of cash to spend. The Legislature expects the state budget to grow by nearly $900 million next year and will have nearly $2.2 billion to spend on one-time projects, making McMasters request a drop in the bucket. The governor doesnt think there is any more worthy investment than making sure government is more accountable to the people and transparent, McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes told The Post and Courier. Strengthening watchdogs McMasters proposed budget would more than double the budgets of the State Ethics Commission and Office of Inspector General, giving the pair of government watchdogs more money to hire investigators and enforce laws that are already on the books. Both could use the help. The State Ethics Commission has a staff of just 18 to monitor campaign spending and fundraising, track lobbying activity at the Statehouse, and investigate complaints of misconduct against politicians and public officials. In part because it employs just four investigators, the agency has historically let public officials off the hook with warnings and minimal fines after investigations that sometimes disregard serious allegations, an Uncovered investigation found last year. And even when it does fine politicians, it has trouble forcing them to pay up, another Uncovered story revealed. The Office of Inspector General, an eight-person agency, also has its hands full with investigating fraud, abuse, waste and misconduct within the states 106 executive agencies. Led by former FBI investigator Brian Lamkin, the agency typically fields hundreds of complaints a year against state employees and programs. In one high-profile case last year, the Inspector Generals Office determined that a former state agency executive director helped her husband win a $600,000 contract with her agency. In another, the office investigated and scolded the Governors School for Agriculture at John de la Howe after an Uncovered report first revealed ethical breaches and questionable spending there. In addition to giving the Inspector General's Office at least three more investigators, the governor also wants to expand the agency's jurisdiction beyond just state agencies, his office said. McMaster will support efforts to empower the office to investigate any agency or group that gets state tax dollars, his office said. That includes school districts, cities, counties even nonprofits that get state grants. The states 170 legislators havent seen the governors proposed budget yet. But two necessary allies, the chairmen of the House and Senate budget committees, told The Post and Courier they support the idea of strengthening the Ethics Commission and Inspector Generals Office. Ive spent my entire Senate career fighting for efficiency and accountability in government, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler, a Gaffney Republican who was first elected to the Senate in 1980. While I havent seen the details of the governors proposals, they will be strongly considered if they lead to those two items. Local scrutiny McMaster also wants the states 46 sheriffs to undergo annual ethics training, a response to a steady stream of arrests and criminal convictions of the states top lawmen. The Post and Couriers 2019 series Above the Law showed that one in four of South Carolinas counties in the past decade had seen their sheriffs accused of breaking laws. By the end of that year, three more sheriffs had been indicted and removed from office. In all, 15 sheriffs since 2010 have been arrested on charges ranging from drug dealing to driving under the influence. Ex-Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood is currently awaiting sentencing after his federal conviction on corruption and abuse of power charges. Meanwhile, Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon was indicted last month and suspended from office on charges of ordering a deputy to repeatedly jolt a suspect with a Taser in the county jail. The governors budget requests $200,000 to pay for the training. It also calls for a public listing of which sheriffs attend and which skip out. Over the years, we have seen far too many instances of sheriffs abusing their office, said Symmes, McMasters spokesman. House budget committee Chairman Murrell Smith said he likes that idea. The Sumter Republican would even support expanding ethics training to all public officials across the state. Smith, a lawyer, noted that even after graduating law school and passing the bar exam, attorneys are required to receive regular training. He thinks politicians should do the same, especially in an age where technology has made it easier than ever for everyday taxpayers to scrutinize elected officials' dealings. "There is more scrutiny on people about their ethics than there was 20 or 30 years ago, Smith said. Its time for us to make sure that we put more emphasis on ethics and compliance and training. McMaster's ethics agenda also calls for more scrutiny of local government. Currently, political operatives who are paid to influence decisions at the Statehouse have to register as lobbyists with the Ethics Commission. But no such requirement exists at the local levels. That allows businesses and special interests to wine and dine city and county council members free of oversight. As he has in the past, McMaster will call on lawmakers to close that loophole by requiring local lobbyists to register with the state. McMaster's executive budget is just the first step in a long legislative process where proposals can be fine-tuned or outright rejected. The governor can also make his case at the Jan. 19 State of the State address, a speech in which governors typically tout their achievements and lay out their priorities for the year ahead. Oman's Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has signed a usufruct agreement with Bisham Real Estate Company for the establishment of an integrated workforce township in Sur Industrial City at a total investment of RO16 million ($42 million). The project, which will be developed on an area exceeding 180,000 sq m, will be divided into three categories, each with its distinctive standards and specifications, said a statement from Madayn. In addition to a variety of residential options, the complex will also have key amenities such as shopping centre and gyms. According to Madayn, Phase One of the project, which will accommodate 5,600 workers, is expected to be completed within 36 months. Moreover, the project will provide 300 direct job opportunities, it stated. Madayn is implementing several vital projects in Sur Industrial City as work is underway in executing infrastructure development project at a total value of more than RO12 million, which will be completed by the beginning of the second half of this year. On the labour city project, the Omani group said it was aimed at providing necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of the current investors and attract new local and foreign investments. The scope of work includes construction of 17 km length of water network, 14 km of sewage network, 10.6 km of road network, 6.8 km of water drainage channels, two wastewater storage tanks with a total capacity of 1230 cu m, and water tanks, said a company spokesman. Additionally, Madayn has floated a tender for pre-qualification of consulting companies, and offers have been received from 18 companies. The evaluation process of these offers is underway and it is hoped that the project will be completed during the second half of 2022, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Yoruba movie stars Iyabo Ojo and Faithia Williams have finally ended their two-year beef. All thanks to the intervention by the Lagos State chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Musiliu Akinsanya alias MC Oluomo and veteran actor Olaiya Igwe, the two actresses are back together. The reconciliation was brokered at Mc Oluomos office in Lagos. The actresses confirmed the reconciliation on their respective Instagram pages on Tuesday night with a picture of Iyabo kissing Faithia on the cheek. Its all peace and love Faithia Williams, Iyabo captioned her photo Iyabo, 44, also expressed interest in following her older colleague on Instagram, after they had unfollowed each other two years ago. How we go take follow each other again remain o chai IG expert over to you. Faithia also wrote Happy new year Iyabo Ojo. More wisdom and understanding. Let peace reign. Beef Two years ago, Iyabo labelled Fathia a witch, traitor, and betrayer who couldnt keep her secrets and have been sworn enemies who never saw eye to eye. The duo, hadnt spoken in almost two years after their sizzling hangout in Istanbul, Turkey, made headlines in February 2020 after Iyabo accused Faithia of snitching on her and wishing her dead. In 2018, Iyabo traveled to Turkey with Fathia who was invited to a birthday party in her honour in the country, and shared fun moments from the trip with their fans. This was why when Fathia turned 51 in the same year and Iyabo did not send any congratulatory message to her, their fans knew something had gone wrong. Instead, Iyabo hosted Fathias ex-husband, Saidi Balogun, to a party at her lounge on the same day. Fathia and Saidi are birthday mates. Iyabo, who called out her colleague on Instagram, would later return to social media to set the record straight and deny reports that they (she and Fathia) fought over a married man who is based in Turkey. Faithias attempt to make peace in November 2020 following Iyabos mothers death was rebuffed as the latter refused to acknowledge a condolence message the 52-year-old posted on Instagram God will console you Iyabo Ojo. May mamas soul rest in peace, Faithia wrote. She later deleted the post after Iyabo failed to acknowledge it. However, the news of their reconciliation has generated excitement in the Nigerian movie industry with several actors congratulating the two women. Mercy Aigbe, Chidinma Aneke, Mo Bimpe, Nkechi Blessing, Kolawole Ajeyemi, Yetunde Bakare, Funsho Adeolu, Eniola Ajao, Regina Chukwu, Jide Awobona, and Helen Paul are some of those who have congratulated the pair. Days after the abduction of the chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Plateau State University (PLASU) chapter, Hassan Zitta, the institutions vice-chancellor, Yohana Izam, has challenged security agencies to up their game and end the spate of kidnapping in the country. But both the national leadership of the lecturers union and the police authorities have refused to make public statements on the matter. This is as the whereabouts of the kidnapped unionist and others who were reportedly abducted alongside him is yet to be known as of Wednesday morning. VCs charge In a statement issued by the university on Tuesday and signed by its public relations officer, John Agam, the vice-chancellor called on security agencies to at least ensure that such incidences are reduced to the barest minimum. The vice-chancellor, according to the statement, gave the charge when he visited the family of the abducted lecturer. The statement reads in part; Professor Izam pledged the commitment of members of the university community to continue to pray and intercede along with the family for the safe return of Dr Hassan Zitta. Prayers were offered for Gods intervention and safe return of the staff by the Vice Chancellor. ASUU, Police keep mum In a telephone interview on Tuesday with our reporter, the ASUU National President, Emmanuel Osodeke, said the union is not making any comment on the matter for now. Mr Osodeke, a professor, said the union would not react until we finish what we are doing. I am aware but we will not make comments now till later, he added. Similarly, when PREMIUM TIMES reached out to the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Ubah Ogaba, he asked that a text message be sent to him. He, however, did not respond to the text message and subsequent calls to his phone. The Punch had quoted Mr Ogaba as saying that the command was aware of the abduction and that tactical teams have since been deployed to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators. The Abduction Mr Zitta was reportedly kidnapped on New Year Eve at the house of a former gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State and ex-Chairman of Shendam Local Government Area, Nicholas Nshe. Mr Zitta, who had visited the former chairman, was said to have been abducted alongside his host. A source close to Mr Nshes family had told Tribune that the gunmen gained access to his premises at about 9:45 p.m. on Friday and shot sporadically into the air to announce their arrival. The gunmen were said to have forced their way into the sitting room where Mr Nshe was entertaining his guests and forced them into the waiting vehicle at gunpoint. Attacks in Plateau state Asides from a series of communal clashes and unrest that characterised Jos, the capital of Plateau State, the state has witnessed an increased wave of kidnappings and attacks in recent months. Messrs Zitta and Nshes abduction came barely a day after troops of Operation Safe Haven, a military task force set up to maintain peace in the state, arrested eight suspects in connection with the kidnap of a traditional ruler in Plateau State, Charles Dakat. Mr Dakat, a paramount leader of Gindiri Chiefdom in Mangu LGA, had spent five days with his abductors who requested N500 million ransom before releasing the traditional ruler. It was, however, unclear if the ransom was paid before his release on Friday. Also, late in November 2021, at least 10 people lost their lives when the Jos Correctional Facility was attacked by gunmen, a development that left scores of inmates freed. The impact of Jos December harmattan was telling on the face of Ajida Isa. But the hurt he felt inside was even more evident as he spoke about a night raid on his community four months earlier. On the night of August 24, 2021, attackers whom Mr Isa claimed were their Hausa neighbours in Yelwa Zangam in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State had broken into his compound, gunned down seven members of his household and set the house on fire with the dead in it. His wife Suzaina, 50; son Titus, 15; daughter-in-law Monica Ishaya, 40; granddaughter Salvation Ishaya, 14; and grandsons Barnabas Hosea, 12, Ephraim Hosea, 9, and Timura Ishaya, 6, were all felled and incinerated that night. Mr Isa, who is the Mai Unguwa (ward head) of Yelwa Zangam, managed to escape as the attackers decimated his household. There were bullet holes on the door of his house now under reconstruction. The charred remains of the victims were buried a stone throw away. PREMIUM TIMES counted 32 graves. Mr Isa said some of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. [Before] the police and soldiers came, the attackers had gone. They killed 37 people in the village, Mr Isa said. This is what is happening here. We dont know why it is happening so. Mr Isas neighbour, Bala Asabulu, lost five female members of his own household to the attack, including his 99-year-old mother, Halima, and four-year-old daughter, Goodness. His wife, Deborah, 32, his daughter, Rejoice, 15, and his sister, Paulina, 42, were also murdered in the attack. The youth leader of the community, Yakubu Bagudu, had a similar story to tell. He was in a friends house when the attackers went berserk in his house. By the time they left, his brother, Bulus, 45, had been beheaded and butchered, after which his house and car were burnt down. There is nothing we can do. We had to run away. I saw fire burning my house. My car and everything was burnt down, Mr Bagudu told PREMIUM TIMES. I cannot imagine why these attacks happened, he continued. We cant understand what we had done (wrong). We leave it to God. His late brother left behind two wives and seven children whom Mr Bagudu now cater for alongside his own wife and five children. The 13 casualties PREMIUM TIMES traced were among the 37 people killed in the night raid by gun-toting criminals in Yelwa Zangam, a silent agrarian community in crisis-prone Jos North Local Government Area (LGA) of north central city of Jos. The killings had sparked outrage with mourners taking the corpses to both the Government House and the Plateau State House of Assembly before the government responded with curfew and made a couple of arrests. Meanwhile, troops of the Operation Safe Haven struggled to get to the area as the attackers had destroyed the bridge linking the targetted villages. The only police station serving the area is decrepit. So, whenever there is an attack, troop mobilisation and reinforcement is slow. Attack was possibly a reprisal Survivors say they believe the attack was a reprisal to an ambush on travellers 10 days earlier. In that incident, 22 followers of a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Dahiru Bauchi, were massacred and 14 others injured by a group of youth along Rukuba road in the same LGA, according to the record of casualties provided by the police spokesperson in the state , Ugah Ogaba. While reports suggested suspected herders were behind the attack on Yelwa Zangam, the three men who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES accused the neighbouring Hausa community of responsibility. Three weeks before the latest attack, there was a disagreement between the Anaguta and the Hausa people, Mr Isa recalled. But the chairman of the local government and the Ujah of Anaguta met us and it was resolved. Then this attack. However, the youth leader of the Hausa community, Ahmad Muhammad, denied culpability, saying his people were punished unjustly. At the time of visit in early December 2021, 14 members of the community, including the community head and two of his children, were being held in police custody for months. The police declined comments on why the children were held and why all were held without trial. Land Dispute Is Underlining Cause At the heart of the dispute is a tussle between the Anaguta and the Hausa communities over the ownership of a parcel of land measuring about 1000 by 1000 square metres. The two communities are situated side-by-side in Yelwa Zangam. The Hausas use the land as their burial ground, while the Anaguta said it is their ancestral land. It is our forefathers land. The Hausa people came to settle here. We asked them to buy it but they said it is against their tradition to buy a burial ground, Mr Bagudu said. Mr Muhammad, the Hausa youth leader, too said the land belongs to his forebears whom he said had settled in the village for almost 280 years, trading and living peacefully with their neighbours. We own the place and if you can get a 100-year-old person in this community he will tell you that his parents were buried in the graveyard, he said in Hausa. Advertisements Trouble over the land began to brew when the road near the graveyard was flooded and passersby had to pass through the graveyard, trampling on the graves. We didnt like that, so we closed the road. There was a misunderstanding and so we went to meet the traditional ruler of the entire community. But he said it was a neighborhood crisis and we can resolve it amicably at home. Mr Isa said the tussle to stop burial on the land has continued to spark hostility between his people and their neighbours. Before the Hausa people came to the burial ground, it was used to mine kuza (tin) by the Turawa (European colonialists), he said. Large-scale exploitation of tin in Plateau began in 1904 upon the arrival of Europeans invaders and has made the state one of the worlds major suppliers of tin, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. But years of tin mining has also left the mountainous state strewn with deep gorges and lakes. Anaguta people are not angry with anybody. We are calling people to tell them we are all the same. But some people are instigating the conflict, Mr Isa said, and for the first time during the tense atmosphere of the interview, there was laughter in the room. Mr Muhammad said his people too are open to peace talk which he said is a continuous process. We are still holding meetings and we are very excited about the outcome. Conflicts on the Plateau As the sun set over the bumpy landscape of Yelwa Zangam, long-horn cows herded by a teenager descended into a rocky stream that holds the bridge that was destroyed three months earlier. At the other side of the bridge were farmers harvesting cucumber and cabbages with sprinklers whirling in the background. The scenic serenity obscures the hostility that claimed 37 lives months back, one that nearly threatened to tear the community apart. That attack in Yelwa Zangam was just another of the bloody protracted conflicts that have for long defined certain communities in Plateau State. With about 50 ethnic groups, the state is eco-climatically cold and rainy, straddling the sub-humid Middle Belt zone between Nigerias semi-arid north and humid south. It comprises Christian groups among them, Afizere, Anaguta, Berom, Irigwe, Ngas, Tarok and Ywom on one hand, and on the other hand, Muslim Hausa/Fulani, whom the former commonly regard as settlers and usurper. Stoked by political standing and religious sentiments, clashes between these heterogeneous groups often had to do with mutual animosity, manipulation of information and struggles for self-determination, control over land resources and chieftaincy affairs, interviews with residents and security operatives and historical records showed. As the arid lands across northern Nigeria, as is in most parts of northern Africa, continue to creep outwards, coupled with the shrinking of the Lake Chad basin, the abundance of fertile green land keeps diminishing, pushing Fulani pastoralists down south for forage and into clashes with farmers over grazing rights. So these criminal attacks are a battle for survival and supremacy exacerbated by poverty and unequal access to social benefits. But there are also non-discriminatory attacks, which have to do with pure criminalities, including kidnapping and banditry. ALSO READ: Lalong speaks as three people are killed in Plateau attack The Hausa-Fulani group, who are largely Muslims, are seen as a threat by some of the predominantly Christian smaller Middle Belt groups. In a country which is not as socially cohesive as it ought to be, according to the 2021 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey published by the Africa Polling Institute (API) which puts the national cohesion index at 44.2 per cent, sub-national solidarity and allegiances easily become peoples solace during conflicts. Likewise, there is also the indigene-settler dichotomy. The Muslim Hausa/Fulani community would not accept they are not indigenous as they said they have nowhere else to call home as their forebears had lived there for centuries. Indigene-settler dichotomy Like Mr Muhammad of the Hausa community in Yelwa Zangam, the chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in Barkin Ladi LGA, Muhammed Muhammed, said he could not tell how and when his lineage got to Barkin Ladi the same way people of other ethnic groups may not. I was born here. My father told me he was born here. My grandfather told me he was born here. What I know is that I am from Barkin Ladi, he said with a note of finality. Meanwhile, the Berom/Anaguta/Afizere group insisted that they sold land to the Hausa-Fulani when the latter arrived, a report published by Crisis Group, noted. Different commissions of inquiry into the crisis have shared this view. The Anaguta people would go as far as saying that Jos started from Naraguta (derived, according to them, from Anaguta, their ethnic name) but that they accepted the two other groups (Afizere and Berom) as co-natives because they have lived together for long and share similar history and interests, the report further read. According to the 1994 Fiberesima commission report, an indigene of Jos is one whose ancestors were natives of Jos, beyond living memory. This may not include any person who may not remember from where his father or grandfather left his native home for Jos as a fixed home, domiciled there as of choice for life; or who is ignorant about where his family moved to Jos permanently in quest of better living or in the process of his business. In the light of the above consideration or careful thought, the report continued, we concede to the claim of the Afizere, Anaguta and Berom tribes, and declare that they are indigenes of Jos. But as to the Hausa-Fulani peoples assumption, we make bold, on the evidence at our disposal, to advise that they can qualify only as citizens of Jos . The concept of indigeneity was given constitutional force at independence in 1960 to protect and preserve the cultural and political makeup of ethnic minorities from being submerged by the larger Hausa, Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba groups. It has in turn weakened national allegiance and strengthened ethnic solidarity. About a third of Nigerians identify more with their ethnicity than with Nigeria, compared to only nine per cent that feel more Nigerian than ethnic, according to the API survey. The senior pastor of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Sylvester Dachomo, said lofty as the idea of undoing indigeneity may be, it has to be done across board. If we want to promote nationalism, it should be across [the] board, he said. Jos cannot be a scapegoat for trying [nationalism]. I cannot go to Kano and say I am an indigene of Kano and own every right an indigene of Kano owns even though I am an indigene of Nigeria, he told PREMIUM TIMES, further citing what, he said, was the control of Lagos by the Yorubas despite its cosmopolitan demography. (Support for this story was provided by the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) under its Strengthening the Delivery of Peace and Security (SDPS) project). Nigeria has recorded eight additional fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, with 428 cases reported across 13 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The latest statistics released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Tuesday night, shows that the new confirmed cases raised Nigerias infection toll to 244,548, while the fatality toll now stands at 3,053. The new data by the disease centre, which shows a decline in the number of infections, does not include an update from Lagos State, Nigerias coronavirus epicentre. While NCDC gave no reason why Lagos could not provide its statistics, Rivers State topped the infection chart with 188 fresh cases. The data also shows that a total of 24,681 people are still down with the illness, while 216,814 people have been successfully treated and discharged nationwide. The disease centre also noted that Imo State reported a backlog of 231 discharges for January 3, 2022, including community discharges. Breakdown Apart from Rivers State, Ondo State and the FCT followed on the infection log with 54 and 42 cases. Imo State followed with a backlog of 25 cases for January 3, 2022. Nasarawa State also reported 24 cases; Oyo, 23; Edo, 18; while Akwa Ibom reported a backlog of 16 cases for December 31, 2021 and January 2, 2022. Ogun and Osun states in the South-west reported 14 and 10 cases respectively, while Kano State reported a backlog of seven cases for January 3, 2022. While Ekiti State reported three cases, Borno and Plateau reported two cases each. The NCDC noted that Bauchi and Sokoto reported that they recorded no cases on Tuesday. Residents of Dansadau in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State are celebrating two months of peace that followed a truce in November between farming communities and cattle herders, including armed bandits, in the district. Dansadau is about 100 kilometres from Gusau, the state capital, and is one of the communities worst hit by banditry in Zamfara. Residents need security escort to travel to or from Gusau because, aside from attacking vulnerable agrarian communities in the area, bandits also routinely attack commuters in the lone highway connecting Dansadau to the state capital. PREMIUM TIMES reported last year how bandits set ablaze a fuel tanker in the convoy of security agents to sabotage the supply of fuel to Dansadau town. The bandits began their attacks on the highway to cut the supply of essentials to the town, in reprisal for the ban by residents on the sale of foodstuff and essential commodities to cattle herders. How the peace dialogue was initiated A traditional leader, Mustapha Umar, who holds the title of Wazirin Dansadau, told PREMIUM TIMES that the community entered into the peace deal following years of bloody conflicts between farmers and herders in the area. Mr Umar said a leader of the bandits, Ali Kacallah, initiated dialogue when he sent emissaries to Dansadau community in the first week of November. He said the state government, which endorsed military action against the bandits after its peace deal with them failed, gave its approval to the community to explore the initiative. The traditional ruler said they accepted the request from Mr Kacallah because the vegetation of Dansadau and distance from the local government headquarters make it vulnerable to attack by bandits. The area sits at the edge of a forest of ungoverned boundaries with Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger states. Dansadau to Gusau is 97 kilometres but Dansadau to Maru, our local council headquarters, is 145 kilometres with only one access road, the traditional ruler said. He said the community realised it could not wait for the government to secure the area and thus agreed to engage the bandits in dialogue if it would bring about peace. We agreed on certain issues which include, from the side of the farming communities, to lift sanctions on the herder communities and allow them to enter Dansadau town to buy what they need without fear of being attacked by vigilante groups. However, any herder who enters Dansadau town with arms and the intention to steal or kidnap would bear the consequences of his action. This is part of our peace deal with them, Mr Umar said. The traditional ruler said the bandits on their part agreed to stop attacks on the Gusau-Dansadau highway and allow people to harvest their farm produce without fear of being attacked. Also, the bandits agreed to release the people kidnapped from Dansadau unconditionally, Mr Umar said. Kidnappings, attacks, killings of residents in farms and any location in Dansadau would stop. All these we agreed on and for over two months now there has been no such incident in the district, he said. The aftermath of peace dialogue Mr Umar said residents no longer need security escorts to move between Gusau and Dansadau since the peace deal was sealed. Residents now ply the road day and night without fear of attack, he said. They (bandits) freed some of the kidnapped victims including some children that they kidnapped in July last year. We are witnessing an improved peacebuilding process and day by day things are getting better. We are optimistic that the situation will continue, the traditional ruler said. Herders are again patronising shops in Dansadau town and farmers are also going to their farms and even staying late into the night without being kidnapped, Mr Umar added. There is jubilation in Dansadau because we have witnessed a long period without attack, he added. Obstacles remain However, Mr Umar said a lone incident of killings was recorded in the area on December 18 when some residents were repairing a bad portion of the Dansadau-Gusau road. He said herders had joined the Dansadau community in contributing money for the repairs, to show their seriousness on the peace deal. However, while on the field, some vigilante members among the volunteer workers intercepted a motorcycle carrying some herders. One of the herders escaped and ran off to report to his kinsmen. They came on motorcycles and opened fire on the gathering, killing three people. Advertisements The traditional ruler identified those killed as Musa Ibrahim-Hima, Aliyu Gidoga, and Mainasara Jan-kosai. That incident brought a setback but the bandits leaders were made to understand that the attack on the herders was not intentional and the persons involved were queried. We have since continued to live in peace with them, the traditional ruler said. Zamfara Government reacts The states commissioner for security affairs, Mamman Tsafe, told PREMIUM TIMES that the state government has ruled out dialogue with the bandits but said communities can do so. Mr Tsafe said cooperation between the security agencies and Dansadau community contributed to the peace the district enjoyed over the last two months. Residents are no longer taking the law into their hands which had usually resulted in reprisal killings, the commissioner said. Although, Zamfara Government has ruled out dialogue with the armed bandits, we cannot stop community-based efforts by people who are at the receiving end. However, we counsel them on the grey areas to ensure that the animosity that existed between them are stopped We urged them not to take the law into their hands and they are heeding to that advice. They are also consulting us for counselling. The efforts are community-based so everybody is involved, Mr Tsafe said. President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his administrations commitment to bringing back cattle grazing routes as a way of resolving clashes between herders and farmers. Mr Buhari said this in an interview with Channels Television aired on Wednesday. He said he has had personal discussions with the agriculture minister to bring back the cattle grazing routes in place during the First Republic, mainly in Northern Nigeria. Many Nigerians have criticised that policy, saying herders should instead be made to raise their cattle in ranches. Hundreds of people are killed yearly across Nigeria in violence between herders and farming communities. Since coming to office in 2015, Mr Buhari has maintained the view that the restoration of grazing routes is the only way to solve the problem. He repeated the argument in his latest interview. The ministers of agriculture from Audu Ogbe to Mahmud now, one of the issues I discussed with them is to go and get the gazettes of the past republic, Mr Buhari said. There are cattle routes and grazing grounds and cattle rearers are confined to those areas.Those that go outside those areas are arrested and farmers are asked to come make their claims. If they dont have the money their cattle are sold and farmers are settled. So we have to go back to that again and make sure that we prepare those grazing areas and put the veterinary in place. We are working towards achieving that, he added. Mr Buhari said while his administration cannot do much about weather fluctuations that may affect food production, it has taken steps to deal with insecurity and we are seeing the results. During a plane screening for a routine check, airport officers in Mauritius found a newborn baby abandoned in the rubbish bin of an Air Mauritius plane toilet. A 20-year-old Malagasy woman was suspected to have given birth to the new baby, and was initially arrested, the BBC reported. She at first denied the boy was hers but was made to undergo a medical examination which confirmed that she had just given birth, the newspaper said. Both mother and baby were rushed to the hospital and authorities said they are doing well. The Malagasy woman, who arrived in Mauritius on a two-year work permit, had since been placed under police surveillance. She will be questioned after her release from the hospital and charged with abandoning a newborn, BBC quoted authorities as saying. The Air Mauritius plane, which arrived from the city of Madagascar on January 1 landed at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport outside the capital Port Louis. A similar incident happened in October 2020 when a newborn baby was found in a plastic bag in a rubbish bin at Hamad International Airports departures lounge. The strict invasive medical examinations several flights forced women to undergo in a bid to find the childs mother sparked international outrage at the time. Qatar would later apologise, adding that culpable officials would be prosecuted. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has adjusted its timetable and schedule of activities for the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State. In the reviewed timetable approved by its National Working Committee (NWC), the party fixed a new date for the election of its flag bearer for January 26. The PDPs decision is coming few hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pasted the notice for the off-cycle election in its office in the state. However, the main opposition party, in a statement signed by its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, on Wednesday, moved its ward congress earlier slated for 7 and 8 January 7 and 8 to January 15. A three-man ad hoc delegate is expected to be elected at the ward level before the local and state government congresses where members will elect the party candidate. Consequently, the local government congress to elect one (1) national delegate per local government as well as persons living with disability, earlier scheduled for January 15, 2022 has been shifted to Saturday, January 22, 2022. The state congress to elect the governorship candidate (candidate nomination) earlier scheduled for Friday, January 28, 2022 is now slated to hold on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, Mr Bature noted as he called for compliance from aspirants and other members of the party. Before the deadline for Sales of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms expired last September, nine females and eight males had shown interest in the race. Some of the female aspirants are the former Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi; Olumide Ojo, Olukemi Olubunmi, Adekemi Adewunmi, Modupe Asaolu, Deborah Alo and Titilayo Akerele. Other aspirants whom PREMIUM TIMES can confirm picked the forms include the immediate past Deputy Governor and the 2018 PDP Governorship candidate, Olusola Eleka; former Governor Segun Oni; Kayode Adaramodu and Bisi Kolawole. Korea is on track to see fewer than 1 million annual foreign travelers to the country due to the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. The Korea Tourism Organization said Tuesday that 877,000 foreign travelers visited in the first 11 months of last year, down 64.3 percent on-year. Given that November saw 94,000 foreign visitors, the number is unlikely to exceed 100,000 for December, when more countries closed their borders amid a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. That means the total number for the whole of last year will likely fall below 1 million. This will be an all-time low since records began in 1984, when 1.3 million foreigners visited Korea. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the worlds largest smelter ex-China, has set an all-time record-breaking production of 1,561,222 metric tonnes in 2021 a fitting tribute on its golden jubilee of operations. In addition, Alba achieved an outstanding safety milestone by closing 2021 with more than 20 million safe-working hours without LTI a first in the companys 50 years of commercial operations. Commenting on these achievements, CEO Ali Al Baqali said: "Despite all odds, we closed 2021 with an exceptional performance by hitting new highs in our production - 1,561,222 metric tonnes and besting 2020 production record of 1,548, 500 metric tonnes." "What makes this milestone even more important for us is that we have nailed it without any single Lost Time Injury (LTI)," he stated. Safety of its employees and contractors workforce remains Albas top priority. Over the years, the company has maintained an excellent track record in Safety and Health for which it has won prestigious international awards such as the RoSPA Award 2021 (8 years in a row) and International Safety Award with Merit from British Safety Council in 2020. Alba stayed strong on its journey of Safety Excellence by topping more 20 million safe working-hours without Lost Time Injury (LTI) with zero LTIs by end of 2021. He was speaking at a brief ceremony held today (January 5) to commemorate the milestone which was attended by Albas Executive Management and employees. Al Baqali commended the employees and contractors for their dedication and commitment in raising the bar and taking Alba to new heights. Starting as a 120,000 tonnes per annum smelter in 1971, Alba, today, is the worlds largest aluminium smelter ex-China with a production of more than 1.561 million metric tonne per annum (2021). It is also one of the top industrial companies in the world with high standards in Environment practices, Social contribution and Corporate Governance. Its diverse product portfolio of Standard and Value-Added Products (VAP) are exported to more than 240 global customers through its sales offices in Europe (Zurich), Asia (Hong Kong & Singapore) and subsidiary office in the US.-TradeArabia News Service The members of the Olubadan-in-council have said there is no law barring anyone with beaded crown from becoming the Olubadan of Ibadan. After the demise of Saliu Adetunji, the Olubadan of Ibadan, there appears to be a brewing controversy over his successor. By Ibadan ancestral tradition, the Otun Olubadan, Lekan Balogun, should ascend the throne, being the next to the deceased monarch in the council. But some quarters believe that Mr Balogun, being one of the 21 beaded kings crowned by former governor Abiola Ajimobi, is no longer qualified for the throne. However on Wednesday, 10 members of the Olubadan-in-council endorsed Mr Balogun, a former senator, to emerge the next Olubadan of Ibadanland. The 10 members made this known at a press conference held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Speaking on behalf of the council, the Otun Balogun of Ibadanland, Tajudeen Ajibola, based their decision on the 1957 Ibadan Chieftaincy declaration. He also said the subsisting case in court had nothing to do with the right of the Olubadan-in-council as kingmakers to choose the monarch. The council, which is the kingmakers, has met and resolved that Balogun is next in line and will in line with the tradition ascend the throne of Olubadan, Present at the briefing were Abiodun Kola-Daisi; Amidu Ajibade, Ekarun Olubadan; the Abese Olubadan, Adebayo Akande; the Balogun of Ibadan, Owolabi Olakunlehin; and Asipa Olubadan of Ibadan, Eddy Oyewole. Others were Mr Balogun and Kola Adegbola, Asipa Balogun of Ibadan. Rasheed Ladoja, a former Oyo State governor who has been rumored to be preparing to ascend the Olubadan throne, was absent at the press conference. Mr Ladoja is the next in line, after Mr Balogun, for the Olubadan throne. Speaking at the briefing, Mr Balogun begged everyone to discard unfounded rumours and insinuations capable of disturbing the peace of Ibadanland. By way of duty, as the Prime Minister of the Olubadan-in-Council, we owe the people of Ibadanland and Oyo State in general the obligations to inform and update you all on the latest developments at our Palace. I enjoin you all to remain peaceful in all your conduct in order to sustain our unequalled historical peaceful co-existence for which Ibadanland is globally known. I, therefore, enjoin you all to discard with all unfounded rumors and insinuations capable of disturbing the peace of Ibadanland, irrespective of the quarter from which such fake news emanate. In line with the traditional practice of Ibadanland when an occasion like this arises, the Olubadan-in-Council has been up and doing liaising with the Oyo State Government to ensure that every necessary step to sustain the peace of the city is strictly followed. By Alicia Ceccanese/CPJ Global Technology Researcher The United Kingdom moved a step closer to regulating social media in December when a parliamentary committee recommended major changes to the countrys Online Safety Bill so as to hold internet service providers responsible for material published on their platforms. We need to call time on the Wild West online, said committee chair Damian Collins. Whats illegal offline should be regulated online. The draft law, which will be submitted to the British parliament in 2022, is aimed at penalizing companies that allow content relating to crimes like child abuse and online harassment; news reports and free expression groups have flagged similar efforts in Kazakhstan, Australia, Indonesia, Chile, and Canada, among other countries Social media regulation is significant for journalists who use platforms for work, especially when the legislative focus is on information or speech. In 2021, U.S. nonprofit Freedom House found that at least 24 countries were seeking to govern how platforms regulate content. States like the UK, which set out to prevent platforms from censoring journalistic posts in the draft safety bill, face thorny questions about whose posts merit protection and how regulations should be enforced. Many journalists are themselves demanding that governments regulate social media to help solve issues that affect the press, like online abuse, disinformation, or falling advertising revenue, but there could be other unforeseen consequences. Lawmakers in the United States, the U.K., India, Pakistan, and Mauritius are among those discouraging platforms from offering encrypted messaging, which helps journalists communicate safely. Legislation mandating that platforms share data with police would be bad news in countries that jail journalists for social media posts. Some social media laws, like Turkeys, affect news websites and search engines as well. Others have implications for news websites with comments sections. At worst, authoritarians can jump on the regulatory bandwagon to stifle reporting. In 2020, a report by Danish think tank Justitia found 25 countries had drawn inspiration from Germanys 2017 Network Enforcement Act to provide cover and legitimacy for digital censorship. Such laws leave social media companies with a difficult decision: comply, or leave the country. CPJs Alicia Ceccanese spoke with Kian Vesteinsson, a research analyst for technology and democracy at Freedom House, and Jacob Mchangama, executive director of Justitia, about their respective research. Each told CPJ how social media regulations can incentivize platforms to remove more news: Banning broad categories of content Governments are outsourcing the policing of online content that [they] dont like to the platforms themselves, essentially requiring technology companies to do the dirty work for them, according to Mchangama. In 2018 David Kaye, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression, noted broadly-worded and restrictive laws on topics like extremism, blasphemy, defamation, and false news being used to require companies to suppress legitimate discussions on social media. A troubling example: Reuters reported last year that Facebook had committed to restrict significantly more Vietnamese content after Vietnam passed a cybersecurity law in 2018, and Amnesty International documented some of the impact on activists and journalists. CPJ noted that the laws vague prohibitions on posts that would offend leaders, distort history, or cause confusion were a clear threat to press freedom. Journalist Dung Le Van, right, live streams on Facebook in a coffee shop in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 15, 2018. (Reuters/Kham) Enforcing short takedown windows Germany requires platforms to remove manifestly unlawful content within 24 hours, or up to seven days if the legality is unclear, and other countries have followed their example without adopting the same rule of law protections, according to Mchangama. Typically [it takes a court] more than a year to process a single case of hate speech, he said. Some of these states then demand that social media companies make roughly the same legal assessment in 24 hours. Under pressure, platforms take down more content, according to Vesteinsson. Companies overcorrect, he said. Tight deadlines incentivize companies to use solutions like artificial intelligence to automatically screen posts for something that might be illegal, according to the Washington D.C.-based Center for Democracy and Technology. But recent analysis of leaked internal Facebook documents indicate such filters have been ineffective, especially in certain languages as have poorly-trained human moderators, according to The Associated Press and international journalism non-profit Rest of World. A troubling example: Information Technology Rules introduced in India in February require content takedowns within 36 hours of receiving a notice from a government agency or a court, according to the digital rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation. CPJ has in the past documented restrictions on social media accounts sharing news and opinion on Kashmir via an opaque process. Indian commuters drive past an advertisement poster of Google in Bangalore, India, on April 6, 2018. (AFP/Manjunath Kiran) Eroding intermediary liability protection Best practices protect intermediaries like social media companies from legal action over someone elses content, which safeguards [companies] to moderate and remove content on their platforms and shields them from legal liability for the activities of their users, Vesteinsson told CPJ. Liability makes them less likely to push back against censorship and surveillance demands, he said. Mchangama agreed. Laws that erode liability protections provide an obvious incentive for platforms to say, Better safe than sorry when governments make requests, he said. A troubling example: On December 24, a Russian court fined Google nearly $100 million in the largest of several recent fines for major platforms accused of failing to remove banned content, according to the The Washington Post. Local access to Twitter has been slowed for the same reason under a law passed in July, according to Reuters. The nature of the content involved in each case wasnt clear, but regulators separately warned journalists and other social media companies not to allow information about anti-government protests earlier in the year. The logo of Russias state communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is reflected in a laptop screen showing the Google start page, on May 27, 2021. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov) Requiring localization Localization laws mandate that social media companies host staff often local nationals and data in country under the eye of local authorities. Representatives risk being hauled into court if the company doesnt comply with the governments rules, according to a recent analysis by Rest of World. Companies [will] think twice about whether they want to challenge these governments [and] risk the freedom and safety of their employees on the ground, Mchangama said. Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has berated the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly over poor representation, and failure to override the state governor, Udom Emmanuel on bills he withholds assent. This is where the 7th Assembly has failed, Franklyn Isong, Chairman of CLO, said at the end of year get-together of the Consolidated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council, on December 22. It (the 7th Assembly) has consistently reneged on its constitutional duty and turned a blind eye to several Bills passed and presented to the Governor but ignored by the Governor, Mr Isong said. The CLO chairman expressed disappointment that members of the Assembly lacked the political will to invoke Section 100 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) the Assembly can override the governors assent and pass the Bill, with a two-thirds majority of members of the Assembly. Mr Isong said the Assembly is an asset to the state executive council and a liability to society. Governor Emmanuel only signs appropriation bills In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday, Mr Isong said the governor only signed the budgets (appropriation bills) into law, thats all he has done. He mentioned some of the bills passed by the Assembly but denied assent by Governor Emmanuel as Neighbourhood Safety Corps Bill, Scrap Metal Dealer Bill, Akwa Ibom Youth Development Fund Bill, and Akwa Ibom State College of Science and Technology Bill. Mr Isong who lamented that all the bills have become dead despite the money spent during public hearing urged the Assembly to re-present the bills afresh. Once a bill is passed by the House of Assembly and forwarded for assent, if the governor withholds assent for 30 days and the Assembly does not override the governors veto, the bill is dead. What the House of Assembly should do is to re-represent the bills afresh. All the monies they have spent on doing public hearings and other funding have become a waste, Mr Isong said. Constituency offices occupy by reptiles Mr Isong, who said the constituency offices of the state lawmakers have been taken over by reptiles due to overgrown weeds as there is no one to attend to the offices, wondered how the lawmakers could offer effective representation without interacting with their constituents. He accused the lawmakers of not engaging their constituents in interactive sessions to seek their inputs in bills, adding that the lawmakers live in the state capital, Uyo, and only visits home only for ceremonies. There is no Assembly-man without a constituency but, unfortunately, what is obtained in Akwa Ibom, particularly in the 7th Assembly, is that there are assembly members without constituencies. The members of the 7th Assembly carry on without regular constituency briefings and interactive sessions. They sit in Uyo and only return to their constituencies to attend burials, child dedications, traditional marriages, and naming ceremonies. The spokesperson for the House, Aniefiok Dennis, did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comment from him. The State Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, however, dismissed Mr Isongs allegations as incorrect. Mr Ememobong said, although the governor has the discretion to give or withhold assent to bills, he (the governor) has also assented to the Anti-open Grazing Law and Violence Against Persons Law. An unidentified Chief Superintendent of Police on Tuesday refused to obey Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olus order to evacuate police officers who had laid a siege at the Magodo Phase 2 Estate in Lagos. In a video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the governor, during his visit to intervene in the lingering land crisis, met with the police team leader and instructed him to call his superiors, who gave the order to invade the estate, that the governor wanted the decision rescinded. On Tuesday morning, many residents of the estate protested the continuous presence of armed police officers. The protest and closure of the estate gate grounded vehicular movement as some president and business owners were prevented from going to their various destinations. Can you call your superiors in Abuja? That the governor is here and Im the chief security officer, tell them that you dont have any business in my state and that I want you to disengage from here. Thats why I want you to make a phone call and tell your superior that Im here, standing in front of you. Make that phone call. But the assistant superintendent of police told the governor that he only answers to the instructions of his superiors. Yes, sir, Im here on the instruction of the inspector general of police, through the attorney general sir and that is why Im here. Im too small or too low to call them, your excellency, with due respect, you can call them directly, Sir. When the governor asked him who his superiors were? He said the Inspector General of Police, through the AGF. Mr Sanwo-Olu said he had spoken to the Attorney General earlier in the day and he isnt aware of the police presence. But the police officer said he was expecting a call to disengage the several armed police officers within the estate. When the governor asked him the number of police officers in the estate, the ASP decline to state the figure for security purpose. Describing their operation as illegal, Mr Sanwo-Olu reiterated that the CSP wasnt aware of the police presence. Resolution During the visit, Mr Sanwo-Olu ordered a stand down. He said a committee has been set up to resolve the crisis. He also scheduled a meeting with all parties involved in the land crisis on Wednesday by 11 am. Backstory Earlier in December, there was unrest at Magodo Phase 2 estate in Lagos, on Tuesday, when dozens of police officers and officers of the Shangisha Landlord Association invaded the estate to execute a court judgment. According to witness accounts, the police officers and members of the Shangisha Landlord Association came with bulldozers in an attempt to pull down properties within the estate. The immediate-past executive secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Yewande Sadiku, has been cleared of all corruption and fraud allegations levelled against her during her time in office. The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) initially cleared her of all but one of the allegations in a letter dated October 21, 2021. The anti-corruption agency issued her the final clearance in December, ending its years-long investigations, after a court struck out a suit accusing her of receiving illegal foreign leave allowance. Upon investigations, none of these allegations was established and the striking out of suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/249/2019 by his lordship, Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Division, brings the investigation to a close, ICPCs Director of Operations, Akeem Lawal, said in the later letter dated December 16, 2021 and addressed to Ms Sadiku. The outcome of the anti-graft agencys investigation tallies with PREMIUM TIMES findings earlier in August showing the allegations were not backed by evidence. PREMIUM TIMES had detailed how Ms Sadiku, 49, who left her top banking job to pick up the NIPC appointment with a pay cut in 2016, became a target of various allegations peddled by antagonists of her reform-driven leadership at the agency. Poised to make NIPC a transparent, effective and result-oriented agency, Ms Sadiku faced widespread allegations of corruption, lawsuits, repeated strike actions by union members and attacks by some members of the agencys governing board. Duplicate petitions levelling various allegations of fraud and corruption against her were sent to various anti-corruption agencies including the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). EFCC interrogated her over the same set of allegations in August 2021. It remains unclear if the EFCC, which rarely gives suspects progress update on ongoing investigations, had similarly closed its probe into the matter like the ICPC has done. Ms Sadikus tenure ended in September last year. The investment banker turned down governments persuasion to be re-appointed to the position. Allegations In one of the anonymous petitions against her, the author accused Ms Sadiku of expending N600million on travels to several countries on a fortnightly basis, purportedly for official purposes, when in truth the ES (executive secretary) merely expends public funds without any for om of due process. In the letter of complaint dated August 20, 2019, the petitioner said, that, although, the foreign trips were sponsored with public funds, they were actually an avenue for the ES to perpetuate her business with no benefit accruing to the country. Unfortunately, this practice has become the norm, so much so that the ES travels to Lagos every other week for personal reasons, whereas the NIPC has no office in Lagos, yet the fares and duty tour allowance are charged to the NIPC, the petition read in part. It also alleged that Ms Sadiku draws a dubious foreign lave allowance accounting for something in the range of $23,100 in addition to two business class tickets for the ES and her spouse and economy tickets for four children annually purportedly approved by a past governing council. She had drawn the funds for the years 2017 and 2018, and had, as of August 20, 2019, received the allowance for 2019, the petitioner said. On why the petition was sent anonymously, the document stated, I have decided to withhold my identity so that your investigation into this matter is not tainted by my subjective judgement. But curiously, the anonymous petition bore the same title verbatim with a later one dated January 13, 2020 authored by Ali Sani, member of the governing council of NIPC. The title, COMPLAINT AGAINST THE FRAUDULENT ABUSE, WASTE AND MISMANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS BY THE EXECUTIVE SECRTARY OF THE NIGERIAN INVESTMNT PROMOTION COMMISSION, appeared in capitalised forms in both petitions. Suit against Ms Sadiku A part of the allegation in the two petitions also surfaced in a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by a lawyer, Auta Maisamari, who sent a letter dated February 18, 2019 to Ms Sadiku, demanding information regarding the foreign leave allowance payments to her. The letter was also sent to Mr Sani, a member of the governing council, who authored a petition to the ICPC against the executive secretary. Mr Maisamari would later sue Ms Sadiku in her personal and official capacity as the NIPC boss, and others, over the matter. Sued alongside Ms Sadiku are the governing council of the commission, the chairman and individual members of the council, including Mr Sani, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The permanent secretaries of seven federal ministries, including the commissions supervisory ministry, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, were also sued as co-defendants. Advertisements The lawyer, in his suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 4, 2019 and marked FHC/ABJ/249/2019, prayed for among others, an order compelling Ms Sadiku to provide him the information regarding the approval of the governing council of the commission for a remuneration package for her Foreign Leave Allowance as earlier requested in his letter dated February 18, 2019. In his affidavit filed in support of the suit, Mr Maisamari alleged that Ms Sadiku acknowledged his FoI letter in a reply dated February 25, 2019, but refused to supply the needed information within the period of seven days directed by the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. But Mr Sani, sued as the sixth defendant in the suit, graciously gave me some documents that have assisted me in filing this suit, the plaintiff said, referencing a January 3, 2019 letter written by the governing council member, with the title, Clarification of Foreign Leave Allowance of the Executive Secretary of the NIPC. Relying on Mr Sanis letter, the plaintiff said Ms Sadiku received a foreign annual leave allowance in United States dollars translating to about N8.4million on November 24, 2017, and $23,100 for the same purpose on August 23, 2018. The plaintiff also cited another of Mr Sanis lettger dated January 21, 2019 demanding that Ms Sadiku refund the money paid to her as foreign annual leave allowances. Mr Sani, in another letter dated February 11, 2019, sent to Ms Sadiku also requested her to refund the sums of money which he argued were illegally approved for her office by the governing council. The plaintiff prayed in his suit for an order compelling Ms Sadiku to provide information regarding the approval of the NIPCs governing council for the allowances. Insisting that the NIPCs governing council lacked the power to approve the annual foreign leave allowance for the commissions executive secretary, as argued by Mr Sani, he urged the court to order Ms Sadiku to refund to the federal government, funds purportedly drawn by her purportedly in compliance with the approval of the governing council for a remuneration package for her called Foreign Leave Allowance. The plaintiff also prayed for the award of N10million to be paid by Ms Sadiku to cover the cost of prosecuting the case. He also filed a separate application urging the court to order Ms Sadiku to temporarily step aside/vacate the office as the executive secretary of NIPC pending the hearing and determination of the main suit. ICPC finds no evidence of criminality, court strikes out suit Ms Sadiku has consistently denied any wrongdoing in a series of correspondences she exchanged with Mr Sani and during interrogations by law enforcement agencies. Following her request for update in September 2021, the ICPC informed her in an October 2021 reply that none of the allegations against her was established, but the probe could not be concluded yet due to the pending suit accusing her of receiving illegal foreign leave allowances. The commission initiated investigation on the underlisted allegations of corruption against the Executive Secretary of the NIPC and some other officials of the commission, the reply, signed by ICPCs director of operations, Mr Lawal, read in part. It listed the allegations to include fraudulent abuse of office, waste and mismanagement of public funds through incessant tours and travels within and outside Nigeria without adding value to the commission. The ICPC also investigated the allegation that Ms Sadiku embarked on foreign trips without express approval of the governing council of the commission and that she used the commissions funds to repair her damaged personal vehicle. Investigation has been conducted on all the allegations except that of receiving foreign leave allowances which has been stalled by a pending litigation in Suit No. FCT/ABJ/CS/249/2019, ICPC said. All other allegations were not established, the anti-corruption agency added, but explained further that a final investigation report could not be issued yet, until after the conclusion of investigation on the allegation unlawfully receiving foreign leave allowance now before the court. On August 3, 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the pending suit filed by Mr Maisamari following an affidavit filed by a lawyer in his law firm notifying the court of the plaintiffs death. This paved the way for the ICPC to issue Ms Sadiku a final clearance in a December 16, 2021 letter reiterating that none of these allegations was established, and that the striking out of the suit by the judge, Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja, brings the investigation to a close. Controversy, allegation, denial over foreign leave allowance The foreign leave allowance paid to the executive secretary turned out to be the central issue in the gamut of allegations levelled against her. With Mr Sani, the governing council member, being the leading figure pushing for the refund of the paid allowances, a series of correspondences were exchanged between him and Ms Sadiku, consistently denying any wrongdoing. Mr Ali advised Ms Sadiku to refund a total sum of N40 Million he claimed she had received in foreign leave allowance to the federal governments coffers, arguing that the governing council lacked the power to approve the payment of such to her. In her reply to one of Mr Alis letters, also filed by Mr Maisamari as an exhibit, Ms Sadiku cited section 7(2) of the NIPC Act to contradict his claim that the NIPC governing council lacked the power to approve the payment of foreign leave allowance for the executive secretary as it did as far back as 2005. The terms and conditions of service (including terms and conditions as to remuneration, allowances, pensions, gratuities and other benefits) of the persons employed by the commission shall be as determined by the council, from time to time, Ms Sadiku quoted the legal provision in her reply to one of Mr Sanis letters. She recalled that the payment of foreign leave allowance to the executive secretary of the commission dated back to 2005, following the governing councils approval on August 17, 2005. She also confirmed as stated in Mr Maisamaris suit that the renumeration package as approved in 2005 by the governing council included a foreign leave allowance for the executive secretary, spouse and four children for 28 days. She added that it included flight tickets for the family of six (two business class tickets for the ES, and spouse and four economy tickets for the children). A total of $18,200 was approved as the executive secretarys foreign leave allowance and it took effect from 2005, Ms Sadiku said. She added that on March 27, 2018, the then Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, in the absence of the governing council of the commission, reviewed the foreign leave allowance upward by 50 per cent, raising it from $18,200 to $27,300. She said the approved allowances had been paid annually to the executive secretaries before her since 2005. Ms Sadiku insisted that the allowances paid to her in November 2017 and August 2018 following her assumption of office in November 2016 are therefore not unusual. She said in the letter that the 2005 approval for the executive secretarys foreign leave allowance was akin to the approval of the introduction of three new allowances for NIPC staff by the council at an October 11, 2018 meeting, at which she noted, Mr Sani was present. The Ministry of Justice has also given a legal interpretation of the NIPC Act in a letter dated August 31, 2021, affirming that the power of the NIPC governing council to create allowances without recourse to any other ministry, department or agency, Ms Sadiku added. She noted that although the denomination of the allowances approved by the council for the foreign leave allowance was in U.S. dollars, the payments so far made to her since 2017 were effected in naira by debiting NIPCs Treasury Single Account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). She insisted the payments neither violated the CBN circulars nor the Treasury Single Account policies as alleged by Mr Ali. Its illegal, Sani insists Mr insisted on the illegality of the payments of the foreign leave allowance and the subsequent upward review by the minister, insisting that neither the governing council nor the minister had the power to either approve or increase the allowance. He argued in his reply dated January 21, 2019, that section 7(2) of the NIPC Act cited by Ms Sadiku to justify the governing councils approval of foreign leave allowance for the executive secretary, only covered the terms and conditions of service of persons employed by the commission. As he would later reiterate in another letter dated February 18, 2019, Mr Sani said the executive secretary is not a staff member of the commission, adding that every person engaged at the commission who is not appointed by the governing council is not a staff member of the commission. According to him, the executive secretary of the commission is rather a member of the governing council, who can be said to fall under section 3(3) of the NIPC Act, and as such, the governing council cannot approve renumeration for the executive secretary. Mr Sani also maintained that the term, foreign leave allowance is not a term found anywhere in the nomenclature or categories of leave allowance as are known to the public and civil service of the federation. The Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) (Amendment) Acts 2008, which he said is the law applicable to the remuneration of the executive secretary and the governing council members, only refers to leave allowance and does not anywhere refer to foreign leave allowance The grounds upon which the charade of a foreign leave allowance is built has neither any legal nor moral support, and as such, the upward review approved by the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment on March 27, 2013, cannot stand; you cannot put a thing on the top of nothing and expect it to stand, he argued. Ms Sadiku further justified the governing councils approval of the foreign leave allowance in a rebuttal to Mr Sanis letter demanding a refund of the payments. Citing Part III of the NIPC Act devoted to Staff of the Commission Ms Sadiku faulted Mr Sanis argument that the executive secretary of the commissions remuneration does not come under section 7(2) of the NIPC Act. Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has accepted the resignation of the government, hours after he declared a state of emergency in large parts of the country in response to the raging uprising over a fuel price increase. Mr Tokayev, on Wednesday, appointed Alikhan Smailov as acting prime minister, his office said in a statement, noting that low fuel prices would be restored. Mr Smailov was previously the first deputy prime minister. Reuters reports the political moves to check the protests, sparked by rising fuel prices, that began in the west of the country over the weekend and have spread to Kazakhstans main city, Almaty, by Tuesday evening. President Tokayev tweeted late on Tuesday that the authorities would restore lower prices for the fuel to ensure stability in the country. All calls to storm or attack government buildings are illegal, he added, blaming the protests on destructive individuals who want to undermine the stability and unity of our society. In an attempt to quell the unrest, however, Mr Tokayev said the interim cabinet would meet on Wednesday to discuss the socio-economic demands of protesters. Police used tear gas and stun grenades late on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of protesters out of Almaty. But by Wednesday morning, AFP reports that clashes resumed after the government resigned. Video footage on social media showed a plume of smoke rising from the building, while gunfire could also be heard in the main city. BBC quoted the citys police chief, Kanat Taimerdenov, saying extremists and radicals had attacked 500 civilians and ransacked hundreds of businesses. Atameken, Kazakhstans business lobby group, said its members were reporting cases of attacks on banks, stores, and restaurants. There are also reports that crowds have gathered near official buildings in other cities, and internet services appear to have been switched off across the country, BBC said. Dissent and protests are rare in Kazakhstan, which declared independence in 1991 amid the collapse of the Soviet Union. The State Controller of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) in Osun, Amoran Olanrewaju, has confirmed that two inmates lost their lives at Kosere Correctional Service, Ile-Ife, during an attempted jailbreak. Mr Olanrewaju disclosed this to journalists at the Ile-Ife facility on Wednesday. He explained that the Service always gives an hour of routine exercise for inmates daily to have fresh air and back to their rooms. According to him, the same thing was applicable on Tuesday but nobody knew the inmates grievances in which they attacked the officers on duty while some wanted to seize the opportunity to escape. The controller also explained that security men repelled them from fleeing; while four inmates were injured in the process and were immediately taken to the hospital with two confirmed dead. Mr Olanrewaju stated that the remaining two were responding to treatment at the undisclosed hospital since Tuesday. He added that normalcy had returned to the centre and all measures had been put in place to maintain peaceful coexistence within the environment. The controller commended the effort of the Controller-General and security men for adopting measures at minimising loss of lives and property in correctional centres. (NAN) The Lagos State Government has debunked the speculation that the late 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Sylvester Oromoni Junior, was beaten and forced to drink a poisonous substance by his seniors which allegedly led to his death in November, 2021, saying there could be no prosecution for lack of substantial evidence. The government has, therefore, advised the police to release those held in their custody over the matter. The suspects included five students- Kenneth Inyang (15 years), Ansel Temile (14 years), Edward Begue (16 years), Michael Kashamu (15 years) and Benjamin Ikechukwu (16 years). Also accused of negligent act causing harm to the deceased but are now freed by the state are five staffers of the school; Celena Uduak, Valentine Igbokweze, Hammed Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan and another who was simply identified as Mr Adeyemi, and the school itself. But the school management has said it would await further directives from the government before announcing resumption and making further statements on the matter, saying it had also received the news of the DPPs advice just like any Nigerian. The government said scientific evidence suggested that the deceased died of ulcer in his ankle which it noted led to various medical conditions including Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis. This was contained in the advice of the states director of public prosecution, Adetutu Oshinusi, and addressed to the office of the deputy commissioner of police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba, Lagos. According to legal advice, there is no substantial evidence to prosecute the suspects in the matter, and that the allegation of membership of a secret cult group could not be established against the suspects. The director also wrote that the school and its arrested officers cannot be prosecuted for negligence, saying evidence obtained clearly absolves them of culpability. What evidence says According to the DPPs advice, two autopsy examinations were carried out on the deceased, with the first one said to have been conducted on on December 2 at the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State, by the deceaseds parents while the second was carried out on the December 14 at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. The DPP said the outcomes of both autopsies were in agreement. It reads in part: The outcome of both post-mortem examinations conducted were in agreement as to the cause of death namely: Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis. The result of the Toxicology is also not indicative of any toxic or poisonous substance in the body of the deceased. Writing on the fairness and authenticity of the reports, the DPP wrote that apart from the one conducted in Delta State by the family, the one conducted at LASUTH was in the presence of pathologists representing the families of the accused and the deceased. On the 13th of December, 2021, the body of the deceased was brought to Lagos for a second post-mortem examination with the consent of the deceaseds family. The second post-mortem was carried out by a Pathologist in the Department of Forensic Pathology, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on the 14th of December 2021 in the presence of the seven (7) Pathologists (the Pathologist who performed the first autopsy from Central Hospital, Warri representing the family of the Deceased, four (4) other Pathologists representing the family of the suspects and two (2) other Pathologists from LASUTH) and three (3) Police Officers. The interim and full Autopsy Reports of the Pathologist dated 21 and 31 December 2021 revealed cause of death as Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle, the report states in part. On cultism allegation The report indicated that there is no prima facie case established against the suspects, saying the office is of the view that there are insufficient facts to establish the offence of membership of unlawful society against them. It also added that doing otherwise would amount to sniffing for an offence and a speculative act which is not permitted in law. It is trite law that suspicion no matter how grave cannot be a ground for conviction, the DPP concluded. School speaks Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, an official of Dowen College, who declined to reveal their identity, said it would be too early to speak on the development and urged our reporter to call back or call an assistant director in the school, Jerry Adeyemi. READ ASLO: We also just heard of the news of the DPPs report like every other person. So we cannot make any categorical statement for now. We dont know when we will resume until we receive further directives from the state government, the official, who spoke on the phone, said. Background The Lagos State government ordered the indefinite closure of Dowen College on December 3, 2021 after the parents and extended family members of 12-year old Oromoni Junior, insisted their son was murdered by seniors at the school. Students who were at the time writing their first semester examinations were asked to vacate the school abruptly without completing their examinations. But reports said the school deployed technology to allow the student to complete their examination online. The familys lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana, had written to the Chief Coroner of Lagos State requesting an inquest into the students death. An autopsy conducted by the investigators, however, later revealed that the deceased died of acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication in a background of blunt force trauma. The Lagos State Police Command had earlier released the housemaster and other Dowen College staffers who were arrested in connection with the students death. Advertisements President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will sign an amended version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill if the National Assembly becomes democratic and include other modes of selection of candidates. The president stated this in an interview aired by Channels television on Wednesday and monitored by PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Buharis comments come a few weeks after he rejected the bill citing the need to have an alternative mode of primary elections. The president had withheld his assent to the bill after it was brought to him in November, citing the cost of conducting direct primary elections, security challenges, and possible manipulation of electoral processes by political parties. In their reaction, lawmakers in the House of Representatives could not immediately take an action but said they would adequately address the matter in January. Their counterparts in the Senate said they will also have to consult with the House. The latest decline of assent by Mr Buhari to the Electoral Bill was the third in his almost eight years administration. He rejected it twice during the last assembly. Condition for assent Reacting to questions on the Electoral Bill, the president said the National Assembly needs to be more democratic and give the people other options of primary elections. He said such options must include the addition of consensus candidates and indirect primary options for the selection of candidates. All I said (is) there should be options, he said. We must not insist that it has to be direct; it should be consensus and indirect. Asked if he would sign if the lawmakers effect the change in that direction, he affirmed, Yes, I will! I will sign. There should be options; you cant dictate to people and say you are doing democracy. Give them other options so they can make a choice, he said. At least two security guards were confirmed killed on Tuesday as some gunmen abducted three Chinese nationals working at a hydropower plant in Zungeru in the Wushishi local government area of Niger State. Witnesses said the gunmen whisked away the expatriates who were working on a transmission line tower in Gussase village, after a firefight with security agents. The police spokesperson in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, said a Chinese expatriate and a local staff were shot while three Chinese expatriates were declared missing after the gun duel. The police said the kidnap victims include a local staff of one of the companies. Mr Abiodun said the police tactical team attached to the facility had rescued four of the expatriates but one of them and a local staff had to be taken to hospital over bullet injuries. In the process of scampering for safety during the gun duel, three among the expatriates could not be accounted for presently, the police said. The police said a joint police and military tactical team at Zungeru had embarked on a manhunt of the hoodlums and to rescue the abducted expatriates. The Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project contracted to a consortium of CNEEC and SINOHYDRO firms is a 700 megawatts (940,000hp) hydroelectric power plant under construction in Niger State. The project will be the second-largest hydroelectric power project in the country after the 760 megawatts Kainji power project. New Delhi, Jan 5 (UNI) Congress on Wednesday hit back at the BJP for levelling "baseless allegations" over the security lapse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Punjab and claimed that it was due to "empty chairs" at the rally venue and the farmers' anger over unfulfilled promises that led to cancellation of the Ferozepur rally. In a series of tweets, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "People of Punjab have shown the mirror to the 'arrogant' government in power by distancing themselves from the PM's rally. Cancellation was due to 'empty chairs'. Please accept your anti-farmer mindset and do some introspection." Countering BJP chief Nadda's allegations that the incident was a big security lapse and that farmers were given information of the PM's car route, Surjewala said, "Dear Nadda ji, stop losing cool and all sense of propriety. Please remember that 10,000 security personnel were deployed for the PM's rally. All arrangements were made in tandem with SPG and other agencies. Route was carved even for all buses of BJP workers from Haryana/Rajasthan." "Do you know why KMSC (Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee) and farmers are protesting against PM Modi? Their demands are- Sacking of MOS Home Ajay Misra Teni, withdrawal of criminal cases against farmers in Haryana, Delhi and UP, compensation for the kin of 700 farmers who died (during the agitation). Committee on MSP (Minimum Support Price) and a quick decision. Post Farmers agitation, the Modi government chose to totally ignore these promises. Stop blame game. Hold rallies but listen to Farmers first!," Surjewala said. Earlier in the day, Nadda accused the Congress government in Punjab of not providing security and safe passage to the PM's cavalcade for the rally in Ferozepur district leading to its cancellation. He accused the state government of having given access to the protestors on the PMs route. "It is sad that the PMs visit to launch development projects worth thousands of crores for Punjab was disrupted. But we will not let such cheap mentality hinder progress of Punjab and will continue the effort for the development of Punjab," the BJP chief tweeted. The PM's cavalcade was forced to stop on a bridge near Hussainiwala for 15-20 minutes, constituting a major security lapse. UNI DS RN After months of affronts and records of violence among their supporters, two of the leading political figures in Gombe State finally reconciled. The governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya and Danjuma Goje, the senator representing Gombe Central and former governor of the state, on Wednesday, agreed to work together ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention slated for February. The two were pictured together on Wednesday for the first time after a political clash in 2021. Before reconciliation, Messrs Yahaya and Goje were in a contest for dominance in the state, thereby polarising the states chapter of the party. In November, five persons were reportedly killed while many more got injured during a clash between supporters of Messrs Yahaya and Goje in the state. While the governor blamed his former ally for the mayhem, the senator, in his defence, blamed the state government for sponsoring the miscreants who attacked his convoy before the bloodbath. In protest against the attack, some of the APC executives in 11 wards of Yamaltu/Deba local government in the state resigned later in November. They alleged that the incident was sponsored by Mr Yahaya to disgrace Mr Goje. However, the Chairman Caretaker Committee of the APC and Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni, in a statement issued after the reconciliation meeting held in Abuja, said the two chieftains have agreed to set aside their differences for the common interest of the party. He credited the renewed extension of friendship between Messrs Goje and Yahaya to efforts of the National Reconciliation Committee Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu and Kashim Shettima, a former Borno State governor. The successful reconciliation has further stamped the authority of the party in the state. The party will continue to explore and exploit ways of resolving differences among stakeholders amicably across the country for a united front ahead of the 2023 general elections. I am indeed very happy with this development and this style would be replicated to solve the problems in other states, Mr Buni said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mamman Mohammed. He also enjoined the two political gladiators to set aright the discord among their loyalists in the state chapter of the party. With the partys national convention slated for February, Mr Goje has shown interest in the race for the APC chairmanship race. To stand a chance at the highly competitive race, the Gombe central senator will be needing the support of his state governor, who currently controls the partys structure in the state. Two inmates, whom officials said were among others attempting to escape from a prison in Osun State, South-west Nigeria, were killed on Tuesday, an official has said. Olusola Adeotan, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service in Osun State, disclosed the attempted jailbreak in a statement on Wednesday, saying it happened in the morning of Tuesday at the custodial centre in Ile-Ife. Mr Adeotan did not disclose the names of the inmates killed. However, sources briefed about the matter exclusively told PREMIUM TIMES that the two killed were Ayofe Aliyu and Adekunle Odekanyin. They died in a hospital after they were shot by armed custodial personnel alongside two others, said to still be in the hospital receiving treatment. The attempted jailbreak in Ile-Ife came less than a week after three inmates, comprising one on death row and two awaiting trial for armed robbery, escaped from a prison in Ilorin, North-central Nigeria. In the Ilorin case exclusively reported by PREMIUM TIMES, the escapees were said to have cut the cell iron bar. The report also included fresh fears that some inmates are planning to bring weapons to another prison in Edo State to perpetrate jailbreak. Repeated successful and failed prison attacks have happened in Edo State since 2020. Between 2020 and 2021, over five thousand inmates escaped from Nigerias overcrowded prisons across at least 11 states. How the Ile-Ife attempted jailbreak happened Official Mr Adeotan, the spokesperson, said the inmates had tried to exploit the routine open-out at the Ile-Ife prison and overpowered warders, surging to the gate of the facility before armed personnel stopped them, immobilising four. The statement reads: Following the successful containment of an attempted jailbreak at Ile-Ife Custodial Centre, Osun State on 4th January 2022, I wish to state that normalcy has been restored in the facility. Recall that at about 1148 hours, during a routine open-out of inmates for daily exercises, the inmates in a particular cell attacked the officers on duty and succeeded in breaking out more inmates from other cells. Having overpowered the officers due to their large number, surged to the main gate in a bid to break out from jail. While the officers trapped within the yard were being manhandled, the ensuing confrontation between the escaping inmates and the armed personnel on guard duty resulted in four (4) of the inmates being immobilised. They were taken to the hospital for medical attention. Two (2) of the injured inmates later lost their lives while the remaining 2 are still in the hospital responding to treatment. Controller of Corrections, CC Olanrewaju Amoran was on the ground to assess the situation. He assures members of the public that the inmates are in safe custody and normalcy has returned to the yard while an investigation is ongoing. In a move to end the land tussle between the Lagos State Government and the Magodo Residents Association, the former, on Wednesday, promised to provide 549 plots of land to Shangisha landlords. The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reached the agreement in a meeting with parties involved in the land dispute, a statement by the state information commissioner, Gbenga Omotosho, has said. Mr Omotosho said the governor met with the judgment creditors (Shangisha Landlords Association), their lawyers, Commissioner of Police Lagos State Command, Policemen from the F.C.T Command and Police Headquarters, the Executive and Trustees of the Magodo Residents Association and senior Government Officials. On Tuesday, during his visit to intervene in the land crisis, the governor had set up a committee chaired by the state attorney general and commissioner for justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo. He said after they deliberated on the enforcement of the 2012 judgment delivered by the Supreme Court, they reached an agreement and the surveyor- General of Lagos State, Permanent Secretary Lands Bureau and Hon. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development are to immediately identify available plots of land within the Shangisha village scheme. According to the statement, the committee is also to identify how the available plots of land are to be accessed and whether any infrastructural development is necessary to access the land. Upon identification of available and accessible land, the State Government is to immediately allocate the land to the 549 Judgment Creditors, the statement read. In the event that there is no available and accessible land within the Shangisha village scheme to allocate to all the 549 Judgment Creditors, the State Government, in agreement with the Judgment Creditors, will provide alternative plots of land. The committee said that while the process is ongoing, the Nigeria Police should ensure that there is no further breakdown of law and order in the estate, adding that they must restrain themselves from the estate. The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, says he takes exception to Wednesdays reaction by South-west governors to the Magodo Estate incident during the visit of the Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to the estate. The South-west governors had earlier reacted to what they described as a disrespect to Mr Sanwo-Olu. A chief superintendent of police officers had openly defied the order of Mr Sanwo-Olu to withdraw his colleagues who had invaded the estate. The unidentified officer told the governor that he only answers to the instructions of his superiors and had yet to get an order to leave the estate from the inspector-general of police, Usman Alkali, and the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami. In a statement signed by Ondo governor, the governors condemned, in very gross terms, the role of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN in this act of gross moral turpitude. Ulterior motives However, Mr Malami, in a statement signed by his media aide, Umar Gwandu, said he was surprised by the statement from the governors. We see it as a vituperation of ulterior motives of some political class, who derived pleasure in dragging the name of Malami in the mud to achieve some sinister objectives, the statement read. The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice takes exception to the Southwest Governors unjustifiable insinuation of impunity against the office of the Attorney General over the execution of a judgment of the Supreme Court. The role of the executive is, in this respect, simply to aide the maintenance of law and order in due compliance with rule of law arising from giving effect to the judgment of the apex court of the land. Mr Malami said the Supreme Court judgement concerning the land tussle was delivered before he was appointed. H faulted the criticism of the governors, saying officers presence at the estate was not unruly. The judgment was a reaffirmation of the judgments of the Court of Appeal and High Court delivered on 31st December 1993, he said. It is widely reported in the papers that the Lagos State Governor was quoted to have said, Ive spoken extensively with the Inspector-General of Police and the Honourable Attorney-General, and weve resolved all the issues. According to the statement, the attorney general would be happy if the governors would help to unravel the circumstances preventing the Lagos State Government from enforcing the court order despite several attempts from 2012- 2015, as the so-called settlement initiative started in 2016. Some of the cardinal pillars of democratic government are the doctrine of separation of powers and obedience to the rule of law inclusive of Court Orders. It is a common knowledge that execution of the judgment and orders of Courts of competent jurisdiction, and the Court of last resort in the circumstances remains a cardinal component of the rule of law and the office of the Attorney General wonders how maintenance of the law and orders in the course of execution of the judgment of the supreme can be adjudged by the imagination of the governors, to be unruly. The demise of the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Abiodun, has brought this institution to light again, and the composition of the top-ten chiefs, principal chiefs of the Olubadan-in-Council, is a stellar tale of the advancement that has been made in this institution so far. According to the traditional doctrine of succession by promotion through the thirty-four stages from the lineage level, the next-in-line, Chief Lekan Balogun attests to the future of this institution and the role Over the course of history, human societies have developed political systems and structures in response to the need to maintain social harmony and preservation, cultural production, economic growth, and, most importantly, social security for their constituents. Across all civilisations, this process has evolved from family and lineage to clusters of these primordial groups formed in communities, kingdoms, empires, and nation-states. The advent of modern states in their Westphalian attributes has not altered this system so much as to deconstruct the relevance of these structures as currently viewed in their traditional pedestal. Thus, human evolution has come and gone for thousands of years, with equally evolving systems of social order and coordination of varying degrees in structure and system, as codified in their political morphologies. These systems of social order and coordination, which are the integral elements for material and immaterial production and the reproduction of civilisations and cultures, constitute the essential foundation for the codification of such a political process. Even though empires and kingdoms have outlived their glory days and are devalued in their inputs to this evolution, and the role of the family as a political unit has given way to the state/society superstructure, they remain a significant part of this process as a source of the political morphology of modern states. Nonetheless, as it is commonly acknowledged in the case of Ibadan, which appears antithetical to this norm, Ijagboro laarun Ibadan, violence and strife were not occluded from this process. Since time immemorial, this has been at the core of the considerations for change, transformation, and evolution of the system across human civilisations. Implicitly, the emergence of political institutions has always been a way of reaching political compromises and advancing the course of society in light of new realities and the social climate of the culture. This is evident in the evolution of cultures and civilisations that are considered fluid and dynamic. Transformation, tolerance, and prudent openness to elements and practices from other cultures have all been premised on the process of cultural reproduction and the maintenance of social harmony. At no other time was this exhibited among the Yoruba as much as in the nineteenth century, when restless and restive warriors settled in the great city of Ibadan from across the country, mostly from Ife and Oyo, with the latter dominating the region after subduing the Egba and other forces within the territory. The political experimentation that percolated the countrys political space at the time attested to the characteristic openness of the people to new realities and social postures, which is always present in informed scholarly comments and documentations. From pure royalty defined by divine kingship to republicanism, federalism, confederacy, and what could be paradoxically described as democratic militarism, nineteenth-century Yorubaland promised a fundamental alteration of the political landscape of previous epochs. Those familiar with the events of that period would agree that despite the squabbles among the leading political actors in the country, save for the above-stated doses of the qualities that sustain civilisations and cultures, exhibited by these leaders, the Yoruba race, as it is known today, would have been a tale of misery in history. Ibadan, an Egba forest and military camp of Ife-Ijebu-Oyo forces, was particularly reinvented as the dominant state in the West African geopolitical space on the basis of merit, recognition of individual skills and prowess, diversity, commerce, militarism, and eventually, diplomacy. From its formation around 1829, it fast became what Columbus America was to Europeans of the Modern Age across Yorubaland. Young, viable, and astute men and women with military, economic, artistic, and other skills flooded the emerging settlement to have their share of the freedom and economic pie it offered. Indeed, the political and economic landscape it engineered could be seen as precursor to the subsequent transformation brought about by the Europeans through the promotion of the so-called legitimate trade, which gained momentum from the middle of that century. When one considers this stellar composition of the emerging settlement, it is neither surprising nor out of place to see it develop into what the saying, Ijagboro laarun Ibadan, succinctly describes. It was simply a composition of ambitious, skilled, and erudite men and women in their respective rights. Even when the Oyo forces within the camp succeeded in prevailing on other groups, they recognised the need for inclusivity and a rainbowed community (blessings to the soul of the departed great one, Bishop Desmond Tutu) in the prosperity of the political entity. Between circa 1829 and 1893, when the British government in Lagos extended its imperial arms to the interior of that coastal city, which included Ibadan, in the face of the unabated political instability in that century, this political entity was dominated by military lords with staunch support from their civilian counterparts, who dominated its trade and commerce. There is no question about the synergy between military campaigns and commerce, and to the founding fathers of the great city, this reality was never lost on them. Hence, the two-division with which they organised the political landscape reflected on the socio-economic climate. Readily, since the British colonial administrators would not allow any form of unrest in the newly carved British West African colony of the British empire, the cavalry class of the chiefs and the core strength of the army lost their fervour in the polity. The dominance of the Balogun was questioned, and the Seriki unit dominated by astute young soldiers became irrelevant. From its establishment to the British intervention that became decisive after 1893, incessant military campaigns formed an essential part of the revenue generated by the town. This boosted its trading networks and commercial activities and ensured a secured political entity, a gem commodity pursued by all, more than ever at the time. Consequently, because the settlements existence was premised on these military forces and their skills and not on peculiar primordial privileges, the military division of its political morphology was given pre-eminence. Divided into three lines, the Balogun, Seriki, and one dominated by the cavalry soldiers known as the Sarumi, and headed principally by the Balogun sphere, they administered the territory alongside the civil division that comprised the Iyalode and the Baale. In respect of the diversity of the territory in terms of people and occupation, included in this political spread were the Ogboni cult, farmers guild, and other professional guilds. The inputs of these bodies were germane to the extent that they represented special interests and sections of the settlement important to its growth. Although the Baale was constitutionally considered the overall head of the political entity, decisions taken by the Town Council, that is, the collective decision-making organ of the territory, must be sanctioned by the ten permanent members of the council, comprising the military chiefs. This was emphasised in studies on this to the extent that decisions during this period were to be left on hold during times of war when these chiefs must have left the town for their military expeditions. Matters that required their urgent decision-making were taken to them in their military camps. Such was the dominance of the military chiefs in Ibadan that the Baale was left occupying more or less a ceremonial seat. The Iyalode and other civilian chiefs, on their part, mobilised the population and resources for these campaigns. With these combined efforts, Ibadan expanded to become the biggest city in the British West African colony, if not in the whole of Africa, when it came under the influence of Victorian Britain. By the time it receded the advancement of the Ilorin Jihadist forces at Osogbo around 1840, it had emerged as the most formidable Yoruba political enclave close to the pedigree of the Old Oyo empire, which it sought to replace. Therefore, when the British colonial administrators came to revive what the late erudite professor of Yoruba history, J.A. Atanda, described as the New Oyo, they were only adding fuel to the already flaming embers of contention, bitter rivalry, and competition reverberating among several political forces within this rainbowed community for political power and dominance. As in other polities, the expansion of the town reasonably meant the spread of its political influence and the alteration of its landscape. By 1914, when the British colonial administration of the unit referred to as the Southern protectorate took off earnestly, this interest groups had included foreigners, such as the Lebanese, Syrians, and European merchant groups, together with the indigenous educated elite, all of who demanded some form of inclusion or occlusion from the existing political structure and its system. Meanwhile, following the 1886 intervention of the British government in Lagos, in the attainment of peace in Yorubaland, a development which was itself warranted by the exhaustion of the belligerents in the war at its stalemate, military force had begun to lose favour among the people. This marked the birth of more diplomacy and the supremacy of civil authorities over the military. Consequently, this affected the succession plan and political climate of an entity like Ibadan that relied so much on militarism. By the turn of the twentieth century, the popular debate had been on the relevance of the military chieftaincies in the socio-political climate of the polity. Readily, since the British colonial administrators would not allow any form of unrest in the newly carved British West African colony of the British empire, the cavalry class of Ibadan chiefs and the core strength of the army lost their fervour in the polity. The dominance of the Balogun was questioned, and the Seriki unit dominated by astute young soldiers became irrelevant. Rather than military skills and prowess, what was needed at that time was trade and commercial prudence to engage the emerging market and the free economy, while also facilitating the growth of this city of warriors. On the one hand, the constitutional rights and privileges of the Baale were restored to him in this process (in place of the Balogun who headed the hierarchy of military chiefs), but on the other hand, the peculiar interest and nature of the colonial administration that heralded this receded the constitutional giving. This was brought about by the system of indirect rule, which placed the polity under the Alaafinate in all ramifications that included administrative, social, political, and fiscal tidies. In this process of struggle, the title of the Baale was replaced with Olubadan, so as to strengthen his political posture and exact independence from Oyo. The oscillation of this highest title in the land between the military and the civilian ranks of the political divide helped to further strengthen the system in the face of the changing realities of the period. To the people of Ibadan, the magajis (heads of lineages among whom recruitment is made to the chieftaincy rank and order sustained at the lowest echelon of administration of the city), and the government of Oyo State, may this period of transition bring peace, love, and light to all. Ase! Regardless of the irrelevance of the traditional military institution in the emerging state, the influence of this institution, rooted in a not-so-distant past to which its holders would go to war to animate, had made it difficult for it to be totally eradicated and embalmed in history. To this extent, succession to this exalted seat oscillates between the Otun Olubadan (formerly Otun Baale), in line of the civil chiefs, and the Balogun, in the line of the military chiefs, following a long line of promotion of chiefs across the chieftaincy divide, with the aim of reaching the peak, which was the position of the Olubadan. With the prevalence of the civil line, the Balogun is promoted to the civil rank of Otun Olubadan to be positioned for the exalted seat. With progressive modernity came further alterations and debates on this institution, with the relevance of the chieftaincy institution in the administration of the modern state in Africa remaining fundamental. This was a progression from the argument of the emerging educated elite of the twentieth century, who consistently emphasised the need for their inclusion in local governance at all times, based on the premise of the illiteracy of the Native Authorities. In this view, they argued that these authorities were incompetent in the modern bureaucratic administration of the Weberian state, and, for this reason, their exposure to Western education should be a prerequisite for holding positions across its structures, including at the local level. Apparently, this argument began to dominate from the post-World War II years as more educated elites came to occupy such positions, using this newly acquired power to engineer the independence of the state. Due to the rise in this population and other interest groups in the city and other places, as well as because of the shortages in the traditional titles, honorary titles were instituted for various purposes that bordered on local and state administration. However, as this was achieved with more responsibilities conferred on the educated elites in the state, the argument morphed into the relevance of the institution as a whole to the modern state. This is a dominant argument that will persist for some time now until the modern state is reformed. To be sure, not only is the relevance of this institution questioned, but that of the state and its practices has also never moved away from the radar of scepticism. The demise of the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Abiodun, has brought this institution to light again, and the composition of the top-ten chiefs, principal chiefs of the Olubadan-in-Council, is a stellar tale of the advancement that has been made in this institution so far. According to the traditional doctrine of succession by promotion through the thirty-four stages from the lineage level, the next-in-line, Chief Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan, prominent in his role as a successful diversified business magnate, politician, and technocrat, attests to the future of this institution and the role it would continue to play in the democratic process and good governance of the state. To the people of Ibadan, the magajis (heads of lineages among whom recruitment is made to the chieftaincy rank and order sustained at the lowest echelon of administration of the city), and the government of Oyo State, may this period of transition bring peace, love, and light to all. Ase! Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland. I am not supposed to write this long essay about someone I know next to nothing about. My desire was to simply say happy birthday to Professor Akinyemi, as he clocks 80 years today. The world waits to celebrate more of his birthdays. Prof, in the eternal words of Norman Vincent Peale, I urge you to live your life and forget your age, because as once captured by Nicky Gumbel, today is the oldest you have been, and the youngest you will ever be. Make the most of it! Happy birthday, Sir. We never met closely until 2014. Even then, there was no handshake; no one-on-one physical interaction; just an ordinary good morning, Prof., without expecting a response. That is understandable: I do not possess the credentials that make me eligible to establish and maintain such rapport with him. In other words, no situation official or personal has brought us into a close relationship. But somehow, I have always, from a safe distance, admired the content of his persona first, his surplus intellectual carriage; and second, what psychologists call a magnetic personality. When I woke up on Tuesday morning to realise that this great thinker and diplomat, Professor Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi, was 80 years old, I could only shout: Wow! Thats a princely age for a man who must live long because we still need him here. It is not within my competence to write a tribute of any kind in honour of this man far from it. What you are reading is simply an attempt at reflecting on my not-too-distant encounter with him in 2014. Im sure Prof if he ever gets to read this would be wondering rhetorically: who on planet earth is this distraction on my birthday?! A few years ago, someone allowed me a glance at a book entitled, Secrets of Personal Magnetism, written by William Michael, and published in 1967. I was not quite interested in the publication until I read something on page two, which took me to page three. It was about people who possess certain tangible and intangible qualities that set them apart from others. The author even used examples of certain Biblical figures whose stories, told in choice, inspirational words, occupy more space in the sacred book than others. He mentioned Jesus Christ as the greatest example of such mysterious characters of the Bible. Michael went ahead to state that even in ordinary, less spiritual situations, for example in the ancient Greece, there were examples of men (and perhaps women) of distinction such as Phidias, Plato, Aristotle, and many others who have today become historical human institutions. He further explains that it was not as though their works were finer than those of other skilful sculptors, seasoned writers or notable philosophers of that era. Yet, they stood out and still stand out among their contemporaries who have long been forgotten. Such men are few. I believe Professor Akinyemi is among the few Nigerians who fall within this category of humans. He has greatly dominated his environment. Here are a few sentences I can recall from Michaels great book: Always, in any group of persons regardless of his rank or station in life, there is one individual who seems predominant. Sometimes, this is not very plainly marked; at other times it is very definitely discernible. This superior being may be a scholar, a soldier or the lowliest labourer. He may be dressed exactly as his companions, say the same words they say, make the same gestures they make; yet for some reasons he appears to be subtly different from them. He seems to be surrounded by an aura of some strange power which separates him from his fellows, leaving him one of them, yet in some mystic way, towering above them. Doesnt that sound like the person of Professor Akinyemi? Pardon me if your opinion is different, because I hardly can make a complete, befitting sentence about him. As Michael explains, everyone has at some time on his experience met persons whose achievements or knowledge in specialised fields seemed to merit the attention of the public; but who were incapable of attracting attention to the merits of their work. Others, perhaps having far less ability, are acclaimed, sought after, praised for their meagre achievements. He concludes that to have achieved or earned their great fame, the few who are thus exalted by their fellowmen must be possessed of some extraordinary power some characteristic which has brought them and their work to the attention of the masses. It is this quality, which we call the magnetic personality. The totality of this insight is that there is always something about someone that takes him or her out of the crowd. The outstanding features could be physical or invisible. It could be the way someone talks his word combinations and flow of ideas the style of his writing or the depth of his thoughts, as expressed in his or her poems. Someone may have a bushy, meticulously kept white hair, as we see on Professor Wole Soyinka, or a manageable all weather round stomach, which we have consistently observed in President Olusegun Obasanjo, even as a military man. As already observed, it was in 2014, at the National Conference called by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, that I first had what could be erroneously described as a close encounter with Professor Akinyemi. Of course, before then, his name, in the public space, was synonymous with excellence. On a personal note, he is one of the two Nigerians whose love for bow-ties cannot be explained. Im not sure Ive ever seen a picture of Prof. adorning another version of the neck-tie other than the bow type. This must be one of those attributes that magnetises people towards him. When Professor Akinyemi speaks, the richness of his vocabulary and the confidence he exudes are unmistakeable. What would you expect of someone who has passed through Temple University in Philadelphia, United States of America; Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Medford, in Massachusetts; and Trinity College, Oxford, in England? He covered all these academic grounds in less than ten years. Then he started teaching what he studied. From Geneva, where he was a visiting professor of International Studies, he moved to Nairobi in Kenya. From Africa, he returned to the United States, where he taught at the University of California; then surfaced at the University of Lagos in 1983 and also served as Visiting Fellow at St Johns College, Cambridge. He has been Minister of External Affairs and Director General of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs. While at the 2014 National Conference, occasionally, I found myself in his office to consult with the Conference personnel attached to him on certain issues. I never met him because I had no reason to. As a Conference staff, hired as a rapporteur but sent to the media and communications office, I had no direct business with Prof, who was the Deputy Chairman of the Conference. One day, an opportunity to say good morning to him came when I had something to do within the periphery of his office and I saw him step out. He looked in my direction while surveying the environment. I greeted him with a bow. I assume he responded. Yes, he did. He obviously made my day. During the Conference, Professor Akinyemi was the peacemaker extraordinaire. Whenever tension mounted over any unresolved issue, while everyone talked, he would maintain a dignified outlook; thinking of the way out. At the same time, he would be searching for any solution-carrying face among the 492 delegates. By the time he finally speaks, Prof would not only calm the nerves, he would come with an answer; or call someone he believed was capable of doing so. That was how he identified Fola Adeola and Atedo Peterside the two bank proprietors who individually proposed unimaginable solutions and pulled the Conference back from the precipice when the issue of percentage voting almost crashed the national conversation before it started. Permit me not to go further on this till another day. But the point here is that Professor Akinyemi was a stabilising influence at the Conference. I can only imagine what would have happened if he wasnt sitting next to the Chairman, the late Justice Idris Kutigi. As a tested and trusted diplomat, Profs intervention in knotty issues was needed throughout the Conference. I usually loved to hear that deep voice of his that drags joyfully at peacetime but accelerates when you take a joke beyond the confines of decency. Prof enjoys a good laugh. His smiles do not come cheap. When he raises his voice, it is for instruction, not in annoyance. I am not supposed to write this long essay about someone I know next to nothing about. My desire was to simply say happy birthday to Professor Akinyemi, as he clocks 80 years today. The world waits to celebrate more of his birthdays. Prof, in the eternal words of Norman Vincent Peale, I urge you to live your life and forget your age, because as once captured by Nicky Gumbel, today is the oldest you have been, and the youngest you will ever be. Make the most of it! Happy birthday, Sir. Sam Akpe is a journalist and editor. Luminous, the countrys leading inverters and batteries brand, has been awarded the Inverter and Battery Brand of the Year 2021 award at the prestigious Nigerian Business Leadership Awards. For over ten years, Luminous, which is distributed in Nigeria by the Simba Group, has driven the industrys growth through product innovation, including local research and development, which has enabled it to deliver solutions catered mainly for the power conditions faced in Nigeria. Receiving the award, Ravi Srivastava Business Head, Simba Power said, We are honoured and humbled at getting the award for Inverter and Battery Brand of the Year-2021. The support and trust our customers and partners have given us over the years; has made this possible. Our company has led innovation in the non-polluting power-backup space in Nigeria for over a decade, and this award strengthens our desire to continue doing so. He added, Inverter solutions provide our homes and offices with always-on power, and in doing so have become a critical part of our daily lives. Ensuring longevity of the solutions, and enhancing operating efficiencies, is what we focus our efforts on, and what we believe our customers choose us for. A key factor to the success of Luminous has been the country-wide after-sales support provided by Simba Service the largest inverter and battery service network in the country. Speaking on behalf of the company, Karthik Govindarajan, Group Head of Marketing, said, Our success is built on the philosophy of offering the best after-sales support for our customers. Our award-winning service network spans the length and breadth of the country, and our customers can conveniently contact us through our 24-hour call centre, our customer service app, or through our website. We also offer SMS-based service tracking systems and mobile service vans to serve customers at their doorstep if required. We also have our own distilled water plants to ensure that for every battery top-up, you get the best quality distilled water. Simba Group, founded in Nigeria in 1988, is a conglomerate with operations across Nigerias most dynamic economic sectors agriculture, alternative energy, backup power supply systems, networking and data transmission, ICT infrastructure development, and commercial vehicles. The group commands leadership positions in all five companies that share a practical yet straightforward corporate philosophy: providing unparalleled customer satisfaction. In partnership with globally renowned companies such as Luminous, TVS Motors, Avaya and Mahindra Simba Group offers Nigerians innovative products and solutions backed by attentive and industry-leading customer service. The Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Ramatu Aliyu, has ordered the comprehensive cleaning of all satellite towns across the six Area Councils of the territory. Ms Aliyu gave the order in a statement issued by the Coordinator, Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD), Obinna Ogwuegbu, on Tuesday in Abuja. The minister explained that the directive is part of efforts to rid satellite towns of environmental nuisance characterised by poor sanitation. She said that the order is with immediate effect under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of STDD, to ensure the restoration of the environment for the safety of the residents. She noted that the situation of waste generation in the FCT has an exponential trend because of the influx of Nigerians into the territory. The minister decried the peoples attitude, lifestyle, and behaviours towards their environment. The coordinator assured residents of the FCT that the FCT administration remains committed to ensuring a safer and hygienic FCT for all residents. He said that the exercise would be an ongoing one and appealed to residents, particularly those living in the suburbs, to desist from dumping refuse in drainages and by the roadsides. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the coordinator, since the assumption of office, has been on the trail of sanitary workers and embarked on a massive clean-up exercise around and within the six area councils. (NAN) The Akwa Ibom State Government has announced a ban on scrap scavengers young men, usually seen with rusty cart, who roam around neighbourhoods picking discarded metals. They make a living trading on the scrap. The ban, which was announced via a statement on Tuesday by the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), Emmanuel Ekuwem, followed the alleged killing of a resident of Uyo by two scrap scavengers. The two reportedly attacked the resident who was said to have caught them stealing some items from his residence. They were in turn lynched by a mob in the community. Sometime in 2021, multiple explosions, causing fatalities, were recorded in Oruk Anam Local Government Area in the course of scavengers sorting out what turned out to be military brand explosives, Mr Ekuwem said in the statement. About four lives were lost in this incident. Besides public complaints against their activities, Mr Ekuwem said the state government had to take an action in order to curb criminality and threats to the peaceful inter-ethnic relationship in the state. Sundays appear to be the busiest day for these scavengers who take advantage of mass church attendance to invade homes and cart away valuables leaving hapless citizens with tales of woe upon their return from Church. As a responsible Government, we can no longer tolerate the activities of this industry which evidently is in no way adding value to the socio- economic well being of the state but rather escalating tensions and threatening the overall peace and security of the state. Accordingly, the operations of scrap scavengers in the state is banned forthwith. Violators of this ban will be apprehended and dealt with according to the law, the SSG said. The Akwa Ibom Government also reiterated its earlier ban on the use of motorcycles within the Uyo metropolis and its environs. Security agencies and the general public are therefore put on notice. An enforcement structure has been put in place to effect these directives to the letter, Mr Ekuwem said. Governor Nyesom Wike of the neighbouring Rivers State took a similar action recently, banning cart pushers from the state capital, Port Harcourt. New Delhi, Jan 5 (UNI) A Court of Inquiry formed to probe the December 8 chopper crash leading to the death of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 13 others gave a detailed presentation to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday. The panel, headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh with officers of the Army and Navy, also made certain recommendations for VVIP travel in choppers, informed sources said. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were present during the presentation. Government sources said a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) has been mentioned as the cause of the accident, meaning the pilot may have entered an envelope of cloud and got disoriented due to low visibility, leading to a collision and subsequent crash. The chopper was flying along a railway line on low attitude before entering into thick cloud cover. The inquiry ruled out sabotage or technical fault as probable reasons behind the crash. The panel has made certain recommendations to re-look at the Standard Operating Procedures to fly VVIPs. The inquiry team collected evidence, examined the black box and studied various aspects of aviation while preparing a report. Gen Rawat died near Coonoor together with his wife Madhulika, his senior most staff officer Brig L S Lidder and Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Naik Vivek Kumar, Naik B. Sai Teja, Havaldar Satpal and pilots flying the helicopter. The chopper had taken off from the Sulur IAF station and was flying to Wellington. UNI ASU MR ING Governors in the south-west region have condemned the disrespect of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State by a police officer during his visit to the Magodo estate over the lingering land crisis in the area. The governors under the auspices of Southwest Governors Forum on Wednesday in a statement signed by the Ondo governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, described the act as an unacceptable intrusion. While the governors condemned the act, they called for the deployment of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Operation Amotekun in the state. Amotekun is a security outfit based in the south-west region in Nigeria and it is primarily to curb insecurity in the region. We stand by our brother, the Governor of Lagos State. We advise him to deploy the Regional security outfit in the State to protect the lives and property of the people, the statement read. Disrespect An unidentified Chief Superintendent of Police on Tuesday refused to obey the Lagos state governors command to evacuate police officers from the Magodo Phase 2 Estate. In the video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the governor instructed the police officer to call his superiors who gave the order to invade the estate that the governor wanted the decision rescinded. But he told the governor that he only answers to the instructions of his superiors and had yet to get an order to leave the estate from the inspector-general of police, Usman Alkali, and the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami. Reaction The governors said, the content of the video is very disconcerting, and this is being charitable. ALSO READ: Amotekun rescues three remaining travellers from kidnappers The utter disrespect, which underlines the response of the officer to the Governor establishes, beyond doubt, the impracticability of the current system, dubiously christened Federalism. An arrangement, which compels the Governor of a State to seek clarifications on security issues in his jurisdiction from totally extraneous bodies or persons, is a sure recipe for anarchy. While the group criticised the act, they call on the Inspector-General of Police to explain the justification for this intrusion. According to them, reconciliation between the federating units and federal security agencies is becoming hopeless. We condemn, in very clear terms, the role of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami SAN in this act of gross moral turpitude, the statement read. We, on our part, will continue to interrogate the current system, which treats elected representatives of the people as mere prefects, while appointed office holders ride roughshod over them as Lords of the Manor. If the purported Chief Security Officers of the States of the Federation require clearance from the office of the IG on matters within their areas of jurisdictions, only hypocrites will wonder why the current security crisis deepens and there appears to be no solution in the foreseeable future. We call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to rein in the excesses of certain elements bent on acting in a manner capable of eroding the bond of trust existing between the people and the Federal Government. It is preposterous for political appointees to seek to undermine the very structure of service upon which their appointments rest. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed a fire incident in the state on Wednesday at the shanties at Okobaba sawmill, Ebute Metta.. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Nosa Okunbor, LASEMAs spoksperson said the emergency respondents from the agency are presently there. He, however, said he didnt have details of the incident yet. The incident is the first fire outbreak the state would record in the new year. In March 2021, a fire outbreak razed many of the shanties in the area. The fire had started in one of the shanties and spread to other areas. Details later. Plattsburgh, NY (12901) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 57F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 47F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Southbury, CT (06488) Today Cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. High near 55F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 48F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. "As a brand that was born on the beach, Corona embraces the outdoors in everything we do, because we believe that outside is where people best disconnect and relax. The feeling of the sun is one of the things that people love most about the outdoors and the Corona brand is always innovating to remind them of that feeling," said Felipe Ambra, Global Vice President for Corona. "Now, we're excited to offer consumers Corona Sunbrew 0.0%, the first non-alcoholic beer with vitamin D, reinforcing our desire to help people reconnect to nature, anytime." According to IWSR, the global no/low alcohol category total volume is forecasted to grow by 31% by 2024. Corona Sunbrew 0.0% provides consumers looking for a non-alcoholic beer with a unique new option. Corona Sunbrew 0.0% contains 30 per cent of the daily value of vitamin D in Canada and 60 calories per 330 ML serving. Corona Sunbrew 0.0% maintains Corona's essence; it was developed from Corona Extra by extracting the alcohol and then blending the non-alcoholic beer with vitamin D and natural flavours to reach the final recipe. This launch also demonstrates AB InBev's continued commitment to smart drinking to help reduce and prevent the harmful use of alcohol across the world. "After numerous and rigorous trials, Corona Sunbrew 0.0% proudly showcases our ability to find solutions, gaps, and opportunities for growth as a brand," said Brad Weaver, Global Vice President of Innovation Research & Development for ABInBev. "The journey was not easy as vitamin D is sensitive to oxygen and light, and not easily soluble in water. But thanks to our ongoing investment in innovation and research and development, our team was able to create the only non-alcoholic beer with vitamin D, providing a unique opportunity in the market." Corona Sunbrew 0.0% will be available to consumers in a few distinct phases. The global brand will first launch Corona Sunbrew 0.0% in Canada, precisely at the time of year where most Canadians experience limited sunlight, making it an ideal market to launch an innovation from a brand synonymous with the beach and celebrations outdoors. Later this year, Corona will extend the non-alcoholic product offering in the UK followed by key markets across the rest of Europe, South America, and Asia. Creative Agency DAVID Miami collaborated closely with Corona on the development of Corona Sunbrew 0.0% from its very inception, more than two years ago. As an ongoing brand partner, DAVID proactively presented the idea for Corona to develop a beverage containing vitamin D. "Each detail of the project is special. From the product ideation to the final campaign. It's not every day that we have the chance to present a product idea and have an innovative client like Corona buy, develop and take it to the next level. A true collaborative effort," says Pancho Cassis, Global Chief Creative Officer at DAVID. To help support the launch of Corona Sunbrew 0.0%, Corona will unveil a new creative campaign capturing the enjoyment of "Sunshine, Anytime." A compilation of scenes filmed on a pristine beach in Costa Rica presents the pleasure of outdoor living and the boundless positive energy of the sun. The new Corona Sunbrew 0.0% campaign taps into the feeling of being carefree and relaxed. The 360-degree integrated marketing campaign, created by DAVID Miami and Director Juan Cabral, inspires consumers to enjoy the Corona lifestyle, which is best experienced with sunshine. For more information on Corona Sunbrew 0.0%, please visit http://www.coronaextra.ca/ca_en/products. Join the conversation on Twitter @corona. About Corona Global Born in Mexico, Corona is the leading beer brand in the country, the most popular Mexican beer worldwide exported to more than 180 countries. Corona Extra was first brewed in 1925 at the Cerveceria Modelo in Mexico City. Corona is a pioneer in the beer industry by being the first to use a transparent bottle showcasing its purity and high quality to the world. The artwork found on the bottle is painted, highlighting our commitment to quality in our packaging and our Mexican heritage. No Corona is complete without the lime. Naturally adding character, flavor and refreshment, the lime ritual is an integral part of delivering an experience that is truly unique to Corona. The brand is synonymous with the beach and celebrates time outdoors. It invites people to pause, relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Corona has an ongoing commitment to reducing plastics. Since its partnership with Parley for the Oceans in 2017, they have exceeded its mission to protect 100 islands before 2020, and continue to deploy consistent global clean-up efforts. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719854/Corona_Sunbrew.jpg Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719891/Corona_Sunshine_Anytime.mp4 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1719855/Corona_Sunbrew_Lock_Up_Logo.jpg SOURCE Corona LONDON, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited ("Cordiant Digital") announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary has signed a binding agreement to acquire Emitel S.A. ("Emitel" or the "Company") from its shareholder - Alinda Capital Partners ("Alinda"). Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory and governmental approvals and financing confirmations at the Emitel level. Admitted to the Specialist Fund Segment of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker CORD, Cordiant Digital is a specialist investment company focused on investing in digital infrastructure assets in Europe and North America. As a permanent capital investment company it can, unlike a traditional private equity fund, adopt an extremely long-term investment horizon, enabling portfolio companies to execute on long-term investment plans with confidence. The firm is a "buy, build and grow" investor leveraging a large team of senior telecommunications industry executives and private equity professionals with deep digital experience. Cordiant Digital's manager is Cordiant Capital Inc. ("Cordiant"), an institutional asset manager with committed capital of ca. US$ 3 billion. The Chairman of Cordiant's Infrastructure team is Steven Marshall, who was formerly President of American Tower (listed under AMT on the New York Stock Exchange), Chairman of the Wireless Infrastructure Association and CEO of National Grid Wireless of the U.K. He has had past experience in the Polish digital infrastructure market. He remarked: "Emitel is a national champion in a country with strong public finances. Emitel enjoys attractive growth prospects in areas such as mobile towers, edge data and 'smart cities'. We also applaud what managerment and employees of the firm have built to date (including a strong focus on sustainability), and look forward to investing further capital in support of Emitel's growth." Emitel's CEO Andrzej J. Kozlowski thanked Alinda for their consistent support as an investor and further commented: "In Cordiant Digital we have an investor bringing both a long investment horizon and significant industry expertise; as such it can deploy capital, insight and patience to support us in our medium- and long-term growth plans in broadcasting and become an even more significant provider of outsourced digital infrastructure. We look forward to working with the Cordiant Digital team." Alinda Capital Partners' Jim Metcalfe, Chairman of Emitel Supervisory Board said : "Emitel's management team and employees have positioned the company to continue to deliver best in class broadcast service across Poland and to grow as the leading independent provider of build to suit telecom towers. Emitel has consistently delivered on its ESG initiatives and was recently recognised for its outperformance. Alinda is committed to working with the management team and Cordiant Digital to obtain Polish regulatory approvals and successfully transfer the company to its long term investor." Cordiant will seek to support Emitel through its industry knowledge and contacts, and to build on strong existing relationships with the relevant stakeholders and regulatory authorities. Notes to Editors: Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited primarily invests in the core infrastructure of the digital economy - data centres, fibreoptic networks and broadcast and telecommunication towers - "the plumbing of the internet" - in the UK, Europe and North America. Further details of the Company can be found on the Company's website at www.cordiantdigitaltrust.com. Cordiant Capital Inc., the Company's investment manager, is a sector-focused investment manager with particular expertise and experience in digital infrastructure. Cordiant invests in global infrastructure and real assets, running infrastructure private equity and infrastructure private credit strategies through limited partnership funds and managed accounts. Cordiant's current client base consists of global insurance companies, pension plans and family offices. Disclaimer: This document may contain certain forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or future performance, and reflect Cordiant Capital Inc.'s expectations or beliefs regarding future events, including business and economic conditions, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. These factors include, but are not limited to, market and general economic conditions, the nature of the telecommunications and internet industries. Such forward-looking statements reflect current beliefs and are based on information currently available to Cordiant Capital Inc SOURCE Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited US teacher arrested for vaccinating student New York, Jan 5 (UNI) A New York teacher has been arrested for allegedly giving a Covid vaccine to a student without the consent of his parents. Laura Russo, 54, was arrested on New Year's Eve in Sea Cliff after police were informed that she had allegedly injected a 17-year-old boy with a vaccine, reports NBC News. Police officials say that the 17-year-old boy had visited Russo's home, where she administered what was believed to be a Covid vaccine to him. ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With wide open spaces, huge mountains, massive glaciers and abundant wildlife, Alaska is a top-tier travel destination this year. Here's a Top 10 list with some of the best things to see and do around the state. Use the 2022 Alaska TourSaver app for exclusive discounts on train rides, flightseeing and glacier cruises. 2022 Alaska TourSaver App 2022 Alaska TourSaver App 1. Save 25 percent on your Alaska Airlines summertime tickets between Alaska and the Lower 48 for up to four people. 2. See Denali from the air with a flightseeing tour from K2 Aviation. Depart from Talkeetna's airport and get up-close to Denali on your tour. Have your camera ready! Save $63 per person for up to four people. 3. Sail with Major Marine Tours to see Kenai Fjords National Park. Get ready to see lots of wildlife, including whales, porpoise, seabirdsmaybe even some sheep or moose on the shore. Get up-close to massive glaciers in the heart of the park. Save $40. 4. Ride on the Mighty Alaska Railroad. Choose a summertime trip to Denali Naitonal Park or from Anchorage to Seward or Talkeetna. There's also the "Aurora Winter Train" between Anchorage and Fairbanks through February 2022. Save up to $362. 5. Visit the iconic town of Talkeetna, on the banks of the Susitna River. Go on a jetboat ride with Mahays Jetboat Adventures (save $34). Float the river with Talkeetna River Guides on a two- or four-hour float (save $80-$145). Go on a "Bike & Brew" tour with North Shore Cyclery (save $120). Get a free cookie from Mimi's Haus of Cheese (priceless!). Here's one of Santa's favorites, since it's close to his home in North Pole: 6. Cruise on an authentic sternwheeler riverboat in the heart of Fairbanks, Alaska. The Riverboat Discovery sails each day and includes a stop at the Chena Indian Village. Save $79.95. 7. See the whales in Juneau. Sail with Alaska Galore Tours on a three-hour cruise to see the humpback whales that are feeding in the nearby channels! Save $149. 8. Enjoy a one-hour narrated sightseeing tour of Anchorage on the Anchorage Trolley. Save $20. 9. See Alaska's largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias. Stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge, in the midst of the Kennicott Mining District (save $100). Go flightseeing with Wrangell Mountain Air for a bird's eye view of the park (save $50). Take a guided hike on the Root Glacier with McCarthy River Guides (save $95). 10. Bear viewing at Snug Harbor Outpost. Depart Homer by boat for the historic cannery at Chisak Island. Get some fishing and beachcombing in during your overnight stay, too. All transportation, guiding, accommodations and meals included! Save $750. The Alaska TourSaver app includes more than 90 money-saving offers around Alaska, from Ketchikan to Fairbanks. With more than $10,000 in redeemable value, the Alaska TourSaver app is one of Santa's favorite gift choicesbut only if you've been very, very nice. Scott McMurren 907-602-7523 [email protected] SOURCE Alaska TourSaver "Parents are excited about having their children learn from our charismatic and expert cohort of teachers, and teachers are thrilled with the level of support coming from our Allschool support staff," Allschool wrote in the letter. Founded in Singapore, Allschool officially launched its online education platform in the second half of 2021 and has been running classes since then. The majority of teachers come from a background related to education, with expertise in general education, elementary education, child and youth development, as well as early childhood education. The Company places the utmost confidence in its professional team of teachers, who have 15 years of teaching experience on average, according to data from the platform. In order to fully ensure education quality and credibility, Allschool has partnered with a leading background check and screening company to review the qualifications of the teachers. Specifically, it requires all teachers to pass criminal record checks, and they need to go through manual verification by submitting photos of themselves holding their identification. To provide students with multicultural experiences, Allschool has brought together teachers from five continents. Currently, over 80% of them based in the United States and the Company is committed to expanding its teacher team globally. Allschool has also been making efforts to diversify its course offerings ensuring there's something of interest for all ages. It currently features a huge range of subjects catering for kids aged 3-18 years, such as arts, English, coding and technology, health and wellness, life skills, math, music, science and nature, social studies, world languages and Chinese. Some of the most popular courses include public speaking, science and nature, English and math. Meanwhile, the Company has a built-in Help Desk on the platform to support its teachers. Specifically, Allschool works with the teachers to prepare their curricula presentation on theme, content and structure, with a 24-hour support team to help the teachers best deliver their work. Allschool has also formed a tight-knit Facebook community where teachers can communicate with Allschool's support staff and discuss diverse topics varying from professional teaching skills to sharing their in-class experiences. "Allschool is such a wonderful company. You can tell they truly care about creating the best learning experience possible," said Becky Zerr, who teaches English language and arts on Allschool. Melissa Muir, who teaches public speaking and writing composition on Allschool, said she has enjoyed creating her own content to meet learners where they are. "My greatest wish for them in the coming year is to see their continued growth and to see them having fun in class," she said. To celebrate the new year, Allschool will announce the result of a previously held virtual "treasure hunt" game starting from PST 7 p.m. on January 6 via YouTube livestreaming for those who purchased Allschool courses. About Allschool Founded in Singapore, Allschool is an innovative online platform that delivers highly interactive small-group live classes to children worldwide. Through Allschool, learners can enjoy a variety of premium live classes including mathematics, languages, visual arts, game design, and more delivered by thousands of devoted and talented teachers from all around the world. An expert in online education, Allschool has developed a set of innovative purpose-built teaching and learning tools that bring meaningful changes to learning outcomes, allowing students to immerse themselves in a rewarding, gamified, and interactive environment that empowers them to explore and pursue their interests while making schooling fun and enjoyable. Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllschoolEdu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allschooledu/ Media contact Sara Chen [email protected] SOURCE ALLSCHOOLS PTE.LTD. While common repairs include cracked screens, battery issues, and water damage, the company's repair experts have fixed millions of devices and can help with most any tech mishap, and many basic repairs can be completed in two hours or less. "Whether it's a coffee spill on a laptop, a shattered smartphone screen, or a piece of nostalgic tech that a customer wants to revive, our repair experts can help," said Stephenson Defalco, Asurion District Manager. "We know how frustrating it can be when your favorite devices break, and we're here to get them back up and running as quickly as possible." The store's expert repair technicians fix all kinds of technology, regardless of make or model, and the store is an authorized repair provider for Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel smartphones. Customers can book a repair appointment online or stop by the store for walk-in service. The store offers free, no-obligation diagnostics on all gadgets, as well as a 90-day limited warranty on all repairs. It even offers a price match guarantee on any local competitor's regularly published price for the same repair. The new Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions store brings the company's retail footprint to more than 650 locations across the U.S. Formerly known as uBreakiFix, all U.S. locations will rebrand as Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions throughout 2022. "We are excited to serve people in Brick with fast and affordable tech repair," said Dave Barbuto, CEO of Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions. "We all rely on our phones and laptops more than ever before, and our mission is bigger than repairing shattered screens and broken charge ports. We fix tech because people depend on it to stay connected to things that are important to them. I look forward to serving this community through our new location." The new store is located at: Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions 503 NJ-70, Brick Township, NJ 08723 (732) 965-0097 About Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions, formerly known as uBreakiFix, is the retail brand operated and franchised by a subsidiary of tech care company Asurion. As the world's leading tech care company, Asurion eliminates the fears and frustrations associated with technology to ensure its 300 million customers get the most out of their devices, appliances, and connections. Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions stores specialize in the repair of consumer technology, including smartphones, game consoles, tablets, computers, and nearly everything in between. Asurion Tech Repair and Solutions repair experts fix cracked screens, software issues, camera issues, and most other tech mishaps at more than 650 stores across the U.S. The stores provide fast, affordable fixes for nearly any device type, regardless of make or model, including authorized repairs for Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones. SOURCE Asurion NASSAU, Bahamas, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bahamas has suspended the mandatory RT-PCR testing requirement for vaccinated travellers, which was expected to take effect on 7 January 2022. Vaccinated persons, as well as children ages 2-11, may continue to present either a negative Rapid Antigen Test or negative RT-PCR Test. In addition, effective 4 January 2022, all persons remaining in The Bahamas for longer than 48 hours will be required to undergo a Rapid Antigen Test, regardless of vaccination status. Details of the protocol changes are as follows: All those travelling to The Bahamas from other countries, whether fully vaccinated or unvaccinated, will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than three days (72 hours) prior to the date of arrival in The Bahamas . from other countries, whether fully vaccinated or unvaccinated, will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to the date of arrival in The . Vaccinated travellers and children between the ages of 2-11, can present either a negative Rapid Antigen Test or RT-PCR Test. All unvaccinated travellers, ages 12 and older, must present a negative RT-PCR Test (acceptable tests include NAAT, PCR, RNA, RT-PCR and TMA). All children under the age of two are exempt from any testing requirements. 48 Hour COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test: Effective 4 January 2022 , a Rapid Antigen Test will be required for all travellers staying in The Bahamas longer than 48 hours (two (2) nights), regardless of vaccination status. Effective , a Rapid Antigen Test will be required for all travellers staying in The longer than 48 hours (two (2) nights), regardless of vaccination status. Visitors departing on or before 48 hours will not be required to obtain this test. This test replaces the existing Day-5 Rapid Antigen Test. An island-by-island list of approved testing sites is available at Bahamas.com/travelupdates. For full details, please visit Bahamas.com/travelupdates. PRESS INQUIRIES Anita Johnson-Patty General Manager, Global Communications Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation [email protected] Weber Shandwick Public Relations [email protected] SOURCE The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation PHOENIX, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Western Hotels & Resorts' (BWHR) award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards (BWR) is welcoming the new year with the launch of Pay with Points. Starting today, BWR members can reserve their next hotel stay using accumulated loyalty points to pay for part of their booking, allowing for added flexibility when planning their next hotel stay. By using Pay with Points, BWR members no longer have to wait to reach the free room night threshold and can tap into their points right away to redeem discounted room rates at hotels across North America. Prior to rolling out the new benefit, BWHR tested Pay with Points through a beta program featuring select properties across North America. Each of these hotels offered discounted rates to BWR members who had accrued at least 5,000 BWR points, which could be used towards part of their hotel stay. During the beta test, a third of BWR members used a combination of BWR points and cash to book stays of two nights or more, which ultimately boosted the bottom line for participating hotels. "Pay with Points is designed to help both BWR members and our hoteliers. BWR members can now redeem points to pay for part of their hotel stay and our hotel owners will benefit because BWR members are being introduced to new properties within our portfolio," said Dorothy Dowling, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for BWHR. "We're always looking to provide our rewards members with new promotions and benefits, and we're excited to introduce Pay with Points to Best Western-branded hotels across North America." To redeem Pay with Points, a minimum of 5,000 points is required, which translates to a $25 saving on a hotel booking. BWR members will also earn 10 points for every dollar spent on the paid portion of the Pay with Points reservation. BWR's tagline "Because We Care About Rewarding You" underscores how the program's perks are driven by BWHR's foundational commitment of caring for guests. In 2020, BWHR was the first in the industry to extend Elite status to its BWR members at the start of the pandemic. In 2021, the company cut its Elite Status eligibility qualifications in half to make it easier for travelers to earn loyalty status and further extended loyalty status through March 31, 2023, without needing to fulfill the necessary qualifications. Also inspired by the brand's caring spirit, BWHR launched an industry-leading cleaning program, We Care CleanSM, which delivers an enhanced commitment to keeping guests safe and healthy when staying at Best Western branded hotels across North America. Today's BWHR is a vibrant hospitality company with 18 distinct brand offerings across every market segment from economy to luxury. In recent years, the company has revitalized its properties across North America as owners invested a staggering $2 billion in property improvements and renovations. BWHR's commitment to innovation and improvement has enabled the company to achieve record RevPAR Index, unrivaled industry recognition and unprecedented guest satisfaction. For more information on BWR or to sign up, please visit bestwesternrewards.com. To learn more about Pay with Points please visit Pay With Points | Best Western Hotel & Resorts. About Best Western Hotels & Resorts: Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand within the BWH Hotel Group global network. With 18 brands and approximately 4,500 hotels in over 100 countries and territories worldwide*, BWH Hotel Group suits the needs of developers and guests in every market. Brands include Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier, Executive Residency by Best Western, Vib, GLo, Aiden, Sadie, BW Premier Collection and BW Signature Collection. Through acquisition, WorldHotels Luxury, WorldHotels Elite, WorldHotels Distinctive and WorldHotels Crafted collections are also offered. Completing the portfolio is SureStay, SureStay Plus, SureStay Collection and SureStay Studio franchises**. For more information visit www.bestwestern.com, www.bestwesterndevelopers.com, www.worldhotels.com and www.surestay.com. * Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline. **All Best Western, WorldHotels and SureStay branded hotels are independently owned and operated. MEDIA CONTACT: Katie Ray PR Director 602.957.5526 [email protected] SOURCE Best Western Hotels & Resorts NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Owl Capital Inc. ("Blue Owl") (NYSE: OWL), a leading alternative asset manager, has hired Madeleine Sinclair as Managing Director and Head of North American Distribution, effective January 3, 2022. In this newly created role, Sinclair will spearhead the expansion of the Company's private wealth management business across both U.S. and Canadian markets. "We are excited to welcome Madeleine, who brings two decades of sales and management experience in private wealth distribution," said Derek O'Leary, CEO of Blue Owl Securities. "Her expertise will be instrumental in accelerating the growth of Blue Owl's private wealth business and comes at a time when we are experiencing exponential investor demand for our products and alternative expertise." Blue Owl's private wealth management business is focused on providing high net worth investors access to the same alternative investment solutions as its institutional client base. With well-established and growing relationships across 85 private wealth management platforms, including several of the largest platforms in North America, Blue Owl is well positioned to continue its market leading momentum. Sinclair will join a global team comprised of professionals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. Driven to develop and launch innovative alternative solutions for clients, Blue Owl intends to multiply its $6 billion in capital commitments (as of September 2021) with private wealth clients. "I am thrilled to join Blue Owl to expand the company's private wealth distribution in the United States and Canada," said Sinclair. "This is a fast-growing and dynamic firm with a strong track-record of providing innovative capital solutions to sophisticated investors. I believe we can continue to leverage this expertise and provide compelling alternative investment products geared towards private wealth investors and advisors." Sinclair previously spent 19 years at BlackRock, most recently serving as Head of iShares Canada. In this role, she was a member of the Americas Executive Committee and oversaw institutional and private wealth distribution, product development, and capital markets. Prior to that, she served as Head of iShares Sales within BlackRock's U.S. Wealth Advisory business, where she led the design of a strategy to grow the portfolio adoption of fixed income, ESG, and factor ETFs with advisors. She has a proven track record for building client partnerships and inspiring high performing teams. During her leadership tenure, the iShares channel consistently drove industry leading results and contributed to the multitrillion-dollar growth of ETFs. Sinclair holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA from DePauw University. She is also on the Board of Directors for 10,000 Degrees, a nationally recognized leader in supporting college success, which empowers students from low-income backgrounds to make a transformative impact on their lives, families and communities. ABOUT BLUE OWL Blue Owl is a global alternative asset manager with $82.9* billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2021. Anchored by a strong permanent capital base, the firm deploys private capital across Direct Lending, GP Solutions and Real Estate strategies on behalf of Institutional and Private Wealth clients. Blue Owl's flexible, consultative approach helps position the firm as a partner of choice for businesses seeking capital solutions to support their sustained growth. The firm's management team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals with more than 25 years of experience building alternative investment businesses. Blue Owl employs over 350 people across 10 offices globally. For more information, please visit us at www.blueowl.com. *Proforma as of 9/30/21 to include AUM attributable to Oak Street which became a Blue Owl Company on 12/29/21. Investor Contact Ann Dai Head of Investor Relations [email protected] Media Contact Prosek Partners David Wells / Nick Theccanat [email protected] SOURCE Blue Owl Capital NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Built In announced that Rightway , the leader in cutting-edge care navigation and pharmacy benefits, was honored in its 2022 Best Places To Work Awards. Rightway placed on two lists for New York City, Best Places to Work and Best Midsize Companies to Work For. The annual awards program includes companies of all sizes, from startups to those in the enterprise, and honors both remote-first employers as well as companies in the eight largest tech markets across the U.S. "Rightway provides a better healthcare experience for all. Nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of our members and our employees," says Jordan Feldman, Rightway's co-founder and CEO. "Over the last two years, we've become laser-focused on creating a passionate, pioneering, and inclusive culture that works together to reimagine the healthcare ecosystem. We're thrilled to be recognized and are committed to developing a highly collaborative work environment that consistently puts our team members first." Built In determines the winners of Best Places to Work based on an algorithm, using company data about compensation, benefits and companywide programming. To reflect the benefits candidates are searching for more frequently on Built In, the program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings. "It is my honor to extend congratulations to the 2022 Best Places to Work winners," says Sheridan Orr, Chief Marketing Officer, Built In. "This year saw a record number of entrants and the past two years fundamentally changed what tech professionals want from work. These honorees have risen to the challenge, evolving to deliver employee experiences that provide the meaning and purpose today's tech professionals seek." If you are looking to make a difference in healthcare, Rightway is hiring across all departments! To learn more or apply, visit https://www.rightwayhealthcare.com/careers . ABOUT BUILT IN Built In is creating the largest platform for technology professionals globally. Monthly, more than three million of the industry's most in-demand professionals visit the site from across the world. They rely on our platform to stay ahead of tech trends and news, develop their careers and find opportunities at companies whose values they share. Built In also serves 1,800 innovative companies of all sizes, ranging from startups to the Fortune 100. By putting their stories in front of our uniquely engaged audience, we help them hire otherwise hard-to-reach tech professionals, locally, nationally or remotely. www.builtin.com ABOUT BUILT IN'S BEST PLACES TO WORK Built In's esteemed Best Places to Work Awards, now in its fourth year, honor companies across numerous categories: 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Small Places to Work, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work, 50 Companies with the Best Benefits and 50 Best Paying Companies, 100 Best Large Companies to Work For, and 50 Best Remote-First Places to Work. ABOUT RIGHTWAY Rightway is the leader in driving healthcare value for everyone, everywhere. Its care navigation and new-to-the-world PBM platforms guide members to the highest quality care and medication, leading to better care and happier people at a lower cost. Using the mobile app, employees connect with live, clinical guides who assist them with all their healthcare needs - from finding a great doctor to understanding their medication, from support on billing issues to benefits education. Companies choose Rightway for its smart clinical navigation, best-in-class technology, and lightest implementation lift, all resulting in higher ROI for clients and happier, healthier employees. For more information, please visit www.rightwayhealthcare.com. RIGHTWAY PRESS CONTACT Rita Lebedeva [email protected] SOURCE Rightway VENICE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Built In today announced that Thankful was honored in its 2022 Best Places To Work Awards. Specifically, Thankful earned a place on 50 Best Small Places to Work in Los Angeles. The annual awards program includes companies of all sizes, from startups to those in the enterprise, and honors both remote-first employers as well as companies in the eight largest tech markets across the U.S. "We're extremely excited to be honored for the culture and benefits we offer at Thankful. Thankful makes employee engagement a top priority. That means providing a competitive benefits package for our team members and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous development. We believe in better living through service, so we practice this core value internally as well as externally," said Angela Georgiades, VP of People at Thankful. Built In determines the winners of Best Places to Work based on an algorithm, using company data about compensation, benefits, and companywide programming. To reflect the benefits candidates are searching for more frequently on Built In, the program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings. "It is my honor to extend congratulations to the 2022 Best Places to Work winners," said Sheridan Orr, Chief Marketing Officer, Built In. "This year saw a record number of entrants and the past two years fundamentally changed what tech professionals want from work. These honorees have risen to the challenge, evolving to deliver employee experiences that provide the meaning and purpose today's tech professionals seek." ABOUT BUILT IN Built In is creating the largest platform for technology professionals globally. Monthly, more than three million of the industry's most in-demand professionals visit the site from across the world. They rely on our platform to stay ahead of tech trends and news, develop their careers and find opportunities at companies whose values they share. Built In also serves 1,800 innovative companies of all sizes, ranging from startups to the Fortune 100. By putting their stories in front of our uniquely engaged audience, we help them hire otherwise hard-to-reach tech professionals, locally, nationally or remotely. www.builtin.com ABOUT BUILT IN'S BEST PLACES TO WORK Built In's esteemed Best Places to Work Awards, now in its fourth year, honor companies across numerous categories: 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Small Places to Work, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work, 50 Companies with the Best Benefits and 50 Best Paying Companies, 100 Best Large Companies to Work For, and 50 Best Remote-First Places to Work. About Thankful Thankful is an artificial intelligence customer service software solution. Like a human agent, Thankful's AI routes, assists, translates, and fully resolves large volumes of customer queries across all written channels - ensuring each customer receives the quick, personalized, and accurate support they need. Founded in 2018, Thankful is a privately held company headquartered in Venice, California. Media Contact: Loren Pomerantz 917-902-0219 [email protected] SOURCE Thankful HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Patricia (Patti) A. Husic, President & CEO of Centric Bank and Centric Financial Corporation ("Centric") (OTC Pink: CFCX), has been appointed to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Board of Directors effective January 1, 2022. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has appointed Centric Bank President & CEO Patti Husic to its board of directors. Tweet this Patricia (Patti) A. Husic, President & CEO of Centric Bank and Centric Financial Corporation, has been appointed to a two-year term on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Board of Directors. Between 2020 and 2021, Centric Bank donated over $70,000 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Banks Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). Our Centric Bank Way principle #26 is Contribute to the Community. In addition to financial support, service by our team members is a priority for Centric Bank, says Husic. "We are honored to welcome Patti Husic to our Board of Directors," says Joe Arthur, Executive Director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. "In addition to the extraordinary leadership skills and achievements that have earned Patti repeated recognition as one of American Banker's 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking, she brings a demonstrated commitment to our vision that 'No One Should Be Hungry' in central PA. We know our communities will benefit from her service." "The foundation of a healthy community is a healthy economy and helping to meet nutrition needs and increase access to fresh, local foods for communities in need has been even more important to me during the pandemic," says Husic. "Food insecurity remains one of our Commonwealth's highest concerns. I'm proud to carry the mission of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank forward, including contributing to the Bold Goal 2025 Strategic Plan." Between 2020 and 2021, Centric Bank donated over $70,000 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank's Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). "Our Centric Bank Way principle #26 is Contribute to the Community. In addition to financial support, service by our team members is a priority for Centric Bank," says Husic. Central Pennsylvania Food Bank board terms are two years in length, with each board member invited to serve up to three terms. There are a total of 24 board seats permitted; 21 seats are filled as of January 2022. ABOUT CENTRIC BANK AND CENTRIC FINANCIAL CORPORATION An American Banker 2020, 2019, and 2018 Best Banks to Work For, four-time American Banker Most Powerful Women in Banking Top Team, three-time Best Places to Work, and Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies for eight years, Centric Bank is headquartered in south central Pennsylvania with assets of $1.1 billion and remains a leader in organic loan growth. A locally owned, locally loaned community bank, Centric Bank provides highly competitive and pro-growth financial services to businesses, professionals, individuals, families, and to the health care and dental industries with the Doctor Centric Bank Division. Centric Bank was named one of the Top 200 Community Banks in the U.S. in 2021, 2020, and 2019. Founded in 2007, Pennsylvania-based Centric Bank has financial centers located in Harrisburg, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Doylestown, Devon, and Lancaster, as well as a loan production office in Devon and an Operations and Executive Office campus in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. To learn more about Centric Bank, call 717.657.7727 or visit CentricBank.com. Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Centric Financial Corporation is traded over the counter (OTC-Pink) with the ticker symbol CFCX. ABOUT CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA FOOD BANK The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce hunger in 27 counties across Pennsylvania. By working with more than 1,200 local agencies and partner programs, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves thousands of people in need every month. For more information on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and its mission to reduce hunger in Pennsylvania, visit centralpafoodbank.org or call 717.564.1700. Contact: Anne Deeter Gallaher Tel. 717.580.4856 [email protected] SOURCE Centric Bank FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. (Champion), the heavy construction, road and bridge, ground tank, military, and industrial specialty services provider, recently gave its website a refresh and invites visitors to explore its new look. The new site launched on December 23, 2021. "Our new site is now a comprehensive snapshot of our company and is packaged in a faster, engaging and more user-friendly platform," said Mat Bryant, Director of Operations for Champion. The clean and modern look greets visitors along with improved loading speeds, site architecture, and functionality to highlight the many services Champion provides. "The site now showcases all our certifications and qualifications, plus a snapshot of our completed projects and a more robust careers section, to serve our customers, associates, and potential employees," continued Bryant. Champion partnered with 7Seventy Agency to complete the site re-design, content audit, and SEO refresh. The new site puts the important information in the hands of visitors with fewer clicks and creates an engaging experience with elegant visuals. Visit www.championssc.com to experience the new website for yourself. To stay updated on Champion's projects worldwide, follow them on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram. About Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. Since 2006, Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. has been a leader in heavy construction, specialty services, road and bridge, military, and industrial specialty services. Champion's mission is to deliver high-performance services to the public and private sectors while maintaining the highest degree of safety, quality, and integrity. With offices in Florida, New York, Alaska, Georgia, and Guam, Champion can mobilize quickly for all specialty services' needs. The organization has provided its services for more than 15 years around the globe. To see recent case studies and for more information, visit www.championssc.com. Media Contact: Brianne Barbakoff [email protected] 786-605-9228 SOURCE Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. UW Reclamation Resource Scientist Receives Lifetime Teaching Honor Pete Stahl A professor whose teaching and research focus on reclamation issues that have state and international significance has received a lifetime teaching honor from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. Pete Stahl received the Andrew Vanvig Lifetime Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in December. The award honors a senior faculty member with at least 15 years of service in the college. Nominator and retired professor and former department head Steve Williams says universities usually have some faculty members who emphasize their own achievements and seek recognition. There are others who seem somewhat under the radar but performing in magnificent fashion, generating highly applicable and useful products and not seeking recognition, Williams says. Peter Stahl is one who is of this second type. Stahl recently retired as director of the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center (WRRC) in the college. He joined the university as a temporary assistant professor of soil ecology in 1995 and became full professor in 2009 in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. Stahl received his bachelors degree in plant pathology from Oklahoma State University and his masters and Ph.D. in botany from UW. He conducted postdoctoral work at the National Science Foundation Center for Microbial Ecology and the Long Term Ecology Research Site in Agricultural Ecology at Michigan State University, and at the National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Jay Norton, a professor of soil sciences and UW Extension soils specialist, first met Stahl at the Tilth Laboratory while working on his masters degree. Stahl was a member of a group of scientists forging the foundations of what would later become the current soil health movement by developing methods for defining and quantifying soil quality, Norton says. Stahls later use of microbial phosolipid fatty acid analysis to identify and quantify soil organism functional groups had a massive influence on understanding how drastic soil disturbance -- such as strip mining -- impacts soil ecology and how soil organisms support ecosystem recovery, Norton says. He encountered Stahl again when working on his Ph.D. on soils at the Zuni Indian Reservation in New Mexico. Williams was a co-principal investigator on the grant and had assigned his postdoctoral student -- Stahl -- to implement much of the sampling. Pete was a joy to work with on the Zuni Reservation, Norton says. His love of fieldwork and zest for different cultural experiences and storytelling caused him to really hit it off with our Zuni farmer collaborators in ways that enriched the experience for all of us. Stahl later encouraged Norton to apply for the fertility specialist position at UW. Stahls work the last 20 years has covered restoration and reclamation from drastically disturbed mined lands, burned sites soils invaded by unwanted plants, oil and gas pad restoration as well as work in crop agriculture, Williams says. The last 10 years, Stahl also has engaged in research in Nepal, especially with forest restoration. College of Agriculture Natural Resources Dean Barb Rasco commends Stahl for his longtime work in reclamation in the state, region and world. Petes work has had international impact through his leadership in programs across central and eastern Europe, Mongolia and Nepal, she says. His engagement with Nepalese scholars across campus and at Tribhuvan University in Katmandu has done much to improve the environment and quality of life in that mountainous region of the world. Stahl was named WRRC director in 2009. Housed in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, the centers focus is on energy and natural resource development activities. Norton notes that Stahls efforts to ensure science-based restoration had a place at the table as the energy industry and the UW School of Energy Resources negotiated with state and federal agencies on how to protect, restore and mitigate valuable sagebrush-steppe grasslands for sage grouse and many other endemic wildlife species. Stahls work, and the work of the WRRC, has been critical to the sustainability of much of Wyomings energy industry, but also the preservation and sustainability of wildlife, says Frank Galey, former agriculture college dean, now vice president and provost at Utah State University. He also notes Stahls engagement of undergraduate and graduate students, stretching them and helping them to understand and become leaders in the field themselves. Caley Gasch, an assistant professor of soil health research at North Dakota State University, is one of those former students. Stahl clearly has an enthusiasm for the biological world below ground but recognizes the importance of framing that knowledge in a way that is relevant to other disciplines, land management and agriculture, she says. He instilled this perspective in me, as well as many other mentees, who now work in the balance of pursing basic, novel scientific questions while placing that work into a larger applied context, Gasch says. Norton notes Stahls influence on his peers. His generosity about providing opportunities for younger faculty members through his connections with funders of reclamation and restoration work, and enthusiastically sharing knowledge about basic microbial ecology, laboratory methods, teaching success and even the best ski slopes and fishing holes, has enhanced my success at UW and my love for Wyoming, as well as that of many of my colleagues, Norton says. CHICAGO, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CIBC today announced its new Equipment Finance team within its US Commercial Banking group, its 16th specialty banking area. "At CIBC, we know how important machinery and equipment are in order to successfully deliver products and services to our clients," says Bruce Hague, president, US Commercial Banking. "We're pleased to offer client-centric solutions that are applicable to all business profiles in order to help our clients achieve their ambitions." The experienced Equipment Finance team is led by industry veteran, Matthew Green. Green, who recently joined the bank as managing director and group head, brings 20 years of banking industry experience to CIBC. Previously, he led the Equipment Finance business at J.P. Morgan, where he also co-founded the middle market loan syndication group. His team will be supported by Austin Daniels, who will lead Equipment Finance capital markets, and Jaime Clesceri, who will serve as head of documentation and operations. The Commercial Banking team's new specialty group offers clients solutions to match requirements for capital expenditure acquisitions and sale-leasebacks, with an advisory-first approach designed to help clients weigh the pros and cons of a financing structure and its impacts on their financial profile. They provide equipment solutions across the following product sets: Secured loans Finance leases $1 buyout leases buyout leases Fair market value leases Terminal Rental Adjustment Clause (TRAC) leases Split-TRAC leases Synthetic leases "We build lasting business partnershipsfocused on our clients' successesby taking the time to understand them, their company, and objectives," says Hague. About CIBC CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 11 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services in the United States, across Canada and around the world. In the US, CIBC Bank USA provides commercial banking, private and personal banking and small business banking solutions and CIBC Private Wealth offers investment management, wealth strategies and legacy planning. Visit us at cibc.com/US. All loans subject to credit approval. The CIBC logo is a registered trademark of CIBC, used under license. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. SOURCE CIBC Related Links www.cibc.com CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CivicEye, the end-to-end provider of cloud software for law enforcement, prosecutors, and security organizations, announced its entry into the industry. The company provides a modern, easy-to-use software platform for communities and law enforcement that helps to save lives and increase transparency and security. CivicEye took the best elements from Agisent Technologies, an existing software company and added the insights and experience of a proven entrepreneurial team to launch the new business with a goal of delivering a best-in-class platform for law enforcement and associated markets. With more than 80 customers and growing, CivicEye plans to expand their regional success and grow their customer base nationally. The company has attracted an experienced leadership team, new investors, and believes it is poised to be the leading force in the industry. Founders of the company come from careers in both government technology and law enforcement. "I have worked in various capacities as an officer in the field for over 25 years before working for this company. I have yet to encounter a more innovative product that has been as well-received by law enforcement officials. As we have brought in new capital and leadership into the business, we have re-set the foundation to scale our product across the country." said David Lutfy, President of CivicEye. Building on the foundation of Agisent Technologies provides CivicEye with the opportunity to reimagine its current and future product offerings that deliver new ways to empower public safety professionals. The company is also committed to continue to deliver exceptional service to its existing customers. "After years with a legacy Records Management System (RMS) our agency made the switch to CivicEye. The transition has been seamless, the customer service has been exceptional, and the company has worked with us to meet all our budget requirements," said Captain Nate Theiss, White County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee Current products include: CivicRMS, a powerful records management application to manage public safety records easily and securely CivicDocs, a repository that securely stores documents and media in the cloud while providing confidentiality, integrity and availability CivicCase, an end-to-end set of case management tools for prosecutors and courtroom professionals CivicFusion, a next-generation solution for fusion centers that provides real-time access to law enforcement data through a region, county or state CivicEye has launched a new website, www.civiceye.com, and has moved its corporate headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina. About CivicEye CivicEye provides advanced software solutions that support public safety professionals and helps save lives. The company combines a deep understanding of law enforcement and public safety with an unrivaled technology platform, bringing powerful and easy-to-use solutions to law enforcement, drug control, prosecution, campus police, private security, and fusion centers. Media Contact: Grace Anderson [email protected] www.civiceye.com Sales Contact: Nathan Leatherwood 919-450-5529 [email protected] SOURCE CivicEye JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Verified Market Research recently published a report, "Connected Medical Devices Market" By Product (Heart Rate Monitor, Insulin Pump, and Portable GPS PERS), By Application (Remote Monitoring, Treatment Services, Fitness), By End-User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Specialty Clinics), and By Geography. According to Verified Market Research, the Global Connected Medical Devices Market size was valued at USD 27.39 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 136.76 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 22.26% from 2021 to 2028. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/download-sample/?rid=37508 Browse in-depth TOC on "Connected Medical Devices Market" 202 - Pages 126 Tables 37 Figures Global Connected Medical Devices Market Overview The demand for connected medical devices around the world is rising because of the rising need for self-assessment, telehealth, teleconsultation, and telemedicine, amongst others. Also, the global digital healthcare market is growing with a CAGR of 16.13% over 2028 aiding the demand for connected medical devices. The availability of web-connected devices and feasible networks are enabling the consumers and the healthcare providers to adopt the connected medical devices for the assessments. Such devices can make the assessments easy and help the healthcare professionals to deliver the right consultation and medication even for the patients in remote areas. Increasing penetration of internet amongst the consumers and healthcare professionals is also aiding the market growth. According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, Washington, DC, 99% population of the United States have access to three or more 4G/LTE networks. Smartphone technology is developing in such a way that it is influencing the consumer's daily marketing strategies, business activities as well as lifestyle. The acceptance of smart technology is a key factor in determining success in digital healthcare and the adoption of connected medical devices. Certain factors such as the rising occurrence of chronic diseases and risk factors associated with it, the need for cost-effective and reliable patient monitoring systems, increasing awareness, and increasing adoption of IT in healthcare are expected to foster the growth of the global connected medical devices market. Key Developments In July 2021 , Qualcomm has announced the expansion of the Wearables Segment with new platform investments and the Qualcomm Wearables Ecosystem Accelerator Program. , Qualcomm has announced the expansion of the Wearables Segment with new platform investments and the Qualcomm Wearables Ecosystem Accelerator Program. In July 2021 , Abbott introduces Jot DX insertable cardiac monitor in the United States . It is designed to reduce data burden and improve accurate diagnosis of difficult-to-detect abnormal heart rhythms. , Abbott introduces Jot DX insertable cardiac monitor in . It is designed to reduce data burden and improve accurate diagnosis of difficult-to-detect abnormal heart rhythms. In August 2020 , Abbott's freestyle libre 2 IOS app cleared in the U.S., providing a seamless digital experience to simplify diabetes management. Key Players The major players in the market are Honeywell International Inc., Garmin Ltd., Boston Scientific Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Koninklijke Philips NV, Medtronic PLC, NXP Semiconductors NV, Qualcomm Incorporation, and Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. Verified Market Research has segmented the Global Connected Medical Devices Market On the basis of Product, Application, End-User, and Geography. Connected Medical Devices Market, By Product Heart rate monitor Insulin pump Portable GPS PERS Pulse Oximeter Smart pill dispenser Glucose monitor ECG monitoring devices BP monitor Others Connected Medical Devices Market, By Application Remote Monitoring Consultation And Diagnosis Services Treatment Services Fitness Wellness Services Connected Medical Devices Market, By End-User Hospitals Ambulatory Surgical Centers Specialty Clinics Home Care Settings/Monitoring Others Connected Medical Devices Market by Geography North America U.S Canada Mexico Europe Germany France U.K Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Rest of Asia Pacific ROW Middle East & Africa & Latin America Browse Related Reports: Global and U.S. Monopolar Electrosurgery Instrument Market By Type (Hand Instrument, Generator, Accessories), By Application (General Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynaecology Surgery, Neurosurgery), By End-Use (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Specialty Clinics), By Geography, Forecast, 2021-2028 Healthcare Cold Chain Logistics Market By Product Type (Vaccines, Clinical trial materials), By Services (Storage, Transportation), By Storage Techniques (Electrical refrigeration, Dry ice), By End-User (Biopharmaceutical companies, Hospitals and clinics), By Geography, Forecast, 2021-2028 Hip Replacement Devices Market By Product (Primary Hip Reconstruction Devices, Partial Hip Reconstruction Devices), By Geography, Forecast, 2021-2028 Molecular Spectroscopy Market By Technology (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy, UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy, Near-infrared Spectroscopy, Color Measurement Spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy), By Application (Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical, Food & Beverage Testing, Environment Testing, Academic Research & Others), By Geography, Forecast, 2021-2028 Top Clinical Trial Supplies focussing on safety of drugs Visualize Connected Medical Devices Market using Verified Market Intelligence:-: Verified Market Intelligence is our BI Enabled Platform for narrative storytelling of this market. VMI offers in-depth forecasted trends and accurate Insights on over 20,000+ emerging & niche markets, helping you make critical revenue impacting decisions for a brilliant future. VMI provides a holistic overview and global competitive landscape with respect to Region, Country, and Segment, and Key players of your market. Present your Market Report & findings with an inbuilt presentation feature saving over 70% of your time and resources for Investor, Sales & Marketing, R&D, and Product Development pitches. VMI enables data delivery In Excel and Interactive PDF formats with over 15+ Key Market Indicators for your market. About Us Verified Market Research is a leading Global Research and Consulting firm servicing over 5000+ customers. Verified Market Research provides advanced analytical research solutions while offering information enriched research studies. We offer insight into strategic and growth analyses, Data necessary to achieve corporate goals and critical revenue decisions. Our 250 Analysts and SME's offer a high level of expertise in data collection and governance use industrial techniques to collect and analyze data on more than 15,000 high impact and niche markets. Our analysts are trained to combine modern data collection techniques, superior research methodology, expertise and years of collective experience to produce informative and accurate research. We study 14+ categories from Semiconductor & Electronics, Chemicals, Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Energy & Power, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Automotive & Transportation, Information & Communication Technology, Software & Services, Information Security, Mining, Minerals & Metals, Building & construction, Agriculture industry and Medical Devices from over 100 countries. Contact Us Mr. Edwyne Fernandes Verified Market Research US: +1 (650)-781-4080 UK: +44 (753)-715-0008 APAC: +61 (488)-85-9400 US Toll Free: +1 (800)-782-1768 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/ Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Verified Market Research MANSFIELD, Mass., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Controlled Environment Systems, LLC (CES), a market leader in design and construction of special environments such as cold storage facilities and metrology, pharmaceutical and biotech cleanrooms, today announced its acquisition of Coldroom Systems, Inc . (CRS), a regional force in thermal envelope and low-temp construction solutions. Joining Western Environmental Corporation in April 2021, JAX Cool in September 2021, Coldroom Systems Inc. was Controlled Environment Systems' third acquisition of 2021. CES continues to enhance its capabilities with the acquisition of CRS's experienced project management team, IMP installation expertise, and underfloor heating capabilities. "CES is known for its industry-leading controlled environment solutions," said Don Roussinos , President and CEO of CES. "Coldroom delivers high-quality thermal solutions and has a great reputation in the industry. CRS will no doubt be an excellent fit within the Structures division of CES. The geographic foothold, additional resources and enhanced capabilities that Coldroom provides will help us more efficiently execute projects for our existing customers, while we at CES deliver more robust construction, systems, and calibration resources, supporting Coldroom's customer base." "We are excited about opening up more opportunities with our current customers through this acquisition. CES serves many different end markets in the controlled environments space that Coldroom did not have the capabilities to serve. Now we will be able to support end-users in the Pharma, Biotech, CMM, and Metrology space. We are confident that our combined capabilities are greatly enhanced," said Charles Woolley, President of CRS. "Coldroom Systems is about providing our customers with the highest quality, thermal solutions so it's a natural progression to join with a market leader in controlled environments like CES." When asked what the result of this acquisition would be on the employees of Coldroom Systems, Mr. Roussinos said, "Like the acquisitions we made previously this year, the people were one of the key assets we were targeting when putting this partnership together. Our goal is to continue to grow and expand the business, particularly in the Southeast region. Coldroom's employees will remain at the current location and continue to deliver the quality work they have produced in the past but now with the additional resources of CES." About Controlled Environment Systems (CES) CES Mission Statement: "Promoting healthy and sustainable living by creating the perfect environment for the global food chain, life-sciences, and mission-critical industries." CES is a full-service operation designing, engineering, and installing controlled environments including cold storage facilities, clean rooms, and other climate-controlled rooms. In addition to providing temperature and other climate control solutions, the Company fabricates products including insulated panels and doors, custom control systems, and proprietary air handling systems. Controlled Environment Systems delivers rooms and buildings that perform or exceed client target tolerances and expectations. As an expert in Insulated Panels and Special Environments, Controlled Environment Systems consults, implements, and integrates complementary technology (Insulated Doors, Panels, Insulation, IT and HVAC (Gro-AHU), to deliver one-of-a-kind spaces. Cold Rooms & Life Science/Metrology Labs -Enclosures & doors -Refrigeration/Mechanical -Electrical & Electrical fixtures -Controls -Alarm/Monitoring -Flooring -Plant integration -Humidity Food Service/Cultivation -Grow Rooms -Clean packaging -Product conditioning -Staging rooms -Chill cells -Specialty applications -Dry aging/Curing rooms -Machine integration -HACCP solutions ABOUT Coldroom Systems For over 70 years, Coldroom Systems, Inc. of Norcross, Georgia, has built the finest temperaturecontrolled cold storage and freezer facilities in the southeastern US. Coldroom Systems was started by Herbert Woolley, the current CRS President Charles Woolley's father. Charles continues CRS's tradition of high-quality thermal construction and dependability, bringing his 30-plus years of experience in materials, design, and building of cold room facilities to Coldroom. CRS has controlled environment expertise installing insulated metal panels and underfloor heating. While Coldroom primarily focuses in the southeastern US they have also completed projects in Moscow, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Charles and his Project Management Team utilize their leadership and experience to keep moving the industry forward building temperature-controlled facilities throughout the Country - working hard to ensure that all their customers' needs are met. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT David McGrath Vice President, Business Development Controlled Environment Systems [email protected] www.cesweb.com Greg Gonser Media Relations Controlled Environment Systems [email protected] www.cesweb.com SOURCE Controlled Environment Systems CALGARY, AB, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) will release its fourth-quarter 2021 financial and operating results after the market close on Jan. 27, 2022. CP will discuss its results with the financial community in a conference call beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. MT) on Jan. 27, 2022. Conference Call Access Toronto participants dial in number: 1-416-764-8688 Operator assisted toll free dial in number: 1-888-390-0546 Callers should dial in 10 minutes prior to the call. Webcast We encourage you to access the webcast and presentation material in the Investors section of CP's website at investor.cpr.ca. A replay of the fourth-quarter conference call will be available by phone through to Feb. 3, 2022 at 416-764-8677 or toll free 1-888-390-0541, password 580172. About Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. CP-IR SOURCE Canadian Pacific The principle of making DeepBrain AI's AI human is as follows. Artificial Intelligence learns hundreds of hours of recorded video to learn the person's voice, accent, and gestures. When provided with a script, an AI Human created through the process would pronounce the script as the actual person. This includes AI speech synthesis, video synthesis, and natural language processing technology. Once the AI Human is trained, it can reduce the time and cost of having to record a real person every time a video content is made. Depending on how it is taught, real-time communication with people is also possible. As the technological advancements and evaluations of AI humans are increasing, inquiries have also been increasing in various industries. In the broadcasting field, AI anchors and announcers are actually conducting news. Not only that, AI humans with simple communication are also emerging. In August of this year, a kiosk with a built-in AI human appeared at the 7-Eleven convenience store. This AI human answers questions about promotion, events and nearing information. The introduction of AI bankers is already active in the financial industry. KB Bank has introduced kiosks where AI bankers appear on screens in offline branches. Currently, they only work on basic objectives, but they plan to expand their duties to account inquiries and transfers. In October of last year, an education company, Kyowon, launched a digital education platform called 'AiCANDO', where 'AI Tutor' appeared. AI Human of popular YouTuber Dottie appears to help with learning. More about DeepBrain Ai DeepBrain AI is one of the top global companies that possess both deep learning-based video synthesis and voice synthesis source technology. The technology can be implemented in various forms regardless of industry fields such as AI announcer, AI anchor, AI banker, AI tutor, AI show host, AI kiosk, AI video consultation, AI concierge, AI doctor, AI lawyer and many more. DeepBrain AI CEO Eric Jang said, "As a result of acquiring a clear competitive edge in the field of artificial intelligence recognized domestically as well as globally, we were able to successfully secure the Series B investment last August. To be reborn as a global leading company, we will actively strive to expand business scale and develop new technologies with AI human solution." SOURCE DeepBrain AI TSX.V: DME U.S. OTC: DMEHF Frankfurt: QM01 VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY CORP. (the "Company") (TSX.V: DME) (OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) From the President of the Company. Desert Mountain Energy is pleased to announce the purchase of an additional 40 acres of land for the drilling of developmental wells with plans to begin work this month. The Company is continuing to pursue ownership of acreage surrounding future well locations, believing it is in the best interests of both local landowners and the Company. The permitting process was previously started for the next well in the McCauley field and it is expected to have that permit shortly. The company has also completed the required filings to sell processed helium to the US Government and has signed non-disclosure agreements with other end-users. "The Company's plan has always been to become a vertically integrated helium producer selling directly to end-users," said Robert Rohlfing, CEO of Desert Mountain Energy. "Due to our location, we have the luxury of having 36 end-users within 300 miles of our finishing facility. We expect to be adding further end-user contracts and we look forward to building upon those relationships." The Company has entered into an agreement with Drake Well Services Inc., whereby in exchange for pre-payment for drilling services, the Company is provided priority use of a top drive rig with a 16,000' depth capability. ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded resource company primarily focused on exploration, development and production of helium, hydrogen and noble gases. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries. We seek safe harbor "Robert Rohlfing" Robert Rohlfing Exec Chairman & CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp. Related Links https://desertmountainenergy.com/ RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy Virginia has made strong progress restoring power to around 330,000 of the nearly 400,000 customers affected by the damaging winter storm, as of 5p.m. Wednesday. Crews are continuing work overnight to restore customers, with some outage restorations extending into Thursday. Preparations are already underway for more inclement weather expected to move through parts of Virginia on Thursday night. Almost 4,800 Dominion Energy crews, support staff and contractors are engaged in the restoration effort along with approximately 900 mutual aid workers from nine states. Areas around Charlottesville and Fredericksburg have been particularly affected by this event where damage is the most severe and road conditions are challenging and, in some cases, impassable. Crews will continue restoration around the clock until all customers have service restored. Estimated restoration times have been populated on individual projects. The most up-to-date information is available at www.dominionenergy.com or on the Dominion Energy app. Dominion Energy encourages customers to prepare now for the possibility of additional power outages from the next storm. Trees and limbs already weighed down by wet snow could see additional snowfall and cause more outages. Similar to preparations for Monday's storm, crews are prepared to safely and efficiently restore any customer outages should they occur. In addition, Dominion Energy is ensuring sufficient crews and resources will be available for continued restoration efforts from the incoming storm. For photos and video, visit our website: Multimedia | Dominion Energy "We appreciate customers' patience as our crews work to repair pockets of damage caused by fallen trees and power lines," said Charlene Whitfield, senior vice-president of Power Delivery at Dominion Energy Virginia. "The safety of our customers and crews is our number one priority, and we will continue to work around the clock until we have restored service to every customer." The company encourages customers to watch the weather and prepare for any additional power outages. Learn about how customers can prepare. To ensure the fastest response, Dominion Energy asks that customers report their power outages. The fastest way to report or track an outage is using the Dominion Energy app or online at DominionEnergy.com. Customers may also call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to report an outage. Here's how customers can stay safe: Beware of downed power lines and remember that they could be covered by snow. Assume they are energized and dangerous. Please remain at least 30 feet away and ensure that others also avoid the downed line. Virginia and North Carolina customers should call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) right away to report a downed power line. and remember that they could be covered by snow. Assume they are energized and dangerous. Please remain at least 30 feet away and ensure that others also avoid the downed line. and customers should call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) right away to report a downed power line. Ensure generators are properly connected. Be sure they are fueled, tested and connected in a well-ventilated area outdoors. Improper use of a generator could be life-threatening for customers and crews working to restore power. About Dominion Energy About 7 million customers in 13 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more. SOURCE Dominion Energy Related Links http://www.dominionenergy.com LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DRINKS , the online leader in adult beverage, was honored today in Built In's 2022 Best Places To Work Awards, named in the Los Angeles lists for Best Places to Work, the Best Small Companies to Work For and Best Paying Companies. This is the company's fourth consecutive year of being recognized as one of Los Angeles's best places to work. This recognition comes on the heels of DRINKS' continued prioritization of employees in the midst of rapid e-commerce alcohol growth. "We are thrilled to be recognized a fourth time as a company where people love to work one that sets the standard for excellence among Los Angeles companies in culture, compensation, and benefits," said DRINKS Co-Founder and CEO Zac Brandenberg. "It's an honor being in the company of the other innovative organizations on the list, and I'm so proud of our diverse and talented team that has risen to the occasion in today's remote work environment." Built In determines winners algorithmically based on company data about compensation, benefits and companywide programming. The program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings to reflect the benefits candidates are searching for more frequently on Built In. "It is my honor to extend congratulations to the 2022 Best Places to Work winners," says Sheridan Orr, Chief Marketing Officer, Built In. "This year saw a record number of entrants and the past two years fundamentally changed what tech professionals want from work. These honorees have risen to the challenge, evolving to deliver employee experiences that provide the meaning and purpose today's tech professionals seek." DRINKS has continued to attract top industry talent in grocery and data science to transform wine e-commerce through increased accessibility, improved personalization and enhanced consumer insights. The company enables the nation's leading companies to start, run and grow e-commerce alcohol programs. DRINKS also owns and operates the Direct to Consumer brands Wine Insiders and Martha Stewart Wine Co . Founded and headquartered in Los Angeles, DRINKS is a remote-first company with a satellite location in Austin, Texas and talented team members located throughout the country. To view opportunities, please visit drinks.com/careers . About DRINKS DRINKS connects retailers, brands and marketplaces to the $250 billion alcohol market. DRINKS' innovative Wine as a Service (WaaS) platform enables its partners to bring adult beverages safely and conveniently to their customers across the United States in 1-2 days. The company optimizes alcohol e-commerce with its patented DRINKS IQ technology, which empowers retailers to leverage AI-based predictive merchandising and marketing to personalize customer experiences. DRINKS was named a top place to work by Built In LA for the last four years, one of America's Best Startup Employers by Forbes for the past two years and was recognized as the Most Innovative Retail Model by Modern Retail in 2020. About Built In Built In is creating the largest platform for technology professionals globally. Monthly, more than three million of the industry's most in-demand professionals visit the site from across the world. They rely on our platform to stay ahead of tech trends and news, develop their careers and find opportunities at companies whose values they share. Built In also serves 1,800 innovative companies of all sizes, ranging from startups to the Fortune 100. By putting their stories in front of our uniquely engaged audience, we help them hire otherwise hard-to-reach tech professionals, locally, nationally or remotely. www.builtin.com About Built In's Best Places to Work Built In's esteemed Best Places to Work Awards, now in its fourth year, honor companies across numerous categories: 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Small Places to Work, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work, 50 Companies with the Best Benefits and 50 Best Paying Companies, 100 Best Large Companies to Work For and 50 Best Remote-First Places to Work. Media contact: LaunchSquad for DRINKS (212) 564-3665 [email protected] SOURCE DRINKS The potential growth difference for the electric vehicle motor market between 2020 and 2025 is USD 6.31 billion. To get the exact yearly growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate, Talk to our analyst. Key Market Dynamics: Market Driver Market Challenges The increasing sales of EVs and declining prices of lithium-ion batteries are some of the key market drivers. However, factors such as lack of operational infrastructure in emerging markets will challenge market growth. The holistic analysis of the drivers & challenges will help in deducing end goals and refining marketing strategies to gain a competitive edge. The electric vehicle motor market analysis report also provides detailed information on other upcoming trends that will have a far-reaching effect on the market growth. To learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio. Read our FREE Sample Report right now! The electric vehicle motor market report is segmented by power rating (MPR, HPR, and LPR) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA). The electric vehicle motor market share growth by the mid-power rating (MPR) segment will be significant for revenue generation. MPR motors are the preferred motors for use in full or plug-in hybrid powertrains and low-range pure EVs. Technavio report provides an accurate prediction of the contribution of all the segments to the growth of the EV motor market size and actionable market insights on each segment. View our free sample report for additional insights into the contribution of all the segments, and regional opportunities in the report. Some Companies Mentioned with their Offerings The EV motor market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as focusing on developing modern technologies to compete in the market. The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including: Allied Motion Technologies Inc. - The company offers electric vehicle motors namely WheelMax. The company offers electric vehicle motors namely WheelMax. Continental AG - The company offers drive axle for electric vehicle motors. The company offers drive axle for electric vehicle motors. DENSO Corp. - The company offers motor-generators for electric vehicle motors. The company offers motor-generators for electric vehicle motors. Ford Motor Co. - The company offers electric vehicle motors that have the capacity to produce equal power to V-12 engine. The company offers electric vehicle motors that have the capacity to produce equal power to V-12 engine. Hitachi Ltd. - The company offers Hybrid Electric Vehicle Motor, Hybrid Electric Vehicle Traction Motor. The company offers Hybrid Electric Vehicle Motor, Hybrid Electric Vehicle Traction Motor. To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Click Here Related Reports: Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Market in APAC -The electric vehicle charging infrastructure market share in APAC is expected to increase by USD 15.70 billion from 2021 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 29.58%. Download a free sample now! Electric Vehicle Relays Market -The electric vehicle relays market has the potential to grow by USD 21.42 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 31.43%. Download a free sample now! Electric Vehicle Motor Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 21.69% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 6.31 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 15.98 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 49% Key consumer countries China, US, Norway, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Allied Motion Technologies Inc., Continental AG, DENSO Corp., Ford Motor Co., Hitachi Ltd., Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Robert Bosch GmbH, Siemens AG, Toshiba Corp., and Valeo SA Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Key Topics Covered: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market Sizing Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation by End-user Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Vendor Landscape Vendor Analysis Appendix About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provide 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 DUBLIN, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aerospace Coatings Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global aerospace coatings market grew at a CAGR of around 6% during 2015 & 2020. Aerospace coatings are made using multiple layers of materials to improve aircraft efficiency and overall performance. These coatings can withstand high temperatures and offer resistance against corrosion and ultraviolet (UV) rays, which helps to increase the lifespan of the aircraft. As a result, they are utilized to protect the exteriors of planes from harsh weather conditions, improve durability, reduce in-flight drag on wings, prevent surface icing and facilitate vacuum-suction waste evacuation. They are also used to keep the interiors like ceiling panels, galley carts, sidewalls and seats cool. A significant rise in the demand for commercial aviation on account of the improving living standards of individuals and the thriving e-commerce and travel and tourism industry represents one of the key factors bolstering the market growth. Moreover, rapid globalization is encouraging the adoption of private jets for business travel, which is also contributing to the market growth. The increasing number of space missions is further escalating the demand for aerospace coatings. Moreover, with the growing international border disputes, governing agencies of numerous countries are procuring advanced military warplanes, which is influencing the market growth. In line with this, several manufacturers are developing UV-cured aerospace coatings to reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are also using lightweight materials and chrome-free technologies to reduce weight and fuel consumption, thereby minimizing the carbon footprint of the aircraft. This is anticipated to expand the applications of aircraft coatings in the coming years. Looking forward, the publisher expects the global aerospace coatings market to exhibit moderate growth during the next five years. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Aalberts Surface Treatment GmbH, Akzo Nobel N.V., Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Hentzen Coatings Inc., IHI Ionbond AG, Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. (GmbH & Co. KG), PPG Industries Inc., Saint-Gobain S.A., The Sherwin-Williams Company and Zircotec Ltd. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global aerospace coatings market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global aerospace coatings market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the resin type? What is the breakup of the market based on the product form? What is the breakup of the market based on the application? What is the breakup of the market based on the aircraft type? What is the breakup of the market based on the end user? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the global aerospace coatings market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Aerospace Coatings Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Resin Type 6.1 Epoxy 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Acrylic 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 6.3 Polyurethane 6.3.1 Market Trends 6.3.2 Market Forecast 6.4 Others 6.4.1 Market Trends 6.4.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Product Form 7.1 Liquid 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Powder 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 7.3 Others 7.3.1 Market Trends 7.3.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Application 8.1 Exterior 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Interior 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by Aircraft Type 9.1 Commercial 9.1.1 Market Trends 9.1.2 Market Forecast 9.2 Military 9.2.1 Market Trends 9.2.2 Market Forecast 9.3 Others 9.3.1 Market Trends 9.3.2 Market Forecast 10 Market Breakup by End User 10.1 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) 10.1.1 Market Trends 10.1.2 Market Forecast 10.2 Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Companies (MRO Companies) 10.2.1 Market Trends 10.2.2 Market Forecast 11 Market Breakup by Region 12 SWOT Analysis 13 Value Chain Analysis 14 Porters Five Forces Analysis 15 Price Analysis 16 Competitive Landscape 16.1 Market Structure 16.2 Key Players 16.3 Profiles of Key Players 16.3.1 Aalberts Surface Treatment GmbH 16.3.1.1 Company Overview 16.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.2 Akzo Nobel N.V. 16.3.2.1 Company Overview 16.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.2.3 Financials 16.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis 16.3.3 Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. 16.3.3.1 Company Overview 16.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.3.3 Financials 16.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis 16.3.4 Henkel AG & Co. KGaA 16.3.4.1 Company Overview 16.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.4.3 Financials 16.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis 16.3.5 Hentzen Coatings Inc. 16.3.5.1 Company Overview 16.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.6 IHI Ionbond AG 16.3.6.1 Company Overview 16.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.7 Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. (GmbH & Co. KG) 16.3.7.1 Company Overview 16.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.8 PPG Industries Inc. 16.3.8.1 Company Overview 16.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.8.3 Financials 16.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis 16.3.9 Saint-Gobain S.A. 16.3.9.1 Company Overview 16.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.9.3 Financials 16.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis 16.3.10 The Sherwin-Williams Company 16.3.10.1 Company Overview 16.3.10.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.10.3 Financials 16.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis 16.3.11 Zircotec Ltd. 16.3.11.1 Company Overview 16.3.11.2 Product Portfolio For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4ycsz Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com KARNATAKA, India, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LNG Alliance, together with Government of Karnataka and NMPT, has proposed to develop a major LNG import terminal in Karnataka, with an initial capacity of 4 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA), and the potential for expansion up to 8 MTPA in line with the estimated demand increase over the next twenty years. In addition, this import and regasification terminal will also have the ISO LNG containerisation and LNG truck loading facility for serving the industrial and transportation sector. This will also be India's first dedicated LNG bunkering facility that will be providing LNG as fuel for ships visiting the NMPT port and bunkering shuttles to the West Coast of India. LNG Alliance is a fully integrated turnkey project developer of LNG terminals and is building a global integrated LNG and Hydrogen infrastructure portfolio under its investment and asset operations JV arm, Aslan Energy Capital, Singapore. Over the next three years, LNG Alliance intends to invest approximately 290 Million US dollars to develop, construct, and operate a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), and manage the LNG supply. "We see this as an important step to meet India's cleaner energy goals of phasing down coal fired powerplants and transitioning to an emission free economy using LNG as a bridging fuel. As part of this agreement, LNG Alliance will develop a tolling fee based floating LNG import terminal, within the maritime concession area of the NMPT. This terminal will also be open for third party access and will provide the most competitive tolling rates in India, based on the LNG sourced from our supply partners." said Dr. Muthu Chezhian, the Chief Executive Officer of LNG Alliance, Singapore. NMPT, the gateway port for the State of Karnataka, is well connected with major interstate highways and railways, allowing for easy access for downstream distribution of LNG by virtual pipelines, which makes NMPT as the ideal location for the LNG import terminal in Karnataka. "As part of the Invest Karnataka Conclave, chaired by the Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka, an MoU was signed between LNG Alliance and the State of Karnataka in June 2021, which formed the foundation of the current Cooperation Agreement signed between LNG Alliance and NMPT in December 2021. The proposed LNG terminal at NMPT will accelerate industrial growth, create job opportunities across the city gas distribution (CGD) networks, and will provide reliable energy security to Karnataka", said Karnataka's Commissioner of Industries, Ms. Gunjan Krishna. India's energy consumption has been estimated to grow by at least 35% from now to 2030, even with a delayed growth scenario due to the pandemic. As India builds out its gas infrastructure, natural gas will find multiple uses in India's energy system, including to help meet air quality and near-term emissions goals. "The LNG Terminal at NMPT will bring many benefits to the households and industrial customers in Karnataka, most importantly affordable natural gas supply. Local industries will gain from the advantages of the new supply chains that are created through the establishment of satellite LNG/CNG fuel stations and LNG distribution thru virtual pipelines, to reach the hinterlands of Karnataka and the growing CGD networks." said Ms. Cheryl Goh, the Executive Director of LNG Alliance, Singapore. SOURCE LNG ALLIANCE PTE LTD Related Links www.lngalliance.com SEATTLE, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coherent Market Insights, the global healthcare robotics market is estimated to be valued at US$ 9,520 million in 2021 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.8% over the forecast period (2021-2028). Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Healthcare Robotics Market: Key trends in the market include increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries, technological advancement in the medical robotic systems, potential of rehabilitation, hospital, and pharmacy robots, and increasing collaborations, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions among key players. These key trends are expected to aid in growth of the global healthcare robotics market. For instance, in October 2019, Parata Systems LLC. a leading provider of pharmacy automation, launched the new generation of Vial-Filling Robot, Max 2. The robot reached the expectations of pharmacies across all settings and improves workflow by automating the filling, capping, and labelling of vials. Moreover, in August 2019, Capsa Healthcare, a global leader in developing and delivering innovative healthcare solutions, launched new Kirby Lester KL-SR secure robotic dispenser. This dispenser expeditiously handles the prescription dispensing of retail pharmacies. Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/4847 Key Market Takeaways: The global healthcare robotics market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.8% over the forecast period, owing to rising product approvals by regulatory authorities. For instance, in November 2019, avateramedical GmbH, a German medical technology company, received CE approval for its avatera(R) system for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Among product type, systems segment accounted for largest market share in 2021, owing to increasing product launches. For instance, in November 2019, Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, launched a new version Welwalk WW-2000, a robot designed to assist rehabilitation support for patients with lower limb paralysis. Key players operating in the global healthcare robotics market include Accuray Incorporated., Capsa Healthcare, LLC., Hocoma, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Agilent Technologies, Inc., Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Titan Medical, Inc., Aurora Biomed Inc., Abbott, Omnicell, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Stryker Corporation, Medtronic Plc., Parata Systems LLC, avateramedical GmbH, Toyota Motor Corporation, Siemens Healthineers AG, BIONIK Laboratories Corp., THINK Surgical, Inc., Globus Medical Inc., and Restoration Robotics, Inc. Need customized report? Please visit @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/4847 Detailed Segmentation: Global Healthcare Robotics Market, By Product Type: Systems Surgical Robots Rehabilitation Robots Non-invasive Radiosurgery Robots Hospital and Pharmacy Robots Others Instruments & Accessories Global Healthcare Robotics Market, By End User: Hospitals Pharmacies Rehabilitation Centers Home Care Settings Global Healthcare Robotics Market, By Region: North America By Country: U.S. Canada Europe By Country: U.K. Germany Italy France Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific By Country: China India Japan ASEAN Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America By Country: Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa By Country: GCC Countries Israel South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Purchase this Complete Report Now @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/4847 About Us: Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients. Contact Us: Mr. Shah Senior Client Partner Business Development Coherent Market Insights Phone: US: +1-206-701-6702 UK: +44-020-8133-4027 Japan: +81-050-5539-1737 India: +91-848-285-0837 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Coherent Market Insights "We here at the Dallas Cowboys are proud to partner with a trusted, well-known brand in Hilti to help us with our daily needs at AT&T Stadium and The Star in Frisco," said Dallas Cowboys Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones. "With so many events that we host at both facilities, having a reliable partner with incredible tools at our disposal to assist with those turns for each event will be a huge win for us going forward." "This multi-year partnership between two great premium brands opens a lot of opportunities for Hilti to be showcased by the five-time world champion team," said Martina McIsaac, Region Head and CEO of Hilti North America. Hilti North America is also the Official Tool Provider for American Airlines Center in Dallas and the Texas Rangers stadium in Arlington. About Hilti North America Hilti supplies the worldwide construction and energy industries with technologically leading products, systems, software, and services. With almost 4,000 team members in North America, the company stands for direct customer relationships, quality, and innovation. The Hilti headquarters for North America are in Plano, Texas, along with a distribution center in Dallas, a service and research center in Irving, and a major Operations Center in Tulsa, Okla. The global Hilti Group has 30,000 team members in over 120 countries. The company is privately owned by the Martin Hilti Family Trust. The Hilti Group's strategic orientation is based on a caring and performance-oriented culture and the goals of creating enthusiastic customers and building a better future. SOURCE Hilti, Inc. HHI Group announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Palantir Technologies in Las Vegas on January 4 for the establishment of a big data platform and a joint venture. The agreement signing event was held in a hybrid online and offline format one day before the world's most influential tech event "CES 2022." The event was attended by Kisun Chung, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings; Young-cheul Cho, CEO of Hyundai Doosan Infracore; Seok Cho, CEO of Hyundai Electric; as well as chief executives from Palantir Technologies. Based on the agreement, HHI Group and Palantir Technologies will jointly build a big data platform for the Group's key affiliates related to shipbuilding & offshore engineering, energy, and industrial machinery. HHI Group will provide the affiliates' process expertise and sales know-how whereas Palantir Technologies will offer software and development personnel. Once the big data platform for each affiliate is built, the two parties plan to create a joint venture that specializes in developing and selling big data platform services. Based on the accumulated achievements, the joint venture will commercialize big data solutions from platform construction to operation to generate sales targeting domestic and foreign companies. Hyundai Heavy Industries, a shipbuilding and offshore engineering affiliate of HHI Group, is working on the "Future of Shipyard (FOS)" project to transform itself into a smart shipyard, the first of its kind in the world, by 2030. All processes from design to production are connected in real time to build a shipyard that enables smart work management where Palantir Technologies' big data platform is applied. The big data platform will also be adopted by energy affiliates, such as Hyundai Oilbank. The energy company plans to build a platform at its plant in Daesan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, for five years from this year with a strategy to maximize process efficiency by integrating more than 100 production management systems into one. Hyundai Doosan Infracore, an affiliate of industrial machinery, already developed "DI 360," a big data collaboration platform, with Palantir Technologies in 2019, and is currently using it to manage its parts supply chain, handle on-site quality claim issues, and seize sales opportunities. HHI Group and Palantir Technologies are also planning to consider building a platform for other affiliates, such as Hyundai Construction Equipment. Kisun Chung, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, said, "We expect that this partnership with Palantir Technologies will substantially improve the competitiveness of core businesses of the Group. It will be an important turning point in innovation of organizational culture that changes the way we work using data." "HHI Group shaped one of the most significant industries of the twentieth century and is absolutely vital to the lives we lead," said Alexander C. Karp, co-founder and chief executive officer of Palantir Technologies Inc, who attended through a video call. "We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to partner with a company that is not only a leader among the world's industrial giants but one whose continued growth and success are critical to our collective welfare and security." About Palantir Technologies Inc.: Palantir Technologies Inc. builds and deploys operating systems for the modern enterprise. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com. SOURCE Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group DUBLIN, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aircraft Tire Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global aircraft tire market reached a value of US$ 1.56 Billion in 2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during 2021-2026. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor. An aircraft tire refers to a specialized wheel that is designed to provide stability to the aircraft and withstand heavy loads at high speeds. The tires are manufactured using nylon, steel and natural and artificial rubber and some of the common types of aircraft tires include radial and bias-ply tires. The radial tires consist of perpendicular fiber stands that are fixed at the tire sidewall in the direction of rotation to minimize bidirectional and sidewall flexibility. On the other hand, a bias-ply tire consists of fabric bias that can stretch on the bias and is placed across the direction of rotation and sidewall. The significant growth in the commercial aviation and defense industries is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. With the increasing air traffic across the globe, there is a growing need for highly efficient flight safety mechanisms, including tires, to ensure maximum passenger safety. Aeronautical manufactures are emphasizing on producing light-weight aircraft tires that are integrated with improved braking systems, which is providing a boost to the market growth. Additionally, advancements in tire manufacturing technologies, such as the utilization of next-generation materials, synthetic elastomer rubber and cross-linkable rubber, are acting as another growth-inducing factor. These materials are highly durable and aid in enhancing the overall fuel-efficiency of the aircraft by minimizing the weight of the tire. Other factors, including the growing demand for aircraft for various combat and non-combat operations in the defense sector, along with the increasing government investments in the aviation infrastructure, are projected to drive the market further. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Aviation Tires, Bridgestone Corporation, Desser Tire & Rubber Co., Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Michelin, Petlas Tire Corporation, Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd., Specialty Tires of America, Wilkerson Company Inc. (Wco) Ltd., etc. Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 2.1 Objectives of the Study 2.2 Stakeholders 2.3 Data Sources 2.3.1 Primary Sources 2.3.2 Secondary Sources 2.4 Market Estimation 2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach 2.4.2 Top-Down Approach 2.5 Forecasting Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Aircraft Tire Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Product Type 6.1 Radial 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Bias 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Platform 7.1 Fixed Wing 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Rotary Wing 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Sector 8.1 OEM 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Replacement 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by Application 9.1 Commercial Aircraft 9.1.1 Market Trends 9.1.2 Major Types 9.1.2.1 Narrow Body Aircraft 9.1.2.2 Wide Body Aircraft 9.1.2.3 Very Large Aircraft 9.1.2.4 Regional Transport Aircraft 9.1.3 Market Forecast 9.2 Non-Commercial Aircraft 9.2.1 Market Trends 9.2.2 Market Forecast 10 Market Breakup by Region 11 SWOT Analysis 12 Value Chain Analysis 13 Porters Five Forces Analysis 14 Price Indicators 15 Competitive Landscape 15.1 Market Structure 15.2 Key Players 15.3 Profiles of Key Players 15.3.1 Aviation Tires 15.3.1.1 Company Overview 15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.2 Bridgestone Corporation 15.3.2.1 Company Overview 15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.2.3 Financials 15.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.3 Desser Tire & Rubber Co., LLC 15.3.3.1 Company Overview 15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.4 Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd. 15.3.4.1 Company Overview 15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.5 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 15.3.5.1 Company Overview 15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.6 Michelin 15.3.6.1 Company Overview 15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.6.3 Financials 15.3.7 Petlas Tire Corporation 15.3.7.1 Company Overview 15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.8 Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd. 15.3.8.1 Company Overview 15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.9 Specialty Tires of America 15.3.9.1 Company Overview 15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.10 Wilkerson Company Inc. (Wco) 15.3.10.1 Company Overview 15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wgtm04 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Frederiksen joins to drive Lacework's rapid EMEA growth, further transform cloud security LONDON, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lacework , the data-driven security platform for the cloud, today announced the appointment of Jesper Frederiksen as General Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Frederiksen, an industry leading SaaS and cloud expert with a track record of helping organisations scale their regional footprints, will spearhead the company's EMEA go-to-market strategy, manage strategic partnerships, and engage directly with key customers to help them succeed on their cloud security journey. Frederiksen joins the company with more than 15 years of expertise in cloud infrastructure and more than 25 years of experience helping IT and technology organisations achieve rapid growth. He is responsible for building out strategic regional teams in core technology hubs across EMEA such as Munich, Amsterdam, Paris and Stockholm, and will seek to double his 100-strong team in the next year, with a focus on helping local customers protect against cloud-focused attacks in an increasingly complex IT environment. Prior to joining Lacework, Frederiksen led EMEA operations as VP and General Manager at both DocuSign and Okta and is currently a non-executive board member at Keepit, Siteimprove, Signaturit and LearnUpon. "The past 18 months have been transformative not just for the technology industry, but for enterprises in every sector. As the world has increasingly gone digital, implementing cloud infrastructure has become a top priority which has further expanded the attack surface. With cloud technology becoming foundational to most businesses they must re-architect how they operate and stay secure, or they will struggle to innovate and succeed," said Frederiksen. "Overcoming this issue requires data-driven solutions, and Lacework offers the most uniquely valuable solution the IT and security industries have seen in recent years. I am thrilled to be leading the team across EMEA and ensuring continued customer success in the world of cloud security." Frederiksen joins as EMEA General Manager at a time of hyper-growth for Lacework. The organisation has seen 3x revenue growth, a more than 3x increase in new customers including recent wins in EMEA with AB Tasty , Akoova , Scurri , Sliide and Snowplow and more than 3x employee growth year-over-year. This appointment also follows the announcement that former Facebook VP of Engineering and Infrastructure, Jay Parikh, has joined Lacework as Co-CEO to help David "Hat" Hatfield drive the company's product and infrastructure innovation engine. "Lacework is seeing investment not only in R&D but across the board as we welcome leaders in every sector of the business. Our team is growing quickly, and this rapid expansion is a testament to our data-driven technology and the solutions we provide to organisations across the globe," said Andy Byron, President and CRO, Lacework. "Jesper's significant knowledge and experience in supporting EMEA customers and his intimate understanding of their pain points make him the best person in the industry to spearhead our growth initiatives in-region." About Lacework Lacework is the data-driven security platform for the cloud. The Lacework Cloud Security Platform, powered by Polygraph, automates cloud security at scale so our customers can innovate with speed and safety. Only Lacework can collect, analyze, and accurately correlate data across an organization's AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes environments, and narrow it down to the handful of security events that matter. Customers all over the globe depend on Lacework to drive revenue, bring products to market faster and safer and consolidate point security solutions into a single platform. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Lacework is backed by leading investors like Sutter Hill Ventures, Altimeter Capital, D1 Capital Partners, Tiger Global Management, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Franklin Templeton, Durable Capital, General Catalyst, XN, Coatue, Dragoneer, Liberty Global Ventures, and Snowflake Ventures, among others. Get started at www.lacework.com. Copyright 2021 Lacework Inc. All rights reserved. SOURCE Lacework AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Collective, a giving community dedicated to funding nonprofits addressing systemic issues with sustainable, innovative solutions, today announces its launch as an independent Texas nonprofit corporation, with an IRS application pending for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Previously, Legacy Collective existed solely as a donor-advised fund under a separate 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. This change allows Legacy to receive funding from a wider range of sources, thus funding more grants to nonprofits worldwide. All operations were moved under the new entity on January 1, 2022. Legacy Collective donors will not be affected by the change. Additionally, Legacy Collective announces a record-breaking year in 2021, giving 41 grants totaling $1,086,779 across 9 states, 7 countries, and 4 continents serving over 13 different cause areas. "We've spent more than a year re-structuring Legacy, and now with the best team, the best practices, and the best community, we are ready to scale beyond our wildest dreams," says Jen Hatmaker, Legacy Co-Founder and Chief Outreach Officer. "Our goals for local and global impact through the consistent investment of our givers are through the roof." "Legacy Collective's transition to independent nonprofit status is coming at the perfect time," says B.T. Harman, Legacy Chairman of the Board. "Both our team and Legacy's Giving Circle donors are fired up to make a serious impact on a variety of systemic issues in the coming years." A new Board of Directors has been named to support the new structure of Legacy Collective. The board members are: "In the past year, we've doubled our donations and number of grants given, built a new Board, launched two significant programs, and are now entering this new season as our own nonprofit," says Arnheim. "I am so excited to see how our new organizational structure and programs allow us to support and amplify nonprofits addressing systemic issues in innovative and sustainable ways at levels we can't begin to imagine. Collective giving makes a greater impact, and it's more fun when we give together!" Legacy Collective is poised for more growth in 2022. Legacy recently launched Corporate Giving Circles and City Giving Circles. Corporate Giving Circles provide a simple way for employees to give together in the workplace through a program outsourced to and managed by Legacy. City Giving Circles allow conferences to generate fundraising dollars for local nonprofits through attendee registration. About Legacy Collective Legacy Collective works to engage systemic problems related to social issues by resourcing what we believe to be the most innovative efforts and funding the most critical projects. Follow Legacy Collective online: Contact: Whitney Otstott, 512-699-7730, [email protected] SOURCE Legacy Collective AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Living Security, a pioneer in human risk management and leader in cybersecurity training, is proud to announce its inclusion in the prestigious Built In 2022 Best Places to Work Awards. This is the second year in a row that the company has been honored, earning a place on the 2022 Best Places to Work and Best Small Companies to Work For in Austin lists. The annual awards program includes companies of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises, and honors both remote-first employers as well as companies in the eight largest tech markets across the U.S. "This award is meaningful because it's a testament to our commitment to provide a caring, diverse, and inclusive workspace where our employees can truly reach their fullest potential," said Ashley Rose, CEO and co-founder of Living Security. "Being recognized alongside the other companies on this list and for a second year running is an honor." Built In determines the winners of Best Places to Work based on an algorithm, using company data about compensation, benefits and companywide programming. To reflect the benefits candidates are searching for most frequently on Built In, the program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings. "It is my honor to extend congratulations to the 2022 Best Places to Work winners," says Sheridan Orr, Chief Marketing Officer, Built In. "This year saw a record number of entrants and the past two years fundamentally changed what tech professionals want from work. These honorees have risen to the challenge, evolving to deliver employee experiences that provide the meaning and purpose today's tech professionals seek." Living Security is on a trajectory of rapid growth as the company prepares to launch its new human risk management platform, Unify in 2022. The company tripled its employee headcount in 2021 for the third year in a row, and is actively recruiting. ABOUT BUILT IN'S BEST PLACES TO WORK Built In's esteemed Best Places to Work Awards, now in its fourth year, honor companies across numerous categories: 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Small Places to Work, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work, 50 Companies with the Best Benefits and 50 Best Paying Companies, 100 Best Large Companies to Work For, and 50 Best Remote-First Places to Work. About Living Security Founded in 2017, Living Security's mission is to help prevent cybersecurity breaches with a human risk management platform that does more than just meet compliance needs and truly changes behavior. Living Security believes empowering people is the key to ending breaches. Gamified learning and immersive experiences engage and educate users, while the science-backed, tech-enabled platform uniquely provides CISOs the ability to measure effectiveness and program ROI. Named one of Austin's Best Places to Work, the Living Security team is composed of nearly 80 cybersecurity professionals committed to transforming security awareness training as we know it and turning end users into the enterprise's greatest asset against cybercrime. Living Security is trusted by security-minded organizations like CVS Health, MasterCard, Verizon, MassMutual, Biogen, AmerisourceBergen, Hewlett Packard, JP Morgan and Target. Learn more at www.livingsecurity.com. SOURCE Living Security TAIPEI, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MaiCoin Group strives to launch social impact NFTs regularly to support social welfare organizations and give back to the community through MaiCoin/AMIS's Qubic Creator servicea one-stop NFT store creator solution. Qubic Creator is developed by AMIS Technologies, which is MaiCoin Group's blockchain solution arm. Following Qubic Wallet, AMIS Technologies has now launched this one-stop NFT store creator service under the company's exclusive brand, Qubic, to serve the goal of building its own NFT marketplace. Against this backdrop, MaiCoin Group has established the Common Wealth, a platform which aims to link blockchain technology with the common good. As its first project, the Common Wealth joined hands with Taiwan's emerging illustrator, Island Moment, in launching carbon credit-backed NFTs to promote public awareness on decarbonization and contribute to the environment. MaiCoin Group has long been concerned about environmental protection, especially issues related to carbon emissions. Therefore, in addition to its long-standing tree planting project, MaiCoin Group also collaborated with I Love To Plant Trees Company Limited in launching an eco-friendly NFT in October 2021, which were sold out within two hours of its drop. This demonstrates a strong interest in participation among the people and a huge potential for blockchain technology applications. Carbon neutrality issues have long been one of the focuses of MaiCoin Group. Meanwhile, as the bridges between the cyber and physical worlds, blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies can be utilized to contribute to carbon-neutrality. As a beneficiary of the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry, MaiCoin Group sees the need to proactively help neutralize the carbon emissions generated by crypto-miners. Recently, it voluntarily purchased 2,068 tons of carbon credits from South Pole, and successfully sold 1,800 tons through this recent carbon credit backed-NFT project. For this project, MaiCoin Group invited Taiwan's emerging illustrator, Island Moment, to produce hand paintings depicting Taiwan's unique scenery. With the theme of "Preserving Nature for Reciprocal Offerings", Island Moment produces illustrations of three clean energy sources in Taiwanwind, water, and sun, to express the idea that the mother nature will reciprocate Taiwanese's kindness to nature and efforts in preserving natural assets with a cleaner and more beautiful Formosa Island. To encourage public participation in decarbonization and eco-friendly activities, a total of 450 carbon credit-backed NFTs have been launched using the ERC-721 standard, with each NFT representing 4 tons of carbon credits. As pointed out by founder and CEO of MaiCoin Group, Alex Liu, "At present, there is a basic international consensus on cross-border carbon trading between governments and enterprises, but in order to make carbon trading more efficient and smoother, blockchain technology shall come into play as one of the solutions; in order to link carbon trading with decarbonization substantively, a heightened public awareness and more committed carbon reduction behaviors are needed. By launching these carbon credit-backed NFTs, MaiCoin Group hopes to spark public discussion around this issue, because 'reducing carbon emissions to save the planet' should not be a slogan, but everyone's daily life." MaiCoin Group will take the Common Wealth as the starting point to collaborate with different groups in launching social impact NFTs on a regular basis. In addition, through the borderless nature of NFTs, MaiCoin Group hopes to bring this issue across the world, become a force for good along with the non-profit organizations, and weave a better future with blockchain technology. About the Common Wealth - https://commonwealth.maicoin.com/ A "commonwealth" refers to a group of people who live together, are self-governed, and help each other in daily lives. Just like every person is a unique individual, every NFT is a unique existence; and here we are using blockchain to call on everyone and connect each other to do a part for our communities. As we identify problems, speak out on important issues, and contribute together, the barriers between us disappear. Sharing the same beliefs, let us all build a cluster for the common good together as the Common Wealth. About Qubic Creator - https://creator.qubic.market/ Qubic Creator is developed by AMIS Technologies, which is the blockchain solution arm of MaiCoin Group. Following Qubic Wallet, AMIS Technologies has now launched this one-stop NFT store creator service under the company's exclusive brand, Qubic, to serve the goal of building its own NFT marketplace. The one-stop Qubic Creator service offers: latest technologies' support for brands and enterprises to help them launch their one-of-a-kind NFTs along with permanent storage and establish their official NFT marketplaces; a backend management system as intuitive as one's own official website; and connection to Qubic Wallet, which supports credit card payments in New Taiwan dollars, making it easier for consumers to store their NFTs. With core blockchain technologies as its backbone, AMIS Technologies' Qubic strives to provide NFT-as-a-Service. It is also committed to becoming a bridge between the public and the decentralized world, so that enterprises and typical users will not be held back by the rocket science of blockchain technology and can enter the decentralized world without pain. About MaiCoin Group MaiCoin Group is Taiwan's longest running digital asset platform. It has operated a digital asset brokerage service since 2014. It is now Taiwan's leading digital asset trading group with its services ranging from crypto exchanges to blockchain-related technologies and owns subsidiaries including MaiCoin, AMIS, MAX (MaiCoin Asset Exchange), Qubic and MaiCapital (Hong Kong). SOURCE MaiCoin Group SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Memora Health, a technology company offering an intelligent platform that simplifies how patients and clinicians navigate complex care journeys, was endorsed today by the Montana Hospital Association (MHA). The MHA is a hospital member organization that nominates vendors through a meticulous vetting process, sourcing revolutionary breakthroughs in healthcare solutions. Memora Health first gained the attention of the MHA through their innovative partnership with Montana-based Frontier Psychiatry. The telepsychiatry practice uses Memora Health to connect patients to real-time care and follow-up using a comprehensive virtual visit and care coordination platform. "We are on a mission to improve access to care for Montanans, and bringing new technologies to our communities is a necessary part of that journey," said Dr. Reza Hosseini Ghomi, Frontier Psychiatry's Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer. "Memora Health has proven that they can support the unique care needs of our rural population through their innovative platform," said Sean Becker, VP of Shared Services for the MHA. "The fact that Frontier Psychiatry realized 10x consultation growth in a mere few months caught our attention. We are excited to see how Memora Health can support other Montana sites to scale their complex care needs." Over the last four years, Memora Health has enabled intelligent care journeys for over 50 healthcare organizations. Memora's platform has proven to deliver impressive value for both patients and clinicians as demonstrated by high satisfaction ratings (92% and 96%, respectively), a 91% patient retention rate, and over 2.5 hours saved per care team member per day. "We applaud the MHA for its commitment to sourcing digital health solutions that can reach rural Montanans where they are," said Memora Health CEO and co-founder, Manav Sevak. "Our platform enables meaningful patient care using intelligent care pathways via secure two-way text, and solves for the geographic and financial barriers that can prevent patients from accessing their care teams today." About Memora Health Memora Health helps healthcare organizations digitize and automate complex care workflows, making them simple for patients and clinicians to navigate. Memora Health ingests existing data on clinical workflows, converts them into cohesive messaging journeys that guide patients through their care episodes, and automates the completion of simple follow-up tasks in the EHR. Memora's platform reduces care team notifications by nearly 40%, has an average NPS over 70, and improves clinical outcomes across various populations. Memora Health is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with clients and team members around the world. For more information about Memora Health, visit memorahealth.com. About Montana Hospital Association The Montana Hospital Association (MHA) is a nonprofit organization with more than eighty members, including 100% of Montana's hospitals, that provide the full spectrum of healthcare services. This includes hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facilities, home health, hospice, physician services, assisted living, senior housing, and insurance services. MHA Ventures, Inc. is the for-profit subsidiary of MHA, created to deliver solutions that improve patient care, reduce operating costs and strengthen the financial viability of Montana's hospitals. Learn more at MTHA.org . For more information on Memora Health, please email Lara Key, [email protected] SOURCE Memora Health "We are extremely happy to welcome Merrilee Matchett to our National Board of Directors," said Forest T. Harper, Jr., president and CEO, INROADS, Inc. "Since 1990, INROADS and MetLife have partnered to advance a pipeline of diverse talent and this will be amplified by Merrilee's experience and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion." Matchett directs a team of more than 10,000 associates responsible for managing the operations and servicing teams that support and enable MetLife's businesses across more than 40 global markets. She has been an advocate for diversity and women in financial services throughout her 30-year career. She sits on MetLife's Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) leadership council because of her purpose-driven leadership and commitment to championing DEI. "Part of advancing a meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion strategy is driving sustainable change that people feel," said Matchett. "Supporting equity through career progression is one of many ways to do that, which is why I am so excited to further INROADS' mission and MetLife's commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable workforce and society." Matchett has been recognized with numerous market awards for outstanding service and operations performance. She joined MetLife in 2021 from Bank of America, where she was responsible for fulfillment and operations for global wealth management, private banking, and institutional and personal retirement businesses. There, she founded the "Asia Women in Technology & Operations" inclusion network, which has since grown into one of the largest corporate inclusion networks in the financial services industry. For more information on MetLife's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, visit MetLife.com. About INROADS Founded in 1970, INROADS delivers innovative programs and creative solutions that identify, accelerate and elevate the development of underrepresented talent throughout their careers. Through this development, students become equipped for corporate and community leadership that affects community renewal, social change and elevates economic status and quality of life. INROADS has more than 30,000 alumni, over 900 interns and serves 4,000+ students and 200 corporate clients. Learn more at INROADS.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn: @INROADSInc. SOURCE INROADS Inc. Related Links http://www.inroads.org LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mimi Hearing Technologies, the global leader in hearing wellbeing, will use the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show to demonstrate its latest sound personalization technologies and discuss future innovations to improve audio experiences while also protecting hearing wellbeing at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show. Mimi develops and licenses science-based hearing enhancement technology to B2B customers including electronic device manufacturers, streaming providers and hearing aid companies. Mimi's Sound Personalization technology works by assessing the listener's hearing ability in minutes with the Mimi Hearing Test. After the test, a Hearing ID is created and the patented audio processing automatically adapts all audio in real-time. Once completed, the listener's Hearing ID is stored in the device adjusting the sound to the user's unique hearing profile wherever they listen. As a result, more sounds become audible again, and details otherwise lost are restored, creating a more immersive and intelligible audio experience. The company finished 2021 on a strong note, closing a $25 million round of Series B funding led by MIG Capital in a consortium of German family offices and existing shareholders, and announcing several new industry and product partnerships. Most recently Mimi Sound Personalization has been integrated into the following products: Skullcandy's Grind Fuel Earbuds offers premium features like Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology that allow hands-free voice control and Personal Sound powered by Mimi, for a customizable audio experience. offers premium features like Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology that allow hands-free voice control and Personal Sound powered by Mimi, for a customizable audio experience. Cleer Audio's new Ally Plus II , true wireless earbuds will offer users in the United States the ability to assess their hearing health and enjoy an enhanced listening experience through Mimi Sound Personalization. , true wireless earbuds will offer users in the ability to assess their hearing health and enjoy an enhanced listening experience through Mimi Sound Personalization. CEVA will bring Mimi's advanced hearing IP to its Bluebud wireless audio platform and help lower the entry barrier for the development of assistive hearables and TWS headphones. "Mimi Hearing Technologies' mission from the start has been to make people's hearing health the main focus of their listening experience," said Philipp Skribanowitz, Mimi CEO. "This is a huge market -- we estimate more than 92 million assistive hearables will ship in 2024 and anticipate smart hearable technology will be adopted by the majority of TWS earbuds and headsets, further opening up the market for sound personalization software. This market is going to grow very, very quickly, and is ripe for change." To schedule a discussion with Mimi, please contact [email protected] About Mimi Hearing Technologies Founded in 2014 in Berlin, Mimi Hearing Technologies is a world-leading provider of digital healthcare hearing tests and hearing-ability-based sound personalization. Born out of years of scientific research, Mimi aims to give listeners the best possible audio experience driven by a commitment to hearing health across any device tailored to the individual listener. Mimi wants to create a world where hearing is no longer a barrier to interaction and enjoyment. The company's website can be found at https://mimi.io Mimi products and integrations have won numerous international awards, including the EISA Best Buy OLED TV (2021-2022) for sound personalization in TP Vision Philips TV, the CES Innovation Award (2019 & 2018) for sound personalization in Beyerdynamic headphones, the SATVISION Innovation Prize (2018) for sound optimization in Loewe TVs, the Sonar+D Award for Innovation (2017), StartUps & Developer Award at the San Francisco Music Tech Summit (2017) and the IFA Berlin Prize for Audio Innovation (2017). SOURCE Mimi Hearing Technologies NUBIAN PROVIDES EARLY WARNING DISCLOSURE TORONTO, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Nubian Resources Ltd. (TSXV: NBR) (OTCQB: NBRFF) ("Nubian") and Athena Gold Corporation (CSE: ATHA) (OTCQB: AHNR) are pleased to announce the completion of the sale by Nubian and the acquisition by Athena of the remaining 90% interest that Nubian held in the Excelsior Springs exploration project (the "Property") located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, USA, as contemplated in the option agreement (the "Option Agreement") dated December 11, 2020, as amended on November 10, 2021, between Nubian, Nubian Resources (USA) Ltd. ("Holdco") and Athena. Athena acquired the interest in the Property through its acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of Holdco, the legal owner of the claims and mineral rights comprising the Property. As a result of the transaction, through its ownership of Holdco, Athena now holds a 100% interest in the Property, subject to a 1% of net smelter returns royalty (the "Royalty") with respect to the Property granted to Nubian. The transaction was effected as at December 31, 2021 pursuant to the terms a share purchase agreement (the "Share Purchase Agreement"), whereby Nubian sold to Athena and Athena purchased from Nubian all of the shares of Holdco for the remaining consideration payable under the terms of the Option Agreement, which consisted of 45 million shares of Athena's common stock ("Athena Shares") and the Royalty. Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Nubian also agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to distribute all Athena Shares that it holds to its shareholders, pro rata, subject to certain conditions, including that the distribution can be effected in accordance with applicable laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, exempt from the requirements to file a prospectus in Canada. In order to facilitate this proposed distribution, Nubian and Athena agreed to prepare and file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement on Form S-1, covering the resale and distribution by Nubian to its shareholders of the Athena Shares held by it, which distribution is not expected to occur for a minimum period of six months. Additional details about the timing and manner of the planned distribution of the Athena Shares by Nubian will be provided by it in subsequent public disclosures. In addition, Nubian agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, for a period of twelve months from the closing of the transaction, or until such time as Nubian owns less than 4.9% of the outstanding Athena Shares, it will not vote against any matters that have been recommended by Athena's board of directors for approval by Athena's shareholders at any meeting of Athena shareholders. Martin Walter, President and CEO of Nubian stated, "We are very pleased with closing the transaction under the Option Agreement through the sale of Holdco and also to provide Nubian shareholder's with an opportunity to continue to benefit from the upside potential of the Property through the Athena Shares acquired by Nubian under the transaction." John Power, President and CEO of Athena added, "We are excited to complete the 100% acquisition of Excelsior Springs, an advanced stage Gold exploration project, located in the premier mining jurisdiction of Nevada. We are finalizing our aggressive 2022 exploration plans for Excelsior Springs and look forward to advancing the Property." Early Warning Disclosure As announced on August 31, 2020, Nubian previously acquired 5,000,000 Athena Shares and received a cash payment of US $10,000 from Athena in exchange for a 10% interest in the Property. Immediately before the transaction, Nubian held these 5,000,000 Athena Shares, representing approximately 6.2% of the Athena Shares then issued and outstanding. Upon completion of the transaction, Nubian held an aggregate of 50,00,0000 Athena Shares, representing approximately 40% of the Athena Shares then issued and outstanding. The Athena Shares acquired by Nubian in the Transaction were acquired by Nubian as transaction consideration and are intended to be held for investment purposes. Nubian has no present intention to acquire additional securities of Athena and plans to distribute the Athena Shares now held by it to its shareholders. In addition, from time to time and depending on market and other conditions, Nubian may increase or decrease its beneficial ownership, control or direction over those securities through market transactions, private agreements or otherwise. This news release is being issued pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues, which requires Nubian to file a report under Athena's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) containing additional information respecting the foregoing matters. A copy of the early warning report to be filed by Nubian will be available under Athena's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and may also be obtained by contacting Martin Walter, President and CEO, Nubian Resources Ltd., at #202 Yale Court Plaza, 2526 Yale Court, Abbotsford, British Columbia V2S 8G9. ABOUT NUBIAN RESOURCES Nubian is a publicly traded precious and base metals exploration company managed by a team of experienced mining and geological professionals. Nubian's projects are focused in key mining jurisdictions in central Victoria and Tasmania, Australia and Peru. About Athena GOLD Athena is a publicly traded company engaged in the business of the acquisition and exploration of mineral resources. Athena is currently focused on the exploration and development of precious metals properties in the western United States. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange or the CSE nor their Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance, including, without limitation, the preparation and filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC, the distribution of Athena Shares by Nubian to its shareholders, and the potential upside of the Property and value of the Athena Shares. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "may" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Athena and Nubian's current beliefs or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of Athena and/or Nubian's management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in parameters of the projects as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic and current global financial conditions, increased competition, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, regulatory risks, including risks relating to licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks and title and environmental risks. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and neither Athena or Nubian is obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. SOURCE Nubian Resources Ltd. Related Links www.nubianr.com CHICAGO, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Atul Tandon, Chief Executive Officer of Opportunity International, a 50-year-old global organization that provides financial services to lift people out of poverty, has been selected for a lifetime achievement award by a panel of judges at NonProfit PRO, a well-regarded source for nonprofit management and strategy. Each year, NonProfit PRO recognizes nonprofit leaders who have dedicated their careers to fulfilling their organization's mission. Regarding their decision to choose Tandon among the hundreds of other nominees, the judges said, "Atul Tandon may have started his career in the for-profit world, but his decision to serve the world's extreme poor has led to NonProfit PRO recognizing him with 2021's Lifetime Achievement award." Prior to his two decades of service in the non-profit sector, Tandon had a successful career in financial services where he contributed to the launch of Citibank's consumer banking franchise in India, introducing services such as ATMs, credit cards, mortgages, consumer loans, and remote banking for the first time in the region. Citibank brought him to the U.S. in 1992, where Tandon oversaw the turnaround of its operations in California, then pioneered a customer-centered banking relationship before going on to manage the bank's global branch distribution network. In 2000, Tandon made the switch to the nonprofit sector, first with World Vision where he led the organization through a period of unprecedented expansion and tripled revenues over his nine-year tenure, then with United Way, where he helped build the world's largest network of community-based charities. Tandon's success in the nonprofit sector combined with his financial expertise paved the road to his current role as CEO of Opportunity International. Tandon has played an integral role in expanding Opportunity International's Education Finance program, which partners with financial institutions to support non-governmental schools that provide affordable, quality education for millions of students. Since joining Opportunity in 2016, Tandon has expanded the Education Finance program from 1,200 schools to 15,000 schools, impacting an additional 4.7 million children. Similarly, under Tandon's leadership, Opportunity's Agriculture Finance program hit the milestone of delivering $200 million in loans for farmers and reaching nearly 3 million lives in rural Africaa feat that will ensure farmers can harvest their crops, get their produce to market and feed their families and communities, all while earning a sustainable livelihood. In 2020, at the height of the global pandemic, Tandon led the expansion of Opportunity's programs to 104 total partners across 30 countries, currently serving an estimated 19 million peoplean increase from the 9 million people when he started. Tandon attributes his leadership success not just to Opportunity's clients, but also to his organization's staff and Board of Directors who have supported his visionary leadership. "On behalf of Opportunity International's Board of Directors, we want to express our gratitude to NonProfit PRO for acknowledging Atul's lifetime legacy in working to eliminate extreme poverty," said LeAnn Pedersen Pope, Board Chair, Opportunity International. "Many of the economic advances made in recent years have been severely impeded by the pandemic, but our organization remains committed to improving the lives and livelihoods of those who continue to struggle with extreme poverty around the world." ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL Opportunity International is a global non-profit celebrating 50 years of equipping people to work their way out of poverty. Opportunity provides 19.4 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2020, Opportunity International and its partners released $2.3 billion in capital across more than 30 countries and helped fund 8,800 schools that reached 2.8 million children. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. MEDIA CONTACT: Laura DesGranges 312-487-5091 [email protected] SOURCE Opportunity International CHICAGO, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-based R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO) today announced the passing of the firm's Chairman Emeritus, Robert J. O'Brien, Sr., yesterday at the age of 103. The company shared statements about the news. RJO Chairman and CEO Gerald Corcoran said: "Our hearts are heavy at RJO as we mourn the loss but honor the amazing life of Robert J. O'Brien, Sr., the patriarch of the O'Brien family who laid the foundation for the firm we are today. At the age of nearly 104, Bob was an inspiration to so many in the futures industry. His integrity, market knowledge and the knack to connect with market participants was unmatched. Bob continued to inspire us all with his profound integrity and sharp wit. He took tremendous pride in our organization and, of course, in his loving family that meant the world to him. We are truly grateful for his guidance over the years and blessed that we were able to celebrate our Centennial with him in 2014. "On behalf of the firm, we extend our deepest condolences to his children and grandchildren several of whom remain our majority owners, employees and active Board members today as well as his great-grandchildren. We will miss Bob dearly, but it helps to know that he and his wife, Gerry who passed three years ago just eight days shy of her 100th birthday led such full and wonderful lives together." RJO is the last surviving founding member firm of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, now CME Group. Robert O'Brien, Sr. served two consecutive terms as the exchange's chairman during a pivotal time in the history of the exchange, playing a significant role in making the governance structure more democratic and professional. He was on the Board of CME from 1964 through 1977 and was inducted into the FIA Futures Hall of Fame in 2007. "A true pioneer of finance, Robert J. O'Brien, Sr. was instrumental in expanding futures trading to new users around the world," said Terry Duffy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CME Group. "Under his leadership, R.J. O'Brien & Associates grew into the largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States. During his long and storied tenure, Bob made many significant contributions to our industry, serving as Chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange from 1967-68 and sponsoring the first woman to work on the trading floor. His legacy is a testament to the value he created in his firm as well as the many relationships he built with his employees, clients and most importantly his family." Leo Melamed, Chairman Emeritus of CME Group, said: "I am deeply saddened. Bob was instrumental in joining me in the 1950s and '60s to revolutionize the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Throughout his life, Bob O'Brien was a pillar of honesty and dignity as reflected in his firm, R.J. O'Brien & Associates. I commiserate his loss and stand ready to celebrate his life of wisdom and integrity." O'Brien is survived by five children, 22 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren. A native of Chicago, he returned to the city after serving in the Navy in World War II and graduated from DePaul University. Memories shared by O'Brien when he was 96 about the firm's first 100 years in business can be found in the RJO Centennial video at https://www.rjobrien.com/about/historical-timeline/. About R.J. O'Brien & Associates Founded in 1914, R.J. O'Brien & Associates is the largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, serving more than 80,000 institutional, commercial and individual clients globally, in addition to a network of approximately 300 introducing brokers (IBs). RJO services the industry's most expansive global network of IBs, a vast array of middle market firms and many of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading and 24-hour trade execution on every major futures exchange worldwide. RJO received the FOW International Award for Non-Bank FCM of the Year for five consecutive years. At the HFM US Quant Awards 2020, RJO won the award for Best Independent FCM the eighth honor bestowed by the HFM Global publications on RJO and its UK affiliate. SOURCE R.J. O'Brien & Associates WEST CHESTER, Pa., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Venerable today announced the appointment of Simon Scully to Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer. Scully will be directly responsible for driving the organization's IT security vision and strategy, and maintaining, overseeing, and implementing effective security programs and policies that protect organizational assets and technologies. With more than 25 years of IT experience, Scully has served in a broad range of IT roles including most recently leading Venerable's security operations team focused on security monitoring and incident response, compliance scanning and vulnerability management, penetration testing, security engineering, fraud prevention, and security training and awareness. In prior roles, Scully was responsible for leading threat centers, response teams, IT risk management organizations, and project teams as an IT project manager for Voya Financial. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and is also an Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner. Scully earned his Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from the University of Phoenix, and his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Florida. "Simon brings a wealth of experience and esteemed leadership to a critical function at Venerable," said Tim Billow, Chief Information Officer for Venerable. "The leadership team and I look forward to working closely with him to drive our organizational security practices in support of the firm's growth aspirations." About Venerable Venerable is a privately held company with business operations based in West Chester, Pennsylvania and Des Moines, Iowa. Venerable owns and manages legacy variable annuity business acquired from other entities. Created by an investor group led by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC, Crestview Partners, Reverence Capital Partners, and Athene Holdings, Ltd., Venerable is a business with well-established, strategic investors, experienced in successfully building and growing insurance businesses with patient, long-term capital. For more information, please visit www.venerable.com. Contact: Allison Proud Corporate Communications 610-249-9730 SOURCE Venerable To enter the contest, couples are invited to submit a photo or video entry on Skydeck's Facebook page from January 5 28, 2022, sharing their love story and why they wish to experience Love on The Ledge. On February 1, 2022, up to four couples will be selected as winners of a private wedding ceremony or vow renewal on the nation's highest observation deck to take place on February 13, 2022, the Sunday of Valentine's Day weekend. Each ceremony will be held on The Ledge at Skydeck, the observation deck's glass boxes that extend over four feet from the building, offering unforgettable views of the city and skyline. New this year, couples will also experience the Chicago-centric museum on the lower level of the Tower, which delivers a photo-worthy and interactive experience celebrating the unique personality, history, neighborhoods and sites of our beloved home, Chicago. "We're honored to continue supporting couples in their ultimate love stories. Skydeck has always been about creating unique, thrilling and memorable experiences high above our magical city," says Skydeck General Manager Randy Stancik. "With the newly transformed experience, the attraction further romanticizes Chicago, allowing guests to uniquely interact with our beloved city." Each winning couple will enjoy a private 15-minute vow renewal or wedding ceremony with the Chicago skyline as the backdrop, complimented by romantic floral and decor, and can be accompanied by up to eight guests. Further, couples will receive a stay the night before at Canopy by Hilton Chicago Central Loop located directly across the street from Willis Tower, a professional photoshoot taken during and after the ceremony, and deluxe offerings onsite, including breakfast and a champagne toast. Skydeck at Willis Tower boasts breathtaking views spanning up to 50 miles and four states and has seen more than 1,096 proposals, 116 weddings, 20 vow renewals and tens of thousands of dates at Skydeck and on The Ledge. After undergoing an extensive transformation in 2021, Skydeck offers a one-stop, Chicago-themed experience, highlighting the rich history, culture, cuisine and architecture of the city. For more information, please visit Skydeck's Facebook, Instagram or website. ABOUT SKYDECK CHICAGO AND THE LEDGE Skydeck Chicago is the breathtaking, thrilling observatory destination atop the iconic Willis Tower. The highest observation deck in the United States, Skydeck provides views of the city spanning up to four states and 50 miles on a clear day. Recently named a Tripadvisor.com World's Top Ten Attraction, Skydeck features The Ledge, four glass floor balconies extending 4.3 feet from Willis Tower and made of three layers of half-inch thick glass laminated into one seamless unit. After undergoing an extensive transformation in 2021, Skydeck offers a one-stop, Chicago-themed experience, highlighting the rich history, culture, cuisine and architecture of the city. For more information, please visit www.theskydeck.com or follow us on social media at @skydeckchicago. MEDIA CONTACTS Zapwater Communications Lauren Kelly and Bridget Keane [email protected] | [email protected] 312.943.0333 SOURCE Skydeck Chicago "We are delighted to welcome ACS as the sponsor of the cheese pavilion," said Bill Lynch, president of the SFA. "Cheese is an integral part of the $170.4 billion specialty food industry, consistently in the top five retail categories as shown in our research, and we can't wait to collaborate with ACS at the Show and beyond." "ACS is excited to support the American cheese community through pavilion sponsorship," said Tara Holmes, executive director, ACS. "Come February, it will have been over two years since we've gathered at a Fancy Food Show, so buyers and press can look forward to some incredible cheese sampling opportunities in Las Vegas." Traditionally the largest West Coast B2B-only specialty food and beverage show, the 2022 Winter Fancy Food Show is open only to the trade. The SFA continues to work nonstop with Las Vegas to ensure that all show safety protocols meet the needs of the specialty food community. As of press time, protocols include proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID test (within 72 hours) from all attendees; mandatory masking (mandated by the State of Nevada, including fully vaccinated individuals, wear a mask in public indoor settings). For more information, please click here . About American Cheese Society ACS is the leading organization supporting the understanding, appreciation, and promotion of artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheeses produced in the Americas. At 2,300 members strong, ACS provides advocacy, education, business development, and networking opportunities for cheesemakers, retailers, enthusiasts, and extended industry. ACS strives to continually raise the quality and availability of cheese in the Americas. Since its founding in 1983, ACS proudly hosts the foremost annual educational conference and world-renowned cheese judging and competition in North America. ACS is a 501(c)6 nonprofit association headquartered in Denver, Colo. To learn more about ACS, please visit http://www.cheesesociety.org or contact 720-328-2788. About the Specialty Food Association The Specialty Food Association (SFA) is the leading trade association and source of information about the $170.4 billion specialty food industry. Founded in 1952 in New York City, the SFA represents manufacturers, importers, retailers, distributors, brokers, and others in the trade. The SFA is known for its Fancy Food Shows ; the sofi Awards , which honor excellence in specialty food and beverage; the Trendspotter Panel Show reports and annual predictions; the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report and Today's Specialty Food Consumer research; the new ecommerce enabled SFA Product Marketplace , where members showcase products, tell their brand story, field meeting inquiries, and sell directly to qualified buyers; SFA Feed , the daily source for news, trends and new product information in the specialty food industry, and Spill & Dish: A Specialty Food Association Podcast . Facebook: Specialty Food Association LinkedIn: Specialty Food Association Twitter: @Specialty_Food Instagram: @specialtyfoodassociation Hashtags: #FancyFoodShow #ShapetheFutureofFood #VivaFancyFood #AmericanCheese SOURCE Specialty Food Association PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Strados Labs , a medical technology company harnessing the power of smart sensors, machine learning and proprietary algorithms to provide early detection and predictions of worsening respiratory diseases, today announced its pre-series A round of funding at $4.5M. Investors in the round included SOSV, cultivate(MD), Wavemaker360 Health, Blu Venture Investors and Broad Street Angels. The new funding comes on the heels of major commercial milestones including FDA Class II 510(k) clearance and CE Mark for its flagship product, RESPa, key contracts with major pharmaceutical partners for use in decentralized trials, the submission of four significant abstracts to the American Thoracic Society, and the appointment of Steve Bishop, former P&G Healthcare CEO, to the Strados Labs Board of Directors. "This next round of funding will allow us to scale RESP, conduct decentralized clinical trials, and bolster our proprietary lung sound and breathing pattern database to create the standard for acoustic biomarkers going forward," said Strados' co-founder and CEO Nick Delmonico. "What's really exciting is that we are supporting pharmaceutical companies in their trials by helping them rapidly scale their digital therapeutics using our clinically validated measures for wheeze, cough and other adventitious breath sounds, or CABSwhich is something no other cleared device can measure." Using objective respiratory data to determine treatments and therapies is needed now more than ever with staff shortages and the rise in decentralized respiratory clinical trials. RESP provides real-time access to key changes in lung acoustics and respiratory patternsgoing well beyond cough measurement to include wheezing, cough spasms, rails, rhonchi, and other adventitious lung sound and breathing patterns. "In 2022, we will target additional respiratory diseases, work to secure additional clearances, and build deeper partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and health plans to use our RESP technology to power their digital therapeuticsensuring patients with respiratory conditions have the best treatment plans and medications available to themespecially remotely," continued Delmonico. "In a consumer health-driven market, and especially during a global pandemic, companies using RESP to bridge the remote care gap will have an advantage over others." Strados Labs will be attending CES January 5-8, 2022. Attendees of CES are encouraged to visit the Strados Labs at Booth 61126 in Venetian Expo Hall G. About Strados Labs Strados Labs is a medical technology company developing smart sensor platforms that utilize machine learning and proprietary algorithms to detect and predict compounding conditions associated with serious, chronic respiratory diseases to improve the lives of patients globally. The Company developed a first-of-its-kind smart sensor platform for respiratory health, RESP. Strados was recently granted a CE Mark for RESP and received its FDA Class II 510(k) clearance for it last December. The Company is developing a robust pipeline of other smart sensor platforms to support and address other chronic diseases, as well as chronic disease management. Strados will continue to target asthma, COPD and infectious respiratory diseases (COVID, RSV, etc.) as it moves into 2022with plans to add heart failure in late 2022. The Company is based in Philadelphia and is a privately held company. For more information, visit: stradoslabs.com About SOSV SOSV manages over $700 million with a portfolio of over 900 startups. SOSV created the world's first life sciences accelerator in 2014, and in the past five years has backed 200 life science startups, raising more than $700 million, employing over 2,000 people, with a combined valuation of over $3 billion. About Broad Street Angels Broad Street Angels is an affinity club of The Union League of Philadelphia. It consists of about 100 Union League members who actively invest in qualified, early-stage enterprises in the Greater Philadelphia and mid-Atlantic region as a means of growing the economy, retaining, and attracting talent and fostering innovations that strengthen our civic infrastructure. Broad Street Angels, the Union League's angel investing Affinity Group, announced that its members have made an investment in DreamVu, Inc. The group is a member of the Angel Capital Association, PACT, PA Angel Network, and Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures. About cultivate(MD) Capital Funds As a medical device venture capital fund, cultivate(MD) is dedicated to bringing emerging health care innovations to market, with a special focus on medical device and orthopedic technologies. cultivate(MD) is focused on investing in early-stage healthcare companies with innovative technologies that have demonstrated evidence of effectiveness. About Wavemaker360 Health Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health is the leading U.S. early-stage (Seed and following on at the Series A) venture capital fund focused 100% on healthcare. Launched in 2018, Wavemaker 360 invests into the most promising healthcare startups in North America, with LPs from every sector of the US healthcare system. We are SEEDING HEALTHCARE'S TOMORROW. We invest in healthcare disruptors and entrepreneurs that see how the industry is transforming itself and want to make a big difference. About Blu Venture Investors Founded in 2010, Blu Ventures has deployed $85MM in capital to date in early-stage cyber and enterprise software firms. Currently, the firm is invested in 35 cyber companies to include ID.me, Cybrary, Huntress Labs, Ostendio and Threat Quotient. As a primary source venture capital firm, Blu's principals bring expertise across a variety of industries and an investment perspective closely aligned with entrepreneurs. For more information, visit https://bluventureinvestors.com. Media Contact: Inspire Agency (Formerly B Squared) on behalf of Strados Labs Sarah Broome [email protected] 1-714-469-9237 SOURCE Strados Labs In addition to broadening symplr's investor base, the transaction provides new and follow-on capital at a significantly larger scale to support the Company's accelerated organic growth and acquisition strategy. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. For more than 30 years, symplr has been committed to improving healthcare operations through its SaaS-based solutions, driving better operations for better outcomes. Since partnering with Clearlake in 2018, the Company has grown its billings and earnings by 500 percent. In addition to consistent strong organic growth over the last three years, symplr has completed nine acquisitions to expand its software portfolio across workforce management, contract & spend management, and compliance, quality & safety SaaS solutions. Today, symplr's extensive offering across healthcare GRC creates a differentiated value proposition to a large and growing base of healthcare systems and hospitals. The funding from the dedicated Clearlake investment vehicle provides symplr with access to approximately $1.6 billion in equity capital, including rollover from existing investors, that will enable the Company to aggressively pursue its organic growth initiatives and acquisition strategy. The Clearlake-managed single asset vehicle is funded by over 50 leading institutional investors. The transaction was led by leading private markets investors including Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Vintage Funds, Landmark Partners and Partners Group (acting on behalf of its clients) with more than a dozen existing investors who have re-committed to the Company for the long-term. Clearlake will maintain its position as symplr's lead investor and the transaction will result in no change to the governance of symplr or to its executive leadership team, led by CEO BJ Schaknowski. "We look forward to partnering with Clearlake and the talented symplr management team on the next chapter of their exciting growth," said Anthony Shontz, Co-Head of Private Equity Integrated Investments at Partners Group. "We continue to be impressed by symplr's robust track record of creating stakeholder value through portfolio enhancements and accretive acquisitions." "Symplr has built a differentiated asset of scale in healthcare GRC cloud-based software, and we believe the Company is poised to experience significant growth in the coming years," said Barry Miller, Partner at Landmark Partners, an Ares company. "We are enthusiastic to continue our support for the Clearlake Icon franchise and back long-term winners with additional new capital to accelerate organic and inorganic growth as symplr continues to advance its business and suite of software solutions, building upon the current momentum." Harold Hope, Head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Vintage Funds, added, "As consistent supporters of Clearlake's Icon platforms, we're excited to support Icon V and symplr. The Company is well-positioned to provide SaaS solutions that enable healthcare systems and hospitals to optimize operations, positively impacting the lives of both employees and patients. We were attracted to the Company's GRC software leadership, track record, vision and growth, as well as the value that has been created through recent acquisitions and operational growth initiatives." Symplr is advancing the gold standard for operational intelligence and healthcare excellence. With a comprehensive suite of best-in-class solutions and services, the Company is committed to a dual-pronged approach for growth that will drive the greatest possible impact in the shortest amount of time. The acquisition strategy targeting best-of-breed point solutions is bolstered by an unwavering commitment to R&D to accelerate integration and innovation. "We are excited to present our limited partners with Clearlake's fifth single-asset continuation vehicle, Icon V. By gaining new equity capital from world-class investors through this transaction, symplr can further implement its strategic growth initiatives to maximize value creation," said Behdad Eghbali, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Prashant Mehrotra, Partner, at Clearlake. "Over the past three years, symplr has invested significantly in its cloud-based software platform to address the large and growing markets for healthcare operations and GRC SaaS solutions. We are proud of the progress symplr has made and believe that with the continued support of our O.P.S. framework, as well as sponsorship from our partners at Charlesbank, the Company will further establish itself as a leading provider of healthcare operations SaaS solutions to drive better patient outcomes." "Symplr has achieved significant growth over the past three years, and this investment reflects confidence in our growth plans and ongoing expansion as one of the most diversified platforms of scale in healthcare operations and GRC," said BJ Schaknowski, symplr CEO. "We are honored to have so many top-tier investors bringing fresh capital to accelerate our growth organically and through acquisition initiatives, and we believe our comprehensive software solutions position us well for future success." Evercore and Credit Suisse acted as financial advisors and Kirkland & Ellis provided legal counsel to Clearlake as part of the transaction. About symplr symplr's comprehensive healthcare operations cloud-based software solutions, anchored in governance, risk management, and compliance, enable our enterprise customers to efficiently navigate the unique complexities of integrating critical business operations in healthcare. For over 30 years, our customers have trusted our expertise and depended on our provider data management, workforce and talent management, contract management, spend management, access management, and compliance, quality, and safety software solutions to help drive better operations for better outcomes. Learn how at www.symplr.com. About Clearlake Capital Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit, and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake currently has over $55 billion of assets under management and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap. About Charlesbank Capital Partners Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private investment firm with more than $15 billion of capital raised since inception. Charlesbank focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital financings, and also engages in opportunistic credit and technology investments. The firm seeks to build companies with sustainable competitive advantage and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, please visit www.charlesbank.com. Media Contacts For symplr / Clearlake: Jennifer Hurson Lambert & Co. 845-507-0571 [email protected] For Charlesbank: Maura Turner 617-619-5457 [email protected] SOURCE symplr; Clearlake Capital Group The Motorola MA1 is a plug and play adapter that integrates with Android Auto. With wireless access to Android Auto, users can get things done with their voice to keep their focus on driving. Easily send messages, get directions, control media and more. Just say "Hey Google" to get started. Android Auto is available on more than 100 million cars today - many of which require connecting a mobile device to the vehicle infotainment system using a USB cable. The Motorola MA1 is an ideal solution for drivers who want to experience a seamless wireless connection but do not have the factory-supplied technology that allows them to do so. "Motorola strives to simplify our customers' lives through innovative technology that seamlessly integrates into everyday life," says Dave Carroll, Executive Director Strategic Brand Partnerships at Motorola. "The Motorola MA1 eliminates the need to plug your phone into your car's infotainment system every time you get in your car, allowing for easy access to your favorite navigation apps." Motorola MA1 features include: Fast media transmission (5 GHz WiFi for wireless Android Auto) Direct USB plug-in to existing Android Auto-enabled vehicles Fast automatic connection using Bluetooth Lightweight, sleek design The Motorola MA1 is available starting January 28, 2022; MSRP $89.95. Available at https://www.motorolasound.com and retailers nationwide. To wirelessly use Android Auto on your car display, your car must be compatible with Android Auto, and you must have a compatible Android smartphone running Android 11 or higher, with an active data plan. Check Android Auto compatibility with your car at: www.android.com/auto/compatibility/ About SGW Global SGW Global specializes in the manufacture, design, sales and distribution of a wide array of consumer electronic products and services. Working with leading technology innovators, we pride ourselves on the creation of world-class award-winning designs and solutions. With a 30-year track record of quality and on time delivery, we partner with dynamic pioneers at the forefront of technological change in a constantly evolving market. In a partnership with Motorola Mobility LLC that has already existed for more than 10 years, SGW Global are the global1 licensee of the Motorola brand for Personal Audio2, Nursery3 and Telephony4 products. As a truly global operation, we have our Corporate HQ along with our own manufacturing facilities in China, a dedicated Sales Operation Centre in the US, a European Operations Centre in the UK, and a worldwide sales and distribution network. For more information, visit www.sgwglobal.com SGW Global is a trading name of Meizhou Guo Wei Electronics Co., Ltd. About Motorola Strategic Brand Partnerships For over 90 years the Motorola brand has been known around the world for high quality, innovative and trusted products. Motorola's Strategic Brand Partnership program seeks to leverage the power of this iconic brand by partnering with dynamic companies who offer unique, high quality products that enrich consumer's lives. Strategic brand partners work closely with Motorola engineers while developing and manufacturing their products, ensuring that their products meet the exacting safety, quality, and reliability standards that consumers have come to expect from Motorola. To learn more about Motorola strategic brand partnerships, follow us @ShopMotorola. MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2020 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved. Google, Android, and Android Auto are trademarks of Google LLC. 1 Personal Audio license excludes India and Telephony license excludes South America 2 Personal Audio products include wired and wireless in-ear and over-ear headphones, true wireless (TWS) and portable wireless speakers. 3 Nursery products include connected and non-connected audio and video baby monitors, soothers, sleep monitors, projectors, thermometers, scales, humidifiers, and air purifiers. 4 Telephony products include corded and cordless home telephones, corded and cordless business telephones and fixed wireless telephones. Media Contact: Nicole Daley / Daley Public Relations [email protected] 415.408.8664 SOURCE SGW Global ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thin wafers are gaining adoption as a flexible substrate for the production of ultra-thin semiconductors that are used in multiple electronics end-use applications. They are extensively used in a range of power devices and CMOS image sensors that find application in IT & telecom, automotive, and consumer electronics. The adoption of thin wafers notably 100um-200um wafers in telecom applications has been generating sizable revenue streams for players in the thin wafers market. Advancements in nanotechnologies have enabled end users to incorporate them in various micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) designs in order to cater to high-performance flexible electronics. A case in point is the use of ultra-thin chips in next-gen telecom & IoT products that require ultra-low loss radio frequency (RF) specifications. Request a Report Sample at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=274 The global thin wafers market is projected to reach valuation of US$ 21.65 Bn by 2031. Stakeholders are witnessing substantial avenues in the demand for glass wafers in engineering of displays and display glass inspection systems. The adoption is underpinned by a few unique advantages such as better warp management, optimization of processes, and reduced electric loss. North America is projected to contribute substantial revenue to the global thin wafers market over the next few years. The growth is likely to be fueled by rise in production of semiconductor wafers in the region. Get PDF Brochure for More Insights @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=274 Key Findings of Thin Wafers Market Study Growing Uptake of Ultra-Thin Semiconductors in Automotive Industry to Steer Market Growth: Micro-electro-mechanical systems are widely used in various automotive applications, such as in accelerometers, gyroscopes, and tire pressure monitoring systems. The growing trend of incorporation of electronics for safety features is bolstering the applications of semiconductor wafers in automotive chips. This has been propelling the demand for semiconductor wafer manufacturing for fabrication of MEMS devices. Evidently, the opportunities are vast in electric vehicles, pivoted on the growing production and adoption of these in developed and developing regions of the world. Micro-electro-mechanical systems are widely used in various automotive applications, such as in accelerometers, gyroscopes, and tire pressure monitoring systems. The growing trend of incorporation of electronics for safety features is bolstering the applications of semiconductor wafers in automotive chips. This has been propelling the demand for semiconductor wafer manufacturing for fabrication of MEMS devices. Evidently, the opportunities are vast in electric vehicles, pivoted on the growing production and adoption of these in developed and developing regions of the world. Numerous Applications of Optical Semiconductor Devices in IT & Telecommunications & Consumer Electronics: The demand for optical semiconductor devices in telecommunications and consumer electronics is anticipated to offer incremental opportunities to thin wafer suppliers. Optical semiconductor devices are subject to a variety of process control and qualification tests with the help of wafer inspection technologies that eventually lead to the production of high-quality electronics. The need for next-gen optical semiconductor devices in IT & telecom sector, including light-emitting diodes and photodiodes, is expected to generate sizable revenue streams, notes the study on the thin wafers market. Furthermore, the adoption of new technologies notably ultrasonic cleaning of thin wafers in semiconductor manufacturing industry is propelling the prospects of the market. The demand for optical semiconductor devices in telecommunications and consumer electronics is anticipated to offer incremental opportunities to thin wafer suppliers. Optical semiconductor devices are subject to a variety of process control and qualification tests with the help of wafer inspection technologies that eventually lead to the production of high-quality electronics. The need for next-gen optical semiconductor devices in IT & telecom sector, including light-emitting diodes and photodiodes, is expected to generate sizable revenue streams, notes the study on the thin wafers market. Furthermore, the adoption of new technologies notably ultrasonic cleaning of thin wafers in semiconductor manufacturing industry is propelling the prospects of the market. Ultra-thin Wafers to Lead to Cost Reduction of Solar Cells: Thin wafers are underpinning the optimization of innovative semiconductor thin film designs. Of note, ultra-thinned silicon wafers are gaining attention across the solar energy industry, as their application holds potential in the fabrication of low-cost solar cells. Additionally, the use of thin film nanotechnologies in thin wafers has led to improvements in the light management in solar cells, such as in increased absorption and retention of sunlight. For instance, nanophotonic structures are being pursued by solar industry players for fabricating ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells, thus underpinning substantial growth opportunities for players in the thin wafers market. Get a Customized Research Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=274 Thin Wafers Market: Key Drivers Growing trend of miniaturization of optoelectronic systems to meet the requirements of wireless systems and MEMS is a key pivot for R&D in thinning of wafers. The trend has spurred the growth prospects of the thin wafers market. A case in point is the use of miniaturized optoelectronic systems for wireless optogenetics. Rapid pace of commercialization of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles in several developing and developed economies has spurred interest in thin wafer technologies. The demand is a key underpinning for substantial opportunities for semiconductor wafer manufacturers. Thin Wafers Market: Key Players Some of the key players in the thin wafers market are SOITEC, Hangzhou Semiconductor Wafer Co., Ltd., Okmrtic, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., GlobalWafers Co., Ltd., SK siltron Co.,Ltd, Siltronic AG, and SUMCO Corporation. Buy an Exclusive Research Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=274